Good morning, students and families! I hope that you enjoyed the long Labor Day weekend.  We're looking forward to getting back tomorrow to the important work of learning.  SCMS has the goal of maintaining our blue "best" status and becoming a top 10 middle school in the state of Kentucky. At SCMS, we are always giving our best to be the best!

iReady: We'll be going through iReady data this coming week.  Family reports will be sent home letting you know where your student is starting the year in both reading and math. We use this information to drive our instructional decisions and help each student reach their full potential. The one thing I recommend to all families is to have your child read for twenty minutes every day. That alone can make a huge difference in your child's academic growth!

HVAC Work: Part of our HVAC system is being replaced tomorrow, September 2nd. Because of this, the entire unit will be turned off. With no AC tomorrow, I recommend wearing shorts and t-shirts. 

Vaping: Please remind your student that vaping is dangerous and illegal for someone of their age. We are fortunate to have state-of-the-art vape detectors at SCMS that include facial recognition cameras. Those who vape will be caught and consequences assigned according to state law.

Profile of a Learner: Scott County Schools takes great pride in the work that we do to prepare all students for their future roles in the workforce. There are six areas that we focus on developing, which are known as the "Profile of a Learner" skills.  This month, students will focus on what it means to be an effective and engaged communicator.  Students will work on expressing ideas effectively using oral, written, and nonverbal communication skills.  They will listen to understand. They'll also work on respectful and productive conflict resolution skills. 

Math Grant Awards Students: SCMS is proud to be a part of the Access to Algebra Grant. Our teachers receive specialized training and support, which should increase student math achievement.  All 7th and 8th-grade students at SCMS take the PSAT in the spring of each year. 8th graders who reach the benchmark or their pre-determined growth percentage receive a check at 8th-grade promotion ceremonies.  Last year, our 8th graders received over $6,000 for their math accomplishments! More information will be shared with students and families this month from their math teachers. 

Back-to-School Forms: We are still missing a substantial amount of paperwork from our families. If you have not completed the digital paperwork, I ask you to please take 5 minutes to do so now. Here is the link: https://bit.ly/SCMSBOY2526 

Home Events this Week: Tonight, the Lady Cards will be in action beginning at 5:30. Football will have a "home" game played at SCHS on Thursday beginning at 6:00.  Parents/guardians must be in attendance for students to attend games. 

 Attendance: Good attendance is vital to student success. Please remember that parents receive 6 excuses each school year. Students should be fever-free and vomiting/diarrhea-free for 24 hours before returning. Otherwise, please make every effort to get your student here.  If you have obstacles standing in the way of getting your student to school, please let us know. Our Family Resource and Youth Service Center (FRYSC) is here to support you in removing those obstacles. If your student is out, please be sure to send in a doctor's or parent's note when they return. Remember that you have 10 days to get absence notes (parent or doctor) turned in to Ms. Brandi Adams in the attendance office. You can do this by emailing   scms.attendance@scott.kyschools.us

Arrival & Dismissal:  The car rider line is moving really well in both the morning and afternoon.  Please follow the directions of the staff as they direct you. Safety is our top priority.  If your student is a bus rider on a bus that stops at the high schools, please remember that, according to district policy, they cannot exit the bus there unless they are boarding a transfer bus or are athletes with pre-approved events.

Grades: Remember that students' grades are posted in real-time on Infinite Campus.  I encourage you to check this weekly with your student. Teachers are required to post at least one grade per week. 

PTSA:  Why should parents and students join the PTSA?  Here are just a few of the things they did for students last school year: paid for the KSA Pep Rally, provided Good Faith Effort rewards, gave High Attendance Day prizes, paid for the Big Blue Bash, paid for a Foam Party, gave Valentine's treats, and provided hundreds of dollars in student support.  You are not required to give a minute of your time if you don't want to! Please use this link to join for just $7.00:  scottmiddleptsa.givebacks.com/store

Breakfast & Lunch: Please complete the free/reduced application at https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application. Those paying reduced or full amounts, please send in cash or a check payable to SCMS for your student's breakfast/lunch account. You can also deposit money electronically at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/getmain?requestAction=home. Our nutrition team will have breakfast carts stationed at the door upon your student's arrival. We encourage your student to energize with breakfast!

Remember that students cannot enter the building with outside food or beverages. We will ask them to stay out front and finish these items before entering SCMS. 

Drama:  Auditions for the upcoming production will be September 12th.  Sign Up Here: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1eeuCU4sQh1DMvrW4rLBbSw7v7uzYIu-7UGrnCVqHKsY/viewform?edit_requested=true Open to all SCMS students! Whether you’ve been on stage before or this is your first time, we’d love to see you there

Volleyball:  Optional Open Gyms will be October 5th 4-6pm and October 12th 6:30- 8pm.  Tryouts for 6th grade only will be October 15th 7-9 pm.  Tryouts for 7th and 8th grade will be October 17th 3:45-5:30pm.  There will be a parent meeting Sunday October 19th at 2pm, with the first practice on Monday October 20th.  Please make sure you have completed the form if you intend on trying out: https://bit.ly/SCMSVBALL2025  A current sports physical must be on file.

Chromebooks: All students now have their assigned chromebooks.  They should be bringing them home daily.  Please help encourage accountability and responsibility by creating good charging habits at home.

Remember that you can opt into the Accident Protection Plan.  We understand accidents happen. To provide families with peace of mind, we are offering an OPTIONAL accident protection program for Chromebooks. This program is voluntary and will cover the cost of a protective case AND the first instance of damage or repair. Details can be found here.  Payment can be sent to the office or paid in MySchoolBucks. In addition to payment, the form above must be signed and returned!  Both payment and paperwork must be on file.

 
If you have a concern about your device being broken, please have students report it to their teachers.  They will help troubleshoot and pinpoint the issue, and submit a helpdesk ticket to Mrs. Wilson to get a loaner device and have the broken device repaired.

Go Guardian Parent Info:   Did you know you can track your student’s chromebook usage at home?  Learn how to set up your parent account to monitor your students.  You must use an email address that is linked to your student's Infinite Campus account.  Directions here:    https://bit.ly/ggscsparent

Lost and Found:  This is located outside of Ms. Howard's and Mrs. Wilson's rooms. If something is missing, please encourage students to check in the large, red lost and found box.

Transportation Changes:  We need all bus transportation changes IN WRITING to our front office by 11 AM each day.  If your student is going to ride home on the bus with another student, we need a note from both parents by 11 am.  Phone calls will no longer be accepted.  You can write a note or send an email to amy.oliver@scott.kyschools.us. Car rider changes are not needed as car riders do not receive reminder/change notices. 

Car Rider Info:

Infinite Campus Parent Portal:  Student grades, attendance, etc. are also available for all students in the  Parent  Portal.  If you have not created a  parent  Portal account, you will need to e-mail Mrs. Wilson to access your activation code.  Please include your name and your students name and grade to kate.wilson@scott.kyschools.us.  Each  parent/guardian has a separate ID. For families with multiple children in Scott County Schools, one account for each  parent/guardian will contain all students, regardless of grade level. Access to these students should be in the top right of the app/website. 

Infinite Campus Student Portal:  Students will now hit the login with Staff and Students button and use their full student e-mail and chromebook password (google credentials) to login.