Sharon Middle School

The Sharon City School District is anticipating holding a Special Meeting on Monday, August 24, 2020 at 7 PM for the purpose of reviewing PIAA recommended options for fall sports, transportation contracts, personnel and any other business that may come before the Board. The meeting will be held virtually with connection instructions available on the District website at www.sharonsd.org.

The Sharon City School District Board of Education has revised the calendar and start date for all schools. School will now begin on Wednesday, August 26, 2020. Those attending school in-person will also now begin classes 1 hour later than usual - Middle/High School at 9:00 AM and Elementary at 9:30 AM for the first 9 weeks of school. The new calendar can be found in both the News and Explore sections of our website and phone app.

Attention ALL Sharon M/HS Students who have signed up for Virtual Instruction: Mr. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Blair and Mr. Vannoy are beginning to call all M/HS students/parents who signed up for Virtual learning according to the virtual form that was posted to the district's website. Any student that is on this list will need to pick up their Chromebook at the M/HS on August 25, 2020 during the following times: Grades 7-8: 8-10:00 AM Grades 9-10: 10:00-noon Grades 11-12: 12:30-2:30 PM If you have any questions, please ask them when the building principals call. Thank you for your patience and we look forward to talking with you!

Attention All Sharon Property Owners: The Sharon Tax Office has mailed the 2020 School Real Estate Tax Cards. It is your responsibility as a property owner in the City of Sharon to please notify the tax office if you did not receive your tax bill. Phone: 724-983-3208 (Sharon Tax Office)

Good morning Sharon Schools families and staff. This morning we have posted to our website and phone app under the news heading information related to our back to school plans. Please read the back to school letter (Letter 1) and both the Health and Safety Plan and Checklist. Check this site often for additional information and updates.

As we prepare for back to school remember that you can manage your student's lunch account online at My School Bucks. To access the account visit myschoolbucks.com or download the app at the App Store or on Google Play.

We want to thank our families for their patience as we finalize plans for the start of the school year. We know you have many questions regarding plans and procedures as the District prepares for the start of school, which is slated for August 25th. Please know that we are working diligently to address every concern and plan for things we can and cannot anticipate. We are committed to providing instruction, whether face to face in school or virtual at home. More information is coming soon, but we wanted to make everyone aware that while it is our hope for students to return to our school buildings, the District has also secured the resources to provide virtual options for students in the event of a school closure and for those families concerned with returning to school. Students opting for the virtual model will still be connected daily to Sharon City SD teachers and classrooms. If you are interested in at home learning, please visit the homepage of our website www.sharonsd.org to complete the Virtual Learning Form. No doubt our families are concerned with the safety of their children and wondering how school will look in the upcoming weeks and months. We have already received a number of responses and are working hard to address everyone’s questions. We apologize for the slight delay in response as we navigate through all of the requests. The safety of our students and staff is our #1 priority as we strive to continue educating our students during this unprecedented time. Thank you for all of your support and understanding.

With the uncertainties that the current pandemic presents, we realize that at any given moment our schools may once again have to shut down. We’re also aware that some of our students may not be able to attend school or there may be parents who wish to keep their children home. We want our families to know that the District will be prepared to provide instruction to all students in all scenarios, this includes the options of in school face to face instruction and virtual learning, where students will participate in school at home daily. Sharon City Schools have secured the resources to implement a 1:1 initiative. This means: Every K-12 student will be receiving a Chromebook at the beginning of the 2020-21 school year for use in and out of the classroom, as needed. Online learning and connection to our classrooms will be made available to every student. We will maintain instruction regardless of how the District is impacted by COVID-19 closures or restrictions. We understand that families may be hesitant for the children to return to the school buildings. To discuss our virtual learning options, please contact Justi Glaros, Supervisor of Curriculum, Instruction, & Assessment, at 724-983-4000, ext. 4990 or justi_glaros@sharonsd.org or visit our homepage to access our Virtual Learning Form.

