Dolphin Parent Connection
March 2019 Volume 4, Issue 7
Upcoming Events and Important Dates
March is Youth Art Month, Music in Our Schools Month, Women's History Month, and National Nutrition Month
· Friday, March 1st: Progress Reports issued to select students
· Saturday, March 2nd: Partnership Expo & PTA Vendor Fair @ 9:00 AM--1:00 PM (Landstown HS)
· Tuesday, March 5th: Grade 2 Concert "What's More American" @ 6:30 PM
· Tuesday, March 5th: Fitness Club @ 7:15-7:45 AM
· Tuesday, March 5th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Wednesday, March 6th: STEM/Robotics Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, March 6th: Maker Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, March 6th: Helping Hands Meeting @ 2:50-4:00 PM
· Wednesday, March 6th: PTA Dolphin Academy @ 2:50-3:30 PM
· Thursday, March 7th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Tuesday, March 12th: Fitness Club @ 7:15-7:45 AM
· Tuesday, March 12th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Tuesday, March 12th: SCA Meeting @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Wednesday, March 13th: STEM/Robotics Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, March 13th: PTA Dolphin Academy @ 2:50-3:30 PM
· Wednesday, March 13th: Anchored4Life Meeting @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Thursday, March 14th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Thursday, March 14th: 4th Grade IPT Testing
· Thursday, March 14th: Spirit Night at Chick-fil-A @ 5:00-8:00 PM
· Friday, March 15th: Red Mill Paint Night @ 6:00-8:00 PM
· Saturday, March 16th: Operation Smile Final Mile @ 11:00 at Oceanfront
· Monday, March 18th-Friday, March 22nd: SCA March Madness Food Drive & Spirit Week
· Monday, March 18th: Spirit Day--Wear Green for St. Patrick's Day
· Tuesday, March 19th: Spirit Day--Dress like a book character for Reading Month
· Tuesday, March 19th: 4th Grade Field Trip to Kellam Play
· Tuesday, March 19th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Tuesday, March 19th: SCA Jr Newspaper Club @ 2:45-3:30 PM
· Wednesday, March 20th: Spirit Day--Wear Crazy Patterns for Youth Art Month
· Wednesday, March 20th: Grade 2 VA Aquarium Outreach
· Wednesday, March 20th: STEM/Robotics Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, March 20th: Maker Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, March 20th: Helping Hands Meeting @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Wednesday, March 20th: PTA Dolphin Academy @ 2:50-3:30 PM
· Thursday, March 21st: Spirit Day--Wear Basketball Jersey (or any jersey) to celebrate March Madness
· Thursday, March 21st: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Thursday, March 21st: SCA Jr Newspaper Club @ 2:45-3:30 PM
· Friday, March 22nd: Spirit Day--Wear Rainbow Colors for Nutrition Month ("eat the rainbow")
· Friday, March 22nd: Fire Safety Assembly (Grades K-3)
· Monday, March 25th: Grade 3 Field Trip to Kellam Play
· Monday, March 25th: PTA Board Meeting @ 6:30 PM
· Tuesday, March 26th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Tuesday, March 26th: SCA Jr Newspaper Club @ 2:45-3:30 PM
· Wednesday, March 27th: Grade 2 Field Trip to Kellam Play
· Wednesday, March 27th: STEM/Robotics Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, March 27th: PTA Dolphin Academy @ 2:50-3:30 PM
· Thursday, March 28th: End of 3rd Marking Period
· Thursday, March 28th: SOL Math Tutoring @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Thursday, March 28th: SCA Jr Newspaper Club @ 2:45-3:30 PM
· Friday, March 29th: Staff Day--No School for Students
· Monday, April 1st: Beginning of 4th Marking Period
· Tuesday, April 2nd: SCA Jr Newspaper Club @ 2:45-3:30 PM
· Wednesday, April 3rd: STEM/Robotics Club @ 2:50-4:15 PM
· Wednesday, April 3rd: Helping Hands Meeting @ 2:45-4:00 PM
· Thursday, April 4th: Spring Picture Day
· Thursday, April 4th: SCA Jr Newspaper Club @ 2:45-3:30 PM
· Friday, April 5th: PTA Variety Show @ 6:00 PM (Red Mill ES)
Adventure Awaits in a Good Book This March
Let's Celebrate Youth Art Month
March is Youth Art Month! Youth Art Month is a month of promoting art and art education in the United States. We LOVE art education at RMES. So, all month long we will be celebrating Youth Art Month. First, we would like to congratulate Luke Leary, Benjamin Dunham, Kennedy Lemn and Emerson Kelly for having their artwork selected to be displayed in the VBCPS Youth Art Month Exhibit at M.O.C.A. Next, we want everyone to participate in the fun for Youth Art Month. We will be playing art facts on the morning announcements every day.
