Dear RMS Parents and Families,
I can hardly believe the end of the first semester has arrived. It surely has been the most unique year we have ever experienced. We know there are many challenges that have presented themselves, but everyone continues to do their best. Thank you for all the support you have provided this year. We are looking forward to the second semester after a well-deserved break for everyone. However you may celebrate the holidays, I hope it is filled with laughter, joy, and peace.
1. Second Semester Schedule: We are pleased to share the new schedule, which we will begin using in January when we return. We want to provide you with this now so you and your child can become familiar with it. Teachers will be discussing it further with students next Monday and Tuesday.
You can find the schedule by going here. You’ll notice the first page is the full schedule at a glance. Each grade level specific schedule can be found on subsequent pages. You’ll also notice there are more details to come for Wednesdays schedule. We are officially calling it “RAM Wednesday”. Some of things you can expect to see on Wednesdays for all students include:
• Targeted office hours for students who need additional support
• Intervention / Enrichment
• Clubs (Virtually)
• Teacher / Student conferencing
• Teacher / Parent conferencing
• Uninterrupted student work time and assistance as needed from teachers
Additional notes about the new schedule:
• The schedule provides greater daily consistency as well as consistency across learning platforms (Plan B and VA).
• In each class, students can generally expect to participate in about 30 minutes of live instruction, followed by about 15 minutes of work time with teacher support. Teachers will also use that time to meet with individual students as needed. Office hours will also be a part of “RAM Wednesday”.
• With the transition to a full daily schedule and the addition of daily work time built in at the end of each class, students can expect to have no other homework each night except to finish any work not completed in class and when studying for a test.
• We are hopeful the new daily schedule will allow teachers to provide greater support to students who are consistently missing work and not turning in assignments.
2. December 21st & December 22nd: These are remote learning days, but live instruction, per our current schedule, will take place. These are the final two days of the second quarter so teachers will be working closely with student to finish any final assignments, make-up work, etc.
3. Change Letters: Any student who has a change to their schedule or a change in teachers should receive a letter next week with the details of these changes. For students with only a change in their schedule, their teachers will work closely with them to be sure they know their new class periods for each class. For students who are changing teachers, you will receive information on the new team and the teachers. You can expect the new teachers to be reaching out to welcome yourchild and yourself to their team.
Due to the January timeline for report cards, as well as the end of the semester none of the above changes will show up in PowerSchools right away. We will work to update PowerSchools as quickly as possible and will let you know when that has been done.
4. District Updates to 2nd Semester Calendar: On Tuesday, the school board made changes to the 2nd semester calendar that impact multi-track schools. The change was made so that Track 1 students will have a small break in between this school year and next school year when we return to the multi-track year-round calendar.
To find the latest calendar you should always look on the WCPSS website under the “calendar” section, which is linked here. Be sure you are looking at the right calendar as there are many that are listed. This calendar also shows the cohort rotations for Plan B students.
5. Holiday School Office Hours: From Wednesday December 23rd through Friday January 15th school office hours are Monday – Thursday from 9:00 am – 2:00 pm. While visitors are not permitted in the building, we are happy to help you as needed and someone will be available in person or via phone should you need assistance.
6. Student Material Pick-Up: It was wonderful to see many of our VA students on Wednesday. We will be having another pickup day in January closer to when we return from track-out. We will also be offering an evening time for those who are unable to come during the school day. More information to come in January.
7. School Pictures Are Coming: We have reached out to Strawbridge to get a date on when we can expect to receive school pictures. As soon as they arrive, we will provide some pick-up days and times so you can come by school to get them.
8. Virtual Recital: Congratulations to all our arts students who put on a wonderful performance last evening and contributed some amazing visual arts pieces. We are so fortunate to have Mrs. Gates, Mr. Ballard, Ms. Harrison and Ms. Rogers at RMS! Their commitment and dedication to their students is unparalleled.
9. PTA Membership: The RMS PTA is ready for your Membership! We are excited to announce that we have updated our website and membership process. Please visit our website for current information.
Please visit Member Hub to JOIN the PTA by going here. A Ram Fund donation may also be made in the Member Hub website.
If you would like to rent The Rock you can do so by going here.
Information regarding our first General Assembly meeting will be coming soon! Stay happy & healthy! Thank you for your support! ~The RMS PTA
Sincerely,
Thaddeus Sherman
Principal
Rolesville Middle School