JANUARY
2023
Southern Middle School
Principal: Melissa Bell, Ed. D. ~ melissa.bell@sycsd.org
Assistant Principal: Ryan Updike ~ ryan.updike@sycsd.org
SMS Main Office ~ (717) 235-4811 x3500 ~ smsattendance@sycsd.org
great job leaving space for students to walk in both directions, they are walking, and demonstrating care toward one another as they move about. For many students, having 500 students
SMS Families:
Happy 2024! We are excited to have everyone back and ready to begin the 3rd marking period on Monday, January 8th. The next few months will bring lots of exciting opportunities for students.
Upcoming events include the PTSO 7th and 8th grade dance on Friday, January 19th, Winter music concerts in February, and the High School Curriculum Fair on February 14th from 6-7 pm for incoming 9th graders. Additional information will be forthcoming for each of these events.
I am also excited to share that beginning February 7, 2024, Family-Child Resources (FCR) will be hosting a free Teen Group at SMS.
This group is open to all SMS students and sessions will be held once per week for 10 weeks during the school day. Topics to be discussed during the group may include friendship, managing emotions, grief, self-regulation and control.
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
If interested, please have your child return the permission slip to the counseling office or feel free to email it to Mrs. Alley in our counseling office at joan.alley@sycsd.org.
Melissa S. Bell, Ed. D.
SMS Principal
Para acceder al boletín en un idioma diferente, haga clic en el enlace y copie la URL en Google Translate.
January 5 - Marking Period 2 Ends
January 12 - Report Cards Posted
January 15 - School Closed
January 17 - PTSO Meeting @ 6 p.m.
January 19 - 7th/8th Grade Dance @ 6 p.m.
January 30 - Tour of York Tech w./ Mr. Katz
SMS Calendar of Events
February 1st - Band Winter Concert 7 p.m.
February 8th - Progress Reports Posted
February 14-15 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
Warrior Word
Check out our recent issue of the Warrior Word, our student newspaper. Click here to view the newspaper.
Employment at SYCSD
It’s always been challenging for schools to hire enough qualified teachers, substitute teachers, instructional aides, bus drivers, cafeteria workers, and the other staff members who keep a school day humming. But those challenges have never been more daunting.
PTSO 7th and 8th Grade Dance
Date: Friday, January 19th
Time: 6:00 - 7:30 p.m.
Place: Southern Middle School
Tickets: $10 (includes pizza, drink, snack). Cash or check payable to PTSO.
Sales: Ticket Sales End Wed, 1/17/23. No exceptions because of planning.
We welcome any volunteers and will be sending out a Sign-up Genius shortly. More detailed information will be provided to both students and parents.
American Legion - Essay Contests
Americanism Essay Contest
The Americanism Essay Contest was created to teach students the value of patriotism and what it means to be Americans. Thousands of students participate in the program each year and help promote a lifelong respect of our flag and country.
Current Essay Theme: “What does Freedom mean to me?”
Learn more at https://glenrocklegion.org/ or email Mr. Thiele for a PDF of the contest rules.
All essays may be mailed to:
Joelene Thiele
225 Pleasant Grove Rd.
Red Lion, Pa 17356
PA American Legion 6-8 Grade 2024 Essay Contest
Essay Theme: Do you Believe That U.S. Flag Etiquette Should Be Taught in School/?
For more info, click here or see the brochure here.
ATTENDANCE HIGHLIGHT - Dismissal Due to Illness
As a reminder, if your student gets ill during the school day, please encourage them to see the school nurse for an evaluation.
Here is SMS Student Handbook policy, page 56:
“Illness/Injury or Emergency Students may only be released for illness, injury, or emergency by the nurse or an administrator according to the following procedures.
Students who feel ill and think they need to go home should go to the health office for an evaluation. Students may not leave school due to illness without the permission of the school nurse.”
Questions? Please contact Mrs. Sherman:
717-235-4811 ext. 3501
717-227-9681
smsattendance@sycsd.org or margarida.sherman@sycsd.org
Southern York County School District will conduct parent-teacher conferences in February. The following dates and times will be open for Southern Middle School parents and guardians for scheduling:
Wednesday, February 14 from 3-7 pm
Thursday, February 15 from 3-5 pm
Parents and guardians can choose to meet in-person or virtually. You can also choose to schedule individual or team conferences. More information about the process to schedule a conference will be communicated closer to conference time.
STUDENTS OF THE MONTH
Congratulations to our four December Students of the Month, who have exhibited PRIDE (Prepared—Respect—Integrity—Doing Your Best—Engaged) in their behavior at SMS. Two students are selected from each team. Please congratulate:
Johanna Bissett, Sam Fisher, Holden Plumb, Lexi Garver, Jayden Gross, WIll Hombach, Avery Brenneman, Evan Boyce
student art competition winner
Jayden Gross has been named a winner of the 2023 “I Love My County Because…”
Student Art Contest and their artwork will be featured in the 2024 wall calendar and in a gallery at NACo HQ in Washington DC.
