Weekly Update RPMS Mar 17

Good afternoon-

Congratulations to the Rosa Parks 7th and 8th grade orchestra. On Tuesday, they traveled to Albert Einstein High School to perform at the MCPS orchestra festival. They put on a wonderful performance and received superior ratings. Bravo! We are very proud of your work.

Enjoy the rest of your weekend!

Stephen Reck, Principal

In this message, I will address the following topics:

1. Energy Drinks
2. 2025 RPMS Career Expo
3. Grade 8 Promotion Updates
4. Grade 8 Vision & Hearing Screenings
5. SSL Updates
6. IXL Math Madness
7. Math Curriculum Night
8. After School Activities
9. Attendance Reminders
10. Yearbook Sale
11. Community Resources
12. Grade Level Assignments Summary
13. Upcoming Important Dates & Events
14. Updates from our PTA

We are noticing an increase in the consumption and distribution of energy drinks by students at school. Not only is this distracting to the learning environment, but adolescent consumption of energy drinks can have harmful impacts on student health. This article from the CDC provides some additional information on the negative impact caffeine has on our children.

If you choose to send your child to school with any drink other than water, the only place/time it can be consumed is in our cafeteria during lunch. Open cans in hallways and classrooms will be confiscated. Due to allergies and individual student dietary restrictions, sharing food and drinks at school is not advised. Students caught distributing food or drinks will face disciplinary consequences in alignment with the Code of Conduct.

Many students are reporting that they are taking the energy drinks (Celsius is the most popular) from their parents without parental knowledge. Please help the school by being vigilant at home. We strongly discourage adolescent use of energy drinks of any kind, especially during the school day.

Rosa Parks Middle School will host its annual Career Expo on Friday, April 25th. We hope this event will provide an opportunity for our students to become familiar with the world of work and integrate what they learn with what they may want to do in the future. In order for the event to be a success, we need parents and community members to volunteer their time and expertise. We hope you will consider sharing about your profession with our students! If you are interested in participating, please click here to complete the onlineGoogle form. If you have any questions about the event, please contact the Rosa Parks Middle School Counseling Office at 240-740-3310. Thank you!

Due to a scheduling conflict that impacts Farquhar Middle School, our promotion ceremony will now begin at 9:00a. The date for this celebration remains June 11, 2025. We are looking forward to celebrating all of our 8th grade students at Good Counsel High School on June 11, 2025 at 9:00a.

The 8th grade team is also in the process of building the annual slideshow that is shown during the promotion ceremony. Please click here to submit 8th grade photos for the slideshow.

8th Grade Students will participate in state-mandated vision and hearing screenings on April 1, 2, or 3. Please read this document for more information. If you have questions about this process, please email our school nurse at Colleen_M_Stickell@mcpsmd.org.

Awards season is approaching! Please note, this year's deadline for verification form submission to be counted toward the Superintendent's SSL Award is FRIDAY, 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. Please plan accordingly.

Students are encouraged to submit forms as soon as service is completed, but they may submit forms for any service completed this school year up to deadline of May 30, 2025.

There are many SO MANY SSL opportunities available to students during the month of March (for which students can earn up to 49 SSL hours)! Upcoming SSL opportunities: https://bit.ly/Mar-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

RPMS will be running an IXL MCAP incentive program for March and April. Students have received “Basketball Score Sheets” that list the codes students need to practice for MCAP on May 1 & 2. Please email Aimee_R_Conway@mcpsmd.org if you have any questions or reach out to your students' math teacher.

The video that explains the program and there is a list of suggested skills each week to stay on pace. Please encourage your child to participate! Thank you from the RPMS Math Department. 😊

• Video Link

• Skills to Practice each week by course

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.

School attendance is one of the biggest indicators of student success and a key component of our school's Maryland Report Card. At our own school, over 140 RPMS students were chronically absent last year. Maryland defines chronically absent as being out of school for 10% or more of the total number of school days (this includes excused and unexcused absences).

Illness and family responsibilities happen and the school understands that many absences are unavoidable. If your child is absent from school, you can submit an excuse note here. If you are looking for help in improving your child's school attendance, our counseling team is available to help.

The graphic below outlines the impact of the number of absences per school year.

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!

We recognize that many of our students and their families are impacted by recent government actions. Olney is a strong community, and we are here for one another. Here are a few resources for families.

Resources for Workers Impacted by Recent Federal Government Actions

• March 19 virtual session to discuss federal worker rights and legal updates
• Montgomery County Resources
• State of Maryland Resources

Immigration Resources

• MCPS's Immigration Supports Website

March 27 - Band Festival (during school)

March 31 - No School - End of Quarter 3

April 3 - 7th Grade Medieval Times Field Trip

April 12 to 22 - Spring Break

April 25 - 2025 RPMS Career Expo

Here is more information about the RPMS PTA:

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

This is a non-school sponsored activity provided simply as an FYI. The school does not have any connection to this opportunity.

Come find out about the Spring Break trip in 2026 for our 8th graders and their families. We are going to Costa Rica! Informational meeting is Wednesday, March 26th in the RosaParks MS Media Center at 6:00 pm. Sign up for the meeting here: https://bit.ly/41DZlJq