Switzerland Point Middle School

Hello!

Welcome to a new school year here at Switzerland Point Middle School!!! We are so excited to have all of you as part of the Raider family. We hope that you will find the information below helpful as you get settled in for the 2024-2025 school year.

Whether you are a new parent or returning parent we suggest you review this "New Parent" Raider Rap for all of the up to date information on school and district policies and procedures. https://secure.smore.com/n/az5n4g

You can also check for updates on our school and district websites.

SPMS Website: http://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/

St. Johns County School District Website: http://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us

We look forward to seeing you all soon!

Ms. Carnall

Principal

https://www.schoolpay.com/link/camp2024

SPMS SCHOOLogy Learning Hour

This event is intended for all parents of incoming 6th graders and any parent of a newly registered student this summer.

• July 31 and August 1: 6th Grade Camp (Registration Required), New Parent Meeting, New Parent Schoology Sessions
• August 9: District Meet the Teacher 8-11, See Flier Below

• August 12: First Day of School!
• August 21: Picture Day

Our electronic newsletter, The Raider Rap, will come out at least every other week or more as necessary.

Here is the first Raider Rap for this year. It was designed for all our new Raiders, but it is good for everyone to review. There is a lot of information about upcoming events, but please be sure to carefully read the information about SPMS policies regarding tardies, cell phones, dress code, etc.

https://secure.smore.com/n/az5n4g

Updated proof of residency must be provided and the Returning Student Verification (RSV) completed in order for your student to have a schedule on the first day of school. When you complete the RSV online, you can upload your proof of residency at the same time. Please check your spam or junk folder. The email will come from St. Johns County School district. Please do not reply to that email. Please do not email to confirm it was submitted. SPMS will contact you if there is an issue with your submission.

If you have questions, please contact Ms. Jennifer Corte at 904.547.8627 or Jennifer.Corte@stjohns.k12.fl.us .

Rising 7th-8th Graders: The Returning Student Verification (RSV) must be completed in order for your student to have a schedule on the first day of school. RSV emails were sent out with snap codes to log in. Please check your spam or junk folder. The email will come from St. Johns County School district. Please do not reply to that email. Please do not email to confirm it was submitted. If you need assistance with completing your RSV, please contact Ms. Jennifer Corte at 904.547.8627 or Jennifer.Corte@stjohns.k12.fl.us .

Tdap (Tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis) immunization is required for all students entering 7th grade. Immunizations must be documented on an updated Florida Certification of Immunization (DH 680 form) and submitted directly to the school. Students missing this documentation will not have access to HAC, will not have an active schedule and will not be permitted to attend school until the documentation is completed and submitted. Any vaccinations turned in on any other form than the DH 680 form will not be accepted.

7th and 8th graders do not need to pay a deposit. If you have a 7th or 8th grader and your child would like a locker, please sign up for one using this link. At this point, lockers will be distributed on a first come, first serve basis after school starts.

6th graders who are NOT attending 6th grade camp may request a locker at this link. You must also pay the $5 locker fee here, prior to receiving the locker. 6th graders attending camp will get a locker at camp and the deposit is part of the camp fee. If your student has attended 6th grade camp, please do not sign up for a locker.

Textbooks will be distributed after school starts.

You can purchase your PE uniforms here: https://www.schoolpay.com/link/pefee2024

Uniforms purchased by August 7 will be available for pick up at the district open house on August 9. Please bring a copy of your receipt (either printed or on your phone) to expedite the pick-up process. Uniforms purchased after that will be distributed after school starts.

Transportation information will be available in HAC as of July 29. Parents with questions about Transportation should call 904-547-7810 and select the proper area from the menu

Medical orders must be completed each school year. All medications must be properly labeled in the original containers. The clinic will be open to accept medication and authorizations the following dates and times:

• August 8 from 8:00 AM-2:00 PM

• August 9 from 8:00 AM-12:00 PM

Medication Authorization and Medical forms can be found here: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/clinic/

Nurse Kelly can be reached at 547-8628.

You can find the SJCSD Code of Conduct here.

Please read the Code of Conduct and then print and sign the last page. Please drop off your signed Code of Conduct agreement to the Café during District Open House on August 9.

Schedules will be live for you to view on July 27th & July 28th for schedule preview days and will then be made viewable again in August.

Please use the link below to request any chances.

Any emails regarding schedule changes will not be looked at this time. Due to our capacity, course changes may be extremely limited and not possible to make.

If you are requesting a schedule change, please remember the following:

• Schedule requests are made for classes, not for teachers or class periods
• Schedule change requests must be entered by Monday, August 12th at 11:59 pm. Any requests submitted after this date will not be considered.
• Any requests that are submitted prior to August 7th that are able to be completed, will be reflected in HAC before the first day of school. If there are no changes to your student’s schedule, we were not able to accommodate the request.
• For any requests submitted after August 8th, students will be called to guidance to receive a new schedule if the change are able to be completed. If you student is not called down to receive a new schedule by August 16th, we were not able to accommodate the request.
• Any requests involving changes to Math classes, Intensive Math or Reading or any classes that are assigned based on an IEP will not be considered until a parent meeting is held.
• Any requests to drop PE will not be considered until a PE waiver is turned in.

Schedule Change Link NOTE: this link will not go live until July 27th.

***Please note that schedules are not final until the first day of school. The schedule that you view now may not be the exact schedule you receive on the first day of school. This is due to increasing enrollment and leveling of classes.

