Each week, you will receive our newsletter containing important dates, events, and school news. Navigating the River is one of the best ways to stay up to date on what's happening at the River and ways to get involved to help make this school year the best yet! #RMSGoodAsGold

• May 1st - 7th Grade Rising Night (6:00 PM - 7:30 PM)
  
• May 6th - 9th - Symphonic Band Auditions
• May 7th - 8th Grade Awards Night
• May 8th - RMS Football Spring Scrimmage (6:00 PM)
• May 9th - PBIS Points-A-Palooza (during Panther Time)
• May 10th & 11th - Band Trip to Carowinds
• May 10th - 12th - Chorus Trip to Dollywood
• May 13th - 8th Grade Field Day
• May 13th - 17th - Symphonic Band Auditions
• May 14th - 6th & 7th Grade Field Day
• May 14th - 8th Grade Field Trip (Teams R, M, S, & P)
• May 16th - 21st - Finals
  
• 16th - Social Studies
• 17th - ELA
• 20th - Science & Spanish
• 21st - Math
• May 20th - Yearbook Distribution (during Panther Time)
• May 22nd - 8th Grade Walk
• May 23rd - Last Day of School (Early Release)

Get important information even faster by following us on Facebook and Twitter (X)!

Facebook: www.facebook.com/riverwatchms

**Note: The survey will be sent out via Campus Messenger today (5/1). Please be on the lookout in your email or Campus inbox!

Today and every day, we thank Ms. MacAllaster for the hard work, dedication, and leadership she provides at the River. We are proud to have her as the face of our school!

As we quickly approach the ending of the school year, please take a few minutes and review the exam policy for Final Exams.

Reminder to FCS Families:

Please make sure that for the last month of school your child has adequate funds available in MyPaymentsPlus or sufficient cash/check is sent in to cover their meal purchases. Starting Monday, May 6 through the end of the school year, students without adequate funds will receive a courtesy snack. Also, any families with negative cafeteria balances must deposit funds before the school year ends. Students who graduate or withdraw and have funds left in their meal accounts should visit https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/page/396 to close out their accounts.

As of this year, every student who matriculates through Forsyth County Schools has the opportunity to earn Advanced Placement and/or College-level Mathematics credit in high school, no matter what their math path. If you are interested in watching a ten-minute video that explains our middle and high school math paths, please view this Math Path Video Explanation.

The week of May 6th - 10th will be all about celebrating all the hard work our teachers do at the River. If you're feeling generous, show your student's teachers a little love!

Volunteer Opportunities:

• Teacher Lunch Coverage - May 10th
  
• Field Day Volunteers - May 13th and 14th

Notes from PTSO:

Proposed PTSO Board for 2024-2025: Please take a few minutes to look at the link below and vote either "yes" to approve the entire slate of officers for next year's PTSO board, or "no" to reject the entire slate of officers for next year's board. Please contact riverwatchmsptso@gmail.com if you have any questions. Vote today at Proposed 2024-2025 PTSO Board!

We introduce to you the Back-to-Back County Champions...the RMS Golf team! That's right...they brought the championship trophy back to the River for another year! Congrats to all our athletes and to Coach Kulikowski and Coach Matthews!

Student Rewards – We had over 2,043 Panther PRIDE purchases given out on Tuesday, April 30 to our RMS Student Body as a result of earning Panther PRIDE Points. Our Q3 Student Rewards was the biggest one to date as many students saved their points to spend at the end of the year on snacks, drinks, and prizes. Next week, students who purchased a Fun Event will be able to participate on Thursday, May 9. That data is yet to come. Our Panther PRIDE system seeks to teach students about making good choices and how those good choices can yield great opportunities to treat yourself with a reward. Thank you to our RMS PTSO who supports our efforts with a yearly grant to help us keep our positive rewards going, and an extra special “thank you” from Mrs. Johnson to the parents who came in to help hand out the prizes at Prize Pick-Up in the cafeteria on 4/30.

March Panther PRIDE Students of the Month

These students earned the highest Panther PRIDE points for Personal Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, and Empathy. Congratulations to our March students!

6th Grade – Ari’ana W, Varnit K, Eva P, Shannon A, Veer B

7th Grade – Ashley S, Shruthika V, Sudarshan T, Westin P, Kevin J

8th Grade – Guilherme C, Vasudha R, Suhana I, Vishruth V, Samantha H

There's a new episode of RMS Panther News available now! It features segments on the 8th Grade Dance, Milestones, NBA Playoffs, the Jazz Club, Cheerleading Tryouts, and a Spring Sports Wrap-up. Thank you and Enjoy!

On April 27th, Riverwatch Soccer took the pitch to battle against Piney Grove in the championship game. Riverwatch came out of the hard-fought game placing second in the county. The players left it all on the field and played hard until the final whistle! Way to go Panthers Soccer!! We look forward to another great season next spring!

