Ram Report - Parent Newsletter

I hope this evening's newsletter finds you well. We want to express our heartfelt gratitude for your unwavering support during our fantastic first week back to school. Witnessing the halls and classrooms filled with beaming, joyful student faces brought us all happiness. Your dedication to your children and the preparation that went into last week undeniably paid off, ensuring our students an exceptional start to this new academic year.

As we delve further into this term, we anticipate students will face more challenging lessons on their path to excellence. We kindly ask you to keep our school's vision in mind and help us ensure that every student knows they belong on this journey with us. Your encouragement and involvement make a significant impact on their growth and success.

We are incredibly fortunate to have such a supportive and caring school family, and we are genuinely excited to see what this year holds for all of us. Thank you for being an integral part of our school community, and we look forward to an amazing year ahead!

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 – July 31

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

Football Practice 3:30-6:00pm

Volleyball Practice 3:00-5:00pm

Tuesday – Aug 1

Volleyball Practice 3:00-5:00pm

Cheer Practice 4:00-5:30pm

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

Football Practice 3:30-6:00pm

Girls Basketball Workouts 6:00-7:30pm

Wednesday – Aug 2

Football Practice 1:00-2:00pm, Team Picture 6:00pm @ Blankenship Field

Girls Basketball Workouts 6:00-7:30pm

Volleyball Practice 1:00-3:00pm

Thursday – Aug 3

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

RMS Football vs. Clinton 6:30pm @ Blankenship Field

Volleyball Practice 3:00-5:00pm

Friday – Aug 4

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

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

Student TCAP Reports will be sent home on Friday, August 4th! The TN Department of Education has put together several informative resources to help navigate these reports. Please reach out to your child's teacher or school counselor with any questions about their progress.

I am very excited to announce our new endeavors on interacting with the students! My job may be strictly protection however, my goal is to help change lives along the way. Also, If you get a chance to venture to the 5th grade hall you will see a special bulletin board dedicated to these students. (Thanks 5th grade teacher team). If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me or stop by my office.

Best wishes and let the fun begin!

SRO Christina Askren

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/

Student Drop-Off and Pick-Up at Robertsville

Arrival

Gym Car Rider Loop Student Drop-Off begins at 7:00 a.m. (car rider loop beside gym)

• Students are to be dropped off at the curb behind the gym past the bus loop. Please pull forward to make room for the cars behind you.
• Students exiting vehicles should walk in front of the car they are exiting
• Any students walking to school must use the crosswalk areas
• The back door will be locked at 7:40 a.m. each day, so please do not drop-off in the back area after that time. All drop-offs after 7:40 a.m. should be at the front entrance only (Robertsville Rd. side)
• Parents will not be permitted to enter the building from the Gym Loop. All parents must check-in at the Front Office.

Front Bus/Car Loop (Robertsville Rd.) drop-off begins at 7:10 a.m.

• Please make sure the bus loop is clear of buses before dropping off at the front.
• Students should be dropped off in the right lane only. The left lane will be used for passing traffic.
• Students should never be dropped off in the left lane to avoid crossing in front of the right lane traffic
• In the morning prior to 7:40, parents should not park in the right lane to come into the building. There are designated areas for parking in the front loop.
• Parents should pull all the way forward before unloading
• Bicycles should be locked up on the bike rack beside cafeteria. All bicycle riders must wear a bicycle helmet.
• Front doors will be unlocked and used for students to enter before school.
• After 7:40, students should enter through the Front Office if the front doors are locked.
• All guests/visitors should check-in at the Front Office.

Dismissal

Bus Riders: Dismissed Front Bus/Car Loop (Robertsville Rd.) beginning at 2:45 PM.

Car Riders: Dismissed to gym for pickup in the car rider loop beside gym after buses are dismissed.

• Students will be called out to load their vehicles in the order in which their parents arrive.
• Please follow the traffic flow arrows on the pavement when driving through the lower lot and complete the entire loop through the lower parking lot, waiting to turn right up the hill at the gym will cause traffic delays
• Until all buses have been dismissed, all cars will be required to turn right out of the loop and exit via Ivanhoe Rd.
• Parents should pull all the way forward before unloading
• Do not park or wait in your car in the no parking zones or in any teacher parking lot
• Do not park and leave your car unattended while waiting

Walker/Bicycle: Dismissed to leave RMS campus by foot, exiting the front door of the building after bus and car riders have been dismissed, typically around 2:50pm. This includes those being picked at either adjacent church parking lot.

Our focus during these times is to ensure that all students arrive to school safely. We hope to accomplish this in a manner that is efficient to ensure that your time is also respected. Please be sure to reach out to a member of our administrative team if there are ever any concerns or feedback that you would like to pass along.

Thank you to the extraordinary effort taking place to get students to school on time. We have been so impressed that the majority of students are dropped off prior to 7:35am. This allows them 5 minutes to get to class and start the day on time. Thank you and please continue to make getting to school on time and attendance a priority this school year!

