Stuarts Draft Middle School

As we close out Attendance Awareness Month, SDMS would like to thank our students/families for your commitment to regular school attendance.

September is Attendance Awareness Month - Learn more about why regular attendance is important and what we all can do to support our students attending school.

September is Attendance Awareness Month - Please join our efforts in supporting students to attend school!

September is Attendance Awareness Month, and your student has an opportunity to share what "Everyday Counts" means to them.

BE ALERT! First Day of School

Tomorrow (Wed, Aug. 6, 2025) is the first day of school for Augusta County. This means that school buses will be on the road.

-Car drivers, please give our school buses lots of room to run their routes and pick up students.
-Obey the stop arms to enable students to safely load and unload.
-Bus drivers will be getting acclimated to their routes. Please be at your stop in advance in case they're running early, and be patient if they're running late.
-Route timing and consistency will improve over time.

And lastly, be kind! We appreciate the service our bus drivers are providing our students.

Stuff the Bus for the Augusta County Schools!

Please come out to the Walmart in Staunton on Friday August 1st or Saturday August 2nd from 10 AM - 6 PM and help "stuff the bus" with supplies that will go directly to our schools. A supply list will be available on-location. This event is being sponsored by the Salvation Army.

Thank you!

Parents, If your family is returning to Augusta County Schools, verify your family's data and permissions, and register your student(s), all online! Register before school opens so that all of your child's information is up-to-date! To Access: Log into Campus Parent. Click More. Click Online Registration. In order to access the Yearly Online Registration, you will need to use Campus Parent. A Campus Parent Portal activation link is emailed weekly (until activation) to guardians who do not have Portal. All staff must have a separate Campus Parent account. HELP Visit this link for more information about Campus Parent: www.augusta.k12.va.us/o/acps/page/eoy-reminders This video is available for assistance. Contact your student's school for additional help. ====== Yearly Online Registration is now open! Register now, in time for school opening. You must have a Campus Parent account to update all of your child's permissions, and confirm emergency information. Contact the school for assistance. Check your email for details. More help: https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/o/acps/page/eoy-reminders

Our FFA Plant Sale begins April 28 !

SDMS greatly appreciates our bus drivers for their dedication to our students. Happy Bus Driver Appreciation Week!

This is your formal invitation from the Band Program to our Spring Concert. Students have been working hard on concert music since February and are so close to being ready to perform it for you. The concert will be on Saturday 4/26 at 3 pm in the SDMS Cafeteria. Doors will open at 2:30 pm, and the concert should last approximately an hour. Similar to last year, we will also be having a potluck afterward. The concert will also have special guest star, Mr. Bradley Tucker, as our MC and Storyteller. If you'd like to hear the soothing narrations of this star, come out to our Medieval Fantasy/Lord of the Rings/D&D/Chronicles of Narnia-themed concert, The Last Kingdom.

CALENDAR CHANGES DUE TO WEATHER: At the ACPS School Board Budget Work session on February 20, 2025, several members of the Board expressed concerns about the loss of seat time/ instructional time, especially for 2nd semester, due to our inclement weather days in January and February. Therefore, they approved a motion to add back instructional time with the follow revisions to the 2024-2025 ACPS Calendar: April 7, 2025 will now be a REGULAR school day instead of the scheduled Teacher Workday/School Professional Development Day. Additionally, April 18, 2025 will now be a FULL school day instead of a 1:00 early dismissal.

You are formally invited to the SDMS and SDHS Bands Winter Concert on Sunday, December 15th. It will be at 3pm in the Stuarts Draft High School Auditorium, doors will open around 2:30pm. We have a fun and exciting line-up of classic holiday tunes to be performed by each group, as well as a special surprise from the high school bands. We hope to see you there!

October teacher of the month!! Jennifer Jenkins has dedicated 27 years to teaching. She is the kindest leader and the hardest worker. Who Gives 100% to her students and puts her whole heart into teaching and making appropriate accommodations for them. She works exceptionally well with her teacher aides, making them feel valued. Jennifer is the first to work and last to leave most days to provide quality educational materials. Jennifer Jenkins was also Stuarts Draft Middle School’s 2023/2024 Teacher of the Year!

