Romig News

• This week's events at Romig
• Parent Teacher Conferences 10/28 and 10/29 Parent Teacher Conference Newsletter here. We'll have a modified bell schedule both days, with student release at 1 pm.
• Upcoming Romig and other community activities, including Battle of the Books, MathCounts, Homework Help, Counseling Cafe and more
• Change in school policy regarding energy drinks
• Healthcare info from the nurse
• Pre-order your yearbook

Interested in working at Romig?? We are currently looking for a special education resource paraprofessional and a safety security specialist. More info here. If you're interested in a short-term position - we also have a 6-week special programs paraprofessional opening. Please reach out directly to me if you're interested in that position!

Here's to another great week,
Bethany Essary
Principal, Romig Middle School

Homework Help

Need a little extra help with your school work? Have to come to school early anyway and want to knock out some homework? Just want a quiet place to work with access to a teacher who can help if you need it? Homework help will begin next week on October 20th and be open to any student who wants to come! Students do not need a participation form to come to Homework Help. Students are welcome to attend whenever they want the time or help!

When: Tuesdays beginning Oct 20th

Time: 8:30 - 9:15 am

Where: Room 105

Who: Anyone who wants to work on assignments with teacher support

Health care plans are only good for one school year. Plans do not follow students into the next school year or between schools. If your student has a medical condition that requires specific health care or support, it's imperative that you reach out to Nurse Amber as soon as possible to ensure we have a current plan on file to keep your student healthy and safe!

All health and medication authorization forms are available here on the ASD website. If you need assistance or would like the forms emailed directly to you, please contact Nurse Amber.

Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students healthy, safe, and ready to learn!

If your student has a medical condition requiring emergency medication, such as severe allergies (EpiPen), asthma, seizures, or migraines, a completed medical action plan and medication authorization form must be on file with the nurse's office.

• Adult Drop-Off Required: All medications must be brought directly to the nurse by a parent or guardian. Students are never permitted to carry medications in their backpacks or on their person.

• Self-Carry Approvals: If your student is authorized to self-carry an emergency medication (such as an inhaler or EpiPen), the appropriate self-carry consent paperwork must still be completed and submitted beforehand.

• OTC Authorization Form: If you would like the nurse to administer medications such as Tylenol, Motrin, Tums, or Zyrtec during the school day, please fill out the OTC Form: PDF version, E-sign version. Once this form is on file, you can simply call the nurse in the morning when your child needs a dose administered.

• Additional OTC Medications: You may request other specific over-the-counter medications in the designated section of the form. Depending on the item, you may be asked to supply the medication directly to the nurse's office.

Over the past few years, we've had many parents and staff raise concerns about young people consuming energy drinks. More frequently we read about young people suffering from heart problems related to high-caffeine intake in short periods of time. Teachers see the impacts daily when students drink too much caffeine - they're jittery and can't focus, later crashing (and unable to focus). So our team decided to dig into the research to see how worried we should be. Turns out, we should be pretty concerned. The research consistently supports limited intake of caffeine for middle-school aged students, so much so that the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that adolescents do not consume any energy drinks at all.

Our next step was to learn more about how the Romig community feels about this. We solicited feedback from both parents and staff. An overwhelming majority of both groups agreed that middle school age students should not be drinking energy drinks. Ninety-one percent of parents who responded said they support an energy drink ban. Next, our team reviewed the family feedback, the staff feedback, the research, and other schools' and districts' policies to develop a policy for Romig. Beginning on October 20th, students will not be permitted to have energy drinks on the Romig campus, at school-sponsored events, or on school transportation.

Romig will not allow energy drinks at school, but we will also explain to students why. We will address the concerns surrounding energy drinks during BaseCamp. If a student brings an energy drink to school, we will hold onto it until the end of the day. If the drink is already open, it will be discarded. For purposes of this policy, an energy drink is a beverage marketed for energy, alertness, performance, focus, or stimulation and typically containing added caffeine, stimulants, or ingredients such as guarana, taurine, or similar compounds. Examples may include products labeled as “energy,” “energy shot,” or “pre-workout” drinks. This policy doesn't include milk, juice, or other school-approved drinks.

