Scott Middle School

Spring is approaching fast! Spring is a sign of warmer weather, longer daylight, Spring Break, Phillies Opening Day and……PSSA testing. However, this year’s PSSA testing will be different as CASD transitions to the online PSSA platform called DRC INSIGHT. So, your child will no longer be using paper testing booklets and paper bubble sheets.

In our classroom, we have been familiarizing the students with the platform before the official test. The DRC INSIGHT platform features interactive, technology-enhanced items like drag-and-drop, graphing, and text entry, with online tutorials available for practice. The platform also allows for tools like highlighters, magnifiers, and answer masking. The students have watched tutorial videos, practiced using the tools and learned how to properly log onto the site, and submit/exit the test. The students have also learned about PSSA test security and the NO electronics PSSA policy. Our goal as a staff is to help our students feel confident and comfortable with navigating the testing platform and hopefully reduce test anxiety among students.

In the upcoming weeks, we will continue to work on preparing our students for the PSSA’s by practicing math skills, practicing online multiple-choice test questions, and typing answers to open-ended online questions. If you would like to practice with your child, ask them how to log in to the DRC INSIGHT site on the bottom left of their chromebook and follow the prompts and check out the tutorials.

On Friday, March 13, we held a recognition ceremony celebrating our Rising Leaders of the Month. It was an incredible day celebrating our sixth, seventh, and eight graders.

A special thank you to State Representative and Pastor Mr. Dan Williams for joining us as our guest speaker. His message on the power of leadership, integrity, and hard work will leave a lasting impression and motivate the students to continue to make a positive impact on our school community.

Thank you to everyone who supports our Rising Leaders and congratulations to all the students on this well-deserved honor.

Congratulations February's Rising Leaders

Get ready—the Scholastic Book Fair is coming to our school! This is a great opportunity to build your child’s home library with new books they’ll dive into again and again.

The easiest way to let your child shop the Fair independently is by creating an eWallet. It’s easy to set up and easy for others to add funds.

Create an eWallet, and you’ll also have the opportunity to contribute to Share the Fair - the giving program that supports students at our school who need help buying books. Consider participating so that no child leaves the Fair empty-handed!

Here’s everything else you need to know about the Book Fair:

Dates: Monday, March 16- Wednesday, March 18th

Location: Scott MS Library

For full details, and to create an eWallet, visit our school’s Book Fair homepage: https://www.scholastic.com/bf/scottmiddleschool4

More than ever, we need to get students reading. Studies prove* that children with more books at home have higher-level reading skills, and attain more years of education overall.

Lastly, this is a great opportunity to be a Book Fair volunteer! When you give your time, it helps make our Fair an unforgettable reading experience where every purchase benefits our school directly.

In all of our Social Studies classes, students have been learning about influential Black leaders in the areas of Sports, Music, History/Politics, and Entertainment. At the beginning of the month, teachers introduced eight individuals from each category. Students participated in the first round of voting to answer the question: Who has been the most influential?

Then students continued learning more about the leaders who advanced to the next round. Due to Flexible Instruction Days, we have not completed our bracket and will continue into next month until we find the "Most Influential" leader according to our students.

Please take a moment to review the results. Do you agree with the outcomes? We encourage you to use this as an opportunity for discussion with your student. You might ask:

• Who surprised you by moving on?

• Who do you think deserved more recognition?

• How do you define “influential”?

• Can someone be influential even if they weren’t famous?

Projects like this help students connect history to today’s world and think critically about leadership and impact. My family and I really enjoyed discussing who we believed has been the most influential in each field, and we hope you enjoy the conversation as well.

We are excited to share that our March PBIS reward for students who remained in class throughout February will be a Volleyball Knockout Tournament on March 31st during Related Arts classes.

Students who are not eligible to attend will complete a reflective assignment in the auditorium focused on respectful and responsible behavior during that time.

After reviewing our recent data, the PBIS Team has noticed an increase in electronic device use during the school day. In response, our focus for March will be reinforcing our expectation that cell phones remain “Off and Away All Day.” To encourage positive choices, students who are not written up for an electronics violation in March will earn Recess in April as a reward.

What “Off and Away All Day” Means

We are asking families to please review these expectations with your child:

• Cell phones should be turned off once students enter the school building.

• Phones should be stored in a bookbag or locker for the entire day.

• If a student prefers to carry their phone between classes, each classroom has a cell phone locker where phones must be placed upon entering.

• Students may retrieve their phone when leaving for their next class.

If a student is using their phone during class:

• It will result in an office referral and detention.

• Continued referrals may require the student to leave their phone at home or turn it in to the office each morning and pick it up at dismissal.

Why This Matters

There is growing research showing that even having a cell phone nearby can significantly impact students’ ability to focus and learn. Notifications, texts, social media, and videos can easily distract students from instruction and reduce engagement in class.

If you are looking for guidance about when your child may be ready for a phone or how to set parental controls, this resource may be helpful:

Phone Safety Resource for Parents:
https://www.childrensmercy.org/parent-ish/2025/11/phone-safety/

Staying in Touch During the School Day

If you choose to have your child leave their phone at home, please know you can always reach them by calling the school’s main office. We are happy to deliver messages or bring your child to the office to speak with you directly.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support in helping us create a focused, respectful learning environment for all students.

Donated gently used or new clothes would be greatly appreciated by the nurse.

Additional Reminders:

1. All 6th grade students required a Physical exam by their own health care provider by Winter Break

2. All 7th grade students required a Dental exam by their own dental care provider by Winter Break.

3. If your student needs medication in school, please have their doctor complete the medication form and have an adult bring the medication to the school nurse.

If you have any questions, please email: ritterc@casdschools.org

March 16-18 Book Fair in the Library (Students will be able to visit during the day)

March 17- PTO Meeting at 5:30 in Scott's Library and via Zoom (Link to be sent closer to the date)

March 18- Early Dismissal for Students/ PM Professional Development for Staff

March 25- End of the 3rd Marking Period

March 25- Chic-Fil-A Dine and Donate 5-8 to raise funds for end of the year field trips (See flier above)

March 26- Scott Middle School Musical Performance

March 27- Scott Middle School Musical Performance

April 1- No School for Students/ K-12 Parent- Teacher Conferences

April 2-3- No School for Students and Staff

April 9- Spring Literacy Night 6 to 7:30 in Scott Middle School Cafeteria

April 13- Spring Pictures

Website: https://www.casdschools.org/scott
Location: 800 Olive Street, Coatesville, PA, USA
Phone: 610 383 6946

Mrs. Kathryn Lamothe- Principal lamothek@casdschools.org

Dr. Cynthia Roulhac- Assistant Principal roulhacc@casdschools.org

Mrs. Devyn Hamilton- Guidance Counselor (8th grade and 7th Grade Last Names (M to Z) hamiltond@casdschools.org

Mrs. Janelle Diehl- Guidance Counselor (6th grade and 7th Grade Last Names A to L) diehlj@casdschools.org

Ms. Ashley Russum- Principal's Secretary russuma@casdschools.org

Mrs. Sue Shumate- Assistant Principal's Secretary shumates@casdschools.org

Attendance email- scattendance@casdschools.org