Switzerland Point Middle School

• February 5: BB vs LMS
• February 6: Interims Post, NJHS 8th Grade Trip
• February 7: Rising 6th Grade Parent Night
• February 8: BB vs SMS
• February 9: Raider Store
• February 13: NJHS 7th Grade Trip, BB vs PBMS
• February 15: Character Counts! Chats, BB vs FCMS
• February 19: No School

95.1 WAPE’s Teacher of the Month will honor the area's BEST TEACHERS! Nominations are open now! Each month on the WAPE morning show, Dex & Barbie T will name of Teacher of the Month who will receive some amazing gifts, along with a plaque to display for all!

Nominations can be made here: https://www.wape.com/fp/951-wape-honors-jacksonvilles-best-teachers-with-teacher-month-award/

In February, students will be taking a SPMS B.E.S.T. Writing Progress Monitoring assessment. This assessment will include testing conditions and writing prompts similar to the state assessment. This will help us to give targeted feedback to students before the official administration of the Writing assessment during the first week in April. Some grade level teams will be counting this as a grade. Please check Schoology for details.

The assessment is computer-based, and students will need to be able to type their response into the testing platform. Furthermore, students will be reading 2-4 passages that they must use to complete the writing prompt. This means that students need to practice reading stamina and typing with a keyboard. Sixth graders will take the practice assessment on February 20th. Seventh graders will take the practice assessment on February 22nd. Eighth graders will take the practice assessment on February 23rd. If you have any questions, reach out to Ms. Benetsky (Kylie.Benetsky@stjohns.k12.fl.us).

Most of our students completed FAST ELA and Math state testing in December -- way to go, Raiders! Please take a moment to review your child’s performance from Progress Monitoring 1 to Progress Monitoring 2 for the FAST ELA and Math assessments. This is a great time to celebrate their learning gains and make goals for Progress Monitoring 3 in May! Instructions on how to access the family portal can be found here: https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/access-state-score-report/. Please keep in mind that all 7th grade students who are enrolled in advanced math had taken the 7th grade Math FAST for PM1. However, these students took the 8th grade Math FAST for PM2 and will take the 8th grade Math FAST for PM3. Therefore, you will see this reflected on the parent portal for PM2.

State testing dates have been announced (see below). Students will be told of their testing room by their 1st period teacher. Testing begins promptly at 7:30. Please encourage your child to do their best, bring testing materials (pencil, calculator, wired earbuds for students with oral presentation accommodation), and eat a healthy breakfast. Be sure to save the date!

• 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, or students who commit a Level 4 offense during the entire school year, will NOT BE ELIGIBLE to participate in the grade-level reward trip. Students cannot earn more than 5 demerits or 7 tardies to remain eligible for the trip. See the progressive discipline plan below. 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.

Please see our demerit progressive discipline plan:

• 3rd demerit: Lunch detention
• 4th demerit: Lunch detention (2 days)
• 5th demerit: ½ day ISS or Wed after school detention
• 6th demerit: ISS (1 day in-school suspension and loss of field trip)
• 7th demerit: ISS (2 days in-school suspension)
• 8th demerit or more: OSS

Please see our tardy progressive discipline plan:

• 5th TARDY: Lunch Detention
• 6th TARDY: Lunch Detention (2 Days)
• 7th TARDY: After School Detention or 1/2 day ISS
• 8th TARDY: ISS (1 day in-school suspension and loss of field trip)
• 9th Tardy: ISS (2 days in-school suspension)
• 10th Tardy: Delayed transitions/escort

All 8th grade students who want to attend GradVenture MUST pay the $50.00 non-refundable deposit by February 11, 2024, in order to secure their spot.

Extra copies of the forms are on the 8th grade Schoology page. All payments must go to Kelly Tours and the pink permission slips need to be returned to students' homeroom teachers. Students who do not have an 8th grade t-shirt need to email Frances Turner ( Frances.Turner@stjohns.k12.fl.us ) by February 11th .

Sources of Strength is a program meant to prevent adverse outcomes by increasing wellbeing, help-seeking, resiliency, healthy coping, and belonging. Sources of Strength moves beyond a singular focus on risk factors by utilizing an upstream approach for youth suicide prevention. This upstream model strengthens multiple sources of support, or protective factors, for young people so that when times get hard, they have strengths to rely on. Sources of Strength is currently being used in all SJCSD high schools, so we are very excited about the opportunity to be one of the first middle schools to implement it. Our Sources of Strength team is made up of 9 staff members, who will serve as Adult Advisors and 35 students from grades 6-8, who will serve as Peer Leaders. This week, our adult advisors and peer leaders received a full day training from a national Sources of Strength trainer to prepare for Swiss Point’s 1st Sources of Strength campaign! We look forward to rolling out the campaign in the next few weeks and are looking forward to seeing how this amazing group of students and staff will bring messages of positivity and connection to our campus.

