July 2009
Dear
Parents/Guardians,
In just a
few weeks we will begin our journey together toward discovery,
exploration and learning at St. Andrews Middle School. The
faculty and staff at St. Andrews Middle School are very excited and
enthusiastically committed to this journey. As in the past,
we are continuing to work with children in teaching teams and we
will be working diligently to help your child reach new heights of
educational achievement.
Our motto
for the 2009-2010 school year will continue to be Achieving
Excellence and Failure is Not an Option. We will
continue to be a school of choice with partial magnet status for
the upcoming school year. Our school will continue to focus
on mathematics and single-gender strategies. We have a schedule
that encourages our students to work at a higher rigor and provides
ninety minute blocks for English, Mathematics, Science, and Social
Studies for seventh and eighth grades as our sixth graders will
take 70 minute classes. All courses will be gender based and
we will continue to have a Female Leadership Academy and a Male
Leadership Academy in two separate locations. We will
continue to include pre-algebra, algebra, banking, marketing, and
entrepreneurship classes. We are also offering Academic
Interventions for all levels. We will provide an honors
pull-out program, small reading groups, English I, small tutoring
groups and a literacy coach to meet all student needs. As for
special area classes, we will provide physical education, health,
art design (1, 2, and 3), band, and strings. We also will
embark on a virtual Spanish class for high school credit through
the South Carolina State Education Department.
With the
start of the new school year, we are also continuing our character
education program Project Wisdom and our Positive
Behavior Intervention program PBIS. The
development of tomorrows citizens, citizens of solid character and
positive behaviors is an important mission as educators and
parents. The development of good character and positive
behaviors is rooted by our Core Values of life: Respect,
Responsibility, Trustworthiness, Fairness, and
Caring. These core values will provide our students the
opportunity to become good citizens within our
community. Every student will be assigned to an advisor to
meet with every morning to discuss these issues both locally and
globally. We will also utilize the advisory periods to help
students stay focused, set their goals, and become successful
individuals. There will be weekly topics concerning the
values of life that will be communicated to the students during
their advisory period through the morning Wildcat News. It is
very beneficial when parents are simultaneously reinforcing the
weekly topics at home through discussion and encouragement. To add
to our character education, PBIS program, students that represent
one or all core values may be recognized by any staff member and be
given a core value stamp in their agenda. Once a student
receives an accumulated amount of stamps, they may be acknowledged
with a rewards day for their positive behaviors.
Please
join me in welcoming the following new staff members here at St.
Andrews Middle School:
Ms. Jennifer
Middleton Science Grade 6
Ms.
Linda Jenkins Social Studies Grade 6
Mr.
Douglas Browne English Grade 8
Ms.
Dayna Hohlfeldt Autism
Ms.
Cassandra Middleton Child Care Assistant
Summer
Reading:
Please see
the summer reading assignment on our web site or stop by the school
to get one for your child. This assignment needs to be
completed prior to their return to school. This assignment
will be their first English grade.
Fact
and Fee/Meet and Greet:
Our Fact
and Fee orientation programs will be held on Thursday, August
6th between the
times of 1:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. and then between the times of 4:30
p.m. and 7:00 p.m.
All
dues will be paid in the Library, where schedules and agendas will
be handed out. The cost for dues is $40.00 for the school
year. This fee covers clubs, athletics, library fees, extra
curricular, agendas, special recognitions, and our PBIS
program. We ask that parents pay in cash.
Yearbooks
and uniform shirts will be on sale at this time. Any student
that owes fees from this past school year will need to pay those
fees prior to receiving their schedules for next year. You
will then have the opportunity to meet and greet your childs
teachers by following your childs schedule. This will be an
informal greeting, where we want you and your child to feel
comfortable with our school and the location of the
classrooms. Mr. Bragg will be available for any
questions.
Daily
Schedule: Our staring and ending times have changed due to
transportation needs!
Please
recognize the following information on student arrival and pick-up:
1.Students that are car riders will be dropped
off and picked up in the back of the school in the football field
parking lot.
2.Bus riders are delivered and picked up in the
front of the building.