1. Cap caffeine at 100 mg/day
   (Caffeine isn't recommended, but if consumed, limit it to one coffee or soda)

2. No energy drinks. Period.
   Pediatricians say kids and teens should skip them entirely

3. Don’t stack caffeinated drinks
   Latte + soda + energy drink = dangerous

4. Don’t slam it
   Speed matters as much as amount

Wednesday, 10/28

1:30 - 4:00 pm, 5:00 - 8:00 pm

Thursday, 10/29

1:30 - 4:00 pm

With over a thousand students, our building will get overcrowded fast if we aren't careful! To mitigate crowds and reduce your wait time to chat with teachers, we ask that parents sign up using the conference scheduler to choose a time to come in. This is the same scheduler that you probably used to schedule elementary conferences. But unlike elementary, you aren't signing up for a time to meet with a specific teacher, but a time to come into the building. Teachers will be in the MPR and gym at individual tables to meet with families. Click here to access the Conference Scheduler

1. Sign up for a timeframe to come in: Click here to access the Conference Scheduler
2. Come to Romig during your time (it's ok if you're there for more or less time than your window!)
3. Teachers will be in the MPR and gym during conferences. You are free to meet with the teachers in any order you like.
4. We will have administration and other staff available as well to answer questions. Counselors and student support staff will be available too. (That was a really long winded way of saying we're all here and available to connect!)

• Students will be dismissed at 1 pm on both Wednesday and Thursday. Students are not allowed to hang out at the building without their adults after dismissal.

• The half days mean an altered schedule. Here's the bell schedule for Wednesday and Thursday. If your student attends part time or if they take classes at West, please check in with your student about how the bell schedule change for conferences will impact them. If you have any questions about the bell schedule, please don't hesitate to reach out to us. Thank you!

• Weight Training Informational Meeting at 4:15 - all signed up students attend
• Volleyball practices start today! 4:15 in gym

• D&D Club Meets 4:15 pm - 5:45 pm
• MS Battle of the Books Practice 4 - 4:45
• After school volleyball practice
• Weight Lifting Group A
• Debate Practice, Chess Club, Homework Help starts today 8:30 am - 9:15 am

• Debate Practice 8:30 am - 9:15 am
• Weight Lifting Group B

• Volleyball practices
• Weight Lifting Group A

• Volleyball Practices
• Weight Lifting Group B
• 5/6 Battle of the Books Practice 8:30 - 9:15

The counselors will start hosting lunches throughout the year! Some lunches will focus on fun ways to get to know others and make new friends, while others will focus on building skills, such as organization, goal setting, completing assignments, coping strategies, and managing anxiety. Students who participate will receive an incentive! More info will be shared with students as lunches are scheduled.

Yearbooks are available for purchase on the LifeTouch Yearbook website. To purchase your students yearbook:

• Go to LifeTouch Yearbook Pay
• Romig school code is 1761927
• Last day to pre-order yearbooks: April 9th
• There will be a limited supply of yearbooks available for purchase at the school at the end of the year

Other Info: Yearbooks are passed out to students on the second-to-last day of school near the end of the school day. Pre-ordering is the only way to guarantee your student gets a yearbook!

5/6

• The Academy by T.Z. Layton
• City Spies by James Ponti
• The Dark Times of Nimble Nottingham by Ryan James Black
• From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
• I am Rebel by Ross Montgomery
• I Survived the Battle of Gettysburg, 1863
• The Last Kids on Earth: The Graphic Novel by Scott Brallier
• Leonard (My Life as a Cat) by Carlie Sorosiak
• Out of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper
• The Screaming Staircase by Jonathan Stroud
• Spy School by Stuart Gibbs
• Where the Red Fern Growns by Wilson Rawls

