Springton Lake Middle School

Email: RSalladino@rtmsd.org
Website: https://www.rtmsd.org/Domain/12
Location: 1900 North Providence Road, Media, PA, USA
Phone: (610) 627-6500
Twitter: @SpringtonLakeMS

Thanksgiving break for our students will begin at the end of the school day on Monday. As has become our practice at Springton Lake, we want students to do just that - take a break. Teachers will not be assigning any work to complete over the holidays, and there will be no expectation that students are working on projects, studying, etc. Likewise, I will be asking the staff to unplug for a few days once parent-teacher conferences end. I am going to specifically instruct them not to be on their email until we return on November 27th. Everyone - students and staff - has been working hard and a break to recharge is definitely in order. We ask that you kindly hold any emails for staff until after the break.

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Report Cards for the 1st marking period will be published to Home Access Center (HAC) by late this afternoon. Please take a moment to access and review your child's report card. We strongly encourage you to include your child and to discuss with them their areas of strength and areas for future growth and improvement. If you have a question about a grade or comment, please contact the specific teacher directly.

As part of our ongoing efforts to support students, we have conducted a review of student progress on the fall MAP and first marking period grades. Where appropriate, a student's customized schedule during the Core Extension period may have been adjusted in response to that information. If you have questions about your child's schedule, please reach out to the school counselor.

The Spartan Talent Show is TONIGHT, November 17th @ 7 PM. It’s not too late to come watch, enjoy snacks and support our student and faculty performers! Tickets can be purchased at the door: $10 for adults and $5 for students and senior citizens. This is an ALL CASH event. Students may be dropped off to enjoy the evening with friends. The Music Boosters are hoping to have this be our only fundraiser for the year. Please attend and/or donate. Cash and check donations are accepted any time – checks payable to SLMS Music Boosters and mark the envelopes Talent Show.

Students attending the event without a parent should be picked-up at 8:30 PM.

LIMITED SLOTS REMAIN FOR NEXT WEEK'S CONFERENCES. MONITOR THE SIGN-UPS FOR ANY SLOTS THAT MAY BECOME AVAILABLE. SIGN-UP GENIUS LINKS WILL BE ACCESSIBLE THROUGH 11:59 PM ON SUNDAY EVENING.

With the first marking period now complete, we are preparing for Parent-Teacher Conferences that will be held on Monday, November 20th and Tuesday, November 21st. Conferences will be held IN-PERSON. Virtual conferences via Zoom will be available upon request for anyone needing this accommodation. Each appointment will be 15 minutes in length. While we very much enjoy meeting with parents, conferences at the middle school level are not required. Each team will have about 40 slots - while they teach well over 100 students. Please consider if there is a concern or issue that needs to be addressed. If so, please schedule a conference. If your child is thriving and they have had a successful first marking period, we ask that you consider leaving this slot open for another family. Also, if you have recently attended an IEP, GIEP, or 504 meeting for your child, please only request a conference if there is a new concern.

6th Grade Explorers Team

6th Grade Voyagers Team

6th Grade Blazers Team

Ms. Judge - 6th Grade School Counselor

7th Grade Pioneers Team

7th Grade Patriots Team

7th Grade Eagles Team

Ms. Howe - 7th Grade School Counselor

8th Grade Discovery Team

8th Grade Endeavor Team

8th Grade Odyssey Team

Mrs. Gilroy - 8th Grade School Counselor

Life Skills with Ms. Clark & Mr. Potts

For a conference with a special area, reading, or world language teacher, please contact those teachers directly to schedule a time to meet.

If you are unable to schedule a conference, please reach out to the grade level school counselor. They will be able to assist you with scheduling a time to meet with the teachers during the school day after Thanksgiving.

Following the Thanksgiving holiday, we will be welcoming to The Lake the newest member of our Spartan family - Robby. Robby is a trained service dog who will be supporting one of our 6th grade students. Robby will be providing assistance to Emma, a student on the Voyagers team. Robby will be with Emma in all of her classes throughout the day, and will ride bus #47 with Emma. I will be sharing some information with the students on Monday so that they are aware of Robby and know what to expect. Here is what Robby thought was important for all of us to know...

I am Emma's Service Dog. She is in 6th grade, so now I am too. I am a Labrador Retriever and my birthday is December 3, 2020. I was trained by my friends at Paws and Affection where I learned all my skills and got my certification as a service dog.

My Role As A Service Dog

My job is to help Emma with anything she needs. I can calm her down if she’s feeling worried and I can motivate her to do things if she’s feeling unsure or reluctant. I am by her side all the time and I am working even if it looks like I’m not. I might be sleeping while she’s learning, but she knows I’ll be there for her the moment she needs me.

My Schedule

During the day, you’ll see me all over the school, going wherever Emma goes. You will see me walking in the halls, using the stairs, on the bus, walking outside, and in her classes.

Rules for me:

Don’t Feed Me.

I’m definitely a foodie, but also a strict dog-food-aterian and Emma makes sure I eat the right food at the right time. Please don’t share your food with me. It will be VERY hard for me to say no, so please just don’t offer me anything.

School is My Full-time Job.

When I’m at school, I’m working and I need to stay focused. Emma is the best and you can be her friend, but I’m sorry, I’m too busy to get to know you.

Shh, No Talking.

Please don’t try to pet me or talk to me in a silly voice. Remember that I need to pay attention to Emma all the time.

Respect My Space.

I work hard to make myself small, but I’m a big boy. If my tail is sticking out, please don’t step on it, it will hurt me. If you need to step over me, that’s ok, but please try to go around me if you can.

