Dear Parents/Guardians,

Welcome back to school! We hope this letter finds you well and that you have enjoyed a wonderful summer break. As the new school year approaches, we are excited to welcome our students back to Bass Middle School. We believe that the upcoming academic year holds immense promise and opportunities for our students to learn, grow, and excel.

We would like to invite you to our annual Open House, which will be held on July 31, 2024. Please choose to attend one of the sessions from 10:00-12:00 or from 4:00-5:00. Open House provides an excellent opportunity for you to meet our dedicated faculty, tour the school premises, and familiarize yourself with the various programs and resources available to your child.

During the Open House, you will have the chance to learn more about our curriculum, extracurricular activities, and special events planned for the upcoming year. We encourage you to participate in this valuable event, as it serves as an important platform for building a strong home-school partnership and enhancing your understanding of our school community.

In preparation for the new academic year, we kindly ask all parents and students to review the Bass Middle School Student Handbook. The handbook outlines essential information about our school's policies, procedures, and expectations. You can access the Student Handbook by visiting the Bass Middle School website or clicking the link below.

Familiarizing yourself with the Student Handbook will help ensure a smooth and successful start to the school year. It covers important topics such as attendance policies, academic standards, behavioral guidelines, and safety protocols. We believe that maintaining clear communication between school and home is vital to the success of our students, and the Student Handbook is a valuable resource to achieve this goal.

We look forward to welcoming you and your child back to Bass Middle School for another exciting and successful school year. Together, we will make this a memorable and enriching experience for all our students.

Warm regards,

Cindy Bennett

Principal

Bass Middle School

*Please access the parent calendar on the BMS website for club meeting dates. Most clubs begin in September.

July 31: Open House 10:00-12:00 OR 4:00-5:00

Aug. 1: 1st day of school

Aug. 1: Soccer tryouts until 5pm

Aug. 13: Soccer game - BMS @ EMS 4:30 (girls play first)

Aug. 19: Mandatory football conditioning begins

Aug. 20: Soccer game - BMS @ AMS 4:30 (girls play first)

Aug. 22: Soccer game - LMS @ BMS 4:30 (boys play first)

Aug. 27: Soccer game - SRMS @ BMS 4:30 (girls play first)

Aug. 29: Soccer game - BMS @ ECMS 4:30 (boys play first)

Aug. 30: I MISS SUMMER day! Wear school appropriate travel attire.

Sept. 2: HOLIDAY (no school)

Sept. 3: Soccer game - MMS @ BMS 4:30 (girls play first)

Sept. 6: College Colors Day

Sept. 6: Bulldog Break (PTO fundraiser)

Sept. 10: Soccer Semi-Finals

Sept. 12: Soccer Championship

Sept. 16: Volleyball tryouts begin

My name is Austin Dickens and I am excited to serve the community of BMS for the fourth year as an assistant principal. I’ve done a lot of different jobs in education such as social studies teacher, special education teacher, assistive technology specialist, and special education consultant. I love working at Bass as an assistant principal because every day is something new and I get to support all of the teachers and students at BMS. When I’m not at Bass, I like to spend time with my family. My wife is a teacher at Northside Elementary and my son is going into third grade and my daughter is a rising sixth grader at BMS. I also enjoy being outside camping, road cycling, mountain biking, and doing photography.

Welcome to Bass Middle School! My name is Angie Markham, and I am excited to be entering my fourth year as an Assistant Principal here at Bass! I work with all students in 6th grade and with students with last names M-Z in 7th grade.

I am a lifelong resident of Coweta County, graduating from Newnan High School in 1996. I am also a proud graduate of the University of Georgia, Auburn University, and the University of West Georgia. My husband Brad and I have been married almost 19 years, and we have one daughter, Avery, who will be a junior in high school this year. We also have one dog named Murray and a cat named Tilly. I will be starting my 25th year in education, all in the Coweta County School System, this year!

It’s going to be another great year in the Dawg House, and I can’t wait to see you all soon!

Hello. My name is Jessica Fortier, and this is my second year as a professional school counselor at Blake Bass Middle School. I have over twenty years of social services experience working as a social worker, juvenile probation officer, and a school counselor. Please contact me if you have any questions about the school counseling program. I am here to help your child have the best school experience s/he can while attending middle school.

Hi! My name is Grace McKoy and this will be my first year at Bass Middle School. I recently graduated with my Master’s in School Counseling at the University of West Georgia. I have experience working with elementary students where I taught third grade as well as experience counseling both elementary and middle school students during my internship. I am so excited to be at Bass Middle School and I can’t wait to get to know all of the amazing students!

At Bass Middle School we know that two-way communication is vital to the success of our students. To receive Dr. Bennett's weekly newsletter, please ensure that your email and cell phone number is correct in Infinite Campus. Dr. Bennett will use Infinite Campus Messenger to provide important updates and information to parents/guardians.

