Dear Parents & Guardians of 5th Grade Students:
Spring is almost here, and this means that the planning has begun to welcome your child to the Springton Lake Middle School family for the start of the 2023-2024 school year. The transition to middle school is a time of great excitement and new possibilities for the students. We also recognize that there may be some anxiety for students and parents about the change to a new, larger school complete with different faces, routines, and opportunities. Our goal over the next several months is to engage students and parents in a variety of activities designed to assist with this transition and to pave the way for a positive and enthusiastic start to the new school year.
The purpose of this communication is to highlight for you some of the planning that will take place and the important transition activities that are scheduled. Please mark your calendars for Thursday evening, April 13, 2023, at 7:00 PM. We will be hosting an in-person meeting in the Springton Lake Middle School Auditorium for parents and guardians of current 5th grade students. This meeting will be an opportunity to learn more about the middle level program, meet with the administrative team and school counseling staff, and receive a tour of the school from current students. We hope that you will be able to join us for what we know will be an informative evening. Please note that this program is for parents and guardians only. Upcoming activities are planned that are tailored specifically to the students.
The scheduling process for next year will be guided by data and information provided to us by your child’s current teacher, and also information provided by you and your child. Students who currently receive special education, gifted support services, or supplementary reading instruction will have similar supports in their schedules at Springton Lake. We will also be asking students and parents to make selections regarding music programming for next year. Students who began learning an instrument at the elementary level are encouraged to continue with that instrument in the band or orchestra. All students also have an opportunity to participate in the choral music program. Students who do not enroll in a performance music course will be scheduled to have another music course.
We have worked with each elementary school to schedule a time for Springton Lake staff members to meet informally with 5th grade students during the months of April and May. We will use this as an opportunity to begin the conversation with them about middle school and the transition. Students will then visit Springton Lake on Wednesday, June 7th. Students will receive a tour of the school, visit classes, hear from current students, and even eat lunch in the cafeteria. We are excited to welcome them to our school on this day! Your child’s teacher will provide more information about the visit to Springton Lake as the date gets closer.
Student schedules and team assignments will be made available to students and parents in August. We will also be holding Transition Camp for students over the summer. Transition Camp is voluntary and again provides students with an occasion to interact with Springton Lake staff and to meet other members of the incoming 6th grade class. The TENTATIVE dates for Transition Camp for this year will be August 8th & August 22nd – 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM. We will confirm these dates by the end of the school year. We highly encourage all students to attend one of these half-day programs, if possible.
With much excitement and anticipation, we look forward to welcoming your child to Springton Lake Middle School for next school year. Should you have any questions about the transition process or the program at Springton Lake, we encourage you to speak with your child’s teacher and/or principal. We are also available at Springton Lake to answer your questions and/or to address any concerns that you may have. Our contact information is listed below. In the interim, we hope to see you at our meeting on April 13th.
Dr. Robert Salladino, Jr.
Principal
610-627-6501 RSalladino@rtmsd.org
Dr. Devin Layton
Assistant Principal
610-627-6504 DLayton@rtmsd.org
Dr. Melissa McGuire
Assistant Principal
(Effective 04/10/23)
610-627-6505 MMcGuire@rtmsd.org
Ms. Caitlin Judge
6th Grade Guidance Counselor
610-627-6717 CJudge@rtmsd.org
