A Newsletter for the Sandy Springs Charter Middle School Community ♦ Dr. Emily Abrams Massey, Principal ♦ Ms. Alisha Lyas Jones, Curriculum Assistant Principal ♦ Ms. Sabrina Taylor, Curriculum Assistant Principal

October 4, 2013

SSCMS family,

We are excited to complete another successful week. This week we

kicked off our SWMI (school wide math initiative) program. Our 8th

period block will be used to make sure that kids have a refresher on

basic math skills and the concepts that make up the majority of

student errors on summative assessments. Ask your student about

SWMI, and make sure you reinforce these skills at home. As we

proceed through the month, please be mindful that kids are on

vacation on the 14th

and 15th of October. On October 15th

, our

teachers will be involved in a full day professional development to

plan for instruction. Parent-teacher conferences will be scheduled at

your request after the October 15th.

Parents, always remember learning is collaborative, and we thank

you for your support. If you need me, do not hesitate to call me.

Appreciatively,

Dr. Emily Abrams Massey, Proud Principal of SSCMS

Follow me on Twitter @SSCMSStallions

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FULTON COUNTY SCHOOLS launches new website Oct. 7, 2013

Visit Fultonschools.org

A new website for Fulton County Schools goes live Oct. 7, 2013. You now have access

to school system information in Arabic, German, English, Spanish, French, Hindi,

Italian, Japanese, Dutch, Russian and Chinese. You will also have quick and easy access to

check your children’s progress via Home Access and pay for school lunch with

My Payment Plus right on the home page. This website refresh is part of the school system’s

ongoing effort to be transparent and keep you informed.

Stay tuned to Fultonschools.org for more about this new launch and the latest

news and information about the school system.

Stallion News

♦ 8750 Pride Place, Atlanta, GA 30350 ♦ 770.552.4970 – phone (English/Español) ♦ 770.643.3334 – fax

http://school.fultonschools.org/ms/sandysprings/Pages/default.aspx

Title I School Commitment: Sandy Springs Charter Middle School qualifies to receive federal funds under No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Title I Part A for the 2012-2013 School Year. Our school has been designated as a Title I School.

After-School All-Stars

The After School All Star program had another

great week. If your child is interested in becoming

part of the ASAS group, and they have not turned in

the application, additional slots will open again for

session two on October 16. We will offer sports,

STEP, cooking and nutrition, robotics, martial arts,

science explorers club, games, and Hip Hop music –

just to name a few classes.

Some special highlights of this week include:

Cooking students learned how to make chocolate

chip muffins and vegetable stir fry. Students ate

broccoli, red and green peppers, and mushrooms!!

Science explorers learned about chemical reactions

with hydrogen peroxide and yeast as it combined to

make elephant’s toothpaste. See pictures below.

Sports students exercised this week and played

basketball and walked.

Of course our Girl Talk group met, the games

students enjoyed computer time, and our Hip Hop

students are getting ready to write a special song.

Our martial arts students worked with Master Pius,

a black belt instructor. Students began to learn the

techniques that make up “martial arts.” Our

robotics students began to assemble the robots and

were introduced to simple programming. Stay

tuned for more information about upcoming

competitions and trips with the robotics program.

Friday, September 27, selected After School All

Star students visited the High Museum of Art.

Students viewed Dutch painters, including works by

Rembrandt and Vermeer’s “The Girl with the Pearl

Earring.” Students received a special audio tour

through the exhibit. Students discussed and shared

with each other, the points of interest in several of

the paintings we talked about beforehand at school.

Please email Ms Janet Lane at

Lanej@fultonschools.org for more information on

the After School All Star program.

Additional Sweep Bus Stop: Students who live on Roberts Drive on the other side of 400 will now have a sweep bus stop. Bus 4013 will stop at the Hunters Glen apartment complex. This bus stop will accommodate all students who live on Roberts Drive. Please see Ms. Lane for more information.

Weekly Spotlight on Our New Teachers

Please Welcome Ms. Lauren Thornton!

