Good afternooon, Jacket Parents! I am aware that many of you have experienced problems receiving district emails over the last few weeks. We have been working with our SchoolMessenger provider to correct the problem. In an effort to ensure we can communicate effectively, I have begun this week to post the Parent Digest to our website, and you will receive a link through School Status, the primary platform used by our classroom teachers. We will continue to use this tool as well as social media and our website to convey important information as we work to identify and correct the problem with our current SchoolMessenger account. I thank you for your patience, and please email or call using the contact information below to offer your feedback.
Important DATES:
October 7-11: Fall Break (All schools and offices closed)
October 14-18: Fall Intersession
November 13: Secondary Early Release Day (6th-12th grade only)
November 25-29: Thanksgiving Holiday (All schools and offices closed)
Please keep reading for information about our upcoming Jacket Thrive Intersession Enrichment Camps and several opportunities for students and parents. If you have questions or feedback, please don't hesitate to contact me by email or via cell at 662.312.4001.
Thank you,
Haley Montgomery
SOCSD Director of Communications
TOP NEWS:
JACKET THRIVE FALL ENRICHMENT CAMPS: Registration Open!
Are you ready to THRIVE? Fall Intersession is scheduled for October 14-18, and we have an exciting slate of Enrichment Camps available for students again this year. A full list is available at the link below. REGISTRATION for Jacket Thrive Fall Enrichment Camps is NOW OPEN. Some camps are full, but we still have spots available for some of our Fall offerings. To register, parents should visit our Enrichment Camps page and click the registration link listed under your chosen camp. Camp fees must be paid no later than October 2.
Visit our list of Enrichment Camps:
https://www.starkvillesd.com/jacketthrive/enrichment-camps
Official Jacket Spirit Flags Available
Help us paint Starkville Black & Gold and show your Jacket Pride with a 3x5' Yellow Jacket Spirit Flag, benefitting the Jacket Cheer program. For a peek at the flag and to order, visit
https://forms.gle/La63Z4aZ3wHtxMY56
District Launches StopIt Platform for 6th-8th Grade Students
Starkville Oktibbeha Consolidated School District has launched the StopIt platform for students at Partnership Middle School and Armstrong Junior High School. The digital application allows students to anonymously report issues like bullying, harassment, fighting, safety concerns, mental health issues or other problems students encounter that could impact the learning environment. For more information about the platform and to view a video about how the district is using is, visit the link below.
Upcoming OPPORTUNITIES FOR STUDENTS:
Mini Dance 2-Day Camp hosted by SHS Dance Team
(for PreK- 6th grade students)
Deadline to register: September 27 (extended)
Camp Dates: October 10-11
Oct 10 -- 8:00am-11:30am & 12:30pm-4:00pm
Oct 11 -- 8:00am-11:30am
Overstreet Elementary
Registration forms may be picked up at your school's office. Cost for the camp is $35 per student and includes a tshirt. Campers will perform during halftime of the October 11 SHS home football game.
Mini Drama Camp hosted by Jacket Junior Thespians
(for K-6th grade students)
Deadline to register: October 3
Camp Date: Saturday, November 2
9:00am - 12:00pm
Greensboro Center Auditorium
Kids will play improvisational acting games, do arts and crafts, read plays/dramatic story dramatization, and learn a dance to a song from Descendants. Kids will do a performance of the dance for family at 11:45am.Cost for the camp is $40 per student and includes snack and a tshirt.
To register, visit: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScdFtNQ_H2n2fwfM-u2HUzd-RZpqWvsd8PWiVxwHht7vd4kmw/viewform
Upcoming OPPORTUNITIES FOR PARENTS & FAMILIES:
Parent Engagement Event: Artificial Intelligence
Monday, September 26
5:15pm
Partnership Middle School
MONDAY! Learn with your #JacketFamily about Artificial Intelligence! On Monday, September 30 at 5:15pm at Partnership Middle School, the district will host a parent event featuring Dr. Nashlie Sephus, founder and CEO of The Bean Path to discuss Artificial Intelligence, what parents need to know and the implications for the classroom! Attendees can register for fun DOOR PRIZES, including LEGO Gear Bots sets. Plus, you'll enjoy a Virtual Reality Demo with Dr. Lara Taylor, an Instructional Technology Specialist at Mississippi State. See you there, Jacket Parents!
PTO MEMBERSHIP
Parents are invited to join our Starkville Oktibbeha PTO! PTO offers a multitude of ways for parents to be involved in supporting individual classrooms, schools and the district.
Join at https://socsd.ptboard.com
Upcoming EVENTS:
Starkville, MS St. Jude Walk/Run
Saturday, September 28
Starkville Sportsplex
SOCSD is proud to support Starkville's first St. Jude Walk/Run locally presented by Camgian. This family friendly event honors Childhood Cancer Awareness Month and supports the life-saving work of St. Jude.
For more information and to volunteer or register for the walk/run, visit www.stjude.org/walkstarkville
WEBSITE Resources:
SUBSCRIBE TO THE DISTRICT CALENDAR
If you would like to stay up-to-date on district events, I hope you'll SUBSCRIBE to our online district calendar. It is a great resource for upcoming district and school-level events, and subscribing will add events directly to your preferred calendar platform on your computer or mobile device. For instructions on how to subscribe to our district calendar and automatically add events to your device, visit https://www.starkvillesd.com/calendar/subscribe
ACADEMIC CALENDAR
Get a head start on planning school holidays, intersessions and other important dates with our 2024-2025 Academic Calendar. To download and find out what's new, visit https://www.starkvillesd.com/academic-calendar
A/B CALENDAR
Partnership Middle School and Starkville High School operate an alternating A-Day / B-Day academic schedule. To view or download a copy of the 2024-2025 A/B Calendar, visit https://www.starkvillesd.com/parents/a-b-calendar
PARENT DASHBOARD
This resource includes lots of need-to-know information for parents all in one place. The Dashboard can be accessed using the blue button at the top of each page on our website or at the following link... https://www.starkvillesd.com/parents