South Middle School
350 West Harbeck
541-474-5750
February/March Newsletter
Dear South Families,
We had another month of accomplishments and exciting events for our students. Our wrestling and girls' basketball teams are finishing up their sport season and it has been great to see so many of our students participating and displaying school pride and sportsmanship during all of their competitions. Our student leaders, Brain Bowl team, Builder’s Club and various other co-curricular groups have continued their efforts and contributions to our school and community. Reflecting on all of these accomplishments, it assures me that Grants Pass School District #7 has a wonderful group of young men and women who represent our district with pride and excellence.
Our 8th graders will be experiencing a Career Fair at GPHS in March. We have a Free Dental Program for our 6th and 7th grade students from February 20th through March 2nd. Information was sent to our families on this free program and our 8th graders will participate in the Oregon Wellness Survey in the month of February. State Assessment testing will begin in April through late May and these tests have a huge impact on our State Report Card. We will encourage our students to put forth their best effort to meet the state benchmarks.
We are holding Parent/Teacher conferences on Wednesday, March 21st and Thursday, March 22nd from 4:00-7:30 p.m. Our initial phone call will come from our Phone Dialing system informing you to call our school to make an appointment for a conference. We are making appointments for conferences like we did in the fall. Parents receiving the phone call will be for those students who are not proficient in their classes at the time of their Progress Report, or if a teacher has specifically requested a conference with you. All parents are welcomed to make appointments for conferences. There will be more information coming to you in an email regarding Parent/Teacher Conferences the second week of March.
Our Spring sport for all grade levels is right around the corner. Track and Field practice will begin on March 5th. Please contact our front office to ensure that your child has all the proper paperwork in to participate.
Social media is making its way into our schools across the nation with both positive and negative effects. Your support and involvement are what make our school a safe and successful place for our children. Please communicate with your student regarding appropriate uses of social media. If they are participating in a social media website, a good practice would be to be informed as possible. Here are some examples of some social media websites: Facebook, Instagram, Musical.ly, and Snapchat, as well as some websites apps that could lead to harassment, bullying, and forms of inappropriate picture messaging. We try to educate our students on responsible use and being accountable for their actions when they use these sites. If we can help educate our students on being respectful of others on these sites, it would help reduce the number of incidents we experience.
I love what I do working as a team member at South Middle School. Every day brings me great pride as a professional educator and administrator to be a part of what we do at SMS. This is a great school because of our three legs; students, staff, and our parents.
As you know, I will be retiring at the end of the school year. The school district is following the time line for the selection of the new Principal for the 2018-19 school year. Superintendent Kolb shared a survey with you regarding the characteristics you would like to see in the next principal. Please take a few minutes to fill out that survey. The district will conduct interviews and then there will be a recommendation to the School Board for the new Principal at the March 13th board meeting.
Hope to see you at Parent Teacher Conferences next month!
Yearbook's are on Sale Now!!
Yearbooks are on sale untill February 24th for $35! They will be $38 after that, until we are sold out!!
Don't miss out! Get yours today!
Order in office or online
Match Dates and Times
Feb. 1st, 12:30pm at Hanby
Feb. 8th, 11:40am at Home vs. Fleming
Feb. 15th, 12:30pm at Lorna Byrne
Feb. 26th, 11:30am at Home vs. Lincoln Savage
Mar. 1st, 11:30am at Home vs. North MS
Brain Bowl Team 2018
Calvin Eagan Preston Jarvis
Adam Jenson Maximus Medley
Allison Robinson Abe Selvas
Taylor Douglas Ethan Nelson
Sarah McKee Jacob Pirosko
Amelia Silvers Isaiah Williams
Spring Conditioning at SMS begins Monday, February 26th thru Thursday, March 1st from 3:30 - 5:00. Come get your "groove" on; we'll show you some moves to get in shape!
Whoop, whoop, Coach Lellis
Campus Closet
125 Manzanita Ave, on the corner of 6th and Manzanita.
Campus Closet is a service sponsored by Grants Pass Council PTA. It serves all school age students from families with limited income or other emergency needs. It is located at the United Community Action Network building, on the corner of 6th and Manzanita, 125 Manzanita Ave. The facility is operated by parent and community volunteers and serves Grants Pass School District students enrolled in grades K-12. Sorry, no adults, preschoolers, or infants.
For questions, call Rebecca de Greyt at (541)956-4474.
