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 1-14-22
Important Dates
January 14th - End of Q2
January 17th - Martin Luther King Jr. Civil Rights Day - No School
January 18th - Start of Q3
January 25th - Dresden School Board Regular Meeting - link to follow
January 26th - Parent Check Ins - link to follow
February 1st - Evening - HHS curriculum night for 8th graders
February 12-20 - February Break - No School
February 21 - President’s Day - No School
February 22 - Return to school
Thoughts from the front office
Dear RMS Community:
Recent events in the world have brought us back to counting time in much smaller increments than we had hoped. We made it through the week, thanks in large part to working together to stay safe, and we have successfully navigated the start of 2022, making it to our first “break.” Thank you and congratulations to everyone!
Tuesday marks the start of Q3 with new schedules available on that day. Thank you to Anissa for doing her usual amazing job negotiating and entering the elective choices for the 7th and 8th grade. We look forward to the second half of the year.
We wanted to pass along some quick updates as we turn the corner toward June.
- Is your student missing a sweatshirt? Hydroflask? Hat? We have many items by the north exit (by the auditorium), including over 30 water bottles. Have your students take a look when they come back.
- Crossing guard update - the job has been posted and we hope for a more permanent fixture in our crosswalk soon. If you ever notice that the guard is absent, please call Nicole at the front desk, 603-643-6040, and HPD dispatch at 603-643-2222. We will fill the void as soon as we hear. We want to keep everyone safe, but we cannot see the crosswalk from the school.
- The Omicron surge has necessitated some explanations of terms (fully vaccinated vs. boosted, etc.) and protocols. Please see below under Health Office News for a full discussion.
- We will have parent check ins via zoom on the night of Jan. 26th (Wed). These half hour meetings will take the place of the parent coffees from the fall. It will be a good time to check in quickly about happenings around school and ask any pertinent questions.
Finally, as we enter the long weekend that promises to bring some legitimate northern New England winter weather, we should also take a moment to reflect on the reason for our day off. Next week we will celebrate and share messages of freedom and unity from many civil right leaders as we reflect on how kindness and working together can conquer any problem. Those messages seem especially pertinent today. As an aside, as a student growing up in the Upper Valley I always loved the part near the end of Dr. Martin Luther King’s I Have a Dream speech where my state seemed to take center stage. As I grew I recognized the hope and promise in the words - a promise of a better future for us all.
So let freedom ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire.
Let freedom ring from the mighty mountains of New York.
Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies of Pennsylvania!
Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado!
Let freedom ring from the curvaceous slopes of California!
But not only that; let freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia!
Let freedom ring from Lookout Mountain of Tennessee!
Let freedom ring from every hill and molehill of Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
We hope that the three day weekend brings time for fun, family, and reflection on how we can build a future as hopeful as the one Dr. King saw so many years ago.
Please be safe, stay well (and warm), and take care of each other.
Warmly,
Tim Boyle
Principal
Anissa Morrison
Associate Principal
School News & Information
RMS Cafe
Thank you to our volunteers who are helping Austin and Seanna in the Cafe. We are working hard to provide healthy, yummy, and educational food. Thank you so much for your support of one of the unique parts of RMS.
Love to Cook - We are searching for some help If anyone is interested in joining Austin and his crew (part time position, during the day), we are looking for some help in our cafe. Come join the fun!
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
(look for the announcement about the Spring Theatre production)
Club News
Dungeons and Dragons/Magic Club was a great success and may be arranging meetings outside of school. The club will no longer meet in school.
RMS Health Office Updates***
Thank you all who have filled out the vaccination status surveys. As your student receives a booster, please contact Nurse Abby so she can update records.
Currently our student population reports that 89% have received two doses of the vaccine! Our staff rate is above 95%. Thank you to everyone for taking the steps to take care of our community.
In light of the Omicron surge, we wanted to clarify the new COVID guidelines and the terms used.
Students are considered fully vaccinated if they are:
12 years or older with 2 doses of covid vaccine AND
1 Booster shot (if eligible - 5 months or more after the last vaccine) If you are in the 5 month waiting period for the booster, you are still considered fully vaccinated.
OR
11 years or younger
2 doses of Covid vaccine (not eligible for booster yet)
Students are considered NOT fully vaccinated if they are:
12 years or older 2 doses of covid vaccine (5 months after last vaccine) with
No Booster (and 5 months have passed since last vaccine) If you are eligible for the booster and have not yet received it, you are NOT considered fully vaccinated.
-Any age
No Covid vaccines or only one of a two dose series and no booster.
Isolation
Students who are fully vaccinated will not be asked to isolate due to a close contact (even within the household), provided they remain masked and separated at home, and display no symptoms.
Students who are NOT fully vaccinated AND have a Covid positive household member, must isolate for at least 5 days from last contact with a positive family member. These students will need a negative rapid test and no symptoms on day 5 to return to school on day 6 . Please note students must isolate themselves from the positive members of the household as well.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out. Thank you to a great community for working so well together to keep us all safer.
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 at the Health Office Website.
Volunteer Sign Up Volunteer News
Student Tutoring Program - Is your child interested in tutoring fellow students at HHS or RMS? Would your child benefit from some peer tutoring? Please contact me if you would like more information.
Volunteer Sign Up -
SAU 70 requires that ALL volunteers in the district complete the Volunteer Application Form. This link will direct you to the form, and details the Volunteer Background Check Process. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Thank you,
Emma Cottage
SAU 70 Volunteer Coordinator
The SAU 70 district needs substitutes - We would love to have you help us occasionally in the school. If you are interested in being a substitute teacher, you can apply for the role on the SAU 70 Job Listings page.
Parent Resources
Links to parent resources aimed specifically at Middle School aged students.
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.
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.
PTO Bulletin Board
PTO Bulletin Board for Friday, January 14th, 2022
Please join us for "Together We Read", Monday, January 24th, 7:00pm to 7:45pm.
Together We Read” is a parent and child book discussion of "All Rise for the Honorable Perry T. Cook" by Leslie Connor. Erin Davidson, Norwich Public Library Youth Librarian will facilitate the discussion. You are welcome to attend even if you did not finish the book or if you just want to get a sense of the book. Please RSVP or send questions to Elizabeth Dollhopf-Brown, edollhopfbrown@gmail.com
Below are the RMS PTO meeting dates for the remainder of the school year. Meetings are via Zoom until further notice and the Zoom link (which remains the same from meeting to meeting) is sent in Friday Focus prior each Monday meeting. We hope to see you!
Monday, February 7, 2022 6:30pm
Monday, March 7, 2022 6:30pm
Monday, April 4, 2022 6:30pm
Monday, May 16, 2022 6:30pm
Please join the PTO at our NEW Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/
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”
