Please call our main office directly to get in contact with any of our office staff members.

If you would rather send us a message, click here to search for any of our SMS staff members you are trying to get in contact with.

We like to Keep it REAL at Simmons Middle School!

Respect | Effort | Attitude | Leadership

These are the attributes we encourage our students to show in our building every day. We love recognizing students who are demonstrating these attributes, so don’t be surprised if you receive a phone call from the office if your student is being recognized for Keeping It REAL!

Doors open promptly at 7:30am and students may enter the building at that time. Please refrain from having your student here any sooner, as there is no supervision available until students enter our building.

Its best to use the long drop-off zone outside our building, along 3rd street and pull all the way forward, allowing most access for everyone. If you choose to enter in the parking lot and use the loop, at times traffic can be congested and take longer to get out (especially after school).

For students arriving between 7:30am-7:55am, they will choose 1 of 3 locations to go to:

• cafeteria to eat breakfast
• library to relax or read
• gym to visit quietly with grade level peers

Students will be dismissed at 7:55am to go to their lockers before heading to homeroom.

All busses (including athletic shuttle busses & Ride Line) will load and unload at the Northwest door, located near the restrooms between the main gym and auxiliary gym.

• If your student is utilizing the after school shuttle bus for athletics, there is a $45 fee per sports season, which will be billed through Parent Portal.

The Boys and Girls Club shuttle will pick up students in the parking lot "loop" in front of the school.

Students have 3 minutes during passing periods to use the restroom or stop at their lockers.

Backpacks/belt bags/purses are not allowed in the classroom.

8:00 - 8:19 | Homeroom

8:22 - 9:01 | Block 1a (electives/general music & PE)

9:04 - 9:43 | Block 1b (electives/general music & PE)

9:46 - 11:07 | Block 2

11:10 - 12:31 | Block 3

12:34 - 1:04 | Lunch

1:07 - 2:28 | Block 4

2:31 - 3:10 | Core Enrichment

8:00 - 8:19 | Homeroom

8:22 - 9:43 | Block 1

9:46 - 11:07 | Block 2

11:10 - 11:49 | Block 3

11:52 - 12:22 | Lunch

12:25 - 1:04 | Block 3

1:07 - 1:46 | Core Enrichment

1:49 - 2:28 | Block 4a (electives/PE & Health)

2:31 - 3:10 | Block 4b (electives/PE & Health)

8:00 - 8:19 | Homeroom

8:22 - 9:43 | Block 1

9:46 - 10:25 | Block 2a (electives/PE & Health)

10:28 - 11:07 | Block 2b (electives/PE & Health)

11:10 - 11:40 | Lunch

11:43 - 12:22 | Core Enrichment

12:25 - 1:46 | Block 3

1:49 -3:10 | Block 4

"A & B" Blocks are when students will take either an elective class, or switch every other day between PE and Health (7th and 8th graders) or PE and General Music (6th graders).
Numbered Blocks are the core classes: math, language arts, & social studies/science. Students will be in math and language arts year round (all four quarters), and social studies and science for half of the year (two quarters / one semester).
Core Enrichment - students who are not electing to take music class, will be in core enrichment where they will get extra time at the end of the day to complete homework and get extra help from their core teachers.

At any point during the day, if your child needs to leave the building a parent/guardian must notify the secretaries. You can do this by either calling the school, sending a signed note in with your child, or by completing an Absence Request online through Parent Portal.

• Upon leaving, your child must sign out at the office window. If/when they arrive back to school they need to stop at the window to sign back in.

If your child is sick or won't be in school, please call 725-7901 right away and either notify a secretary or leave a message.

• You can also complete an Absence Request online through Parent Portal.
• You can also send an email to Mary.Weisser@k12.sd.us to excuse their absence.

Additionally, please notify Mrs. Weisser right away of any extended absences or family vacations as we will work accordingly with your student's teachers to have work prepared for them if necessary.

If a student is late to class, they are marked tardy.
On the 5th tardy, students will be assigned lunch detention; and each additional tardy after that students will be assigned a 30 minute detention either before or after school.

• Tardy counts will reset at the beginning of each quarter.
• Tardies that occur at the beginning of the school day are not counted against students towards detentions, but still count for attendance purposes.

When a student is struggling with their assignments and needs some extra time to complete them, we will be encouraging them to come to Homework Academy.

Hours:

• afterschool Tuesday and Wednesday until 4:00pm
• before school every day starting at 7:30am.

You will be contacted at the beginning of each week if your child needs to stay for Homework Academy.

Our goal of Homework Academy is to give students the extra time & attention necessary to help them learn valuable skills like independence and responsibility, and to help them get caught up and stay caught up with their school work.

We discourage bringing cell phones and smart watches to school. If a student must bring a cell phone it must be kept in their locker and turned off during school hours. The school will not be responsible for lost or stolen phones or smart watches. Cell phones and smart watches will be confiscated if they are seen, heard, or used in the building during the school day, or in detention.

