Dear Silver Sands Warriors,
I am honored to be appointed as the newest principal for Silver Sands Middle School. I have been a
principal at the elementary, middle and high school levels for fifteen years, so I do bring some
experience to the position. Actually, I was principal here at Silver Sands Middle twelve years ago when
we were one of the highest performing middle schools within Volusia County Schools.
I want to thank many of you who have already reached out to me with positive comments about the
school. Although every middle school has its challenges, Silver Sands Middle does provide a meaningful
experience for students. Regarding those items some have mentioned that are concerns, I promise you
we will tackle those challenges head on once the school year begins. Parents can do their part by
continuing to stay actively involved in their child’s life, especially in regard to monitoring online social
media activity. As a father of three, my wife and I do this ourselves, even though it can be a challenge at
times.
As we move through the summer and prepare for school reopening in August, we will be making some
program changes. Primarily, we will be scheduling our incoming sixth grade students into one of four
“teams” or “houses.” As such, approximately 150 students will share the same English Language Arts,
Mathematics, Science and Social Studies teachers. This will allow our incoming Warriors to become
more comfortable with the middle school experience because they will develop relationships with
specific teachers, all of whom have been tasked with conferencing frequently with your child in regard
to their academic performance, attendance, and behavior. We are also moving some of our classroom
teachers to new locations so the kids will not have as far to travel going from class to class as they have
in the past. Our plan is to inform students on Schedule Pick-up Day, which usually happens the week
before schools starts, which team or house they have been assigned to.
Also, we will be bringing academies to Silver Sands Middle. It is something I have done at other sites
and find it to be extremely effective in creating a positive culture at the school. As with the teams or
houses, students will become part of an academy assigned to specific teachers. This will again allow kids
and staff to develop productive, supportive relationships where everyone feels valued, safe, and an
integral part of our school. Although we are currently working on which academies we will be able to
start in just a few short months, a monumental task being taken on by my Admin Team, we are hoping
to share that information with you in late-July, if not earlier. For the 2022-23 school year we will most
probably have at least six or seven full academies up and running at our school.
As always, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact the school at (386) 322-6175.
During the summer months the Main Office is open Monday through Thursday from 8am to 11 and 1pm
to 3pm. Due to construction the Main Office staff is being housed in the media center for the next few
months
Kind regards,
Dr. Inge
Principal
