September 12, 2016

Irmo Middle School

6051 Wescott Road
Columbia, SC 29212
(803) 476-3600

The Buzz at Irmo Middle School

www.lexrich5.org/ims

Creating successful students for the challenges of tomorrow

School Hours:
8:20 a.m.3:35 p.m.

Inside this issue:

Growing Global
2
SIC Staff
3
Who Am I Dance
4
Administrative News
5
PTSO News
5
Athletic News
6
Grouchos Night
7
8th Grade New York Trip 8
Yellow Jacket Club
9-11
Volunteer With Us
12
D5 Celebration
13
PTSO Flyer
14
Student Govt Members 15

Dates to Remember:
Tues 9/13
Home Volleyball game vs.
Carolina Springs 5:30
Wed 9/14
Late Start for Students
Home C Team Football
game vs. Meadow Glenn
5:30
Thurs 9/15
Beta Club Induction: IMS
Caf 6-7
Mon 9/19
Fall Pictures
Sun 9/25
SOES 50th Anniversary
Fri 10/7
Who am I, dance
Thu 10/13
Community Celebration

Robert S. Jackson, Ed.S., Principal

rsjackso@lexrich5.org

https://twitter.com/IMS_Principal

FALL PICTURES: Monday Sep 19th.

OUTFIT: Plan your outfit the night before picture
day! A clean and pressed outfit will create a beautiful
portrait. Ironing the collar makes all the difference in
close-up portraits! Fall Portraits are generally fullbody so check your outfit from head to toe. Choose
colors that compliment your eye color and skin tone. White does not photograph well;
solid colors and small patterns are generally best. Avoid spaghetti straps and off the
shoulder tops, t-shirts with pop culture images, logos, superheroes and words.
SMILE: Be sure to show off your smile! Dont have kids smile with their mouth closed
Natural smiles are best.

ADMINISTRATION: Students should have received a flyer from their Social Studies
teacher that will allow you to pre-order your child's pictures. Please send that payment
to school with your child on Picture Day to turn in to the photographer. You can also
purchase online at www.strawbridge.net. We appreciate your support and encourage
you to purchase your child's pictures, not only to capture this moment in their lives,
but also because it is a very important fundraiser for our school!

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Seven Oaks
Elementary
You are cordially invited to
50th Anniversary Celebration

3:00pm, Sunday Sep 25th

Followed by an Open House & Reception
2800 Ashland Rd, Columbia SC
All former students, parents, teachers & community members are welcome.

RSVP: mhlyerly@lexrich5.org
Check out our Website and Facebook Page for more information .
http://sevenoakses.bcps.org/home

If you have news for the

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

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Last week, Seven Oaks Elementary MEDIA Magnet was

featured as one of School District Five of Lexington and
Richland Counties CHOICE schools. This week, another
CHOICE school, Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet is being highlighted. The CHOICE program allows families to select any school in District Five
that has space available to accommodate additional
students or to select a magnet school or program.
Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet
presents learning from a global perspective. Students
are part of the international community and study the
world around them. Global topics are tied to the curriculum in relevant ways and students are exposed to real
world issues through global themes, projects, and case
studies.
Principal Robert Jackson explained, We want our students to be able to engage in work that really matters.
To study the world, to make specific connections to
those global themes that we laid out, to learn in a way that they are connected with themselves but also to their
peers around them.
A variety of curriculum opportunities are offered for students. World language choices include French, German,
Mandarin Chinese, and Spanish. For students interested in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM),
topics such as rocketry and space, plastics and polymers, and eco-architecture are all linked back to global
themes. Eighth grader Camilo Benitez is in a STEM class for a second year. He emphasized, The class is wonderful. You have fun but at the same time youre learning how the world works from a perspective you wouldnt
have gotten before by just sitting in the classroom.
Teaching and learning look different at Irmo Middle School because of their partnership with EL Education. EL
Education has three core practices: high-quality work, character, and mastery of skills and knowledge. Students
are engaged on different levels and not just academically. Magnet Lead Teacher Jennifer Cook summarized,
Everything that they are learning, they are learning it in a more relevant and a more meaningful way.
Students participate in Expeditions to solve real world problems and make a difference. The Expeditions include: iGrow, addressing world hunger; Migration Nation, studying the dwindling monarch butterfly population;
and Lets Talk Trash, solving garbage and recycling concerns. The Expeditions are integrated into all subject areas.

Students go beyond studying problems and enact solutions. With Migration Nation students planted a garden of
milkweed, a plant needed for monarchs to lay eggs. They also inspired the community to take action. Eighth
grader Lexi Miller explained, We got the opportunity to talk to the Irmo Town Council. We got to go through a
presentation and tell them our issue and what we needed their help with. They offered to let us put signs in
some different town local parks and plant some milkweed in those parks as well. It was just a really cool experience.
Crew meetings offer students a family within the school. Crew is a group of fourteen to eighteen students who
meet with an adult leader. It is a time for students to be well known, supported, advocated for, and challenged
by their peers and adult leader. It personalizes the learning experience for every student and makes sure no one
gets lost in the crowd. Our students must meet the same standards as their peers across the state, said Jackson, But, we take a different approach to teaching and learning.
Seventh grade student Kendall Smith said, I have Dr. Ware for Crew. She checks our grades, she checks our tardies, and she makes goals for us. Its almost like a parent is there making sure your grades are good, making sure
you are doing what you need to be doing.
The CHOICE program provides many options for students to find their best fit, and Irmo Middle School International Academic Magnet fosters an environment infused with global awareness. The school theme for this year is
Next LevelGrowing Global as students continue connecting globally.

