RTMS Review

• February 6 - RTMBA Meeting (7:00)
• February 8 - PTC Dine & Share (Subway)
• February 11 - Solo/Ensemble Competition at RTMS
• February 15 - PTC Meeting (7:00)
• February 21 - Board of Education Meeting
• February 24 - Pack the Place (6:00-8:00)
• March 23 & 24 - Parent/Teacher Conferences

End of Year Dates to Add to Your Calendar:

• May 23 - 8th Grade Dance
• May 26 - 8th Grade Graduation (JHHS)

Please click on this link to see the 2022-22 District Calendar.

I hope that you are staying warm during this cold week! Regardless of what the groundhog tells us on Thursday, our students are on fire both in the classroom and in their extracurricular activities. Our girls volleyball and our wrestling teams started their competitions last week, and our clubs are still keeping students busy after school. We also had the opportunity to hear from a representative from the Make a Wish foundation (and present him a check with the proceeds from the Winter Carnival), and to enjoy our annual talent show during last week's assembly. We have so many very talented students, and I hope even more are inspired to be a part of this event next year. Special thanks to Mrs. Boeykens (along with help from Mr. Smith and Mr. Flowers) for making this event possible.

The 2nd trimester ends on February 24th, so as always, please check in with your child on their progress. Our Spring Parent/Teacher conferences are scheduled for the evening of March 23rd, and during the school day on March 24th. This is also when we are planning to have our photographers on site for the 8th grade graduation pictures. More to come on both of these items soon! Please do not hesitate to reach out to your child's teacher(s), or to the front office with any questions or concerns.

In partnership,
Mary Krall-Meske

Principal

The deadline for ordering yearbooks is

Monday, February 13th.

1) Go to inter-state.com and enter the code 72523B.

-or-

2) Return the completed order envelope (students received this in October) with $25.00 cash or a check payable to River Trails Middle School. We have additional order forms in the office, if needed.

January 2023

Dear Parents/Guardians,

On January 24, 2013, Governor Pat Quinn signed a new law extending sexual abuse education inIllinois schools. The Illinois law went into effect immediately and schools are required to implement Erin’s Law. Erin’s Law requires all schools to provide child sexual abuse prevention educationannually for all students, PK-12. The law also requires educators to take part in trainings that coversexual abuse and how to recognize warning signs.

District social workers will present information regarding Personal Body Safety to all students in grades sixth through eighth grade beginning in February.

If you do NOT want your child to participate, please go to the River Trails School District website (www.rtsd26.org). On the District website, under the Parent section, you will find the link to Erin’s Law opt out form. You can complete this form online, at home or at your child’s school office.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact either the building principals, social workers or Dr. Carie Cohen (Assistant Superintendent for Special Services) at (224 )612-7304 or ccohen@rtsd26.org.

Sincerely,

Dr. Carie Cohen

Assistant Superintendent for Special Services

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Enero 2023

Estimados padres y guardianes:

El 24 de enero de 2013, el gobernador Pat Quinn firmó una nueva ley extendiendo la educación en abuso sexual a las escuelas de Illinois. La ley fue efectiva, inmediatamente, y es requisito que las escuelas implementen la Ley Erin. Esta ley requiere que todas las escuelas provean, anualmente, educación preventiva en abuso sexual, para todos los estudiantes; desde pre kinder hasta el grado12. A su vez, esta ley requiere que los educadores (maestros) tomen parte activa en adiestramientos que cubren el abuso sexual y cómo reconocer las señales de alerta.

Las trabajadoras sociales del distrito presentarán información referente a la “protección del cuerpo." Todos los estudiantes, desde 6to hasta 8vo grado, recibirán esta información a partir de febrero.

Si usted no desea que su hijo (a) participe, favor de acceder a la página del distrito

(www.rtsd26.org). En la página de la escuela del distrito River Trails, bajo la sección de padres, encontrará un enlace a Erin’s Law opt out form. Si usted tiene alguna pregunta, siéntase en la libertad de comunicarse con los trabajadores sociales o el principal de su escuela. También, puede comunicarse con la asistente del superintendente para servicios especiales, la Dra. Carie Cohen, (224 )612-7304 or ccohen@rtsd26.org.

Sinceramente,

Dra. Carie Cohen

Asistente del Superintendente para Servicios Especiales

We need your input! If you have not done so already, please participate in the Illinois 5Essentials Parent and Guardian Survey. Your responses will remain confidential and will not be connected to the identity of you or your child.

Survey results will help us to better understand the conditions at your child’s school and to guide improvement. For the survey to be validated, we need at least 20% of our parents to take the survey.

Visit https://survey.5-essentials.org/Illinois/ to participate. Thank you for your support!

Our students will be filling out the student survey during their Science class on either February 9th or 10. If you DO NOT want your child to participate, please fill out the information in this form to let us know by February 3rd. You can find a sample student questionnaire in this link, as well.

Due to the shortened months with Winter Break, our latest Students of the Month awards were given to students who demonstrated excellence during December and January.

Congratulations to:

6th Grade

Academic (Core) - Kate G.

Academic (Encore) - Filip P.

Character - Ali O.

School Pride/Spirit - Nathan F.

7th Grade

Academic (Core) - Min Jong R.

Academic (Encore) - Connor F.

Character - Abel A.