Winners will receive a copy of the calendar, a certificate, and a $100 gift card.
Congratulations Jayden!
Geography Bee
SMS is once again participating in the International Geography Bee! This year's qualifying round will take place during Pd. 1 Flex on Tuesday, January 9.
Specific information about sign-ups and location will be communicated to students through morning announcements and social studies classes.
The top three students from SMS will earn the opportunity to compete in the regional round of the competition if they choose. More info on the International Geography Bee can be found HERE!
CARSON SCHOLARS FUND NOMINEE
The Carson Scholars Fund awards $1,000 college scholarships to students in grades 4-11 who excel academically and are dedicated to serving their communities.
Scholarship winners receive the honor of being named “Carson Scholars” and are awarded an Olympic-sized medal and a trophy for their school to celebrate their accomplishments.
Only one student from each school is able to apply and must be nominated by their teachers and school administrators. Carson Scholars must have a minimum GPA of 3.75 and display humanitarian qualities through community service.
We are proud to announce we have nominated student Akyla Osterhaus to apply for the Carson scholarship.
FID (Flexible Instruction Days)
With winter weather upon us, there is the potential that we may be utilizing FID Days (Flexible Instruction Days).
FID days allow us to provide instruction to students at home, rather than in the classroom, when situations like winter weather or a building emergency require us to close our schools.
The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania will count this as a full day of school, which will enable us to maintain our current calendar. In accordance with PA Department of Education requirements, students must log in to their classes for attendance purposes.
A Celebration of Poetry
York County Libraries is hosting their 35th Annual Celebration of Poetry event. They invite students from across York and Adams Counties to submit their best poems for their poetry contest.
To learn more about the Celebration of Poetry contest and submission details, visit their website at: https://www.yorklibraries.org/library-services-programs/poetry.
If you have any questions, please contact Youth Services Department @ ysdepartment@yorklibraries.org
Athletic Department
To learn more about winter sports and find contact information for coaches, please visit the SYCSD website Athletics page.
The Athletics apparel store will be open all year for parents, students, faculty and staff to purchase from.
Counseling Department
January Counseling Spotlight Article:
PCBH School-Based Counseling Program
The SYCSD/PCBH School-Based Counseling Program utilizes a multi-disciplinary approach to bridge the gap for young people who need mental health care and young people who receive mental health care.
The PCBH program provides coordinated mental health services at a licensed satellite office of PCBH in the familiar environment of the school setting. Please contact Mrs. Hall or Mr. Katz for more information.
Student Assistance Program (SAP)
The Student Assistance Program (SAP) continues to actively function in the middle school. The SAP team is a group of trained staff members who work to identify, intervene and refer students who are having difficulties due to a variety of possibilities.
The program is available to all students at SMS (except anyone already receiving drug/alcohol or mental health counseling). To make a referral, please contact the guidance office or fill out this form SMS SAP Info Request.
YES! Day
YES! (Your Economic Success) was held at SMS on Tuesday,
December 12, 2023.
The program is run by Junior Achievement (JA) and consists of activities intended to help students gain an appreciation for the importance financial and career decisions play in their lives as young adults.
Activities are facilitated by volunteers. This year’s volunteers were made up of parents, community members, and staff. Thank you to the volunteers who made the day possible!
Introducing Check and Connect
Check and Connect is a newly offered data driven program at Southern Middle School developed by the University of Minnesota. For most students, it will not be necessary, but for some it can mean the difference in a successful experience at school.
Check and Connect is a voluntary program that uses attendance, grade, and behavior data to look at a student’s ability to succeed in school. To sum it up, the Check and Connect program is designed to better the student’s success by helping them to improve their routines around the academic setting.
By using weekly check-ins, the Check and Connect Mentor helps the student see their potential success. Often times, the Mentor can act as a secondary counselor, a tutor, and an additional person who holds the student accountable for their actions.
Check and Connect is not just for students. The program mentor works with teachers, administrators, and caregivers to find ways to help the student. It is a team effort to help the student succeed.
If you believe your child is not finding success at school, Check and Connect may be a way of helping them forward. Please contact your child’s counselor or an administrator if you would like to learn more about the program or are interested in signing them up.
Aevidum Newsletter
Club Advisors: Mr. Katz & Mr. Snare
The SMS Aevidum Club recently conducted lessons in 7th & 8th grade Health classes on gratitude and how to help each other during the holiday season, as not every student has the same feelings or experiences this time of year. The club members did an amazing job.
