If you haven't heard, we were recently designated by the TN Department of Education as a Level 5 Growth Composite Score. This means that there was significant evidence that Robertsville Middle School students made more growth than expected. We are tremendously proud of the work that took place last year by our entire school community and are already hard at work to make it happen again this school year. Some of the goals we have set for our school are included below. We've also mentioned some areas that we need support from our families & school community in order to be successful.

#1 - Exceed English Language Art Cohort Achievement in all grade levels this school year.

• This means we aim to have every student perform at a higher level this year than they did last year. We can't stress enough the importance of ensuring students are reading every day! An idea of how you can help at home could be requiring 20 minutes of reading before accessing electronics.

#2 - Improve Student Attendance & Improve Chronic Absenteeism

• Limit student absences and stress the importance of being at school every day. Students are considered chronically absent by missing 18 days of school across the entire school year. That's nearly a month of school!

This week has a lot of exciting events taking place including the book fair, several athletic events, and Ram Cart Day! All of these can be reminders of rewarding opportunities that students can look forward to by coming to school.

A huge shout out is deserved for PTSA and our family volunteers. The work to ensure that Picture Day, Book Fair, and Ram Cart Day are successful is no easy feat... especially when balancing families and jobs of their own. We are so grateful for the high level of family involvement we have at RMS to ensure these events are successful.

Finally, be sure to join this week's Coffee & Conversation with Mr. Corrigan in our Cafeteria on Friday, September 1 from 8:00-8:30am. You are more than welcome to park in the bus circle or in the grass near the cafeteria. We will have a sign in sheet available at the cafe doors for your convenience.

Have a great week, and please don’t hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to better support your student or family!

-Nick Corrigan, Principal, njcorrigan@ortn.edu

-Christy Free, Vice Principal, ccfree@ortn.edu

-Christopher Williams, Dean of Students, cewilliams@ortn.edu

Monday – Aug 28

Book Fair – 5th Grade Shops

Drama Club 2:45-4:00pm (Auditorium)

French & Spanish Club - CANCELED

MATHCOUNTS 2:45-4:00pm (Room 229)

Cross-Country Practice 3:00-4:15pm

Football Practice 3:30-5:00pm

Lady Rams Volleyball vs. Seymour @ RMS JV 4:30pm, V 5:30pm

Board of Education Meeting 5:00-7:00pm (SAB)

Tuesday – Aug 29

Book Fair – 6th Grade Shops

Cross-Country Practice 3:00-4:00pm

RMS Football vs. Cherokee 7:00pm (Away)

Volleyball Practice 3:00-5:00pm (Gym)

Wednesday – Aug 30

Book Fair

Café Catch Up 12:45-2:00pm (Cafeteria)

Cross-Country Meet @ JMS Girls 6:00pm, Boys 6:30pm

Volleyball Practice 4:00-6:00pm (Gym)

Thursday – Aug 31

Book Fair – 7th Grade Shops

RAM Cart Day

Cross-Country Practice 3:00-4:15pm

Football Practice 3:30-5:00pm

Volleyball Practice 3:00-5:00pm (Gym)

Friday – Sept 1

Book Fair – 8th Grade Shops

Coffee & Conversation with the Principal 8:00-8:30am (Cafeteria)

GIVE Club 7:00-7:30am (Room 224)

Cross-Country Practice 3:00-4:00pm

Saturday – Sept 2

Cross-Country to Victor Ashe Fall Classic

• Girls 12:00pm, Boys 12:45pm

Monday – Sept 4

Labor Day Holiday - Reminder No School

This month's Coffee & Conversation topic will be centered around our school vision, mission, instructional data and its connection to student learning. Mr. Corrigan will begin with some brief comments and background on these topics prior to transitioning to a discussion with those in attendance.

Families asked for more engagement on our survey last Spring with specific requests for updates on the school's plans and progress, homework support, etc. In response, Mr. Corrigan will be hosting monthly Coffee & Conversation every First Friday at RMS. We adjusted the start time to begin at 8:00am to keep in mind those families that have to drop off at elementary schools. We hope that you will find it convenient to drop off your children at school and drop in for an extra few minutes on these mornings before work to discuss some of these important topics together!