3.***Students are
not allowed in the building prior to 8:50 a.m. *** Please do
not drop your child off prior to 8:50
a.m. ***
4.Students need to report to the bleachers of the
football field or to the cafeteria if they buy breakfast between
the times of 8:50 a.m. and 9:00 a.m.
5.The children will be released to their advisory
at 9:00 a.m.
6.Student lateness is unacceptable. Please
make sure your child is on time so there are no interruptions to
our teacher lessons.
7.Students are released
at 4:15 p.m. Please arrive on time to pick-up your
child.
8.Guardian photo identification is required to
sign your child out of school.
9.Please refrain from picking your child up from
school early unless there is particular reason. We need to
have your child here in order to help them succeed and grow
academically.
10.Please understand that our building is
continuously under lockout status, where the outside doors are
locked. If you are visiting our school, please report to the
main entrance and report to the main office. This is to
provide safety and security for our students.
Dress
Code:
We are
color coordinating our grade levels again this coming school
year. Please pay close attention to the following:
Grade
6: Grey Collared Shirts, Jeans, Khaki or
Blue Pants/Shorts/Skirts
Grade
7: Royal Blue Collared Shirts, Jeans, Khaki or
Blue
Pants/Shorts/Skirts
Grade
8: Gold Collared Shirts, Jeans, Khaki or Blue
Pants/Shorts/Skirts
These
colors will match our school colors and will help with organization
and housing of our students. Shirts will be on sale at the
Fact and Fee night. You can also order ahead of time using
the enclosed flyer. Uniforms will be on display in the St.
Andrews Middle School main office during the summer so parents can
choose sizes and turn in their forms. All pants/jeans need to
be worn at the waist line and a belt is needed. Jeans are not
to have holes or tears.
Physical Education:
Our
7th and
8th grade students
will need to change their clothes for their physical education
classes. Please have a change of shorts, running pants,
appropriate tee shirts and sneakers for gym classes. Lockers
will be provided for each student. Each student will receive
a lock for their gym locker and they will be held responsible for
the lock and the
items in
the locker. Please remind students that they need to lock
their gym lockers after each use. To replace a gym lock, the
cost will be $5.00.
Supply
List:
Please see
the attached supply list that will give more detail to things you
will need to start the school year. Upon teacher requests,
students may be asked to gather more supplies throughout the school
year.
Parent
Communications:
We believe
that parent/school communication is imperative in the success of
our children. Teachers and parents are encouraged to
continuously communicate through phone calls, letters, agendas, and
meetings. Every month, the administration will be sending a
letter home providing information for the upcoming monthly
activities and successes. All our letters and important information
is available on our web site at standrewsms.ccsdschools.com.
Teachers will have their assignments posted on their web pages and
can be contacted through email. We also provide a homework
hotline after school hours at 763-1533.
Parent
Teacher Student Association:
We are
strong advocates for our children and we are looking for parents to
assist our PTSA with functions and fundraising. We have had
tremendous growth in our parent volunteers and are expecting to
continue on this path. Please notify the main office if you
are interested in volunteering at SAMS.
Sixth
Grade Family Night:
The
transition to middle school can be overwhelming for the parents and
the children; therefore we will be having an incoming sixth grade
family night on Tuesday, August 11th from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the St.
Andrews Middle School gymnasium. This will be an opportunity
to meet with your peers and play some games. Mr. Bragg will
be available to answer any questions you may have.
Important Dates:
Thursday,
August 6th: Fact and
Fee/Meet and Greet 1:00-3:30 p.m. and 4:30-7:00
p.m.
Tuesday,
August 11th: 6th Grade Family Night
Tuesday,
August 18th: First Day for
Students
Monday,
September 7th: Labor Day/No
School
Enclosed
please find the 2009-2010 school supply lists, CCSD district
calendar, shirt order form, parent information for medications and
medical procedures, and a health information form (must be filled
out). If you have any preliminary questions, please call the
St. Andrews Middle School Main Office at 763-1533. All of us
at St. Andrews Middle School are looking forward to a fabulous
school year as we continue our academic growth and achievements.
For the
Children,
Benjamin
Bragg
Principal
Benjamin F Bragg