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, April 2, 2021
Frances C. Richmond Middle School
Friday, April 2, 2021
Dear RMS Community:
Happy end of Q3. Believe it or not we are now 75% of the way through this year like no other. We are keeping the focus on the here and now, looking ahead only as far as next week - the one before break. As such, this weeks’ focus will be more streamlined than most, though we will try to answer some questions we have been receiving.
*The last day of school for students is currently June 14 (a Monday). While not set in stone due to the possibility of a snow day, we can use this day to plan.
*We have tentatively scheduled June 10th as the day for our 8th grade celebration (in whatever form it may take). Honestly we have no plans at this time, knowing town and state mandates will surely change between now and then.
We also had two new additions to the RMS community this week.
One is a winner! Ben Hourdequin (below) a 7th grader in the Fisher cohort, took part in The AWM & Math for America Student Essay Contest (Biographies of Contemporary Women in Math), and brought home an honorable mention prize out of nearly 250 entries. The 2021 contest has officially included essays from 30 states and nine other countries (Belarus, Belgium, Canada, Dominica, Guatemala, India, Pakistan, Romania, and Turkey). His essay "'The Puzzle' In Life" about Lori Siegel, the senior climate modeler at Climate Interactive, highlighted the same mathematician and the grand prize winner. Congratulations to Ben and the 7th grade team!
The other new addition is our visible affirmation that our community acknowledges, values, and embraces all its members. Thank-you to our whole community for coming together for each other, and to SAGE for taking the lead in crafting this inclusive mission.
Please enjoy the weekend. Be safe, stay well, and take care of each other.
Warmly,
Tim Boyle
Principal
Anissa Morrison
Associate Principal
@AnissaVT
Important Dates
Week of April 5th - 8th Grade State Testing (Link to full Schedule Here)
Week of April 12th - Spring Break
Week of April 19th - 6th and 7th Grade State Testing
April 28th and May 5th - Testing - Remote Academy - (Link to full Schedule Here)
RMS News
Materials Still Needed
Thanks to a very generous grant from the Friends of Hanover/Norwich schools we are in the process of supplementing our woodworking tool supply. Lumber, however, remains difficult to come by. We are searching for “clean” (no nails please) kiln or air dried hardwood. We can use almost anything. Check out the decorative piece his classes are creating for RMS, using a combination of Math, design, and woodworking skills. (look at the back of the picture)
Yearbook Photos
Please submit unmasked photos of your students (and baby pictures of the 8th graders) to Kate Bates before May 1st.
Volunteer News
Students - Need a tutor? Would your student benefit from on-line tutoring from your peers?
Tutoring - Can you help? Is your student interested in tutoring virtually? I will match all peer-tutoring requests individually and will connect them as soon as there is a suitable match.
If the answer is yes to either of the above, please contact me. Please be advised that all tutoring will be remote at this time, and that all minors, either their parent or legal guardian, are required to complete the Parent Consent Form for on-line tutoring.
Thank you
Emma Cottage
District Volunteer Coordinator
PTO News
Together We Read
Thank you to Chris Putham-Pouliot for leading our recent parent/student book talk. Please join us for our next get together. May 13 – A Night Divided by Jennifer Nielsen. Click here for a summary. If you have any questions, just send me an email. Thank you!
Elizabeth Dollhopf-Brown
To let us know of your interest and/or to order a book from a local bookstore, click this link.
Check out the new PTO Website
PTO @RMS
richmondmiddleschoolpto@gmail.
Facebook; PTO @ Richmond Middle School, private group
Sponsored by the Richmond Middle School PTO.
RMS CAFE
Please remind students that due to COVID restrictions they are not allowed to serve themselves food in the Cafe. Lately student touching of food has increased our spoilage (we cannot serve food if it has been touched by a student). The cafe is amazing, but runs on a small margin, and waste is a real problem. Going forward, students who touch food in line will be required to buy that food item...Please, let’s do our part to help Chef Austin and the awesome crew.
Price List - April Menu is here.
If you have any questions, 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 Health Office Updates
Prescription Medications
Does your child need to take a 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
Parent Resources
Links to parent resources aimed specifically at Middle School aged students.
How to talk to your student about gender
RMS is committed to building an inclusive school environment, and beginning discussions around identity for all students. This article can help you join those discussions with your student.
How to build resilience during the pandemic
Mt. Ascutney Prevention Digest
Full Newsletter - Topics include:
LGBTQ Perspectives: New documentary series that helps us understand gender, pronouns, and how to be more supportive of LGBTQ+ people, and more.
Military Family Support: VT is deploying 1,000 service members in 2021, learn how we can support the families locally.
DATA: See 2018/2019 National Survey on Drug Use & Health (NSDUH) data and how VT citizens age 12+ compare to the Nation and to the rest of the Northeast.
RESOURCES: APRIL is Alcohol Awareness Month! Here we share helpful tools. Farmers to Families” Food Boxes: This program is continuing through April.
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”