A Note from Mr. Hundertmark:

I am truly honored to be joining the Riverwatch Middle School community! I began serving in Forsyth County Schools this year at Hendricks Middle School but began my career as an educator over 24 years ago. I have been a middle school teacher, high school teacher, assistant principal, and a district-level coordinator for advanced academics. In those roles I have become steadfast in my beliefs that relationships matter, and that a group of educators dedicated to the success of their students, is an exceptionally powerful force for good in a community. I have a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Lincoln Memorial University and a master’s degree in teaching mathematics from The University of Florida as well as my principal’s endorsement from Sam Houston State University. My personal interests are spending time with my 20 and 17 year-old children, cooking, hiking, travel, and college football – well, I used to enjoy college football.

I look forward to serving alongside of each of you. Go Panthers!

More information can be found at the Robotics Club website!

Our 6th Graders had a hands-on opportunity to learn about real-world business and economy by participating in the Junior Achievement Biztown! Students were able to complete "jobs", earn "money", and "purchase" goods! Having fun and learning at the same time is what makes our school good as gold!

On Saturday, Riverwatch had the privilege of hosting the Georgia Music Educators Association District IX Solo & Ensemble event. Hundreds of students from across North Georgia participated in performances for GMEA State-Level judges. The following ratings are awarded by the judges:

• Superior (1): Outstanding performance. Worthy of distinction of being recognized as among the very best.
• Excellent (2): A very good performance in many respects, but not worthy of the highest rating due to minor errors. A performance of distinctive quality.
• Good (3): A good performance. Shows accomplishment and marked promise.
• Fair (4): A performance that shows some obvious weaknesses, generally weak and uncertain.
• Poor (5): A performance which reveals much room for improvement. The students reveal almost a complete lack of preparedness and understanding.

We are happy to announce that Riverwatch earned 190 Superior Ratings (105 solo, 85 ensemble), 36 Excellent Ratings (26 solo, 10 ensemble), and 2 Good Ratings (2 solos). We are so proud of our band students and their hard-working directors, Mr. McGee and Ms. Larkin!

Students at RMS have been exhibiting PRIDE behaviors throughout the school year. As we approach the end of our year, we want students to be able to spend their final PRIDE points on some extra special opportunities and prizes. The purchase window was open from April 15 - 19th. Students were able to choose from fun events such as:

• Ultimate Frisbee
• Writing Music Workshop
• Forsyth County Sheriff's Office K9 Dog Demonstration
• Sidewalk Chalk Art
• Making Friendship Bracelets
• Computer Game Time with Slushies
• Cartoons with Popcorn.

We hope you will continue to reinforce Panther PRIDE (Personal Responsibility, Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Empathy) over the summer. We look forward to another wonderful year of Panther PRIDE with you in the fall!

Several Panthers celebrated Earth Week by participating in the #GreatFoCoCleanup organized by Project Green Schools and #KFCB. They picked up 7 bags of trash and freed a helpful snake that was caught in landscaping plastic. 💛🌎 #152pickupChallenge

Riverwatch was proud to be a part of the Lambert Connected event this weekend. The Lambert Drama program performed Alice in Wonderland and hosted a tea party before their Saturday performance. Lambert students in the Culinary class catered the event while attendees enjoyed a special performance by the Lambert and Riverwatch Orchestra programs. Attendees were also able to meet and greet with Lambert and Riverwatch students who dressed up for the occasion, playing characters from both Alice in Wonderland (LHS) and The Wizard of Oz (RMS)!

Take a few minutes and let someone know you appreciate their hard work and dedication!

Nomination Link

Being part of the yearbook staff is an honor for which many students apply. I hope you will give serious consideration to becoming part of one of the most rewarding organizations at our school.

For the 2024-25 school year, the yearbook class will be a yearlong course; however, there MAY be times when staff members will be expected to cover events before and after school, which will require them to arrive early or stay late. There is also a yearbook camp in August that every staff member is expected to attend. The cost of the camp will be determined at a later date.

APPLICATION FOR 2024-2025 YEARBOOK STAFF

All applications must be completed by April 26th. LATE APPLICATIONS WILL NOT BE CONSIDERED. The size of the staff must be limited; therefore, all yearbook staff members must meet certain criteria. Each staff member must:

1. Be in good academic standing.
2. Have two recommendations from two of your core class teachers from this year.
3. Complete the attached application.
4. Be willing to go the extra mile for each and every deadline!!

Being an RMS Yearbook Staff Member is a privileged. Applicants are chosen for their character, academic success, and work ethics. Applicants should know that I will review their present records including attendance, grades, and discipline. Also, the recommendation of their teachers plays a VERY important role in the selection. At no time will any of this information be made public, nor will any students ever see this information.

I appreciate your interest in the yearbook class, and I look forward to choosing an excellent staff.

Linda Scheaffer
Yearbook Advisor

Available via SchoolPay!

WhyTry, one of our district’s behavior intervention programs, offers this free Parent Guide to Resilience. Each section of the guide provides an audio overview, examples and analogies, discussion guidance, and even family meeting ideas.

• Attendance (Excuses, Check-In/Check-Out), Attendance Update Letter from Ms. MacAllaster
  
• Transportation Changes
• Updated Exam Policy for 2023-2024
• Joining PTSO
• RMS Panther News
• Yearbook Ordering - Order #1287 (Riverwatch Middle School)
• Previous Editions of Navigating the River - January 31, January 24, January 17, January 10, December 20, December 13, December 6