Pacetti Bay Middle School Wildcat Weekly
Volume 70

Good evening Wildcat Families,

We hope you were able to stay warm over this wintry weekend. We are looking forward to the coming week and students having a great week at Pacetti Bay!

We have noticed a significant uptick in positive cases in the community that have impacted students, families and staff throughout St. Johns County School District. If your child is out, please feel free to have your child reach out to his/her teachers through schoology if able. We appreciate everyone's patience as staff have been out as well. We are all working hard to keep some semblance of normalcy for the school, the families and our community.

Please remind your child to keep themselves and others safe while on campus by using proper sanitization strategies. Together we can minimize the impacts on the community and schools.

Here are some important pieces of information for this school year:

  • Doors will open for students starting at 7:10am. We are NOT able to monitor students before 7:00am. Our office hours are 7:00am- 3:00pm.
  • Parent drop-off and pick-up are the second entrance on Meadowlark lane from Pacetti Road. Please do not use the parking lot as a drop-off location as it is unsafe. When pulling up, please pull up all the way to the oak tree at the entrance of the school.
  • Please make sure to review the student COVID questionnaire, COVID 19 Health Screening Form, each day with your child. If you can answer yes, please keep your child at home. Masks and other PPE are recommended but optional for students.
  • Please remind your children that cell phones need to be put away and off once entering the building and can be be turned back on at the end of the school day.
  • Bottle refilling stations are located throughout the school for water bottles. Water fountains are currently disabled.
Upcoming Events
Events for this Week and Beyond
  • February 1st - PBMS Basketball @ Swiss Point 5:30PM
  • February 3rd- PBMS Basketball at home vs. GRMS
  • February 7th Teacher In-Service day- Student Holiday
  • February 8th - Interims Issued; PBMS Basketball vs. FCMS Home 5:30PM
PTSO News
Valentine's Day Fun

We are getting close to Valentine's Day so you know what that means! Candy grams. 
Send a Valentine’s greeting to your friend, teacher, and classmates. Candy grams will be on sale February 9-10 during your child’s LUNCH for $1. This comes with a cute note written by your student along with a sweet treat.
Forms need to be filled out prior to purchasing at lunch. Each teacher will have forms in their classrooms for your child to be able to, or you can print out the attached form at home.
 
Upcoming Event
 
8th grade parents mark those calendars NOW! February 25th we will be hosting a special event. More info coming soon!
Spirit Wear

We have slashed Spirit Wear prices!!! For a limited time you can snag your Wildcat some gear at a discounted price.
*sizes and quantities while supplies last

 
 
PTSO Business Partners
 More than ever, we are relying on the support and assistance of our local business partners and community to navigate the uncharted waters of the year ahead and help make it amazing for our school. Please visit our website for information regarding our 2021-22 Business Partners Program , and please feel free to reach out with any questions. We hope to have you join our Wildcats Family and help support our teachers, staff, and students through this school year and the challenges ahead. https://www.pacettibayptso.org/become-a-business-partner.html
 
Wildcats Announcement Marquee: It's BACK!!! The  Wildcats Announcement Marquee is open for reservations! We hope you will join in the fun!
 
Your $25 donation provides a personal message on the Wildcats Announcement
Marquee outside The Bay. This is perfect for Happy Birthdays, Congratulations, or other small encouragements! https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090f48aeac2dabfe3-wildcats
 
To keep up with the latest information, please join our Pacetti Bay Middle School PTSO Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/PacettiBayMiddlePTSO)!
PBMS Clubs
Craft club registration is now open!
Weekly meetings Tuesday 2:00 – 2:50
In Room 520 with Mrs. Craig

Battle of the Books Club:
If you have been reading the Sunshine State books and are interested in being a part of our Battle of the Books team, please:
  • Join the Battle of the Books Schoology group using this access code: WBBW-H9S5-J57WD
  • Attend our meetings after school on Tuesdays 1:50-2:45 in the Media Center. You must have transportation home at 2:45 to attend.  
Art Club

The Art Club will meet from 2:00 - 3:00 pm in Ms. Denton's room (#400). Our schedule is as follows: 01/25, 02/01, 02/22, 03/01, 04/05, and our final meeting will take place on 04/26! Any schedule changes will be announced in advance.
PBIS Rewards
PBIS Rewards coming to Pacetti Bay second semester!
PBIS stands for Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports and is a program that we have purchased to help encourage positive behaviors from students. The program aims to teach and promote positive interactions that will help to build a more positive school culture! Students will be trained upon return from Holiday break on PBIS and will be able to create their own free accounts. They can be accessed on school devices and on cell phones as well. Students will be able to earn points when staff members observe them displaying a pillar of character. On store reward days, students will be able to use their points to “purchase” items from our stores! Items will include Wilson sporting balls, portable chargers, PBMS spirit wear, water bottles, snacks, and much more! We look forward to rewarding students for their positive actions and to help encourage others to display pillars of character while on campus.
High School Academy News
It is an exciting time in your 8th grader’s academic journey as they transition into their high school years. St Johns County Programs of Choice include the high school career academies, IB and AICE acceleration programs, JROTC, Early College Program, and St. Johns County Center for the Arts (SJCCA) at St. Augustine High School. Students currently in 8th (and 9th grade) may apply for enrollment in a Program of Choice for any of the St. Johns County School District high schools. However, there are application rules and a timeline that must be followed in order to be considered.
 
