October 14, 2013 Issue 8 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.

The Buzz
rsjackso@lexrich5.org

at Irmo Middle School

Creating successful students for the challenges of tomorrow

Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Principal
https://twitter.com/IMS_Principal

Inside this issue:

Sports/Activities Golfing for Baseball App IMS Junior/Leadership Operation Santa Book Fair Anti Bullying Program Students of the Month 2 3 4 5 6 7 7

PSAT Test Day Has Arrived

Its finally here! 8th Graders who registered for the PSAT--your chance to become a Junior Scholar has arrived. The PSAT will be held in the Media Center and Staff Development Room, next Wednesday from 8:30a.m. until 11:30a.m. Both rooms are upstairs in the main building at Irmo Middle. In order to do your absolute best, we need for every student to get a good night's sleep and eat a healthy breakfast. Make sure that you bring a graphic calculator and several #2 pencils. We need all students who are taking the PSAT to be in the Media Center by 8:15a.m. so that you can be seated and situated by 8:30. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Robert McCloy (rmccloy@lexrich5.org or 476-3704).

Dates to Remember:
Mon Oct 14 Student Holiday Parent/Teacher Conf. Tues Oct 15 Stud Govt 7:45-8:15 Room 713 C Team Volleyball @ DF 5:30 Wed Oct 16 National Day of Concern Thurs Oct 17 Student Govt Installation Ceremony 8-10:20 AM C Team Football @ Pleasant Hill 5:30 C Team Volleyball @ Meadow Glenn 5:30 Fri Oct 11 FCA 7:35-8:05 Room 707

********************************************************* Fall Picture Proofs were sent home with students last week. All orders
and payments are due back on Friday, Oct. 18th. Be sure to select the image number (found below the picture) of the picture you would like to order. All checks should be made payable to ProPhoto.

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FCA Myrtle Beach Fall Retreat

The fall FCA shirt and hoodie sale has been extended. All order forms (along with payment) are due Friday, October 18th. The SC FCA Middle School Retreat forms are now available in the front office. All permission forms (along with payment) are due Friday, October 18th. If your child would like to participate and you are in need of financial assistance, please contact Mrs. Floyd (LFloyd@LexRich5.org or 476-4677).

If you have any news you would like to see in the Buzz, email Allison Redick at aredick@lexrich5.org.

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Irmo Swimmers Win Region Title

One of the special things about Irmo Middle is that an overwhelming majority of our students are involved in many positive extracurricular activities from interscholastic athletics to the arts and beyond. In this update, we would like to recognize the accolades of the Irmo Swim Team. This past Saturday, our girls swim team won the Region IV AAAA championship. Several students from Irmo Middle swim on the team and have earned All Region and qualified for the state meet (*** denoted below). We would like to recognize these students and congratulate them on a job well done. Middle School Team Members Girls
Reanna Wrecsics All Region 400 Freestyle Relay, State Team Erin Medlock All Region 200 Medley Relay & 200 Freestyle Relay, State Team Gabby Gadson, Brianna Curtis, Hannah Nates, Katelyn Johnston, Addi Johnson

Boys
Thomas Keane - State Team , Spencer Myrick - State Team

************************************************************************* GIRLS AND BOY WIN vs Richland Northeast in a home region meet. The GIRLS finished with a perfect score of 15 points in their 15 to 42 win and the BOYS finished with a 17 to 38 win.

************************************************************************* Region Orchestra Winners

Students, Parents, Guardians and Community Members, please join us in congratulating the following students for auditioning and being accepted in this year's Midlands Region Orchestra:
Sunjay Jayaram, 8th grade, violin Katie Shealy, 8th grade, violin Will Galan, 8th grade, violin Austin Thomas, 8th grade, cello Melat Tarekegne, 8th grade, cello Lauren Henderson, 8th grade, cello Sophia Zhou, 7th grade, violin Becan Floyd, 7th grade, viola Hannah Nates, 7th grade, viola

We are very proud of these students for their accomplishments.

************************************************************************* Cheerleaders Garner 1st Place Finish

Congratulations are extended to our C-team cheerleaders at Irmo Middle. At a competition this weekend in Greenville (Hillcrest High School), they captured first

place with an

amazing performance. We are so proud of our team and their coach (Michelle King) for an outstanding job. We need all students, parents, teachers, staff, and community members to continue supporting our cheerleaders. They are instrumental to our school, and we commend them for a job well done.

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IMS Junior Leadership Program

Building Citizens of Character Dedicated To Serving their Community What is it?
The Junior Leadership Program (JLP) is a program created by Irmo High School AFJROTC cadets and Irmo Middle School administration which will be held during your students enrichment time. Meetings will take place once a week and will consist of a multitude of activities promoting leadership, responsibility and respect.

