OCTOBER NEWSLETTER

Dear RMS Students and Families,

September has come to a close and October is here. It is hard to believe that term 1 is halfway over! Progress reports for term 1 will be available in Aspen on Monday, October 2 after school. Please log into Aspen and locate the progress reports under "Published Reports" on the main page.

September was filled with getting used to new grades and new schedules - and for fifth graders and new students, a whole new school! Students have done well adjusting to their new teachers and classmates and getting used to the school routine. Great learning experiences are happening all around the building!

On September 15, we held Maui Awareness Day. On this day, we wore Hawaii-inspired outfits and raised funds for the victims of wildfires in Maui. On September 22, students wore red to support Inclusion Awareness all across the district. Proceeds from shirt sales will be donated to the Special Olympics.

Picture Day went well on Wednesday, September 27. For anyone who missed picture day, there will be a retake day on November 2.

October 2 - term 1 progress reports posted in Aspen

October 4 - PAC meeting, 6:00 PM

October 5 - early release, 11:25 AM dismissal

October 5 - Rockland Public Schools Multilingual Community Resource Night, 6:30 PM, Rockland High School

October 9 - no school, Columbus Day

October 19 - early release, 11:25 AM dismissal

November 2 - picture retake day

November 2 - early release, 11:25 AM dismissal

November 3 - term 1 ends

On September 15, NJHS held a fundraiser to support school communities impacted by the wildfires in Maui. Students wore Hawaii-themed clothing and made donations to support this cause.

Students in grades 7 and 8 who are academically eligible to apply for NJHS membership will be receiving a letter in late September. Information sessions will be held in October and applications with be due in November after term 1 report cards have been issued.

Questions about NJHS can be directed to NJHS advisor Jessica Carpine at jcarpine@rocklandschools.org.

The first meeting of the RMS Student Council was held in September. Students were introduced to what the student council does, a general calendar of events for the year, and given information about how to get involved. If anyone is interested in learning more about student council, please email Mrs. Gervais at jgervais@rocklandschools.org.

All-hands RMS Student Council meetings are generally held on the second Wednesday of each month after school until 3:15. Please see the anticipated meeting schedule below:

• Wednesday, September 13

• Wednesday, October 11

• Wednesday, November 8

• Wednesday, December 13

• Wednesday, January 10

• Wednesday, February 14

• Wednesday, March 13

• Wednesday, April 10

• Wednesday, May 8

• June date TBD*

Events Recap:

Rockland Walks for Inclusion - September

The RHS Student Council hosted “Rockland Walks for Inclusion” on Friday, September 22nd. Members of the community attended in support of raising awareness for the Special Olympics Massachusetts. RMS students showed spirit in school by wearing a purchased fundraising shirt, or wearing red in solidarity with the cause. Several RMS students also attended the walk, and we were glad to see our student council members there to help out.

Upcoming Events:

Project Pumpkin Candy Donation Drive - October

RMS Student Council will once again be holding a candy donation drive to support the RHS Student Council’s annual Project Pumpkin event. This helps keep the costs for the community to attend the event affordable because most of the candy is donated through the efforts of RMS students. Watch for details about how students can win prizes (full-size donuts, munchkins, and more!) for collecting the most pieces of nut-free, individually-wrapped candy.

Shake Your Tail Feather - November

RMS Student Council will be displaying 3 turkey “bodies” in the cafe with Mrs. Schipper, Mr. Griffin, and Mrs. Glynn’s faces on them. Students will have the opportunity at lunches to purchase “tail feathers” to add to the turkeys. Feathers will be worth various amounts of money. We will count the turkey with the most value according to the purchased tail feathers, and on Monday 11/20, the administrator with the most tail feathers will have to wear a turkey costume ALL DAY on Tuesday 11/21 before our extended Thanksgiving break. This is a student favorite at RMS! Last year, Mrs. Glynn was the winner.

Turkey Trot Food Donation Drive - November

During the month of November, each grade will compete for a prize based on who brings in the most donations to benefit the Rockland Food Pantry. This year, we ask that students bring in juice boxes and lunch box snacks as their donation. Details will come soon.

