Bulldog Bulletin - South Cinco

Shana Tova Umetuka to our Bulldogs celebrating Rosh Hashanah this weekend! 

(1.) AFTERSCHOOL HELP
Late Bus
The Late Bus will start at South tomorrow. Students who currently take a bus (you'll need a bus pass to board the late bus) are eligible to take one of the late buses that will arrive between 3:15-3:30, Monday through Thursday. It may not be your typical bus & it won't bring you to your regular bus stop, but you'll tell the driver your home address (or regular stop) and they will bring you within close distance to your house. 
Homework Lab
Every afternoon, Monday through Thursday, students are welcome to stay in the Homework Lab in South's Media Center. HW Lab is staffed by South paraprofessionals, so it's a great opportunity to get a little extra help; ask any questions you may have; or simply have a quiet, supervised space to do some homework before heading home. Students do not need to sign up in advance and they can drop in anytime by 2:35pm. Students do need to have work to complete. HW Lab is a work space, not babysitting, and students are expected to work quietly and respectfully, or they may lose the privilege. Anyone finishing early may read a book or pursue other academic interests until the 3:15 dismissal bell. Video games are not allowed. Cell phones may only be used with staff permission. 

(2.) CALENDARS
The school year is off and running! Attached, you will find the Days of the Cycle calendar for middle schools, which may be of use throughout the school year. If you use calendars on your smartphone or on Gmail at home, you may also find it useful to subscribe to our school calendars to have events automatically added. If you subscribed in prior years, it should be automatically updated with this year's events/cycle days as of this morning; no need to resubscribe!

• South Middle School events: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/braintreeschools.org_mmvuu4q93c2c3d4ci9cc87f0lg%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
• Days of the Cycle: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/braintreeschools.org_958ca40jff18uhrn3rl45euh8k%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics

How to add a calendar:

• On an iPhone, open Calendar app; click "Calendars" at the bottom center; then click "Add Calendar" on the bottom left. Paste in this address: 
  • South Middle School Events: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/braintreeschools.org_mmvuu4q93c2c3d4ci9cc87f0lg%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
  • Days of the Cycle: https://calendar.google.com/calendar/ical/braintreeschools.org_958ca40jff18uhrn3rl45euh8k%40group.calendar.google.com/public/basic.ics
• On your computer, open the Google Calendar; where it says "Other calendars" on the lefthand side, click the + sign and then "Subscribe to calendar"; on the left, under "Add calendar", click "From URL" & paste in the address above.

(3.) BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT
This Thursday, 9/21, from 6:30-8:00 PM, all adult caregivers are invited to visit South and see where your children are spending their days! 

• From 6:30-7:00, there will be an optional presentation by South administration & guidance in the Cafetorium, geared toward those who are new to Middle School (5th & 6th graders' caregivers) or anyone new to South (new students & transfers). It may be less useful to those with older children, so feel free to skip it and come after 7pm.
• From 7-8pm, all caregivers are invited to explore the building to meet your children's teachers, see their classrooms, and learn what to expect from the different courses this year. More specific information (like, building maps & pertinent classrooms) will be sent home this week.
• Teachers will not have formal presentations that caregivers need to attend. They will have handouts to introduce their course and themselves, and will be available to answer any questions you may have about what to expect from the school year ahead. Back To School Night is NOT an appropriate time to speak with a teacher about your individual child. Please email or call any teacher to request a time to speak with them individually, or reach out to Guidance to schedule a team meeting. Parent-Teacher Conferences will be in just a few weeks--mid October!--for you to bring up any individual concerns when teachers can focus on your child.

The old format for this night was to follow your kid's schedule, but that was not very time-efficient and anyone who showed up late missed out on a lot. This "open house" format allows for people to drop in/out any time between 6:30-8:00, see as many of your kids' teachers as you would like, and makes it a little more flexible for folks with more than one child in middle school. Back To School Night tends to be a raucous social event for neighbors who haven't seen each other for months, so why not embrace that with a flexible, casual opportunity to meet-and-greet with your kids' teachers!

(4.) SOUTH SOCCER
Our Bulldog Soccer teams were announced on Friday, and the teams will face East on Tuesday at 3:15 for their first match of the season. Go Bulldogs!
(5.) TECHNICAL SERVICES
Tech Help is available daily in the South Media Center from 8:00-10:00 AM and 2:00-3:00 PM. Students can check out loaner devices and get support for loaners or personal devices. Don't forget to charge your device nightly!