Switzerland Point Middle School

• January 5: Behavior expectations assemblies, Grade level pictures
• January 12: SAC meeting
• January 14: Winterguard Friends and Family Event
• January 15: Report Cards Issued
• January 16: Raider Store
• January 19: No School
• January 20: Character Counts! Chats
• January 23: Ice Cream Friday
• January 27: Basketball vs GRMS
• January 29: Basketball vs MMS
• January 30 Raider Store

Students who plan to take a summer course on SJVS should sign up by Feb 6th. They can select a start date of their choice ( they can begin now OR select a later date) and will have until July 31st to complete. Once sign up is complete, please tell your SPMS school counselor so we can approve the course.

ST. JOHNS COUNTY, Florida, December 31, 2025 — The St. Johns County

Public Library System (SJCPLS) is celebrating Library Lovers’ Month in

February with a sweet community collaboration.

Partnering with Mayday Ice Cream, library staff have created original ice cream

flavors inspired by books, and the public is invited to help choose the winner.

Now through Jan. 11, community members can cast votes for their favorite book-

inspired flavors. The top selections will be produced and released at Mayday Ice

Cream locations throughout St. Johns County during February, offering a

delicious way to celebrate reading and libraries.

Book-inspired ice cream flavors include:

· Once Upon a Thyme: Honey-thyme ice cream with lemon shortbread bits

· Second Breakfast: Toasted oats with coffee and maple syrup

· Where the Wild Flavors Are: Wild blueberry and dark chocolate with a hint

of sea salt

· Edmund’s Reward: Turkish delight ice cream with edible rose petals, light

rose essence, strawberries, saffron, and a touch of clove

“Mayday Ice Cream began as a partner during National Library Card Sign-Up

Month, and we’re thrilled to scoop up another opportunity to collaborate for

Library Lovers’ Month,” said Debra Rhodes Gibson, SJCPLS Director. “Bringing

the community together over books and ice cream is the perfect recipe for

connection.”

Voting is open online at www.sjcpls.org/library-lovers-month and will close promptly at 11:59 p.m. on Jan. 11. For more information about Library Lovers’ Month or the St. Johns County Public Library System, visit www.sjcpls.org.

SPMS National Junior Honor Society is sponsoring an opportunity to send a special birthday or congratulations message to your student via the marquee in the front of the school. The cost is $25. Complete the form here to submit your request (there's a separate link in the form to pay via Schoolpay upon submitting your request). Requests are due the Friday prior to the event and will display the following week (Tuesday through Monday). Example: If you turn in the request on Friday, September 19th, then your message will be displayed on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Picture Retake day is November 5 during lunches

• At the end of the year, students can attend a field trip as a reward for their behavior.
• Students who earn ISS or OSS during 2nd semester, or commit a Level 4 offense during the entire school year, will NOT BE ELIGIBLE to participate in the grade-level reward trip. Please see Section 5, Levels of Discipline, on page 31 in our Student Code of Conduct for examples of Level 4 offenses.
• Students with 15 or more unexcused absences during the school year will NOT BE ELIGIBLE for the trip.
• Students must have passed all courses 1st semester and be passing all classes up until the day of the trip.
• For 8th grade students, these behavior requirements also apply to the 8th grade formal dance.
• Once a reward trip has been paid for, we will be unable to give refunds or transfer the reservation to another student’s name.

New Year Resolution

As the new year is upon us, we want to encourage our students and families to be mindful of missing school days. Missing days from school has great impact on student achievement, routine, peer relationships, and self-confidence. I often hear students mention needing a break from stress as to why they are absent. Missing school may provide temporary relief to our kids. However, when this happens too often, the reason they missed school isn’t fixed. Instead, taking that “break” from school could be making the issue worse.

The Cycle of Avoidance:

1. Stress/Anxiety Trigger: A student feels stressed and/or anxious about school (e.g., social anxiety, fear of failure).
2. Avoidance: They skip school to escape the uncomfortable feelings.
3. Temporary Relief: The immediate stress lessens.
4. Increased Distress: Academic/social gaps grow, reinforcing negative thoughts, leading to more stress/anxiety and a stronger urge to avoid school.

If this sounds like a cycle your child might be in, please reach out to your child’s school counselor. We are here to assist your child with finding solutions/coping mechanisms and learning new skills to assist them to persevere during those challenging times.

