Happy Thanksgiving Holiday, RMHS Students & Families,

The week was short, but mighty 💪! The RMHS students came together for a fun round of karaoke at this past week's Assembly. A huge thank you to RMHS Student Council for putting this together for us to enjoy. It was so great to see students 6-12 up on stage having some fun before leaving for the extended weekend.

As we continue to promote school spirit throughout December, Ms. Rose will be initiating surprise theme Fridays! Themes will be announced on Monday of each week and emailed out by Monday evening to give students and staff time to prepare your outfits! Stay tuned for next week's theme to come on Monday, December 2nd. If you have ideas for themes, please feel free to send them my way so I can add them to the drawing 🙌!

Happy Thanksgiving to RMHS students and families. I hope you take some time to step away and relax with family and friends. We look forward to welcoming you back on Monday, December 2nd.😊🦃

Here's to a great week ahead!

-Ms. Rose

Amy Rose, Principal

Tuesday, December 3rd: 1/2 Day for Students (No HS Assembly)

Please note that Tuesday's half day schedule reflects a Day 3 schedule, meaning that first block is different across the schools/grades (A, E, or FLEX Explore). Please follow the Day 3* schedule and use the abbreviated half-day timeline to plan for the day.

Friday, December 6th: Middle School Assembly

Tuesday, December 10th: RMS Winter Concert - 6:30 (AUD)

Wednesday, December 11th: RHS Winter Concert - 6:30 pm (AUD)

Monday, December 16th: RMS Jazz and Small Ensemble Concert - 6:30 pm Shalin Liu Performance Ctr.

Tuesday, December 17th: RHS Jazz and Small Ensemble Concert - 6:30 pm Shalin Liu Performance Ctr.

Wednesday, December 18th: 7th Grade Field Trip

Friday, December 20th: 1/2 Day before the Winter Vacation!

Thursday, January 2nd: Welcome Back!

Tuesday, January 7th: DECA District Competition

Monday, January 20th: No School MLK Jr. (Staff/Students)

Week of the January 21st: RHS Mid-Term Exams

Thursday, January 23rd: RMS Musical Performance @ 7:00pm

Friday, January 24th: RMS Musical Performance @ 7:00pm

Saturday, January 25th: RMS Musical Performance @ 7:00pm

Sunday, January 26th: RMS Musical Performance @ 2:00pm

Friday, January 24th: Q2 Ends

Monday, January 27th: Q3 Starts

Tuesday, January 28th: Class of 2026 Post Secondary Night @ 6:00 pm

Friday, January 31st: Reports Cards are available

Friday, January 31st: MS Spelling Bee @ AUD

Class of 2025 is doing a raffle fundraiser all through December

There are loads of great prizes as you will see from our calendar attachment

If you are interested in purchasing tickets, please email one of our class advisors, Scott Larsen or Garrett Stevens

(slarsen@rpk12.org or gstevens@rpk12.org)

Tickets must be purchased by 12/2/24 to be eligible

It's yearbook ad time! If you'd like to have an advertisement in the yearbook this year, please send in a submission form by December 1st. Please refer to this form submission for details! Refer any questions to the new yearbook advisor, Michael Lamarche by emailing mlamarche@rpk12.org

Take a Day to Meet and Observe a Professional in a Field of Interest!

• Job Shadow Day will be Monday, January 27th, 2025

• All Students in 11th and 12th grade will explore career or community service

interests

• Students are encouraged to find their own placements; Assistance is available

• Job Shadow Day Proposal is due December 13th, 2024

Questions? See RMHS Capstone Program Coordinator Mr. Vendt evendt@rpk12.org

We are pleased to inform you of Rockport’s participation in the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy for the 2024-2025 School Year. The Seal of Biliteracy is offered to any student who demonstrates proficiency in English and any other language, whether they speak or sign the language other than English at home or learned it at school or in the community.