Rockland Bulldogs Chromebook Case Fundraiser - November/December

The RMS Student Council plans to sell “Rockland Bulldogs”-themed Chromebook cases as a fundraiser to help support our upcoming events that we host, such as dances and the pep rally. When we are able to share more information, we will. This was a popular fundraiser a few years ago, and we are looking forward to offering them again.

The nurse's office needs the following for any student under medical care for seizures, allergies or asthma: an updated action plan, doctor's orders and emergency medication. If you have not already done so, please send your child's updated physical lodonoghue@rocklandschools.org or 781 871-8448 (fax).

We will hold our 7th annual college awareness day on Friday, October 20th!

Please join us in our early college awareness initiative. On Friday, October 20th, staff here at RMS will be representing the college they attended or a college a family member attended. Join us in wearing college gear representing a college of your choice. It could be a school that someone in your family went to, a school you may want to attend or a school that you may like for another reason.

8th Grade

Rockland High School is holding their annual Open House for Grade 8 Students and families on Wednesday, October 25th from 6:30-8:00 PM.

Care Solace

Please see the attached letter for information about our Care Solace counseling partnership.

Support Staff

Elizabeth McDonald

Grade 6 & 8 Counselor

emcdonald@rocklandschools.org

Kristen Collins

Grade 5 & 7 Counselor

kcollins@rocklandschools.org

Lawrie Donovan

School Adjustment Counselor

ldonovan@rocklandschools.org

Colleen Regal

School Psychologist

cregal@rocklandschools.org

Absences/Dismissals: Please call 781-878-4341 or email rmsabsences@rocklandschools.org to report an absence or let us know your child will be late.

Dismissals/Meetings/Nurse: Please remember to bring your up-to-date photo ID (driver's license, state ID, passport, green card) into the office when picking up your student for early dismissal, coming in for a meeting, or dropping off something to the Nurse. One of these forms of ID is required each time in order to pick up a student or to come in for a meeting or to see the Nurse. If one of your contacts is picking up your child for early dismissal, please let them know they need to bring one of these forms of ID into the office.

Chromebooks/Chargers: It is very important that your child brings both their Chromebook and charger to school everyday. Please be sure they have them before they leave for school each day.

CORI checks: If you plan to chaperone an RMS field trip or volunteer for an RMS event, you must have a valid CORI on file. Please come in to the Main Office with your driver's license or US passport and fill out the form. It can take a week or so for the CORI to come back. With field trips starting to be planned, please come in as soon as possible so you will be all set for when the field trip or event happens! If you are unsure if you have a CORI on file, or if your CORI is still current, please call the office at 781-878-4341 and we will look it up.

Withdrawals: If you are withdrawing your child from Rockland Public Schools, please be sure to complete and return a withdrawal form. You can come in to get the form, or email pdriscoll@rocklandschools.org for one to be emailed to you.

Change of Address or Phone Number: Have you moved and need to update your address? Please call the school at 781-878-4341 or email pdriscoll@rocklandschools.org and we can let you know what documents are required for proof of residency. Please also let the office know if your phone number has changed so we can update our records.

Bus Reminder: Students cannot take a bus that they are not assigned to. This includes going to a friend's house after school. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact buses@rocklandschools.org.

Late Bus: Bus students can take the late bus which is available on Tuesdays and Wednesdays only at this time. It leaves RMS at approximately 3:30 PM. Students must have a yellow late bus pass from a staff member. Please be aware that the late bus drives students home all throughout town so the ride may be long.

As you can see, we have a lot of great things going on here at RMS! If you would like to get involved, please consider joining the PAC! The first meeting is on Wednesday, October 4 at 6:00 PM. The group meets once a month for about an hour. We plan activities and fundraisers to benefit students. All parents/guardians are welcome to attend!

RPS is hosting our first Multi-Cultural Community Resource Night on October 5. Please refer to the attached flyer to learn more about this exciting event!

Please see the attached letters outlining our Second Step curriculum which we work on in advisory during bulldog block once a cycle.

As always, please reach out with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Cheryl Schipper