Students are welcome to shop at Campus Closet two times per school year. An admit slip is required for each family each and every school year. Students may obtain an Admit Slip from their School’s Counseling Center or Front Office. All school age Students are welcome to shop at Campus Closet. The amount of clothing student’s receive per visit varies, due to stock on hand.
Hours are Tuesday-Thursday, 10am-12pm & 1pm-3pm,
with one Tuesday a month being open for longer hours. Those Tuesdays are:
March 6th, April 10th, and May 15th
Clothing drives are held at each of the District 7 schools on a yearly basis to stock the shelves at Campus Closet. The Closet also is grateful to receive clothing donations from students, teachers, community members and retailers throughout the year. Campus Closet also benefits from cash donations by our District 7 community, including payroll deductions by GPSD #7 employees, community organizations such as Kiwanis, Rotary and others, and the general public. With cash donations, Campus Closet is able to purchase brand new socks and underwear, of which two pair of each are given to each student when they shop at the Closet.
Campus Closet is organized by Mary Cardiff, and is powered by countless volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering with Campus Closet, please sign up with Volunteer Spot. Volunteer opportunities are available for sorting donations, washing, mending, hanging, folding, helping with drives, and working at the Campus Closet during our open shopping times.
South Middle's Lego robotics team the "Aquabots" spent Saturday the 13th at Liberty High School in Hillsboro Oregon for the FLL Lego Robotics state tournament. This years team was an all girls team comprised of two 8th graders-Sammie Crawford and Jackie Wittler, two 7th graders-Rayna Grant and Sarah Mckee, and one 6th grader-Vallori Abbey. The theme of this year's tournament was "Hydrodynamics" focusing on how we use, transport, or dispose of water. They competed in robot design and programing, Core Values (how well they work together and with others), and the project competition. The team's project focuses on how to turn flood waters into potable drinking water on location with a truck based filtration system. The team scored a personal best on the robotic mission table this year. Great job!
Track Season is Coming!
Practice begins Monday, March 5th at 3:30 pm and is open to all 6th, 7th & 8th graders.
In order to participate you must have a new Medical/Emergency Consent form and a current physical on file with the office by March 2nd.
Remember, if you've competed in two other sports at SMS the participation fee of $75.00 is waived for the third sport. We're excited to see you!!
Coach Wolford, Coach Lellis, Coach Davis & Coach Rossetta
NURSE’S NOTES NURSE’S NOTES NURSE’S NOTES NURSE’S NOTES
Cold and Flu season is well under way, and it is important that we work together to keep our children healthy. Viruses spread easily among children. You can help prevent the spread of illness and flu or help your child get better if he/she does get sick by following a few simple steps:
- You and your child could benefit from getting a flu shot
- Remind your child to cover his/her nose and mouth with a tissue when sneezing or coughing and dispose of the tissue immediately
- Wash hands frequently with soap and warm water for at least 20 seconds
- Disinfect frequently-touched surfaces and shared items at least once a day
- Ensure that bathrooms are stocked with soap, hand towels and tissues
- Teach your child not to touch his/her mouth, nose and eyes
- If your child is sick and has a fever, keep him/her at home to prevent the spread of illness to others (including staying home until fever free without the use of medication)
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people
Common symptoms of flu include: high fever, severe headache, muscle and body aches, exhaustion, and dry cough. Additionally, children often exhibit other flu symptoms that are rare in adults, such as nausea, vomiting and diarrhea. If your child develops symptoms and you are concerned that they might have the flu, call your doctor early, especially if they have a chronic disease (eg.asthma). The physician may prescribe an antiviral medication, which can help lessen the duration of the virus and reduce the risk of complications, such as pneumonia. To be effective, antiviral medication should be taken within 12-48 hours after flu symptoms begin.
Remember, Immunization Exclusion Day is Wednesday, February 21, 2018
If your child is missing any school required immunizations, or if you have not shared the up-dated record with the school, please do so as soon as possible, so that they won’t miss school.