Consequences:

• 1st Offense: student may pick up the device after school, parent notified.
• 2nd Offense: parent must pick up the device, student serves a 30 minute detention.
• 3rd Offense: parent must pick up the device, student serves 1 day of ISS.
• 4th Offense: parent must pick up the device, student serves 2 days of ISS, and the student may no longer bring the device to school or must turn the device into the office daily.

24-25 Meal Prices

Breakfast $2.90

Lunch $3.95

Please make sure your student has money deposited into their lunch account. You can do that by either:

• send cash/check to school with your student to deposit at the table, in the main lobby. (Students will have to fill out a green slip to accompany their deposit)

OR

• sign in to Parent Portal, and find "Food Service" along the left side. Deposit more lunch money and pay by card (4.75% fee) or e-check by providing your routing number from a checking or savings account ($0.35 fee)
• we are NO LONGER using My School Bucks to deposit lunch money electronically.

If students wish to purchase additional "a la carte" items or second helpings, these items will be charged to the student's lunch account if funds are available.

Free or Reduced Meal Benefits

24-25 Reduced Prices

Breakfast $0.30

Lunch $0.40

Some students will still qualify, BUT you must complete the application again each school year! If you are concerned that you may not be able to afford school meal prices, we urge you to fill out an application for free or reduced meal benefits as soon as possible.

Free/Reduced Applications are now available to be completed through the Campus Parent Portal app. Once logged into the app, go the the More tab and click on Meal Benefits.

The Aberdeen School District is partnered with Lunchtime Solutions to provide our student meals. Every day our lunch includes 4 entrée choices, a hot vegetable, an unlimited fruit & veggie bar, and a milk option.

There is an interactive online menu that features the monthly menu, program information and details, along with including nutritional and allergen information.

Click here to find our school and view either the breakfast or lunch menu.

You can also download the My School Menus App through either the iTunes App store or the Google Play store.

Music

• Choir
• Band
• Jazz Band
• Orchestra
• Simmons Singers

School Groups

• Youth Power
• Math Counts
• Student Senate
• School Play
• Simmons Singers
• Jazz Band
• International Club
• Trading Card Club
• Yearbook
• WEB Leaders (8th only)
• Golden Crew (8th only)

Click here or scan the QR code above for more information on our student groups available at SMS!

Sports

• Cross-Country
• Tennis
• Golf
• Gymnastics
• Wrestling
• Football (7th & 8th)
• Basketball (7th & 8th)
• Volleyball (7th & 8th)
• Track (7th & 8th)
• Competitive Cheer & Dance (7th & 8th)
• Sideline Cheer (7th & 8th)
• Softball (7th & 8th)

Click here or scan the QR code to find out more information.

Parent Portal (Infinite Campus) is a great resource you can utilize where you will have access to see your student's attendance, grades, and missing assignments, as well as be able to update your contact information and sign important school documents.

There are many new features for parents to utilize this year!

Please take some time to follow the steps below to ensure you have completed the Student Registration in Infinite Campus to ensure your contact information is accurate and up to date. If not, you might miss out on numerous announcements from the school and your student's teachers regarding important information or upcoming events to be prepared for.

Please follow the steps bellow:

• Log into Parent Portal
• Click on the three horizontal lines, at the top left.
• Scroll to the bottom, and click more.
• Scroll down and click on ASD Registration.
• There will be a 24-25 School year Existing Student Registration that you must complete.
• Click on the START button.
• Anything in yellow is information that must be updated. When you are finished, hit submit and your status will change to complete.

Click here for step-by-step instructions with pictures.

The Aberdeen School District will be providing Accidental Damage Protection (APD) for the 2024-2025 school year on school devices. ADP will cover accidental damage through payment of the technology supply fee ($25). Students that do not pay the technology fee will not be covered under the ADP Plan and any damage will result in full charges.

How it works:
ADP is a basic insurance policy for school provided Chromebooks. During the school year if their Chromebook is damaged accidentally the device will be repaired under the Accidental Damage Protection Plan. After the device is returned the student's portal account will be charged $25.

Rules: The damage must be accidental. Students must use the new protective backpacks for transport ($40 dollar value) and the school issued power cord ($50 dollar value) that has been provided for students.

Not Covered Under ADP:

• Intentional Damage
• Breakage that results from transport or storage in personal cases
• Damage from non-school issued power supply
• Power supply losses
  
• Lost or stolen devices
• Damage to other student's school loaned Chromebook

Click to view the Student Technology User Terms and Conditions for more information.

Click here to access the Agreement Form, which can be completed on Parent Portal.

We do not ask much of parents. Our PTA caters a dinner for our teachers on both conference nights, collects Ken’s and Kessler’s receipts, sells concessions at our middle school social, along with shows our teachers appreciation through out the school year.

• If you would like to take a more active role and get involved, please attend one of our monthly meetings, which take place on the 2nd Monday of every month at 6:30pm in our library.
• If you are unable to take an active role, please still consider becoming a member for $5.

You can click here or scan the QR code to register online or stop by the office and grab a paper form to complete!