SEMS Golden Eagles Newsletter

Dear San Elijo Middle School Families,

Thank you to those that were able to join us for Back to School Night last week! We appreciate your time and partnership in educating your children. The first few weeks have flown by, and we are looking forward to a 'normal' Middle School week with the Blacktop and Library open at lunch for students, Athletics in full swing, and a Club Rush Informational meeting on Thursday. We are so proud of our students who create and host their clubs on campus! It is a great way to demonstrate leadership, creativity, and helps with our overall school community.

-Tricia Storey

Tuesday and Thursday

• Cross Country Practice
• Flag Football Tryouts (6th and 7th)

Thursday

• Club Rush Informational Meeting at Lunch!

Friday

• Flag Football Tryouts (8th)
• Make Up Picture Day

The School Site Council is an elected group of parents, teachers, students and staff who work together to improve San Elijo Middle School’s educational programs. School site councils were developed in response to California law, which requires them to allocate and monitor the School Improvement Grant, Gifted and Talented Education funding, as well as to develop and oversee the School Plan for Student Achievement (SPSA).

Parents interested in serving nominate themselves and then are elected to the positions for a two-year term. Duties include attending before school meetings approximately 7 times a year.

We currently need 3 additional parents on our School Site Council.

Parent elections will be held electronically – keep an eye out for the voting email. Self-nominations can be made by submitting the form below by September 6, 2024. For more information or questions contact Principal Storey at patricia.storey@smusd.org.

Order your Chromebook Insurance today! All the information is linked in below here. You will need to know your 'asset tag' in order to complete the process. This is the number underneath the blue bar code on the bottom of the Chromebook. This is what will tie that computer with your child's name.

Brochure

Online Store (for credit card payments)

Paper Application (for checks only)

Website

Spanish Website

We will be doing our Homeroom Contest again shortly after Labor Day...but please know any donations you make now, will go towards your child's homeroom class. The class in each grade level that has the highest donation amounts, will earn lunch and Kona Ice at the fountain! We rely so much on your generous donations to support our after school tutoring opportunities, celebrations for both students and teachers, and departmental funds that supply materials for the classroom.

Parents are welcome to sign up to be added to the SEMS parent volunteer list. There will be a few opportunities to help on campus this year and we always need parent support! Sign up lists for those events are sent to those on this list. Please don't let the new volunteer process deter you...it's actually quite simple and we have until October to enforce the clearance...so you have time:-)

PE Clothes ($20/set) and Yearbook (earlybird price of $55) are available for purchase on the SEMS Webstore (select “San Elijo Middle School ASB” from the dropdown menu). Students can pick up PE Clothes during their lunch period starting Wednesday.

On Tuesday, September 3, from 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday, the Rancho Santa Fe Pavement Restoration Project will commence. Over the next few weeks, drivers can expect a southbound lane closure for construction crews to begin concrete demolition and installation of electrical wires. The southbound bike lane and portions of the sidewalk will also be impacted. Once southbound work is complete, crews will shift to northbound Rancho Santa Fe Road.

In late September, pending weather conditions, construction crews will test the cold-in-place recycling paving technique that removes, recycles and reuses existing asphalt to improve the roadway.

During the duration of construction, two-way traffic will be maintained; however, delays are anticipated so alternate routes are encouraged. Residents and commuters can also expect the following during construction:

• Large construction equipment
• Loud noise from equipment
• Lane closures
• Potential light odors

The Rancho Santa Fe Pavement Restoration Project will restore 1.3 miles of roadway between Melrose Drive and Lake Ridge Drive. The project is part of the City’s ongoing commitment to keeping San Marcos streets safe for all motorists, bicyclists and pedestrians.

The paving project includes the following improvements:

• New ADA curb ramps
• New traffic signal safety cameras
• Improved signal loops to improve traffic flow
• Removing and replacing existing pavement
• Striping of roadway

We will continue to share updates with you as the project progresses.

For general project information and inquiries, contact City communications via email at communications@san-marcos.net. For project construction related inquiries, please contact the Construction Manager Jason Linsdau via email at jlinsdau@san-marcos.net or via phone at 760-759-2466.

Health Office - Safety is always our number one priority. If your child comes to the health office and is not feeling well and needs to go home, we ask that a parent comes to pick their child up. We will not be sending home students unaccompanied on either bikes or walking home in the middle of the school day.

Front Check In/Out

• Early pick-up - If you need to pick your child up early for a pre-planned appointment, please call 760-290-2830 or email semsattendance@smusd.org ahead of time and we will have a pass ready for them upon your arrival. We prefer that students do NOT miss any instructional time for appointments, but we also recognize sometimes it can be hard to schedule outside of school hours.
• No drop-offs: Please note that you may not drop off food, electronics, Chromebooks, or PE clothes for your student. If your child leaves items at home, we have options for them here (no-cost lunch, loaner CBs in the classrooms, loaner PE clothes) and it's a good lesson for them to remember to be responsible for all their school supplies. Don't let them make you have to change your day around to bring in those supplies. We've got them covered here!

Short-Term Independent Study may be an option for students who miss a minimum of 1 and up to 15 school days. Parents/guardians must request independent study at least five (5) days in advance of the absence to allow time for teachers to assign work.

*Students may not participate for more than 15 days per school year.

*Teachers will complete the Independent Study Evaluation that certifies their evaluation of the student’s work (% complete) and assign the number of days of attendance credit.

*To earn attendance credit, students on independent study must have evidence that they completed assignments.

Homework Time

Homework Time begins on Tuesday, September 3rd. It is held on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 - 3:30 p.m. and on Wednesdays from 1:30 - 2:30 p.m. in the library. This is a quiet space for students to work on assignments.

After School Tutoring/Extracurriculars

Drop-in after school tutoring begins on Monday, September 9th. Guitar class Session 1 starts on Tuesday, September 17th and requires sign-up ahead of time; spots are limited. Click here or the button below for the offerings. Email Assistant Principal Cheryl Sestito for questions or assistance: cheryl.sestito@smusd.org

ParentSquare App & Notification Settings

ParentSquare is the primary communication platform for all school communication throughout SMUSD, utilizing email, text, and app notifications. We encourage parents to download the free mobile app and view their Notifications settings on when and how they are notified.

For a quick Parent 101 ParentSquare video overview, please click here.

New Volunteer Clearance Process

We take the safety of our students and staff seriously, and a part of this is ensuring everyone who is on a school campus is cleared and approved to be present. As a result, there is a new volunteer clearance process with different requirements for different types of school or classroom volunteer commitments. We have outlined each of these volunteer levels with their requirements, please click here for more information or see the flyer here.

Student Accident Insurance

Did you know the average cost of an ambulance ride in CA is $549? This is why SMUSD has partnered with a third-party to provide optional student accident insurance, for as little as $14 for the year. Voluntary student accident insurance is highly-beneficial if an accident was to occur while attending or participating in school-sponsored activities. For details and more information, see the flyer here or visit www.studentinsuranceusa.com.

Want to keep up to date on all the happenings on campus?

Check out our Instagram page sems_golden_eagles (scan the qr code).

For more updates, please also follow our PTO on social media (Instagram, Facebook) or through PTO linktree website or SEMS PTO website. The PTO's Instagram page gives a weekly look at all the upcoming happenings on campus!

Exploration, Discovery, and Growth through Connections, Complexity, Collaboration, and Character

Email: patricia.storey@smusd.org
Website: https://sanelijomiddle.smusd.org/
Location: 1600 Schoolhouse Way, San Marcos, CA. 92078
Phone: 760-290-2800