It is our hope that the following resources will assist you in navigating and maximizing your, or your child's, educational experience at Salisbury Middle School. For convenience purposes, the following are some frequently asked questions and their related responses to assist you in this process:
How might I access my child's current grades?
In the beginning of the school year, or upon enrollment, each parent/child was provided with a parent portal letter outlining the necessary steps to create an online parent/student portal account. Using the password indicated in the letter, you may create both a student and parent account at the following link: Access Parent Portal. This link may also be used to login to the Community Portal. For further assistance in creating a portal account or troubleshooting an existing account, please contact Mrs. Mary Bishop at mbishop@stsd.org.
My child is struggling with his/her academic work. What supports are available?
Interventions for academic performance are plentiful at Salisbury Middle School. The structure of our programming on the academic level is performed through the teaming concept. Each grade level team meets on a daily basis to address program planning, curriculum, and developing interventions and accommodations to meet students' diverse needs. Therefore, the initial point of contact for parents and students is the grade-specific teaching team. This may be accomplished via email or phone contact with an indication of specific concern. With knowledge of a concern regarding academic performance, the team may then plan interventions to address the student's academic performance. Each child is encouraged to utilize the activity period (first period, Monday through Thursday) to meet with teachers of individual content areas in which they are struggling for additional support. If the child continues to struggle, and/or additional supports are needed, peer tutoring may be arranged through the guidance department by speaking to the student's school counselor. For additional information on our tutoring program, please see the following link: Tutoring at SMS. If continued concerns mandate further intervention, the team of teachers, parent(s)/guardian(s), or students can initiate a referral to our Child Study team. The Child Study team is an interdisciplinary team consisting of our building administrators, school counselors, teachers, School Psychologist, and Social Worker. Upon referral, this team sets forth to collect data regarding student performance and develop advanced interventions which may include educational testing to determine specific needs upon parent/guardian consent.
My child is struggling socially/emotionally at home and/or school. What resources are available?
While it is our goal to provide for the optimal social and emotional conditions for academic growth at Salisbury Middle School, we recognize that the middle school years are defined by a developmental period of social and emotional change experienced by many of the students we serve. With this awareness, there are plentiful supports in place to assist students in coping with social/emotional struggles at Salisbury Middle School. Our School Counseling (Guidance) Department is adept at providing both proactive and responsive strategies to assist students in need in these domains. The following services are provided to address these concerns:
Classroom guidance lessons provide a proactive approach to assisting students in learning, developing, and practicing the necessary social and emotional coping strategies necessary in healthy development. Teaming with outside agencies, the SMS Guidance Department integrates these programs in the classroom setting with grade-specific goals and objectives.
We are pleased to be partnered with CONCERN, a community-based mental health agency offering outpatient counseling services in our school. If you are interested in learning more about this available service, please contact the guidance department for more information and/or to complete the referral process for your child.
Specific workshops and group counseling opportunities are established throughout the school year based on students' needs.
Student-specific concerns are navigated through the implementation of individual counseling with the assigned School Counselor.
Mediation sessions are available to manage issues arising out of peer conflict
Individualized counseling sessions to develop skills in time management and organizational planning/strategy development to reduce stressors.
Our School Social Worker, Jill Williams, is available to provide assistance to families in accessing community mental health services and programs and may be reached at jwilliams@salisburysd.org.
We maintain an active Student Assistance Program (SAP) and a Child Study Team to address student concerns using a team-based approach. Parents, guardians, students, teacher, staff and any stakeholder may make a referral to these programs using our referral form. Please select the following link to make a referral: SAP Referral Form. Once a referral is made, the team will collect data on the student and, if deemed necessary by the finding, will request parent/guardian permission to make a referral to an outside agency for further assessment and determination of beneficial mental health and/or substance abuse interventions. For more information on the Salisbury Middle School SAP team, please click on the following link: SMS SAP Team. Please note, in the event of a crisis situation in which a child is presenting a danger to him/herself or others, please contact Lehigh Valley Crisis Intervention at (610) 782-3127 or Northampton County Crisis Intervention at (610) 252-9060 for immediate assistance, the local police, and/or accompany the child to the nearest hospital for further mental health evaluation.
I have concerns regarding online safety and the protection of my child in the online environment. What resources are available to help?
There are many online resources available to assist in the discussion of internet safety with your child. Please visit The Concerned Parent's Toolbox where you will find videos and games to deliver messages about being online, personal online safety, appropriate online behavior, and computer safety. Also, please view the document entitled "Chatting with Kids About Being Online" in the Related Files section below.
This document is an excellent resource that highlights such topics as talking to your child about internet safety, communicating with children at different age levels, socializing online, using mobile devices, making computer security a habit, and protecting your child's identity.