8:00 AM-11:00 AM SPMS Campus

Due to the volume of students, we ask that you attend the time that matches your last name as follows:

8:00-9:00 AM Last Names A-H

9:00-10:00 AM Last Names I-P

10:00-11:00 AM Last Names Q-Z

During District Open House, you can walk the campus, meet your teachers, turn in your Code of Conduct, sign up for the PTSO, buy spirit wear, talk to Transportation, get your pre-paid PE uniforms, and get your locker.

Please either print your schedule at home prior to coming or pull up your schedule on HAC. If you pull up your schedule on HAC, you will need to click on classes then click on schedule to be able to see the teachers AND room numbers. We will not be handing out printed schedules.

For safety reasons, we will not be handing out school maps. However, we will have WEB leaders and NJHS members stationed around the campus to help point you in the right direction.

Please note that we will be changing some hallway routes during class changes. Due to the volume of people during orientation, you will not be able to practice these routes exactly as the students will be doing them during the school day. This is a great time to model flexibility with your students.

Purchase your spirit wear here: SPMS PTSO Online Store

It is the goal of the PTSO to have preordered merchandise available at the District Open House before school starts.

If not, all merchandise will be delivered to your student as soon as it is available. Thank you for your support!

• Car Riders: For the first few days of school we will be handing out signs for car riders to put in their window. We ask that you put your student’s name, nickname, or a word that you and your student agree upon. We will be announcing whatever name or word you have chosen so your child knows to get to their car quickly. Cars should move up as far as possible in the line. Students follow the cars; the cars do not wait for students. This ensures that the car line moves efficiently and safely.

• Parents can complete the online Free and Reduced Lunch Application by using this link: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/food/free/. We encourage you to fill out the online application--English or Spanish--but you can also print a form on the same website and return it to school (send it to us by internal mail once completed). Parents should not delay applying to prevent a gap in their student’s meal eligibility.

Swiss Point Middle School is proud to be one of two middle schools in SJCSD that implemented the Sources of Strength program during the 2023-2024 school year. We are excited to begin this school year with our Getting to Know You Sources of Strength campaign where we will introduce the framework, the sources wheel, and our Peer Leaders and Adult Advisors to our school. Sources of Strength is a research-based program that is designed to use the power of peer social networks to create healthy norms and a healthy culture. It strives to increase overall wellbeing, resiliency, healthy coping mechanisms and a sense of belonging in our students. Sources of Strength uses an upstream model that is strengthened with multiple sources of support for our students so when times get hard, they have strengths, both within themselves and in our community, to rely on. We are excited to be a part of this program and are looking forward to the positive impact it will have not only on our students but on our entire SPMS community.

SPMS Athletics consists of both boys and girls volleyball and basketball, as well as Winterguard. All other middle school sports are operated by SJMSAA.

The St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association (”SJMSAA”) middle school sports program is not operated or sponsored by the St. Johns County School District. SJMSAA is an independent, private non-profit corporation, which uses District middle school names and facilities under a license agreement with the District, and which is solely responsible for the operation of the SJMSAA middle school sports program and its individual teams.

Students need to register through the SJMSAA website prior to tryouts. Once a student(s) makes a team, he/she will be provided with more information on paying and filling out the required forms

https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/

SPMS National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring an opportunity to send a special birthday or congratulations message to your student via the marquee in the front of the school. Cost is $25. Complete the form here to submit your request (there's a separate link in the form to pay via Schoolpay upon submitting your request). Requests are due the Friday prior to the event and will display the following week (Tuesday through Monday). Example: If you turn in the request on Friday, September 17, then your message will be displayed on Tuesday, September 21. We will start displaying messages for the 24-25 school year starting August 8.

PTSO Community Chat RSVP Here

SPMS PTSO

http://www.swisspointptso.com/

The SPMS PTSO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the learning and work experience of the students and staff at SPMS. Our membership includes teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

What do we do?

Student Initiatives:

• Neon Bash - Fall dance for students
• Raider Store - Rewards for students who earn Raider Bucks for academic and behavioral performance
• Grade Level Support
• Character Counts! Rewards

Staff Initiatives:

• Classroom Grants - Teacher members are eligible for up to $100 in a classroom grant to purchase items to enhance their classroom
• Staff Luncheons and Breakfast
• Staff Appreciation
• School Support throughout the Year

How do we pay for these initiatives?

• MEMBERSHIP - This is our biggest fundraiser. By simply joining PTSO, families help us reach our goals
• Spirit Wear - PTSO sells spirit wear each fall
• Fall/Spring Fundraisers - Examples include Nothing Bundt Cakes and Poppin' Box popcorn
• Business Partners - Our area businesses help SPMS through our Partners in Education program
• Corporate Donation Matches, Box Tops, and Private Donations

How do you join?

• A family membership is $25 for the school year. The membership includes parents and any sibling at SPMS.
• Membership form can be found at https://switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

We are excited about a wonderful and busy 2024-2025 school year and making a difference at Swiss!

If you are interested in finding out how you can help, contact Dawn Evans at dawnevanswebpto@gmail.com

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT PTSO

There will be various fundraisers throughout the school year to participate in to help fund the PTSO 2024-2025 initiatives.

Box Tops - Download the Box Tops app and scan your receipts for SMPS PTSO to get Box Top credits.

Keep an eye on the PTSO website, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up-to-date on what is coming up throughout the year!

Questions/concerns? spmsptso@hotmail.com

For up-to-date happenings LIKE us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/SwissPointPTSO/

SPMS PTSO is on INSTAGRAM! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/spmsptso/

Check the PTSO website for all the latest news! http://www.swisspointptso.com/