We also encourage you to attend our PTSA meetings which include an update from Mr. Corrigan, a grade level teacher update, as well as the many events that PTSA organizes throughout the year.

At Oak Ridge Schools we are committed to continuous improvement and look for tools that assess how we're serving our students and discover areas for us, as educators and administrators, to improve. One of the best ways to do that is by using surveys to gather information directly from our students. According to Senate Bill 1443/House Bill 0727, we are required to make you aware of a couple of surveys that your student will be asked to complete this year.

Students in grades 2-12 will be asked to take the Student Universal Wellness Screener in September and May. The purpose of the brief Student Universal Wellness Screener is to identify students' needs and to understand the current perceptions and wellness of Oak Ridge students.

In February, they will be given time to complete the Educational Effectiveness Survey, which is a formative and diagnostic tool that helps the district and schools to discover students' perceptions and attitudes toward school to help drive improvement and increase student success.

A form has been added to your Skyward Family Portal wall for you to review the upcoming surveys and grant permission for your student to participate. We ask that you complete this permission form by Tuesday, September 5. If you have additional questions, please contact Callie Painter at CLPainter@ortn.edu.

Robertsville Middle School will host its annual Scholastic Book Fair from Monday, August 28 until Friday, September 1. Students will visit the fair with their ELA classes. The shopping schedule is listed below:

• Monday, August 28: 5th Grade
• Tuesday, August 29: 6th Grade
• Wednesday, August 30: Randolph, Jenkins, and Venable Classes
• Thursday, August 31: 7th Grade
• Friday, September 1: 8th Grade

The fair will be open from 7:00 am until 3:15 on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday and from 7:00 am until 1:15 on Wednesday. Parents and guardians may shop at the fair at any time during the week; please check in with the front office before coming to the fair. In addition to purchasing items for your children, please consider donating books for use in classroom libraries.

The Book Fair accepts cash, checks, and all major credit and debit cards. Please make checks payable to Robertsville Middle School. Parents may also use Scholastic’s ewallet feature: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/how-ewallet-works.html?fairId=5382438

You can learn about the ewallet by visiting this link: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/content/fairs/ewallet.html

Just a reminder that we are required to charge 9.75% sales tax on all purchases.

Here is a link to the RMS Book Fair page: www.scholastic.com/bf/robertsvillemiddleschool

Proceeds from the book fair support visits from authors like Dusti Bowling and Nathan Hale. This year’s visiting author is graphic novelist and illustrator Raul the Third.

Mr. Scot Smith

Librarian Media Specialist

I graduated from the University of Tennessee in 2004 with an undergraduate degree in psychology. I have been with Ridgeview Behavioral Health since 2005, starting as a Child and Youth Case Manager and transitioning to MIST Case Manager and then Respite Consultant. I returned to UT in 2020 for graduate school and received my master’s degree in social work in 2023 with a trauma certification. I completed my therapy internship at the Vine School Health Center from 2022 to 2023, doing both traditional talk therapy and play-based therapy. I joined Ridgeview’s school-based therapy team in July of this year, and I’m so excited to work with the amazing kids at Robertsville!

The purpose of the STAR program is to provide therapeutic services to students and their families within the school setting. The Master’s level therapists work collaboratively with school employees to best serve the emotional and behavioral health needs of the students. All children and their families will receive an extensive evaluation to ensure individualized treatment and to encourage family participation. STAR offers individual and family treatment designed to help children and their families learn healthier ways of interacting with each other and to promote overall well-being.

More information about this program is available at:

School-based Therapy - Ridgeview Behavioral Health Services

Fall Portrait Day at Robertsville was last week. If you weren't here, the makeup day is scheduled for Thursday, September 28th. Paper flyers with ordering information were sent home during the week of August 7-11. Parents may send payment in the flyer’s envelope on portrait day OR pre-order online using the school’s unique code EVTZPZKDH. Please direct questions to RMS Yearbook Sponsor Julie Kinder-McMillan (jkinder@ortn.edu).

Mr. Seyfert shared with our staff some amazing artwork by one of our students who just recently started in Art class. The top drawing is a 1-point perspective drawing that was done without much prompting. The second is a portrait completed shortly after. Her work is inspiring and truly remarkable after just the first few weeks of school!

