RES Weekly Buzz

We had a busy but great week at RES. The kids are coming to school smiling and ready to be good citizens of our school community. I am incredibly proud of our older students, who strive to set an excellent example for our younger friends. They are very aware that young eyes are on them and living up to our expectations. Our staff has worked diligently to help students acclimate to their new schedule and classrooms, and I am grateful to them for their work and positive attitude daily.

Many of our classrooms have visited our New Student Center room in RES with me this week. I took their first visit there to read a book aloud and have a meaningful conversation about kindness, respect, and inclusion. Our discussions have been wonderful and insightful, and they have made me so proud of these students.

This week, our 3rd graders visited CAM Green. They had a tour of the White-Ellery House, the first settlement house built in 1710 as part of Cape Ann’s original Colonial Settlement, educator Darius Coombs, with whom the Museum is partnering to provide an authentic voice and interactive experiences to help teach Indigenous Histories and an excellent art station too. I was lucky enough to accompany them on this field trip and was proud of how well they presented themselves and were respectful community members while we were there.

See you next week,

Amy

• September 24th: 1/2 Day of School
• Pre-K dismissal 11:30am
• K-5 dismissal 12pm
• September 25th: RES Picture Day-See below for more information
• October 14th: No School
• October 15th: No School for Students, All Day Professional Day for Staff

2024-2025 RPS School Calendar

School pictures will be taken on

Wednesday, September 25, 2024.

Click here to order.

Good afternoon,

In an effort to be more environmentally friendly and to cut down on the paperwork that families need to complete at the beginning of the school year, Rockport Public Schools has revised our school handbooks into one updated online Student and Family District Handbook. This new version is published on our website and allows for easy access to an organized list of procedures, practices, and important information.

Please read and review the handbook using this link: Rockport Public Schools Student and Family District Handbook.

Parents and guardians will need to acknowledge that they have read the handbook through this form: Acknowledgment of Receipt of RPS Student and Family Handbook. This form is also available on the Handbook page of our website. Please complete ONE FORM FOR EACH child you have attending Rockport Schools. For 6th through 12th grade students, you will also be prompted to have your child sign this acknowledgement form.

Thank you!

Amy Waterman, Principal
Rockport Elementary

We are excited to present the RPS Principal-Family Partnership series. All parents, guardians, and families are welcome to join us from 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm in the John Lane Auditorium on the evenings listed below. The informal presentations will support families by bringing in outside resources and professionals to educate us on the most complex and current trends within the dedicated topics. Each date holds a unique theme and is designed to provide families with current information while allowing for open and meaningful dialogue. The experience will foster the importance of the school-family partnership in effectively managing the most complex of issues our kids face. Outside professionals will lead the presentations, but RPS administration and related staff will attend meetings to learn, share, and grow with you. We hope to see you all there!

November 14, 2024 – The Anxious Generation: Social Media Discussion – Bullying, Social Media Use & Current Trends

January 23, 2025– The Road to Commitment or Compromise – Vaping, Drugs & Healthy Decision-Making

March 20, 2025 – Raising and Educating Resilient Children: The Gift of Failure

The Rockport SEPAC is in need of a revitalization and looking for new members. The SEPAC is a self-governing public body which creates its own by-laws and operational procedures. A SEPAC is different from other parent groups in a school district such as a PTO or School Council – a SEPAC does not represent families from one school, but represents all families of children with disabilities from the entire school district. If you are interested in holding a Board position: Chair, Co-Chair, Secretary, Treasurer or a Board Member at Large position, please send me an email. Just want to be included ? Reach out to be a building representative. Contact Ann-Marie Luster, Interim Director of Student Services to sign up or find out more at aluster@rpk12.org.

RES is pleased to offer Run Club and Juggling Club again this year. Please use the appropriate sign up below.

*Reminder-There will be no early bus this year for before school clubs*

24/25 Run Club for grades 1-5: Sign up here

24/25 Juggling Club for grades 2-5: Sign up here

24/25 Fall Run Club/Juggling schedule

Any questions email Ms. Canniff, ecanniff@rpk12.org

RES is pleased to offer a Fall session of before/after school activities. The classes will meet once per week for 6 weeks beginning the week of September 23rd. Before school classes meet from 8-8:40am, After school classes meet from 3-4pm. Students will be brought to the RES lobby at 4pm to meet parents. Students will only be released to parents unless an email or note has been sent to the instructor. Below are the descriptions of each of the activities. Sign up by completing the form below by Friday, September 20th. Please remember to send a note in with your child stating they will be attending an afterschool class. One note with all dates is fine. Please be aware there is no school nurse on duty during before/after school activities.

