RMHS Weekly Newsletter

Dear RMHS Community,

I would like to send a sincere thank you for the outpouring of support from parents, caregivers, students and staff surrounding the announcement that I was selected to continue to lead RMHS as the permanent principal. RMHS is an amazing place to work mainly because I get the chance to work with a professional staff and supportive parents and caregivers that work in concert with us each day to bring about the best for students. I would also be remiss if I did not mention how amazing the students are at RMHS. I am consistently blown away of their achievements in the classroom, extracurriculars and community!

It is my honor to continue to serve the community of Reading and RMHS!

Sincerely,

Jessica B. Callanan
Principal

Congrats to Will O'Connor for earning the accolade of the weekly Senior High Five!

The Girl Rising Club participated in the Festival of Trees this weekend and wrapped up the fall clothing drive. Thank you to all who donated to Caiti’s Closet Teen and Youth Girl Clothing Drive. It was a great success.

The next meeting is Tuesday, December 19th at 8:00 AM in room 400. All are welcome!

The Interact Club held a Thanksgiving Bake Sale on November 15th and 16th from 3:05 - 3:35 on Main Street. The Interact bake sale committee made $300 which were all donated to the Reading Food Pantry.

The Interact Club is an extension of the Reading Rotary and is led by our very own Ms. Donahue. Students in this club are committed to service to the community and making a difference in the lives of those in Reading.

• 12/13 - Songfest - see below

• 12/22 - Early Release (11:15 am) for winter break

• 12/22 - 1/1 - Winter Break

• 1/4 - Alumni Day (Gr. 11 / 12 - last 10-min of B block and flex)

• 1/11 - Jr. Parent Night

• 1/12 - Close of Quarter 2

• 1/12 - Early Release Day (1:04 pm)

• 1/15 - MLK Jr Day - No School

• 1/16 - 1/19 - Mid-Year Exams

• 11/16 - A/B

• 11/17 - C/D

• 11/18 - E/F

• 11/19 - G/ Make Up

• 1/17 - Gap Year Fair

• 1/22 - Q3 Starts

• 1/23 - Future Freshman Night

https://rmhs.reading.k12.ma.us/en-US

Happy Hanukkah to all those that celebrate!

The Reading Scholarship Foundation is pleased to announce that its 2024-25 application is now available. Any Reading, MA resident who is a high school senior OR is pursuing an undergraduate degree may apply. Any non-Reading, MA resident that attended Reading Memorial High School in Reading, MA, as a full-time student for a period of at least three years is also eligible. The application and the full requirements to apply can be found at https://readingsf.org/scholarship-application-plugin/

The Department has partnered with the nonprofit uAspire to provide free support to students and school staff to help seniors complete their Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

For Students: uAspire will offer a FAFSA webinar for students three times: 4:00-5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, January 3; 5:00-6:00 p.m. on Tuesday, January 30; and 5:30-6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, February 27. Registration is open online. In addition, FAQs are available in English and Spanish, and more resources are posted on uAspire.org/resources, uaspire.org/Checklist, and uaspire.org/FSAID.

ALL students, staff, and community members can order a yearbook via Lifetouch. RMHS’s yearbook code is: 14773724. Link: https://ybpay.lifetouch.com/Order/SelectStudent?isAdvertisementOnly=false. $65, regular pricing, ends on February 12th.

SENIORS can submit their yearbook bios through December 22nd, 2023. Use this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfOoGipTHz-64voPOm9ezy2IYN1gUY50hTh-KKJe6Na1PcD3g/viewform?usp=sharing. Only students can submit, but families can help out by reminding their seniors!

The RMHS Choir will be performing their winter concert, Winter Songfest, on Wednesday, December 13th at 7:00pm at the RMHS Performing Arts Center. This event is free and open to the community.

The Dickens Holiday Marketplace and Craft Faire took place this weekend put on by the RMHS arts department! The Faire featured over 50 local craft vendors as well as ballet, tap, jazz, and lyrical performances from community dance schools, the Drama Club’s Shakespeare Society, RMHS carolers, RMHS band ensembles, period costume characters, raffle prizes, refreshments, bake sale, and more! The festivities, sponsored by the Parents Supporting Student Theatre (PSST) & the RMHS Drama Club and was a huge success! Nothing like it to get in the holiday spirit.

Enrollment and audition sign-ups are now available for this summer’s Five Star Theatre Program. This program is open to ages 9-15.

