Scott's Branch Middle High School

We had an awesome week of teaching and learning at the Branch this week! Our students will take the first quarter benchmarks on Tuesday and Wednesday. Students must have their school-issued devices fully charged with them at school everyday.

Parents we kindly ask that you remind students to be on time for class, pay attention, and be actively engaged in their learning so that they will be prepared for upcoming testing throughout the school year.

Rise up, Eagle Nation, and meet the expectation!

Dr. Tyrone Cummings, Ed. D.

Principal

Each week we will post a question(s) from EOC courses (US History, English 2, Biology, and Algebra 1). Students we encourage you to test your knowledge and prep for your upcoming EOC exams.

Students are encouraged to:

- Check their ISN notebooks.

- Interview / discuss the questions with parents / family members / teachers / peers.

Submit answers to: Miss Davis or Mrs. Butler

Answers Due: October 6, 2025

Students make sure that you can explain your answer for it to count.

All students who submit and explain the correct answer will get their name entered into the raffle to win incentives/prizes.

Good Luck, Eagles! 🦅

• Quarter 1 Benchmark (ELA / Social Studies) - September 30th
• Quarter 1 Benchmark (Math / Science) - October 1st
• PSAT (8th & 10th Graders) - October 16th

Teachers have office hours once a week after school for an hour. Students are encouraged utilize these opportunities to get extra help or to make-up or retake assignments.

Students can:

• get extra help
• make-up missed assignments
• retake assignments (5 assignments per subject each nine weeks can be retaken, except benchmarks).

Students we kindly ask that you let your teacher(s) know when you plan to stay for office hours so that he/she can have any materials prepared for you.

🦅Attention all Eagles 🦅

Be prepared for school each day by:

- Charging your device each night before going to bed.

- Making sure to bring your device to school every day.

Mr. Bodzo's 6th and 8th grade classes conducted labs in science this week. Sixth grade students explored solids, liquids, and gases using vinegar, sodium carbonate, litmus paper, and food coloring. Eighth grade students demonstrated electric forces using balloons.

National Hispanic Heritage Month (September 15th - October 15th)

Ms. Russell's Spanish classes are continuing to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This week students collaborated in groups to research Hispanic music. Groups created posters which included the music's history, cultural significance, notable artists, and examples of songs and then presented their posters to the class. We love the engagement and interest our students have about learning of other cultures! Keep up the awesome work, Eagles! 🦅

Students in Mr. Caldwell's Fundamentals of Computing class did PowerPoint presentations on "All About Me". They had to use their creative skills to present to the class about their personality, hobbies, and interests. Great use of technology tools to create your presentations!

🎉This week we are proud to spotlight junior, Danny Ragin.🎉

Each week local high school players of the week are selected by the Item. On September 19th, Scott's Branch High School's Varsity Football player, Danny Ragin, was named the Defensive Player of the Week!

🎉🦅Congratulations, Danny! 🎉 🦅

📚 Read, Respond, BINGO! 📚

Who will be the first Eagle to get BINGO!! This week's bingo prompt is posted on the "SB Library Legends" google classroom. Since our genre of the month is mysteries, I've made a special mission for our bingo players. I have placed a mystery "book" clue somewhere in this edition of the Weekly Talon. Your job is to find it and then come tell me what the clue was and where you found it. Your reward will be a special bingo prompt that will only be revealed to those students who read the newsletter and find the clue.

Genre of the Month

🕵🏻🔍Mystery🔎🕵🏻

A mystery is a made-up story with a suspenseful or puzzling event that is not solved until the end of the story. It requires the reader to pay attention to details and look for hidden clues. Some well-known examples include: Nancy Drew, Encyclopedia Brown, Cam Jansen, and Sherlock Holmes.

Visit the library to test your detective skills out by checking out a mystery book.

Happy Reading, Eagles!!

Ashley Davis, LMIS

Library Media Specialist

This week at Eagle Nation, we continued celebrating our students with perfect attendance in Week 3's Attendance Raffle!

🎉 Congratulations to Week 3's winners, Kelise Gist & Ziaier Bryant! 🎉 Way to go, Kelise & Ziaier—keep striving for perfect attendance!

Parents, thank you for your continued support in encouraging your students to attend school daily. Your partnership makes a difference. We can’t wait to see who takes home the prize in Week 4’s raffle!

On behalf the Social Work & Attendance Department, we would like to thank everyone who participated in our 2nd annual Attendance Awareness Contest.

Winners will be announced on Monday, September 29, 2025 for the conclusion of Attendance Awareness Month.

Thank you Eagles, continue to strive for attendance awareness and making every day at school count!

Marjetta Butler, School Social Worker

Dawn Johnson, Attendance Clerk

On Thursday, our Eagle students participated in their very first Eagle Bucks Mock Auction Bid! Students had the chance to use their hard-earned Eagle Bucks to bid on exciting prizes, including brand-new Beats headphones (sponsored by Mr. Caldwell) and free Homecoming tickets.

