September 21, 2015

Irmo Middle School

6051 Wescott Road
Columbia, SC 29212
(803) 476-3600
www.lexrich5.org/ims
School Hours:
8:20 a.m.3:35 p.m.

Inside this issue:

Community Meetings
2
CREW T-Shirts
2
Reading Season
3-4
Health Careers Academy 5
Sports Schedules
5
Student Visitation Policy 6
Career Corner
7
CATEs Tour
7
Career Day
8
Job Shadowing
8
Individual Graduation Plans 9
Counselor's Corner
10
Friarsgate Basketball Info 11

Dates to Remember:
Mon 9/21
Fall School Pictures
Tues 9/22
Volleyball Game 5:30 pm
@ Lexington Middle
Wed 9/23
Late Start for students
@ 9:20
C Team Football game
@ Pleasant Hill 5:30
pm
Thu 9/24
Volleyball game @
5:30 DF Middle
Fri 9/25

Interims go home

The Buzz at Irmo Middle School

Creating successful students for the challenges of tomorrow
rsjackso@lexrich5.org

Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Principal

https://twitter.com/IMS_Principal

Late Start: - Wed. Sep. 23rd

This is a reminder to all students, parents, and guardians that
Irmo Middle School will have its first of six delayed openings
this year (Wednesday, September 23, 2015) for teacher/staff
professional development and training. Students will report to
school one-hour later than they normally do on regular
school days. The morning arrival schedule for Wednesday is as follows:
7:50am - Staff Report Time
8:00am - Professional Development Begins in the Media Center
8:45am - Busses start arriving - Staff on hand to supervise early arriving students
** - students arrive at this time and report to their normal early morning areas (6th/7th Gymnasium, 8th Cafe/Courtyard)
9:00am - Conclude PD and dismiss staff to classrooms and fill out duty
9:13am - Students dismissed to classes
9:20am - Classes begin
We will have some staff members positioned to receive students beginning at 8:45am.
We are asking that all parents adjust their morning arrival plans to coincide with our
supervision times. We want to ensure that students are properly supervised at all
times and balance that with our allocated professional development times for teachers
and staff.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Robert Jackson
(Principal @ 476-3611) or Glenn Hutto (Assistant Principal for Instruction @ 4763612).

Late Days: Sep. 23, Oct. 21, Nov. 18, Feb. 3, Mar 2, Apr. 13
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Unity Task Force is a student group working together to
promote a peaceful school environment. Students have opportunities for leadership roles, team building, service learning
projects, and coordinating activities in the school to promote
unity and enhance student knowledge related to diversity and
inclusion of all.
Students interested please come see Mrs. Inabinet, School Counselor in the
Guidance Office for an application, by Monday, September 28.
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If you have news for the

Buzz, email Allison Redick
at aredick@lexrich5.org.

Spirit Night, Wednesday Sep, 23rd, 5-9pm

Lake Murray Blvd.
% of the proceeds will be donated to IMS
You must state you are here supporting

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Building Character
Through Community Meetings
The foundation of a successful Expeditionary
Learning school is a community that brings out
the best in students and staff. As an EL school,
our learning climate is characterized by safety,
kindness, joy in learning, and positive leadership
by all staff and students. We often set aside time
to celebrate both student academic growth and
character development. In that regard, we held
our first Crew Community Meeting yesterday to
celebrate the contributions of our students and
Crew's. The purposes of our community meetings
are:
1. Build and celebrate school culture.
2. Consistently communicate core messages regarding school mission and vision.
3. Establish common rituals to connect every
member of the school community.
4. Positively frame and affirm the current
moment (whatever that moment may be for the school).
5. Set and maintain a positive, upbeat tone for staff and students.
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Dear Parents,
CREW T-Shirts
Crew is an important part of The International Academic
Magnet at Irmo Middle. Students are known well and supported by adults. Crew allows for relationship building,
academic progress monitoring, and character development. Students build positive connections with their peers
and with their crew leader.
We are excited to offer students the opportunity to purchase Crew T-shirts this year! Each Crew has their
own color and Crew name printed on the back. Ask
your child to explain the picture and caption and how it
relates to Crew.
Students and staff are encouraged to wear their Crew Tshirts during our monthly Community Meetings. Community Meetings are a common structure in Expeditionary Learning Schools that help to build a culture of pride,
success and celebration in both academics and character. The best part is that parents are invited! Our next
community meeting will be Thursday, October 15th 8:20-9:05am. We would LOVE to have you attend!
All T-shirt orders and payment will be due Tuesday, September 29th. T-shirts are $6 (cash only). T-shirt
Sizes include Youth: XS, S, M, L or XL and Adult: S, M, L, XL, 2XL or 3XL.
If you have any questions, please feel free to email or call me. Thanks so much for all you do to support your
child. We are having an amazing start to the school year and are excited about the year ahead!
Jen Cook, Lead Magnet Teacher, jcook@lexrich5.org, 476-3735

