My lovely blank newsletter

Address:

9615 H.G. Trueman Road

Lusby Maryland20657

School Hours: 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.

Phone 443-550-9250

Fax 410-286-4026

Internet/Social Media:

Website: https://sms.calvertnet.k12.md.us

PTO Facebook page: SMS PTO, Lusby, MD

School Facebook page: Southern Middle School- CCPS

Twitter: @SouthernMSCCPS

Administrative Team

Mr. Ryan Crowley, Principal- crowleyr@calvertnet.k12.md.us (pictured center)

Mrs. Willanette Thomas-Lohr, Assistant Principal- lohrw@calvertnet.k12.md.us (pictured left)

Dr. Tonya Champion, Dean of Students- championt@calvertnet.12.md.us (pictured right)

Pictured Left to Right:

Mrs. Black, Administrative Secretary

Mrs. Winchester, Administrative Secretary- Finance

Mrs. Felix, Administrative Secretary- Guidance

Mrs. Black can be found in our front office supporting our school community! She greets students, families and staff with a smile each day. Students and staff count on her to ensure the smooth running of the day-to-day logistics of our school and community events. She impresses us daily with her ability to know when each before, after, and weekend school event will occur! She loves to travel with her husband and family. She also enjoys saying good morning to all staff and students that come into the office each day.

Mrs. Winchester can be found in our front office supporting our school community. Students and staff count on her to make sure that all of our field trips and school-wide events go off without a concern. She is the yearbook sponsor, attends PTO meetings and helps with the beautification and decor of our entryway! We appreciate Mrs. Winchester's creativity with school flyers and staff appreciation. She is a significant support for staff and students!

Mrs. Felix can be found in our guidance office supporting our school community. Students and staff count on her to make sure that grades, attendance, and report cards are completed in a timely manner. She develops reports to inform our staff of any potential attendance concerns. Organization is her strength and area of focus, ensuring she maintains accurate and thorough records. Mrs. Felix shared that she enjoys her role assisting students, staff, and families. She is grateful for the opportunity to work alongside such a dedicated team at SMS and to contribute to a school community that supports student success every day. She cherishes her time with family.

Left to Right:

Mrs. Thomas-Lohr, Assistant Principal- 8th Grade Administrator

Mr. Crowley, Principal- 6th Grade Administrator

Dr. Champion, Dean of Students- 7th Grade Administrator

If you have a question during the day, you can email our front office secretaries:

Mrs. Black, Administrative Secretary- blacke@calvertnet.k12.md.us

Mrs. Winchester, Financial Secretary-winchesterj@calvertnet.k12.md.us

Mrs. Felix, Guidance Secretary- felixs@calvertnet.k12.md.us

Do you just need to send an email to let us know who will pick your student up?

Please use SMSpickuppermission@calvertnet.k12.md.us to let us know that someone else will pick up your student.

***100% ID required for an easy pick-up from school

*Smart Pass- School staff will use the digital platform, Smart Pass to assign hallways passes this year

*Lunch Drop Off- Please drop off lunches in the office and place them on the Lunch Cart- Students will not be called from class to pick up lunches

*Permission to Pick-Up- Our front office team appreciate all emails to arrive prior to noon, thank you!

Please use SMSpickuppermission@calvertnet.k12.md.us to let us know that someone else will pick up your student.

Mr. Denton, Safety Advocate

Our Southern Middle School community welcomes Mr. Denton to SMS in his new role, Safety Advocate!

Mr. Denton previously served SMS as an Instructional Assistant, supporting the Behavior Development Program. Additionally, he will continue to serve as an assistant softball coach and MESA STEAM sponsor.

Here is a little bit about our new Safety Advocate:

Retired from the Calvert County Sheriff's Office with 13 yrs of service.

More than 10yrs of service as a Firefighter and EMT as a volunteer at the Prince Frederick Volunteer Fire Department.

Coaching softball for 11yrs with children between 5 - 18yrs old with Calvert County Parks and Rec and travel softball organizations.

Our school community is pleased to have Mr. Denton support SMS in his new role!

Our Student Government Association (SGA) welcomes all SMS Eagles to attend.

All interested students are invited to attend.

Meetings will occur afterschool and during school.

Students, please check the SGA board in the cafeteria or with your grade level president:

8th- Riley

7th- Phoebe

6th- TBD

Upcoming Fieldtrip: Calvert Association of Student Councils General Assembly October 8th @ CHS.

Meetings: 3:10-4:10

October- 5, 19

November- 2, 30

December- 7

January- 4, 25

February- 8, 22

March- 8, 22

*Athletes and National Junior Honor Society members please communicate with your coach/sponsor and attend meetings when you are able to.