Through a survey that the club sent out during their lesson, 79% of students identified that their teachers care about them, 80% feel accepted at Southern Middle School, 81% feel acknowledged at SMS, and 76% stated that they feel appreciated.
Aevidum’s mission is to create an atmosphere where all students feel acknowledged, accepted, appreciated, and cared for.
As a way to add to the “holiday cheer, the club hung up a gratitude chains in all four teams’ hallways during the last week of school before the big holiday break from all the things that students mentioned that they are grateful for.
The club members spent the last few weeks connecting hundreds of strips of paper to form the chain. It was a great opportunity for Aevidum to give back to SMS.
We're excited to send out our new podcast as promised, which was published on Spotify on December 23. Club President, Karleigh Bankert (Team Integrity) and Vice President, Mollie Boehm (Team Respect) discuss Aevidum happenings and life at SMS. You can check it out by clicking on the link: SMS Aevidum Club Holiday Podcast.
Follow the SMS Aevidum Club on Instagram @smsaevidum for club happenings, mental health resources, and a variety of other content. Take a listen to the SMS Aevidum Podcast on Spotify here. You may also email the club at smsaevidum@sycsd.org.
Southern Middle School PTSO
President: Jenn Clements
Secretary: Tara Welsh
Treasurer: Kelley Fisher
Hospitality: Lisa Russell, Erin Saenz
The next PTSO meeting is Wednesday, January 17, 2023 at 6 p.m. in the SMS Library.
STAFF RECOGNITION
SMS strives to be student-centered and customer service focused. We would like to know if a staff member, including all support staff, (teacher, custodian, instructional aid, secretary, or bus driver) has gone over and above to assist you and/or child.
To send a shout out, simply complete this Google Form and a shout out will be automatically generated and sent to the staff member at the end of the calendar month. Our goal is to let staff know they had a positive impact and to measure our overall commitment to being student-centered and customer service oriented.
If you have had such an interaction with a staff member, please consider sending that staff member a shout out.
York County School of Technology
Parents of 8th Graders:
All applicants will attend a visitation session with 8th Grade School Counselor on Tuesday, January 30, 2024.
Students will receive a tour, complete an interest inventory, meet with admission representatives for a brief interview, and will take Math & Reading placement testing.
Permission forms will be provided to students after the new year. The form is attached this link if you would like to access it now. The deadline to turn them in to Mr. Katz is Friday, January 26, 2024.
If you have any questions about York County School of Technology, please contact Mr. Katz at jason.katz@sycsd.org.
SAFE TO SAY
At SYCSD we are committed to implementing programs that involve and/or educate students, parents, teachers, support staff, administrators, local law enforcement, mental health and wellness professionals, and elected officials to protect our students, staff, and community.
The Safe2Say Something (S2SS) program is an anonymous reporting system, mandated by PA state law, designed to help students and staff recognize the warning signs and signals (especially on social media) of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others.
S2SS trains students and school staff to treat every warning sign seriously and to act quickly to get help by talking to a trusted adult and/or by reporting it anonymously via telephone, mobile device, or website to the S2SS Crisis Center.
District staff members have been trained to respond to and manage tips that are submitted in coordination with state and local law enforcement officials. The curriculum is designed to be age-appropriate and research-based.
Music
Department
Winter Concert
The Winter Band Concert is Thursday, February 1st at 7 pm and will take place at SHS. The concert will feature the SMS and SHS Jazz and Concert Bands and will conclude with the combined piece by SMS and SHS Concert Bands.
Choral Festival
Southern Middle School Concert Choir will be sending students to the York County Choral Festival on Friday, February 2, 2024, being hosted in the Spring Grove Area School District.
These students will perform as members of the York County Jr. High Choir, which will be made-up of students from the various schools in York County.
The choir will be led by guest conductors Ms. Samantha Roberts (Dover Area HS Choral Director) and our very own, Mr. Jay Althouse, Director of Secondary Choral Music in the SYCSD!
We are proud to have the opportunity to showcase the talents of our students at this county-wide festival!
Smart Snack Price List
Pop Tarts $.85 ~ Fresh Baked Cookies $1.00
Fruit snacks/Fruit roll-ups $.85 ~ Granola Bar $.85
Ice Cream $1.00 ~ Rice Crispy Treat $1.25
Frito Lay Snacks $1.00 ~ Bottled Water $.75
Naked Juice $2.50 ~ Snapple 100% Juice 1.25
Izzi Beverage $1.50
Congrats to our Snowman Contest Winner!
1st Place -
Ava O’Connor
2nd Place - Peyton Elmore
3rd Place - Kiersten Gast
Ava is undefeated! She has won 1st place all 3 challenges - pumpkin, turkey and snowman. This is Peyton’s second time in 2nd place! Will anyone be able to beat Ava in the next challenge? Our next challenge will be to draw a picture of your New Year’s resolution.