The link below provides a copy of the 2023-2024 Student & Family Handbook. A few friendly reminders to keep things running smoothly!

Cell Phone Policy

Students are required to turn off phones and place in lockers when they arrive to school. Students are not permitted to have phones throughout the building. In the event of an emergency, parents can contact the RMS main phone line (865-425-9201) and students may use the main phone line to contact home.

Dress Code Expectations

The Board of Education believes that appropriate dress and grooming contribute to a productive learning environment. The Board expects students to give proper attention to personal cleanliness and to wear suitable clothing. Students are asked to wear simple, comfortable clothing that is clean and neat. Shoes should always be worn. Students are not to wear clothing which compromises safety or modesty; nor clothing which is disruptive to the educational process.

A few reminders about dress code:

1. Students are not permitted to wear pants or shorts with holes above the knee. This includes wearing any type of shorts or leggings underneath ripped attire.
2. Clothing or accessories which contain or suggest offensive or obscene symbols, signs, slogans or words degrading any gender, cultural, religious or ethnic values.
3. Clothing or accessories which contain or suggest language or symbols oriented toward violence, vandalism, sex, drugs, alcohol or tobacco.
4. Clothing that resembles sleepwear such as lounging pants, or other lounging items. This also includes house shoes.
5. The following types of apparel:

• skirts and dresses that are inappropriate for bending, sitting, standing and reaching.
• attire that is disruptive to the instructional process which may be inclusive of, but not limited to: bare midriffs; halter tops; short shorts; tight, see through, or revealing clothing; or clothing which allows underwear to be exposed, (examples include, but are not limited to: sagging pants, tank tops, spaghetti strap tops, muscle shirts, etc.
• A belt is mandatory if pants or shorts will not stay at the waist without one.
• Mid-thigh is the appropriate length for shorts, skirts, and dresses.
• Mid-thigh length top is appropriate for covering leggings.

6. Hats, head coverings, athletic headbands not worn during athletic event, bandanas and sunglasses are not to be worn inside the school building.

7. All students must wear shoes. It is strongly suggested that students wear shoes which either enclose the foot or are secured with heel straps.

8. Coats, jackets and blankets must be removed upon arrival at school, be placed in lockers until the student leaves the building.

Hello from your counselors – Mrs. Best and Mrs. Sanford! We’re so excited to welcome back our RMS students and to welcome and get to know our newest students! We hope you had a wonderful summer!

Schedule changes are only available for elective classes, and we do not make changes within the first week of school. There will be a form available in the counseling center to request an elective change beginning July 31st. Changes can only be made up to August 18th. Students can also request a schedule change form from their elective teacher, as they will also have them available. Forms must be turned in to the counseling center with appropriate signatures by August 18th.

Our fifth grade students will have an opportunity to sample all the elective options within the first two weeks of schools and will be asked to choose an elective on Wednesday, August 9th. They will begin in their elective class on Thursday, August 10th.

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.

ADFAC - Backpack & School Supplies

For students picking up a backpack and school supplies, those will be available for pickup on the first day of school starting at 7 am. You should have received a call and email if you are on the list to receive these supplies. 5th and 6th grade students will pick up their backpack in the Restorative Learning Center located beside the Counseling Center. 7th and 8th grade students will pick up their backpack in the chorus room. We generally have most school supplies available in the counseling center if a need arises throughout the year.

We can’t wait to see all of our students back on July 24th!

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 took on Ocoee Middle School in a scrimmage this past weekend. While no official score was kept, the Rams scored three touchdowns and had a promising display of what this season will bring! Be sure to come out to our first home game as the Rams take on the Clinton Hawks this Thursday evening at Blankenship Field. Kickoff is at 6:30PM!

The Lady Rams volleyball team participated in the annual Atomic Play Day at ORHS this past weekend. The team had a blast and Coach Payne is proud and excited about their performance.

The Rams Cross Country Team has continued their practices earning the respect of everyone in the community who witnesses their dedication to running in the late July heat and humidity (of course... always within safety regulations)! We are looking forward to seeing them in action at the Panther Creek invitational later in August.

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.

Oak Ridge Schools Board of Education has approved the decision to transition to Southwest Foodservice Excellence (SFE) beginning with the 23-24 school year. At this time, it is our understanding that the prices for meals will not change. The prices are listed below. As more information becomes available this summer, we will ensure to provide an update in a future newsletter closer to the start of the school year. Additionally, SFE offers an online application to see the school menu! While the menu hasn't been posted yet, the information is below for you to save and reference closer to the start of the school year.

Food Service Accounts can be paid and managed online through the Skyward App. See the attachment below for more information on how this works.

A few things to keep in mind:

• Meals are not provided free to all students. Students may receive meals at no cost if they are enrolled in Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) or Provision 2 schools, if they are Directly Certified, or qualify through a household income application.
• To be eligible for free or reduced-price meals, parents must submit a household income application. The application for the 2023-2024 school year will be sent home the first week of school. We will also include a digital copy in a future newsletter.