Incoming Student FAQ Sheet

There are seven periods in the school day. English, Math, Science, Social Studies and PE are year long courses. You will then have the option to choose an exploratory. You will also have a Flex period each day, as extra intervention time. 

The number of exploratory classes each student will have varies, depending upon which exploratory path you choose. Year long exploratories include Band, Choir, Leadership (8th grade only), and Media Arts (8th grade only). 7th Grade Exploratory Block is one semester of Wellness and one semester of Art. 8th Grade Exploratory Bllock is one semester of Woodworking and one semester of Outdoor Education. 

Every student will be randomly assigned to a House.  There are two houses in 7th Grade (Green and Blue) and two Houses in 8th Grade (Yellow and Orange). Each student will have the same core classes of English, Math, Science, Social Studies and PE. Then students are able to choose which exploratory they would like to take. 

Classes are 50 minutes long, except for Flex which is 36 minutes. Classes on Early Release Fridays will be 35 minutes long with Flex still being 36 minutes. 

You have four minutes to transition between classes. This is plenty of time to get from one end of the school to the other!

The first bell will ring at 8:00am with class beginning at 8:05am. School is dismissed at 2:50pm Monday through Thursday. We have early release at 1:20pm on Fridays. 

Lunch is 36 minutes long. If it takes you 10 minutes to eat, you will get 26 minutes of free time outside. We have two lunches. 7th Graders have first lunch and then go to Flex right after.  All 7th graders will have lunch together. 8th Graders have Flex and then go to second lunch.  All 8th Graders will have lunch together.

You are allowed to have juice and milk in the cafeteria before school starts and during lunches. Other than that, the ONLY beverage allowed at SMS is water. NO ENERGY/COFFEE DRINKS ALLOWED IN THE BUILDING!

Every student will be assigned their own locker. Student's are not allowed to have backpacks in the classroom so your locker is utilized often. You are allowed smaller string bags in the classroom. Please purchase a combination lock prior to the first day of school and practice to help ease any anxiety during passing period. And, as with any passwork, do not share your combination with your friends! Don't let other people keep items in your locker, either. 

All students are required to take PE for the full year. Students must dress down for PE using one of our lockers rooms or a separate bathroom. The uniform for PE is simply a red shirt and black bottoms. Please use shoes that are conducive to exercise/movement. Uniforms are not provided by SMS. 

We suggest you keep your supplies simple until you attend class and are sure of what you need for each class. If anything is needed specifically for a class, that teacher will tell you the first day of school. Here are the supplies we suggest, yet are not required:

• 2" binder with loose leaf paper

• Plastic dividers (with pockets)

• Pencil pouch

• Pencils

• Pens

• Colored pencils

• Pencil sharpener

• Single subject spiral notebooks (start with 2)

• Lock for hallway locker

• Lock for PE locker (if you would like to keep your PE clothes and personal items in the locker room)

We utilize a Refocus Room. Please see our Parent and Student Handbook fore more information.

Our rules are simple: students cannot interfere with the learning, safety, or well-being of themselves or others. Cell phones are only allowed before and after school. During school, they must be turned off and in your locker. AirPods are not allowed in school, either.