As we prepare to welcome you back to school on Wednesday, August 28th, I wanted to pass along some resources for your information and planning. Please click the link for the RMHS Parent Guidebook provided below. The resource is created to assist families with important information they may need throughout the year.

RMHS Parent Resource: Guidebook 2024-2025

New Common Cell Phone Expectations Letter

Principal's Partnership Series & Assembly Themes

Students and families will receive the first “Viking Weekly News” starting on Friday, August 23rd. For those families new to the middle/high school, this weekly newsletter serves as a way to communicate the most vital information in hopes to assist students in planning for the “week ahead”. This does not cover everything that goes on at the middle/high school but is rather an overview of the major events or changes to the schedule that may impact your child. A copy of each week’s email is also posted on the Principal's Page of the website.

Being in school and on time are extremely important to your child's success. When students attend school regularly and arrive on time, they stay engaged in their learning, build strong relationships, and develop solid study habits. Please help us by making sure your child gets to school on time each day. The cafeteria and library are open at 7:00 am and free breakfast is available in the cafeteria for all students. The main hallways and classrooms open at 7:25 am.

We understand that the transition to a middle/high school this coming year comes with a shift in contact information. To simplify the process for families, we have streamlined all communications to run through the RMHS Main Office. Please use the main number for routine inquiries: 978-546-1234. For a more detailed chart of counselors, and other support personnel, please use the chart below to help navigate our new team of people and systems.

RMHS is excited to welcome the following new staff members to our team for the 2024-2025 school year:

School Counselor (6-8): Cristiana Stapleton

1-Year English Teacher (9-12): Josh Hardin

Middle school students who ordered supplies via the Shoptkits are all set! The orders will be shipped directly to the school and provided to your children on the opening days of school. For those families who missed the deadline or opted not to order through this vendor, I have included links to the school supply lists by grade level below:

RMHS School Supply List Grades 6-8: 2024-2025

High School students should come to school on the first day with a charged computer (if they have one), a writing utensil, and a notebook. Requirements for school supplies vary depending on your child’s teacher and classes. Teachers will spend the first two days outlining their specific class requirements and expectations. There is no need to buy school supplies in advance to avoid purchasing unnecessary items. We highly recommend that you wait until after the first two days to buy the appropriate supplies for your unique schedule.

Incoming Grade 6/New Student Middle School Orientation:

Incoming Grade 6 and new middle school students are invited to attend an informal orientation session on Thursday, August 22nd from 9:00 am - 10:30 am in the John Lane Auditorium. The orientation will provide students with the opportunity to meet with the Principal, Assistant Principal, Dean of Students, Counselor, and current middle school students, and receive a copy of their middle school schedule and locker number. Directly following the brief presentation, students will participate in a scavenger hunt that allows them to explore their schedule and get to know the expectations for opening day. Families are not required to attend, but they are welcome to join if interested.

Incoming Grade 9/New Student High School Orientation:

Freshmen/New Student High School Orientation will be on Wednesday, August 21st from 9:00 am -10:30 am in the John Lane Auditorium. The orientation will be an interactive experience; providing an opportunity for students to hear from the high school staff and learn from current high school students. Students will receive their schedules and will be able to locate their classrooms and locker. Current high school students will be there to facilitate a tour and answer any questions. Families are not required to attend, but they are welcome to join if interested.

Middle school schedules are available in Aspen and students will receive hard copies on the opening day of school. If you have questions about your child's schedule, please email Ms. King, Assistant Principal (aking@rpk12.org) and Ms. Stapleton, 6-8 Counselor (cstapleton@rpk12.org).

High School schedules were made available to students and parents in June through Aspen. You can continue to access your child’s schedule through Aspen at your convenience. Guidance counselors will hold add/drop periods starting in late August if you and/or your child would like to make a change to your existing schedule.

Please note that counselors will work diligently to respond to all scheduling requests. Due to the volume of requests, this may take some time. Students will have a two-week add/drop period once school begins in order to ensure all scheduling issues are resolved.

The school year begins with full days on Wednesday, August 28th, and Thursday, August 29th. There is no school on Friday, August 30th, or Monday, September 2nd for the long Labor Day weekend.

Students in Grades 6-11 will report to their A block at 7:35 am on the first day of school to receive their schedules and other important opening day materials. All seniors (grade 12) will report to the Auditorium.

Rockport Middle/High School requires students to participate in our summer reading program. Please be sure your child does this in order to be prepared for the opening day of school. The 2024-2025 summer reading list is available on our website under the “Resources” tab, “MS Summer Reading” or “HS Summer Reading”. If you have trouble accessing the list online, please contact Ms. Lucido in the main office by calling 978-546-1234. Students will be expected to participate in a faculty-led discussion about their book within the first few days of school.📚🙌

Please see the chart below for a breakdown of counseling assignments at the high school level. Alphabet breakdowns are based on student last names:

Students in grades 6-8 are required to use a school-issued device. Students will be given the device on the opening days of school and will be expected to take proper care of the devices throughout the year.

Students in grades 9-12 are expected to bring a computer to school each day for general use. Recommended devices include a Chromebook, MacBook, or Windows laptop, so that students can access the internet, Google Classroom, and complete writing and research assignments. Tablets and phones are not as effective at these tasks. All devices brought into the school network are visible to technology staff and must abide by the acceptable use policy, as do all school-issued devices. RMHS will supply any students with a Chromebook who are unable to or do not want to bring their own device. These devices will be issued in the first few weeks of school after acceptable use policies have been signed and returned. A student cannot receive their device without the acceptable use policy being signed. Students will be responsible for charging devices each night. Repairs will be dealt with on an individual basis.

If your child requires a school-issued Chromebook, they will have the opportunity to obtain one during the first two weeks of school by visiting the Tech Office.

Breakfast is an important way to start a productive day. We encourage all students to arrive early enough to get breakfast before school begins if possible. For those students not able to get to school early on any given day, we will provide a set time in the morning to be sure breakfast is accessible to all. Breakfast and lunch continue to be free for students this year.

Our annual open houses are scheduled to be held in September. Please save the dates on your calendars. The middle school open house will be held on Thursday, September 19, 2024 at 6:00 pm. The high school open house will be held on Thursday, September 26th at 6:00 pm. Both evenings will commence in the John Lane Auditorium after which parents will follow an abbreviated school schedule, enabling you to meet each of your child’s teachers and learn of curricular expectations at RMHS.

The new RMHS schedule provides a variety of ways to support your children by creating routine and structured ways to reinforce the academic and social-emotional curricula 6-12. We look forward to sharing more about these built-in opportunities with your students on opening days.

• In order to strengthen the home/school partnership at RMHS, we will be providing a number of resources for families to keep you informed of important information and events. Resources will be available on the website by late August and include:

  • The Principal’s page on the RMHS website.

  • The Parent Resource Guidebook that provides answers to the most commonly asked questions.

  • The “RMHS Viking News” emailed to all students and families beginning the first week of school.

  • Your child’s Aspen account and Google Classroom pages for the most up-to-date information within individual classes.

  • Routine email communication for parents to guide and inform important upcoming events, school-related expectations, and/or happenings.

Senior Cruise – Tuesday, August 20th 7 pm -9 pm – Rose’s Wharf, Gloucester

Senior Breakfast – Wednesday, August 28th at 6:30 am - Brackett’s Oceanview Restaurant

Post-Secondary Planning Night (Grade 12 students and families) - Tuesday, September 17th at 6pm in the Auditorium

RHS Graduation – Friday, May 30, 2025 at 5 pm

Please take the time to enjoy the remainder of your summer. I am excited to welcome the students back on August 28th!

-Ms. Rose