We will also be hosting a RMES Paint Night on March 15th at 6:00 PM in the cafeteria. It’s open to all RMES family and friends. Students must be supervised by a parent and/or guardian. The event will be $10 per person, and this fee will cover all art supplies and canvas. Participants will get to take home their very own painting! Please return the RSVP form with money by Tuesday March 12th to Ms. Knight (art teacher). You must RSVP in order to participate in the event. Space is limited and will be filled on a first-come, first-served basis. Have you seen the mural by OnieTonie in the Art Room? It was donated to our school by the RMES PTA. We have created a coloring sheet of this beautiful mural for Youth Art Month. You can print the coloring sheet out (see below) or pick up a copy outside the art room, have your student color it and return it to Ms. Knight before the end of March. Your student can win a prize and have their coloring displayed for participating in the coloring activity!
Operation Smile Final Mile
There’s still time to sign your son or daughter up to run with Red Mill in the Operation Smile Final Mile on Saturday, March 16th! You can register your child for the race online at any time at www.shamrockmarathon.com. The registration fee is $25.00 through race weekend. All participants receive a race T-shirt, goody bag, special medal, and certificate upon completion of the race. The P.E. department will also be selling Red Mill Final Mile shirts to wear on race day for $10. If you would like to purchase a t-shirt, please return the attached order form with cash or check to Ms. Parker by Friday, March 1.
March Is National Nutrition Month
March is National Nutrition Month®! This is an annual nutrition education and information campaign created by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. The campaign, focuses on the importance of making informed food choices and developing sound eating and physical activity habits. Elementary schools across Virginia Beach are celebrating by sponsoring the Munching Through March Calendar and “Show Us Your Plate” challenges. Read more about both challenges below:
Munching Through March Calendar Challenge: Let’s eat our fruits and vegetables! Eat a minimum of 2 fruits AND 2 vegetables a day from March 1-28th. Use the tally sheet provided to keep track of your meals. Meet this goal for at least 20 days, and earn a brag tag! Make sure you bring your completed calendar to Ms. Parker by Monday, April 1st to receive your brag tag!
Show Us Your Plate Challenge: Is half your plate fruits and veggies? Are you eating whole wheats and lean meats? We want you to show us your plate! Using Flipgrid make us a video sharing your favorite breakfast, lunch or dinner with other students from across Virginia Beach! Show us how you enjoy all 5 food groups. Feel free to share your favorite recipes, tips or tricks. After you upload, be sure to check out the other videos. Who knows, you might find your new favorite food! Make sure you include your school’s name in your video title!
Click here to begin recording your video in Flipgrid: https://flipgrid.com/253742e1
Order Your Yearbook Now!
You can still pre-order yearbooks for the 2018-2019 school year. Standard yearbooks are $20 and personalized yearbooks are $25. You can order yearbooks online at YBPay.lifetouch.com with ID Code 13007619 or pick up a yearbook form in the main office.
Do you have any awesome pictures from your student’s class or RMES event? Well you can contribute your pictures to our school’s yearbook. You can upload your own pictures this year.
1. Go to the link https://community.lifetouch.com/
2. Go to NEW USER and enter the code TJXNYI
3. You will be prompted to create an account
4. Then you can directly upload images onto the LifeTouch website. It is very easy
5. Please email me any questions or problems
PTA News
Dolphin Academy is about to start! The after-school enrichment program will be held every Wednesday in March until 3:30. Sign-ups have already taken place, but if you have any questions or concerns, please contact Terry Stevens: terryannstevens@hotmail.com. Thank you to Terry Stevens, Rebecca Straseskie and all the volunteers helping to make this a success!
Red Mill Variety Show dates have been secured. This year’s show will be held Friday, April 5th at 6 PM in our very own Red Mill cafeteria. Does your child have a talent they would like to share with the RMES community? Guidelines and intention forms were emailed to parents on Feb. 24th, but are also attached below. Intention forms are due March 13th. Auditions will be held after school on either March 21st or 22nd. Get your acts ready!
Congratulations, artists! The PTA Reflections celebration was recently held at Old Donation School to recognize the city-wide winners, and Red Mill’s own Ada Colton and Kieffer Colton both placed 2nd in the visual arts categories for their age groups. Congratulations, Ada and Kieffer!
Spring Fling: The PTA is excited to hold our Spring festival at Hunt Club Farm on the evening of Friday, May 10th from 5-8 PM! Entertainment will include a DJ, games, a hayride and of course farm animals. Please mark your calendars and watch out for more info coming soon.
5th grade parents needed: We are looking for several parents of 5th graders to help with the end-of-year party and Crossing Over Ceremony reception. For more info, contact redmillpta@yahoo.com or Jen Cardona at: jencardona82@yahoo.com.
Red Mill PTA Scholarship judges needed: High school seniors who attended Red Mill can apply for a scholarship. Heather Holmgren is the chairperson for this and needs four more judges. It should take just a couple hours of your time at the end of April. If you can help, e-mail Heather at hleilanih@gmail.com.
Box Tops Fundraiser: Remember to clip Box Tops labels on food packages! These labels would just be thrown away or recycled, so why not clip them and help your school at the same time? Be sure to put them in an envelope or baggie with your child’s grade and teacher’s name. There are mailboxes in the school foyer.