My name is Lauren D. Thornton, Ed. S. I am an

8th

grade Math Teacher. I was born in College

Park, GA and grew up in LaGrange GA. I enjoy

watching and playing sports. I have two older

brothers, Bruce and Brian. My brother Bruce was

drafted into the NFL in 2003 and played for the

Dallas Cowboys and the San Francisco 49ers. This

is my 10th

year teaching but my 1st year here at

Sandy Springs Middle. Previously, I was an 8th

grade math teacher at Burke County Middle School

in Waynesboro, Ga. I received my undergraduate

degree in Middle Grades Education from Georgia

Southern University in Statesboro, GA, and my

Masters in Curriculum and Instruction and

Educational Specialist degree in Teaching and

Learning from Augusta State University in Augusta,

Ga. I was motivated to become a teacher because I

believe all students can learn. I enjoy helping

students realize that they are capable of anything

when they put their mind to it.

Lauren Thornton

8th

Grade Math

Sandy Springs Charter Middle School

From Title I

Thank you to all the teachers, parents and

students who helped in the creation of the

new Compact for this school year

2013/2014. Your support makes a

difference! Proud to be a Title I school.

Sandy Springs Charter Middle School

NEW FRONT OFFICE

TRANSPORTATION POLICY

All transportation notes must be in the office before

9:00 AM. Expect a phone call from the SSCMS

front office asking for verification. We will need to

reach you by phone before 1:00PM. If you make

transportation changes by phone, we will ask you to

fax or e-mail a note plus a copy of your

identification card. Phone changes need to be

submitted before 1:00PM. Thank you in advance for

your help in this matter.

We have now started SWMI (School Wide Math

Initiative). This program will take place during our

8th

period class from October 1st – April 30

th. We

ask you to schedule your student’s appointments or

transportation changes one day ahead so there will

be no interruptions during this important

instructional time.

Thank you again for your support in these crucial

matters!

Affidavits of Residency Deadline

The Fulton County Board of Education policy

requires a notarized Affidavit of Residency

(Form SS-8) for every student enrolled in a

Fulton County Schools. Most of our parents

have returned this affidavit; however, if you

have not fulfilled this requirements for the 2013-

2014 school year, you will be receiving a letter

from the school in the next few days. This letter

is to notify you that, unless you provide the

affidavit, your child will be withdrawn from the

Fulton County School System at the end of the

day on Thursday, October 24, 2013. The

affidavit can be notarized at the school at no

charge to you. Bring your ID, a copy of

residency rent/mortgage and an utility bill.

Thank you very much for taking care of this as

soon as possible.

Beda I. Roberts, L.M.S.W. FCS School Social Worker

Reflections 2013 is here! This year’s theme is “Believe, Dream, Inspire”. SSCMS has many talented students and Reflections is the way to highlight those talents! Please submit an original work in one or more of the following categories:

Photography, Film Production, Dance Choreography, Visual Arts, Musical Composition and Literature

Entries must relate to the theme (Believe, Dream, Inspire) and are due to the media center between October 9

th and

October 16th

. Everyone who submits an entry will receive a pass for a Uniform Free Day, invitation to the Reflections breakfast, and House of Stallion points! The home room with the most entries wins a treat party!

Complete rules and the entry forms can be found in the Front Office and in the Media Center. Enter as many times as you wish and in as many categories as you like, as long as your work is original.

NEWS FROM THE MEDIA CENTER

ACCELERATED READER at SANDY SPRINGS MIDDLE SCHOOL

Sandy Springs has hundreds of quizzes from

Accelerated Reader for our students to take after

they read selected books from the SSCMS media

center. Students can take a 10 or 20 question quiz

to assess their understanding of a book they recently

completed and earn points toward our celebration

at the end of the semester. The media center and

PTA sponsor an ice cream social at the end of both

semesters to celebrate the top 50 point earners

in the entire student body. Students can check to

see the quizzes we own by asking in the media center.

TOP AR POINT EARNERS AS OF 10/3/13 Isha Perry 81.0 pts

Aaron Butler 65.5 pts

Emily Hasler 59.4 pts

Kevin Gonzalez Saldivar 46.8 pts

Abigail Gilbert 19.8 pts

Media Center Information

We encourage all students to take full advantage of the

materials in the media center. We are open each day

from 7:45AM – 3:30PM. The media center contains

books, periodicals and 14 research computers.