Attention Sharon M/HS Parents and Students: You can access the FALL 2020 HEALTH AND SAFETY PLAN DRAFT UPDATES now at the following address below: https://www.sharonsd.org/o/sharon-city-school-district/page/fall-2020-health-and-safety-plan-draft-updates **While no final decision on school reopening will occur until August 10, 2020 due to the ever changing nature of the pandemic, the information listed in these draft documents will prove helpful to students, parents and staff members.**

Sharon City School District Parent/Guardian Survey for the 2020-2021 School Year Message from the Superintendent of Schools: https://5il.co/hzka PARENT/GUARDIAN SURVEY: https://forms.gle/pmnKyqepVKtVHfut9

Attention Sharon HS XC Runners and M/HS Cheerleaders: XC TEAM: Volunteer summer conditioning will begin Tuesday, July 7th, 8:15AM. We will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays for the summer. Meet at shelter #2 at Buhl Park. Please bring your own water bottle. All runners and coaches will be following the Sharon City School District's Health and Safety Plan. If there is a change in mitigation for Mercer County, we will be postponing summer conditioning. M/HS Cheer: All Sharon M/HS students who are interested in trying out for MS Cheer (7th and 8th Grade) and Varsity Cheer (9th-12th Grade) must complete the form at the following link: https://forms.gle/77crWwaqbzXenCjy7 We will be hosting a clinic to learn the tryout routine July 20-22 from 2:00-4:00. Tryouts will be held on July 23 from 2:00 until we are finished. If you are unavailable for ALL 4 days (July 20-23) and would like to still tryout, please indicate that on the form at the link above. You will be contacted directly in regards to an alternative audition procedure. The deadline to register at the link above is July 10, 2020. Please note: if there is a change in mitigation phase for Mercer County, we will postpone tryouts until the school can hold them. Please bring your own water bottle. All cheerleaders and coaches will be following the Sharon City School District's Health and Safety Plan.

Corrected Website Address to the previous message: https://www.emergencymealsurvey.com/PA

The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act of 2020 provides temporary benefits to families of school-aged children who would receive free or reduced-priced meals if school was in session. Families that receive SNAP or TANF should have already received benefits issued to their EBT card. If not, please submit an inquiry to https:..www.emergencymealssurvey.com/PA for information. All others should receive their cards by the end of July.

Congratulations To The Class of 2020! https://5il.co/hjbq

Sharon High athletes Gianna Labbiento and Lane Voytik were recently named Athletes of the year by the Varsity Cup. Gianna received the honor in Girls Cross Country and Lane for Small School Football. Olympian Jackie Joyner-Kersee presented Gianna's award and Super Bowl Champion Drew Brees presented Lane honors. Congratulations to Gianna and Lane and thank you for being awesome Tiger Student-Athletes!

Attention all Sharon girls, grades 5-12, if you want to join the girls basketball team, or have some fun in the gym this summer, or just want to check the new coaches and team, click on the following link! We’d love to have you sign up and we’ll get you more information. The preseason programs will be starting at the end of June so sign up today. https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1VBGAbeZQcjJsW2xOT0w2a-aiJnktFnWbBpkcyiAwNfw/edit?pli=1

Attention 9th-11th Graders and Parents/Guardians - Our annual Recognition Day was unfortunately canceled due to the shutdown of school this past March. The Junior Class Officers, IT Department, Guidance Counselors, Teachers, and Administrators still wanted to recognize our students for their hard work and efforts from this past year. Even though our recognition program may look different this year, we worked very hard to honor our students! We hope you enjoy our virtual recognition program at the following link: Congratulations to all of our students! **Academic Boosters Club awards will be given out next school year at a date that has yet to be determined. Any student who received an award in the video will have their award mailed to them over the summer. If the award is too heavy, it will be hand delivered!** Have a safe and happy summer! https://5il.co/h0u2 -Mrs. Blair

P-EBT families please note: An online P-EBT Inquiry Form is now available if the parent/guardian believes they should have already received P-EBT benefits at https://www.emergencymealsurvey.com/PA • P-EBT benefit issuance for current SNAP and TANF EBT cardholders will be complete by June 8, 2020, if their school-aged child was receiving free or reduced-price meals before May 20, 2020. Current SNAP and TANF EBT Cardholders can check their card balance by calling 1-888-328-7366 or using www.connectebt.com. • Free and reduced eligible school-aged students that are not SNAP/TANF or those receiving SNAP or TANF that became eligible for free or reduced-price meals after May 20, 2020, while P-EBT cards are being mailed and should be received by the end of June 2020.

Good evening Sharon Seniors & parents. Mr. Fitzgerald will be hosting a meeting tonight at 6 pm to discuss plans for this year's commencement ceremony. e-invitations have been sent but you can also call 1-408-418-9388, access code is 711 434 990 if needed.

The school lunch program will conclude on Thursday, June 4. No lunches will be served on Friday, June 5. Our summer lunch program will begin on Monday, June 8 and will run from 11:00 am until 12:30 pm. This will be a brown bag lunch/breakfast.