The State Seal of Biliteracy aims to:

Encourage students to study and master languages;

Certify attainment of biliteracy skills;

Recognize the value of language diversity;

Provide employers with a method of identifying people with language and biliteracy skills;

Provide universities with a method to recognize and give credit to applicants for attainment of high-level skills in languages;

Prepare students with skills that will benefit them in the labor market and the global society;

Strengthen intergroup communication and honor the multiple cultures and languages in a community.

In order to earn the Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy, students must:

Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in English by earning a score of 472 or higher on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS,

Demonstrate a high level of proficiency in a world language by attaining a minimum score equivalent to Intermediate-High on an assessment approved by the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education,

Satisfy all other graduation requirements.

The Seal of Biliteracy with Distinction is available to students who:

Earn a score of 501 or higher on the Grade 10 ELA MCAS

Demonstrate a proficiency level of Advanced Low or higher on a Department-approved assessment

Satisfy all other graduation requirements.

We will be administering the ELA MCAS on March 25-26, 2025. A Google form gauging interest in earning the Seal of Biliteracy will be sent out to eligible students in early/mid December. We will be administering the AAPPL (The ACTFL Assessment of Performance toward Proficiency in Languages) in late February/early March to interested students. The cost for the assessment is $20. Financial assistance is available for those that qualify.

We look forward to honoring the language expertise and diversity in our district through this initiative. If you have any further questions, please contact Lilliam Duffy at lduffy@rpk12.org or Martha Cox-Stavros at mcoxstavros@rpk12.org.

Massachusetts State Seal of Biliteracy Participating Colleges & Universities

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.

Salem State University Dual Enrollment:

The deadline to apply for a Spring 2025 course is Friday, December 6, 2024. Applications are available in Guidance or use the link to the program details, course availability, and application:

https://www.salemstate.edu/sites/default/files/pdfs/Dual_Enrollment_Application_23_WEB_FILL.pdf

Save the Date:

Gap Year Fair on 1/13/25 at Newburyport HS from 6 - 8:30 PM. Stop by Guidance for QR Registration Code. Learn more at www.usagapyearfairs.org

PSAT Scores for Juniors and Sophomores:

Student score reports are available and be accessed through BigFuture School app or their CollegeBoard accounts https://satsuite.collegeboard.org. Need help with your account, call Student Line/College Board at 866.433.7728. Understanding Scores can be found at https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/psat-nmsqt-understanding-scores.pdf

Community Service is a graduation requirement!

All students need to earn 50 hours. Check out your Class Board or Aspen account to see how many community service hours you have earned. Please check the bulletin board outside of Guidance for opportunities or stop by Guidance to speak with Ms. Vavruska or Ms. Price.

Seniors - Class of 2025:

• Seniors who have applied to colleges: Please continue to check your personal emails (non-RPK) for guidance about the next steps, creating a portal, and/or missing documents.

• Colleges are emailing students announcing the FAFSA is open for 2025-26 ahead of the planned Dec 1 launch. We recommend that students and families wait until the second week of December to make sure all of the bugs are worked out on this new form. In the meantime, families can create their FSA IDs at https://studentaid.gov/. The student and one parent/contributor must have an FSA ID and password to fill out the FAFSA. Processing a FSA ID can take 3-5 business days, so we recommend creating it at least a week before starting the FAFSA.

• Guidance has received a few scholarships that fall outside of our local scholarship program. Seniors are welcome to check out the binder in Guidance.

• Seniors -- GET YOUR COMMUNITY SERVICE HOURS COMPLETED before April 4, 2025!

Please see the chart below for a breakdown of counseling assignments at the high school level. The alphabet breakdown is based upon student last name:

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.

RHS Jr/Sr. Prom - Friday, May 16th, 2025 @ Spinellis

Senior Showcase: Tuesday, May 20th, 2025 @ Rockport Music Shalin Liu

Senior Banquet - Wednesday, May 28, 2025 @ The Elks at Bass Rocks

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.

The school campus is closed to the public when school is in session and after 10:00pm nightly. This includes the use of the tennis courts, track, playgrounds, athletic fields and all other parts of the campus. This does not include families and community members attending school events in our schools or on our school grounds. We appreciate the community's understanding and support as we continue to prioritize the safety of RPS students and staff.