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Sutton Middle School Athletics Overview

Goal, Objectives, Roles & Responsibilities

Last Updated: June 24, 2025

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Contents

Meet Your AD
APS’ Goal Regarding Sports
SMS PTA’s Mission
Hopes of Athletics
Organization Chart
Escalation Path
Projected Sports Offered
Description of Responsibilities by Role

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Meet Your AD

Coach Vince Barnes, M.Ed.

Year 12 in education (HPE)
Year 7 at SMS
APS MS Athletics Executive Board
APS 23-24 MS AD of the Year

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APS’ Goal Regarding Sports

“It is our goal that all of our students get involved in our athletic program. There are so many lessons that can be gained from being a part of something bigger than yourself. There is a place for everyone. The qualities that can be learned include teamwork, dedication, desire, hard work and accomplishing things one never thought they could accomplish. Our responsibility to each of you is to provide the very best we can for each of our student-athletes.”

https://www.atlantapublicschools.us/domain/216

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SMS PTA’s Mission

To support the goal set forth by Atlanta Public Schools as it relates to sports. In addition, the PTA strives to supplement the sports program by offering additional sports and/or teams based on demand and to allow for individual skill development.

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Hopes of Athletics

Through the athletics program at Sutton, we hope to:

foster a sense of fun, belonging, and character development for all students interested in athletics.
demonstrate the value of educational athletics.
allow for individual skill development.
strengthen athletic continuity in the North Atlanta cluster.
make athletics accessible to all students who wish to participate.

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Organization Chart

APS Sports

Intramurals

PTA Sports

VP of Sports

PTA Chair

Athletic Director

PTA Chair

Intramurals Director

Principal

Asst. Principal

Athletic Director

Principal

VP of Sports

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Escalation Path

Coach

(Team-Specific Issues)

AD & Sports Chair

(Issues that cannot be resolved by coach)

APS AD & VP of Sports

(Issues that cannot be resolved by AD & PTA Sports Chair)

Principal and PTA Board

(Issues that cannot be resolved by APS AD & VP of Sports )

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Sports by Tier (2025-2026)

APS Sports

PTA Sports

Intramurals*

Football

Softball

Cheer

Basketball

Track & Field

Soccer

Girls Flag Football

Soccer

Volleyball

Cross Country

Basketball

Wrestling

Baseball

Ultimate Frisbee

Swim & Dive

Lacrosse

Tennis

Golf

* Various intramural offerings with multiple sessions throughout the year; offerings subject to change based on sponsor availability

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Sports by Season

Fall

Winter

Spring

Football

Softball

Cheer

Track & Field

Soccer

Girls Flag Football

Soccer

Volleyball

Cross Country

Basketball

Baseball

Swim & Dive

Lacrosse

Tennis

Golf

Cheer

Ultimate Frisbee

Wrestling

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APS Sports – Asst Principal for Athletics

This role is selected by the Principal of Sutton and is responsible for the following:

Resolving any issues escalated by the APS Athletic Director.
Providing oversight as it relates to partnerships.
Providing oversight as it relates to facility usage.
Ensuring consistency across APS and PTA sports.
Supporting the APS AD however needed.
Ensuring fiscal responsibility for APS sports.
Providing guidance for and feedback into the overall sports program.
Assuring all coaches have met background check and other compliance requirements.
Assuring administrative coverage at sports events as required.

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Athletic Director (AD)

This is the Sutton staff member hired by APS to run the athletic department for APS sports at Sutton Middle School. In addition to the roles and duties of running the APS sports, this person will be the liaison to PTA sports in order to ensure consistency and adherence to school policies across the entire sports program. Liaison duties are as follows:

Communications
Scheduling
Field use scheduling
Eligibility forms
Athletics budgeting and financing
Managing coaching personnel
Other responsibilities pertinent to the role

Communications

Implement a regular meeting cadence between the APS and PTA sports leadership positions (ADs, VP, Chairs)
Ensure all coaches and team parents are utilizing group communication as their primary method of communication (i.e. rosters, schedules, changes in schedule, etc).
Expectations must be communicated to coaches through a coaches meeting (individual or groups of coaches).
Field questions from parents and coaches.

Scheduling

Create and communicate the master schedule of all APS sports tryout dates to the PTA in the spring for the upcoming school year. Develop in conjunction with the VP of Sports and Chairs. Include team photo dates.
Create and communicate the master schedule of practices and games to the PTA. Develop in conjunction with the VP of Sports and Chairs.
Communicate schedule changes to coaches, team parents, parent liaison and front office.

