PANTHER GAZETTE

• Principal's Message - Welcome!
• Skyward Online Registration Open NOW!
• Go Riteway Bus Information
• RMS Open House
• First Day of School - September 1st
• Picture Day - Network Photography
• Student Class Schedules
• 2022-23 School Fees
• Breakfast & Lunch Information
• RMS School Supply List
• Free School Supply Event
• Riverside Athletics Information
• "Rocky Road"
• Traffic Plan/Grade Level Entry
• Report Cards
• Introduction to the RMS PTO
• Follow RMS on Social Media
• Community Happenings

Welcome back, Riverside families!

We are eagerly anticipating the start of the 2022-23 school year, which will be here is just under four weeks. We are proud to offer a wide variety of exciting and engaging classes. We want to share with you some important information that will help create a smooth transition back to school on September 1st. As always, feel free to reach out if you have any questions about any of the information contained in this newsletter. We look forward to partnering with you in providing the best support for your students.

We hope that you have all had a restful and enjoyable summer break and share in our excitement to begin the 2022-23 school year. Again, please let us know if you have any questions or need some help in navigating the start of the school year. We look forward to seeing you at Open House on August 30th!

Jason Widiker - Principal

All parents/guardians are required to go through the Skyward Online Registration process which can be completed from your home. Online registration can be found in Skyward Family Access on the left hand side.

If you don't have access to a computer or have internet connection at home, computers will be available at Watertown High School on Tuesday, August 16th from 3:00 PM - 7:00 PM, by appointment only. Families wishing to attend in-person registration should register for a timeslot at: https://bit.ly/3ziGXsO.

Online registration requires the full web-based version of Skyward Family Access. It is not possible to register online through the Skyward Mobile App.

Families that need to request bus transportation for the 2022-23 school year must complete the Go Riteway Bus Form by Friday, August 5th to guarantee routing for the first week of school. Bus information can be found on the WUSD website at: https://bit.ly/3aKQVK1.

For parents/guardians of incoming 6th grade students, the RMS Experience is a great transitional opportunity for students to learn exciting things about RMS, become familiar with the building, meet staff members, and help ease their worries during the shift to middle school.

The RMS Experience takes place on August 16th & 17th, from 9am-1pm daily at Riverside Middle School. Please see the RMS website for more information and to sign up.

We invite you to the Riverside Middle School Open House on Tuesday, August 30th from 5:00 PM - 7:00 PM. The Open House is a great opportunity to see the school, meet the excellent RMS staff, and ask any questions that you may have about the upcoming school year. We encourage you to bring a copy of your student's schedule with you, as this will give your student the chance to familiarize themselves with class and locker locations, as well as to discover the most efficient routes to each of their classes. We look forward to meeting you!

There are three entrances for families to utilize for Open House. They are; the main entrance (Door A2), the garden/greenhouse entrance (Door B1), and the staff parking lot/Tech Ed entrance (Door D7). Each door is clearly marked with it's door number.

The 2022-23 school year begins on Thursday, September 1st for Riverside students. Our school day runs from 7:45 AM - 3:15 PM on M/T/Th/F and from 7:45 AM - 2:10 on Wednesday. Throughout the year, the building will be open at 7:30 AM for students purchasing breakfast (further information below). The building will be open at 7:35 AM for all other students that are not taking a school breakfast. We will dedicate a good amount of time the first few days of school to help students acclimate themselves to RMS. We realize that the last two years were difficult to provide a consistent educational experience for some families. We will make sure to take the time to support our students as we welcome them back.

Network Photography will be photographing students at Riverside on Monday, Sept 12th (last names A-L) and on Tuesday, Sept 13th (last names M-Z) in the LGI. It is important that your student has their picture taken in order for them to receive a student ID card. Picture retake day will take place on Wednesday, Oct 19th in the AM.