Adult Advisors: Caryn Patterson, Annette Rodermund, Frank Spinner, Stephanie Brighton, Melissa Abbs, Alycee Mahoney-Keith, Katie Dalton, Allison Cox, Alexandra Pillay

Peer Leaders:

Abby Dedrick

Alexandra Maly

Amelia Lenzen

Ashlyn Madden

Aubrey Carr

Aubry Webb

Ben Norton

Braxton Hickman

Chandler Meeks

Chloe Abbs

Chole Compton

Dion Shehu

Eleanor Onufer

Emily Greenberg

Emily Holt

Finly Bloomberg

Hannah Zukoski

Jaycee Collins

Kaitlyn Lowe

Kamdyn Howard

Lauryn Williams

Leah Januchowski

Liam McGradity

Lola Amaro

Louis Amatangelo

McKenzie Hartmann

McKinzy Moore

Natalie Travino

Nico Aguilar Arcondo

Paisley Lieberman

Parker Bradley

Penelope Carroll

Piper Trejbal

Ryder Caristil

Vanessa Schatz

For January, we celebrated the pillar of respect. Below are the students who were nominated by a staff member for displaying respect. These students will be awarded a special lunch sponsored by the PTSO. Congratulations to the following students:

6th Grade

Charlotte Briggs

Mia Middleton

Natalie Shoor

Grace Stratton

Nikki Ward

Kyndall Wilkerson

7th Grade

Keylin Barker

Wyatt Baggett

Braylen Conway

Hunter Johnson

Amelia Lenzen

Emily Weismann

8th Grade

Nicolas Aguilar

Haley Ault

Peyton Davis

Kendal Hanson

Cameron Hummel

Isabelle Middleton

Brady Miller

Riverlyn Morris

Cariah Rutherford

Aashrithaa Vishegu

Vince Zorilla

SPMS is celebrating the Character Counts pillar of Caring in February. We look for students who:

• Are kind
• Are compassionate and show she/he cares
• Express gratitude
• Forgive others
• Help others in need
• Are charitable and altruistic

A Parent’s Guide for Raising Caring, Empathetic Children

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

The Character Pillar for February is Caring. In order to be a caring individual, one must also possess empathy. Empathy is a way of connecting with other people and shows you understand that they’re experiencing something meaningful — even though you may not understand exactly how it feels for them. In other words, empathy is about finding a way to connect and to be able to say, “I want to understand how this feels to you and let you know that you’re not alone.”

The four parts of empathy

Researchers have identified four main attributes of what it means to be empathetic

1. Perspective taking. When you take a different perspective, you put aside your own feelings and reactions to see the situation through others’ eyes.
2. Putting aside judgment. It’s easy to jump to and express conclusions about the situation based on what you see. But it’s important to step back and consider: What more do I need to learn and understand about the situation?
3. Trying to understand others’ feelings. If you can, tap into your own experiences to find a way to understand what the child is feeling or to remember a time when you felt something similar. Be careful not to overdo it, however. Each person’s experiences are their own, so saying “I know how you feel” can come across as disingenuous. If you’re struggling, ask yourself: What more do I need to learn and understand about how other people are reacting to or perceiving the situation?
4. Communicate that you understand. Talk to your children without using “fix it” phrases like “What you need to do is….” Instead, try reflective phrases like, “It sounds like you…” or “I hear that you….” Our instinct is often to contain the situation and find a quick fix. That can help in the short term. But it won’t build long-term trust. And it won’t help children learn to solve problems with you and eventually try to solve issues on their own. This step requires you to do some self-reflection: What more do I need to learn and understand about how I react in the moment? What more do I need to learn about how I communicate to others that I hear them, even though I’m experiencing my own emotions?

WHAT YOU CAN DO AT HOME

Validate your child’s difficult emotions. Sometimes when our child is sad, angry, or disappointed, we rush to try and fix it right away, to make the feelings go away because we want to protect them from any pain. However, these feelings are part of life and ones that children need to learn to cope with. In fact, labeling and validating difficult feelings actually helps children learn to handle them: "You are really mad that I turned off the TV. I understand. You love watching your animal show. It’s okay to feel mad. When you are done being mad you can choose to help me make lunch or play in the kitchen while I make our sandwiches.” This type of approach also helps children learn to empathize with others who are experiencing difficult feelings.

