Fall Newsletter
by Andrea Derosa
July 21, 2010
RMS August/September Newsletter
Opening Day: Opening day for students will be Tuesday, July 27th. All busses should be running normal routes to and from school. Students will report to the auditorium at 8:20 am for an all-school assembly and will be released at approximately 9:30 am. Wednesday, July 28th will be the first full day of school.
Personnel Changes: We have added five new faces to the RMS family for this school year with four of them belonging to the 7th grade team. New to the 7th Grade Team are geography teacher Chris Bertolino (2005 RHS Graduate/EIU), science teacher Brad Polanin (Eureka College), language arts teacher Jenny Mendenhall (RHS Grad/RES) and language arts teacher Nikki French (Belleville). Jen Weber has also transferred from the elementary school to work on the 6th grade team.
Chris Koerwitz will take over Athletic Director duties, replacing Mr. Wagahoff. Mr. Koerwitz will continue his duties as assistant principal at the middle school and split his time in both buildings as AD.
PTO: The first meeting of the PTO will be held on Tuesday, August 3rd, beginning at 6:30 pm in the middle school library. The PTO meets on the 2nd and 7th Tuesday of every quarter.
Student Registration: With registration day past, parents may still register their children for the 2010-11 school year in the middle school office during the week of July 19th through 23rd. Office hours are from 8:00 am till 3:00 pm.
Skyward: Parents are encouraged to use Skyward, our online school to home communication system. Using a secure password, parents have the ability to monitor their child’s individual classroom grades as well as lunch account status. Passwords from last year can still be used for returning students to the district. Parents of new students should contact Mrs. DeRosa in the middle school office to set up their account.
Assignments and Grade Posting: Daily student assignments are required to be posted by all teachers each Monday for the upcoming week. Assignments can be found by going to rivertonschools.org and clicking on the MS home page. Assignment and teacher tabs are located on the left hand side of the screen. If you have trouble locating assignments, please notify either of the building principals.
Grades are required to be posted by teachers on Thursday of each week. Parents can check their child’s grades by clicking on the “family access” tab on the middle school home page. Questions or concerns about grade posting should be directed to either of the building principals.
PE Uniforms: All middle school students enrolled in physical education classes are required to wear uniforms. Uniforms may be purchased at the time of registration for $15.00.
Any parents wishing to apply for free and/or reduced lunches should pick up a form in the middle school office. The deadline for applying is September 7th.
Student Handbooks: Each student will receive a student handbook on the first full day of classes. They will be asked to review the handbook with their parents. The handbook will also be published on the middle school home page under the Principal’s page tab. The handbooks include student rules and guidelines in addition to a school calendar and daily assignment pages. Please encourage your child to use this tool as they organize academics throughout the year.
Cell Phones: We are entering the second year of our current cell phone policy – no phones on the student’s person during the school day. Phones should be left in lockers or book bags and turned off. Students who carry their cell phone on their person will have them confiscated and the phone will be released only to a parent.
Attendance and Tardies: Student attendance is always a major concern for us as we begin each year. Research tells us student attendance is directly related to student achievement – missing one day of an important concept can adversely affect a student’s grade and future learning. Please take time to review our attendance policies on pages 2 and 3 of the student handbook. Students are allowed ten days per year, excused or unexcused. If you are having problems with getting your child to school, contact us immediately to set up a meeting.
Tardiness to school is also an issue we deal with on a daily basis. Chronic tardiness can greatly affect students and their first hour classes. Please encourage your child to be on time each and every day. Students who exceed two tardies in a quarter will be subject to school based interventions.
Meet Your Teacher Night: RMS will conduct Meet Your Teacher Night on Wednesday, July 28th from 6-7:30 PM. The meeting kicks off at 6:00 PM in the gym as Mr. Lamkey and Mr. Koerwitz address parents and students on items they need to know for the new school year. After the informational meeting, parents will be free to visit classrooms to meet teachers and gather a glimpse of what their students school day will look like. We look forward to seeing you there!
Fall Athletics: RMS offers many opportunities for students to participate in fall athletics. Softball tryouts begin on July 27th and baseball tryouts and Cross Country practice will begin on August 2nd. Girls Basketball practices will begin at the conclusion of softball season. All students must have proof of insurance and a current physical on file before they will be allowed to participate in tryouts or practices. Call Mrs. Hamende at the middle school for athletic questions.
Athletic fees will remain the same as last year. Middle School fees are $25.00 per sport with a $100.00 maximum per family. Fees will be payable to RMS and must be turned in to respective coaches before students will be allowed to participate. Students participating in athletics must also have current year school registration fees paid before they will be allowed to participate. Families wishing to set up a payment plan for any or all fees should contact their building principal.
Picture Day: Individual student pictures will be taken on Tuesday, August 10th. Students will be given picture packet information the week before and should return it with payment the day of pictures. Picture retakes will be taken on September 14th.
Riverton Sports Boosters: Due to the current financial situation of schools across the state, booster organizations are becoming more important than ever. If you have a child who is involved in district athletics, we need your help! Parents are invited to the first Riverton Sports Boosters meeting of the year on Wednesday, August 4th, beginning at 7:00 pm in the high school cafeteria. For more information call Deb Behrens at the high school office.
The Sports Booster Kickoff will be held on Friday, August 20th. Please watch the website for more information.