January 24, 2022-February 3rd:Academy Nights 6:00-7:30 PM
 
January 24- Tocoi Creek High School
January 25- Bartram Trail High School
January 26- Pedro Menendez High School
January 27- Creekside High School
February 1- St. Johns Technical High School
February 1- Beachside High School (Virtual)
February 3- Ponte Vedra High School

Each high school will host an informational 2022 Academy Night. All parents, with a student interested in attending one of the academies, should make plans to attend these events. 
 
Please note Beachside High School will be a virtual event.
  
February 6: SJCCA and RJ Murray Middle School Application Deadline
Students applying for the St. Johns County Center for the Arts must apply by this date.
 
February 7:SJCCA and RJ Murray Middle School Auditions
SJCCA auditions will be held at St. Augustine High School.
February 10: Registration Deadline
Online registration closes at 5:00 PM
February 11-February 25: Late Applications
Late applications will be available on the CTE website or at your child’s guidance department when the window for late applications opens.
   
Helpful Links
 
Career Academies and Programs of Choice: https://cte.stjohns.k12.fl.us/ 
Registration Timeline: https://cte.stjohns.k12.fl.us/timeline/ 
Applying to a Program: https://cte.stjohns.k12.fl.us/join/ 
Academy Night at St. Johns Technical High School
Tuesday, 2/1 from 6:00pm – 7:30pm.
School and Career Academy information can be reviewed at https://www-sjths.stjohns.k12.fl.us/.  
(Students in 6th or 7th grade that would like to tour the school as an option for next year are welcome to attend as well! St. Johns Tech provides students 6 – 12 grade the opportunity to achieve academic and vocational success in a smaller learning environment. Students who are one or two grade levels behind can participate in our APEX program for course recovery. 85% of our students have an IEP or 504 plan. Applications to attend St. Johns Tech are accepted year-round.
Cafeteria News
Menu for 1/31/22-2/04/22
Monday: Chicken Nuggets-Garlic-Bread-Assorted Fruits & Vegetables-Milk
Wednesday: Chicken Sandwich-Assorted Fruits & Vegetables-Milk
Thursday: Pizza-Assorted Fruits & Vegetables-Milk
Friday: Cheeseburger OR Hotdog-Assorted Fruits & Vegetables-Milk
MIDDLE/HIGH
Paid: Breakfast $1.25 Lunch $2.95
Reduced: Breakfast $0.30 Lunch $0.40

Prepayments into student lunch accounts can be made by using PayPAMS. The link to this service is located at  https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/food/paypams/

Online and printable Free/Reduced lunch applications can be located at https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/food/free/
Required Instruction & Character Chats
St. Johns County School District is required by statute to provide instruction for mental and emotional health education, substance abuse prevention, child trafficking prevention, and healthy relationships/dating violence prevention. Beginning in September, each school will show all students a 45-minute Character Chats lesson. These lessons will focus on the related Pillar of Character and one or more components of the state required instruction. Each lesson was developed by a team of district and school staff. The lessons have been designed to be interactive and include a teacher facilitation guide.  A monthly overview, lesson, and guide will be posted in Schoology. Character Chats were designed to be delivered monthly through April.
Yearbook
Attendance Information
Visit the PBMS webpage under attendance link or click on the button. You can complete and submit all in one easy form! Any questions, please contact our attendance office at 904-547-8780

Please remember a photo ID is required for student check-out. This is for the safety and security of all children and Pacetti Bay Middle School. There is no student check out after 1:30pm.
Deans' Office Updates
Please be advised that as per the Student Code of Conduct , students are not permitted to wear pajamas to school.

  • In accordance with statutory requirement F.S. 1006.07 (students are prohibited from wearing clothing that exposes underwear or that exposes body parts in an indecent or vulgar manner) enforcement will focus on positive guidance without embarrassment to the student and should not disrupt the educational process.
  • Clothing must cover the area from armpit to armpit, and down to mid-thigh
  • Tops must have shoulder straps and be long enough not to expose your midriff
  • See through clothing or rips in jeans must not expose your underwear or your body between the mid-thigh to your arm pit area
  • No drugs, alcohol, vape, tobacco references on your clothing
  • No inappropriate or profane text or images on clothing
  • Be safe, make sure your shoes have a back to them

If your son / daughter has misplaced their lunchbox or water container, please have them check the lost and found cart in the Café. The cart is located at the front of the main café room by the whiteboard, clearly sign posted.

