Weekly Update RPMS Jan6

Good afternoon-

We are beginning to prepare for the next school year. During the next few weeks, there are several opportunities for parents to learn about how they can play an active role in developing their child's schedule for next year.

Our current 8th graders are invited to incoming 9th grade parent night at Sherwood High School. It is rescheduled for Wednesday, January 15th, starting at 6:30pm in the Sherwood High School Auditorium.

Our current 6th and 7th graders will learn more about course offerings and elective choices in the coming weeks as counselors visit classrooms. On January 23 at 6:30p, parents of current 6th and 7th grade students are invited to an informational meeting through Zoom. The link will be shared next week.

Finally, parents of current 5th grade students are invited to our in-person parent information session on January 28 at 6:30p. This event will be held at Rosa Parks Middle School.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend, and I look forward to seeing our students tomorrow!

-Stephen Reck, Principal

In this message, I will address the following topics:

1. Student Schedules for 2025-2026 School Year
2. IXL Incentives Program for Math
3. MCPS Launches MealViewer
4. After School Activities
5. Yearbook Sale
6. SSL Updates
7. Grade Level Assignments Summary
8. Upcoming Important Dates & Events
9. Updates from our PTA
10. Dolphins Outside Our Waters

It's January, which means we are already starting to build student schedules for next year. In the next several weeks, there will be opportunities for families to engage with the school about course offerings. Additionally, students will be asked to enter their course requests for next year.

Some Upcoming Dates (details forthcoming):

Jan 15 @ 6:30p - Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night at Sherwood High School

Jan 23 @ 6:30p - Incoming 7th & 8th Grade Parent Information Meeting (virtual)

Jan 28 @ 6:30p - Incoming 6th Grade Parent Information Meeting (in person at RPMS)

Jan 27 to Feb 4 - Students & families may review course recommendations through Synergy and enter course requests through our Google Form.

Feb 4 - All registration requests due by the end of the day through our Google Form

For questions about scheduling or course offerings, please contact your child's counselor or Assistant Principal Michael Kryder.

The IXL incentives program has begun at RPMS! Students are encouraged to participate in IXL by meeting bi-weekly goals and are rewarded for their efforts. Please see this video link for more information. You can also contact Aimee Conway – Aimee_R_Conway@mcpmd.org

Thank you for supporting your child in their efforts to improve their math skills!

MCPS launched MealViewer, which is a new school-specific website to view current and upcoming breakfast and lunch menus. Rosa Parks Middle School's menus can be found through this link.

Our After-School Activities webpage can be accessed through this link. It has extensive information on what programs are offered, when they are offered, and how to sign up. Bus transportation is provided on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. You can find the bus routes through this link. Students participating in Friday activities must provide their own transportation.

This spreadsheet contains start date information, sponsor information, and further details about the many after-school activities we offer at RPMS. It is updated regularly. For questions about specific clubs, please contact the sponsor listed on the spreadsheet.

Rosa Parks families, we are happy to announce that our yearbook link is up and active. Just use the link to buy the yearbook as well as to upload photos for possible inclusion in the book. Purchase early because prices increase after December 31st and submit lots of photos including those adorable 8th grade baby photos!

The most recent SSL verification form due date was Friday, January 3. Students are encouraged to submit forms by these interim due dates, but they may submit forms for any service completed this school year up to deadline of May 30, 2025. Please note, this year's deadline for verification form submission to be counted toward the Superintendent's SSL Award is April 4, 2025. Course-based hours for the current school year (for example, hours for Science 6 for a current 6th grade student, hours for English 7 for a current 7th grade student, or hours for US History 8 for a current 8th grade student) will not be calculated toward spring awards, as these hours do not attach to student records until final report cards in June.

Upcoming SSL opportunities for January: https://bit.ly/Jan-SSL.

Please submit SSL verification forms digitally whenever possible through the RPMS Google Site: https://bit.ly/SSL-RPMS.

Please contact Mrs. Sarah Lewis, SSL Coordinator, with any questions about the SSL program: sarah_f_lewis@mcpsmd.org

January 15 - Incoming 9th Grade Parent Night at Sherwood High School

January 20 - No School - MLK Jr. Day

January 23 - Incoming 7th & 8th Grade Information Night (virtual)

January 28 - Incoming 6th Grade Information Night (6:30 in person at RPMS)

January 29 - No School - End of 1st Semester - Grading Day

February 4 - All Student Course Requests Due

February 17 - No School - Presidents' Day

February 28 - Early Release Day, Dismissal at 12:30p

Here is more information about the RPMS PTA:

🔗 Check it out here: https://linktr.ee/rpmsptsa

Our students excel at school, but they also excel outside of school. In this new addition to the newsletter, we will share some of the amazing accomplishments of our students that take place away from RPMS. If you would like to share a milestone or achievement about your child in our newsletter, please email Stephen_Reck@mcpsmd.org with a short description of the achievement and the student's name.

• Olive Carlson is a competitive martial artist and ended 2024 ranked #1 in the NASKA (North American Sport Karate Association) world rankings for creative weapons in her age group.