MS Summer & Back to School Info

Middle School "Meet and Greet" for New and Returning Students and Families

Tuesday, June 11, 3:30-4:30 pm in the Middle School

Start your summer with a sweet treat! The SSFS Middle School will host a "Meet and Greet" for all new and returning Middle School students and their families on Tuesday, June 11, from 3:30-4:30 pm in the Middle School Smith Collection Space. This will be an excellent opportunity for our incoming families to meet current families, and for all to enjoy games, treats, and good company together as the summer begins. Students will play a few games with P.E. staff, and we’ll conclude with a frozen treat. Please RSVP by Friday, June 7.

Middle School Pond Night

Wednesday, July 24 from 5:00-7:00 pm

Join MS families at the pond behind Scott House for an informal get-together with swimming and socializing before the school year begins.

Middle School Orientation and Back-to-School Events

• Tuesday, September 3: Orientation Day - Required for New Families, Optional for Returning Families. More info to come soon!
• Thursday, September 5: Middle School Fall Sports begin; Middle School Sports Info Session, 4:15-5:15 pm in the Athletic Center Multipurpose Room
• Friday, September 6: Middle School Ice Cream Social (for MS students and MS faculty/staff), 12:45-1:20 pm
• Saturday, September 14: SSFS Parents Association "Friends Day," 4:00-7:00 pm

Signups for 2019-2020 Aftercare and Bus Service are now available.

Bus Transportation

Information about bus routes can be found online here (or see PDF of 2019-2020 Bus Routes here). Families can enroll in Bus Transportation and Before Care services via MyBackPack > Program Registration. SSFS continues to accept bus registrations until August 1, or until routes are at capacity. Please note that some routes will fill to capacity before August 1, so be sure to register to ride the bus as soon as possible. Directions for bus registration may be found online here.

See 2019-2020 Bus Routes here.

Middle School Aftercare

Parents may register Middle School students for Aftercare by logging in to My BackPack and clicking the "Program Registration" link. Click here for further instructions. 

Magnus Health Information and Form Uploads for 2019-2020 are now available.

Family health and permission forms that you will need to fill out for your child are submitted using Magnus Health. Families are asked to submit all required health forms for the 2019-2020 academic year by July 15. View online instructions and FAQs.

Emails about schedules and book ordering will be sent to families in July, and schedules and book ordering can be accessed from your MyBackPack account after that date. If you have any questions about your child's schedule, please contact the MS office. Book ordering instructions are available here. The 2019-2020 Middle School Course Curriculum will be available soon. 

See the 2018-2019 Middle School Course Curriculum is available here (you may download the PDF, or view the e-booklet online).

Middle School summer reading lists and resources are available here.

Middle school students have family-owned iPads for daily school use. New students to the Middle School are expected to purchase an iPad for school use (see iPad system requirements). You can find out more about purchasing and repair options here.

Website login information for new families will be emailed approximately two weeks after you sign your enrollment contract. The website login gives families single-sign-on access to MyBackPack and online classrooms from the website, but you do not need a website login to access your MyBackPack account; you can simply login directly to My BackPack.

A description of Technology Services at SSFS is available in this letter from the IT Staff. You can also find the New Family Technology Setup Checklist here. 

You can find more information for new and returning families on the Technology website. Technology questions may be directed to the Technology Office at tech@ssfs.org.

After enrolling, each family gets a dedicated MyBackpack account with a unique username and password. If you have submitted your enrollment contract and not yet received login information for (or need assistance accessing) your MyBackpack account, please contact the Technology department at tech@ssfs.org or 301-774-7455 x111. Your MyBackpack account will give you access to a number of services including:

• Billing and student accounts
• Student class schedules and grades/comments
• School directory
• Family contact information
• Enrollment contracts

Please ensure that your contact information in your MyBackpack account is accurate. As a part of our continuing efforts to act in environmentally sustainable ways, SSFS rarely sends information by paper mail. All communications about events, grades, billing account status, re-enrollment, and other information are sent electronically through My Backpack using the email addresses you have provided. An emergency notification service is also available via text message, so please also provide a cell phone number where you may reached.

The online bookstore via Follett will be open Tuesday, July 16. Logging in to Follett will allow you to view the book list and access the online bookstore for your student via your My BackPack account. Click here to view an instruction page that will walk you through the process of viewing and ordering your child’s books. Please pay attention to the “Section Note” section of each course page, as there may be important details regarding a particular course’s books.

• 2019-2020 6th Grade Supply List
• 2019-2020 7th Grade Supply List
• 2019-2020 8th Grade Supply List

Forms for school photos for grades 6-11 will be available online in August, and hard copies will be available at the first day of school Orientation Day on Tuesday, September 3.

Middle School Administrative Assistant Erin Ryan is available to field questions or direct you to the appropriate contact. Erin's email is erin.ryan@ssfs.org and her phone number is 301-774-7455 x160.