Praise empathetic behavior. When your child shows empathy for others, praise the behavior. Focusing on and encouraging empathetic behavior encourages more of it in the future.

Make the praise specific: “You brought your sister a Band-Aid for her scraped knee so she could feel better. That was so kind and helpful!”

Being sensitive to what your child is feeling shows your child what empathy can look like.

Playing games to practice reading nonverbal cues can help your child tune in to how others are feeling. Engage your child by trying to “guess” what others may be feeling based on their body language or facial expressions.

Teaching empathy can be a long process, so be prepared to teach this skill over and over again.

Empathy is a powerful tool that can help you better understand what’s driving your child’s behavior and find strategies to help. It can also help you connect and work through difficult moments together.

Len Mattiace is a former graduate from Nease High School and is currently a golfer on the PGA Tour. The Len Mattiace foundation helps youth in NE Florida with raising awareness about bullying and creating a safe environment for them.

This fall we had 4 winners from our school! Congratulations to the following students:

• Cooper Beauman who won top prize two years in a row and was awarded $1000
• Aubrey Carn tied for third and was awarded $500
• Liv Pablo was awarded $100
• Sawyer Straight was awarded $100

A new contest is starting soon! Please see the flier and link below for more details. The contest begins January 16 and ends April 5 at 5:00 PM.

https://www.lenmattiace.com/st-johns-stop-the-bullying-campaign

We have attached information about our 2025 “A Day Without Violence” calendar art and poetry project. Poems and artwork should reflect life in a world without violence. Judges will look for art and poems that make a positive statement about a world without violence. 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 will be considered. Even students' favorite cartoon character or images of peaceful and fun activities that can be done alone or in groups are also encouraged. Any drawings or 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.

Entry Rules:

• 8 ½ by 11-size horizontal
• NO computer graphic images
• All art must be original hand drawn/painted 2D media
• No crafts
• Drawings on poetry entries will not be eligible, only the poems
• Only one entry per student - either poetry or art will be accepted
• No forms of violence to be depicted in poetry or art

Each student MUST have an entry form attached to the back of his or her work with clear tape. Please help ensure that the names and information are written clearly and correctly.

All entries should be dropped off by the April 30, 2024, deadline at either

Betty Griffin Center Thrift Shoppe locations:

445 SR 13 N.

Fruit Cove, FL 32259

OR

1961 A1A South

St. Augustine, FL 32080

OR, any of the 6 St. Johns County Libraries will be collecting entries (see addresses attached.)

A 2024 "A Day Without Violence" Calendar will be provided to each teacher for use in the classroom, pending funding. These calendars also contain suggested activities, which can be used to create a more peaceful atmosphere.

We appreciate your assistance in informing the students, parents, and faculty of this domestic violence awareness project.

If you have any questions, please call Carole Sullivan at Betty Griffin Center, 904-808-8544 x 201.

The boys’ basketball team has started the season off great: They are currently undefeated with a 2-0 record. The boys defeated Sebastian Middle School and Pacetti Bay Middle School.

The girls’ basketball team has a record of 1-1. The girls defeated Sebastian Middle School but lost to Pacetti Bay Middle School. The next game will be Monday, January 22, 2024. The game will be at Fruit Cove Middle School and will start at 5:30pm. Good Luck to both teams and remember that the Raiders are #1, Baby!

Home Basketball Games:

2/5 = Landrum

2/8 = Sebastian

2/13 = Pacetti Bay

2/15 = Fruit Cove

SPMS had 4 competitors this weekend at Fletcher Middle School in the FCDI Northeast #3 tournament. Although all our competitors scored well, Riya Poddar placed 2nd in the Informative Speech Division, beating other competitors, including those from local schools, such as River City Academy, Bolles, and Landrum!

Ethan Foss and Arianna Goyette placed 1st in the Public Forum Debate competition, beating out schools such as the Nease IB program, Bolles School, and River City Academy. They went through three very competitive rounds debating: The United States federal government should repeal Section 230 of the Communications Deceny Act. Policy 230.

Two Swiss Point teams competed in the St. Johns County District Tournament against 24 teams. Bravo to both the Robotic Raiders and Swiss Sculptors for all they accomplished this year! Congratulations to the Swiss Sculptors for coming in 1st place on their innovation project and 2nd place in the robot table competition! The Swiss Sculptors will be going on to regionals and competing again on February 17. Good luck!