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IRMO MIDDLE SCHOOL

Creating successful students for the challenges of tomorrow

SCHOOL IMPROVEMENT COUNCIL

2016-2017

Returning and Elected Members

Faith Hunter - Chair
Ashley Hartzog
L. Thomas Solet
Timothy Parker
Bunnie Ward
Beth White

Appointed Members

Todd Nelson (Community Member)

Jordan OKeefe (Community Member)
Kurt Stevens
Kim Benson
Cheryl Duffie

Principals Advisory Panel

Lucia Jacobs
Vanessa Mota

Teachers and Staff

Jennifer Cook
Allison Redick
Kim Waters
Will Green

Students

(To Be Announced)

Ex-Officio Members
Ruth Iglesias (PTSO)
Robert Jackson
Glenn Hutto
Vernon Sava
Danielle Major-Murphy

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Administrative News
** Reminders **
Fall Pictures moved to 9/1916. The Fall pictures day have been moved to Monday,
September 19th, 2016. Please see the flyer following this page for more information.

Early Dismissal Cut-off is 3:00: Students WILL NOT be signed out in the main office from 3:003:30 p.m. Parents arriving during this time will be required to pick up their students in the car rider
line.

Change of Transportation: For the safety of your child, please DO NOT call the main office to

change mode of transportation home. Arrangements should be made in advance. If an event is canceled it will be announced and the students will have time to call the parent to make other arrangements.

Drop-offs for Students: Please try to limit bringing forgotten items to the main office. We are
trying to instill "Ownership" and Responsibility in our students.

PTSO News
** Reminders **
Thank you so much to all the Parents, Faculty and Staff that have joined the PTSO! Your membership money
goes back to programs for the teachers and students.

Volunteer Opportunities:
1. Who Am I? Dance Planning meeting. September 6th at 5:30, IMS conference room. Anyone
who is interested in helping with this dance, we are having our first planning meeting. There is a lot to
plan and welcome any parent/guardian who would like to help. Please email Ruth Iglesias
rigles@me.com with any questions.
2. IMS Greenhouse needs some extra hands and garden savvy people to help out with the Irmo Middle
School garden. If you are interested, please email Ms. Wierzbinski at cwierzbinski@lexrich5.org

Fundraising Opportunities:
1. Become a member for only $10 of which 100% goes to students and teachers. (see flyer on last page).
2. Buy a T-shirt for only $10 while supplies last (see PTSO flyer on last page).
3. Do you shop at Krogers or Publix? If so, go onto www.krogercommunityrewards.com & select Irmo Middle School or stop b Publix Customer Service &sign up for a grocery tag. This is an easy way for IMS PTSO to
earn money!
4. Grouchos night: 1st Tuesday of Each Month: Grouchos will give 10% of sales back to IMS PTSO.
5. Who Am I? Dance. October 7th. IMS Cafeteria from 3:45 - 5:45.
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Athletic Announcements
Sports Physicals $20

Call for an appointment today!

803.814.2234
Located at the back of Murraywood Centre

7001 St. Andrews Rd, Ste B9, Columbia SC 29212

www.crescenthealthclinic.com

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8th grade expedition to New York City

April 4-7 2017 (the week before Spring Break) Absences will be excused.

You can find information at www.explorica.com/irmocioffi-2017.

Open to 8th graders of the 2016-2017 school year only.

Fund raising will be discussed!

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IRMO MIDDLE SCHOOL PTSO

Memberships & T-Shirts
Membership:
A Family or Teacher Membership of $10.00 goes toward supporting programs sponsored by your PTSO
such as student activities, teacher appreciation, and other school programs. Please make checks payable to IMS
PTSO. Put your childs name, grade and Crew teacher on the check. If you are a teacher, just write down your
Name please.

T-Shirts:
T-shirts are going quick. If you havent purchased an IMS T-shirt, there is still time. Unfortunately at this
time we are out of black t-shirts. We have plenty Coral and Steel Gray!

Contact Information:
Student(s) 1:_________________________________ ________________ _______Grade__________
2:_________________________________ _______________________ Grade__________
3:_________________________________ ________________________Grade__________
Parent(s)/Guardian/ or Teacher Name: ____________________________________________

Email Address_______________________________________________________________
Contact Number___________________________Crew Teacher _______________________

*T-shirt sizes: Youth L and Adult S, M, L, XL Colors: Light Steel and Coral

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Irmo Middle Schools G40 Members for 2016-2017

Chandler Galinski
Luther Robinson
Jahnvi Kartik
Alaura Cakley
Natavia Jeffrey
Grace Richardson
Lauren Verner
William Ostergaard
Sophia Caley
Meaghan Waddell
Emma Saalfrank
Jordan Phillips
Tori McCray
Solomon Jacobs
Meghna Subramanium
Seneca McFarland
Noah Clarkson
MeAurhe Lewis
Joshua Dean
Saanvi Cherukmali
Macie Love
Pooja Saji
Danielle Eskridge
Kendall Smith
Jamia East
Khaleel Pratt
Elly Green
Tabitha Meury
Ejuan Jones
Jada Washington
Solomon Scott
Alexander Johnson

Congratulations to you all!!

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