Contact information: rachel.posson@cowetaschools.net

Parents may drop off student medication at the school any time between 8:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Medication prescribed by a physician and over the counter medication must be brought to the school by the legal guardian and in the original prescription bottle.

The form below must be completed by a parent/guardian and accompany the medication when delivered to the school by a parent/guardian.

All students entering 7th grade are required to have updated immunizations prior to the start of school in compliance with the Department of Human Resources 2007 Immunization Guidelines (Rules of Public Health, Chapter 290-5-4) and Georgia Code 20-02-0771 and/or Georgia Code 20-02-0770. Please check with your child's pediatrician or the health department for the required immunizations your child needs. Most immunizations expire during the month of July.

Students cannot begin the school year without updated required immunizations. You may turn immunizations forms in at Open House or on the first day of school.

Students may arrive to school no earlier than 7:30am. Vehicles should use two lanes to drop students off in the morning. If you are using the far lane (away from sidewalk), your student must walk up the center lane to the adult at the crossing in the middle to wait until all cars have been stopped. They may NOT cross over a lane of traffic without an adult stopping all traffic first.

On the first morning of bus ridership, students should plan to be at their neighborhood pick-up spot as early as 6:45 a.m., until bus pick-up times become established. Routes will adjust as ridership demand is established. Routes and bus stops will remain the same as last year. Parents who have questions about routes or stops should call the Transportation Department at 770-254-2820.

If a student needs to take a different bus or get off at a stop that is not their assigned stop due to childcare needs, the student must bring a note with the requested changes that has been signed by a parent or guardian. The student must give the note to Maria Keith in the attendance office when the student arrives at school. After confirming the request, Ms. Keith will give the note back to the student who will give the note to the driver to board the bus at dismissal.

Afternoon bus dismissal procedures: Bus numbers are called out over the intercom as the bus arrives to the school. Students are dismissed to the bus zone when they hear their bus number. Once we have our bus line up, we will share the LIVE spreadsheet with you so you are able to see when your student's bus number has been called and any changes that may have been made. Bus numbers will be highlighted on the spreadsheet as they are called out. The link to the spreadsheet on the BMS website for your convenience.

Please use the form below to request a transportation change for your student. All requests MUST be made by 3:00 pm on the date requested. We ask that you limit transportation changes to emergency situations only. All students should know how they are getting home each day before they arrive to school.

Please email all attendance notes to BMS Attendance: Bassattendance@cowetaschools.net.

Cell phones may not be used during the instructional day and must be on silent and put away in student's backpacks at all times. Students are permitted to use the designated student phone located in the office during school hours for emergencies or for illness. Students should not use a cell phone or smartwatch to call home or text when sick. Any student who is ill should go through the Bass clinic. The school nurse will call parents directly. Calling home for homework, a school project, or to make arrangements to attend an after school event that wasn't previously arranged is not permitted.

We appreciate your support of this policy so we can minimize interruptions to learning and ensure that all students feel safe and free of distractions.

Print and complete the form below and send it in to our office along with $25.00 to see your child's name in lights!

To Use the Kroger Community Rewards Program:
Simply encourage your participants to visit http://www.kroger.com. Once logged into their Kroger account they can search for Blake Bass Middle School either by name or JY376 and then click Enroll. You will need to go to the bottom of the website to community rewards. New users will need to create an account which requires some basic information, a valid email address and a rewards card.

*Customers must have a registered Kroger rewards card account to link to your organization.
*If a member does not yet have a Kroger rewards card, please let them know they are available at the customer service desk at any Kroger

REMEMBER, purchases will not count for your organization until after your participants register their rewards card.
Participants must swipe their registered Kroger rewards card or use the phone number that is related to their registered Kroger rewards card when shopping for each purchase to count.

*CCMSAL permits 7th and 8th grade students to participate in school sports.

Click the link below to sign up to tryout for the BMS Soccer Team. This link is for both the girls' and boys' teams. Tryouts begin the first day of school, Aug. 1st and last until 5:00pm.

We will have a parent meeting immediately following the first Open House session on July 31st at 12:00 in the BMS gym. Please bring all tryout paperwork, including a current physical, with you to this meeting. All questions relating to soccer tryouts should be sent to Coach Becky Bush (girls coach) or Coach Isaac Strickland (boys coach).

*All sporting events begin at 4:30 p.m. and cost $5.00 per person to attend.

Fall: Soccer

Fall: Football, Pep Squad, & Volleyball

Winter: Basketball

Spring: Track

BMS Twitter: @BassMiddle1

BMS Athletics Twitter: @AthleticsBass

BMS Instagram: bassmiddleschool

BMS Facebook: @BassMiddleSchool

BMS Website: http://bms.cowetaschools.net/

Principal: Dr. Cindy Bennett

Assistant Principal: Angie Markham

Assistant Principal: Austin Dickens

Email: cindy.bennett@cowetaschools.net
Website: bms.cowetaschools.net
Location: 500 Shaw Road, Sharpsburg, GA, USA
Phone: 770 254 2600
Twitter: @BassMiddle1