1. 1. Books are always due in two weeks (unless a school

holiday). Books may be renewed on or before the

date due.

2. 2. Students must have a pass to come to the media center

in the mornings before the official start of the school

day.

3. 3. There is a $.05 a day fine for each book that is overdue.

(The count of days will exclude days school is not in

session.)

4. 4. Overdue book and fine notices are printed once a week.

Homeroom teachers hand them out on Wednesdays.

5. Students may not checkout additional books until

they have cleared up their overdue books or

outstanding fines.

6. 5. Students are responsible for returning books in good

condition and will be charged for books damaged

beyond normal wear and tear.

7. 6. Internet access is available for school related

assignments only. Students are not permitted to

access personal e-mail.

Fulton County Media Services provides subscription

databases for quality student research at school and

at home. These databases include Gale Student

Resource Center Gold, Gale Science, Culture Grams

Online and Visual Thesaurus. Students also have

access to state-funded Galileo databases. The media

center has bookmarks available that give directions

for access to all resources from home.

SCIENCE OLYMPIAD

SSCMS has begun another exciting year of

Science Olympiad at its best! We are looking to

expand our team this year with the strengths

and talents that our students offer!

Weekly meetings are being held in room F106

with Mr. Hytowitz and Mr. Clark at 7:45 before

school.

Students with a variety of interests in the

sciences including life science, physical

sciences, geology, meteorology, and technology

are welcomed from all grade levels.

Our team will participate in an annual regional

competition in late February, or early March.

Interested-join us!

Inquire within! Any science teacher can point

you in the right direction, but see Mr. Clark or

Mr. Hytowitz for further details on how to enroll

in this exciting program!

FROM THE SSCMS CAFETERIA

Free and Reduced: As many of you know, or are

finding out, the 30-day grace period for free and reduced lunches for this school year has run out! Applications

MUST be completed every new school year! New

applications may be received in the cafeteria or online at the school nutrition website:

http://www.fultonschools.org/dept/schoolnutrition/ and click on the Lunch Application. Remember, if

you turn in a paper copy, it may take about 10 days to process (and 3-4 days for online). During the process

time, you must pay $2.45 for lunch until the application

is processed and returned to you."

"Did you know that eating a healthy school lunch helps keep your brain and body energized for a day of

learning and activity? Students all across the USA are

celebrating National School Lunch Week in October. You can join in the fun! Eat a school lunch from

October 7th - October 18th to get the nutrition your body needs and a chance to win fun prizes in the cafeteria!

Each time you eat a school lunch from October 7th through October 18th, you will get a raffle ticket to

enter the chance to win prizes including a grand

price iTunes gift card!"

PICTURE DAY

Reminder: To have parents upload photos go to

http://www.replayit.com click submit pics.

School name: Sandy Springs Mid school

Password: Stallions12

Stallion Snaps

The Yearbook Staff wants you to show your

HOUSE PRIDE!

Friday, October 11th

is PICTURE DAY/Make-up day is

November 14th

This will be your official picture for the yearbook.

WEAR YOUR UNIFORM SHIRT in your house color:

WHITE HOUSE: WHITE POLO SHIRT

BLUE HOUSE: BLUE POLO SHIRT

RED HOUSE: RED POLO SHIRT

Let’s make this the best yearbook ever!

Please also note that parents can pay on line

@www.mylifetouch.com

Fall Book Fair Coming Soon!

October 28-Nov.1, 2013

SAT Words of the Week camouflage (noun)

A disguise or concealment that allows one to blend in.

Standing shyly to one side of the room, Gesine wondered

if her dress matched the wallpaper enough that it would act

as a camouflage. Perhaps if she could just blend into the

background, she wouldn't have to speak to anyone.

bandy (verb)

To exchange; to toss about, as a ball from person to person.

The student council gathered to bandy about ideas for a

theme for the graduation party.

