Switzerland Point Middle School

• February 4: BB Vs LMS
• February 6: BB Vs SMS
• February 7: Raider Store
• February 11: 8th Grade Writing Practice Test, Interims Issued, BB Vs PBMS
• February 13: 6th and 7th Grade Writing Practice Test, BB vs FCMS
• February 14: No School for Students, Teacher In-Service Day
• February 17: No School
• February 18: Character Chats!, Rising 6th grade night
• February 20: Band Concert
• February 21: Raider Store
• February 27: Play
• February 28: Play
• March 1: Play

Congratulations to Lily Nay, the SPMS Adult Volunteer of the year, and Lily Lewis, the SPMS Student Volunteer of the year. These two individuals are most deserving on this award.

Get your SPMS Spirit wear before its gone! ORDER HERE!

Superintendent’s Search: The St. Johns County School Board is asking for input from the community on the leadership qualities desired in our next Superintendent. Your feedback is crucial in helping us identify the best leader to guide our district toward continued success. The Superintendent Search Public Survey, conducted by the Florida School Boards Association in collaboration with the St. Johns County School Board, is an essential part of this process. Your responses will help shape the application process and develop interview questions for candidates. Survey closes on February 14, 2025.

Stakeholder Survey Window: January 15, 2025 – February 12, 2025
The surveys for Title I, II, and IV are now live and can be accessed at:
https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/federal/programs/2024-2025-stakeholder-surveys/

Complete the form on our website to request early check out. It is located on the bottom left (side bar) of the website. The form needs to be completed by 6 AM the day you are requesting early check out. After the 6 AM cut off, please send your child in with a note to the front office like normal. Please do not request early check out more than 2 days in advance.

As a safety precaution, students will only be released to the parent/guardian or the Emergency Contact listed in HAC. A current driver’s license must be presented to the front office to check a student out early. The following procedure will be strictly enforced: NO student may be signed out after 1:15 PM daily. Parents must arrive in the office no later than 1:15 PM in order to sign their child out early. Students who check out during the school day due to illness are not eligible to return to school that evening to participate in activities or to be a member of the audience.

Behavior expectation assemblies were held Tuesday, January 7th. Expectations were taught and have been reviewed since the beginning of the school year.

• At the end of the year, students can attend a field trip as a reward for their behavior.
• Students who earn ISS or OSS during 2nd semester, to include for tardies and demerits, will NOT BE ELIGIBLE to participate n the grade-level reward trip.
• Students who commit a Level 4 offense during the entire school year, will NOT BE ELIGIBLE to participate in the grade-level reward trip. Please see Section 5, Levels of Discipline, on page 31 in our Student Code of Conduct for examples of Level 4 offenses.
• Students with 15 or more unexcused absences during the school year will NOT BE ELIGIBLE for the trip.
• For 8th grade students, these behavior requirements also apply to the 8th grade formal dance.
• Once a reward trip has been paid for, we will be unable to give refunds or transfer the reservation to another student’s name.

We had over 80 students participate in our History Fair projects. Students could create projects individually or in groups. The categories in which students could make projects were as follows:

• Documentary
• Exhibit
• Paper
• Performance
• Website

Congratulations to ALL students on a job well done.

Congratulations to the winners of the SPMS History Fair.

Research Paper

Honorable Mention: Salem Witch Trials

Nolan Davis (7th Grade)

Honorable Mention: The Many Effects and Drawbacks of WW2

Cole Pingitore (8th Grade)

3rd Place: The Rights and Responsibilities in the Russian Revolution

Sloan Weedan (7th Grade)

2nd Place: The Rights and Responsibilities in the United States Constitution and Bill of Rights

Egor Malankau (8th Grade)

1st Place: FBI Profiler,

Avery Salomon (7th Grade)

Website

3rd Place: Major Hohn Wesley Powell's Journey

Alexander Doucet (8th Grade)

2nd Place: The 9/11 Attacks

Champ Windle & Nathan Vidotti (8th Grade)

1st Place: Rights and Responsibilities

James Hadad, Kai Zandman, Ayush Guggilam, & Aarav Patel (8th Grade)

Exhibit: Individual

Honorable Mention: Auschwitz

Emily Holt (7th Grade)

Honorable Mention: Code of Humbararbi

Michael Moreno (7th Grade)

3rd Place: Women’s Suffrage

Charlotte Briggs (7th Grade)

