Panther Post

Dear RNMS Families,

This week has flown by, as a three-day week tends to do! I can hardly believe we are already in October. The year is off to an incredible start, and I’m excited about the direction we’re heading as a school community.

Next week promises to be an exciting one, with the JCK Foundation assembly for our 6th graders. The JCK Foundation provides talks and programs in schools to educate youth about mental wellness and connect them with valuable resources to support their personal journeys. Their mission is to prevent isolation while fostering resilience and confidence among students. They will be meeting with our 7th and 8th graders later in the year.

We will also be holding our first Principal’s Advisory Committee meeting, providing an opportunity for us to connect with parents, discuss important aspects of our school, and collaborate on ways to continuously improve our school community.

Speaking of improving our school community, please take a moment to complete the family survey below when you have the time. Your feedback will be extremely valuable in helping us improve the middle school experience!

Wishing you all a relaxing weekend, and to those celebrating, Happy Rosh Hashanah!

See you all on Monday!

Best,

Jason Doerr

Principal

Next Week:

• October 7:
• 6th Grade Steps for Success, 2:45 PM, A35
  
• After School Clubs Begin
• October 8:
• JCK 6th Grade Assembly (for students), 10:00 AM, PAC
• October 10:
• MS Principal's Advisory Committee Meeting, 1:15 PM
  
• October 11:
• Marking Period 1 Progress Reports Posted

On the Horizon

• October 14:
• Columbus Day - School Closed
  
• October 17:
• 6th Grade Link Up Day, Period 4
• October 18:
• 8th Grade Trip to Philadelphia
• Senior Buddy Day

We created this Middle School Family Survey to gather valuable feedback from our families. Your input is important to us, and we encourage you to complete it, as the data will help us enhance our practices at the middle school. Thank you for your time and support!

Clubs: Middle school clubs kick off next week! Take a moment to review the MS Clubs Presentation with your child to see which clubs catch their interest. There’s no sign-up required—just show up after school on the designated day. Students also reviewed these options with their teachers in homeroom.

Student of the Month:

In next week’s newsletter, we are excited to announce the Students of the Month for September across 6th, 7th, and 8th grades. The Student of the Month Program aims to recognize students who make meaningful contributions to our school community, both inside and outside the classroom. This program celebrates those who demonstrate a love for learning and a commitment to personal growth, regardless of academic standing.

Here are some of the outstanding reasons students are nominated:

• Classroom Progress
• Grade Improvement
• Leadership Qualities
• Strong Engagement
• Kindness and Consideration
• Outstanding Attitude
• Community Involvement
• Personal Growth
• Exemplary Character
• Individual Achievement

We look forward to celebrating the accomplishments of our September Students of the Month in next week's newsletter!

Principal's Advisory Committee Meeting: Below is the agenda for our first PAC meeting. Please reach out to one of the middle school PAC members (Stacie Brenkovich, Erin Colagiovanni, Jocelyn Langus, Stephen Palgon, Lindsay Reitzes, Jaime Santa, and Jen Soussa) if there are specific questions you have regarding agenda topics.

October 10th Agenda

2023-2024 NYS Exam Results: The 2023-2024 NYS ELA and Math Parent Reports have been made available by the state and you should have received those reports in the mail at this time. For a guide on how to read your child’s report, visit the New York State Education Department (nysed.gov) site. Sample score reports are available at 2024 Grades 3-8 Sample Report. If your child did not take the exams, you will not receive reports for them. If they took the exams in a different school/district, you will have to reach out to them for the reports. If you have any additional questions, please contact me or your child’s teacher.

Use of Library: Students have the opportunity to come to the Library before, during, and after school. Library hours are typically from 7:50 am until 4:00 pm and we try to give you advance notice if there is a change to the posted hours.

Cell Phones: Students have been doing great so far following our cell phone policy. Please continue to discuss with them that (as per our Student Handbook) cell phones and other electronic devices are not to be used in the school building during school hours unless authorized by a teacher for special classroom purposes. If electronic devices are used on the way to and from school, they are to be kept locked in students' lockers. Failure to follow this rule can result in confiscation of these items and they will be returned only to parents. Please make sure to send a lock in with your child so they may secure their cell phones and other devices in their lockers.

Intramurals: Please see the information/schedule for 6th grade intramural sports below:

6th grade intramural sessions will take place from 3:00 PM - 4:00 PM on the dates below. Intramural sports:

• are run by Rye Neck Coaches.

• will consist of skill development and scrimmaging.
  

• require your child to be registered on FamilyID using this link: 6th Grade Intramurals

• only run on days when school is in session.
  

Please note that while attendance is not mandatory for participation, if you sign up we ask that you make every attempt to attend each day. A student may register for multiple sessions/sports.

Please see the schedule below:

Starting the week of October 7th, each edition of our weekly newsletter will feature a specific focus. For instance, the newsletter on October 11th will highlight our 8th grade. From there, we'll rotate through the following schedule to spotlight different grades and programs:

• October 18th – 7th Grade
• October 25th – 6th Grade
• November 1st – Arts/Physical Education
• November 8th – 8th Grade

This rotation will continue, giving families both a recap and a preview of what’s happening in each grade. As always, we will also include important updates, celebrations, and highlights from across the school whenever relevant.

More QFT!: Update: Last week, I shared how Kathie Offner (6th grade English) introduced her students to the Question Formulation Technique (QFT), guiding them to generate thought-provoking questions based on the prompt: "Choices are a part of life and can change us." Working collaboratively in groups, students developed insightful questions that explored the complexity of this theme.

This week, students took their exploration deeper by reading Robert Frost’s poem, The Road Not Taken. Using the questions they had previously created, they engaged in a Socratic Circle—a method of collaborative dialogue where participants explore a text or idea by building on each other's thoughts. In this structure, the inner circle leads the discussion, while the outer circle observes and takes notes, adding layers of reflection.

Some quotes overheard from the students' discussion included:

• "The choices you make are final, but they don't have to be regrettable."
• "The choices that change you the most are the ones you need to think more deeply about."
• "It's not the choice itself that changes you; it's the path it sets you on."

What made the discussion particularly engaging was the way students naturally allowed one another to speak without raising hands, interjecting respectfully and when appropriate. One student reflected: "This discussion was fun because I’ve had these ideas before, and now the whole class could talk about them—and they’re so relatable."

It’s inspiring to see how these techniques are fostering meaningful, reflective conversations in the classroom!

Student Handbook

Technology Acceptable Use Policy

Village of Mamaroneck Bicycle Safety Brochure

To gather more feedback from parents, we invite you to use this Google Form below to share your questions, comments, concerns, or ideas. While submissions can be made anonymously, please include your name and contact information if you would like a direct response.

Cheerleading Opportunities: