Ram Report - Parent Newsletter

We hope this week's newsletter finds you well! We have a very busy two weeks ahead of us as we near the end of Term 1. We have seen an increase in family engagement, support, and volunteers through our PTSA. We can't thank you enough as it has a direct impact on the learning environment our students spend time in every day!

We humbly ask for your support the next two weeks to complete a few tasks that will help our school community:

1. Student Behavior - The next two weeks include Spirit Week, MVP Benchmark Assessments, and end of term assignments / projects. Inevitably, students can sometimes get a bit rambunctious. Please speak with your student at home about behavior expectations at school so that we can finish strong!
2. Positive Attendance - Families are doing an INCREDIBLE job getting students to school every day. We have seen a drastic decrease in chronic absenteeism the first 7 weeks of school. That said, it is still very early in the school year, and we need your help making sure that students are in school. To avoid being chronically absent, students must be in school greater than 90% of the days enrolled.
3. Impact Aid Forms - See information below. Your participation in this may result in increased funding for ORS.
4. Free & Reduced Lunch Forms - See information below. Students who have not turned in an updated free and reduced lunch form and have previously had free or reduced lunch are now being charged for school lunches. If you have not turned in your form, please turn in as soon as possible.
5. Fall Intersession - Families are asked to register their student this week! If you are interested, please review the information below.
6. Student Survey Permission Form - Please keep an eye out for this form in Skyward. Due to a glitch in the original form, the ORS IT Department has arranged for it to be resubmitted. Please see more information in the newsletter below.

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 – Sept 18 (Dress for Success Day)

Impact Aid Forms Distributed During Homeroom

Drama Club 2:45-4:00pm (Auditorium)

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

Volleyball vs. Clinton (A) JV 4:30pm, Varsity 5:30pm

Football JV Scrimmage vs. JMS at Blankenship 6:00pm

Tuesday – Sept 19 (Multiples & Dynamic Duo Day)

Geography Club 2:45-3:45 (Room 228)

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

Football Practice 3:30-5:30pm

Lady Rams Basketball Workouts 4:30-6:00pm (Gym)

Volleyball vs. JMS (A) JV 4:00pm, V 5:00pm

Orchestra Fall Concert Grades 7/8 7:00pm (RMS Auditorium)

Wednesday – Sept 20 (Hat Day)

SECME Meeting 7:00-7:30am (Room 120)

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

Football Practice 1:00-2:00pm

Volleyball Practice 1:00-3:00pm (Gym)

Thursday – Sept 21 (Rams Rise Up! Red & White Day)

Pep Rally 2:00pm (Gym)

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

Football City Championship – 8th Grade Night RMS vs. JMS (H) @ Blankenship 6:30pm

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

Friday – Sept 22 (GO WILDCATS! Cardinal & Gray Day)

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

8th Science & Social Studies PLC Meeting (Room 115C)

Cross-Country Sectional Meet in Chattanooga JV 5:30pm, VG 6:00pm, VB 6:30pm

Please help us support our students through a successful MVP Benchmark Assessment over the next few days! You can help us prepare students for success by ensuring they come to school with a charged laptop each day, a good night's sleep, and a healthy breakfast in the morning!

Based on feedback from last year and the shorter length of the first benchmark tests, grade levels can test during the block rather than running a school wide altered schedule. This will allow for limited class disruptions and maximize time in class. For future reference, MVP benchmarks 2 and 3 will be administered in the traditional testing schedule/testing groups that we follow for TCAP.

We have included each grade level's plan for the Fall Benchmark Assessment below.

Because of the unique history of Oak Ridge and the significant Federal Government presence here, Oak Ridge Schools is eligible to receive a substantial amount of funding from the Federal Government. Historically, this funding has been upwards of $50,000, but is contingent upon identifying students whose guardians work or reside on federal property. To help secure the funding, we ask that families complete the attached form by Friday, September 29. A paper copy of this form will go home with students on Monday, September 18 and is also available to complete online via Skyward. The form is also available in the link below.

If you are unsure if you work on federal land, please fill out the form with your information to be submitted to our committee to review. Alternatively, you can contact Tony Jolly, ahjolly@ortn.edu, for clarification. We appreciate your help in securing additional funding to support the students in Oak Ridge Schools.

Dr. Bruce Borchers, Superintendent, Oak Ridge Schools

RMS will be hosting a Fall Intersession this year from Monday, October 2 through Thursday, October 5 from 8:30-11:30am. This is a great opportunity for students. Be sure to register this week to reserve your student's spot. Reach out to Mrs. Rachel Frazier with any questions or concerns.

We are making tremendous progress increasing the number of students who have positive attendance habits. This starts with support at home, and we can't thank families enough for your support. We found that 71% of the students who missed 10% of last school year (18 days of school) were not meeting grade level expectations in math and reading on the TCAP Assessment. School attendance is such an important part of your child's success. Please continue to help us keep the decreasing trend in chronic absenteeism (see graph below) and finish this Term on a positive note!