Ms. Kylie Benetsky, our ILC, is the SPMS Teacher Of the Year. Before break she was named as one of the five finalists for St. Johns County School District!!!

Here are some pictures from our Band concert in December

Students in Geometry Honors created projects to “highlight” key concepts learned during 1st semester. Their work went to the next level when the lights went out and they enjoyed a Glowometry Gallery walk to review these key concepts. Great work, students!

Before break we provided some opportunities for students to use their Raider Bucks and have some fun.

• Tuesday, December 16 students could use their Raider Bucks for an Ice Cream Sundae Bar. We had 178 students participate in this.
• Wednesday, December 17 students bought pieces of duct tape to tape to tape Ms. Webber to the wall. When we removed the stool she did stick! We sold 170 pieces of tape!
• Thursday, December 18 Leonards provided a photobooth. Students could use their Raider Bucks to take pictures with their friends and walk away with the photos. 80 groups of students had pictures taken.
• Friday, December 19 students were able to purchase popcorn and a movie during periods 1 and 2. 300 students participated in this event.

We look forward to more PBIS fun this upcoming semester.

Here are some pictures of our band and Winterguard students participating in the holiday parade.

Congratuations to the following studens who were nominated as displaying ALL of the pillars of character for December.

8th Grade

Sarah Deliallisi

Srihans Mallaveli

Austin Orr

Francesca Ramos

Emma Soto

Claire Stephens

Sawyer Tomlin

Each month, our staff nominate students who display the pillar of Character for that month. Students will be celebrated the first week of the next month with lunch provided by the PTSO.

Respect

• Treat others with respect; follow the Golden Rule
• Are tolerant and accepting of differences
• Use good manners, not bad language
• Are considerate of the feelings of others
• Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone
• Deals peacefully with anger, insults, and disagreements

In partnership with Resiliency Florida, we will explore a resiliency standard(s) that aligns with the pillar of character for the month.

This month, in conjunction with all of the pillars of Character we would look at Mentorship and Critical Thinking

For more information on Resiliency Florida click here.

PTSO had a holiday luncheon for the Swiss Staff. Catered lunch from Texas Roadhouse , desserts and prizes sent in by our families and a raffle sponsored by local businesses. Thank you to our volunteers, business partners and Raider families that made this lovely afternoon a possibility.

Thank you to everyone that voted for our tree and to the Moore family for decorating our tree for us. We won the Cindy Lou Who Award for Most Creative and Original Theme.

Next Raider Store is January 30th. To keep this program thriving, we need your support. Donations will directly benefit our students and expand the rewards we can offer. We cannot continue this program without you!

If you’d like to donate, please see our wish list links below. Please feel free to explore other retailers for any of the approved wish list items. ***Please ensure you put your student's name on any item you donate so they can receive their Raider Bucks***

Raider Store Amazon Wish List Link:

Click here

Raider Store Signup Genius Wish List Link:

Click Here

OR SCAN THE QR CODE AND LET US DO THE SHOPPING FOR YOU, BE SURE TO ADD WHAT YOUR DONATION IS FOR IN THE COMMENTS

How do you join?

• A family membership is $25 for the school year. The membership includes parents and any sibling at SPMS.
• Membership form can be found at https://switzerland-point-middle-school-ptso.square.site/

Keep an eye on the PTSO website, Facebook, and Instagram to stay up to date on what is coming up throughout the year! Be sure to click in the links below to like and follow our social media:

SPMS PTSO - Ptso - Jacksonville, Florida

Facebook

Swiss Point PTSO (@spmsptso) • Instagram photos and videos

Please do not hesitate to reach out to our PTSO to get involved at spmsptso@hotmail.com

SPMS athletics consists of both boys and girls volleyball and basketball, as well as Winterguard.

Join us for an exciting evening as your Winterguard team presents their first performance of the season at our Friends and Family event! Come cheer on these talented performers, celebrate their hard work, and share in the energy and creativity that kicks off an incredible season ahead. Your support means the world to our team—let’s fill the room with encouragement, excitement, and community spirit! $5.00 admission (cash only at the door!) Pizza, chips, cookies and drinks will be available as well! Thank you and see you there!

We are excited to provide a free year-round online resource for your middle or high school student. Your child will see a link in Clever for Varsity Tutors where they can take advantage of powerful learning resources at no cost. Please click on the attachments for more information.

GOLD LEVEL PARTNERS

SILVER LEVEL PARTNERS

BRONZE LEVEL PARTNERS