Saluda Trail Wildcats

Dear Wildcat Families,

What a great first week back! Our Wildcats have spent the week learning and practicing expectations, establishing routines, and rebuilding the stamina needed for learning. This year, across Rock Hill Schools, we will Raise the Bar to Accelerate Student Learning Outcomes, and we are excited to support and challenge our students as they continue to grow. We also successfully completed our first set of safety drills this week, and our students did a great job following directions and demonstrating our expectations.

Thank you for your patience as we worked through the typical first-week transportation challenges. As our arrival and dismissal routines continue to improve, please remind your student to remain vigilant and off personal devices while waiting in the bus loop and in the car rider line, so they can remain aware of their surroundings and listen for directions. Please also remember to use our designated morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up areas. For the safety of all students, students may not be dropped off or picked up at any other locations on campus during arrival and dismissal times.

Finally, thank you to the parents and families who attended our first Wildcat Family Academy session! We appreciate your engagement and encourage all families to be on the lookout for information about future sessions. We also look forward to welcoming our Wildcat families back to campus for Open House on Thursday, August 13th! Thank you for helping us start the year strong and for your continued partnership in supporting the success, safety, and growth of every Wildcat. Together, we will Raise the Bar!

With Wildcat Pride,

Dr. Rhine Kirkland

Principal

Saluda Trail Middle School

2300 Saluda Road

Rock Hill, SC 29730

803-981-1800

“Trailblazing Toward Excellence – Every Student, Every Day.”

We’re nearly at 100% registration completion in FinalForms! Families who still need assistance can stop by the 7th Grade Gallery on Thursday, August 13, from 4:30–5:30 p.m., before Open House. We’ll be available to help you complete registration!

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.

Join Us for the Neon Rodeo!

Did you know that The Foundation for Rock Hill Schools helps support students and educators across our district? From providing weekend meals for students through Back the Pack 360, to funding innovative classroom projects, supporting educators, and creating opportunities that help students thrive, we're proud to partner with Rock Hill Schools to make a difference every day.

We'd love for you to join us for our signature event, The Neon Rodeo, on Friday, September 11! Enjoy an evening of food, music, dancing, auctions, and fun, all while helping invest in local students and teachers.

🎟️ The early bird discounts end this Sunday, August 9th! Get your tickets and learn more here: https://secure.qgiv.com/event/theneonrodeo/

Together, we can make an even greater impact for Rock Hill Schools!

PTO representatives will be present selling t-shirts. Stop by the booth to sign up for PTO updates and more.

STMS PTO Highlights:

• Join us for our first meeting of the year on Tuesday, August 18th -5:30 in the media center. We will also have a virtual option to join closer to the meeting date. We have some open positions and would love to have you all!

• Our Spirit Wear store is open! Order today and you will receive your items in 2-3 weeks!

• Woot Woot cart is back again! We love showing appreciation to our teachers and staff with our monthly woot woot cart full of treats, but we NEED your help! First up is the 6th grade! We are asking for any donations to contribute to the upcoming cart on 8/28! We accept donations with CashApp at $saludatrailpto

• Spirit Nights are back! We have put together a handy calendar with all the spirit nights of the entire year! Please take a night off of cooking and grab dinner and help STMS at the same time.

• Kona Ice is back! The truck will be here during lunch on Thursday, August 13th, Pre order link below!

Tuesday, August 11 = PTO Spirit Night at Freddy's @ 4:00 - 8:00

Tuesday, August 11 = RH School Board Meeting @ 6:00 (District Office)

Wednesday, August 12 = Community Capital Maintenance Reserve Meeting @ 6:00 (STMS Media Center)

Thursday, August 13 = Kona Ice During All Lunches

Thursday, August 13 = Open House @ 5:30

Monday, August 17 = ELA MAP Testing

Tuesday, August 18 = Math MAP Testing

Tuesday, August 18 = PTO/SIC Meeting @ 6:00 (STMS Media Center)

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.

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.

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

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