Principally Speaking…
September 2019
Dear Parents and Guardians,
As we enter our second month of the 2019-20 school year, I want to take this opportunity to share information that might be helpful. Our enrollment this year is 1407. The 7th graders have quickly acclimated to their new school and our veteran 8th graders are quickly establishing themselves as student leaders. We have held our student government elections and I have met with the executive members and the representative to discuss their role to be the voice for the student body. The middle school offers a large number of athletic and club activities for our students. These can be found on our website Clubs & Activities page. Please encourage your child to get involved in something of interest.
We had two well-attended Back-to-School Nights in September along with our annual Book Fair. The PTO is currently running a Yankee Candle Sale fundraiser, which ends on October 7. The 8th grade cookie dough fundraiser will be from October 10-17. This fundraiser helps defray the cost of the 8th grade trip in June. Preparations for the seventh grade environmental trips in October are well underway. Our activity calendar is already filling up as assemblies, trips, plays and concerts have been planned.
School pictures were taken on September 11 and 12. Students have received their pictures and ID cards. A picture retake day has been scheduled for November 12.
We continue to monitor our arrival and dismissal procedures and believe that the new dismissal procedures are working well and have created much safer conditions for students and staff. I want to thank you for your cooperation. As a reminder, during arrival times, please make sure that you drop your child off in front of the building where we have staff to ensure that they cross safety. Students should not be dropped off in the side lot. Thank you for your cooperation. When a student is late to school, the student must report to the main office to receive a late pass. If the student’s parent/guardian does not bring the student into the office, the student must have a note from their parent indicating the reason for being late.
As you might be aware, we updated our website this summer and continue to look for ways to increase communication with the home. If you are looking for information, our website is a great place to start. One very important feature is the daily announcements made each morning during homeroom. These are posted for three days under News and Announcements. The parent portal and school website are wonderful ways to keep you informed of your child’s progress and school events, but by no means are in place of personal contact. Please do not hesitate to call the school regarding issues and concerns.
Please be sure that you have checked and updated all of your contact information on the Emergency Contact Update Form on the Parent Portal. This information is critical, so please complete it as soon as possible. There are still 190 students whose information has not been updated.
The administration, faculty and staff are excited about the new year and we look forward to working cooperatively with you in providing a successful year for your child.
Sincerely,
Chris Steffner
Interim Principal