Listen to Emma.

Please listen to Emma’s words because I don’t have any. I’m looking out for her, but she’s looking out for me, too. She knows everything about me and also what’s best for me. If you have a question, just ask her and she’ll know the answer.

Emma Can’t Let You Pet Me.

I know I’m irresistibly cute and petting me seems like a great idea, but please don’t ask. And if you forget, and ask anyway, please be kind when Emma says no. You can ask Emma about me - she loves to share all the amazing things I do for her, but you can’t pet me at school.

Worried You're Allergic to Me or Wary of Dogs?

Emma brushes me each day before school, so I shed as little as possible, but I am not a shed-less dog. Also, I don’t want to scare anyone, so please talk to your teacher if you’re worried so they can figure out how we can go to school together and everyone feels happy and safe.

The annual Turkey Trot will be held during the school day on Monday, November 20th. Parents and family members are invited to come cheer on our runners! Please see the times below for each grade level's race. The starting line will be on the baseball/soccer field side of the building.

6th Grade: Race begins at 9:15 AM

8th Grade: Race begins at 11:31 AM

7th Grade: Race begins at 1:06 PM

Thank you to all of the families that donated to the canned food drive! Springton Lake has collected well over 2000 items that will be donated to needy families this holiday season. We sincerely appreciate all of your generosity!

Tryouts for winter sports teams will begin on Monday, November 27th. Please reference the flyer below for specific dates for each sport. ALL athletes trying out for a winter sport must register on FamilyID (ArbiterSports). Even if you participated in a fall sport, you still must use the links below to register for winter sports.

• Winter Sport Registration - Basketball & Wrestling Click Here
• Winter Cheer Registration - Winter Cheer - Click Here

TURKEY DONATIONS for the Turkey Trot are still needed. Can you help? If so, CLICK HERE.

SIGN-UP HERE to receive e-mail updates from the PTG.

Donations (cash or check payable to SLMS PTG) may be sent to the Main Office using the envelope provided in the back-to-school mailing or families may donate online via PayPal.

For more information about the PTG, please contact:

President: Celine Noyes

Vice President: Robin Hedley

Treasurer: Ellie MacDonald

Secretary: Patti Gandolfo

Reserve a copy of this year's Springton Lake Middle School yearbook NOW! Pre-ordering is the ONLY was to guarantee that your child will receive a copy of this keepsake in June. The cost to pre-order now is $27. As of February 1, 2024, the pre-order cost will increase to $32.

CLICK HERE to reserve your copy now!

Cough, cold, and flu season is here. Reminding your child to cover their cough and the importance of good hand washing goes a long way in preventing the spread of germs and viruses. Proper nutrition and getting plenty of rest also help in maintaining our immune systems. Please remind your child not to share water bottles, cups/glasses and eating utensils.

If your child is ill, please consult the following RTMSD guidelines to determine if your child should attend school:

When to keep your child home

If your child tests positive for Covid, please consult the RTMSD guidelines for what to do:

Covid What Should I do

State mandated health screenings are in progress. All students will have their height, weight, and vision screened. In addition, students in the 7th grade will have scoliosis and hearing screened. Please contact the school nurse with any questions.

Be sure to give us a follow on X/Twitter - @SpringtonLakeMS. This is the ONLY official social media channel for our school. In addition to receiving timely updates about our school, we always share photos of the cool things that happen in our school each day! Many of our teachers are also on X/Twitter and you will want to give them a follow, too!

The Rose Tree Media School District is looking to improve the way we share information and engage with our families and our community. We value clear, timely, accurate communication and understand its importance in building understanding and support among our students, staff, families, and the community.

As part of our dedication to continuous improvement, RTMSD is seeking your input through a brief, anonymous survey designed to measure the effectiveness of our current communication efforts and determine where we can improve.

The anonymous survey, available online through Tuesday, November 21, is being administered and the data being collected by an independent third party, the Donovan Group. It should take about 8-12 minutes to complete.

Take the survey online by visiting http://www.rtmsdsurvey.org.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Gail Boettcher in the Superintendent’s Office by phone at 610-627-6002 or via email at gboettcher@rtmsd.org.

Thank you in advance for your participation!

Monday, November 13th

Tuesday, November 14th

Wednesday, November 15th

Thursday, November 16th

Friday, November 17th

Check out the latest updates for happenings within the Rose Tree Media School District. To submit items for possible inclusion in the community newsletter, please contact Mrs. Gail Boettcher.

The Rose Tree Media School District is looking to add quality individuals to our pool of substitute teachers and support staff. Use this link to request more information about joining our team!

The Franklin Mint Federal Credit Union is looking to recognize outstanding educators from across Delaware County with their Excellence in Teaching Award. Consider taking a few minutes to nominate a member of our Springton Lake team who has made a difference in your child's life!

Eligible students will be invited to apply for membership in the National Junior Honor Society during the fall of the 8th grade year. To be eligible, students must have attended Springton Lake Middle School for at least one semester during the previous school year and have earned a final grade average of 90% or higher in ALL classes. Students who are eligible based upon their academic performance will be invited to apply to document participation in extra-curricular activities, community service, and leadership experiences. A committee of faculty members will review all applications based upon the established guidelines for scholarship, leadership, citizenship, character, and service. Decisions of the faculty panel will be final. Students who are selected for membership will be inducted into the organization in the fall. Members of the National Junior Honor Society will be expected to maintain their academic standing, while also committing to participate in service projects during the school year that are decided upon by the group.