Enrollment is on a first come, first serve basis. The class size is based on the type of activity. Once your sign up has been confirmed an invoice will be sent for payment. Cash or checks, made payable to RES will be accepted. 1 check made out to RES per family. All payments must be received prior to the start of the class. Any questions email Nikole Gale, ngale@rpk12.org

*Reminder-There will be no early bus this year for before school clubs*

Signup here

Before/After School Schedule

Morning Music Schedule

24/25 Music Department Calendar-Coming Soon

Any questions

Orchestra-Mr. Cohen ncohen@rpk12.org

Band- Ms. Weaver dweaver@rpk12.org or Ms. Shaw-Reese kshaw@rpk12.org

Chorus-Ms. Shaw-Reese kshaw@rpk12.org

“Saving Makes Cents” program with the Cape Ann Savings Bank is back! We are pleased to announce that banking will begin again for children in the third through fifth grades on Thursday September 26, 2024. New participants need to complete the attached form and send in with your child on that day or any Thursday after with $5.00 or more to start. A bank representative will be in the main foyer as the children enter the school for the day and will set up accounts as they come in. Parents do not need to accompany children. (Current participants can just bring in their book and bag and continue on).

How does the program work: Each Thursday morning the children will drop their deposits off with me in the foyer. The deposits will be taken to Cape Ann Savings Bank for their transaction. Students are encouraged to, but do not have to participate every week, and there is no minimum amount to be deposited after your account is opened. Bring in your loose or rolled change too! I will return the books to the school the next school day to be sent home with the children.

What does my child get: Each student will receive: their own savings passbook, banking bag, deposit tickets and piggy key chain to start. Cape Ann Savings Bank will match the initial $5.00 deposit.(Any initial deposits over the $5.00 will still receive $5.00 from the bank).The “Saving Makes Cents” program is a non-competitive fun way for children to learn to save.

This program was introduced by Joe Malone, when he was Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and is geared toward teaching the students to save and to be proud of their accomplishment. We currently have student bankers in all of the Gloucester Public Elementary Schools as well as the Memorial Elementary School in Manchester and the Rockport Elementary School.

Withdrawals are not allowed at the school. Any withdrawal transactions must take place at Cape Ann Savings Bank.

I look forward to seeing you on Thursday September 26th.

Grace Brennan – CAPE ANN SAVINGS BANK

Member FDIC | Member DIF | Equal Housing Lender

Bank sign up form

Click on pictures for more information.

Please use this link to sign your child up to ride the school bus for school year 2024-2025. Routes will be posted on the website and sent to families this week. There have been some changes made to the routes from last year.

Bus Routes

School Bus Stop Safety

The clinic will follow the weather considerations of Rockport Youth Soccer.

No games = no clinic.

We hope this will not be the case, and can't wait to get started!

Thank you to everyone who has joined as members! We are always welcoming new members via our membership form and looking for new board members as well. Please email ptorockport@gmail.com with any questions.

The Rockport PTO is kicking off its first Fall Fundraiser and we are

asking for your help! Our Vikings Pride Calendar Raffle is brand new, district wide for every

student and we are so excited to introduce it! We want to THANK ALL our sponsors on this

calendar who have donated these prizes to the PTO for our calendar! This would not be possible

without our Rockport Community and any parent donation!

Please help your child sell as many Vikings Calendars between now and October through

family, friends, coworkers, and social media. Our school newsletters will have the calendar

available to scan as well. Each calendar is $20 and can be easily purchased through our venmo!

Please make sure to write “raffle-your name” into the venmo comment. If parents are buying an

entry for someone in their family, please put “raffle-name of person”. Every purchase made,

supports the PTO, and every entry bought, will stay in for multiple chances to win! We will pull

names in the middle of October/beginning of November, to give all students a chance to sell!

Upcoming Events:

• Trunk or Treat-Watch for information
• November 16th-Holiday Fair: Parent volunteers needed, please email ptorockport@gmail.com if you are able to help out.

PTO Membership Form

Please click on the link to review RES Illness and COVID-19 Protocols for this school year.

If your child needs a medication, inhaler, or Epi-Pen in school for the 2024-2025 school year, new forms are required to be filled out. The Medication Administration form, Authorization To Treat form, and Asthma Action Plan form (for inhalers) are all available under the Health Services link on the rpk12.org website.