Field Space

Manage field space/facilities at both campuses and coordinate with Intramural AD to ensure field space is provided to the following sports/teams in this order of priority: (1) APS sports/teams, (2) PTA sports/teams, (3) PTA Intramurals and (4) 3^rd Parties (i.e. Northside Methodist, Buckhead Baseball, NYO, etc); Note: For 3^rd parties, work with the PTA to secure donations (monetary or in-kind) for usage of facilities
Ensure the safety and playability of all surfaces

Forms

Require every student trying out for a sport to provide a copy of a physical and permission slip. Require these with every tryout rather than relying on those already on file.
Ensure all community coaches have a current APS background check completed prior to the start of the season.

Financials

Require all coaches and team parents to communicate the fees for PTA and APS sports.
Address any scholarship needs.

Coaches

Recruit coaches and ensure coaches complete a coach’s agreement.
Ensure coaches fulfill their duties before stipends are paid.
Ensure coaches turn in all balls, equipment and uniforms before stipends are paid.

Other

Work with PTA VP of Sports to resolve any issues escalated by the ADs and PTA Chairs.
Field inquiries from coaches and parents, and last but not least, plan an end-of-year banquet in partnership with PTA AD and VP of Sports.

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PTA Sports - Athletic Director

This person is hired by the PTA and is paid a stipend to run ALL PTA sports offered at Sutton. This person coordinates with the APS Athletic Director to ensure consistency across all sports.. This PTA Athletic Director will adhere to all timelines and policies laid out in the Sutton Sports Handbook in addition to performing the following duties:

Communications

Implement a regular meeting cadence between the APS and PTA sports leadership positions (ADs, VP, Chairs)
Expectations must be communicated to coaches through a coaches meeting (individual or groups of coaches).

Scheduling

Hire coaches for the PTA sponsored sports teams .
Create and communicate the master schedule of all PTA sports tryout dates in the spring for the upcoming school year. Develop in conjunction with the VP of Sports and Chairs. Include team photo dates.
Create and communicate the master schedule of practices and games. Be on call for games and practices. Develop in conjunction with the VP of Sports and Chairs.
Obtain all necessary referees, umpires, etc. and communicate with them if inclement weather cancels an event.
Work with the APS AD to secure and manage field space/facilities for all PTA sports/teams. Get building access for coaches that need it.

Forms

Require every student trying out for a sport to provide a copy of a physical and permission slip. Require these with every tryout rather than relying on those already on file. Collect and submit these required athlete documents to the APS AD within 2 weeks of the activity’s start.
Ensure all community coaches have a current APS background check completed prior to the start of the season. Also, ensure they submit a W-9.
Submit Facility Use Form for all teams.
Check for students' academic eligibility for participation in sports at Sutton.

Financials

Submit the budgets (planned stipends, expenses and revenue) for all PTA sponsored sports to the PTA in the spring of the year preceding the next school year. Note: Only head coach fees are covered by the PTA. All other expenses (i.e. uniforms, league fees, equipment, assistant coach stipends, background checks, etc) should be offset by team fees. Parties/end of season celebrations should not be handled by the PTA.
At the start of each sport season, verify that the coaches have setup TeamSnap (rosters, schedule, etc) as the method of communication during the season.
If after 10 days after the team is announced a player still has not paid dues, communicate with the parent to either receive payment or to apply for a scholarship. If the parent does not pay or apply, notify the parent and coach that the player will be benched.
At the conclusion of the season, verify that the coaches have done the following: Performed his/her duties as coach successfully, Attended regularly scheduled practices and games, Returned all uniforms and equipment, and reported the condition of all sports equipment and uniforms to the Athletic Director in case new items are needed. Reported results.

Other

Order any team t-shirts/uniforms that are included in the activity fee.
Escalate unresolved issues to the VP of Sports.
Schedule team photos.
Along with the VP of Sports and the Co-Chairs for Sports, evaluate requests for new sports and/or teams. Note: Must have one semester notice for a new sport and/or team. Recommend decision to PTA Board.

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Intramurals Director

This person is hired by the PTA and is paid a stipend to run the Intramural sports offered at Sutton. This Intramural Director will adhere to all timelines and policies laid out in the Sutton Sports Handbook in addition to performing the following duties:

Communications
Scheduling
Forms
Financials
Other responsibilities pertinent to the role

Communications

Implement a regular meeting cadence between the APS and PTA sports leadership positions (ADs, VP, Chairs)
Ensure the website is up-to-date.

