Bulldog Bulletin

• Message From the Principal
• Important Dates
• Veterans Day Performance
• BARK Band Students for October
• BARK Band Ice Cream Social Reward
• Middle School Visitation Day
• The Middle School Brain
• Limited Time Springer Apparel for Sale
• Panorama Survey
• School Choice Window
• BARK Builders Need Food Donations for Thanksgiving Baskets
• Toys for Tots
• Coffee With the Superintendent
• 8th Grade Dance Theme Voting
• Veterans Day Performance At Springer
• SFA Dine Out Night
• Open Coaching Position
• Wrestling
• Schoology Access for Parents
• Basketball Tryouts
• SAFE-DE
• Transportation: WheresTheBus App
• Volunteering at Springer Middle School

Springer Families,

We officially made it into the 2nd marking period! This is a wonderful opportunity for students to have a reset. Here at Springer Middle School we are driven by goals. Our staff spent time at the beginning of the school year setting their own goals. Later in the Winter and early Spring our students will meet with every ELA and Math teacher to set goals before testing. However, we don’t need to wait until the middle or final third of the school year to set goals. I would strongly encourage parents and guardians to sit down with their children and discuss what goals they can set for themselves. Some good goals could be:

• I will turn in all of my assignments for each class

• I will follow the BARK expectations and earn a BARK band this marking period

• I will get a 75% or higher on every summative assessment/assignment in all of my classes

• I will ask for help when I don’t know something

• I will get honor roll for the 2nd marking period

I would encourage parents and guardians to have their students write this goal out. Post them on the fridge or in a place where they can be seen and discuss your child’s progress towards this goal regularly. Set a reward or incentive when they hit it. If they are struggling to meet the goal, be open and honest about it and reach out for help when needed. Setting goals gives us direction and focus. You’d be surprised how powerful setting, discussing, and reaching a goal can be.

If you have any questions, concerns, or need additional information please do not hesitate to contact me or one of my administrators. We are eager to help.

All The Best,

Dr. Sterling H. Seemans

Principal

2024-2025 Middle School Daily Rotation Schedule

BSD School Calendar

• 11/25-11/29/24: No School Thanksgiving Break
• 12/5/24: Springer Family Association Meeting w/ Presentations From All Three BSD Principals
• 12/6/24: Family Fun Night
• 12/15/24: Middle School Visitation Day 1pm-3pm

Springer Middle School was excited to invite any veteran family members to our annual Veterans Day program on Tuesday, November 12th in our auditorium.

The program included speeches/presentations by selected Social Studies students. Topics included the history of Veterans Day, our Armed Forces, and tributes to a family member.

Our music department played the Star Spangled Banner (chorale), a selection by our orchestra, and The Battle Hymn of the Republic by Springer JAZZ. We honored all veterans in attendance and look forward to welcoming them back next year!

We were excited to recognize our BARK Band recipients for the month of October! These students were recognized by individual staff members for following our BARK expectations each and every day. Receiving a BARK band allows student entrance into dances and events for free. We will also randomly recognize these students through pop-up ice cream socials and other ways to celebrate their wonderful actions in and outside of the classroom.

Students on Thursday, Friday, and this upcoming Monday who are BARK Band recipients have been invited to a special ice cream social. Springer Middle School is committed to recognizing our amazing students who come into school apply themselves academically and who follow our BARK expectations. BARK band students will get rewarded throughout the year!

P.S. DuPont Middle School us offering a parent workshop to all parents. Dr. Chenkin and Dr. Baylin will offer insights into the ever changing middle school brain to help families better understand how students in middle school think, process information, and make decisions based on research. If interested, please register using the information provided on the flier below.

Dear Families,

We thank you for being our partners as we work together to educate your children.

As we enter our third year of participating in the Panorama Survey, we continue to address building social-emotional learning skills as an important goal for our school district. We will ask 6th – 8th grade students to reflect on their mindsets and approaches to learning via an online survey they will be completing at school. The survey shouldn’t take more than 20-30 minutes to complete.

There are two parts to the survey, which will ask students to self-reflect on:

Part 1: Sense of Belonging, Expectations, Classroom Learning Strategies

and Part 2: Mental Health, Diversity & Inclusion, and Cultural Awareness & Action.

The survey will launch and be available for student access from December 2nd - December 6th, 2024.

