RCE Family Update

We've had a great few weeks since Spring Break!

• RCE is ranked the Best Middle School in Pickens County by Niche
• 77% (642) of our students met or exceeded their spring MAP goals
• We have 141 students on the Straight A Honor Roll
• We have 235 students on the A/B Honor Roll
• Band earned the Outstanding Performance Award and a Superior rating at CPA
  
• Chorus earned a Superior Rating at the Carowinds Festival
• Strings had a great year-end concert and sent several students to Solo & Ensemble
• Our new Drama Club will hold their first play at Daniel on 5/23

RCE won the following State Communication Awards from the SCNSPRA:

• Golden Achievement Award - for The Panther, our YouTube channel
• Best Newsletter - for our Family Updates (this Smore) & weekly Faculty/Staff Updates
• Best Social Media - for our #180daysatRCE daily posting

Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and YouTube - #180daysatRCE to see all of the amazing things going on at RCE.

Thanks for your support and please reach out to us if you need anything at all.

Thomas Preisig

Principal

Each year, the teachers and staff get to vote on a Teacher of the Year and Support Employee of the Year to represent RC Edwards. We are so excited to announce Jimmy Bardusk as the 23-24 Teacher of the Year and Leigh Ligon as the 23-24 Support Employee of the Year!

We encourage our classes to go outside to learn, when possible. We're very thankful for community partners that came together with Greenspace to build a new spot for our teachers and students. Thanks for this amazing donation to our school!

During the week of May 15th - 19th, RC Edwards will be on a school-wide testing schedule. Please note the dates and try to avoid scheduling appointments during this time.

As we close out the 2022-2023 school year, here are some important dates for RCE families:

5/8 - Algebra 1 EOC

5/9 - Virtual Exams

5/10 - Straight A and A/B Honor Roll Hotdog Lunch

5/10 - Awards Night

5/11 - FOC Exams

5/12 - English 1 Exam

5/12 - All library books due

5/23 - Drama Club play @ DHS Auditorium

5/25 - (Half Day) 8th Grade Celebration/Yearbook Day

5/26 - (Half Day)

Please make plans to support our students:

Strings Concert: May 2nd at 6:30 PM in the Daniel HS auditorium (it was great!)

Chorus Concert: May 4th at 6:30 PM in the Daniel HS auditorium

Band Concert: May 9th at 6 PM in the Daniel HS auditorium

Families with rising 6th - 8th grade students, please make sure your child signs up for their elective courses. Use the information below for each grade level.

Per SC law, students must have an up-to-date immunization certificate to attend school. All students entering seventh grade are required receive a Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis) vaccine.

Students must have the appropriate documentation to begin 7th grade.

There are three options:

1. A up-to-date SC Certificate of Immunization with a Tdap received on or after the 10th birthday -OR-

2. A medical exemption that is documented on a SC Certificate of Immunization and signed by the physician -OR-

3. A religious exemption which can only be obtained from the health department.

Below are places where your child can receive the vaccine and documentation needed to attend school. There is often a long wait to get an appointment. Please do not wait until the last minute.

1) Health Department- call 1-855-472-3432 (1-855-4SC-DHEC) for an appointment. (The health department is the only location where you can obtain a Religious exemption.)

2) Your child's primary physician. (Only your doctor can provide a medical exemption.)

3) Urgent care clinic or pharmacy clinic (such as CVS Minute Clinic)

4) Your pharmacy- you may have to obtain a prescription from your doctor for the vaccine

5) Foothills Community Health Care 864-722-0283

If your student has already received the Tdap vaccine, please send proof of vaccination to the school nurse as soon as possible.

Please call/ email the school nurse if you have any questions.

Paperwork - All paperwork must be uploaded and approved on BigTeams prior to any participation (studentcentral.bigteams.com). Physicals must be dated after 4/1/23 for the 23-24 school year, which means you can go ahead and start getting these done now. Paper copies are outside Coach Wich's room. Please reach out to JacobWichelns@pickens.k12.sc.us with any questions on this process.

Football - Spring practices are underway now! All paperwork must be complete in order to participate. Please reach out to Coach JamesBardusk@pickens.k12.sc.us if interested.

Volleyball - Volleyball will host workouts May 8th - May 12th and throughout the summer months. Please reach out to AmyBodie@pickens.k12.sc.us if interested.

Booster Club

The RC Edwards Athletic Booster Club supports all student athletic programs by purchasing equipment, uniforms, meals, maintenance, and many other things. Without the booster club, our athletic programs would not be able to run accordingly. Use the following link below to become a member of our booster club. RCE Athletic Booster Club (link)

PTSO is sponsoring Teacher Appreciation Week from May 8th - 12th. Wednesday, May 10th, PTSO is treating our teachers to a Chick-fil-A biscuit with a "Get One, Give One" biscuit sale. Plan to buy a biscuit for yourself and your favorite teacher.

It's not too late to join the PTSO. Please help us to continually make the 2022-23 school year a memorable one by joining the PTSO.

As a reminder, we operate on a 6-period day at Edwards Middle. This schedule allows for 1 hour in each period and the opportunity to participate in several related arts classes. This schedule has also allowed us to include several Pickens County Career and Technology courses for our 8th graders during second semester.

"Committed to Excellence"

Email: thomaspreisig@pickens.k12.sc.us
Website: rce.pickens.k12.sc.us
Location: 1157 Madden Bridge Road, Central, SC, United States
Phone: (864) 397-4200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RCEMiddle
Twitter: @RCEMiddle