Scheduling

Hire coaches for Intramurals.
Create and communicate the master schedule of all Intramural sports tryout dates in the spring for the upcoming school year. Develop in conjunction with the VP of Sports and Chairs. Include team photos.
Create and communicate the master schedule of practices. Communicate any changes (i.e. inclement weather) to parents and players.
Obtain all necessary referees, umpires, etc. and communicate with them if inclement weather cancels an event.
Work with the APS AD to secure and manage field space/facilities for all Intramural sports.

Forms

Require every student participating in a sport to provide a copy of a physical and permission slip. Require these prior to the start of an intramural sport rather than relying on those already on file. Collect and submit these required athlete documents to the APS AD within 2 weeks of the activity’s start.
Ensure all community coaches have a current APS background check completed prior to the start of the season. Also, ensure they submit a W-9.
Submit Facility Use Form for all intramural teams.
Check for students' academic eligibility for participation in sports at Sutton.

Financials

Submit budgets (planned stipends, expenses and revenue) for all Intramural sports to the PTA in the spring of the year preceding the next school year. Note: Intramurals is self-funded aside from the AD stipend. All other expenses (i.e. uniforms, league fees, equipment, coach stipends, background checks, etc) should be offset by participation fees.
At the start of each sport season, verify that the coaches have setup TeamSnap (rosters, schedule, etc) as the method of communication during the season.
Manage any scholarship needs.
At the conclusion of the season, verify that the coaches have done the following: Performed his/her duties as coach successfully, Attended regularly scheduled practices, Returned all uniforms and equipment, and reported the condition of all sports equipment and uniforms to the Athletic Director in case new items are needed. Reported results.

Other

Order any team t-shirts/uniforms that are included in the activity fee.
Escalate unresolved issues to the VP of Sports.
Schedule team photos.
Sit with players until coaches arrive.

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VP of Sports

The VP of Sports position is a self and/or peer nominated position that is ultimately voted on and confirmed into the position via the PTA at a general meeting. The responsibilities of the VP of Sports are as follows:

Team Parents
Communications
Financials
Other responsibilities as determined by the PTA

Team Parents - Ensure that every PTA team secures a team parent. A team cannot proceed without a team parent. Intramurals can have but are not required to have a team parent.
Communications:

Implement a regular meeting cadence between the APS and PTA sports leadership positions (ADs, VP, Chairs)
Ensure the Sutton website is kept up-to-date

Financials

With support from the PTA AD, chairs and coaches, prepare budgets (estimated stipends, expenses and revenue by team) for all PTA sports in the spring prior to the upcoming school year.
Require all coaches and team parents to communicate and collect fees for each sport played. Funds should all be collected online via the use of the SMS School Store Online (bit.ly/SMS-store). Coordinate with the PTA treasurer if/when fees need to change (suttonptatreasurer@gmail.com).
On a monthly basis, review revenue and expenditures by team. Where deviations from budget exist, work with the AD, chairs, coaches and team parents to resolve.
At the end of each semester, conduct a budget review.
Request stipend payments upon successful completion of the season and upon receipt of summary of season (i.e. # of games played, results, etc).
Work with the APS AD to review and revise where necessary donations (monetary and/or in kind) donations by 3^rd parties.
Secure group insurance where needed (i.e. for basketball league Sutton historically participates in; needed in addition to individual insurance)

Other

Ensure all of the PTA sports positions (ADs, Co-Chairs/Chairs, Coaches, Team Parents) are performing their responsibilities and are abiding by the Sports Handbook.
Ensure consistency across all sports/teams.
Where appropriate, incorporate partnerships into the program.
Coordinate with the North Atlanta High School Sports Program to ensure consistency and to identify synergies between the programs.
Communicate opportunities and results to feeder elementary schools. Expose parents and students at feeder schools to sports opportunities at Sutton.
Evaluate requests for new (or retiring) sports and/or teams along with the PTA AD and the Sports Co-Chairs and present recommendation to the PTA Board for approval.
Evaluate and provide a recommendation to the PTA board on any policy changes.
Promote sports at the ‘We Are Sutton’ and ‘Celebration of Learning’ events, as well as any other applicable school events.
In conjunction with the PTA AD, plan and execute an end-of-year banquet.

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PTA Sports Chair

The PTA Sports Chair position is a self and/or peer nominated position that is ultimately voted on and confirmed into the position via the PTA at a general meeting. The responsibilities of the PTA Sports Chair are as follows:

Team Parents
Communications
Financials
Other responsibilities as determined by the PTA

Team Parents - Ensure that every PTA team secures a team parent. A team cannot proceed without a team parent. Intramurals can have but are not required to have a team parent.
Communications

Band – Ensure all teams are utilizing Band to manage team (i.e. roster, schedule, etc) and all communications. Sports chairs and the AD should be included on EVERY team for visibility.
Ensure tryout dates are published in the Sutton Source.
Ensure any schedule changes are communicated to the parents and players via TeamSnap. This ensures that the school also has visibility to announcements.

