The Weekly Sharkbeat Newsletter

Good evening, Shark Family. Thank you for another wonderful week at St. James High School! We have thankful for our Thanksgiving Break! St. James High School will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday beginning Monday, November 24. We hope all of our Shark families enjoy a restful and refreshing week together.

Second quarter interim reports were emailed on Friday. Please reach out if you have difficulty accessing your child's account.

Be sure to check the school website and social media pages for additional updates and information. The web address and social media links are listed below for your convenience. Thank you for choosing to be a part of the St. James family! Have great evening, Happy Thanksgiving, and, as always, Go Sharks!

Ryan Poston

Principal

11/24-28/25 - Thanksgiving Holiday - Schools and Offices Closed

12/2/25 - SIC Meeting

12/4/25 - SJHS Board Visit – 9:30 AM

12/4/25 - Orchestra Concert – 7:00 PM

12/9/25 - Band Concert – 7:00 PM

12/10/25 - Winter Choir Concert - 6:00 PM

12/11/25 - Guitar Concert - 7:00 PM

12/15/25 - 12/19/25 - Christmas Spirit Week

12/16/25 - 12/18/25 - Elf Jr. Musical

12/16/25 - JROTC Jingle Run

12/16/25 - HOSA Blood Drive

12/22 - 1/2/26 - Winter Break - Schools and Offices Closed

Senior parents are reminded the price for caps & gowns increases in January. Seniors are encouraged to place their order using the link below. Please reach out with any questions.

highschool.herffjones.com

Congratulations to the following students who auditioned and have been accepted to the Horry All-County Band and Orchestra. Please join us in congratulating these students!

Gisselle Fernandez Martinez

Kelsy Fedor

John Tyler Keefe

Veda Langston

Wyatt Johnson

Vitor Correa Mendes

Jayson Miechur

Sydney Garver

Jayda Jones

Benjamin Dameron

Aiden Klepper

Jenna Benkert

Sophia Wilson

Lena Hicks

Morgan Dupont

Olivia Rose

Mason Dorman

Dylan Jenks

Jayson Brecht

Andrew Ferreira

Jonathan Salvato

Brody Pelno

Alternates include

Saamiya Breaux

Miles White

Michael DaParma

April Armeen

Please join us in congratulating the following students for being selected to the Horry All-County Jazz Ensemble:

Miles White

Andrew Ferreira

Brody Pelno

Mason Dorman

To maintain a safe, orderly, and distraction-free learning environment, students are not permitted to wear or carry blankets during the school day.

Blankets can create safety concerns in hallways and classrooms, contribute to hygiene issues, and become a distraction from instruction. Students should arrive at school dressed appropriately for the weather, and if additional warmth is needed inside the building, they may wear approved outerwear such as jackets, sweaters, or sweatshirts in accordance with the school dress code. If a student does not have access to a coat or appropriate cold-weather clothing, the school is glad to help provide support. Families or students may contact the school counselor or an administrator for assistance.

If a student has a medical or support-related need that requires accommodations, families are encouraged to reach out so appropriate arrangements can be made.

Our goal is to ensure a comfortable, safe, and focused school environment for all students.

The SJHS HOSA Club is hosting a blood drive on December 15th, 2025. Mark your calendars for this important upcoming event. We hope to see you there!

• We hope everyone’s school year has started off great! We are pleased to announce that it is the time of year to start having our IGP conferences. For parents these will be offered in three different formats: in person, a virtual format or a phone call. Students will be in their counselor’s office during the meetings. Parents and students have been sent an email from your child’s counselor about signing up for these important meetings. These will be starting on December 1.

• Ms. Laskos continues to update the scholarship list for seniors. Please be sure to encourage them to apply for as many scholarships as they can. You can also click here to access the scholarship list.

• Scholarships and grants are helpful ways to fund your child’s college education. They provide you with free money that can go towards tuition or other educational expenses.

To find and apply for scholarships, ask your child to sign up for Going Merry -- it’s free! Going Merry has thousands of national, regional, and local scholarships. There are also opportunities for every grade level, from freshmen to seniors.

To sign up, your child can go to: Sign up for Going Merry!

They can also download the Going Merry mobile app (and sign up that way) on iOS or Android.

• All 11th grade students (third year of high school) and 12th grade students (fourth year of high school) are being offered the opportunity to take the ACT or the SAT at their high school during the regular school week at no cost. The State Department of Education (SCDE) will be paying for one assessment per student this year. However, students must sign up in advance to take one of these tests.

Both the ACT and SAT are college entrance exams best suited for 4-year college bound students.

ACT is February 25, 2026 SAT is March 4, 2026

Please complete the google form that was emailed by Ms. Laskos by Friday, November 21st . If the form is not completed by November 21st your student will not be eligible to take either of the school day tests.

• SJHS will have a food pantry this school year. If there are any families that are in need and can benefit from a weekly food box please reach out to Caroline Ross (cross@horrycountyschools.net).

• Don’t forget to check out our website where most of your questions can be answered:

SJHS Guidance Webpage

Our attendance policies have changed this school year, please refer to our website for the most up to date information:

https://www.horrycountyschools.net/departments-services/policy-and-legal-issues/attendance-policy-updates

Please click above to access the 25-26 SJHS Student Handbook.

If your student will be riding a bus and you need information regarding transportation, please use the button below to access the HCS Transportation web page.

The St. James Area Bus Office number is 843-650-1937.

All students in Horry County Schools will receive free breakfast and lunch during the 2025-2026 school year as part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) program.

Students will still have the option to purchase additional meals, food & snack items, and beverages at à la carte prices. À la carte items can be paid for in cash or by prepayment on the student’s cafeteria account.

Visit https://bit.ly/3ILgJ9g for more information.

After School Tutoring begins on Tuesday, September 2.

Please scan or click on the QR code below to purchase an all Sports Pass. This pass will grant one entry scan into ALL regular season home games at St. James High School.

Want to stay connected to Shark Athletics? Download the St. James Athletics App! See the graphic below for details.

ST. JAMES HIGH SCHOOL

10800 Hwy 707

Murrells Inlet, SC 29576

Tel: 843-650-5600

Fax: 843-650-1004

Building Hours: Monday - Friday; 7:30 am - 4:30 pm

School Hours: 8:20 am - 3:15

Website: St. James High School / Homepage (horrycountyschools.net)

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/St.JamesHighSchool

Daily Announcements: Daily student announcements are recorded on our SJH Shark Info page.

https://www.horrycountyschools.net/domain/3081

Weekly Updates: SJHS sends out a weekly update call and SHARK Newsletter via text and email on Sunday evenings.

Parent PowerSchool: Parent PowerSchool is an online tool for parents to keep in touch with their child’s grades and attendance. You may access parent portal at

https://myps.horrycountyschools.net/public/