2nd Place: Should Women Be Should Forced to Sign Up for the Draft

Amy Condon (7th Grade)

1st Place: Rewriting History: Battle of Little Big Horn

Calvin Bennett (7th Grade)

Exhibit: Group

2nd Place: Desmond Doss: The Weaponless War Hero

Savannah Orr, Penelope Carroll, Kaimana Huertes, & Grace Sawyer (7th Grade)

1st Place: The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory

Grace Stratton & Natalie Trevino (7th Grade)

Performance

3rd Place: The Effects of WW1

Felix Loomis & Brayden Bender (8th Grade)

2nd Place: Presumption of Guilt

Logan Brittain, Logan Cox, Fenton Wakeland, Jackson Winn, & Parker Nygun (7th Grade)

1st Place: The Trial of John Peter Zenger

Elizabeth Clift, Faith Clift, & Micaela Sarmento (7th Grade)

Documentary: Individual

1st Place: Burning for Change: Accessing the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire

Evelina Lountchenko (7th Grade)

Documentary: Group

Honorable Mention: Chernobyl ‘s Rights and Responsibilities

Aubrey Carn (7th Grade), Mia Cherba (8th Grade), & Jesican Rossario (8th Grade)

Honorable Mention: Revolutionary War

Payton Shaw, Elizabeth Spicer, Parker Bradley, Hannah Zokosky, Soerra Holden, & Alysa Zachariou (8th Grade)

3rd Place: The Cold War

Wyatt Baggett & Connor Kiladay (8th Grade)

2nd Place: Democracy’s Roots

Indigo Wakeland & Sydney Robertson (8th Grade)

1st Place: 9/11: The Tragedy that Struck Americans in the Heart

Aubrey Carr & Chloe Abbs (8th Grade)

Below are the websites that placed and are eligible to move on. We hope you enjoy viewing them!

1. 9/11, Champ Windle and Nathan Vidotti: https://site.nhd.org/41388479/home

2. Rome, James Hadad, Ayush Guggliam, Kai Zanderman, & Aarav Patel: https://site.nhd.org/61574030/home

3. Powell and the Grand Canyon, Alexander Doucet: https://site.nhd.org/64056561/home

4. Rights and Responsibilities of the Internet, Samuel Stratton, Thiago Whitaker, Nishan Patege, & James Wertz: https://site.nhd.org/03698065/home

Here is the link to view the first place winner of the documentaries. We will be able to show 2nd and 3rd place in the next Raider Rap.

Our new Quarter 3 Kindness challenge has started. Here are the standings!

6th Grade: 72%

7th Grade: 43%

8th Grade: 26%

So far, 6th and 7th grade has each won once. Good luck and show your kindness!

Congratulations to the following students who were nominated for January's pillar of Respect.

6th Grade

Lillia Bauman

Filipp Doman

Piper Guggisburg

Ava Keeling

Wyatt McKenzie

7th Grade

Nolan Davis

Adalyn Goddard

Isabel Mendas

Noah Ross

Dane Shell

Grace Stratton

Fenton Wakeland

Landon Wroten

Lily Voreis

8th Grade

Ian Brito

Brayden Bender

Parker Bradley

Sofianne Civitelli

Marlie Dean

Liz Eaton

Sophia Harrison

Chelby Jones

Jada Jones

Lillian Lewis

Lance Lin

Gabbi Love

Eyad Maustafa

Abigal Mills

Amaryss Oliver

Ethan Richard

Each month, our staff nominate students who display the Pillar of Character for that month. Students will be celebrated the first week of the next month with lunch provided by the PTSO.

This month, we look for students who display the pillar of Caring. We look for students who:

• Are kind
• Are compassionate and show they care
• Express gratitude
• Forgive others
• Help people in need
• Are charitable and altruistic

In partnership with Resiliency Florida, we will explore each characteristic each month. In the February Character Chat folder, you will find the Parent Resources for Empathy and Gratitude.

• Empathy: Understanding others' thoughts, feelings, and actions.
• Gratitude: Being thankful and sharing appreciation with others.

You can find out more information by visiting their website: https://www.buildresiliency.org/ .

We are excited to announce that the St. Johns County School District is partnering once again with the Len Mattiace Foundation for the spring semester of the Stop the Bullying Campaign Contest. This initiative promotes bullying awareness and aims to create a safe environment for our youth in Northeast Florida. The foundation, led by former Nease High School graduate and PGA TOUR golfer Len Mattiace, is built on the pillars of compassion, inclusion, and kindness.

