Friday Focus
Welcome to the Friday Focus. Our weekly newsletter will be posted here. It will include the Administrator's message, important updates, and fun things happening around our school.
RMS Friday Focus, September 23, 2022
Important Dates
September 23 - RMS Dance - $5 admission
September 25-27 - No HW days
October 4-5 - No HW days
October 7 - PD Day for teachers, NO SCHOOL for students.
October 10 - Indigenous Peoples Day - NO SCHOOL
October 12 - Walk, Bike, and Roll to School day
October 13 - RMS Student Flu Clinic - consent form
October 18 - 6:30 pm - PTO meeting via Zoom
October 28 - RMS Late Fall Social
October 28 - End of Q1
Thoughts from the Front Office
Dear RMS Community:
An Awesome Autumn to all! It is hard to believe that we are in the final week of September and the school year has moved into full swing.
As the days grow shorter and the evenings cooler the work in school will become a little more serious. A conscious part of the program at RMS is to allow our students the opportunity to keep track of their town work, knowing that they will forget some things and make some mistakes. Providing this space and time to identify and fix problems is a key part of the development necessary to be successful in High School. As parents it can be difficult to balance how much to check on the work students have, and when to believe the statement “I did all my work at school.” To help in this area we use schoology as a common platform outlining work and progress in all classes. For those of you new to the school, here is an introductory video, in addition to some schoology tips.
In addition to the standard “monitoring” position most parents find themselves in, we would like to offer other ways to engage your student. Developmentally students may begin to become less engaged and open with parents during their time at RMS. While this is appropriate we know it can be frustrating as parents. Some suggestions that may work to continue to build engagement and interaction.
• Read together. The quality and quantity of YA books has grown exponentially in the past decade. Choose a book together, or choose alternatively, and read for fun. Our librarians are fantastic about suggesting great books of all sorts. Free reading is part of every grade level.
• Ask specific non-academic questions about school. “What was something funny that happened today?” “Who wore the funniest outfit?” “What did you talk about during lunch?” “What is gaga ball?” The specificity does not allow general answers, and keeping the subject away from academics stays away from judgemental areas.
• Play a computer game together. If you are a gamer it is a good way to engage with your student. If not, Geo Guesser, Wordle, Duolingo, or other app based games can be fun as a family.
• This list is by no means exhaustive, but we wanted to reassure first time middle school parents that students are still interested in engaging with parents even though they may not admit it. It can take some work, patience, and humor, but students are often very willing to share given the chance and a little push. Have fun, this is a remarkable age.
A quick reminder that the staff parking lots should not be used for drop offs in the morning. Cars stopped to drop students off cause traffic congestion that backs up onto Lyme rd. and becomes dangerous. The cutouts along Lyme Road offer a safer alternative to the parking lot. Thank you in advance.
Have a wonderful weekend. Be well, stay safe, and take care of each other.
Tim Boyle
Principal
Anissa Morrison
Associate Principal
School News & Information
RMS Cafe
View the monthly menu. If you have any questions regarding payment, please contact Janice Starkey in the main office.
If you have any questions, concerns, or dietary restrictions please contact Austin Jacobs.
RMS does offer a lunch program for families who may need assistance or special needs. Please contact Robin Morley-Ploof in the office for more information.
RMS News - student produced video
https://youtu.be/0QREo0tWquY
Save the date
The fall Walk, Bike or Roll to School day will be Wednesday October 12th. More details to come!
Student Clubs
Students and staff will, over the year, support and supervise a variety of club opportunities which will be shared with students through announcements, posters in school and the Friday Parent Notes.
Dungeons and Dragons: A student run group, meeting on Mondays in the library from 3:00-4:30 starting on September 12. Otto Larrick, 6th grader, is contact person.
Book Club: student run book discussion group will be holding an introductory meeting on Monday September 12 in the RMS library. Izzy Doubleday, 8th grader, is contact person.
Student Council News
Look to Friday Parent Notes for information about upcoming student council events. Membership: Students interested in being a part of Student Council should speak with their homeroom teacher. Meetings at this point will be held on Tuesday evenings 7:00pm over zoom.
Donations Accepted:
Currently we are searching to supplement some of our elective offerings. Please consider donating any of the following:
Picnic Tables
Gift cards from Home Depot for lumber - to be used for picnic tables
Chairs appropriate for small children
A dollhouse
Toy Cash register
Big puzzles
A baby doll stroller
Melissa & Doug toys
Farm animal toys Thank you.
Become a Legislative Page in VT: Here for more information
Volunteer Opportunities:
Hello Families of RMS students! Prior to COVID, our schools had a strong connection to the community with varying volunteer opportunities. While we can't be certain of what level of volunteerism will be permissible this year, we are gathering information from families regarding areas they may be interested in helping out with in the event that we are able to invite you back into our schools.
Please take 2 minutes to fill out the accompanying form to let us know where you might be interested in volunteering this year. This form is merely to gauge interest in various activities throughout the year. We will contact you separately with details regarding the specific activities in which you've expressed interest.
Please note - all volunteers who will be working with students are required to have a background check/fingerprinting performed at SAU 70. Fingerprinting/background checks are valid for 2 years - if you have been through the process for the school district since the 2020-21 school year, you will not need to complete the process this year.
Please see other announcements on the community interest page of the website.
Family Programs offered by Outright Vermont Outright Vermont (https://www.outrightvt.org/) is an organization that supports LGBTQ+ youth and families around Vermont and neighboring areas. They offer a support group for families: Trans Parent Group - Online - First Monday of every month 6-8pm. Support group for parents and caregivers of trans, nonbinary, and gender expansive youth. Email info@outrightvt.org for more information and links.
RMS Health Office Updates
Fall Student Flu Clinic Save the date! October 13th 2022 during school hours. Please fill out and return the consent form.
Prescription Medications Does your child need to take prescription medication during school hours? Students must keep all prescription medications in the health office and have a signed medication form as well. The medication form and additional information can be found here: Health Office Website
PTO Bulletin Board
The RMS Spirit Wear Store CLOSES ON SUNDAY!
Please visit to check out RMS t-shirts, sweatshirts, joggers, flannel pants, and more. This is the only opportunity to purchase Spirit Wear before the holiday season.
Visit the RMS PTO Website and Directory. Please update your account if you had one last year, or create one if you are new to RMS. You can download the Membership Toolkit app for your phone to use the directory on the go. Even if you already have an account, you'll need to confirm your information for this year in order to appear in the directory.
All RMS families, teachers and staff are members of the Richmond Middle School PTO. There are no dues to participate. Please consider a tax-deductible donation to the PTO to support student and family social events, the directory, and other PTO programs. Donate online https://paypal.me/FRMSPTO?
Support the PTO with your everyday Amazon Smile purchases by selecting Frances Richmond Middle School PTO as your charity. See https://www.aboutamazon.com/
Questions? Want to get involved? Email richmondmiddleschoolpto@gmail.
Important Links
- District Transportation
- RMS Cafe
- Community Interest
- Dresden Board Meetings On Demand
- District Calendar
- BOARDDOCS: Remember to select “Dresden School Board” in upper right hand corner after you click “Public Access”