Bike Riding / Skate Boarding / Scootering to School
 
Parents please remind your students that once they enter school property they must not ride their bicycles / skate boards / scooters, for safety reasons. 
Rising 7th Graders
IMPORTANT IMMUNIZATION INFORMATION
 
All rising 7th grade students are required to have a tetanus-diphtheria-pertussis (Tdap) booster prior to entering 7th grade. If your student needs or has already gotten this immunization, please bring, fax or email the updated Florida DH680 form to Pacetti Bay at your earliest convenience. The Health Department or your physician can update your DH680 form.
 
Florida Department of Health in St. Johns County
200 San Sebastian View
St. Augustine, FL 32084
(904) 506-6081
Call for hours of operation for immunization services.
 
If you have any questions, please call our Guidance Department at (904) 547-8760.
 
PBMS Fax: 904-547-8775
Email: kimber.ponce@stjohns.k12.fl.us
Media Center
Overdue Books
We are experiencing a high number of overdue books. There are books still owed from past school years, either to PBMS or your student’s previous school. Please return, or pay for those books if lost/damaged, to the Media Center as soon as possible. If you owe books and fines to other SJCSD schools, you can bring those books or payment (made out to the school the book belongs to) to the Media Center and we will be happy to mail it to the appropriate school to clear your account. Overdue notices are emailed home weekly on Mondays and show the title and cost of outstanding materials. Your student can also log into their Destiny account at home to show you what they have out. Our policy, as stated below, is that students need to take care of overdue books/fines before they can continue checking out new books. If your student has overdue materials, please help them locate those items and put them in their backpack so they are prepared to return them. Thank you!  
Scholastic Books:
Even though our Book Fair has ended, you can continue to shop the Scholastic Store online using this link and our school will earn 2% of every purchase all year long. This is a great way to shop for books for all ages while also supporting our school. If your student has leftover money in their eWallet account, you can apply that money towards your order at any time.  
 
Schoology Information:
  • Schoology is our online learning management system. Teachers will be posting announcements, calendar events, assignments, and materials in Schoology. 
  • Students should check their account regularly, at least once a week. It is strongly recommended that students check Schoology daily when absent.
  • Parents are able to set up their own Schoology accounts. Parents will need their child’s parent access code to set up a new account or add a child to an existing account. Parent access codes are available in HAC. Click on the Registration tab and look under Additional Information. If you don’t see your parent access code listed, please keep checking back, it could take up to a week to populate.
Visit the PBMS Schoology Information webpage and the SJCSD Schoology for Parents webpage for additional information and resources. 
Media Center Policy:
Our students are expected to check out books and read throughout the school year. Students are responsible for returning or renewing their library books and textbooks by the due dates given. Students will only be permitted to check out books if they do not already have an overdue book. Students, and their parents, are responsible for the replacement costs of any lost or damaged materials. If ordered, a yearbook will not be delivered to the student and the cost of the yearbook will be put towards the replacement cost of any lost or damaged materials. Students may be excluded from end-of-year activities with Media Center materials outstanding. If you have any questions or concerns regarding this policy, please contact our Media Specialist at Karin.gowens@stjohns.k12.fl.us
COVID Information
COVID Information Webpage

The COVID information web page for SJCSD families is live at

This site includes the COVID Dashboard, Quarantine Help Guides, directions to access online textbooks and Schoology, and Health & Safety resources.

***REMINDER: Review the Health Questionnaire daily with your student. Students MUST stay home from school when they are ill, awaiting COVID-19 test results, or if anyone in the household is COVID-19 positive. Thank you for partnering with us to help protect the safety of all students and staff.
 
***PARENTS: To report a positive case of COVID-19, please first call the Department of Health at (904) 506-6081 for guidance on next steps. To report that your student will be absent due to COVID- related issues, 904.819.1101

District Reminders
SJCSD Microsoft Office 365 Offer

Families and employees of SJCSD are eligible for free Microsoft 365 Pro Plus. Please click the link for details: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/advantage/

Daily Silent Reflection

State law now requires a one minute moment of silent reflection to take place at the beginning of each school day. During this minute, students may not interfere with other students’ participation and teachers may not make suggestions as to the nature of any student’s reflection. Parents are encouraged to discuss this moment of silence with their children and to make suggestions as to the best use of this time.

Dress Code
We will be following the SJCSD dress code policy that can be found here: https://www.stjohns.k12.fl.us/schoolservices/conduct/
SJCSD Info