Eligibility
Any student in the seventh or eighth grade is eligible to participate in the Junior Leadership Program.

Benefits Students will be taught and mentored by AFJROTC cadets who have been in the high school program for at least
one entire school year. The cadets chosen will be the best the program has to offer.

Students will learn respect, responsibility, self control, and leadership to help them be successful in school and in
the community and their future. Students will be taught personal hygiene and be expected to maintain personal hygiene and minimal grooming standards. If a student chooses to stay in JLP and advance in the program, he/she may be able to join AFJROTC at a higher rank than other first year cadets.

Opportunities These are just a few of the activities that students can do. Model Rocketry: Students will learn how rockets work and how to build them. They will then build and launch
their own rockets. Drill: Drill team cadets will teach basic drill (military marching) to the students. Students who show interest and progress in this activity will have the opportunity to learn rifle drill. Introduction to Aviation: For students interested in aviation there will be an opportunity to learn about the history of flying and basic aviation, including the use of flight simulators. Students may also be able to fly in an aircraft. Volunteering: AFJROTC cadets participate in many volunteering activities that JLP students could also join. Okra Strut Parade: Along with AFJROTC cadets, the students can march in the front of the parade beginning in 2014. Military Ball: A formal dance for the cadets with some basic military ceremony and a lot of dancing and music is an option for JLP students. Awards Banquet: A ceremony at the end of the year awarding cadets for a job well done is common in the high school. JLP participants will be invited to the ceremony and presented awards along with the high school cadets. Field Trips: Students may be able to take trips to the high school to visit and observe cadets in action as well as take trips with cadets to drill meets and, potentially, military establishments and historic sites. This is not a military or recruiting program. We use military skills to emphasize skills for success in life. There is no obligation for a member of the JLP. Students in the program are not required to join AFJROTC in high school. This is not a program to deal with disciplinary issues. This is not a graded activity.

Irmo Middle School Sponsor Information Mrs. Vickie Davis 803-476-3714 vdavis@lexrich5.org

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Seasons Greetings!!!!!

Santa Claus and his elves are hard at work in their workshop at the North Pole preparing once again to spread their Christmas cheer!!!! This year the Lexington County Sheriffs Department and the Lexington / Richland School District #5 are working together for Operation Santa. Over the years Operation Santa has provided gifts of both toys and food to families and children within the school district during the Holiday Season. This year we are again committed to bringing the gift of joy to those less fortunate, but without your help this will not be possible. As a sponsor we ask that you purchase one new outfit and one new toy per child. To volunteer as a sponsor, please email Scott Lyons at operationsantaims@yahoo.com. On behalf of the many families and children within our school district, we at Operation Santa thank you for making this Christmas a memorable one. Scott Lyons Lexington County Sheriff's Dept. 521 Gibson Road, Lexington, SC 29072 Cell: (803) 960-3035 Office: (803) 476-3618

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PTSO Notes...
Thank you all for your support so far for the PTSO. Our organization helps the school directly, by providing volunteers to help with events, sponsoring teacher and staff appreciation events, and purchasing equipment for the school. It cant be successful without the help of parents!

You can help in the following ways:

PTSO membership of $7 Volunteering to help in school events Using your grocery tags to help us earn money Participating in our donation fundraiser (costs you less and helps us more, than selling products or coupon books) Using your grocery tags to help us earn money and sending in baked goods or

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The IMS Book Fair is coming soon! The book fair will be open: during school hours from October 28 - October 31 during school hours 8am to Noon on November 1. Monday, October 28, 5:00 during the Lexington Richland 5 School Board meeting at Irmo Middle School. If you would like to volunteer to help during the book fair, please email Cynthia Lassiter at classiter811@aol.com

Come out and see "A Cool Place to Discover Hot Books!"

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Anti-Bullying Program a Huge Success

Irmo Middle School continues to take an active stand against bullying by working with state leaders to educate students, parents, and staff on how to deal with these issues. October is National Bullying Prevention Month. On Monday, October 7th, Irmo Middle School was honored to host a panel of speakers who addressed this topic and answered students' questions. We were privileged to host the following experts:
Clarke Newton, attorney at Bluestein Nichols Thompson & Delgado, LLC Bill Nettles, U.S. Attorney Joseph Shenkar, Solicitor for Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office Cambo Streater, Investigator for Fifth Circuit Solicitor's Office Brett Stevens, Lawyer serving on Young Lawyers Committee called Protecting Our Youth

We are thrilled IMS students, staff, and parents had this opportunity to learn how we can all take a stand against bullying!

IMS iAM RESPONSIBLE Students of the Month

Chris Koverman Luke Johnson Payton Sweazy Emma Bryant Nathaniel Poynor Ward Keith Payton Lang Brenden Douglas Madeline Edenton These students were nominated by their peers!