ORS conducted our annual Tornado Drill on Tuesday, September 12, 2023 at approximately 9:00am. A representative from Oak Ridge Fire Department was in the building to assist and participate in the drill. Our students and staff did an excellent job safely and quietly getting to their respective shelter positions. A huge shout out to the Oak Ridge Fire Department for their assistance in the drill. Their presence on site allowed us to test our communication skills and technology with our alert systems.

Students who have not turned in an updated free and reduced lunch form and have previously had free or reduced lunch are now being charged for school lunches. If you have not turned in your form, please turn in as soon as possible. If you believe you have turned in a form and your child is now getting charge for lunch and you feel like they should not be, please contact the school.

A copy of the application is below and a link to FAQ is available at:

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT FREE AND REDUCED PRICE SCHOOL MEALS

In an effort to remain healthy, take advantage of this preventive health service! The annual flu shot clinic will be on Wednesday, September 20th from 2:00-5:00pm in the SAB Board Room. Please bring the completed consent form (attached) and your pharmacy insurance card. If you would like a paper copy to complete, please have your student pick one up from the school nurse's office or complete one when you arrive at the clinic. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Madison Branham at (865) 425-9031.

This year the Oak Ridge Schools curriculum includes the implementation of SB 856, more commonly known as Erin’s Law. This is a state-mandated, age-appropriate sexual abuse awareness and prevention education program for students K through 12th grade. The program teaches children how to address or report abusive behavior such as safe and unsafe touches and other physical and emotional abuse. In grades 6 - 12, we will be using Vector Solutions, an award-winning K-12 training platform, to deliver curriculum developed by leading experts. In grades K - 5, school counselors will be delivering curriculum provided by fightchildabuse.org. The curriculum is tailored for each grade level, ensuring age-appropriate content and delivery.

Because some of the content is sensitive in nature, we wanted to make you aware so that you can continue these important conversations at home and be prepared to field questions from your student that may arise. There are excellent resources designed for parents through the Erin's Law website.

For further information regarding Erin’s Law please visit: http://www.erinslaw.org/erins-law/. If you have any questions about the content of the program, feel free to contact our Student Success Coordinator, Callie Painter at clpainter@ortn.edu or (865) 425-9053.

The yearbook ordering site is now active! Order your 2024 RAM Yearbook today. The cost is $20. Options such as name-stamping on the cover and a plastic dust jacket may only be added online until January 19, 2024. Visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and use our school code 17202 or enter the school name to begin. A service fee of $3.99 (or more if ordering multiple books) will apply to online orders.

If you prefer to pay by cash or check, on-site payments will be accepted from October 24-26, 2023. More information will be coming soon regarding the on-site collections process. Please direct yearbook questions to Dr. Julie Kinder-McMillan, yearbook sponsor (jkinder@ortn.edu)

Would you like to submit photos for the 2024 Ram Yearbook? Visit www.hjeshare.com and enter the school code “ramfam” to upload your images for consideration. For ease of upload, check the App Store to download and use the Herff Jones eShare app for your device. Please note that we cannot guarantee that all images will be used.

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 as soon as possible. If you have additional questions, please contact Callie Painter at CLPainter@ortn.edu.

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.

Dear families,

When you or your child needs help, it’s hard to know where to turn. In an effort to ease the burden of finding the mental health and substance use services you need, we’ve partnered with Care Solace, your central hub of care.

With a network of over 350,000 providers and services, Care Solace will help you find the right help at the right time, 24/7/365, at no cost to you. They will connect you with providers accepting all medical insurances, including Medicaid, Medicare, and sliding scale options for those without insurance.

You can access Care Solace services in three ways:

• Call 888-515-0595 at any time. Multilingual support is available 24/7/365. A dedicated Care Companion will help you every step of the way to research options, secure appointments, and follow up to make sure it is a good fit.
• Search anonymously to get matched with an extensive list of care providers at caresolace.com/oakridgeschools.
• Contact your school health professional, and they will submit a referral on your behalf.

No matter what you're experiencing, there is hope and help. We are confident that our new partnership with Care Solace will help us build a healthier, more vibrant school community.

If you have a life-threatening emergency, please call 9-1-1 or The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 9-8-8. Care Solace is not an emergency response service or mental health services provider.

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.

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/

ORHS Masquers presents Radium Girls by D.W. Gregory and directed by Amy Uptgraft. This gripping drama based on the true story of dial painters who made labor history comes to life at Oak Ridge High School Thursday, September 14th & Saturday, September 16th @ 7pm, and Sunday, September 17th at 2pm! This fast-paced stage play is a wry examination of the commercialization on science and the American obsession with health and wealth. Under the direction of Amy Uptgraft, our ORHS students brings this powerful and gripping story to life. Tickets can be purchased at: https://orhsmasquers.booktix.com/