If your child had their annual physical over the summer, please remember to turn in a copy when the new school year starts.

Please remember that NO PEANUT OR TREE NUT FOODS ARE ALLOWED IN SCHOOL. Because many students have food allergies, please also remind your child that they should NEVER share their meals or snacks with peers.

Make sure your child brings a water bottle to school every day.

If you have any questions or need any forms sent home in your child's backpack, please call the RES health office at 978-546-1223.

GPD is having a Community Safety Day on September 28, 2024. Luna and Officer Anderson will be there along with Gloucester PD, State Police, Coast Guard and others.

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts has extended free school meals for all students through the 2024-2025 school year! This means that breakfast and lunch will continue to be served at no cost to all students.

Please note that even though meals will be free for all, it is essential for families to complete still the household Application for Free and Reduced Price Meals for the 2024-2025 school year. You can view and complete the application here: CLICK HERE FOR THE ROCKPORT FAMILY PORTAL. We strongly encourage ALL families to submit this form as it allows us to establish eligibility for P-EBT summer benefits, discounts on Athletic fees, Transportation fees, and Testing fees (SAT, ACT, and AP), discounts on utilities and internet connection fees, and to aid us in serving our families most effectively.

What if my child doesn't want to eat school lunch? Why should I fill out the form?

Even if your child chooses to bring their lunch, filling out the form is very important! It ensures that Rockport Public Schools gets all the funding and benefits available to support teachers and students. Also, even if your child does not eat school lunch, students who qualify for free lunch can receive other benefits like:

• Summer EBT eligibility
• Free or discounted Bus Pass fees and Athletic Fees.
• Discounts for your family on utilities and internet service.
• Reduced fees for SAT and ACTs and college applications

In addition, please consider applying for SNAP, the federal nutrition program that provides eligible residents with monthly financial assistance to purchase groceries. More SNAP information can be found at getsnap.org1-877-382-2363 or by calling Project Bread’s FoodSource Hotline at 1-800-645-8333.

The food and nutrition department at Rockport Public Schools thank you for your patience in awaiting this historic news! As always, we are grateful for the opportunity to provide nourishing and healthy meals to all Rockport students so please reach out to us with any questions or concerns at 978-546-1243 or via email at dnokes@rpk2.org

Best regards,

Deborah Nokes

Director of Food Service

Rockport Public Schools

978-546-1243

dnokes@rpk12.org

• Any elementary, middle, or high school positions that are open in Rockport Public Schools are posted here.

• Click here or scan our QR code to see all available positions.

Click the links below to access the various resources:

• RES 24/25 Staff
• RPS Community Flyers
• Rockport Public Library-Visit the Rockport Public Library for some great offerings for both children and adults.
• Buildwave-September 21, 2024 Gr K-6
• Nurturing Families Class at Pathways-There is still space available in the Nurturing Families program offered at Pathways for Children for FREE to all area families, beginning on Wednesday, 9/25 at 5-7:30 pm. This is a family program and includes child participation in age appropriate groups and a shared family meal.

  Please see the attachment for all the details and share freely with any interested parents/caregivers. For further information and to register please reach out to Jeannine Helen at jhelen@pw4c.org. or call 978 296-8088.

• Cape Ann Youth Chorus
• Rockport Music- Visit the Rockport Music website for upcoming show information and discounted options for students of RPS.
• K-8 Rockport Youth Basketball
  
• Cape Ann Youth Hockey-Developmental Skating & Hockey Programs
• Cape Ann Museum
• Power of Produce-The Power of Produce! Rockport Farmers Market is very excited to be offering the POP Club (“Power of Produce”) program at the Rockport Farmers Market this year! The POP Club program seeks to empower your children, ages 5-12, to make healthier food choices while supporting local farmers and local food producers. Children will receive 3 POP Dollars at every Saturday market they attend to use to purchase produce from our local vendors, encouraging your children to actively engage with their produce suppliers and to make nutritious choices. Through its innovative approach, the POP Club program inspires families to prioritize fresh, local foods and cultivates a lifelong appreciation for healthy eating habits in children. The Rockport Farmers Market opens this season at Rockport’s Harvey Park on Saturday June 15 and runs every Saturday through October 12 from 9 AM to 1 PM. All children must be accompanied by a parent to sign up and participate in POP Club. You can download the attached signup sheet and bring it to the market or sign up at the market when you arrive. Check out our website for updates and more information: rockportexchange.org.
• Gloucester Youth Football and Cheerleading