School Pride/Spirit - Gianna W.

8th Grade

Academic (Core) - Calliope E-P.

Academic (Encore) - Clara J.

Character - Abel A.

School Pride/Spirit - Tiya S.

What is this?: A River Trails Middle School PTC event open to ALL D26 students and family

members that includes food, fun, and activities! Come out and cheer on the middle school

students and D26 staff members in a fun basketball game, and as they challenge each other in volleyball!

Students in 5th – 8th grades can enter the soccer shoot-out challenge, knock-out

challenge, and participate in the dodgeball game throughout the night! Middle student will be given the chance to sign up to participate in the staff vs. students games in the coming weeks (a lottery system will be used if necessary).

Where/When is it?: RTMS, Friday, February 24, 2023, from 6-8PM

Concessions for Sale: Snacks & Drinks

Admission: Pay at the door $2 per person, or $5 per family. ALL students must be

accompanied by an adult. Proceeds from this event will benefit the RTMS PTC.

Wristband to Play: $1 to play each activity. Soccer shoot-out, knock-out and dodgeball

game. Perfect for 5th grade students at Indian Grove and Euclid to join our middle

schoolers in a fun night of activities.

January 30, 2023

Dear River Trails Families,

This is a reminder that on Wednesday (February 1) we will be hosting an Internet Safety Presentation at Prairie Trails School (805 N. Burning Bush). This free event will begin at 6:30 p.m. It is for parents and guardians only and does not require an RSVP.

The presentation will feature guest speaker Devorah Heitner, author of “Screenwise: Helping Kids Thrive (and Survive) in Their Digital World.” The conversation will inform parents and guardians how kids, tweens and teens use screens and how to mentor kids as they encounter new digital experiences.

We hope to see you there! If you have any questions, please email Matt Tombs, our director of technology, at mtombs@rtsd26.org.

Sincerely,

River Trails School District 26

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Estimadas Familias de River Trails,

Les queremos recordar que el Miércoles (1ero de Febrero) vamos a ofrecer una Presentación sobre Seguridad en el Internet en la Escuela Prairie Trails School (805 N. Burning Bush). Este evento gratuito empezará a las 6:30 p.m. Todos los padres y guardianes están invitados y no se requiere confirmar asistencia con anticipación.

Tendremos como invitada especial a Devorah Heitner, autora de “Uso Inteligente de la Pantalla: Cómo Ayudar a los Niños a Prosperar (y Sobrevivir) en el Mundo Digital.” Esta presentación le informará a los padres y guardianes cómo usan las pantallas los niños de todas las edades y cómo se puede guiar a los niños a medida que encuentran y dominan nuevas experiencias digitales.

Esperamos que puedan acompañarnos! Si tiene alguna pregunta, por favor comuníquese con nuestro director de tecnología Matt Tombs, enviando un correo electrónico a mtombs@rtsd26.org.

Atentamente,

Distrito Escolar 26 River Trails

Join us for our next dine and share on Wednesday, February 8th from 7:00a.m. to 9:30 p.m. at Subway (Wolf and Kensington location). 15% of proceeds will be donated back to the RTMS PTC when you mention River Trails!

Did you know…?

• All students are required to take a minimum of 1 fruit or vegetable with their breakfast and lunch.

• We don’t have deep fryers. We use our ovens for baking.

• The Food Service department is required to maintain a non-profit status with a separate revenue and expense ledger than the district general fund.
  

Kindergarten Registration Night is on Thursday, February 23 at Prairie Trails School from 4 to 8 p.m. This is for all parents/guardians of incoming kindergartners, including those who have other children in the district. You can reserve a timeslot by visiting rtsd26.org/kindergarten.

Kindergarten Registration Night Flyer

RTMS will be a drop off location for any community member wanting to drop off donations for the Buddy Foundation. Please see the flyer below for more details.

All 6th grade students, and students new to our district, are required to turn in a dental exam form signed by a licensed dentist before May 15, 2023. Dental forms and other health forms can be accessed online by visiting our Nurse page, and going to the District 26 Health Services Information. If you have any questions, please contact the Nurse Veller in our health office at (224) 612-7605.

Our daily student announcements are available for parents/guardians to access on our school website each day. If you scroll to the bottom of the homepage (Family Resources and Information), or if you click on Families at the top of the homepage, you will see a link to "Daily Announcements." If you follow us on Twitter or Facebook, you can also see a Week at a Glance graphic that will give you a quick view of all the weekly activities at RTMS.

Our office hours are 7:00-4:00, Monday through Friday.

Our main office number is 847-298-1750.

Main office

Elia Esparza-Viveros: eesparzaviveros@rtsd26.org

Jessica Escutia: jescutia@rtsd26.org

Lindsay Veller (nurse): lveller@rtsd26.org

Administration

Principal, Mary Krall-Meske:

mkrall@rtsd26.org or 224-612-7600

Assistant Principal, Kyle Henkel:

khenkel@rtsd26.org or 224-612-7601

RTMS Staff Directory

Office Hours: 7:00-4:00

Email: rtmsinfo@rtsd26.org
Website: http://rtms.rtsd26.org/
Location: 1000 North Wolf Road, Mount Prospect, IL, USA
Phone: 847-298-1750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverTrailsMiddleSchool
Twitter: @RiverTrailsMS