lux
Volume 10, Issue 1
September 2016
The Eag le Exp re ss
District School Board of Pasco County
Superintendent of Schools
Mr. Kurt Browning
Deputy Superintendent Ray Gadd
Assistant Superintendent for
Student Achievement Vanessa Hilton
Area Superintendent
Southwest Tammy Berryhill
School Board Members
Allen Altman Joanne Hurley
Cynthia Armstrong Alison Crumbley
Steve Luikart
September
Labor Day, no school 5 Progress Reports go home 16 Athletic Schedule on page 4
Paul R. Smith Middle School 1410 Sweetbriar Dr. Holiday FL. 34691
Principal’s Desk
Astro Skate Nights
will be held periodically through the year. This month’s
skate night will be
September 9th
from 6:00 -‐ 8:00 pm Entrance fee will cost $7
then stay from 8-‐11 pm for free earn money for your school
while having fun.
SAC The School Advisory Council supports family and community involvement in Florida public schools. The SAC will assist in the preparations of PRSMS annual School Improvement Plan, the expenditure of Title 1 funds, and determine other ways to improve our school. SAC members are required to attend all SAC meetings. Meetings will be held on the third Thursday of each month at 8:00 a.m. in the media center. Our first SAC meeting will be held on
Sept. 22, 2016
I would like to thank our students, families, and staff for a great start to this school year. Our theme this year is for our Eagles to SOAR for success and we will have many school activities to support this work. Your child’s teachers will be working this year on creating engaging and exciting lessons that are directly connected to the Florida State Standards. We plan on academically challenging our students and know we can count on you to support your child’s learning. Additionally, we have set very high standards of behavioral expectations for our students. During the first few weeks of school, we have reviewed our district’s student code of conduct as well as our school’s expectations for a safe learning environment. We know we can rely on you to help us keep our school a safe campus for all. Our Infinity program continues to grow and doubled in size this year. This blended learning program is unique to Paul R. Smith Middle School and allows students to learn and SOAR at very high levels. Please contact the school if you would like more information about this special and innovative program. Thank you to all of our families that were able to attend the Title 1 Parent Meeting and Open House on August 25th. It was a great event and demonstrates the power of the school – Family partnership. Finally, I’d like you to know that I’m proud to be an Eagle and I hope you are too! This year our Eagles are going to SOAR! Mr. Di Vincent Paul R. Smith Middle School Principal
Dear PRSMS Parents, Guardians, and Families, Welcome to the 2016-‐2017 school year!
Pasco County Schools Civility Policy The District School Board of Pasco County has a Respect and Civility Policy which believes that a safe, secure, nurturing and civil environment is essential in accomplishing its mission to create a community which works together so all Pasco County students will reach their highest potential. Thank you parents and guardians for displaying mutual respect, civility and orderly conduct with PRSMS administration, staff, and teachers when you are calling for assistance. This policy is not intended to deprive any person of his/her right to freedom of expression; but rather, it is intended to maintain, reasonable, safe, harassment-‐free workplace for students, families, and staff that is free of disruptive, demeaning, intimidating, threatening, or aggressive behaviors.
Make your student’s year unforgettable at Paul R. Smith Middle School
Pre-‐orders for the 2016-‐2017 PRSMS Yearbook are being taken right now. The cost is $25 until Thanksgiving then the price will increase. You can purchase them through Schoolpay or see Mr. Heffron in room 3-‐232 any morning before school
www.schoolpay.com or in person in Mr. Heffron’s room 3-‐232 any morning before school .
Counselor’s Notes Welcome to the 2016-‐2017 school year! We hope that you had a wonderful summer break.
Our student services team is excited to be back and working with all of the PRSMS students and families. Please don’t hesitate to contact us with any concerns and/or questions you may have.
We are looking forward to another fun year. In September, we will meet with all students to deliver an introductory lesson. We will be providing important information about our counseling department. We look forward to working with our students and parents to make this year a great one!
School Counselor Contacts: Mrs. Thomas McGoldrick -‐ 6th Grade Counselor -‐ 727-‐246-‐3231 Mr. Julio Cruz -‐ 7th Grade Counselor -‐ 727-‐246-‐3327 Ms. Pauline Christianson -‐ 8th grade Counselor -‐ 727-‐246-‐3233
Be There! Being in school all day, every day, helps your child get the most out of middle school. Encourage good attendance with these ideas:
• Point out that there is no substitute for being in class. Your youngster needs to be present to hear teachers explain concepts, to participate in group projects and class discussions, and to ask questions.