You may order and pay for your student's photos with the following link:

Riverside Middle School Picture Fall Prepay Link 2022 - 2023

Starting on Monday, August 15th, student schedules will be visible in Skyward. We will also have a hard copy available for students at Open House. If there are any questions related to your student's schedule, please contact Amanda Ristow (RMS Registrar) at 920-262-1494. Please make sure that your student brings a copy of their schedule with them on the first day of school.

School fees and lunch money for the 2022-23 school year can be paid by cash, check/money order, or online by credit card. We recommend that you take advantage of paying your student's fees online through Skyward Family Access. Payments can be mailed to: 131 Hall St, Watertown, WI 53094.

RIVERSIDE MIDDLE SCHOOL 2022-23 FEES:

Registration Fee - $80.00

Instrument Rental - $50.00

Replacement ID Card Fee - $5.00

Yearbook (optional) - $12.00

Athletic Fee (per activity) - $35.00

Breakfast and lunch are no longer free for all students. Students will be required to pay, or qualify for Free/Reduced breakfast or lunch, using their ID card, for any meals at school.

Breakfast Instructions- For students eating breakfast, door A1 will open at 7:30, only for students eating breakfast. All other students will be expected to enter door A2 or B1 at 7:35, when the building opens for everyone. Students will grab their breakfast and take it with them to their locker and 1st hour class. If a student arrives after 7:35 and wants breakfast, they will come in through A2 or B1 and head to the cafeteria.

Lunch Instructions - Students will return to the cafeteria this year for lunch. For returning students, this will operate just like it did last year. There will also be an a la carte option for students to purchase something different or additional to their lunch. There is a per item cost for all things in the a la carte menu.

Free/Reduced Price School Meal Forms - Parents/guardians can find the 2022-23 Free/Reduced Price School Meal Forms in Skyward Family Access or can pick up a paper copy from any WUSD building. Completed forms can be turned in at any of the WUSD schools. One form per family needs to be completed per school year.

Linked here is the 2022-2023 RMS school supply list. Hopefully you will find this helpful as we have condensed the list from individual classes into one by grade level. If you need any assistance with getting supplies for your student, please contact the Student Services office at 920-262-1494.

Families that cannot afford school supplies are invited to register for the Free School Supply Event, which will take place on Tuesday, August 16th at St Henry's Parish Center (drive-thru). Registration forms are available at the locations listed below from Monday, August 1st - Friday, August 12th and are required. You must complete a registration form to receive a prepackaged kit for your student. A registration form must be completed for each student.

Registration forms are available at the following locations:

• Ebenezer Moravian Church (Summer Sandwiches in the Park on Fridays at Timothy Johnson Park 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM), Watertown Moravian Church (Loaves & Fishes on Mondays 4:15 - 5:30 PM)
• Good Shepherd Lutheran (Summer Sandwiches in the Park on Wednesdays at Riverside Park 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM)
• Immanuel Ev Lutheran Church (Watertown Food Pantry, PEP, Laundry program at Easy Wash on 3rd St on Tuesday mornings)
• First Congregational - UCC River City Church
• River Valley Alliance Church
• Christ United Methodist Church
• St Bernard's and/or St Henry's Catholic Churches
• First Baptist Church
• St Paul's Episcopal (Mary's Room or Summer Sandwiches in the Park at Clark Park on Tuesdays 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM)

All RMS student athletes must have a completed physical examination form and an athletic participation form signed by a parent/guardian to participate in extracurricular activities. These forms must be completed BEFORE a student will be permitted to participate. Physical examinations are good for two calendar years. The alternate year physical permission and parental permission forms are part of the athletic participation form and are also required in order to participate. The fee for participating in RMS sports is $35.00 per sport. Forms are available in the main office. If you have any questions, please contact Mrs. Muniz at munizc@watertown.k12.wi.us.

**Physicals that are turned in for Watertown Youth Football or Watertown Blue Revue are not forwarded to us per Federal HIPAA law. Please provide a copy to RMS.

