Good Afternoon South Lake Families,
Next week, we have Back to School Night on Thursday, September 4th. For parents with students in Bonus Period PE, we will begin at 5:40pm. At 6:00pm, all parents will begin in their students Homeroom class. Your student will be creating a locator card for you to use with their schedule and a map of the school on the back so please make sure to bring it with you. Your student’s schedule is also on Aeries. We strongly encourage parent/guardians to attend to learn about your student’s classes and meet their teachers. This is not time to share personal information, please contact teachers directly to share.
I will also be hosting Parent Orientation for parents/guardians who have not yet attended. It will begin at 5:00pm in the MPR. I hope to see you there!
Here is a message from our PE Department…Great first week for dressing out in P.E. class! Most students did an excellent job and came prepared. We just wanted to send a few friendly reminders to help everyone continue to do well.
A few quick tips:
- Your P.E. uniform or athletic clothes should be different from what you wore to school.
- Please wear athletic shoes. For safety, no sandals, slides, Crocs, or Uggs are allowed.
- No jeans or pajama pants
Be sure to write your student’s name on your P.E. clothes to prevent them from getting lost. Thank you for your patience as we work to get everyone's PE clothes. Please note that we have run out of some sizes. We will be placing another order soon, and we appreciate your patience and understanding. If your child is still waiting on an item, they may wear alternative athletic attire to class until their order arrives. PE uniforms can be purchased with this link PE Clothes at MySchoolBucks. The deadline to order clothes is Monday, September 1st.
If you are looking for fun and active activities for your child to engage in after school, look no further. South Lake partners with the City of Irvine Youth Outreach, and they have some great activities coming up…Register now!
End of Summer Beach Bonfire – Join MSP for our annual Bonfire Beach Party, where students will enjoy nature's finest with swimming, dinner, and snacks. Supervision, dinner, and s'mores around the bonfire will be provided. Invite some friends for a fun night out! Transportation will be provided.
Who: IUSD Middle School Students
When: September 5th, 2025 after school until 9 pm
Price: $29
Course#: 124370
Youth Action Team (YAT) – The Middle School Youth Action Team is an after-school community service-based program that encourages students to be actively involved in their community. YAT is a great way for students to learn new skills, experience new challenges, make new friends, and discover they have what it takes to make a difference in their community.
YAT T-shirt included in the course.
All students attend weekly meetings on Mondays after school, but teams of 13 rotate weekly to offsite excursions on Wednesdays. Wednesday projects will start after school at 3:02 pm, and end times will vary depending on project locations. Weekly YAT emails will be sent out by staff.
Who: South Lake Middle School Students
When: Monday and Wednesday after school during the Fall
Price: $39
Course#: 124318
Youth Outreach District-Wide Volleyball Tournament – Join our district-wide volleyball tournament! Create a team with your friends and practice at your school with expert coaching. You'll have the opportunity to scrimmage against nearby schools and wrap it all up with an exciting district-wide tournament. Open to all skill levels and COED. Our program includes instruction, equipment, team t-shirts, supervision, and transportation to off-site scrimmages and the tournament.
1st place will win up to $250 value prize for their school!
Who: IUSD Middle School Students
When: Tue, Thu after school until 5 PM 9/23/25- 10/16/25
Price: $32
Course#: 127634
Visit www.yourirvine.org and search “Youth Outreach” in the filter box to see all locations and options. Please contact Youth Outreach Senior Leader Jackson Clements with any questions.
Call/Text: (949) 664-2098
Email: JClements@cityofirvine.org
We do not have school on Monday, September 1st in observance of Labor Day. You will notice that we DO NOT have a Late Start on Thursday, September 4th. Instead we have an Early Out so that our teachers can get prepared for BTSN. School begins at 8:15am and ends at 1:30pm. We will have Bonus Period PE at 7:15am. There is also a Minimum Day on Friday, September 5th.
 We hope you have a wonderful 3-day weekend…stay cool Sharks!
In kindness,
Belinda Averill
Principal
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PTSA
PTSA Membership Drive is happening now! Join PTSA and be automatically entered in a raffle…thank you for supporting our school!
PTSA Reflections is here!
⏳ School is back and that means The Reflections Program is open! We wanted to share the theme for this year along with information about the program. Stay tuned for more info including participation links and due dates! ⬇️
South Lake PTSA proudly sponsors the National PTA Reflections Program, an arts recognition and achievement program for students. The Reflections Program provides opportunities for students to express themselves creatively and to receive positive recognition for original works of art inspired by a pre-selected theme, while increasing community awareness of the importance of the arts in education.