Martha Covrig RN BSN, MPH, GP#7 District Nurse (Flu information adapted from the National Association of School Nurses and Center for Disease Control)
Annual Notifications
Directory Information
Grants Pass School District No. 7 holds all information about students as being confidential except for "Directory Information". This includes student/parent's legal name, address, telephone listing, electronic address, date and place of birth, photograph, participation in officially recognized activities, weight and height of athletic team members, dates of attendance, dates entered and graduated from Grants Pass School District schools, degrees or award received, and most recent previous school or program attended. Directory information considered by the district to be detrimental will not be released. Requests for directory information to be used for commercial solicitations will be considered detrimental and denied. Except for parent class list or school support group (PTA, Booster Club, etc...) group contact list requests, group or comprehensive directory information requests for contact information for all students in the district, a school or a grade level will be limited to students' mailing addresses only. At no point will a student's social security number or student identification number be considered directory information.
Directory information will be released upon request to the news media and can be used for student directories, District web pages, sports programs, or activity programs unless parents or eligible students request the district withhold this information. Objections to releasing part or all of the Grants Pass School District directory information must be in writing and directed to the principal of the student's school within 15 days of annual public notice.
Student Records
The school records of your child are open to you. These records may be seen by making an appointment with your child's teacher or other staff members qualified to explain them. Records of student attendance, learning progress, and grades will be transferred to the new school if you should move.
Highly Qualified Teachers
Our elementary schools receive federal funds for Title 1 programs that are part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. You have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of your child's classroom teacher. If you request this information, our school will provide you with the following as soon as possible:
- if the teacher has met our state licensing requirements for the grade level and subjects in which the teacher is providing instruction;
- if the teacher is teaching under an emergency status for which state licensing requirements have been waived;
- the type of college degree major of the teacher and the field of discipline for any grade degree or certificate; and
- if your child is receiving Title 1 services from paraprofessionals and if so, his/her qualificaitions.
Special Education Services
Public law 108-446, also known as the "Individuals with Disabilities Education Act" requires school districts to use an ongoing system to locate, identify, and evaluate all children from birth to 21 years suspected of being eligible for special education services. Grants Pass School District No. 7 requests public assistance in identifying any developmentally disabled child who is not enrolled or currently receiving special education services. Further information is available through the Oregon Department of Education including and/or reviewing established Procedural Safeguards by at the following web address: http://www.ode.state.or.us/search/results/?id=261. If you know of a student needing services, please contact the District No. 7 Special Education Office at 474-5706.
Section 504 Non-discrimination
In compliance with state and federal law, the Grants Pass School District will provide to each protected student with a disability without discrimination or cost to the student or family, those related aids, services or accommodations which are needed to provide equal opportunity to participate in and obtain the benefits of the school program and extracurricular activities to the maximum extent appropriate to the student's abilities. In order to qualify as a protected student with a disability, the child must be of school age with a physical or mental disability that substantially limits or prohibits participation in or access to an aspect of the school program. These services and protections for "protected students who are disabled" are distinct from those applicable to all eligible or exceptional students enrolled (or seeking enrollment) in special education programs. For further information on the evaluation procedures and provision of services to protected disabled students, contact Todd Bloomquist, Director of Special Services, at 725 NE Dean Drive, Grants Pass, OR 97526 or by telephone at (541) 474-5706.
TAG Program
Grants Pass School District No. 7 actively searches for those students who are intellectually gifted or academically talented in reading and/or math. As stated by law (OR 581-022-1310(1)) to qualify, students must have supporting behavioral, learning, and/or performance information. Additionally, they must score in the 97th percentile on nationally standardized tests of intellectual ability or academic achievement in reading or math. Nominations are accepted from parents, students, or teachers. For more information, please contact your building principal.
EL Classes
If you know of a student who speaks English as a second language, please contact the District No. 7 EL Department at 474-5710, ext. 122. These students may be eligible for ESL services.
Si usted conoce a un estudiante que hable ingles como Segundo idioma, favor de llamar al Departamento de Ingles Como Segundo Idioma a 474-5710, ext 122. Es possible que el estudiante puede reciber servicios del Departamento de Ingles Como Sequndo Lengua.
Medication At School
All Prescription medications need to be brought to the school office by a parent/guardian and a permission form will need to be completed. We will not be able to give any student medication without this signed form. All medications must be in the original prescription bottle. District No. 7 and the State of Oregon discourage parents from asking the schools to dispense non-prescription medication and appreciate your support for this position.
If it is necessary to administer over the counter medication to students at school, the same requirements for prescription medication apply.
