RMHS Weekly Newsletter

The following students were named as Commended Students in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program:

Ruby R. Allen

Calyn P. Heroux

Brendan P. Hoffman

Maureen P. Manning

Vedant S. Narayan

William C. O’Connor

Lily A. Powell

Hannah R. Wiggins

A Letter of Commendation from the school and National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), was recently presented to each of these scholastically talented students.

Although Commended Students do not continue in the 2024 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, they placed among the top 50,000 students who entered the 2024 competition by taking the 2022 Preliminary SAT / National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

In addition, RMHS is excited to announce that our student, Yiyang Xiao is continuing on in the 2024 National Merit Scholarship Program as a semi-finalist. Yiyang will continue in the competition and if named a finalist will be eligible for a monetary National Merit Scholarship.

Congratulations to all of these students for this amazing accomplishment!

On Wednesday, RMHS students had an opportunity to learn more about Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) by having four HBCUs visit to build connections with students and staff. Students attended a panel discussion where they heard from admissions counselors on various topics including the importance of academic excellence, getting involved, and the college admissions process.

On Thursday, students attended the HBCU College Fair at the Reggie Lewis Center where one student, Jamir Celestin (pictured above with his school counselor Ms. Chaves and Assistant Principal Ms. Theriault), was accepted on the spot and offered a $12,000 scholarship to Claflin University! Thank you to Director of School Counseling Ms. Lynna Williams for her amazing work organizing this for our students!

Our students that took part in the HBCU College Fair at Reggie Lewis also had the good fortune to visit the METCO Headquarters and were welcomed with a wonderful lunch and historical presentation from METCO President and CEO, Milly Arbaje-Thomas.

It was a great day for the students and staff in attendance. A special thanks to Ms. Chaves, Ms. Santa Maria, Mr. Ulysse, Ms. Theriault and Ms. Williams to being part of this great experience, and Ms. Williams and Mr. Martin for making sure it executed perfectly. (See photos below).

Congratulations to middle and high school students earning the Language Opportunity Coalition Biliteracy Achievement Award. This award is designed to encourage long-term language study by recognizing and rewarding language learning in elementary, middle and high school. We also want to celebrate students who have qualified for the MA State Seal of Biliteracy which recognizes student achievement and proficiency in more than one language and is awarded upon graduation from RMHS.

There are 27 students being awarded the ACTFL award and 14 students who have qualified for the MA State Seal of Biliteracy. Click here to see the list of students earning this award!

Thank you to Mr. Ryan for all his hard work and dedication on this initiative.

2023-24 School Year Calendar (format 1)

• 10/31 - Halloween - Costume Competition!

• 11/2 - Meeting with senior class in PAC (spring internships & financial literacy)

• 11/2 - School Committee meeting (7 pm)

• 11/3 - Q1 Ends; Grades Close

• 11/6 - Q2 Begins

• 11/6 - NHS Induction (7 pm)

• 11/7 - Full Day In-Service (PD)

• 11/8-11/9: MCAS ELA Retest

• 11/8: Transitioning to College for Students with Learning Differences (6:30 pm)

• 11/10: No School (Veteran's Day)

• 11/14: MCAS Math Retest

• 11/15: MCAS Math Retest

• 11/15 - Department Meetings

• 11/15 - School Council Meeting (4:30 pm)

• 11/16: Q2 Grade Report #1 Due

• 11/17: Conferences (Virtual)

• 11/17: No School for Students

• 11/22: Early Release 11:15am (pep rally)

• 11/23-11/4: No School (Thanksgiving Break)
  
  

https://rmhs.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US - Check website for whole school year events

Please register for Winter Sports by Monday November 11/13. This includes Winter Track, Basketball, Gymnastics, Ice Hockey, Boys Swim, Wrestling and Winter Guard.

How do I register for a Winter Sport and get “approved” to participate?

Do the following by November 13, 2023.

1. Go to the attached link for the 5 steps on “How to Register for Sports” at https://rmhs.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US/athletics-aa0594c3/how-to-register-for-sports-6db9e73e

2. (This link is also on the athletics page on the RMHS website)
   Remember to follow all 5 steps.

