Middle School

Family Portal

Welcome From the Principal

Dear Bridges Middle School Families,

Welcome to a new school year! I am honored to begin my fourth year as Principal of this incredible school community and to celebrate my 24th year as an educator. As a father of three— and a father figure to many more over the years— I consider it my life’s mission to make a lasting, positive difference in the lives of our youth.

This past summer, I had the privilege of serving children in the Dominican Republic and at a youth camp back home in the states. These experiences reminded me of the power of connection, compassion, and service. I carry that energy and purpose into every role I serve— as an educator, a baseball coach, and a church youth leader. And for my own self-care, I find peace in the outdoors and joy in participating in or cheering on sports— especially anything Clemson Tigers!

As we kick off this school year, I want to highlight the Five Critical Commitments that guide our work and culture at Bridges Preparatory School:

1. Student Efficacy – We believe in empowering every student to recognize their voice, take ownership of their learning, and reach their full potential.

2. Highly Effective Teachers – Our dedicated educators are committed to excellence in teaching, continuous growth, and fostering strong relationships with students.

3. Self-Care – We know that in order to take care of others, we must take care of ourselves. As a school, we encourage healthy habits and emotional wellness for students and staff alike.

4. Family-like Schools – We are building a culture where every student feels known, seen, and supported— just like family and where our students’ families serve as supportive, collaborative members of our school community.

5. Shared Leadership – Collaboration is key. We welcome the voices of students, staff, and families in shaping the path forward for our school.

Our staff is entering this year with renewed energy, excitement, and an unshakable belief in our students. I am thrilled to partner with each of you— our families— as we build a school year full of growth, connection, and success.

Let’s make this our best year yet.

With gratitude,

Jeremiah Young

Bridges Preparatory Middle School Principal

Important Dates

Tuesday, December 2nd: Candy Cane Grams - sales begin
Thursday, December 4th:
- Huddle at 8:30 am in The Galleon
Thursday, December 4th - Saturday, December 6th:1984: An Expressionist Play at 7:00 pm
Friday, December 5th: Ghost Pirates Family Night at 7 pm at Enmarket Arena. Link to purchase tickets may be found here.
Friday, December 12th: Middle School Holiday Dance at 6 pm in the Elementary Gym

Middle School Updates

6th Grade

8th Grade

Encore

Consumer Science

6th Grade: We will begin this week by finishing up an activity we started before we left for Thanksgiving break. It will count as a summative assessment that deals with the content that we have covered so far in the class. The students will be putting together a Google Slide presentation they will use and share with other students in class. After this, we will turn our attention to “Qualities of a Good Friend” and how they can apply these in their lives. After this, we will turn our attention to some issues related to financial management.

7th Grade: Due to the abbreviated schedule on Thursday of last week, we were not able to finish our culminating activities related to the interviewing process. We will focus on finishing up this process on Monday and Tuesday. After this, we will turn our attention to focusing on some aspects of financial literacy and some aspects of housing and interior design. We will focus on aspects of money management as well as what to consider when buying versus renting a home/apartment.

8th Grade: We will begin the week by finishing up a culmination activity related to interviewing skills. This will more than likely take both Monday and Tuesday. After this, we will begin an activity called a “Life Simulation Project.” This will be a very detailed assignment that will count as a summative assessment and will take several weeks to complete.

Physical Education

The students learned about general health principles the week before break in our “You’re a Car” project. We compared our bodies to cars and even “raced” our cars.

The main concepts included:

Calorie intake & output
Weight management
Heart health
Body composition
Muscle/Tendon/Bone/Ligament Strength
Food quality

Each day the students were in a group & had a “car” composed of their engine (heart/muscle) and the car's body (body composition). The students were handed prompts between each race. The prompts had a health action, the health consequence associated with the action, and a consequence for their “car” that they had to race. The students ended the unit by creating their own scenarios of health actions and consequences.

Preforming Arts

We are still in our “Getting to Know You” phase of our Performing Arts class. All students will be writing, rehearsing and presenting their own personal “Ted Talk” to the class. Students will compose their talk on a topic of their choice. Students will address what the topic is, what knowledge they have learned from the topic and how they have applied the knowledge gained regarding that topic into other areas of their lives.

PLTW

We will continue to work on constructing our Ankle Foot Orthosis Design models in class this week. Students will be responsible for following the specific design criteria and constraints as they continue to work and complete their prototypes.

Spanish

6th Grade: This week we will continue expanding our unit on food in Spanish. Students will review common food vocabulary and begin practicing simple phrases used to order food at a restaurant. Our goal is to help them feel more confident using Spanish in real-life situations.
7th Grade: We will keep building on our work with adjectives to describe people. Students will practice using descriptive words in complete sentences; learn how to match adjectives correctly; and apply them through short activities, games, and conversations.
8th Grade: This week we will begin learning personal pronouns in Spanish. Students will understand how pronouns replace nouns, how they are used in sentences, and why they are essential for building more complex grammar skills.
Spanish 1: We will continue learning vocabulary and expressions to talk about emotions in Spanish. Students will practice describing how they feel, asking others about their emotions, and using these terms in short dialogues to improve communication skills.

Visual Arts

This week students are continuing to build their artistic skills through new projects and techniques.

6th Grade: Students will study Pablo Picasso and create expressive self-portraits inspired by his unique style.

7th Grade: Students will explore optical illusions, designing various vortex patterns to illustrate movement and the illusion of space on a flat surface.

8th Grade: Students will continue developing their creative color wheels, applying their knowledge of color theory in original and imaginative ways.

Each grade level is engaging with projects that strengthen both technical skill and creative thinking.

Bucs Best

The following expectations were developed for the Middle School's social contract:

Respect for all people and all places, at all times
Be prepared; be productive
Be helpful
Demonstrate responsibility
Show integrity

Attendance

Drop-Off Schedule:

7:00 AM: Middle school students may be dropped off. However, a drop-off closer to 7:30 AM is preferred to ease early morning traffic congestion.
8:00 AM: Middle and High School day begins

Pick-Up Schedule:

3:00 PM: Middle and High School day ends and parents can begin picking up Middle and High School students
3:30 PM: All 6-12 students must be picked up unless enrolled in the After School program

Student Devices

Please have conversations with your children regarding appropriate care and use of their school computers. Please encourage students to handle their computers responsibly and with care. Computers are to be used for school purposes only. Parents, please help ensure this is the case by supervising at-home use. Thank you for your help and support. We appreciate it.

Middle School Pick-Up

Please display car rider tags.
- Middle School students will not be released until their car rider tag number has been entered by a faculty member.

Dismissal starts at 3:00 pm.
If picking up a Middle School student with an Elementary sibling, please delay entering campus until 2:55 pm.
If you are only picking up a Middle School student, please delay entering campus until after 2:55 pm.

Please utilize the full pick-up lines, filling the gaps between vehicles.

Families picking up only a Middle or High School student may utilize the front or back pickup lines at 3:15 pm or whenever the front pick-up line has cleared.

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