Please see the letter available below from Oak Ridge Schools to ensure you are aware of the most recent update to the tiered approach to discipline based on the content of a vape. In addition, the Code of Conduct policies arepicture below.

National Institute of Health (NIH) - Smoke Free Teen

Alcohol & Substance Abuse Prevention of Anderson County - Parent & Teen Resources

CATCH My Breath - Vaping Epidemic - Parent Toolkit

The City of Oak Ridge has declared September 6, 2023, as Scarboro 85 Day. A celebration service will be held in AK Bissell Park on Wednesday, September 6, 2023, to celebrate the 68th anniversary of the desegregation of Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High School and also promote the Scarboro 85 future Monument site in AK Bissell Park from 5:00pm until 7:00pm.

PTSA has begun the annual Spirit Wear Drive. Students will receive order forms in their homeroom classes on Monday morning. Orders can also be made online at RMS Spirit Gear Store. Be sure to get yours today to show off your Ram Pride this year!

Need to See a Counselor - Student Request Form

If students need to see a counselor throughout the year for any reason, we ask that they complete the online “Request to See a Counselor” form located in Clever. Once students complete this form, the counselors will receive an email and will work to schedule students based on their availability. If the situation is an emergency, we ask that students please make note of this in the comments section. We ask that students please be patient and know that we will get them scheduled as soon as possible. If it will take more than a day, we will reach out to the student by email or through their teacher to let them know.

Parents are always welcome to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Kristy Best works with 5th and 7th grades – kbest@ortn.edu. Tarah Sanford works with 6th and 8th grades – TASanford@ortn.edu.

7th Grade TDAP Booster - Required Immunization!

• All 7th graders Must have a record of their 7th grade Tdap vaccination on file at RMS to begin their school year. Please ensure this is completed ASAP. Contact our school nurse, Meg Evans with any questions or concerns at 865-425-9201.

Additional Medication Information

• The medication administration policy of the Oak Ridge School System states: every effort should be made to avoid the necessity of children being given medication at school. If under exceptional circumstances a student is required to take medication during school hours, only the school nurse or the principal’s designee may assist the student. It is the parent/guardian’s responsibility to bring this medication to school and remove any unused medication when treatment is completed. The medication form can be found here: Authorization_for_Medication_Administration.

The Rams fell short against Spring City last week in a close game. We hope to see them again in the post-season! Our football team takes on Cherokee on Tuesday, August 29th this week.

The Lady Rams Volleyball team takes on Seymour this week at home. We could use some help, so if you are available, please reach out to Coach Spratling.

After the cancellation of the Panther Creek Invitational last week, the Rams Cross Country Team has their first meet of the season at JMS on Wednesday, August 30th.

About

The Robertsville Middle School Parent Teacher Association (RMS PTSA) is part of the RMS family. Our purpose is to support fun and educational programs, events, services, and opportunities to our children, to enrich their academic experience. We work closely with the school administration, faculty, and staff to help our students achieve all that they can.

Membership

The membership dues for the current year shall be set at $5.00. At the present time, the TN PTA portion is $2.00 and the National PTA portion is $2.25. RMS PTSA will keep $.75 to offset membership processing fees.

Volunteer

Research shows that students whose parents are involved in their school get better grades, do better on tests and have fewer disciplinary problems at school.

What is your talent? Community outreach, back to school activities, spirit gear, RAM Perks reward program, donation drive/fundraising, visiting author receptions, or providing items for events like our teacher/staff luncheons, intercessions, and State testing.

While you DO NOT need to be a member of PTSA to be a volunteer, we would like to invite all adults AND students with an interest in RMS to join and have a voice in how PTSA funds are used to support RMS. Volunteer forms are in the back-to-school packets or may be found on the Forms page of PTSA website.

The PDFs of the bus routes have been posted online and are available to families on the transportation website. They are also linked from the back-to-school website.

Additionally, families can log on to the Tyler Versatrans website and check their route information there. The directions for that are below.

Tyler Versatran Log In

Username: (use student’s name) firstname.lastname

This is case sensitive–example: john.smith

Password: (use student birth date) in this format 03122007 for March 12, 2007

Transportation Dept Information & Points of Contact can be found at:

https://www.ortn.edu/district/bus-routes/