Happy Summer Royals!
I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying the last days of summer. It is with great excitement that I welcome you back to another wonderful school year. As the principal, I am thrilled to see our halls filled with the energy, enthusiasm, and eagerness of our students once again.
The upcoming school year promises to be one of growth, learning, and new experiences. Our dedicated staff has been working diligently over the summer to prepare engaging lessons and enriching activities that will inspire our students to reach their highest potential. We are committed to creating a nurturing and supportive environment where each student can thrive academically, socially, and emotionally.
To our returning students, welcome back! We have missed your presence and look forward to continuing our journey together. To our new students and families joining RICA for the first time, we extend a warm welcome. We are delighted to have you as part of our school community and are eager to get to know you.
As we embark on this new school year, I would like to share a few important updates and reminders:
First Day of School: School will resume on Monday, August 26th and we are excited to welcome students back to their classrooms. Please ensure your child arrives on time and ready to learn.
Health and Safety: The health and safety of our students and staff remain our top priority. We will continue to follow guidelines and protocols to ensure a safe learning environment. Please stay tuned for any updates or changes to our safety procedures.
Communication: We believe that open and transparent communication between school and home is essential for student success. Please feel free to reach out to your child’s teacher or the school office with any questions or concerns. Additionally, regular updates and important information will be shared through our school website, newsletters, and social media channels.
School Events and Activities: We have a fantastic lineup of events, activities, and programs planned for this year. This year we will host Open House for all new students and special meetings with 9th and 12th grade students on Thursday, August 22nd from 5-6pm.
Parental Involvement: We value and appreciate the partnership between our school and our families. Your involvement and support are crucial to creating a positive and successful educational experience for your child. We encourage you to participate in school events, join our parent-teacher organization, and volunteer whenever possible.
Together, let us make this school year a memorable and rewarding experience for all. I am confident that with our collective efforts, we will achieve great things and continue to foster a love of learning in our students.
Thank you for your continued support and dedication to RICA. I look forward to seeing you all soon and working together to make this school year extraordinary.
Warm regards,
Ms. Langston
Principal
MCPS Updating the cell phone use in schools
MCPS is reviewing the current cell phone use in schools due to so many issues occuring over social media causing unsafe situations in schools. At this time all day students can have phones and resident students who attend Edison can have their phone when they leave but must return them when they arrive back to RICA. We know many issues we have had at school have had a social media involvement as well as may record incidents that have occured at school. At this time we will be starting focus groups with students, families and staff about the cell phone use in school and looking to begin a new cell phone policy during the 25-26 school year.
Get ready to read this summer!!!
This summer will have our first summer reading challenge. All grade levels will have the opportunity to read two books in preparation for the upcoming year. Completion of the books will be discussed in the first week of school. Students who complete the reading assignment will receive a prize and participate in a special celebration.
When we read, we:
- Get better at reading: The more you practice reading, the better you will become at it. By reading regularly, you learn to read faster, which will help you read more books in a shorter period of time. Likewise, if you read out loud, you will also develop your reading and speaking skills.
- Exercise the brain: Our brains are muscles, which means they need to exercise to get stronger, just like any other muscle in our bodies. Reading is one of the best ways to exercise your brain and help it develop (especially if it is a child’s brain).
- Improve concentration: Nowadays, a lot of people are used to spending a lot of time online scrolling through social media posts. This has led to shorter attention spans which can prevent people from being productive. Luckily, reading can improve concentration because it requires you to direct all of your attention to what you are reading and spend long periods of time doing so.
- Learn about the world: When it comes to children, reading is particularly important for them to be able to learn more about the world around them. Everything is new to them, so reading helps them satisfy their curiosity and learn more about the things they don’t directly experience in their daily lives.
- Enrich our vocabulary: In addition to exercising your brain, reading can help you and your children enrich your vocabulary. This can also be particularly useful for language learning as you can enrich your vocabulary in a foreign language by reading books in that language.
- Develop your imagination: Creativity goes hand in hand with a developed brain. Thus, reading regularly can help you develop your imagination. Children are already quite creative but reading can help them develop their imagination even further.
- Understand empathy: Empathy is a valuable emotion that allows us to better understand each other and relate to one another. Children need to develop empathy, and one way to do this is by reading books that feature characters they can relate to.
- Perform better academically: As a result of developing and exercising the brain through reading, children will be able to more effectively understand their assignments, which may be enough to boost their grades.
- Relax the body and mind: Sometimes you just need to relax your body and mind by taking a break from whatever else you are doing. Reading can be a solution in such situations as books allow you to be engrossed in a story very different from your own life. It’s escapism in its purest form.
Summer Meal Information
Children 18 years old or younger may come to any of the summer meals locations Monday through Friday for a healthy and nutritious lunch. The Summer Meals Program is designed to provide nutritious meals at no cost to children 18 years old and younger. Our Summer Meals Program is designed to bridge the “nutrition gap” when school is out.
Click here to view the list of 2024 summer food service meal sites. No appointment is necessary. However, meals must be eaten at the location.
Summer meal menus:
Open House, Thursday, August 22nd 5-6pm
This year we will host Open House for all students and families to come out and learn about new programs that will take place this year. We will have a senior meeting to share plans for the year and gather ideas seniors would like to see during their school year.
International Night is Back, September 26th at 5pm
International Night is back and the school is co hosting with the cafeteria. Please come out and celebrate the many cultures in our community with a delicious tasting and learn more about all of us. This is event is open to all students and families.
RICA School Supply Wish List
We like to have supplies for students to use in school to eliminate the worry of supplies being purchased. If you can donate or know anyone that can please share our amazon wish list with them. We will greatly appreciate it.