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Health Careers Academy

8th Grade Medical Explorers Program
Mid Carolina is now recruiting for the 2015-2016 Health Careers Academy
Deadline: September 30, 2015. Orientation: October 27, 2015 at 6 PM
Location: Midlands Technical College Airport Campus
Schedule: One Tuesday night a month from 6-8 PM starting in October
The South Carolina AHEC Health Careers Program works to increase the number of students
entering the health professions in South Carolina. The Health Careers Program (HCP) is designed to promote
resiliency, improve overall academic success and foster a sense of purpose in the student participants. It provides students with a practical link between academic studies and preparation for the participation in the workforce.
The South Carolina AHEC Health Careers Academy (HCA) is a health career exploration experience. Activities
demonstrating the use of communications, math and science make up the curriculum specifically designed for
future health professions students of South Carolina. The 8 th Grade Curriculum includes Leadership, Career Exploration, Study Skills & Networking, Resume Set-Up & Development and 10 hours of Service Learning.
Participants will enhance soft skills that will prove useful in the professional world while broadening their
knowledge of health professions, networking with practicing health professionals, AND creating a project that
will introduce younger students to careers in health. Participation hours will be applied to South Carolina AHEC
HCA service learning hours, and can be classified as volunteer experience on college and job applications.
For an application or more information contact Allison Redick, Career Specialist at IMS, aredick@lexrich5.org or
(803)476-3668.
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Student Visitation Policy

In order to ensure that students are safe at all times, the guidelines regarding student visitation have been changed. Effective immediately, only parents, legal guardians and grandparents can visit a student during the school day without advance permission and coordination. All other persons wishing to visit a student must receive
written permission from the parent/legal guardian (which the school will help coordinate). The permission request must be given to the school office at least one
school day in advance of the visit. Any court order restricting parental visits to a
child supersedes this policy.
Authorized Visitors: parents, legal guardians and grandparents
Those requiring advanced permission: All other family members, friends, church groups, mentors, etc.
Visit Limitations: When requesting to visit a student all visitors must state;
the specific student being visited,
the intent of their visit,
the location of the visit and
the time period for the visit.
Visitors must comply with their stated reason for the visit. Visitors cannot roam the school or visit other students for whom they do not have permission. The school principal may limit the school visit if he or she believes
that the visit will disrupt instruction or student assessments.

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Welcome to the IMS Career Corner!

Allison Redick, Career Specialist
Welcome to the Irmo Middle School Career Corner! My name is Allison Redick, the Career Specialist at Irmo
Middle School. In my role as Career Specialist, I will be assisting all IMS students in career awareness and exploration.

Who am I? Where am I Going? How do I get There?

We hope with parents, teachers and counselors, we will help students begin to explore these questions and start
setting goals and looking at their future career options. By starting this process early, students will be able to
discover their interests and hopefully be lucky enough to find careers they will enjoy! Your career is all the education, training, and jobs you have during your entire life. As a middle school student, they will need to plan for
high school and their career after high school. We want students to know it is okay to change theirs minds as
they learn more about themselves, school, and work. In fact, surveys says, that their generation might have 8-15
careers in their lifetime. While at IMS, students will have
many opportunities to start exploring through self assessments, speakers, field trips, Career Day, Job Shadowing,
activities and lessons during the year.

CATEs Center Tour

8th Graders to tour the D5 Center for Advanced
Technical Studies
During the month of October, all 8th graders are encouraged to take advantage of the opportunity to visit
the Center for Advanced Technical Studies in our District. The Center offers 18 programs of study. Students
will be led through the Center by CATE student ambassadors to see the many exciting programs being offered at
the high school level at the Center. Your 8th grade student will be given a letter about the field trip and permission form mid-September. Please return the signed permission form by Oct. 16th. This experience is free for all
students. Below are the assigned dates for each team:
Monday, October 26: Team Navigators 9-11:30 AM
Friday, October 30: Team Antarctica 9-11:30 AM

Chaperones Needed: Parents/Guardians, if you are interested in helping chaperone students on this trip,
please contact, Allison Redick, at 803-476-3668 or aredick@lexrich5.org.

