SMS Family News

Congratulations to the following students who their teachers nominated as a January RAIDER of the Month. In January, teachers focused on the E in RAIDER, which stands for Empathetic. The January RAIDERs of the Month are:

• Grade 6 - Jonathan Munroe and Grace Camara
• Grade 7 - Sabrina Perry and Ami-John Glass
• Grade 8 - Layla Cabral and Kaylee Cid

Congratulations, SMS Raiders!

Somerset Middle School's Project 351 ambassador for 2025 is Emily Souza. Project 351 is a non-profit Massachusetts organization that fosters the development of the next generation of community-first service leaders through customized service learning, hands-on community-building, and values-based leadership training. Teachers nominate eighth-grade students in the Commonwealth to participate in this program. Emily was nominated by social studies teacher Ms. Cruz-Augusto. Emily participated in the Project 351 launch day in Boston last weekend, officially beginning her year-long journey as a Project 351 ambassador. Congratulations, Emily!

Per DESE, all students are required to participate in MCAS. HERE is the link to the DESE page, updated January 2025. Students in grades 6 and 7 take the ELA and math MCAS tests. Students in grade 8 take the ELA, math, science, and civics MCAS tests. The grade 8 civics MCAS is now required for all grade 8 students. For planning purposes, please see the testing dates below:

April - ELA MCAS sessions

• Tuesday, April 1st - Grade 8 ELA MCAS (session 1)
• Wednesday, April 2nd - Grade 7 ELA MCAS (session 1)
• Thursday, April 3rd - Grade 6 ELA MCAS (session 1)
• Tuesday, April 8th - Grade 8 ELA MCAS (session 2)
• Wednesday, April 9th - Grade 7 ELA MCAS (session 2)
• Thursday, April 10th - Grade 6 ELA MCAS (session 2)

May - Math, Science, and Civics MCAS sessions

Math

• Tuesday, May 6th - Grade 7 Math MCAS (session 1)
• Wednesday, May 7th - Grade 6 Math MCAS (session 1)
• Thursday, May 8th - Grade 8 MCAS (session 1)
• Tuesday, May 13th - Grade 8 Math MCAS (session 2)
• Wednesday, May 14th - Grade 7 Math MCAS (session 2)
• Thursday, May 15th - Grade 6 Math MCAS (session 2)

Science

• Tuesday, May 20th - Grade 8 Science MCAS (session 1)
• Wednesday, May 21st - Grade 8 Science MCAS (session 2)

Civics

• Wednesday, May 28th - Grade 8 Civics MCAS (session 1)
• Thursday, May 29th - Grade 8 Civics MCAS (session 2)

The Somerset Middle School will partner with the American Heart Association for the upcoming Heart Challenge. Students will learn about heart-healthy topics and exercise in their Health and P.E. classes in February. Those who fundraise for this great cause will receive various contests and prizes. Students who create an account online and complete Finn's Mission will also be entered into a drawing by the American Heart Association for tickets to the Superbowl in 2026 (The student's Health teachers will send instructions on creating an account). Any questions regarding the Heart Challenge can be directed to SRO Lewandoski at eric.lewandoski@somersetschools.org

Two SB senior athletes are continuing the Blue Raider Skills camp as part of their senior capstone project. Please see the flyer for additional information. HERE is the Google Form to sign up.

• Spring sports signups and requirements (see the document linked below for additional information) should be completed by March 3rd. Any students interested in baseball, softball, or spring cross country should complete the appropriate Google Form linked below.
• The SMS Athletics Requirements, including the health forms, are linked below. Please complete and return the forms to the school nurse by March 3rd. Students will be eligible to try out once the nurse has cleared them. Please know that any students who completed these requirements for fall sports do NOT need to complete them again unless their physical needs to be updated.
  • SMS Athletics Requirements 2024-2025 - PLEASE READ
  • SMS Softball Sign-Ups 2025
  • SMS Baseball Sign-Ups 2025
  • SMS Spring Cross Country Sign-Ups 2025

Please email Dr. McKinnon at kerri.mckinnon@somersetschools.org if you have any questions or Nurse Conchinha at tiffany.conchinha@somersetschools.org if you have any questions about sports clearance.

Attention all 8th graders attending the DC Trip, please see the information below from Mrs. Cardozo and Mr. Johnson:

ITINERARY CHANGE: The Kennedy Center will be closed on Tuesday, June 10, and has pushed back the opening of Legally Blonde to a date after our trip. After working with Capital Tours, we have finally found an alternate activity: The Magic Duel. We look forward to this new event, which will be presented in a private venue.

Medical forms should be turned in by April 15th. If your child needs medication, including OTC medications such as Tylenol, Mydol, Advil, etc., a doctor's order is required.

SPRING MEETING: Monday, May 5th, is our final and mandatory meeting date. The meeting will start at 6:30 and last about 90 minutes. Families are encouraged to arrive early as we will confirm all necessary forms have been turned in.

We currently have 124 students for the trip, and based on these preliminary numbers, we will notify chaperones so that they can make arrangements as early as possible. However, the numbers may change, requiring us to add or delete chaperones. As stated during the Fall meeting, we will not have firm numbers until after grades close on April 4th.

The next step for students will be roommate selection and turning in medical forms.

Please email marge.cardozo@somersetschools.org or michael.johnson@somersetschools.org with any questions regarding the DC trip.

Believe it or not... this school year is already HALFWAY over! Time is flying by, so it is time to ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK! Yearbook orders can be placed online or by completing the form sent home with your student. To order a yearbook, go to the website inter-state.com/order. The order code is 92160E. Cash or check orders- complete the back of the form and return to school. Checks should be made payable to Somerset Middle School. All yearbook orders are due by Monday, April 14, 2025.

The 8th-grade dance will be held at White's of Westport this year on Friday, May 30th. More details are forthcoming. Any parent interested in joining the PTO's grade 8 dance planning committee is encouraged to reach out to the PTO via email. The PTO's email address is smsmiddlepto@gmail.com.

Wednesday, February 12th - SMS PTO Virtual Meeting at 6:00

Monday, February 17th - Friday, February 21st - February School Vacation