CHMS Message 09/02/26

Good evening Clifton Heights MS families,

We are off to a great start and working through everything that comes from starting a new adventure. We appreciate your patience and support! Please read through the information below and feel free to reach out with any questions or concerns.

Reminder, School is closed for Labor Day weekend:

Friday, 09/04

Monday, 09/07

Please note the TRANSLATE feature in the top right of the screen.

We need your assistance with arrival and dismissal. Please read and follow the below information carefully. We appreciate your support in keeping our community safe.

• Dropping off: Please enter the driveway on Oak Ave, drop off your students, and exit making a right on Sycamore Ave. Students will enter through the student entrance labeled above in blue. Please keep the line moving as we do not want the cars out into the street. Please do not use the bus loop.
• Picking Up: You are welcome to use the same procedure for arrival or meet at a different area. Please be sure that your child knows where to meet you.

PLEASE, DO NOT stop on N. Springfield Rd to drop-off or pickup your student. This is a huge safety concern and it causes a significant delay in the flow of traffic. We will continue to have a police presence to ensure safety.

We anticipate traffic and congestion at arrival and dismissal. Please be patient as we work through the first few weeks of school. We strongly recommend families car pool or walk if possible.

The district is hiring Crossing Guards. Please apply using the link below or reach out to our Director of Public Safety, Anthony Vaughn at avaughn@upperdarbysd.org if you are interested.

Crossing Guard Employment

We will have public safety staff stationed around the property to assist students in crossing street. Please remind your student to only cross streets at a crosswalk and not in the middle of the street.

There has been a change to Policy 237, Electronic Communication Devices. We are asking middle school students to prepare by practicing restraint as it pertains to cell phone use incrementally for the remainder of the summer.

Please continue to speak with your student regarding this policy and the importance of following this. Encourage your student to keep their phone secured in their bag or in their locker and off for the day.

Each morning, every student and staff member will enter the building through the EVOLV Weapons Detection system. Those entering should remove BLUE items (Binders, Laptops, Umbrellas, Eye Glass cases) prior to entering the building.

Please review the information linked on the website as well as the EVOLV Guide for Students and the EVOLV Guide for Parents.

• There will be two heterogenous Learning Communities per grade (Purple and Gold).

• A/B day schedule for electives, excluding full year electives- meaning students will rotate electives every day.

• Early Dismissal every Thursday for group planning time.

• Includes early dismissal time for professional development time as outlined on the district calendar

• Students will complete asynchronous work on non-professional development Thursday afternoons and be required to answer an attendance question in their first period course. This attendance through the use of a Google Form, which will be found on the Period one Schoology page. Parents will be communicated with if the attendance question is not completed for that day.

• Detailed information about the assigned asynchronous assignments will come from the grade level learning community teachers.

• A complete outline for the year and when asynchronous work will be assigned can be found on our school website and linked here.

Student Schedules

Schedule changes will occur during the first week of school in order to ensure all schedules are correct. Please do not contact school personnel, in reference to schedule changes, until after September 5th.

Home Access Center (HAC) is your portal to your student's education. Check and update contact information . See real time attendance and grades . Check homeroom assignments and class schedules ... all you need to do is log in to get started! Click HERE to access HAC.

The HAC Parent Manual can assist you with login and updating information. We utilize this information to contact you as needed regarding your student, so please be sure the information is accurate and up to date. If you have any problems with login please email HAC Support email - parentportal@upperdarbysd.org

Please review the Code of Character. The Upper Darby Middle School Code of Character embodies the basic principles of responsibility, respect, and safe student behavior. It is important to review this with your student so they are aware of expectations at BHMS, some incidents may result in an informal hearing with the Director of Secondary Education. We will also review this during the opening week of school.

Clifton Heights Middle School takes bullying allegations very seriously. It is important that you communicate instances of alleged bullying to your grade level administration for a proper investigation. Please also review Policy 249 Bullying/Cyber Bullying.

Students in 7th and 8th grade are able to participate in our athletics programs. It is important for students and families to register and submit the application on FamilyID. Please visit the Clifton Heights Middle School Athletics webpage for more information.

Other intramural and club opportunities will be communicated in a future Wednesday message.

We are actively working to construct our Home and School team. Please take some time to fill this Form if you have any interested in being involved. Thank you to those of you that have already reached out and we will be in touch. It is so wonderful to already have this much involvement!

As part of the Upper Darby School District’s Emergency Preparedness Plan and the Emergency Communications Plan, CrisisGo allows parents to receive emergency school safety alerts from the school district and individual school buildings. District parents can download the CrisisGo app onto their mobile device and to create a free account. Parents will then need to subscribe to the school(s) of choice and to the District group.

