STMS Family Newsletter

September was full of activity at STMS. Our students and staff got to meet each other and get to know more about one another, we completed our building and SOAR expectations reminders, and celebrated with our first PBIS celebration! We are looking forward to moving forward together in October!

MS doors open at 7:27 with learners reporting to Advisory no later than 7:37. Students entering later than this time will be marked tardy.

Parents wishing to drop their students off in the morning should do so in the front circle. Please use the entire circle to drop students off and do not stop directly in front of the main doors. Also, please do not block the bus lane by the library.

PM Dismissal:

Student Dismissal begins at 2:37 parent pick up is between Mayflower Alley and the back of the building. Please do not block the bus lanes by the library.

Late Arrival:

Students arriving to school late should enter the main office through the front door and get a tardy pass before attending class.

Early Dismissals:

Students leaving on an early dismissal must be picked up by their guardian in the main office. Students will not be dismissed from their classrooms until their guardian is in the main office. Please remember that you must bring your state-issued photo id with you.

Below are some guidelines of the two biggest challenges that our students struggle with on a daily basis.

Cell and Technology Phone Policy

Cell phones, earbuds, and headphones are not permitted out in the building. All personal technology must be powered off and stored in learner lockers.

1st infraction: warning- cell phone returned to student

2nd infraction: conference- guardian must pick up the phone in the main office

3rd infraction: guardian must pick up the phone in the main office, student detention issued

Dress Code

Please ensure that all learners are following the dress code as outlined in the student success manual.

To highlight some of our biggest areas of struggle:

• Students may not wear hoods, hats, or bandanas in the building.
• Jeans may not have holes, rips, or tears above the knee with visible skin.
• Shorts and skirts may not be shorter than three inches above the knee.

Learners found to be in violation of our dress code will need to wait in the ISS room until the violation is able to be fixed.

Please encourage your students to follow the dress code and cell phone policies each day.

• Sneakers must be worn for all physical education classes.
• Students must take a PE/health class each academic year.
• Students must take a careers class and complete two pieces of career evidence per year.
• Interested in joining band, chorus or orchestra? Contact your learner's music teacher.

There are several resources that may help you in ensuring that your learners are successful this year.

• Sign Up for AAP- The Academic Assistance Program (AAP) is beginning soon. It is a free after-school tutoring opportunity open to any learner who wishes to get additional support from teachers. They will remain at school in a small group learning environment and use the transportation called the “late bus” to get home. Students can contact Mrs. Sutton at ksutton@hannasd.org for a permission slip.

• Log onto Infinite Campus to explore and learn more about our learning management system.

• Ask your child what they are learning and why. Ask them to explain processes they are learning to solve mathematical problems, the kinds of things they are reading, about their science investigations, social studies content, and the kinds of experiences they have in related arts. Research shows that talking with our kids about their learning helps them have deeper connections to that learning and, shows that we are invested in their learning.

• Remind your child that there number 1 reason for school is to learn. They need to be mindful that their social media and cell phones are not a priority.

• Check your child's agenda nightly for homework and upcoming assignment dates.

• If you have new email/phone information please contact the main office so that we can update this information.
• Check your learner's planner/agenda each night for homework assignments and important upcoming events.
• Ensure that your learner is utilizing their technology according to our AUP. Learners with three instances of device damage will need to complete their work via paper/pencil.

2024-2025 Important Changes:

Please know that as a leadership team and staff, we have worked over the past few years to develop and modify our system of learning to meet 21st century expectations. Please take some time to review our school formatting for the coming school year:

• Learners will start each day in advisory and end each day in a responsive class. Advisory is a great way to start your way with balance, responsive class will specifically target any need for intervention or extension for each student.
• Learners will start their school year in grade level classes (6a, 7a, 8a). If your student is making adequate progress they will progress to the next letter every 22 days with 8 total progress monitoring periods aligning with releases of progress reports and report cards.
• STMS will no longer be using Canvas a Learning Management System. We have switched to Infinite Campus, which appears to be a little more user friendly.
• Grades (4.0 scale), progress reports and report cards will be available in Infinite Campus
• Please note that our progress reports have been published. Students scoring a 3.0 or higher have transitioned to their next phase of classes. A basic translation of this scale is as follows:
• 4.0- Advanced (Working above and beyond grade level expectation)
• 3.0- Proficient (Independently Proficient within the assigned learning outcome)
• 2.0- Working, But Needs Help
• 1.0- Not Yet Working In This Area
• Data review will be conducted with possible schedule changes occurring every 22 days (timeline mirrors progress report and report card release)
• Learners will use their lockers this year and may not carry bookbags, fanny packs, draw string bags, purses (etc.) through the building with them. Learners may only carry their laptop bag through the building.

IMPORTANT UPDATES for the 2024-2025 SCHOOL YEAR

1. New assignments are available in the My Ride K-12 mobile app.
2. To ensure the safety of our students, there could be up to a five-day waiting period during the school year for your change request to be completed.
3. Summer change requests for the new school year should be submitted no later than August 1st. Changes received after this date are not guaranteed to be in place for the start of school.
4. Secondary school students are not transported to or from daycare providers. If your elementary student is moving up to the MS and had been attending a before or after-school daycare, their transportation will be updated and based on the primary household address.

For more information on transportation visit our website here.

Breakfast and lunch are provided at no cost again this school year.

Breakfast and lunch should be eaten in designated areas only. Learners are not permitted to eat/snack in classrooms. Students may carry a water bottle with them during the day.

You can find more about our snack guidelines from School Board Policy 246 below.

WELCOME!

Spirit Wear - get some great "back to school" clothes for all your family through our fully customizable Spirit Wear website - https://www.susquehannatwpspiritwear.com/

Stock the School Store - The School Store is one of the many ways teachers/staff at the Middle School reward students for their great work and you can donate supplies to it easily through Amazon (and the supplies ship directly to the Middle School) - https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/E2Q5ZPGF6WWT/ref=cm_go_nav_hz

PTSO Meeting - Please join us to discuss ideas for how we can support everyone in the Susquehanna Township Middle School community - Meetings are held virtually on the first Wednesday of each month at 7:00PM. Meetings are hosted via Zoom at: https://ycp.zoom.us/j/9854436873

Fall Party - Donations needed for October 18:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/60B0A48AEAC22A75-51105972-fall

School Store & Other Fun Donations - We've received many questions about how to donate for "every day fun" at the school. Anyone can contribute easily via Venmo @Molly-Sauder-3 or Cash App $STMSPTSO

Join our Facebook Page - All PTSO info will be shared through our Facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/groups/stmsptso

WHO WE ARE

Simply put - the PTSO is a group of people who want to support Susquehanna Township Middle School so that everyone connected to the school has the best experience possible. We sponsor fun events like school-wide parties and help support various needs of student organizations. And, we assist with important day-to-day activities like making sure the "school store" and teachers are stocked with rewards for students who are working hard every day. Of course, we also let the school's teachers and staff know how much we all appreciate them throughout the year!

Please note that there are some new rules to attend any athletic events:

• Middle School Students must be accompanied by their guardian (listed in Campus) for the duration of the game. Please do not drop your students off at the gate, they will not be able to enter or stay without you
• Middle School Students must have their Lifetouch issued ID in order to purchase a ticket
• Students from other schools or school districts will not be able to purchase a ticket or attend any athletic events

10/23- Picture Makeup Day

10/24- Parent Engagement Night Presented by Austill's

10/28- School Closed Teacher Inservice

10/29- Marking Period 1 Ends