Free SAT & ACT practice at

www.number2.com Coach’s e:mail:russellsq@fultonschools.org

2013 SSCMS STALLIONS Football Schedule Last Revised 8/22/2013 Day Date Time Location Opponent Sat 10/5 10:00AM North Springs HS Dominion Thurs 10/10 5:00PM Kell HS Crown

The SSCMS Football Team fund raising campaigns

CHICK-Fil-A Fridays

For the next (4) consecutive Fridays they will be selling

Chick-fil-a Breakfast in the schools carpool Lane

A Breakfast Combo includes: Chicken Biscuit &

Dunkin Donuts Coffee for $3.50

A Chicken Biscuit is $2.75

Coffee is $2.75

Fruit Cups are $2.00

Gourmet Popcorn Fund Raiser

The product will be back on

Thursday 10/10.

THANK YOU FOR

YOUR SUPPORT!

GIRLS SOFTBALL HIGHLIGHTS The Stallions softball team picked up their second win of the season by defeating Epstein 13-8 Monday afternoon. Olivia Torri picked up the win on the mound by striking out five Eagles batters. Jessie Deyo did a masterful job catching, in addition to having an RBI and two runs on offense. Isha Perry picked up a hit and also scored two runs. Sa'Mya Holloman and Claire Johnson each scored two runs for the Stallions. Lexi Payne had the big hit of the day, tripling and driving in a run in the 1st inning. Sully Biscan drove in a run in the 3rd inning when Sarah McCubbins scored. Taytum Blake reached base twice, scored a run and had an RBI. Jessica Hopper and Virginia Fuss each reached base in the Stallions big victory. The Stallions were without Dorothy Sandoz who suffered a season-ending wrist injury over the weekend. She did a great job cheering on her teammates in the victory.

Tennis Team 2013

Boys: Benny Moses Patrick Shea Max Spencer Ryan Kwon Alex Torri

Kevin Gonzalez Girls:

Ori Afalo Eileen Arana

Becky Kontyko

First tournament October 5th (Go TEAM!)

Girls’ volleyball tryouts this year saw 42

young ladies trying out for 12 spots on the

roster. I want to thank all those who tried out.

There was an amazing amount of talent and

all the girls tried very hard. The roster for

2013 is: Ori Aflalo, Eileen Arana, Taytum

Blake, Jessie Deyo, Mikayla Dunn, Renice

Harris, Sa'mya Holloman, Nicole Izuagie,

Becky Kontyko, Aubrey Reinstein, Nirelys

Rohena, Eliza Satterfield. The first game is

October 18th

at Northwestern. The first home

game is October 23rd

at 5PM. We hope to see

you there to cheer our amazing Stallion

players on to victory.

TUMBLING TRYOUTS October 29th and October 31st 3:45-4:45 (SSCMS cafeteria) Physical and Intramurals Application Forms Required See Ms. McLemore, room F-124, for more details.

Duke Tip

Reminder: Registration Deadlines TEST TEST Paper Application Online

Name Date Deadline Enrollment

Deadline

SAT 12-7-13 10-1-13 10-21-13

SAT 1-25-14 11-4-13 12-15-13

ACT 12-14-13 10-1-13 10-21-13

ACT 2-8-14 11-4-13 12-15-13

Anti-Bullying Program

(BFF) Be A Friend First- Sandy Springs Charter Middle School is

pleased to partner with Girl Scouts of

Greater Atlanta to offer an Anti-Bullying

program. This program is designed to:

Lead the change to prevent bullying in

our school and community

Develop friendship skills and identify

healthy relationships.

Resolve conflicts peacefully

Feel safe online and off

Feel empowered to stand up for

themselves and others

New Student Breakfast Monday, October 8, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. students who

enrolled between September 1 and October 3 will be

invited to participate in our new student breakfast

and orientation. Students will have an opportunity to

meet other new students, learn about SSCMS and

ways they become involved in the school.

College & Career

Georgia Career Information System

(GCIS) This year students will use Georgia Career

Information System (GCIS) for career exploration

and planning. Each student will obtain their assess

information, complete career inventories and 8th

grade students will complete their high school

graduation plan. The career inventories and the high

school graduation plan are designed to meet the

Bridge Law requirements.