Fun Afternoon Information Sheet 2024-2025 Fun Afternoon is an incentive event offered to students four times during the year. This is an earned activity for students who demonstrate appropriate behaviors and earn the privilege to attend. Our first Fun Afternoon of the year is Friday, September 27th. Students who have not received any administrative disciplinary consequences resulting in the loss of Fun Afternoon may attend. In order to earn this event, students must have demonstrated appropriate behaviors from the first day of school, August 7th, to the date of this Fun Afternoon, September 27th.. (Students who lose this opportunity have it noted on office disciplinary referrals.) Time: Fun Afternoon is from 3:15 to 5:00pm. Students stay in their last period class until called to the cafeteria. Cost: Fun Afternoon costs $5.00 to attend; however, costs may be discounted for those students who have earned a Silver or Maroon PAW Card. Silver PAW Cards are earned by students who have no nine week grade lower than an “A-” in all classes. Silver PAW Card holders pay $3.00 to attend. Maroon PAW Cards are earned by students who have no nine week grade lower than a “B-”in all classes. Maroon PAW Card holders pay $4.00 to attend. For all other students, the cost is $5.00. Money is collected during lunch on the day of Fun Afternoon and students must have their PAW Cards to receive the discount. Students who earned PAW cards for the last nine weeks of the previous school year (current 7th and 8th graders) can receive the discounted cost. For each Fun Afternoon after the first nine weeks, the most recent nine weeks grades are used to determine PAW Cards and possible discounts. Activities: Music is provided in the cafeteria where some dancing and lots of talking takes place. Open gym is available to students one grade level at a time. The forum is open for students to play board games. Teacher supervision is provided in all areas including hallways and restroom areas. Permission Slips: Students must have a signed parent/guardian permission slip to attend. Permission slips are provided to students the day before each Fun Afternoon and include a place for the student’s name and for a parent/guardian signature indicating the student has permission to attend and will be picked up on time (5:00pm). Food and Drinks: Food and drinks are available at Fun Afternoon. Pizza and soda are for sale – pizza for $2.00 a slice and soda for $1.00. For some Fun Afternoons, clubs or other school organizations may have additional food or other items for sale. Behavioral Expectations: Students are expected to demonstrate the same appropriate behaviors as they do during the regular school day. All Student Code of Conduct rules apply to Fun Afternoon. Phones are not allowed to be used during Fun Afternoon except at the very end of the event if students need to contact parents/guardians. Student Pick-up: Fun Afternoon ends at 5:00pm. Students must be picked up at the cafeteria entrance promptly at 5:00pm. Students may be picked up two ways: 1.) Parents may use the normal pick-up routine of driving around the outside edge of the parking lot and picking up students at the cafeteria door, or 2.) Parents may park in the parking lot and come to the sidewalk area to escort students to their vehicle. This “parent escort” pick-up option is only available for Fun Afternoons. Student pick-up for Fun Afternoons is a little chaotic. Please be very conscious of the many students and parents moving to and from vehicles. Please be patient and courteous.. Fun Afternoon Dates for 2024-2025 (All Fun Afternoons are on Fridays.) September 27 December 6 February 21 April 25

ACPS Division Literacy Plan Review: Thank you for taking the time to review the DRAFT version of the Augusta County Public Schools Division Literacy Plan. This plan will go into effect for the 2024-2025 school year as part of the requirements of the Virginia Literacy Act. As you review the ACPS Division Literacy Plan, please share your thoughts with us in order to help us make final revisions to the plan. https://forms.gle/HDkPTV3jyQsJ1fXq9

Annual online registration opens July 1 and is required for all students. New and and returning families can find registration links at: https://www.augusta.k12.va.us/page/online-registration

You are invited to the SDMS Spring Choral Concert on Sunday, May 19 at 3 p.m. in the cafeteria. The side entrance door will open to audience members at 2:45. We hope to see you in the audience!

SDMS FFA Spring Plant Sale Starting April 29 M: 9a-530p T: 9a-2p W: 9a-3p Or by Appointment 4" Pot - $2.50 6" Pot - $4 Regular Hanging Baskets - $15 Planters/Decorative Hanging Baskets - $18

Bus Driver Appreciation Day is April 23. We want to thank all our bus drivers who get our students to and from school daily. School Bus Driver: You are sometimes the first smiling adult a child sees in the morning and the last before they get home. You always brave the weather to get our kids safely where they need to be while being a shining example while you do it. #schoolheros Thank you!