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Career Day at IMS

November 20th, 8:30-10:30 AM
November is National Career Month. The month is
designed to highlight the importance of lifelong career development and the personal empowerment of
all people. It also gives us another opportunity to
show students how what they learn in school is related to the skills they will need in the workplace.
On Friday, November 20th from 8:30-10:30 AM, IMS
will be hosting Career Day. All students will have the
opportunity to listen to multiple speakers from various career paths.

Parents, if you are willing to share you career experiences with our students on Career Day, we would
appreciate your participation in this program. Please contact Allison Redick at 803- 476-3668 or email at aredick@lexrich5.org.

Job Shadowing
October 23, 2015 - April 22, 2016
Job Shadowing is a great time for your student to explore the world of
work. Job Shadowing gives students an opportunity to see that the skills
they learn in school are related to the skills they will need in the workplace. Job Shadowing is considered a short-term experience to introduce a student to a particular job by a oneon-one pairing of a student with an employee in a work environment. The student shadows the worker up to
one day to better understand the requirements of a particular career. All students are encouraged to participate
in this activity.

Important Information:
1. Students and their parents/guardians will make arrangements for the student to shadow a parent/guardian,
friend, relative or another person in a career of interest at the work site to include Transportation. This Job
Shadowing opportunity is offered in lieu of Take-Your-Daughter/Son To-Work Day and Groundhog Shadowing Day.
2. Students are only eligible to have ONE day per school year for this activity. Job Shadowing can be completed
in a couple of hours, an entire day, weekends and/or holidays.
3. Students provide their own lunch during shadowing,
4. Students should demonstrate punctuality, honesty, good grooming habits, appropriate dress and willingness
to learn.
5. Students serve as an observer, not a worker.
6. Students are not permitted to shadow teachers at Irmo Middle School or Crossroads Middle School.
7. Any school work missed as a result of being absent for shadowing is the responsibility of the student.
If interested, please have your student contact Allison Redick, Career Specialist to pick up a packet or go to our
IMS Website under the Guidance Department/Career Specialist to print a packet. Also, if you need assistance for
a particular career to job shadow please contact Allison Redick @ 803- 476-3668 or email: aredick@lexrich5.org.

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What are Individual

Graduation Plans (IGP)?
The Economic Development Act (EEDA) was passed in 2005. The implementation of this law was designed to
better prepare yourself for what you want to do after high school and to help you and your parents/guardians
make informed decisions about your education and future. The core of this law is the idea of planning. You,
along with your parent, will begin to create an IGP in the 8th grade as you prepare to enter the high school. During this time, you will select a cluster of study as you map out courses to take in high school. A career cluster is a
way of organizing classes around an occupational group. Each year in high school, you will review your IGP with a
guidance counselor and changes can be made based on your interest.
The Guidance Department will be scheduling the IGP meetings for 8th graders. You will receive a letter in the
mail over the next few of months which will have a scheduled appointment time. This meeting will allow your
student to choose a cluster of study. This plan can be changed and will be re-visited each year during registration. If you have a conflict or unable to attend the assigned appointment time, please contact Allison Redick at
803-476-3668 or email at aredick@lexrich5.org.

Tips for Parents

In helping your child
chose a Career path:
Start young. Develop career awareness by discussing career opportunities when reading books and
newspapers, watching television and observing
worksites.
Support you childs efforts to assess his or her own
interests, aptitudes, values and work styles.
Share your job experiences. A child delights in hearing about his or her parents jobs.
Encourage participation in job shadowing and internship opportunities.
Help your child understand the value and importance of his or her academic courses for success in a future
career.
6. Advise your child that there is more than one education pathway to a good job. More than 50% of the fastest growing jobs require an associates degree. There are a variety of routes to success: on the job training,
technical college, four year college, apprenticeships or the military.

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Todays young people are living in an exciting time, with an increasingly diverse society,
new technologies, and expanding opportunities. To help ensure that they are prepared to
become the next generation of parents, workers, leaders, and citizens, every student
needs support, guidance, and opportunities during adolescence, a time of rapid growth
and change. Early adolescents face unique and diverse challenges, both personally and
developmentally, that have an impact on academic achievement.
Middle school counselors are professional educators with a mental health perspective who understand and respond to the challenges presented by todays diverse student population. Middle school counselors do not work
in isolation; rather they are integral to the total educational program. They provide proactive leadership that engages all stakeholders in the delivery of programs and services to help students achieve success in school. Professional school counselors align with the schools mission to support the academic achievement of all students
as they prepare for the ever-changing world of the 21st century.
~ American School Counselor Association

Department Staff

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