Financials

Ensure team expenses have been calculated, fees are being collected online via square (see Treasurer), and that collections are being monitored.
All fees should be collected online to avoid exchange of cash, loss of checks, etc.
End of season parties should not be included in fees.
Fees should include everything from assistant coaches if needed (PTA pays for head coaches for PTA (not Intramural) sports) to uniforms to league fees to background checks, etc. Itemized fees should be communicated to parents.
Fees must be collected before the first game for PTA sports. For Intramural sports, they must be collected before the first practice.

Other

Assist team parents where needed. Leverages their strengths and support areas in which they are less comfortable.

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Coach

Requirements

Head coaches of district-sanctioned sports teams must be a certified teacher who works in Atlanta Public Schools.
Assistant coaches of district-sanctioned sports teams must either be a certified teacher who works in Atlanta Public Schools or possess a lay coach certificate.
Head or assistant coaches for PTA sports can be a community coach with a background check completed with the district’s Safety and Security department.

Responsibilities

Complying with rules and regulations established by the athletic department
Coordinating tryouts
Being present at practices and games
Communications
Other duties as assigned by the athletic director or administration

Is paid a standard stipend amount at the end of each season.
Is required to be at all games and practices.
Is required to find a backup coach in the event of an illness/absence from a game or practice.
Ideally should have knowledge of the sport and/or previous coaching experience. However, applicants who have not coached before but are interested and show desire to learn a sport and/or coaching of a sport will be considered.
Is required to utilize group messaging platforms for all communications.
Tryouts

Tryouts may last no longer than one week.
Makeup tryouts should be scheduled in the event that any player misses tryouts.
Do not announce the team until regular and makeup tryouts have been held. Note: May need to make an exception in one case, which is if a player is playing on another Sutton sport cannot make regular or makeup tryouts due to a commitment to that sport (i.e. basketball team makes the playoffs and a player is unable to try out for baseball during normal tryout dates or the makeup date).
Do not cut players, but instead, announce who made the team. Thank and encourage those who did not make the team.
Always have players bring a copy of their physical and permission slip, regardless of whether or not they’ve already played a sport at Sutton. Those forms must be turned into your AD.
Ensure all angles of game are evaluated before selecting a team (i.e. for baseball, running the bases, fielding, hitting, pitching, catching, etc).

Ideally, hold a team meeting to communicate details of the season to the parents and players. This can be done electronically if preferred.
If a player does not pay fees or indicate a need for a scholarship within 10 days of being announced as part of the team, the PTA AD will communicate to the Coach that the player must be benched. The coach is responsible for ensuring that player remains benched until payment is received or a scholarship is applied for.

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Team Parent

The Team Parent position is a joint decision by self-nomination and coach acceptance. Each team is required to have at least one team parent. The responsibilities of the Team Parent are as follows:

Team communication
Coordinate snacks/meals
Provide details to Sutton Source
Communicate game outcomes
Capture images of games
Other responsibilities as determined by the coach

Team Communication

As soon as the team is set, obtain a full roster from the coach to create a communication list and reach out to the parents of the team introducing yourself as the Team Parent. Student's contact information will be on the forms they turned in for tryouts.
Make sure that you have all coaches' cell phone numbers and they have yours.
Assist the coaches in communicating to the parents. This could include reminders, changes to games or practices, bringing snacks or drinks for the kids, arranging rides to away games for PTA sports, etc. ALL communications to the parents and players should be done through TeamSnap. Include the ADs, VP of Sports, Chairs and the Parent Liaison in group messaging.
Team parents are required to communicate weekly via the Sutton Source (suttonsource@suttonmiddleschool.org). Include the appropriate AD (APS, PTA, or Intramural) in your communication.
Send a blurb with a brief update about each game, including the final scores and noteworthy plays, to the Sutton Source email account (suttonsource@gmail.com ). The deadline for content to be published in the Sutton Source on Sunday is the Thursday prior at 5pm. If there are pictures available of the team, please submit those as well.

Photos

Send all pictures to both the Sutton Source email and to the yearbook editor. Please note that the deadline for submission of pictures for the yearbook is usually in early March. If you are assisting with a spring sport, please make sure you submit some candid photos very early in the season.
Send a few candid shots of the team playing to the Sutton yearbook or ask another parent to submit photos. Trying to get candid yearbook shots in March for a fall sport is very difficult.

Other

Coordinate carpooling to away practices and games for PTA games

Note: At least 1 Team Parent is required for each team.