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SMS PTA ANSWERS TO FAQs
Travel To and From School:
If you qualify for the District school bus, you will receive an email from the District telling you where your child's bus stop is and the pick up time in the morning. Depending on how far you are from the school, pick up times can be from around 7:20 am to 7:50 am. Bus stops are usually at an intersection, where a group of students will board the bus. By tradition, 6th graders typically sit in the front of the bus, 7th graders in the middle, and 8th graders at the back. The buses pull into the bus ramp at SMS on the lower level and the students walk up through the school building to their houses.
Homeroom starts at 8:10 am for attendance and notices and to give children a couple of minutes to get what they need for the periods before lunch. On the first few days, SMS staff members will be in the hallways to help students find their homeroom. After the 2:30 pm dismissal, your child will make his/her way down to the bus ramp. 6th graders are given extra time and help on the first day to make sure they find the right bus for their journey home. New 7th and 8th graders should ask for help to find their bus and know the name of the elementary school area where they live. Buses leave the school 5-10 minutes after dismissal. The bus will drop your child off at the same stop where they boarded the bus in the morning.
The District after school activities late bus service begins Tuesday, September 13, 2016. These buses depart the school bus ramp at 3:30 pm. There is one late bus for each of the elementary school areas in Scarsdale; late bus journey times can be a little longer and the stops may be a little different, so your child should check with the driver to find the closest stop to their home.
If you drive your child to school, PLEASE follow the traffic and safety rules. In particular, adhere to the one-way flow from Kelwynne Road through the lower circle and out to Mamaroneck Road. Drop off is in the lower circle, between the gym and the auditorium; for their own safety, students should exit cars from the driver side and then walk through the school to their homerooms. During drop off and pick up times, cars exiting the school must turn right onto eastbound Mamaroneck Road. DO NOT drop your children off on Mamaroneck Road.
Lunch:
The PTA is selling pizza on the first day back, Tuesday, September 6, 2016, for $2 per slice. Extend the vacation a little and don't pack a lunch or stress about the cafeteria! Send your child in with cash to buy the pizza; exact change is preferred.
Each Middle School House has its own cafeteria where children eat lunch with the rest of their grade in their house. Students either bring a packed lunch or purchase from the cafeteria. If they buy a lunch, ensure that their mySchoolBucks accounts are funded. For more information on the cafeteria lunches, please see the SMS Cafeteria webpage. Students need to remember their ID number to make purchases using their mySchoolBucks accounts. If they forget their ID or their lunch or their account is out of funds, the cafeteria staff can make a formal loan, which is billed back to you.
In good weather, children have the opportunity to go outside for a few minutes once they are done eating. In bad weather, they will go to the Great Hall. Water stations are located in each house outside the cafeteria and students may refill their reusable water bottles during the day.
Snacks:
Lunch times alternate through the year for two out of the three grades, but at some point, your child may be eating lunch at 10:44 am. Most manage to last until they get home ravenous at 3 pm! There is no other time to eat during the school day outside the lunch period; snacking is not allowed in the classrooms or hallways.
Supplies and Lockers:
Students should come prepared with their school supplies on the first day. They will be assigned a locker in their house and students must use a combination lock, not a padlock and key. If you received a combination lock as part of a 5th grade "moving up" gift from one of the District elementary school PTAs, then your house counselor's office will have a master key in case of emergency. However, please keep a note of the combination! Have your child practice opening it, as during the day he/she will have to get in and out of the lockers pretty quickly. Backpacks and cell phones (switched off) must be left in the locker during the school day.
Students are also assigned a PE locker where they can leave their gym clothes. These locks are provided by the school at the beginning of school. Children have to change for PE so they must keep a t-shirt, shorts, and pair of sneakers in their PE locker. Remind them to bring them home to be washed! They do not need to bring their PE clothes on the first day; the PE teachers will tell them when this is required.
Agendas:
All children are expected to have a student agenda. SMS agendas will be on sale in the Great Hall during all three lunch periods on the first three days of school. After that, they will be available for purchase at the school store on the days the school store is open.
Cell Phones:
Children may bring their phones to school but phones must remain turned off and in their lockers throughout the school day, including lunchtime. Any phones found in use will be confiscated and left at the House Office of the student for collection at the end of the day. If a child needs to call home, he/she can use a phone in the House Office.
After School Activities:
Children can choose to stay on at school until 3:30 pm. Teachers are available for extra help on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays, and some Fridays (at the teacher's discretion). The library is open until 3:30 pm Tuesday-Friday. SMS faculty offers many clubs and other after school enrichment activities and the Rec Department also offers some programs. Students may learn more about their choices by attending the SMS After School Activities/Club Fair during lunch period on Thursday, September 22, 2016.
7th and 8th grade students may participate in the SMS modified sports program. Fall sports are field hockey (girls), volleyball (girls) and cross country (boys and girls). For more information on after school live, visit the Activities pages of the SMS website.
Communication With Your Child's House and Teachers:
The House Office is your first point of contact for most questions. If your child is out sick, please let the House Secretary know by 8:00 am if possible by leaving a voicemail or sending an email. Any deliveries (e.g. forgotten lunches) should be brought to the security guard inside the door to the Great Hall, who will send word via the House Secretary to your child to come retrieve the item left. Please do not abuse this help: it is not acceptable to have lunch delivered from an outside vendor.
Open Houses are scheduled by Grade/House and occur on designated nights during the last three weeks of September. Please consult the SMS Calendar to determine which Open House nights apply to your family. Open House night is a great opportunity for parents to experience a little of their child's day, as they rotate through several of their child's classrooms to hear the teachers explain the curriculum and other activities planned for the year. Most teachers are happy to be contacted by email and their contacts can be found on the Teacher pages of the SMS website. Many teachers post information about their curriculum, homework, extra questions, useful websites and links.
Dress Code:
The School's dress code can be found in the SMS Handbook. In particular:
Girls: No tops with spaghetti straps or halter-tops with bare backs. No bare midriffs.
Boys: Pants must be worn so they cover underwear. No cut-off or muscle shirts.
Both: Shoes must be worn at all times (Health Department requirement)
This may all sound like a lot to absorb, but the children pick up the routines pretty quickly and the school provides a lot of support. So sit back and take a deep breath -- you and your child will have a great year!