Our classrooms visited the Book Fair sponsored by our PTO. Thank you to all of our volunteers who took time out of their day to make our Book Fair a great success. Thank you to Kirsten Jimenez for her continued dedication and organization of special events for RMS. We are grateful for your leadership.

Even with the excitement of snow in the forecast, our students were engaged and focused on learning. Second graders met with Mr. West to review the CARES acronym. In small groups, students worked together to rate themselves on Cooperations, Assertiveness, Responsibility, Empathy and Self-Control. The students really thought about their own behaviors and were very reflective as a group. Great job everyone!

The past few weeks, especially on Fridays, there have been many dismissals that the teacher and office were not notified about. When we don't know ahead of time, there is constant disruption to teaching and learning because we have to keep calling the classroom and interrupt the teacher to dismiss a student.

If you know ahead of time, please send an email to the classroom teacher and Mrs. Rotella at alisonrotella@oldrochester.org for a smoother dismissal routine. We appreciate your efforts to communicate with the school with advanced notice.

The following students have accumulated at least 1500 minutes to earn a book token, congratulations!

• Aria Bache
• Henry Bishop
• Taylor Braman
• Jerome Hebert
• Weston Jones
• Ava Rounseville
• Avery Ruff
• Maggie Sommer
• Kinsley Weiner

Spring After-school Activities will begin in March and the deadline to sign up is Friday, February 14th. The link to Mr. Woodward's page is below and the brochure is also available, which outlines all the spring offerings with dates and times.

https://rmsphysed.weebly.com/rms-after-school-activities.html

Each year, the Massachusetts Department of Elementary and Secondary Education releases a report card for every school and district in the state. Similar to how a student's report card reflects their performance in various subjects, these school and district report cards are designed to provide families and the community with an overview of how schools are performing across different areas. The report cards highlight both the strengths of a school or district and areas that may require attention to ensure all students’ needs are being met. The attached letter provides information on how you can access your school's report card.

Our amazing PTO needs new members and there will be an informational night coming up on March 4th, 6:30 PM in our school cafeteria. Come learn more about PTO, mingle with adults and enjoy some pizza.

Project Grow Application open as of Jan. 13th for the 2025-26 school year.

Project GROW was established to provide high-quality pre-schooling to children in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester. The program aims to provide children with a part-day, high-quality preschool experience in a public school setting and an inclusive learning environment for children with special needs.

The program is be offered at three district schools:

• Sippican Elementary School, Marion (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

• Center School, Mattapoisett (8:45 a.m. – 12:45 p.m.)

• Rochester Memorial School, Rochester (9 a.m. – 1 p.m.)

The program consists of two section of classes:

• Tuesday and Thursday ($2,520/year)

• Monday, Wednesday, Friday ($3,780/year)

All classes follow the ORR public school calendar.

• This four-hour program is open to all children residing in Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester who will be 3 years of age before Sept. 1, 2025.
• Parents and guardians are reminded that they are responsible for providing transportation to and from the program each day.
• Each preschool class is staffed by a certified teacher and assistant. The program aligns with the Massachusetts Curriculum Frameworks and follows the High/Scope curriculum.
• For more information or to register your child for the program, click here.

As a district, we are already planning for the fall of 2025 for our soon to be kindergarten students.

• Then, Kindergarten Orientation at each building will be Wednesday, March 26th at 6:00 PM with the two screening dates being Monday, May 19th and Friday, May 23rd.
• Once a student is fully registered, that means all required paperwork has been submitted to the office secretary for kindergarten, then the parent-guardian-caregiver will receive a date and time for their student's kindergarten screening.

Please remember that Smartwatch es and phones may not be used to receive or send messages anytime during school hours or on school buses. Student phones or Smartwatches used to make, or receive, unauthorized calls during school hours, or on a bus, will be confiscated by the teacher and left at the office for the family to pick up.

We thank you in advance for your cooperation and support!

February:

• February 6th, Kindergarten-2nd grade assembly, author visit Ada Ari, author
• Week of February 4th-7th: Book Fair Open During the Day
• Thursday, February 6th: Family Reading Night & Book Fair Open from 5:00-7:00 PM
• Tuesday, February 11th: PTO Meeting at 3:10 PM
• Friday, February 14th: Bus Driver Breakfast
• February 17th Week: Vacation Week

LOST and NOT FOUND YET:

• The lost and found is growing in size and has many hooded sweatshirts.
• If your child is missing one, please have them check the lost and found this week as it will all go in the donation bin over February break.

Grade 6:

ELA Wednesday, March 26th and Thursday, March 27th

Math Thursday, May 8th and Friday, May 9th

Grade 5:

ELA Monday, March 31st and Tuesday, April 1st

Math Monday, May 5th and Tuesday, May 6th

Science Monday, May 19th and May 20th

Grade 4:

ELA Monday, April 7th and Tuesday, April 8th

Math Tuesday, May 13th and Wednesday, May 14th

Grade 3:

ELA Thursday, April 10th and Friday, April 11th

Math Monday, May 15th and Tuesday, May 16th

• Jr. Scholars are allowed two free visits for them and their adult guest to Mystic Aquarium per year with their Jr. Scholar Card, but are requested to reserve a timed-ticket online prior to visiting!
  
  For timed ticket reservations with a Feinstein Jr. Scholar Card, please share the following link with your school community: https://www.mysticaquarium.org/visit/tickets/discounts-and-promotions/feinstein-junior-scholar-discount/

ORRconnect Mobile App

This mobile app allows families to receive targeted, real-time updates right at their fingertips regarding school happenings. Families can filter content, calendars and settings unique to one building or all. Check out the Mobile App Info Sheet for details on the information within our app.

Search ORRconnect in the app store or use the links from your mobile device.

From your Apple Mobile Device

From your Android Mobile Device

You can also access a lot of our information on our school website at https://rms.oldrochester.org/