Journalism students and members of The Orbit club have collectively posted more than 40 news items at rmhsorbit.com. Included among them are 7 new episodes of The Orbit Conversation podcast. These were produced using equipment acquired through an REF grant. If you are interested in using the equipment in your class, inquire with Lynda Moylan or Mike McSweeney.

Students in grades 11 and 12 will soon be sent a google form to sign up for the free financial wellness sessions below with representatives from Fidelity on the topics of saving, spending and investing. There is no commitment to work directly with Fidelity after attending these educational sessions, it is meant as a tool to inform and teach about financial wellness. Sign ups will be sent out via a google form to students this week and close on Dec. 20th!

PTO IMPORTANT INFORMATION:

• 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 made out to “RMHS PTO.” Pay via PayPal using the online link https://bit.ly/2MnjShb (we suggest donating $55 to cover fees) or send a check to “Attn. RMHS PTO - RMHS Main Office, 62 Oakland Road.”

• The PTO is sponsoring a night for Parents & Caregivers during the January on the topic of Financial Wellness. The meeting is a 7 pm in the RMHS library. See promotional materials below. This will be coupled with free financial literacy classes offered to juniors and seniors in Jan. during flex blocks (see promotional materials above).
  
  

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!

The RLA (Rocket Leaders in Action) club is a newer club at school that started last school year, partnering leaders at RMHS with the Reading Coalition. Last year the club had a “stuff a cruiser” stuffed animal drive which was overwhelming successful with over 1000 stuffies to support officers in the field. This year, the “Stuff a Cruiser” drive focused on supporting the Reading Food Pantry. RLA partnered with the RPD and Market Basket in Reading this past Saturday and it was a huge success.

Recent data that was stated by WGBH regarding food insecurity: "New analysis this year demonstrates that one in three households in Massachusetts experienced child level food insecurity," the report states. "This means that a child was hungry, skipped a meal, or did not eat for a whole day because there wasn't enough money for food.

A special thank you to Coach Hopkinson, our amazing students, Officer Lewis and the Reading Police Dept, and Reading Coalition for their advocacy and partnership with this program.

This past week the RMHS Administrative team traveled to the METCO Headquarters in Boston to meet with parents/caregivers on important updates at RMHS! METCO Coordinator, Mr. Luc Ulysse did an amazing job preparing an informative presentation for parents! It is our hope to hold another such meeting this school year and hope to see those parents / caregivers that we missed!

A special thanks to the staff at METCO Headquarters for assisting us by providing a welcoming space for the event!

MCAS tests are required by state and federal law and are an important tool to promote student success and educational equity. High school students in Massachusetts must take and pass the MCAS tests in English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, and science to earn a high school diploma, in addition to meeting local requirements. Students will have additional opportunities to retake the tests prior to graduation if they do not meet the criteria in the spring of 2024. The high school MCAS tests also provide the opportunity for students to qualify for several state awards. These include the John and Abigail Adams Scholarship and the Stanley Z. Koplik Certificate of Mastery.

The dates for the Spring tests are shown in the table. Ninth graders will take the Biology test in June, and tenth graders will take the ELA test in March and the math test in May. Each test has two sessions over two consecutive days. Please add these dates to your calendar so that your child is available for testing. More information will follow in the spring.

Stay up to date with the daily happenings at RMHS! You can find our daily announcements located on the RMHS Website under Morning Announcements.

DECA is holding its first holiday ornament fundraiser! Parents, this is your chance to order a custom holiday ornament for your RMHS student inscribed with their year of graduation! The ornament makes a great stocking stuffer and gift that they will treasure for years to come! The ornaments are round, clear acrylic, 3 inches in diameter, with the Reading Rockets logo and name. The ornament comes with a red satin ribbon for hanging! Ornaments are $5 each and all orders must be received by December 12. Payment can be made in cash or check (payable to the Town of Reading). Pickup and delivery dates will be announced beginning the week of December 11. Please complete the attached order form to order your ornament today.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd2R1uWe3_rx637WG8qZRa-UaVdO8JPHJ__RgWKnjmEe0Mqww/viewform?usp=sf_link

Principal Jessica B. Callanan

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

62 Oakland Road

Reading, MA 01867

** All past newsletters from the 2023-24 school year are also archived on the school website for ease of accessibility.

RMHS Website (Including Updated 2023-24 Student Handbook)