Next school year: Please think about volunteering next year – whether it would be for a position on the PTA board or a chairperson for an event. There are many positions to be filled. This Spring, we will send out more information, but feel free to contact us now!
PTA Meetings: The next PTA board meeting is set for Monday, March 25th at 6:30 PM at RMES.
Check out our Facebook page for the latest: Search “Red Mill PTA” and look for the dolphin cover photo or click here: https://www.facebook.com/Red-Mill-PTA-340289762792972/
Not Receiving Text Messages?
How do I know if I have Opted-in?
You can check if you are opted-in by texting “Y” or "YES" to 67587.
How do I opt-out?
You may opt-out at any time by texting “STOP” to 67587.
What if I opted-out but later decide I would like to opt-in again?
As long as your child’s school has your text-enabled phone number on record, you may request to begin receiving text messages by texting “Y” or "YES" to 67587. If the school does not have your text-enabled number on record, you will need to contact the school.
See full FAQ at https://www.vbschools.com/about_us/contact_us/text_messaging
School Counseling Program Notes
In March we will shift our focus to college and career readiness. During classroom lessons, students will explore the world of work and begin to identify careers of interest. Please support this work at home by visiting vaview.org – here students can explore a variety of careers through games and interactive activities.
On Fridays in March, we will offer drop-in Lunch Bunches to support students with a deployed family member. Students should inform their classroom teacher if they are interested in attending.
Please feel free to contact me by phone (648-3572) or e-mail (erin.whitt@vbschools.com) if you have any questions or concerns.
Camp Invention at Red Mill This Summer
Camp Invention is coming to Red Mill this summer. The camp is open to students entering Kindergarten through 6th grade and will run July 15th--19th from 8:30 AM--3:00 PM. Sign up early and use promo code INNOVATE25 to save $25. Register here for Camp Invention at Red Mill Elementary
Introducing our NEW 2019 program,SUPERCHARGED!
Camp Invention is a high-energy, hands-on STEM camp. Your child will love what’s in store this year:
- CREATIVE PROBLEM SOLVING Children team up to rebuild ships and design underwater equipment in Deep Sea Mystery™.
- STEM APPLICATION In DIY Orbot™, participants explore circuit boards, motors and gears as they design a remote-control bot to take on obstacles from sports to dance.
- INNOVATION Children collaborate with inventor superheroes and take on the role of engineers, fabricators and innovators to conquer villains in Innovation Force™.
- CONFIDENCE Kids become successful entrepreneurs in Farm Tech™, as they code bots to turn a polluted wasteland into a money-making machine and create devices to save animals.
WHRO PBS Kids Writing Contest
Calling all kids kindergarten through 5th grade! Enter your story in a writer’s contest for your chance to win cool prizes and have your story published. If you would like to enter this awesome writing contest, please pick up contest rules and entry forms in the library or print the attachments below. We hope some of our Red Mill Dolphins will show off their great writing talents in this contest. All entries are due March 29th by 5:00 PM.
Worth A Second Look
News from Our Nurse, Ms. Hart
Attention all 5th grade parents!
Your child will need a Tdap immunization for 6th grade. Get this vaccine now so that you can avoid the August Rush. Please bring proof of the vaccination to the clinic this spring.
Upcycling News
We are currently Upcycling things that you can’t recycle at home:
- Plastic bags (grocery bags, vegetable bags, dog food bags and any bag that doesn’t crinkle): These items cannot be recycled by the City of VA Beach so please consider bringing them to us so that we can recycle them through Trex.
- Egg Cartons: We give these to our local egg farmers.
- Shoes: We donate to a local dog rescue, and the shoes go to third world countries where families can start their own shoe businesses.
- Please note that we are not collecting batteries. Batteries can be taken to the local library for recycling.
Student Electronic Resources
Dismissal Change Reminders
Our staff works hard to ensure each child makes it home safely every day, but we need your help. As a reminder, if there is to be any change in dismissal procedures for your child, whether it is an early pickup or going home a different way, please have your child give his/her teacher a parent note first thing in the morning (preferred way) indicating the change. You may also email the office before 2:10 PM with the dismissal change at the following address: redmiles@vbschools.com. Please do not simply email your child's teacher or use Class Dojo for communicating dismissal changes. Teachers are busy teaching and cannot guarantee that he/she will see the electronic communication. Also, if your child is involved in an after school activity and cannot attend on a particular day, a note is needed indicating that your child will not be staying for the activity. Otherwise, we must assume your child should be staying after school .
School Cafe
- Make Payments
- Set up Auto Pay
- Set Purchase Restrictions
- Get Low Balance Alerts
- Submit Applications
- View Purchases
- View Menus
Take Some Stress off Your Plate
Destination Graduation
Students and their parents are encouraged to visit the Academic and Career Planning webpage to view and engage with K-12 career resources, middle and high school academic and career planning documents, and career pathway guides. Likewise, the Destination Graduation site offers students and families grade-level specific information and resources to help students and families navigate the journey from preschool to high school graduation.