• Schedule doctor, dentist, and orthodontist appointments before or after school hours whenever possible. If you can’t, try to arrange them for lunchtime.
• It will be easier for your child to get up on time for school if he has had least nine hours of sleep. Set a reasonable bedtime, and make sure he puts away electronic devices so he isn’t tempted to stay awake to read messages or play games.
“The time is always right to do what is right.” Martin Luther King Jr..
Front office Notes Front office hours are 7:35-‐3:30 Monday-‐Friday
Homework may be requested 24 hours in advance.
Absence-‐ Students should turn in absent notes to the front office, for an absence to be excused.
Anti Bullying Plan Anti Bullying Action Plan
Here at PRSMS, we believe every child deserves to come to a safe school for learning. Please partner with us to make sure every child feels safe here at school. Ways To Help A Child Who Is Being Bullied:
Ø Tell the child to report bullying immediately to a trusted adult
Ø Discuss ways of responding to bullies Ø Teach the child to be assertive Ø Tell the child not to react, but to walk away and get help if
he/she is being bullied Ø Make sure the child knows being bullied is not his/her fault Ø Let your child know that he/she does not have to face
being bullied alone Ø Contact the Guidance personnel at school to find out more
about their efforts to prevent bullying
Math Lab Wednesdays
7:45-8:15 a.m. Room 3-104 ( Starting Wednesday, September 14th)
Paul R. Smith Middle School Newsletters will be available at
http://prsms.pasco.k12.fl.us/ , or in the front office.
The Box Top for Education program is an easy way
for you to help support our school every time you
shop for groceries. Clip Box Tops for hundreds of
your favorite products and have your child bring
them into school. Each Box Top coupon is worth 10¢.
Opt Out Alternative Fundraising
Students can choose to opt out of fundraisers for just $25 and each child who opts out will receive a free PRSMS tee shirt. In addition, he or she will be eligible for various fundraiser fundraising
rewards, and any activity that would come from our school-‐wide fundraisers. We will remove
their name (s) from the school-‐wide fundraising list for the 2016-‐2017 school year.
If you are interested, please return this form to the front office with a check for $25 or go to
school pay at https://www.schoolpay.com
Student Name
_______________________________________________________ Please circle Tee Shirt size adult size Small medium large extra large
Additional students are just $15
Additional student Name ___________________________________________________
Please circle Tee Shirt size adult size Small medium large extra large
Advertise your business while supporting Paul R. Smith Middle School. Check out our new “Banner and School Newsletter “ program.
If you would like to become a Business Partner, please email Jimmy Rodriguez
Thank you for supporting Paul R. Smith Middle School
Pa rtn ers in Bu sin ess
Football games start at 6:30 admission is $3.00, home games played at Anclote High
Aug. 30th Pre-‐season Blue and Silver game Sept. 7th at Seven Springs Sept. 13th at Crews Lake Sept. 20th Home VS Hudson Sept 27th at Chasco Oct. 4th Home VS Bayonet Point Oct. 11th at Gulf Oct. 18th Home VS River Ridge
Volleyball games start at 6:00 admission is $2.00
Sept. 19th at Gulf Sept. 21st Home VS River Ridge Sept. 26th Home VS Seven Springs Sept. 28th at Bayonet Point Oct. 3th at Crews Lake Oct. 5th at Chasco Oct. 10th Home VS Hudson Oct. 12th Home VS Gulf
PRSMS Eagle Athletics 2016-2017 football and
volleyball schedules
Par e nt s n ee d t o k no w ACADEMIC ELIGIBILITY: In order to participate in middle school interscholastic athletics, a student must have a 2.0 grade
point average or above on a 4.0 unweighted scale, for the previous semester in order to be eligible. -
- All paperwork needs to be completed prior to first day of tryouts. can be found at http://cis.pasco.k12.fl.us/SpecialPrograms/athletics.html , or in the front office.)
- PARTICIPATION FEES o Tryout fee $0 o First Sport $45 o Additional Sport $30 o Individual cap $75
o Maximum (per family)* $150, *- if all attend the same school