Internet Safety Meeting
INTERNET SAFETY: WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW CAN HURT YOUR CHILD
Lindsey Deere, Assistant Special Counsel for the North Carolina Department of Justice, and Salem's School Resource Officer, Matt Mellenberger, will be our featured speakers addressing the following topics:
· Internet risks
· Social networking
· Privacy features
· Legal issues
· Methods to protect your child
If your child uses the computer to play games or search for information, or accesses the Internet in any way, such as through Facebook or My Space, IPhone or PSP, you will want to attend this meeting.
Mark your calendar for December 4, 2009, from 6:15 - 7:45 PM in the Salem Middle School Auditorium (this is during the 6 th grade dance) for this parents only informational session. If you have specific questions you would like addressed, please E-mail them to Jennifer Pitarra at jpitarra@wcpss.net
School Dance Information
Dance Permission Form
December 4th-----6th Grade Dance-----6:00---8:00----6th grade only
February 12th-----Athletic Dept Dance---7:00--9:00-----All Grades
April 23rd------Spring Dance------7:00--9:00-------7th and 8th only
June 4th------8th Grade Dance----7:00---9:00-----8th grade only
AG Information
DEPs and DCPs
Parents of AG students should have received copies of their child’s Differentiated Education Plan (DEP) and the Differentiated Course Plan (DCP) during the week of September 21. The information was distributed to students during one of their core classes.
If you haven’t yet encountered these documents, please ask your child to check his or her book bag or locker. If that isn’t successful, you may call Karen Shannon at 367-2471 to arrange for replacements.
Duke TIP
Qualified seventh graders are invited to participate in the Duke University Talent Identification Program and will receive information from TIP this week (Sept. 28-Oct. 2) via their team teachers. Applications are sent to those who have scored 95 percentile or above on a standardized test within the last two years, including EOGs.
Salem Middle’s only connection with Duke TIP is as a conduit for the application materials. For more information, visit www.tip.duke.edu/7gts
Magnet Fair Flyer
News & Announcements
Apex Middle School will host the Apex Youth Orchestra on Thursdays from 3:30-5:00pm. The Apex Youth Orchestra will be open to students from Apex Middle, Lufkin and Salem, including beginners and experienced.
Link to Join the Strings Flyer
New Cell Phone Policy
Students are required to keep their phones in their lockers during school hours. Students whose phone is visible or being used (for any reason) will be given to the grade level administrator, promptly. The administrator will log in the phone to the Front Desk and contact the parent for pick up. No phone will be returned to a student without the parent coming to pick it up. Repeat offenders will be dealt with on a case-by-case basis by administration and COULD lose all cell phone privileges for the remainder of the school year and/or face other consequences (ISS/OSS).
New Policy for Picking Students Up in the Afternoon
Students will not be available for pick up between 2:10 and 2:25 PM, due to the frenzy of the end-of-day activities. Please plan any early dismissal arrangements accordingly. Your cooperation is greatly appreciated. On early dismissal Wednesdays, no pick-up between 1:10 - 1:25.
Also, as a reminder, if your student is tracked out, they should not be on campus during the school day with the exception of band and yearbook. Students are not allowed to come and join friends during lunch. Parents, thank you for helping us to enforce this policy.
Video Announcements
Video announcements are used for notifying our students of current news and all dropped off items. When a parent brings in an item, the student's name is placed on the video announcements. The announcements run throughout the day on our TVs located in each room.
It is the student's responsibility to check these announcements and report to the front office. We pride ourselves on keeping the educational time protected and our video announcements eliminate the unnecessary calls into the classroom. It is our policy to ONLY call the classroom for medical and dismissal issues. Any exception to this policy requires a Principal's approval. Thank you for your support.
Request for Educationally Excused Absence(s)
At Salem we recognize the importance of educational opportunities that exist outside of the classroom. One example, which occurs every school year, is the "Take Your Child to Work Day".
We know that these experiences are valuable to our students and want to support these efforts. The following form must be filled out and approved my the principal prior to the educational experience. Please print the Request for Educationally Excused Absence form, fill it out, and return it to the school.
SMS School Improvement Plan
Improvement is a continuous process used to ensure that all students are achieving at high levels. All schools can create better environments so that more students are successful. Continuous improvement of schools is essential to providing increased student performance and quality results.
Innovative, exemplary, and research-based programs, coupled with professional development, focused and aligned resources, and public participation in planning, are critical factors in schools that demonstrate continuous growth. You can view Salem's School Improvement Plan by clicking here.
A New Way to do Research
Destiny Library Software is here! We are excited to start the school year with a cool, new Internet-based system which will allow students and teachers to search the media center catalog from home via http://destiny.wcpss.net/. Not only does Destiny search for books, it searches for websites which are recommended and updated on a regular basis. When you get a chance, log-on to Destiny and give it a try.
Spartan of the Month
Our “Spartan of the Month” program honors one (or more) staff members each month for an extraordinary job well done. This recognition would not be possible without the help of our community. Salem Middle School would like to recognize the following sponsors for their generous donations.
Please join us in thanking these establishments upon your visit. We couldn't do it without them! Click on their logo to view their website, menu, and more!
News
