Navigating the River

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 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 to Claim Items from Lost & Found
• May 23rd - Last Day of School (Early Release)

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This week and every week, we thank our teachers and staff for the hard work, dedication, and leadership they provide at the River. We are so lucky to have these fantastic teachers at the River!

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

The last day to claim items from Lost & Found will be May 23rd!

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.

CONGRATULATIONS TO OUR COUNTY CHAMPIONSHIP DKO TEAM!!

They were awarded the county championship trophy by PK Graff who leads the Esports program for Forsyth County!

Congratulations to all of our 8th Grade students who were honored at the 8th Grade Spotlight Celebration and Awards Ceremony! These students truly demonstrate Panther PRIDE!

A big thank you to the 8th Grade teachers and counseling department for organizing the events!

SPARK! offers weekly, 90-minute sessions for child(ren) ages birth-5 and their parents to attend. A certified teacher facilitates interactive, play-based learning in a classroom environment to support the growth of early learners. Sessions will begin in September. To learn more about SPARK!, please visit: https://www.forsyth.k12.ga.us/SPARK

My name is Hannah McCown and I will be a 6th grade math teacher here at Riverwatch! I am a proud graduate of Kennesaw State University with my bachelor’s degree in education for middle grades math and science. Also, I had the privilege to complete my student teaching at Hendricks Middle School.

Here’s a glimpse into who I am:

Favorite Hobbies - crocheting stuffed animals, reading fantasy books, and playing Beat Saber and Fall Guys.

Favorite Music Genre - Electric Dance Music (EDM), pop, and K-pop.

Favorite TV Show - Stranger Things

Favorite Broadway Show - Phantom of the Opera

Favorite Candy - Dots and Hershey’s Cookies and Cream

I am thrilled to join the Riverwatch family and I cannot wait to see what this year will bring!

My name is Laura Moore and I have been teaching life science for 11 years. I am looking forward to teaching 7th grade science at Riverwatch next year!

All applications must be submitted by Friday, May 10th so the schedule can be sent out prior to tryouts. The tryout schedule will be emailed out Friday afternoon to the email address listed in the application. All rising 7th and 8th graders planning to be in robotics at Riverwatch next year need to have an application filled out.

For rising 9th Graders at LHS.

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!

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