Important Dates                                  

December 6 - 7 pm - RMS Band 1 and Orchestra Concert

December 8 - 7 pm - RMS Band 2, 3, and Jazz Band Concert

December 13 - 7 pm - RMS Choral concert

December 13 - RMS PTO - https://us02web.zoom.us/j/6514826638

December 20 - 6 pm - Dresden School Board Mtg.

December 22 - Jan 2 - Winter break - NO SCHOOL

**If you plan on taking an extended break before the end of the year, please contact Nicole at rmsattendance@hanovernorwichschools.org to coordinate.

Thoughts from the Front Office

Dear RMS Community:

Happy December!  As Robin in our office points out, only 19 days until the amount of light per day starts to increase again.

Our return from the Thanksgiving Holiday was marked by a student organized Wednesday assembly examining the intersection of our modern Thanksgiving and the celebration of indigenous peoples month.  Spearheaded by the group of students who created the RMS Land Acknowledgement (which begins our assemblies), the short presentation addressed some myths of Thanksgiving while maintaining the importance of giving thanks.  Faith Taylor, a 7th grader, offered an articulate reason for the assembly I would like to share:

• I believe that it is important to honor Native American Culture.  Our school was built on Native American land, but not many people know the truths about Native Americans.  If we don’t spread these truths they will be lost to future generations. 

On Thursday night our student council held a benefit dinner for the Haven, raising over $1,000 dollars for this great local charity.  Because we met our goal, I followed through with my agreement and met the students in the morning after donning a turkey suit.  Mr. LaCrosse did his time in the suit during lunch today - so if your student tells a story of RMS being run by turkeys….there is some truth to it. 

Both of these events showcase the caring and energy of our students and community.  We are thankful to be a part of it, and look forward to more events as we relearn how to have large community events.

As we move toward the end of 2022 we will continue the low key tradition that RMS has started during the past few years.  Knowing that this time of year can increase stress and anxiety among students and adults we attempt to steer clear of large events in the school.   We wanted to remind everyone that we don’t exchange gifts at school, and despite the temptations that are everywhere, we would rather not exchange candy either.  We are also reminded that not everyone’s traditions surrounding this time of year are the same, and we want to be inclusive of all traditions.  Maintaining the normalcy of the school day seems to help manage the increased energy that the season often brings.  Thank you in advance for understanding.

That said, please enjoy the time leading to our longest break of the year - hopefully the sun will keep shining.  Have a wonderful weekend.  Be safe, stay well, and take care of each other.