Please read the ILC newsletter for literacy information and to learn about this issue's featured teachers.

Our winterguard team earned a 3rd place finish at the first competition of the season at Deland HS! Congratulations!

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 . 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 17th, then your message will be displayed on Tuesday, September 21st.

Grizzlies Girls Lacrosse:

Registration for the Spring Youth Recreational League (for girls in 3rd-8th grade) opened on November 1. Click for the flyer and visit the website here for all information and to register.

Creeks Boys Lacrosse:

Registration for Spring 2024 is now open. Click here for more information and to register.

SPMS athletics consists of both boys' and girls' volleyball and basketball, in addition to Winterguard.

All other middle school sports are operated by SJMSAA.

The St. Johns Middle School Athletic Association (”SJMSAA”) middle school sports program is not operated or sponsored by the St. Johns County School District. SJMSAA is an independent, private non-profit corporation that uses District middle school names and facilities under a license agreement with the District, and which is solely responsible for the operation of the SJMSAA middle school sports program and its individual teams.

Students need to register through the SJMSAA website prior to tryouts. Once a student makes a team, he/she will be provided with more information on paying and filling out the required forms

https://www-raider.stjohns.k12.fl.us/

• Thank you for supporting the SPMS PTSO ANNUAL BOOK DRIVE! A total of 1591 books were donated!
• First place was Louis Amatangelo with 199 books

Second place was Sloan Weeden with 150 books

Third place was Ethan Richardson with 139 books

These students have won a free appetizer from Cantina Louie!

Raider Families! All orders have been submitted to the vendor, so please allow 2-4 weeks for delivery! We will then inventory everything left and put it on the website. There are still stickers, magnets, shoe charms, and bracelets available!

ORDER ONLINE HERE!

The Sunshine Cart is the PTSO mobile version of staff appreciation! We take the goodies to them so they don’t have to find some time to get to the staff lounge!

This is a great way to help the PTSO show appreciation for all that the SPMS staff does for your student(s)!

Browse the staff appreciation wishlist, pick your favorite goodie and make sure to put your student's name in the notes! They will receive 10 Raider Bucks for donating!!

Thank you for your continued support, Raider Families!! SPMS PTSO Sunshine Cart Wishlist

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 the 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 they will be credited 10 Raider Bucks for your donation.

Thank you for your support! SPMS PTSO Raider Store Wishlist Raider Store Volunteer Sign Up

http://www.swisspointptso.com/

The SPMS PTSO is a non-profit organization whose mission is to enhance the learning and work experience of the students and staff at SPMS.

Our membership includes teachers, administrators, parents, and students.

What do we do?

Student Initiatives:

• Neon Bash-Fall Dance for students
• Raider Store-Rewards for students who earn Raider Bucks for academic and behavioral performance
• Grade Level Support
• Character Counts! Rewards

Staff Initiatives:

• Classroom grants-teacher members are eligible for up to $100 in a classroom grant to purchase items to enhance their classroom
• Staff luncheons and breakfast
• Staff Appreciation
• Annual Donation to the school for technology and other needs

How do we pay for these initiatives?

• MEMBERSHIP-this is our biggest fundraiser. By simply joining PTSO, families help us reach our goals
• Spirit Wear-PTSO sells spirit wear each fall
• Fall/Spring Fundraisers-examples include Nothing Bundt Cakes and Poppin' Box
• Business Partners-our area businesses help SPMS through our Partners in Education program
• Corporate Donation Matches, Amazon Smile, Box Tops and private donations

How do you join?

• A family membership is $25 for the school year. The membership includes parents and any siblings at SPMS.
• Membership form can be found at https://switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

We are excited about a wonderful and busy 2023-2024 school year and making a difference at Swiss!

If you are interested in finding out how you can help contact Dawn Evans at dawnevanswebpto@gmail.com

OTHER WAYS TO SUPPORT PTSO

There will be various fundraisers throughout the school year to participate in to help fund the PTSO 2023-2024 initiatives.

Box Tops – Download the Box Tops app and scan your receipts for SMPS PTSO to get Box Top credits.

Keep an eye on the PTSO website, Facebook and Instagram to stay up to date on what is coming up throughout the year!

Questions/concerns?? spmsptso@hotmail.com

For up to date happenings LIKE us on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/SwissPointPTSO/

SPMS PTSO is on INSTAGRAM! Follow us at https://www.instagram.com/spmsptso/

Check the PTSO website for all the latest news! http://www.swisspointptso.com/