3. You will receive an email from Family ID right after you submit your registration that it is completed. This only means you submitted the form. It does not mean that it is approved.

4. You will receive an email from RMHS Athletics in a couple of weeks letting you know that your “child’s registration is approved.” You must wait for RMHS Athletics to “Approve” your child’s registration in order for them to try out. Tryouts start on Monday 11/27.

5. Please call the Athletic Office at 781-670-2821 with any questions.

RMHS Boys Swim Student Informational Meeting on Wed 11/1 at 3:10 in the RMHS Cafe. Any questions please email Coach Holbrook kenholb@comcast.net

RMHS Boys Winter Track Student Informational Meeting on Thursday 11/2 at 4 pm in the RMHS Cafeteria Lobby. Any questions please email Coach Price sprice32@hotmail.com

Read about all of the amazing things happening in the RMHS Drama Club in The Readings magazine article on page M50 at the following link to the magazine! https://readingsmagazine-cnhi.newsmemory.com/

The Dickens Faire, curricular drama courses—Acting 1, Acting 2, Tech Theatre, Musical Theatre, some performance history of the RMHS Drama Club, alumni in theatre programs in college, and much more are showcased in the article!”

Cards4Kindness meets every other Tuesday at 8:30am in room 400. Our next meeting is Tuesday 10/31. We will be making cards for Veterans. All are welcome!

The Bridging Generations Club held a Pumpkin Painting event at the Pleasant Street Senior Center last week. Follow the club on Instagram @rmhs_bridging_generations for more information. All are welcome to join!

Our next vaccine clinic is Friday November 3rd from 2-5 pm at Coolidge. COVID and flu shots will be available for all students, staff and families. Register here for an appointment.

As cold and flu season is upon us, please make sure that your contact information is updated. You may consider adding additional emergency contacts, including family, friends and neighbors who might be available if your child is ill and you are unavailable to pick them up. You may add additional emergency contacts through the health portal here.

The Reading Children’s Cabinet is looking for student voices!

We are looking for one student representative from your school to join with school, town, and community leaders to help solve problems for our youth.

What is the Reading Children's Cabinet?

The Reading Children’s Cabinet brings together key leaders and community members that serve children and youth. Our goals are to strengthen collaboration, align resources, and help to close programming gaps. The Reading Children’s Cabinet builds on the strong cross sector leadership already in place in Reading with Reading Public Schools, Town leadership, the Reading Police Department, community leaders, business leaders, parents / guardians, and students all coming together to empower youth to thrive.

What is the time commitment?

We anticipate that the time commitment will include three official meetings in the 2023 – 2024 school year, with the possibility of interim working group meetings to develop action plans for priorities that are identified.

Meeting dates for the 2023 – 2024 Reading Children’s Cabinet are as follows:

December 6th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
March 6th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm
June 5th, 6:30pm – 8:00pm

Meetings will be held at the Reading Public Library and are zoom optional.

I'm interested. Now what?

If you are interested in this unique opportunity and are able to commit to attending all 3 meetings, please complete this form. Thank you!

Students who registered for district transportation for the 2023-2024 school year should have received their bus pass from the main office a few weeks ago. As we are now into the second month of the school year, bus drivers will be checking to make sure each student has their pass when boarding the bus. Students may choose to show the driver their pass or attach it to their backpack.

If your student has not picked up their bus pass, please advise them to do so as soon as possible. If the main office does not have a bus pass readily available, please contact Olivia Lejeune (Olivia.lejeune@reading.k12.ma.us) to confirm your student is registered for transportation and to create a bus pass. Students who have not registered for transportation through the Superintendent’s Office should not be riding the bus. Please contact Olivia Lejeune (Olivia.lejeune@reaing.k12.ma.us) or Derek Pinto (Derek.Pinto@reading.k12.ma.us) to inquire about transportation registration.

