It's Going to be a Great Year!

RMS Settles In

It is hard to believe that we have almost been in school for a full month and already we are seeing so many amazing things happening. Students have been engaging in deep conversations about the books they are reading in ELA classes, 8th grade students spent time outside mapping out the solar system, and we are observing many students taking safe risks both in the classroom, our athletic fields, and in the broader community. We are so lucky to be able to witness learning and growth happening in real time.

This newsletter contains information about our upcoming open house and BBQ, RMS and Project Action's safety week presentations, and other important information and celebrations. Please take some time to review all the information and don't hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have.

Thanks for reading!

2026/2027 Springfield School District Calendar

District Bus Schedules

Important Dates

Wednesday, September 23rd - Early Release at 11:30 a.m.

Thursday, September 24th - RMS BBQ & Open House at 5:30 p.m.

Monday, October 5th - RMS School Picture Day

Friday, October 9th - Inservice - No School

Monday, October 12th - Indigenous Peoples Day - No School

Wednesday, October 14th - Early Release at 11:30 a.m.

RMS Open House and BBQ

Options Based Drill Scheduled for September 23rd

RMS will be holding our required options-based drill on Wednesday, September 23rd at 9:15 AM. We will have our community safety partners present as part of this drill, both the Springfield Police and the Springfield Fire Department will be supporting us. On Wednesday, staff will review the drill in detail with students during morning T3.

The drill will happen at 9:15 AM utilizing the following message: “This is a drill, This is a drill, This is a drill. Please initiate a Run, Hide, Fight response for an intruder entering the main office entrance. This is a drill.

Wednesday is a ½ day schedule and students will be dismissed at 11:30 AM.

Sincerely,

Nathan McNaughton

Jocelyn Maslan-Schaal Participates in New Hampshire's 9/11 Memorial Stair Climb

RMS 5th grade student, Jocelyn Maslan-Schaal climbed the equivalent of 110 stories (2,200 steps) to honor the 343 FDNY firefighters and other first responders who lost their lives on September 11, 2001. The event took place in Manchester, NH on September 6th. Jocelyn completed the event with her grandfather and completed the climb in one hour and eighteen minutes! Congratulations, Jocelyn! What a great way to honor the 9/11 heroes.

News From the Health Office

Dear RMS Families,

The Health Offices in the Springfield School District are pleased to announce that we will be hosting a flu vaccine clinic in partnership with North Star Pediatrics. If you would like your child at Riverside Middle School to receive a flu vaccine through this clinic please review, complete and return the attached forms to the Health Office by October 1st. You can fax the completed forms back to: 802-885-8442 Attention the Health Office. You can also email the forms back to: repler@ssdvt.org or ndavall@ssdvt.org, or you can have your child return the hard copy to their T3. We look forward to helping you keep your child safe and healthy through the 2026-2027 school year.

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Springfield School District Adopts New ELA Curriculum

This year Springfield School District, in an effort to create a cohesive instructional model for all SSD students, has adopted the EL Education Language Arts Curriculum. The curriculum focuses on growing a students ability to read about, talk about, think about, and write about any given text in a meaningful way all while meeting Common Core grade level standards. Part of the curriculum is the assignment of homework. The purpose of students having homework is to deepen their classroom learning, and to build independence and responsibility. Homework assignments should take approximately 30 to 45 minutes a night and students are more than welcome to complete their homework after school during help nights and/or the Homework Cafe.

Click Here for the EL Education Website

Help Nights Have Begun!

RMS offers weekly help nights to students with their teachers to catch up on work and/or get extra help. Help nights run from 2:45 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. Students who attend help night will check in with Mrs. Darrell in the Life Skills room and once finished will check-out with Mrs. Darrell in the same place. For those students who attend the space they will then head down the cafeteria and for students being picked up they will be dismissed from the Life Skills room.

Here are the scheduled help nights for each teacher:

5TH GRADE

Mrs. Bentley (Math)- Monday

Mr. Fontaine (Science) - Thursday

Ms. Merseal (Social Studies) - Thursday

Mrs. Rousse (ELA) - Thursday

Special Education - By Appointment

6TH GRADE

Mrs. Bistop (Social Studies) - Monday

Mr. Patoine (Math) - Monday

Mrs. Tarbell (ELA) - Thursday

Ms. Twombly (Science) - Thursday

Ms. Taylor (Special Education) - Monday

7TH GRADE

Mr. Farmer (Science) - Thursday

Mrs. Karpoff (Special Education) - By appt

Mr. Karpoff (Math) - Thursday

Dr. Mobus (ELA) - Monday

Ms. Sylvester (Social Studies) - Thursday

8TH GRADE

Mrs. Baker-Miller (Social Studies) - Wednesday

Mr. Clarke (Math) - Thursday

Ms. Kelchner (Science) - Wednesday

Mr. Mitchel (Special Education) - Thursday

Mr. Vandivere (ELA) - Monday

ENRICHMENTS

All enrichment teachers are available by appointment. Please reach out to the individual teacher to set this up!

RMS After School Clubs & Help Night Offerings

Springfield School District Partners with Project Action

On the week of September 21st, Springfield School District in partnership with Project Action will be hosting various presentations about community safety and well being. Here at Riverside we have two presentations planned:

September 23rd - Crissy Webster, LCMHC NCC founder of Crissy Webster Counseling Services LLC will speak to the 7th and 8th grade students about conflict resolution and de-escalation. This interactive workshop teaches practical communication and de-escalation skills that can be used at home, school, work, and in the community. Participants will learn techniques for staying calm under

pressure, regulating emotions, practicing active listening, validating others perspectives, setting

healthy boundaries, and resolving disagreements respectfully. Based on principles similar to

Mental Health First Aid, this session provides practical strategies that help prevent conflict from

escalating while promoting healthier relationships.

September 25th - Trissie Casanova from the Vermont Department for Children and Families will facilitate an all-grade presentation on internet safety. Technology plays an important role in our daily lives, but it also creates new challenges for personal safety and healthy relationships. This interactive workshop explores internet safety, digital citizenship, consent, and recognizing healthy and unhealthy relationship behaviors. Participants will learn about online grooming, social media and gaming risks, digital boundaries, respectful communication, warning signs of exploitation, and strategies for staying safe online.

If you choose to not have your child participate in one or both of these presentations, please call the office at 885-8490 and we will make sure that other arrangements are made while these presentations are in session.