BACK to SCHOOL 2021!

Welcome to Gettys Middle School!

We hope all of our families have had an enjoyable summer. We look forward to having all of our students back on August 3. Our school will open at 7:45 am daily and the student's first class begins at 8:30 am. The first two weeks will be a time for all students and parents to learn our procedures. Please allow more time for transportation during the first two weeks while students, families and buses learn their new routines.

Gettys Middle is a 1:1 device school and textbooks are digital. Families should be sure to pay their technology fee of $20 for device insurance by July 28. You must pay online at MySchoolBucks by July 28. Parents must complete two items prior to their child receiving a device: the Registration Gateway as well as paying the required $20 device insurance fee.

GMS 7th and 8th grade drop-in during the times of 9:00 am -12:00 in gym.

GMS 6th grade attend in the gym by first letter of last name:

• 1:00-2:00 A-C

• 2:00-3:00 D-H

• 3:00-4:00 I-O

• 4:00-5:00 P-Z

Schedule Only Pickup for any grade 5:30-6:30 pm in gym.

Makeup schedule pick-up August 2 from 12:30-2:00 pm in main office.\

During Meet the Teacher, students receive their schedule, can visit in classrooms, stop by informational tables setup in our gym for questions about transportation, after school programs, PTO, medical information with our nurses and other helpful information.

Pay the Tech It Home fee right here! The $20 fee must be paid annually. To pay for device insurance fee of $20, parents must use MySchoolBucks on a computer. Please do not use the MySchoolBucks app on your phone as that payment will only go towards your lunch account and the app payments will NOT go to your device.Just use a computer and view our School Store for a list of purchases like our $20 tech insurance fee. We hope to add a MySchoolBucks credit card swiping scan that can be done in our main office and will let families know if that is an option starting around August 19.

Any safety protocols and requirements will be announced by the School District of Pickens County that considers local school data and recommendations from South Carolina's DHEC Health Agency. It is all subject to change based on continual monitoring of the COVID-19 pandemic. Vaccines are available for students 12 years of age and higher. Unvaccinated students may need to quarantine for designated periods if they are in close proximity of a positive case. GMS will continue our effective cleaning and disinfecting protocols. Water bottle filling stations are available in three arears around school for students. Students should also continue to safety practices like hand washing, staying home when sick and social distancing as much as possible. We expect to have students 3 feet from others in classrooms. Our school and district was very successful last year in this pandemic and students attended face-to-face instruction for over 80% of the school year. I can assure you that our staff is committed to supporting all families this school year.

Welcome to all of our rising 6th grade students and their families. We look forward to serving you over the next three years! There are links below in case you missed them during the Spring Semester.

GMS Virtual Tour

GMS School Map

School Registration for the 2021-2022 school year will require you to go online to update your student’s personal information. You should have received an email from SDPC with all needed instructions. Please note that this is a required step that must be completed before the start of the school year.

o Link to Gateway - https://update.pickens.k12.sc.us

o Username - Student’s ID Number (located on report cards)

o Password - Student’s DOB - Ex: mm/dd/yyyy (include symbols)

If you have any questions, please call the GMS main office at (864) 397-3900.

Don’t forget that your 7th grader must have the Tdap shot before they register for classes. This is a booster vaccination required by law for 7th grade students and is a protection against the whooping cough. This required documentation to be eligible to start school should be dropped off in our main office for our nurses.

Per SDPC Board Policy:

• Garments worn on the legs (pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, etc) must have a length that comes to within one inch of the top of the knee; with no holes or slits above this line.
  
• Bare midriffs will not be permitted. The standard used will be that no midriff is visible when the student is engaged in normal movement such as walking, sitting down, standing up, etc.

• Any student found not in compliance will be subject to the following consequences:

  First Offense

  The student will have to correct the violation before being given permission to return to class. The student will be given a formal warning that will be documented in the student’s discipline record.

  Second and Subsequent Offenses: The student will have to correct the violation before being given permission to return to class. The student will be considered disobedient and an appropriate disciplinary consequence will be assigned based on the context of this situation in the student’s discipline record for the year.

Must have current physical dated after 4/1/20 to participate in summer conditioning. July 19 and July 22 is final condition workouts at Easley High School from 4:30-6:30 pm. 7th grade 4:30-5:30 Lift/8th grade outside and 8th grade 5:30-6:30 Lift/7th grade outside. Fall team practice is as follows:

• Begin on August 2nd from 3:30-5:30 pm on Brice Field at GMS.
• Aug 2-13: T-shirts/Shorts/Cleats/Tennis Shoes (no contact)
• Aug 16- 17: Helmet & Shoulder Pads (no contact).
• Aug 18: Full Pads (full contact).

Volleyball tryouts will be August 2-5. Must have a physical on file at school prior to participation. We have two teams: 7th grade team and an 8th grade team.

• July 28: Meet the Teacher Day.
• August 2: Makeup Schedule Pickup in Main Office from 12:30-2:00
• August 3: All student schedules including SDPC Virtual Academy students are available online in each student's Schoology account
• August 3: Opening day for students and they should arrive to homeroom by 8:25 am. Homeroom is open from 8:00 am to 8:30 am. First academic class begins at 8:30 am.
• August 5: 8th graders that paid Tech Fee by July 28 will receive devices
• August 6: 7th graders that paid Tech Fee by July 28 will receive devices
• August 9: 6th graders that paid Tech Fee by July 28 will receive devices
• August 30: Volleyball (A) at RC Edwards
• September 1: Volleyball (H) vs Wren Middle
• September 3: No School for Students due to Teacher In-Service
• September 6: No School Holiday
• September 7: Volleyball (H) vs Seneca
• September 8: Volleyball (H) vs Robert Anderson
• September 9: Football (H) vs Robert Anderson

Our school website: gms.pickens.k12.sc.us/

Facebook: facebook.com/gettysmiddleschool/

Twitter: twitter.com/Gettys_Middle

Website: http://gms.pickens.k12.sc.us/
Location: 510 South Pendleton Street, Easley, SC, United States
Phone: 864-397-3900
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gettysmiddleschool
Twitter: @Gettys_Middle