Key Points for the Contest:

• Open to all middle school students
• Contest dates: February 3rd – April 4th (by 5:00 PM)
• Prizes: Cash prizes and swag for students!
• Submission: All entries should be submitted to Julie Haden (Student Support Services)

For detailed contest rules, please visit: Contest Rule

Poems should reflect life in a world without violence. Judges will look for poems that

make a positive statement about a world without violence. We look for images of diverse

kinds of people, places, and things that portray a harmonious way of life, a

respectful living and working environment, as well as children interacting with

not only each other, but also animals. Any poems depicting firearms, knives, or

any other violent images will NOT be eligible; violent images with a ban sign

through them will not be eligible.

The purpose of these activities is to interrupt what otherwise may become a

generational cycle of domestic violence. The entry may only be 8 ½ by 11-size

paper. Written and typed entries will be accepted. Drawings on poetry entries

will not be eligible, only the poems. Only one entry per student - either poetry or

art will be accepted.

Each student MUST have an entry form attached to the back of his or her work with clear tape.

America250 just launched America’s Field Trip for the 2024–2025 school year! America’s Field Trip is a nationwide scholastic contest that invites students in grades 3–12 to share their perspectives on what America means to them through artwork or essays — with the opportunity to earn an unforgettable field trip experience at some of the nation’s most iconic historical and cultural landmarks.

• 25 first-place awardees from each grade level category and a chaperone will receive airfare and lodging for a 3-day, 2-night trip to a select historical or cultural site.
• Second-place recipients will receive a $500 cash award.
• The teacher associated with the top-scoring student submissions in each grade level category will receive a $1,000 cash award.

Visit America250’s website to learn more about how students can enter, and for contest rules, judging criteria, classroom resources, and more. The deadline for submissions is April 16, 2025!

Please see the attached document about Varsity Tutors, a resource that is free to your students!

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.

The fall productions of School Daze & The Redemption of Gertie Green have finally been rescheduled for Thursday, February 27, Friday, February 28, and Saturday, March 1at 7 p.m. Come support your theatre friends and our drama department! Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. You may purchase tickets at SPMSTheatreBoosters.ludus.com

Congratulations to both winterguard teams for their amazing performances this past Saturday during their first competition of the season! Next competition is 2/8/25 at University High School.

Kitten and Puppy season will soon be upon us in March. The National Junior Honor Society will be doing a fundraiser during the whole month of February to help the Jacksonville Humane Society prepare for this busy season. We are asking for donations of:

Dry and wet dog food
Dry and wet cat food
Dry and wet kitten food
Peanut butter
Kitten formula (KMR)
Bottle feeding supplies (miracle nipples and bottles)
Pup-peroni dog treats
Kongs (new) – large and medium
New leashes (standard, non-retractable)
Paper towels
New or used blankets and towels

These can be dropped off in Ms. Keith’s room: #555.

There will be a District Art show in March, and all students are welcome to submit entries. Students can submit entries to either Ms. Longueira or Ms. Wallin. However, only a few pieces are able to be entered. The selected pieces will go on display downtown at the Saint Augustine Art Association, and they will run for a month. All entries must be submitted by February 28th. Any type of media is acceptable but cannot be larger than 24x24. Students can email Ms. Longueira or Ms. Wallin with any questions or concerns.

🥳Celebrate your rising high school student with a fun yard sign!

‼️💲20 and it includes personalization!‼️

🔜Sale goes from February 1 to April 1, 2025.🔚

➡️ONLINE ONLY⬅️

https://switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

Signs will be available for pick up in the front loop starting May 1, 2025. They will be displayed in the grass, so stop by after 2:15 any time after 5/1/25 to get a picture and take it home!!

The PTSO would love your help stocking the Raider Store! The Raider Store is where students can spend their hard earned Raider Bucks. Your student earns Raider Bucks from their teachers and staff for showing good character in the classroom and hallways. They can then spend them in the PTSO-sponsored Raider Store. We are always looking for new and fun things to stock the store with to keep the students coming back. Please put your student's name on the gift, and he/she will be credited Raider Bucks for your donation!

Thank you for your support!

CLICK HERE TO SHOP

Gold Level Partners

Silver Level Partners

Bronze Level Partners