September 7, 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:

Student Visitation Policy 2
Career Corner
3
CATEs Tour
3
Career Day
4
Job Shadowing
4
Individual Graduation Plans 5
Recycling Dirty Dozen
6
D5 School Recycling
7
Counselor's Corner
8
Middle School Years
9-10
CATS BBQ Info
11
Parents Night Fundraiser 12
Friarsgate Basketball Info 13

Dates to Remember:
Tues 9/8
MAP Testing Make Up
International Literacy
Day
Thurs 9/10
C Team Football game
@ Laurens 6 PM
C Team Volleyball
@ Home vs. Carolina
Springs 5:30 PM

If you have news for the

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

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

3:00 pm Cut Off

Parents and Guardians,
If your child has an early dismissal they must be
picked up by 3:00 p.m. Once the buses start to line
up it is a safety issue, and we can not call students
to the main office. After 3:00 p.m. we can get a message to your child to be a car rider. Please follow our guidelines for the safety of our students.
************************************************************************************

Late Start Days

School starts at 9:18

on the following Wednesdays:

September 23, 2015

October 21, 2015
November 18, 2015

February 3, 2016
March 2, 2016
April 13, 2016

Bus transportation & car rider drop off will be an hour later than normal.
************************************************************************************

Date
09/10 Th
09/15 Tu
Date
Time Loc Opponent
09/17 Th
09/10 Th
6:00 (A) Laurens
09/22 Tu
09/16 We 5:30 (H) Lexington
09/24 Th
09/23 We 5:30 (A) Pleasant Hill
09/29 Tu
09/30 We 5:30 (H) Chapin
10/01 Th
10/07 We 5:30 (H) White Knoll
10/14 We 5:30 (A) Meadow Glen 10/06 Tu
10/08 Th
10/21 We 5:30 (A) Dutch Fork
10/13 Tu
10/20 Tu
10/22 Th
10/24 Sat

Time
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
5:30
TBA

Loc
(H)
(H)
(A)
(A)
(A)
(H)
(A)
(A)
(H)
(H)
(H)
(A)
(A)

Opponent
Carolina Springs
Meadow Glen
White Knoll
Lexington
Dutch Fork
Chapin
Pleasant Hill
Carolina Springs
Meadow Glen
White Knoll
Dutch Fork
Chapin
PAC Tourney

Page 22
Page

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

Policy on Student Visitation

Dear Parents and Guardians,
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.

Page 33
Page

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

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.

Page 44
Page

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

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.

Page 55
Page

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

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.

Page
Page 66

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

www.recyclemoresc.org

Page
Page 77

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

District 5 School Recycling

Schools will use 8YD Parking Lot Recycling containers for:

I. Mixed Paper (loose)

A. Acceptable
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
14.

Cardboard (flattened and wax free)

Chip board, wet-pack boxes, pizza boxes (no food residue)
Empty paper bags
Bulletin board paper with minimum tape and glue
Milk cartons (must be empty, open and NOT BAGGED)
White or colored paper with any color ink
Compute, copy, notebook, writing, fax, post it paper
Newspaper, magazine, paperback books, catalogs, phonebooks
Pamphlets, brochures
Receipts, tickets, adding machine tape
NCR / carbonless forms
Card stock, index cards, manila file folders
Envelopes (any color) with or without windows
Staples

B. Not Acceptable
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Hard back books

Photographs, tape, pressure sensitive labels, carbon paper (black)
Tissue, napkins, paper towels, wrapping paper
Food plates, cups, food wrappings
Foil Paper
Plastic (tabs, spirals, binders)
Metal (paper clips, spirals, foil)
Rubber bands
Shredded or scraps of paper (not even in bags)

II. Plastic Drink & Food Items

A. Acceptable
1. Food containers must be clean
2. Plastic lids may be included if screwed tightly onto empty bottles

B. Not Acceptable
1.
2.
3.
4.

No styrofoam,
No plastic plates, cups, flatware, bags
No small item (forks, spoons, straws, loose caps)
Do not crush the items

The Buzz at Irmo Middle

The Buzz at Irmo Middle

Page
Page88

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

Page
Page99

The Buzz at Irmo Middle

The Buzz at Irmo Middle

Page
Page10
10

The Buzz at Irmo Middle

The Buzz at Irmo Middle

Page
Page 11
11

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

Page
Page 12
12

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle

Page 13
13
Page

TheThe
Buzz
Buzz
at Irmo
at Irmo
Middle
Middle