We are asking all of our students to participate in the survey. Their responses will provide insight into their experiences and how we can improve as a district. Panorama safeguards your privacy, keeping your students’ responses confidential. We thank you in advance for your participation.

The survey questions are available for you to preview on our website, https://www.brandywineschools.org/panorama.

Please notify us if you would like your child to opt out of taking the surveys by emailing Adrienne.Stansbury@bsd.k12.de.us no later than Friday, November 22nd.

Apply now for school choice for the 2025-2026 school year! Families interested in enrolling their child in a school outside of their designated feeder school may submit an application through January 8, 2025. However, kindergarten applications remain open through the 1st day of school. Please note that current choice placements are specific to the school for which an invitation was accepted. Students currently in 5th or 8th grade who wish to attend a non-feeder school for the 2025-2026 school year must also apply during this enrollment window. All applications should be submitted online at www.SchoolChoiceDE.org. For questions, please contact: Choice@bsd.k12.de.us or (302) 793-5014.

Springer Bark Builders are collecting non-perishable food donations for our Thanksgiving food drive. The food drive will take place from November 1 - 19, 2024. Collection boxes will be set up in the main office, lobby and by the bus port. The winning grade level will receive an incentive.

Toys for Tots is a cherished initiative founded by the United States Marine Corps Reserve in 1947. The program’s mission is simple yet powerful: to bring joy to children in need during the holiday season by providing toys to those who may otherwise go without. It began when Marine Major Bill Hendricks and his wife, Diane, sought to deliver Christmas toys to children whose families could not afford them.

Springer Middle School will have a Toys for Tots collection box in our main office and will be collecting donations. Please bring unwrapped gifts to the main office to placed in our Toys for Tots box.

These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Brandywine School District. The Brandywine School District has neither reviewed nor approved the program, personnel, activities, or organizations announced in this flyer. Permission to distribute this flyer should not be considered a recommendation or endorsement of the program by the school district. The Brandywine School District shall be held harmless from any cause of action or claim filed arising out of the distribution of these materials, including all costs, attorney’s fees, and judgments or awards.

Come meet and chat with Dr. Lisa Lawson, the Superintendent of Schools! You will be allotted 15 minutes with Superintendent to address your concerns, discuss the future of BSD, and provide feedback on what needs improvement.

Please select which theme you would like to see for our 8th grade formal which is taking place on Saturday, May 17. Please do not share these themes with your child as these themes have traditionally been a surprise.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSewPL3oFcB7Lislf6sQ7fSRkKx_CfO1UkGc1WB99YO60vexeg/viewform?usp=sf_link

Springer Middle School is currently looking for a Girls' Assistant Basketball coach for our Winter season, which begins in November after Thanksgiving break. Any interested applicants are encouraged to reach out to Dr. Seemans at sterling.seemans@bsd.k12.de.us.

If you need help access Schoology as a parent to help support your child, please click the following link to access a document that will provide you step-by-step directions:

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1ZjlNYAoqfGxHO3dciOvXU5JOb11Zj7-E69a7-lPn4w4/edit?usp=sharing

Anyone interested in trying out for boys or girls basketball should complete the signup form which can be found on the Counselor Corner Schoology page and Springer’s sports website. Boys tryouts begin December 2nd. Girls tryouts begin December 9th. You must have a DIAA physical on file with the school nurse. More information to follow. See Mr. O in the gym if you have any questions.

Families, you are encouraged to visit the following link on the BSD website to find out more information about Transportation. For your convenience, we have Where is the Bus app and a brand new bus scanner to help you see when your child(ren) are boarding the bus. Students will either enter their school IDs or lunch numbers. You will receive information in the upcoming weeks on when students will receive their school IDs. Happy Riding!! https://www.brandywineschools.org/families/transportation/bus-scanners

Springer Middle School relies on the generosity of time from our great families within the community. We welcome those who want to help be apart of our village and have a plethora of opportunities for volunteers to engage with our students and staff to better the middle school experience of our youth.

Parents who are interested in volunteering at Springer Middle School will need to follow the Brandywine School District's policy for background checks. Please follow this link: Volunteering at BSD to be properly cleared to work with our students. If you have questions, do not hesitate to contact the main office.

Background checks are good for 1 calendar year