Ms. Queiruga's Weekly Update

Happy Friday! This week we recognized Red Ribbon Week, by focusing on a drug free school environment. Congratulations to our winners of the Prevention Links Red Ribbon Poster Contest. Thank you to Ms. Jones for her guidance with our students. We also had picture day. If your child missed picture day, a re-take day is scheduled for December. More information will be shared closer to that date. Thank you also to our school team and PTA parents for fantastic fall dances last Friday. As the fall sports season winds down, please review communications from the athletic department regarding winter sports.

A reminder that district schools and offices are closed next week and scheduled to re-open on November 9th. Marking period 1 is coming to a close on November 13th. We wish everyone a restful week off.

Please see the PTA flyers linked below for fundraiser information.

Please click here for this week's Panther TV Episode: Episode 5

As always, please review the reminders and updates below:

Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held on November 17th (1:10 - 2:46 pm), November 18th (1:10 – 2:46 pm) and November 19th (1:10 – 2:46 pm, 6:00 -7:52 pm). A reminder that there will be an early dismissal on conference days - middle school students will be dismissed at 12:20 pm. Lunch will not be served.

Below you will find the links for the Parent Teacher Conference sign ups. Please click on the appropriate link and register for the time slot that works best for you.
These are team conferences, so you will meet with all of your child’s teachers at the same time. Click to register for conferences-

6th Grade--- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DAEAD29ABF8C34-66602154-6thgrade

7th Grade--- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DAEAD29ABF8C34-66606567-7thgrade

8th Grade--- https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C094DAEAD29ABF8C34-66613369-8thgrade


******** Select the date and time that works for you, then click “Sign Up” in the orange box. Next click on “Save & Continue” at the bottom of the page.
******** Add your child’s first and last name. Enter your first and last name and email address. Next hit “Sign Up Now.”
******** You will see a “Thank You” message confirming you are all signed up. You will also receive a confirmation email.
We ask that:

1. You sign up for 1 time slot only.
2. If you have more than one child in the same grade, you sign up for back-to-back time slots (example: 1:10-1:18 and 1:18-1:26). This way there is time to talk about each child individually.
3. If you have children in multiple grades, please allow sometime between conferences (1:10-1:18 and 1:26-1:34). This allows you time to get from one conference to the next.
4. If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Nivea Rodriguez at nrodriguez@rpsd.org.

Please note that only 2 parents or guardians are allowed per student. We can only accommodate those parents/guardians who have signed up thru Sign Up Genius. No walk ins are allowed.

We are excited to launch our nominations for Governor's Educator of the Year and Service Professional of the Year! Please use the form below to nominate any of our staff members! All nominations should be sent to Ms. Belford at kbelford@rpsd.org, before 11/20.

Social Media: As we go into a long break, it is extremely important to monitor and review social media accounts. There have recently been reports of fake accounts and safety is of the utmost importance. It is crucial to speak with children about internet and social media safety to deter them from accessing fake accounts. It is also important to discuss internet etiquette. As we often say, what is put out on social media, remains there even when it is deleted.

Club Calendar: Please click on the link. Meeting dates are updated throughout the year. Clubs end at 3:40 on their scheduled days. For anyone joining a club or sport, there is a pay to play fee of $25. This will cover any clubs/sports for your child. The form is available in the main office.

Food Items: Please note that due to food allergies, any food items for celebrations must adhere to district guidelines and be approved in advance.

Student IDs: Please ensure students have their IDs everyday, which is needed for lunch. If a student does not have their ID, they must know their student ID number.

Attendance: Please carefully review the attendance procedures, as explained in the Student Handbook: Attendance Procedures If you have any questions about attendance, please email Ms. Paterno at mpaterno@rpsd.org. A gentle reminder that students must be in their homerooms by 8:06 to be marked present and not tardy. Anyone arriving to homeroom after 8:06 will be marked tardy.

Student Dress Code: Please carefully review the student dress code, as explained in the Student Handbook: Student Dress Code A few gentle reminders as we start the year: Crocs must be in sport mode (with the straps up). No slide style shoes are permitted. Midriffs should not be visible and spaghetti strap tops can be worn only with another shirt over them.

Attendance Matters: Students missing at least 10% of the total school days, even if with medical notes, are considered chronically absent. Please ensure that your child ends the year strong by attending school everyday!

Item Drop Offs & Visitors: As a reminder from our student handbook, no deliveries are permitted throughout the day. This includes dropping off items such as lunch, water, clothing, laptops, money, cell phones, or forgotten academic items such as books, homework, or projects. Visitors are required to have a scheduled appointment in advance. No entry will be allowed without prior appointment.

Drinks: As a reminder, students are only permitted to carry water with them throughout the day. Please ensure your child only brings water to drink during the school day.

Student IDs: Students are required to have their IDs at all times during the school day. This includes during lunch periods.

Bike Safety: Please remind students about bike safety as they ride bikes through parking lots and on streets. Our PE team will have a lesson bike safety in the coming weeks.

We welcome our new school nurse, Ms. Barber. Should you have any student health related questions, please contact Ms. Barber at kbarber@rpsd.org.

The PTA is looking for parents to join this year. Children of parents who attend meetings will receive a homework pass to use in school. Please consider joining in order to support our school community. The PTA sponsors many events throughout the year and also fundraises for end of year activities such as our schoolwide picnic. Please click on the picture to open up the PTA Flyer.

The next meeting is November 11th.

The next SEPAG Meeting is scheduled for November 19.

What is DIR/Floortime? Exploring a relationship-based approach to supporting your child

Please join us for our November SEPAG meeting as we welcome Moshe Gelb from DIRect Floortime Therapy.

DIR/Floortime is a developmental, relationship-based approach that uses play and everyday interactions to support communication, connection, and emotional development. It starts with a child’s interests and takes into account their unique strengths, sensory needs, and ways of interacting with the world.

If you’ve wondered about alternatives to Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), or simply want to better understand the options available to your family, join us to learn:

• What DIR/Floortime looks like in practice.

• How its approach differs from ABA.

• How to consider whether it might be a good fit for your child.

Whether you’re new to Floortime or already familiar with it, we welcome you to join the conversation and bring your questions!

Date: Thursday, November 19, 2026

Time: 6:30 PM

Join in person:

Join on Zoom:

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 820 3307 9079

As always, SEPAG is here to support families. If you have questions ahead of the meeting, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

If you need assistance, please contact your child's guidance counselor.

Ms. Geremakis at mgeremakis@rpsd.org (last name A-L)

Ms. Nausedas at dnausedas@rpsd.org (last name M-Z)

October 30: Shortened Session for Students, 12:20 Dismissal- No Lunch Served

November 2-6: No School

November 9: Schools Re-open

November 11: PTA Meeting

November 13: End of MP 1; World Kindness Day

November 17-19: Parent Teacher Conferences; Shortened Session for Students, 12:20 Dismissal- No Lunch Served

November 20: MP1 Report Cards Available at 12PM

November 25: Shortened Session for Students, 12:20 Dismissal- No Lunch Served

November 26-27: Schools Closed- Thanksgiving Break

-F. Scott Fitzgerald