The Special Education Parent Advisory Council works for the understanding of, respect for, and support of, all children with special needs in the community (including ALL children on IEPs or 504 plans and children who may require specialized support). Watch this brief introductory video to learn more!

Visit the SEPAC WEBPAGE

Sign up for our mailing list

Follow SEPAC on Facebook or Instagram

See our 2023-2024 Calendar of Events

Thank you to everyone who attended the 10/17 meeting. The video of recorded portions will be posted on our website soon. Thanks to Etain O’Dea for serving as Election Coordinator and to Dana Levin for taking notes. New SEPAC board members are Chris Kowaleski, Dilly Wilson and Jacyln Lee. Returning SEPAC board members are Zea Lennard, Eunice Kenyon and Lindsay Conti.

Upcoming events:

SEPACsgiving November 13-19 (sign up for sessions by November 3rd)

SEPACsgiving will be an opportunity for general members to connect with other general members in self-selected groups (eg ADHD, Dyslexia, SAIL, OOD, etc.). Members will "give" presence, time, resources, support, encouragement, and compassion to one another. The initial meeting, for which you can sign up using this link, will be 30 minutes long, virtual, and with an identified point person present to help facilitate conversation, take general notes of broad ideas and questions the group would like shared with the SEPAC board and/or Student Services, and help identify and plan for next steps. Members MAY share contact info and choose if and how they would like to continue/grow their network. Please sign up by November 3rd to allow organizers enough planning time.

SEPAC Tree

Watch emails for news for how to participate in the creation of a fantastic SEPAC tree for the REF Festival of Trees. SEPAC is proud to once again participate in this fantastic community event which supports our schools! Thank you Alyssa Scaparotti for volunteering your time, resources and vision for this year’s tree.

Are you on our mailing list? Check to see if you received an email from “SEPAC” at about 5pm on Tuesday 10/17. If you did not, you are not on our confidential mailing list, and you are missing out! Simply send an email to sepacreading@gmail.com and we will add you to our private list.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1XpTyNkzybZT9w1pV-Oxrq-ahVkKmDgdiT0SqnD5-O7E/edit?usp=sharing

Senior yearbook photos must be done by Thanksgiving. Seniors must have their photo taken by Prestige Lifetouch in order to be included in the yearbook. Free and upgraded appointments will be available up through the deadline. Families may buy ads via the portal. https://portal.lifetouch.com.

Contact the Yearbook advisor, Ms. Jenna Glazier, jenna.glazier@reading.k12.ma.us with any questions.

PTO DUES (different from Class Dues) - $50 per family (not per student) is the suggested donation but any donations are welcome. Please send your annual dues via PayPal or check. Pay via PayPal using the online link https://bit.ly/2MnjShb (we suggest donating $55 to cover fees) or send a check written out to “RMHS PTO” to “Attn. RMHS PTO - RMHS Main Office, 62 Oakland Road.” The PTO is a 501(c)(3) organization and dues are tax-deductible. We are happy to accept additional donations or matching gifts from your employer. In recent years, your PTO dues and funds raised have provided funding for items including agendas, funding after school library hours, books/resources for RMHS library, enrichment programs and speakers, staff appreciation, Homecoming and Unity Day activities. Thank you for your support!

Volunteers Needed: The PTO needs your help! Please reach out to PTO board members or email RMHSpto@gmail.com if interested in volunteering for any of the following.

Restaurant Night chair: plan restaurant nights over the course of school year.

Navigating Transition to College for Students with Learning Differences: On November 8th at 6:30 pm, in the RMHS Media Center, the Director of Learning Strategies and Student Success at Northeastern University, Jennifer Newton, will share helpful information to parents and students who are beginning to think about the transition to college. Topics discussed include seeking appropriate support, navigating disability services, necessary documentation, etc. This evening is open to parents, caregivers, and students.

Principal (Interim) Jessica B. Callanan

jessica.callanan@reading.k12.ma.us
781-944-8200 ext. 19801

62 Oakland Road

Reading, MA 01867

RMHS Website (Including Updated 2023-24 Student Handbook)