Support For Homeless Children
Grants Pass School District No. 7 seeks to identify students who are homeless. Homeless individuals are those who, due to a lack of permanent housing, live in inadequate or temporary settings, such as;
- Emergency or transitional shelters
- Motels, hotels, campgrounds
- Cars, parks or abandoned buildings
- Doubling up with relatives or friends.
If you know of a student who is homeless and in need of services, please contact the District Family Advocate at 541-218-6508 or the District Homeless Liaison at 474-5706.
Volunteers
Citizens who voluntarily contribute their time and talents to the improvement and enrichment of the public schools' instructional and other programs are valuable assets. The Board encourages constructive participation of groups and individuals in the school to perform appropriate tasks during and after school hours under the direction and supervision of professional personnel. If you are interested in being a volunteer, please see your front office staff for application and information.
Volunteers returning to the service of our district are required to participate in annual training regarding confidentiality, child abuse, and sexual misconduct reporting. Training information is located on the district website under parent/community resources.
Parent Curriculum Council
The purpose of this "Curriculum Council" is to provide an opportunity for members of our school community to collaborate, where appropriate, in solving problems, defining goals and shaping the direction of the district. Parents have been selected to represent each school in the district and serve as voting members. The meeting is an open meeting and parents are invited to attend. Please call 474-5709 for more information. Meetings are on the first Thursday of each month at 9:00 a.m. in the Boardroom at 725 NE Dean Drive.
School Board Meetings
Meetings held on the second Tuesday of each month at 4:00 p.m. and on the fourth Tuesday of each month at 12:00 p.m. in the Boardroom located at 725 NE Dean Drive. Please call 474-5700 for more information.
Physcial Restraint and Seclusion
An annual report of Physical Restraint and Seclusion incidents for the Grants Pass SD is available on our website, www.grantspass.k12.or.us. The report is found within the Special Services Department section.
FOR MORE INFORMATION ON DISTRICT/SCHOOL PROCEDURES SEE YOUR SCHOOL'S PARENT/STUDENT HANDBOOK
The district web page has the same information located at:
Parent Resources -- Annual Notice -- Parent Information: http://grantspass.k12.or.us/Page.asp?NavID=609
REMINDERS
School Doors Open at 8:15am...
Parents & students, just a reminder that school doors open officially at 8:15am, so if students are arriving before 8:15am, there is not any supervision. Cafeteria doors open at 7:50am for breakfast. Thank you!
Bus Notes
Please send notes for your student riding a different bus home than normal. Bus drivers must have notes from parents or guardians in order for a student to ride a different bus. The student must then bring the notes to the office.
Medication At School
When your child must take prescription and/or non-prescription medicine at school, please follow these steps:
- The parent/guardian MUST bring the medicine, in person, to the office. It may not be sent with the child. Additionally, the parent/guardian must pick up the container when the child has completed the course of medication.
- The medicine must be in its original container.
- The parent/guardian must fill out the appropriate form with instructions/permission for the school to administer the medication.
- The parent/guardian must inform the school, in writing, of any changes in medication instructions.
Free Lunch & Breakfast
Cafeteria doors open at 7:50am on regular start days, 8:50am on Wednesdays for breakfast. Breakfast and Lunch are always free to all students!
Contact Information
Please write notes or visit the office in order to change contact information (phone numbers, addresses, email addresses). Unfortunately, we are not able to make these changes over the phone.
THANK YOU!
YOU CAN HELP SOUTH MIDDLE SCHOOL EARN DONATIONS
JUST BY SHOPPING WITH YOUR FRED MEYER REWARDS CARD!
Fred Meyer is donating $2.5 million per year to non-profits in Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, based on where their customers tell them to give. Here’s how the program works:
· Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to South Middle School at www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards. You can search for us by our name or by our non-profit number
83257
· Then, every time you shop and use your Rewards Card, you are helping South Middle School earn a donation!
· You still earn your Rewards Points, Fuel Points, and Rebates, just as you do today.
· If you do not have a Rewards Card, they are available at the Customer Service desk of any Fred Meyer store.
· For more information, please visit www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards.
If you shop on Amazon, please consider shopping AmazonSmile and earning money for South Middle School!
AmazonSmile is a website operated by Amazon that lets customers enjoy the same wide selection of products, low prices, and convenient shopping features as on Amazon.com. The difference is that when customers shop on AmazonSmile (smile.amazon.com), the AmazonSmile Foundation will donate 0.5% of the price of eligible purchases to the charitable organizations selected by customers.