Middle School

• The Bletchley Riddle by Ruta Sepetys and Steve Sheinkin
• The First State of Being by Erin Entrada Kelly
• Framed! by James Ponti
• Hatchet by Gary Paulsen
• Impossible Creatures by Katherine Rundell
• The Lightening Thief by Rick Riordan
• The Mona Lisa Vanishes by Nicholas Day
• The Remarkable Journey of Coyote Sunrise by Dan Gemeinhard
• Scat by Carl Hiaasen
• Tasty: a History of Yummy Experiments by Victoria Grace Elliott

MathCounts is a fun, competitive math program for students who enjoy accelerated math and challenging problem-solving.

is through Q Parent Connect.

Enter the details - you can excuse the entire day or a portion of the day. (Click on the image to make it larger - shows where to click to enter the info!)

You can also call to excuse an absence. Call 907-742-5200 and choose option 1. Due to the high volume of calls we receive, it is likely you will be asked to leave a message. We check messages throughout the day.

If you are asked to leave a message, please include:

• Student's first and last name
• Date of the excused absence or the time and date of the blue pass being requested
• Reason for the absence.

To report an absence via email, send the email to Ms. Allison (Hutson_Allison@asdk12.org).

Click on the image above to access the Romig gear store!

We are incredibly fortunate to be part of a community where volunteers support the Anchorage School District students, teachers, and staff through commitment and service. If you are interested in volunteering at Romig MS this year (including chaperoning any events), you can complete the ASD volunteer application now! All volunteers must be approved prior to visiting the schools. Be sure to select any schools you might want to volunteer at. It takes 1-2 weeks for volunteers to be approved. Thank you for all you do! Learn more about volunteering in ASD here.

October

• 10/19 Volleyball practices & Weight Training start
• 10/20 Before School Homework Help and MS Battle of the Books practices begin
• 10/23 5/6 Battle of the Books practices begin
• 10/27 Romig West Library, 6 pm, Recognizing Concerning Behaviors and Mental Health Support in Schools
• 10/28 Parent Teacher Conferences Students released at 1:00 pm (Conferences 1:30 - 4, 5-8)
• 10/29 Parent Teacher Conferences Students released at 1:00 pm (Conferences 1:30 - 4)
• 10/30 Teacher In-Service Day | No School for Students

November

• 11/3 Teacher In-Service Day | No School for Students
• 11/6 DanceWest Performance (West High Auditorium) modified bell schedule
• 11/11 Veterans Day | No School
• 11/26 Thanksgiving | No School
• 11/27 No School

December

• 12/7 Intermediate & Advanced Band Concert
• 12/10 PTSA General Meeting 9:45 am
• 12/14 Orchestra Concert
• 12/15 Choir Concert Date may change
• 12/15 Beginning & Jazz Band Concert
• 12/17 Sign-up deadline for wrestling, xc skiing, and girls basketball
• 12/17 Last Day of Quarter 2
• 12/18 Teacher Work Day | No School for Students
• 12/21 - 1/1 Winter Break

• 1/4/27 First Day of Semester 2!

• 2/25/27 Cake Auction
• 3/15 - 3/19 Spring Break | No School

Click here to access the ASD School Year Calendar

Sign-up deadlines (4:30 pm):

12/17/26 Coed Wrestling

12/17/26 Girls Basketball

12/17/26 Coed Cross Country Skiing

3/11/27 Coed Track & Field

Main Office Hours: 8:30 - 4:30

• Follow Romig on Facebook and Instagram!
• Registration Questions: Registrar Megan Pledger, Pledger_Megan@asdk12.org
• Attendance and General Questions: RomigClerical@asdk12.org
• Online Payment Questions: Kayla Grant, Grant_Kayla@asdk12.org
• Activities or Student Services Questions:
• Assistant Principal, Allison Little, Little_Allison@asdk12.org
• Assistant Principal, Jen Birtz, Birtz_Jennifer@asdk12.org
• Curriculum or Program Needs: Principal, Bethany Essary, Essary_Bethany@asdk12.org