6th

grade- October 16 & 17

7th

grade- November 13 & 14

8th

grade- December 7 & 8

Progress reports are sent home every

four and a half weeks and report cards

are sent home at the end of each

semester

GRADE REPORTING SCHEDULE

Term Reporting

Period

Date Range IPR/ Report Cards

Issued

S1 1st 4 ½ Week

8/12/13-

9/11/13

9/17/13

S1 1st Quarter 9/12/13-

10/11/13

10/18/13

S1 2nd 4 ½

Week

10/16/13-

11/14/13

11/20/13

S1 2nd Quarter 8/12/13-

12/20/13

1/14/14

S2 3rd 4 ½ Week 1/07/14-

2/07/14

2/13/14

S2 3rd Quarter 2/10/14-

3/13/14

3/19/14

S2 4th 4 ½ Week 3/17/14-

4/23/14

4/29/14

S2 4th Quarter 1/07/14 –

5/23/14

5/30/14

Honor Roll/Principal’s Honor Roll Honor Roll recognition requires that a student earn all A’s and B’s on a semester report card. Principal’s Honor Roll recognition requires A’s in all classes. The school recognizes all Honor Roll and Principal’s Honor Roll recipients at a grade-level assembly held at the end of each semester.

DO THE WORK!

Preparing students for their future…today.

Georgia Institute of Technology Student Center, 350 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta

19 de octubre de 2013 9 de la mañana a 1 de la tarde

Evento gratuito (El costo por el estacionamiento sera $20.00 por carro) Auspiciada por el Departamento de Consejeros del Sistema Escolar del condado de Fulton, la feria con enfoque en el futuro, “Future Focus Fair” ayuda a los padres de alumnos en escuelas medias y secundarias a enterarse de las oportunidades que existen para sus hijos después de la graduación y a saber cómo prepararlos hoy. Esto no es una feria de universidades. Es un evento para ayudar a los padres a entender qué pueden hacer para orientar a sus hijos para que elijan el camino correcto. En nuestro evento podrán realizar lo siguiente:

Oír a representantes de algunas de las universidades del área metropolitana de Atlanta, con programas de dos y cuatro años, explicar el proceso de admisiones para la universidad y otros requisitos de ingreso.

Aprender sobre qué clases y otros cursos deberían tomar sus hijos para prepararse para una experiencia post secundaria exitosa.

Participar en un panel de debate y/o sesión temática con representantes de las siguientes organizaciones: Fulton County Schools Counselors/Graduation Coaches Fulton County Schools Career & Technical Education Department Georgia Student Financial Commission Princeton Review Test Preparation The College Board Armed Forces Georgia Career Information System University of Georgia Georgia Institute of Technology Georgia Perimeter College Georgia State University Emory University Atlanta Metropolitan College Gwinnett Technical College Kennesaw State University

Para mayor información o confirmar su asistencia, visite: www.FutureFocusFair.eventbrite.com

Preparing students for their future…today.

October 19, 2013 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Free Event (Game day parking fee $20.00 per car)

Georgia Institute of Technology

Student Center

350 Ferst Drive NW, Atlanta

Sponsored by the Fulton County School System’s School Counseling Department, the Future Focus Fair helps parents of middle and high school students learn about the many opportunities awaiting their children after graduation and how to prepare them today. This isn’t a college fair – it’s an event to help parents understand what they can do to guide their children in choosing the right path. At our event:

-year universities and two-year colleges explain the college admissions process and other entry requirements.

-secondary experience.

organizations: University of Georgia Fulton County Schools Counselors/Graduation Coaches Georgia Institute of Technology Fulton County Schools Career & Technical Education Department Georgia Perimeter College Georgia Student Financial Commission Georgia State University Princeton Review Test Preparation Emory University Atlanta Metropolitan College The College Board Gwinnett Technical College Armed Forces Kennesaw State University Georgia Career Information System

For more information or to RSVP, visit

www.FutureFocusFair.eventbrite.com