Saluda Trail Wildcats

Wildcat Families,

As we prepare for another exciting week of teaching, learning, and growing, I want to take a moment to celebrate the wonderful things happening in our Wildcat community and express my gratitude for your continued partnership and support!

This week, our scholars received their report cards! I hope this provided an opportunity for meaningful conversations at home about academic progress, celebrations, areas for growth, and goal setting. Report cards are more than just grades; they are an opportunity to reflect, reset, and recommit to reaching our fullest potential. I encourage every Wildcat family to work with their scholar to establish intentional goals for the next grading period and celebrate the progress made along the way.

We also received our school's annual report card which provides valuable insight into our school's performance and areas of growth. I invite you to review our school report card as we continue working together to strengthen student achievement and progress. With high expectations, intentional effort, and strong school-family partnerships, we will continue moving our Wildcats forward!

Thank you to all of our families who participated in SIC and Family Literacy Night! It was wonderful to see our school community come together to celebrate literacy, learning, and family engagement. A special Wildcat shoutout to our Literacy Committee for their thoughtful planning, creativity, and dedication to making Family Literacy Night an engaging and meaningful experience for our scholars and families. We know that when schools and families work together, our Wildcats WIN!

A heartfelt thank you to my amazing Wildcats who wore RED on Thursday and extended birthday wishes! You certainly know how to make your principal feel celebrated!

We also have some exciting Wildcat accomplishments to celebrate! Congratulations to our talented scholars who were selected for District Honors Chorus and District Honors Band! A special shoutout to Mr. Runyan and Ms. Turner for their dedication to nurturing our scholars' musical talents and helping them shine beyond the classroom. We are incredibly proud of our Wildcats for this outstanding achievement!

As we begin a new week, our faculty and staff are committed to LOCKING IN on impactful instructional practices that accelerate learning and support every scholar's growth. We are focused on setting high expectations, providing meaningful learning experiences, and ensuring that every Wildcat continues moving forward. We encourage you to partner with us by checking in on your scholar's learning, celebrating their progress, encouraging daily reading, and reinforcing the importance of giving their best effort every day.

In partnership,

Dr. Kirkland

Rhine Kirkland, Ed.D.

Principal

Saluda Trail is observing Red Ribbon Week October 26th-30th! This year's theme is, “Make a Difference. Be a Hero. Stay Drug Free.” Students and staff are encouraged to participate daily as we highlight the importance of staying drug-free! Dress down guidelines apply, and students who choose not to participate must be in full uniform.

The next Art Warriors, Saluda Trail’s Art Club, will meet Monday October 26 from 3:30-4:30 in the art room. You must have a ride available to pick you up by 5 in the bus loop.

Throughout the year, we love recognizing and rewarding our students for their hard work, positive choices, growth, attendance, academic achievement, and participation in various schoolwide initiatives. We are asking for gift card donations in any amount to help us provide meaningful incentives and prizes for our students.

Gift cards to popular restaurants, stores, and other student-friendly businesses are always appreciated. Every donation, big or small, helps us celebrate our students and reinforce the positive behaviors and accomplishments that make Saluda Trail a great place to learn and grow.

Gift cards may be dropped off in the front office. Thank you for partnering with us as we continue creating intentional opportunities to recognize our students and pursue Excellence by Design!

STMS PTO Highlights:

• WOOT WOOT! The next cart is scheduled for Friday, October 30th! We can’t wait to share some spooky treats with our teachers but need YOUR help! If you are able, please donate with Cashapp or Venmo below!

• Spirit Nights are back! We have put together this handy calendar with all the spirit nights of the entire year! The calendar is near the bottom of the newsletter. Please take a night off of cooking and grab dinner and help STMS at the same time! Up next is Junior Varsity on 11/10/26.

Monday, October 26 - Friday, October 30 = Red Ribbon Week

Tuesday, October 27 = RH School Board Meeting @ 6:30; DO

Wednesday, October 28 = 8th Grade Football vs. Sullivan; District 3 South

Friday, October 30 = Fall Picture Make Up Day; Auditorium

Tuesday, November 3 = Election Day, No School

Thursday, November 5 = Q1 Wildcat Card Ceremonies & Celebrations

Friday, November 6 = Dress Down Day For Q1 Wildcat Card Holders Only

Wildcat Families, help us celebrate the amazing faculty and staff at Saluda Trail Middle School who go above and beyond to support our students! Please use this form to recognize a teacher, staff member, counselor, administrator, coach, or other member of our Wildcat team who has made a positive difference for your student. Whether through a kind word, extra effort, helping hand, or simply making your student feel seen and valued, we want to hear about it.

All students must have their information uploaded and approved in Arbiter to tryout. The link to sign up is below:

https://students.arbitersports.com/organizations/saluda-trail-middle-school

For the safety and efficiency of our dismissal process, all passengers must remain inside vehicles while in the car rider line. School restrooms are not available for public use during dismissal. We appreciate your partnership and support in helping us maintain a safe, orderly, and efficient car rider experience for all families.

Car tags are required anytime a student is being picked up through the car line. If you do not have a car tag, you will need to come inside the front office to pick up your student.

If someone other than a parent/guardian is picking up your student, please call the front office and let us know who will be picking up your student. This information will be communicated to our car line staff.

Student safety is very important to all of us, and we appreciate your help in following these procedures. Thank you for your cooperation and support!

Our 2026-2027 Saluda Trail Middle School Student-Parent Handbook is available here. Please confirm that you read and understand STMS’ student expectations by completing this acknowledgement.

Rock Hill Schools is committed to providing safe, supportive, and consistent learning environments for all students. Our Discipline Matrices outline common behavior concerns, possible interventions, and potential consequences while ensuring fair and consistent responses across our schools. Families are encouraged to review the matrix for their child’s grade level to learn more about how we support positive student behavior.

https://rock-hill.jotform.com/232395152392053 (English Version)

Website: https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/stms