RMS Sports:

1. Cross Country - Sept
2. Volleyball - Sept
3. Boys Basketball - Nov
4. Girls Basketball - Jan
5. Wrestling - Jan
6. Track & Field - Mar

As many of you may recall, we held a student/parent/staff/community member "Name The Panther" contest last year. The landslide winning name was "ROCKY"! With our beloved Panther in mind, we have decided to name our drive-thru or flagpole entrance driveway "Rocky Road". Going forward, "Rocky Road" will be referenced to describe this roadway. We will also be marking it with "Rocky Road" signs in the near future. We hope that this will provide a fun way to provide some clarity to that space going forward.

For the 2022-23 school year, we are planning to continue the practice of assigning entrance locations, by grade level, for student drop off and entry into the building. We noticed a calmer and better supervised start to our day the last two years by doing this and are excited to use our space to spread out our students (and driving parents). These locations are also closer to student lockers, which are also assigned by grade. The assigned locations are as follows:

• 6th and 8th grade students (and any students eating breakfast) - Student drop off will be on Rocky Road and students will use the main entrance (A2) to enter the building

• Please pull up to the car in front of you. When someone stops at the flagpole to let their student out, it means that 10 less cars can be letting their student out at the same time. Please pull up to the car in front of you and, if no one is in front of you, please pull up to the orange cone.

• Students should be ready to exit the vehicle as soon as you come to a stop. If you need more time to gather materials or have a last minute conversation, the stalls on Hall Street would be appropriate.

• 7th grade students - Student drop off will be on Hall Street, using the parking stalls facing the school. 7th grade students will use the door nearest the greenhouse (B1) to enter the building.

• If you are dropping off multiple students in different grades, it is completely acceptable to drop off all students in the area that is most convenient for you.

In an effort to be fiscally responsible and environmentally friendly, RMS will not routinely mail hard copies of report cards home. This will include the conclusion of the grading periods and progress report grades. All grades can be viewed in Skyward Family Access anytime throughout the school year. If you do not have access to Skyward and would like to request a hard copy of your student's grades, please contact the Student Services office at 920-262-1494.

THE RMS PTO NEEDS YOU!!

The PTO is comprised of parents and staff members that work together to support the students at Riverside. We are currently looking for parents that would like to GET INVOLVED and MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

Currently, we need to fill all board positions.

If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Harris at harrisj@watertown.k12.wi.us.

You can find Riverside Middle School on both Facebook and Twitter.

Additionally, Watertown USD can now be found in your mobile phone app store. This is a great place to get the most up-to-date information regarding WUSD and your child's school.

Rock River Disc Club

• https://www.ci.watertown.wi.us/departments/park_recreation_forestry/docs/Disc_Golf_Handout.pdf
  
• https://www.facebook.com/pages/Rock%20River%20Disc%20Golf%20Course/192647044119499/

Watertown Aquatic Team (WAT)

• https://www.teamunify.com/team/wswat/page/home
  
• https://www.facebook.com/watertownaquaticteam

Watertown Archery Club

• http://watertownarchers.com/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/watertownarchers

Watertown Blue Revue

• http://www.watertownbluerevue.com/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/watertownbluerevue
  

Watertown Family Center

• https://watertownfamilycenter.com/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/watertownfamilycenter

Watertown Lacrosse Club

• https://tshq.bluesombrero.com/watertownlax
  
• https://www.facebook.com/WatertownGoslingLacrosse

Watertown Soccer Club

• https://www.watertownsoccer.org/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/watertownsoccer
  

Watertown Thunder Fastpitch

• https://www.watertownsoftball.com/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057589392328
  

Watertown Volleyball, Inc

• http://watertownvb.com
• www.facebook.com/watertownvolleyballinc

Watertown Youth Baseball

• https://www.watertownbaseball.org/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/WatertownBaseball

Watertown Youth Basketball

• https://www.watertownbasketball.org/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/WatertownYouthBasketball

Watertown Youth Football

• https://www.watertownyouthfootball.org/
  
• https://www.facebook.com/Watertown-Youth-Football-Junior-Goslings-509231519137046