We are moving right along! This week brings us to the halfway point for Term 1, so please ensure you are checking Canvas and Skyward with your student regularly to monitor their progress. The Midterm 1 deadline for students is Wednesday, August 23rd. Teachers will have Midterm 1 grades posted to Skyward by the end of the school day on Friday.

This week is also our Club Fair and Picture Day. Check out the information below for more information.

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 21

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

Football Practice 3:30-6:00pm

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

Tuesday – Aug 22

RMS Club Fair (Gym)

Cross-Country Meet @ Panthers Creek, Girls 6:00pm, Boys 6:20pm

RMS Football vs. Spring City 6:30pm (A)

Lady Rams Volleyball vs. JMS @ RMS JV 4:00pm, V 5:00pm

Wednesday – Aug 23

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

Girls Basketball Workouts 6:15-7:30pm

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

Thursday – Aug 24

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

Football Practice 3:30-5:20pm

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

Friday – Aug 25

Fall Portrait Day (Auditorium)

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

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

Fall Portrait Day at Robertsville will be Friday, August 25, 2023. Paper flyers with ordering information have been 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).

Oak Ridge Schools receives 3rd place overall!

https://www.oakridger.com/story/news/local/2023/08/18/oak-ridge-schools-named-a-top-workplace/70620323007/

Oak Ridge Schools has been named a Top Workplace in the Greater Knoxville area by the Knoxville News Sentinel, earning third-place overall in the category for businesses with more than 500 employees. This is the third consecutive year that Oak Ridge Schools has landed on the Top Workplace list, and second time being recognized in the Top 3.

“Being recognized as a Top Workplace in Greater Knoxville is a testament to the hard work of our principals, teachers and staff. The culture they have built and committed to maintain is what makes Oak Ridge Schools the special place it is,” said Schools Superintendent Bruce Borchers said in a news release from the city school system. “This achievement reflects our ongoing efforts to foster a supportive and empowering environment for our staff, one where every team member feels valued and recognized for their contributions on a daily basis.”

The district was also awarded the Appreciation Award, given to a company whose survey responses demonstrated that their employees feel appreciated for the work they do on a regular basis.

“We’re particularly proud of (the Appreciation Award) recognition because you often hear that education, as a profession, is undervalued and underappreciated,” Borchers continued. “The amount that our teachers and staff pour into our students and their work every day is truly humbling, and if they’re able to feel even half of the appreciation that I feel for them, then we’re on the right track.”

The RMS Library Renovations were completed on Friday last week! This has been a multi-phase project that started last Spring with new carpet and new shelving. The final phase included new tables and chairs to update a space that is widely used by students and staff on a daily basis. It looks remarkable, and we can't thank Dr. Borchers, Dr. Williams, Mr. Lay and the ORS Board of Education enough for supporting this effort! A huge shout out to the ORS Maintenance and RMS Custodial Team for their efforts in helping it all come together. Finally, Mr. Smith and Ms. Lee deserve special praise for moving every single book off the old shelves and back on new shelves with as little disruption to student reading as possible.

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. Their work is inspiring and truly remarkable after just the first few weeks of school!

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

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.

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!

RAM FAM, We wanted to share a few announcements about the importance of a positive environment at our athletic events. We are tremendously proud of our student-athletes and their dedication to schoolwork while also balancing the demands of being an athlete! At RMS, there is a clear understanding & school culture that success in the classroom, excellent character, and good sportsmanship are top priorities. We are equally as proud of the environment our coaches and families have built over the years at RMS to ensure a positive environment for our students and families to enjoy watching games and athletic contests.

Recently, the TMSAA passed the following in their bylaws:

For fans ejected for unsportsmanlike conduct during a contest, the school will be fined a minimum of $250.00. In addition, other non-monetary disciplinary action may occur, including but not limited to probation and/or restrictive probation for the entire athletic program (equivalent to the minimum penalty for a fan invading the playing field).

We share this to reiterate the importance of positive interactions with game officials and positive sportsmanship as a player or spectator at our school sponsored athletic events. As always, inappropriate conduct & behavior by anyone attending a school sponsored event will simply not be tolerated. If there are ever any concerns, we encourage you to speak with our Athletic Director, Mr. John Spratling. RMS Administration (Mr. Corrigan, Mrs. Free, & Mr. Williams) is also available at any home game or event. Robertsville Middle School has built a strong legacy of good sportsmanship & a positive environment. Please help us support our hard-working student-athletes this school year!

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/

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.

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 hope that you will find it convenient to drop off your children at school and stay 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.

Athletics

The Rams had yet another impressive win against Lenoir City last Thursday night with a final score of 12-0! This puts RMS at 3-0 in the TVAC Conference along with Spring City & Norris. The next game is away against Spring City this Thursday night. Make the trip to be sure and cheer on the Rams!

The Lady Rams Volleyball team takes on Horace Maynard and Jefferson this week on Monday and Tuesday evening respectively. Be sure to come out and show your support!

The Rams Cross Country Team has their first meet of the season at the Panther Creek Invitational on Tuesday evening. Go Rams!

Clubs

RMS has several school sponsored clubs! These clubs are sponsored by an RMS staff member and provide an excellent opportunity to interact with peers outside of the classroom. Check out the list below for more information. The RMS Club Fair is scheduled for August 22nd! Students will have the opportunity to learn more about the many clubs offered at RMS during their rotation class period that day.

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.