School Sponsor-

Ms. Mance, mancec@calvertnet.k12.md.us

Administrative Support-

Mrs. Thomas-Lohr, lohrw@calvertnet.k12.md.us

From the Counselors:

The counseling department is excited to begin another successful year at Southern Middle School. We look forward to meeting you and working with your students.

The school counselors will continue assisting students in a variety of areas that deal with their academic, career, and personal/social success. It is our priority to provide an environment in which students learn to make choices that lead to responsible behavior. Therefore, as the year progresses, we will be entering classes to discuss topics such as conflict resolution, college and career readiness, and suicide prevention to name a few.

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent teacher conferences are available should you feel the need to discuss any concerns regarding your student. If you want to meet with one teacher, please contact that teacher directly via email or telephone to arrange a conference. Please contact the counseling department if you would like to meet with all your child’s core teachers. Team conferences are held after school, beginning promptly at 2:50 pm and ending at 3:10 pm. Please plan to arrive a few minutes earlier than that time to allow for parking and checking in at the main office. If you have not arrived by 2:55 pm please contact the counseling office to discuss rescheduling the conference.

HAC

Please assist your students with monitoring their HAC account. HAC allows you to view valuable information pertinent to your child’s academic success at Southern. Students and parents are able keep track of grades, attendance, and specific assignments. If you need further assistance with HAC, please contact the counseling department.

School Counseling Schoology Page

The counselors continue to update the SMS School Counseling Group on Schoology for staff, students, and parents. There is a lot of useful information that includes upcoming activities, events, and resources. All students and staff members have been added to this group. Please check it out. Parents can also be added to this group. Please contact Mrs. Goldstein if you would like to be added.

Upcoming Events:

· Unity Day- Oct. 21 (Wear Orange)

· Red Ribbon Week- Oct 26-30 (Spirit Week-TBD)

There are great things planned for the upcoming school year, and we are pleased to offer ourselves as a resource to you in whichever way we can.

Mrs. Frawley: Counselor for students with last names A-I frawleyt@calvertnet.k12.md.us or by phone at 443-550-9260

Mrs. Goldstein: Counselor for students with last names J-Z goldsteinsj@calvertnet.k12.md.us or by phone at 443-550-926

To schedule a conference with your child’s teachers, please contact your child’s school counselor. Ms. Frawley (frawleyT@calvertnet.k12.md.us) Last names A-I

or Ms. Goldstein (goldsteinSJ@calvertnet.k12.md.us) Last names J-Z will schedule a conference during teacher available times.

Students interested in participating in athletics this school year will need to complete the online registration which includes uploading a physical and pay the clinic fee via cash, check, or online through the OSP link below. Information on how to register and the physical form can be found on the SMS website using the link below.

https://sms.calvertnet.k12.md.us/athletics

https://osp.osmsinc.com/CalvertMD/

Fall: Soccer, Volleyball

Winter: Basketball, Cheerleading, and Poms

Spring: Softball, Baseball, and Track

Volleyball Schedule (all games at 4pm):

October 5 - Home vs CMS

October 7 - Away at PPMS

October 14 - Away at WHMS

October 21 - Home vs NMS

October 26 - Away at MCMS

Soccer Schedule (all games at 4pm):

October 5 - Home vs CMS - Solomons Town Center Park

October 7 - Away at PPMS - Hallowing Point Park

October 14 - Away at WHMS - Ward Farm

October 21 - Home vs NMS - Solomons Town Center Park

October 26 - Away at MCMS - Solomons Town Center Park

For any questions regarding athletics, please reach out to SMS Athletic Director, Cassidy Miller at millerc@calvertnet.k12.md.us

Mrs. Thomas-Lohr, Assistant Principal SMS and Dr. Crystal Ricks, Supervisor of Gifted, Advanced Learning, STEM accompanied students from Calvert County to the Morgan State University STEM Expo. Eagles past and present were able to enjoy the hands-on event!

SMS STEAM Teams will begin in October!

Students may get information about each team during lunch in the cafeteria.

This year, our STEAM teams, will be prorated through a donation made possible from the SPARK Calvert STEAM camp!

All STEAM teams are $30.00, and students will receive a discount if they participate on more than one STEAM team.

Flag Football- October 6- November 5th, Tuesdays and Thursdays, Sponsors: Mrs. Charlton and Mr. Gantt

MESA- October 5, Mondays, Sponsors: Mr. Denton and Mrs. Gale

Math Counts- Sponsor Mrs. Thomas (see dates below)

October 7, 14, 21, and 28 November 4, 18 December 2, 16

January 6, 20, 27 February 3, 6, 17

Green Team: TBD

Destination Imagination- Thursdays, Sponsor: Mrs. Falco

Lego Robotics- Mondays, Sponsor: Mr. Rockenbaugh

Shark Tank- Advisory STEAM Club (2nd Quarter- 8th Grade, 3rd Quarter-7th Grade, 4th Quarter- 6th Grade) Sponsor: Mrs. Fletcher

A Healthy Start to the 2026 – 2027 School Year!

