Hello Piedmont Middle Families - 

Welcome back to the 2025/2026 school year! This is your principal, Mrs.Starnes. I will begin sending our weekly Sunday evening messages regularly to ensure that everyone has the information needed to ensure a smooth start for this school year. Union County Public Schools has transitioned to several new platforms this year and it is important for you to complete the action steps included in this message so that you can stay connected to our school and your student’s education.

*As we transition to Infinite Campus, I recognize that some families are still not receiving emails. There is a space on our website that will include all weekly messages to access until all email addresses and contacts are corrected.  Please visit the Piedmont Middle website, click on “Quick Links” and then click on “Weekly Messages from Mrs. Starnes.”

Panther Camp for Rising 6th Graders: All rising 6th grade students are encouraged to attend Panther Camp this Wednesday, August 13. Drop off begins at 8:00 and pick up will begin at 11:00. Students will have the opportunity to explore campus, receive and practice with their lock combinations, learn about the middle school classroom experience, and more. Be sure you register here. It is also our strongest recommendation that all families prepurchase their rising 6th grader a lock before Panther Camp so they can have over a week to practice with it before school starts. Purchase your lock here!

Open House Information for all Families: Open House for all families will be Wednesday, August 20. At Open House, students and families will have the chance to meet their teachers, walk their schedule, purchase spiritwear, join the PTO, and prepare for the upcoming year. Rising 6th graders with last names A-M will meet at 1:00 in the gymnasium for a brief presentation from administration. Rising 6th graders with last names N-Z will meet at 1:30 in the cafeteria for a brief presentation from administration. All rising 7th and 8th graders are invited to drop in between 2:00-4:00 PM. 

Infinite Campus: All parents are encouraged to claim their parent portal access to Infinite Campus. Please follow the steps included in this step-by-step guide. You will need your student’s Student ID # to lookup and connect your account. Then, you will have to complete an annual update of your information. Please carefully review and ensure that the correct phone numbers, emails, and contact info are updated and that you check the appropriate boxes to receive information. 

Student Schedules: Schedules will NOT be mailed home for all students this year. Rising 6th graders that attend Panther Camp will receive their welcome pack, including their schedule, in person Wednesday. Any 6th grader that does not attend Panther Camp will receive their welcome packet in the mail. All 7th and 8th graders will be required to use their Infinite Campus logins/Parent Portal Access to view schedules. Schedules are expected to go live as of August 14. Printed copies of schedules will also be available at Open House for 7th & 8th Graders. 

Please note: Schedule changes will not be made to honor teacher requests. Once school starts, we will provide opportunities for 7th & 8th graders to request schedule changes ONLY for their related arts blocks, pending class availability.

8th Grade Related Arts: For the 2025/2026 school year, we have two new related arts opportunities for our 8th grade students to participate in. We are excited to offer Yearbook as a related arts course. Students will curate our yearbook and work with software to complete the design, layout, and theme. Students will be exposed to photography and digital web design as part of this course. We are also excited to offer Computer Science Discoveries which will introduce students to many aspects of computer science including web design, film, the adobe suite of products, coding, and more! This course will replace our former Minecraft coding class.

**Please note - if a student participates in BAND or DLI, they will not be allowed to take either of these options.
Please complete this form for yourself/your student indicating if your student would like to be enrolled in one of these options.New Related Arts Courses for 8th Grade 2025/2026

New Cafeteria Balance App & Free/Reduced Lunch Applications: Our School Nutrition office has transitioned to a new platform called Payschools Central. Please visit https://www.payschoolscentral.com/ to register, create an account, link your student (you must know their Student ID#), and complete a free/reduced lunch application if applicable.

Tech Fees: Tech fees ($30) are loaded into Infinite Campus. In order for your student to receive their chromebook the first week of school, the tech fee must be paid. Students that receive free and reduced lunch should submit their proof letter to the front office for this fee to be waived.

8th Grade Washington, D.C. Trip, November 12-14: All 8th Grade students interested in attending the 8th Grade Washington, D.C. Trip are encouraged to register as soon as possible. Registration is due by September 6, with final payments due by October 3. Register at:  https://orangeskytravel.groupcollect.com/v2/go/200037

Parents are encouraged to attend as well and serve as a chaperone. Chaperones must be 21 years old and be an approved UCPS volunteer. Apply to be a volunteer at www.ucpsvolunteers.com.

School Supply Lists: Please visit this link to view your student’s school supply list for 2025/2026. 

Purchasing Locks & Locker Use: Students will not be allowed to carry their backpack, large purses, or lunchboxes from class to class. There will be built in locker breaks for all students throughout the day. Students will be required to use their assigned locker with a school-provided lock. Rising 7th & 8th graders are allowed to use their lock purchased last school year if they still have it. If your student is new or your student needs to replace a lost lock, please visit this link to prepurchase and pick up at Open House. The cost is $10.

PTO: We have an incredibly supportive and collaborative PTO at Piedmont Middle School. It takes all of us to ensure that our students, teachers, and school are supported throughout the school year. Our PTO supports student incentive events, purchasing of student educational materials and programs, teacher appreciation treats, and school improvement and upgrade projects. 

The PTO is holding an open membership meeting for ALL parents tomorrow, Monday August 11 at 5:00 PM in the media center. Please make plans to attend to learn about how you can volunteer to support our students, staff, and school throughout the year. The cost is $8 and every dollar will support our students and staff this school year!

To join the PTO, please click this link: https://www.zeffy.com/en-US/ticketing/piedmont-middle-pto-membership-2025--2026

Our PTO will be at Open House with spiritwear for sale including tshirts and sweatshirts! 

Mark your calendars for these excited PTO sponsored events as well:

September 4 - Beginning of the Year Panther Prowl

October 11 - Homecoming Dance

October 25 - Haunted Trail