Students may submit an entry in any of the six arts areas listed below. Only original works of art are accepted. Students may enter more than one work of art. The six arts areas are as follows:
Dance Choreography 🕺🏻
Literature 📖
Photography 📸
Film Production 🎥
Music Composition 🎼
Visual Art 🖼️
❓Questions: please contact our amazing Reflection Co-Chairs Annabelle & Chelsea at slmsreflections2025@gmail.com
Chromebook Insurance
As we all know, accidents can happen with the IUSD Chromebook that is assigned and loaned to each student. Depending on the damage, this can be costly to a household. Please take a moment and get your Chromebook insurance. The 2025-2026 updated information and link is provided to you for your convenience: https://support.iusd.org/hc/en-us/articles/360033840394-IUSD-Chromebook-Insurance-Program.
Planner Info
The Planner is an invaluable resource for your student and you! The first section is our Handbook that details all practices, procedures and expectations. We have reviewed these with students and these were included in Data Confirmation for you to review. Students are required to fill out their Planner and we review this on Fridays when we check for accuracy during our Planner Dive in Homeroom. Our goal is to help organize your student and build their agency in navigating their secondary education. The last section in the Planner contains resources for classes and tools to assist their learning and navigating technology. It's a great place to start when looking for information and/or support.
Math Competition Information
Sharpen your math skills by joining our math competition team coached by Mr. Dharman. He has coached hundreds of students in the AMC 8 and some have even scored in the top 5% in the country!
 The link to sign up is HERE. For more information, please contact Mr. Dharman at gregorydharman@iusd.org.
Parent Partnership Opportunities
In partnership with CHOC, South Lake would like to present an in-person 4-week Parent Power Hour (1x/week for about an hour each session). If you are interested, please complete the form below to receive updates. This is a great opportunity!!
Topics covered:
1. Improving Communication with Validation
2. Rewards and Consequences
3. Connecting While Holding Boundaries
4. Giving Prompts for Tasks and Coping Skills
E-Bike Safety Presentation
e-Vehicle Registration is required for students in IUSD wanting to ride and park their electric vehicle on campus. Students and at least one parent/guardian must attend IUSD eVehicle Required Training at one of the high schools. Upon completion of the orientation, students will be able to register their vehicle (e-bike, e-scooter, e-skateboard) with Mr. Vasquez, Campus Security, to receive a registration sticker to be able to park at school. Students are expected to adhere to ALL safety guidelines reviewed in the orientation in order to continue to park on campus. Students who attended in the past, do not need to attend again.
Students who already have completed the training and have a sticker, MUST complete the SLMS eBike Registration Form and indicate your sticker number. Please submit to Mr. Vasquez at the start of school.
Illegal bikes and scooters ARE NOT permitted on campus…thank you!
Attendance Matters
As we move through the school year, I want to emphasize the crucial role that regular attendance plays in your student’s success. Every day of learning matters, and consistent school attendance is one of the most important factors in achieving strong academic outcomes and fostering a sense of belonging at school. Here’s why:
- Improved Academic Performance: Students who attend school regularly are more likely to keep up with daily lessons and assignments, leading to better grades and a deeper understanding of the material.
- Building Positive Habits: Consistent attendance helps students develop responsibility, time management, and perseverance—skills they will carry with them long after middle school.
- Social Connections: Being in school allows students to participate fully in group work, social activities, and extracurriculars that are vital for their emotional and social growth.
- Strong Foundations for Future Success: Studies show that students with high attendance rates are more likely to graduate and pursue higher education or career opportunities with confidence.
We understand that occasional absences are unavoidable due to illness or emergencies. However, I encourage you to do your best to schedule appointments, vacations, and other non-urgent activities outside of the school day to minimize disruptions to your child's learning.
 Language and Accessibility Resources for Families
As part of IUSD’s and our school’s ongoing commitment to making important information, resources and services accessible to our diverse community, we want to remind families that they can adjust language and accessibility preferences on the platforms used for school communications. Whether through ParentSquare, the Parent Portal or the IUSD website, it is easy to set your preferred language, ensuring you receive updates, notifications and resources in the language that works best for you.
CLICK HERE for resources, in multiple languages, to show how you can select your preferred language and accessibility features on ParentSquare. With ParentSquare, you can set your language preference to receive notifications, messages and updates directly in the language of your choice.
Bell Schedule
The 2025-2026 Bell Schedule includes all the minimum days and special schedules for the year. Please make sure to review the start and end times for these schedules.
Stay Connected
Stay connected by checking your email for communication from South Lake and IUSD. South Lake is also on Instagram @southlakemiddleschool and our website is at www.southlake.iusd.org.
Stay up to date about what is happening at school and in class by reviewing your student’s Planner, becoming a Canvas Observer, checking Parent Portal and visiting our website.
Canvas https://iusd.instructure.com/login
Parent Portal https://my.iusd.org/
Website https://southlake.iusd.org/ |
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