This engaging activity not only rewarded students for their dedication but also helped them practice valuable life skills such as negotiation, critical thinking, communication, public speaking, confidence, quick decision-making, adaptability, and even reading the crowd.

👏 Congratulations to all of our winners! We are excited for many more auction bids throughout the school year. Parents, please continue to encourage your students to stay focused and work hard each day so they can keep earning Bucks and building strong leadership recognition.

We are beyond thrilled to celebrate our 8th and 12th grade students who participated in our very first GEAR UP Kickoff Day!

Thanks to the University of South Carolina College of Education, GEAR UP SC has officially launched here at Scott’s Branch. 🎉 This powerful program is designed to empower our students over the next several years by equipping them with the tools needed for academic success and post-secondary opportunities.

From college tours and leadership development to SAT/ACT preparation and scholarship guidance—our GEAR UP Scholars now have access to incredible resources that will help them soar to new heights! 🦅💛💙

#GEARUPSC #EagleExcellence #CollegeReady

✨ College Fair Success at Eagle Nation! ✨

On Wednesday, our juniors and seniors had the incredible opportunity to participate in South Carolina’s Ed-Op College Fair Day right here at Eagle Nation! Over 40 colleges from across the region were in attendance, sharing valuable information about their schools, campus life, organizations, scholarships, and admissions.

We are so proud of our students for being attentive, asking thoughtful questions, and fully engaging with the college representatives. 👏 Their enthusiasm shows just how bright the future is for our Eagle Scholars!

A huge thank you to everyone who made this event a success. We look forward to supporting our students as they begin receiving those well-deserved college admission letters and scholarships. 💙💛

Here’s to next year’s event being even bigger and better! 🦅

On Wednesday, September 24th, the Greenwood Genetics Center bus visited Ms. Dei's biology class as a kickoff to the eSTEAM Festival. Students participated in a lab where they analyzed samples taken from different processed foods at the grocery story for USDA testing.

Through our GEAR UP program, seniors were able to receive SAT/ACT prep support. Students met in Mrs. Garth's classroom on Saturday, Sept 20th from 9:00-11:00 a.m.

💙💛🦅 Thank you to those seniors who took the time over the weekend to come out for SAT/ACT practice and strategies! We know that this diligence will show positive results on your upcoming SAT/ACT assessments. Special thanks to Mrs. Tanika Bowman, SBMHS GEARUP coordinator, Mrs. Ruth Garth & Mrs. ShellyAnn Reid, SBHS teachers. 💙💛🦅

#GEARUPSC #EagleExcellence

Dear Parents/Guardians,

At Scott’s Branch Middle High School, we believe in creating as many opportunities as possible for our students to own their future. That’s why we offer the PSAT/NMSQT ® (Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test) to our students. Whether your child is thinking about attending a two- or four-year college, a job training program, or isn’t sure what they want to do after high school, the PSAT/NMSQT can help make their career goals and postsecondary path clearer.

Results from the PSAT/NMSQT provide insights into your child’s academic strengths, along with areas they can work on while still in high school.

Results from the PSAT/NMSQT provide insights into your child’s academic strengths, along with areas they can work on while still in high school.

• Enter the National Merit ® Scholarship Program if they meet program requirements specified in the PSAT/NMSQT Student Guide. (10 graders)

• Qualify for the South Carolina Junior Scholars Program if they meet program requirements. (8th graders)

• Understand their skills and knowledge and which areas to focus on improving.

• Practice and prepare for the SAT ® .

• Find out what AP ® courses they’re ready to take.

• Plan and pay for college.

• Explore personalized career insights aligned to their score.

Your child will take the PSAT/NMSQT on October 16, 2025 using their own school-issued device. Please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yljPogCcKrY to see what students can expect from the digital PSAT/NMSQT.

If you or your child have questions about the PSAT/NMSQT or college and career planning, please reach out to me or your child’s counselor—we’re here to help!

Alisha Ridgill

Assistant Principal

📣Students, please join us at the eSTEAM Festival in Sumter, SC on Saturday, October 4, 2025 from 10 am -3 pm. This event is free to the public. Come on out and enjoy the festivities!!!!!

💙💛There was no place this week like SBMHS Homecoming! Students and teachers participated in celebrating and cheering on the Eagles! 💙💛

🥳Let's give an Eagle Nation shout-out to Jada Bowman, who did a fantastic job creating the flyer for Homecoming Spirit Week! 🥳

Thank you to all the students and staff for participating in celebrating and cheering on our Eagles!!

Eagles, don’t forget to come out and cheer on our Varsity team as they bring home another win tonight. Go Eagles! 🦅

🏈💛💙 Our Varsity Eagles are continuing to surf their way to victory each week, bringing home another big win Friday night over the Branchville Yellow Jackets, 22–8!

🌺 A huge thank you to all of our amazing supporters who showed up and showed out for Luau Night—it was a night full of bright colors, school spirit, and Eagle pride!

🎉 We’re looking forward to keeping the momentum going as our Eagles prepare for the Homecoming Game against St. John’s. Let’s pack the stands, show our colors, and continue to cheer our team on to an incredible game!