Notes from the Nurse’s Office Welcome back, Southern Middle School Families! I am Nurse Porter, your SMS School Nurse, and I am so excited to welcome our returning and new students to the 2026–2027 school year. As your School Nurse, my top priority is keeping our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn.

A Quick Request: Update Your Contact Info Before the year gets fully underway, please take a moment to ensure your contact information is up to date in the Home Access Center (HAC). Having accurate phone numbers is essential so I can reach you quickly if your child becomes ill, is injured, or needs assistance during the school day.

Reminder to 7th Grade Parents/Guardians If you received an email, phone call, or letter in the mail from Nurse Porter between August 14 and August 21, 2026, your student is still in need of required immunizations to begin the 2026–2027 school year.

Students who are missing the required immunizations may not start school on August 25, 2026, unless the school has received an updated immunization record from you or your student’s physician showing proof of the required Tdap and MCV4 (meningococcal) vaccines.

If your student still needs these immunizations, the Calvert County Health Department has appointments available on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. An appointment is required. Calvert County Health Department: 410-535-5400, ext. 334

Please provide an updated immunization record to the school nurse as soon as possible after your student receives the required vaccines.

Thank you for your prompt attention to this important health and school-entry requirement!

Medication Policy Reminders As we gear up for a fantastic year ahead, I also want to review our school's medication policy. Keeping our school safe is a team effort, and adhering to these guidelines ensures that every student’s health needs are handled with the utmost care.

If your child requires medication during school hours, please carefully review the following requirements:

· Nurse Administration Only: For the safety of all students, all medications must be administered safely in the Health Room by the school nurse. Students are not permitted to carry or self-administer medication at school.

· Doctor’s Order & Authorization: A completed “School Medication Administration Authorization Form” must be on file before any medication (this includes both prescription and over-the-counter medications) can be dispensed.

· Where to Find the Form: You can easily access and download the authorization form on the official CCPS website.

· Original Containers: All medications must be supplied in their original, clearly labeled packaging or pharmacy bottle. We cannot accept pills in baggies or unmarked containers.

· Parent/Guardian Drop-off: Medications must be brought directly to the school by a parent or guardian. Please do not send medications to school in your child’s backpack or lunchbox.

Your partnership is vital to maintaining a healthy environment for all of our students. If you have any questions regarding Health Room policies, your child's specific medical needs, or the required forms, please do not hesitate to reach out.

Wishing all of our Southern Middle School families a safe, healthy, and fantastic school year!

Warmly,

Vision and Hearing Screening

Dear SMS Parents/Guardians:

This letter is to notify you that all 8th grade students and 6th & 7th grade students new to Calvert County Public Schools will be participating in the annual vision and hearing screening conducted at their school by the Calvert County Health Department. This is only a screening. All students are required to be screened unless they have been evaluated by an optometrist/ophthalmologist within the past year.

If your student was recently screened by an optometrist/ophthalmologist, please provide documentation to the school nurse for your student’s health record. Listed below are the screening dates for your school. Students with glasses will need to bring them to school for the screening. Please note that the dates are subject to change.

The Vision & Hearing Technician is scheduled to begin screening on Monday, September 28, 2026.

Please feel free to contact your School Nurse at 443-550-9257 with any questions you have concerning this matter.

Nurse Porter, LPN SMS School Nurse 443-550-9257 (Office) 410-286-4028 (Fax) portert@calvertnet.k12.md.us

Nondiscrimination Statement

Calvert County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, age, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability, or any other characteristic protected by law in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth programs.

Calvert County Public Schools does not refuse enrollment of a prospective student, expel a current student, or withhold privileges from a current student, or prospective student, or the parent or guardian of a current or prospective student because of an individual’s race, ethnicity, color, religion, sex, age, national original, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or disability.

Calvert County Public Schools does not discipline, invoke a penalty against, or take any other retaliatory action against a student or parent or guardian of a student who files a complaint alleging that the program or school discriminated against the student, regardless of the outcome of the complaint.

The following persons have been designated to handle inquiries regarding the non-discrimination policies:

Ø Director of Student Services

Ø Director of Human Resources 443-550-8000

For further information on notice of non-discrimination, visit the Office for Civil Rights Complaint Assessment System at: https://ocrcas.ed.gov or call 1-800-421-3481.