Click on the link to learn how to subscribe: UDSD Parents - CrisisGo Subscription Flyer.

We encourage secondary school students to receive up-to-date communication about emergency notifications as well. Students can click on the link to learn how to subscribe: UDSD Students - CrisisGo Subscription Flyer

Please review with your children the safety terminology we will be using in our emergency communications: Lock-In, Lock-Out, Lockdown, Evacuation FAQ for Families. We will review these terms and the emergency preparedness plan with students throughout the school year.

Please note that the District will continue to communicate emergency lockdown alerts and updates through CrisisGo, ParentLink emails and social media (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram).

The following immunizations are required for all students in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania for the 2026-2027 school year. We have been sending out communications over the course of the summer reminding families of immunization requirements and alerting families who are not in compliance with updated immunization documentation. Your child's school must have written confirmation from your physician for each immunization. State law mandates that students not up to date on their immunizations are at risk of being excluded from school.

Grades K through 12:

• DPT (Diphtheria/Pertussis/Tetanus): Four (4) required, with one after age 4

• Polio: Four (4) required, with one on or after age 4 and at least 6 months after previous dose. If the third dose is given on or after age 4 and at least 6 months after the last dose, the fourth dose is not required.

• MMR (Measles/ Mumps/ Rubella): Two (2) required, with the first dose on or after age 1

• Hepatitis B: Three (3) required, must be properly spaced

• Varicella (chicken pox): Two (2) immunizations required, the first must be after age 1. Or a history of the disease.

In addition to immunizations listed above:

• Grade 7 through 12: Tdap (Tetanus/Diphtheria/ Pertussis) - One dose required, if less than 5 years since last DPT and one dose required of MCV (Menactra – meningitis)

• Grade 12: MCV (Menactra - meningitis) - Second dose required (if the first dose was given at age 16 or older, only one dose is required)

Students are expected to have all immunizations on the first day of school. In some cases, students will be provided a five day window to either secure the required immunizations or documentation from a physician with the expected date of immunization. Students are at risk of exclusion if this requirement is not met within the timeframe. Please contact your health provider if you are unsure of whether or not your child has received the required vaccinations. We encourage you to complete this as soon as possible so you are not at risk from school exclusion. Additional information from PDE is available on the District’s website by clicking HERE.

We feel that it is important to remind our parents and students of the Safe2Say Something program. The Upper Darby School District takes the safety and security of our staff and students very seriously and recognizes that the uncertainties and pressures that students and families have faced the uncertainty of a pandemic has clearly demonstrated that the mental health of students as a priority. The Safe2Say Something system teaches youth and adults how to recognize warning signs and signals, especially within social media, of individuals who may be a threat to themselves or others and say something, using our anonymous reporting system. Safe2Say Something is also a way to anonymously report unsafe, potentially harmful, dangerous, violent or criminal activities in any school in Pennsylvania.

For anyone who is feeling unsure or unsafe, please remember that there is help and it is okay to ask for help.

Find below additional information outlining the Safe2Say Something PA Program:

Safe2Say Something PA Program

https://www.upperdarbysd.org/departments12/safety-security/safe2say-something

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me.

We’re excited to announce that SmartPass, a digital hall pass system, will be continued at all of our secondary schools this year. SmartPass was successfully piloted at the high school level during the second half of last school year, and we’re now expanding its use to include middle schools as well.

What is SmartPass?

SmartPass is a secure, digital tool that replaces traditional paper hall passes. Students use their school-issued devices to request and receive passes, allowing staff to better manage hallway activity and support student safety.

Why are we using it?

SmartPass helps:

• Reduce unnecessary hallway traffic

• Improve student accountability

• Enhance overall safety and supervision

To learn more about how SmartPass works, check out this quick training overview: SmartPass

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting a safe and structured learning environment.

To view more about SmartPass please view our presentation: The Smart Solution to Hall Passes for Upper Darby School District.

Communication and collaboration between school and home is essential for student success. We will communicate with families the following ways.

• Wednesday Message- All school-wide communication from me will come via parentlink. The vast majority of the information will be sent via email with attachments. Very few messages will have an accompanying phone message. If you come across another parent who is not receiving my communications please have them contact the main office. They can give the main office a working email address, or they can let the office know that they do not have an email address. We want to work with our families to make sure everyone is getting all of the information they need to help their children.

• Clifton Heights Middle School webpage - The school webpage contains our week-at-a-glance calendar, access to the principal’s webpage, the school’s monthly school newsletter, and other important information. Clifton Height Middle School Homepage

• UDSD Social Media - The District uses a variety of social media tools to post information on emergency school closings, pictures of students and teachers working together, pictures from events and activities in schools across the District, and information about upcoming meetings and events.

Best,

William Rogers

Principal of CHMS