The Middle School Minute

St. Johns Middle School Newsletter- December 20, 2024

Important Dates

December 21-January 5- Winter Break- No School
January 6- First Day Back from Winter Break
January 7-24- Winter i-Ready Testing Window
January 9- OK2Say School Safety Assembly
January 10- Fun Night!
January 16- RCADS-25 Social Emotional Screener
January 20- Professional Development Day- No School for Students
January 23- Academic Intervention Day
January 27-31- Winterfest Week
January 27- Parent/Teacher Conferences
January 28- Parent/Teacher Conferences
January 31- No School for Students and Staff
February 7- Fun Night!
February 14- No School for Students and Staff
February 17- No School for Students and Staff
May 27- 8th Grade Honors Night
May 30- 8th Grade Farewell Dance
June 6- 8th Grade Michigan Adventure Trip

2024-2025 District Calendar (click here)

SJMS Office Hours: School days from 7:15 a.m.-3:15 p.m.

In This Edition...

New Topics

Happy Holidays from SJMS
Door Decorating Contest Results
i-Ready Testing Window
RCADS-25 Social Emotional
OK2Say School Safety Assembly

Old Topics

Happy Holidays from SJMS

As the holidays approach, we want to take a moment to express our gratitude for your continued support and partnership throughout this school year. Your involvement and dedication make all the difference in creating a positive learning environment for our students. We hope this holiday season brings you joy, laughter, and special moments with loved ones. May the new year bring health and happiness for your family! Thank you for being such an important part of our school community.

We look forward to a wonderful start of the new year together when we return to school on Monday, January 6, 2025. The next The Middle School Minute will be sent on Friday, January 10th.

Door Decorating Contest Results

Students worked together in their Careers classes to deck the halls at SJMS! Our annual door decorating contest encouraged creativity, teamwork, and holiday cheer.

1st Place Overall: Mrs. Loomis

6th Grade 1st Place: Mrs. Andretz

6th Grade 2nd Place: Mrs. LaCelle

7th Grade 1st Place: Mrs. Myers

7th Grade 2nd Place: Mr. Fromson

8th Grade 1st Place: Mrs. Walker

8th Grade 2nd Place: Mrs. Swab

i-Ready Testing Window

i-Ready testing will occur in ELA and Math classes on select days between January 7-24. Our staff uses information collected from i-Ready to monitor student progress and adjust instruction to meet the needs of all learners.

RCADS-25 Social Emotional Screener

St. Johns Public Schools, in partnership with Clinton County RESA, plans to administer a Social Emotional Behavioral screener to students in Grades 3 through 12 the week of January 13th. SJMS will administer the screener on January 16th during Careers. This screener is recommended for students in these grades. The purpose of this screener is to ensure that appropriate supports are provided to students who may be struggling with emotional-behavioral-mental health issues. The screener that will be utilized is called the “Revised Child Anxiety and Depression Scale” (RCADS-25).

This is an evidence-based, valid and reliable measure of students’ perspectives on their emotional and behavioral well-being. Our district, along with CCRESA, chose this measure due to the reliable nature of the screener. We have plans in place to respond quickly to any students who rate themselves to be elevated in either emotional or behavioral areas. This universal social-emotional-behavioral health screener is intended to be given three times a year (Fall, Winter, and Spring) similar to other academic screeners. Students will be given 25 items to which they can respond “Never,” “Sometimes,” “Often,” or “Always.” A sample of these statements are: “I feel sad or empty.”

“I have trouble sleeping.” “I feel worthless.” “I feel afraid that I will make a fool of myself in front of people.” “I worry that something bad will happen to me.”

Please know we are working in the best interest of our students and families with the intention of being proactive in ensuring all our students are given the support needed to set them up for success. If you have any questions or concerns about your child taking this assessment, please contact Mrs. Hallead.

*If you opted your student(s) out of the screener the previous school year, they are opted out of the January screener as well.

OK2SAY Assembly

A representative from OK2SAY will present to SJMS students on Thursday, January 9th (rescheduled from our December 5th snow day) to talk to students about school safety topics. A letter will be sent home to parents with additional details regarding the presentation and the ability to opt their student out when we return from break.

OK2SAY is run by the State of Michigan Police and is designed to inform students how they can help make their school and community safer by reporting dangerous and concerning behaviors to a trusted adult or OK2SAY.