October 4, 2024

Dear Parents/Guardians,

I hope this message finds you well. It has been a beautiful week here at the Middle School, and we're enjoying the pleasant fall weather. As the leaves begin to change, we're excited to share some upcoming events and important reminders.

Lyman Orchards Pie Fundraiser

Our annual fall pie fundraiser is now underway! Proceeds from this fundraiser will directly support student programming throughout the year. Please consider purchasing a delicious pie or two to help us reach our goal. Order forms were sent home with students last Monday. Please see below for additional information and a printable order form.

School Calendar Reminder

Please note that next week's school calendar is a bit shorter. Students will have both Friday, October 11th, and Monday, October 14th off from school.

PSAT 8

As a reminder, 8th-grade students will be taking the PSAT 8 on Tuesday, October 22nd. While this year's test is not high-stakes (it will be more so in 11th grade), it will be a valuable experience as they prepare for future standardized tests. More information about the PSAT 8 will be shared with you soon.

That’s all I have for this week, there are a few additional notes/reminders below. As always, please let us know if you have any questions.
Enjoy the weekend.

Thank you.

Michael Seroussi

There have been recent reports of groups of students visiting the Douglas Library after school hours and causing damage. The Hebron Resident Trooper's Office is currently investigating multiple incidents of criminal mischief where students have made inappropriate carvings into the wooden bookshelves and have destroyed chairs, tables, sheetrock, etc. This behavior is unacceptable. Therefore, there will be an increased police presence at the Douglas Library moving forward. Anyone who visits the Douglas Library to cause a disruption or acts of criminal mischief/vandalism will be trespassed from the property and criminal enforcement action will be issued. The Douglas Library works hard to maintain a clean environment that fosters learning and education to students and to all of those who visit.

On Tuesday, October 8th, we will conduct a lockdown drill in accordance with emergency response drill requirements determined by the state. During the drill, students will be presented with information on the ALICE protocol, which is an acronym for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, and Evacuate. The information being presented has been developed in partnership with the Hebron Resident State Trooper, Hebron Police, and the Connecticut Center for School Safety and Crisis Preparation, and provides strategies that can be utilized to help keep students and staff stay safe in the event of an actual lockdown scenario. If you have any questions about the upcoming drill, please contact school administration.

• October 11- NO SCHOOL (PD Day)
• October 14 - Columbus Day (NO SCHOOL)
  
• October 15 - Fall Athletic Picture Day (After school)
• October 16 - MS Picture Retakes and 8th Grade Class Photo
• October 16 - Pie Fundraiser Orders Due

• October 22 - PSAT 8

• October 24 - Middle School Fall Concert - Band Concert 6:00 PM /Chorus Concert 7:30 PM

• October 25 - 8th Grade HS Alternative Options Presentation

• October 25 - Early Dismissal (11:45 AM)

• October 25 - Middle School 7th and 8th Grade Dance - MS Cafe; 7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (Hosted by Student Council) (PLEASE NOTE NEW DATE)

• November 4 - End of Quarter 1

• November 5 - NO SCHOOL; Staff Development Day

• November 6 - Quarter 2 Begins
• November 7 - Drama United Show 6:00 - 8:30 PM
• November 8 - Veterans Day Celebration
• November 11 - NO SCHOOL; Veterans Day
• November 12 - Pie Fundraiser Delivery/Pick-up Date
• November 15 - Multiply Your Options Field Trip; UCONN
• November 21 - Parent Conferences; 4:00 - 7:00 PM
• November 22 - Early Dismissal: 11:45 AM
• November 27 - Early Dismissal: 11:45 AM
• November 28-29 - NO SCHOOL; School Recess

Dr. Colin McNamara continues his goal to meet as many parents and community members as possible. To help in this effort, he has added new opportunities this school year for "Coffee and Conversation" with community members at the dates listed below. We hope you are able to attend one of the listed times. Please make sure to bring a photo ID, and watch for any updates due to weather or other circumstances.

Middle School Media Center - Small Conference Room

All dates listed below are from 10:00 AM - 11:00 AM

Thursday, September 26th

Thursday, November 14th

Wednesday, January 15th

Wednesday, March 19th

Wednesday, May 21st

High School Media Center

All dates listed below are from 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM

Thursday, October 24th

Thursday, December 12th

Thursday, February 6th

Thursday, April 10th

Attention Parents!

If you would like your child to be able to receive Tylenol, Motrin, cough drops or lotion during the school day, please make sure you have logged onto Power School and updated your child's Consent to Treat form for this school year.

Access the form on the RHAM Middle School Website under the PARENTS tab:

• Parent Portal
• Forms
• Enrollment
• Health Authorization

Attention 8th grade parents - This is a reminder that every 8th grade student is required to have a physical form submitted to the school. If your child does not have a current physical on file, you will have been notified, and this needs to be handed in ASAP. The physical needs to be dated July 1, 2022 or later to be accepted.

Attention 7th grade parents - This is a reminder that every 7th grade student is required to have a physical during their 6th or 7th grade year. The physical must be dated between July 1, 2023 and June 30, 2025. Please submit your child's physical, along with their most current immunization record to the school nurse as soon as possible.

Please click on the link below for a blank copy of the health assessment form.

Students can bring the paperwork to the nurse's office or you may email it to mshealthoffice@rhamschools.org . Should you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact the health office.

https://sites.google.com/rhamschools.org/healthoffice/required-physicals

Our Hispanic heritage spotlight this week is someone who has had a major impact in recent pop culture: Lin-Manuel Miranda. He was born in New York City in 1980, to Puerto Rican parents who immigrated to New York to pursue academics.

Miranda, 44, was raised around musicals, and started writing his first title at Wesleyan University in 1999 during his sophomore year. In the Heights, loosely based on his own experiences growing up, opened on Broadway in March 2008. Influenced by his upbringing in the predominantly Latin neighborhood, Washington Heights, and his frequent vacations in Puerto Rico, the musical was heralded for featuring a largely Latin American cast with characters often singing and speaking in Spanish. Miranda won his first Tony Award that summer after the show received 13 nominations. He took home four awards, including Best Musical.

Miranda’s largest mark on culture to date came when his musical Hamilton opened on Broadway in 2015. Following the life of Alexander Hamilton, Miranda reimagined the beginnings of America told by actors of color, whose ancestors didn’t have a say in how the country was built. The hip-hop musical quickly became one of the most profitable shows to ever hit Broadway. Miranda won two Tony Awards—Best Original Musical Score and Best Book of a Musical—for Hamilton, which was also named Best Musical.

Additionally, Miranda has built a successful movie career. He directed the 2021 film Tick, Tick... Boom! starring Andrew Garfield, and composed music for the hit 2021 Disney movie Encanto.

Grades 7 & 8: We're about halfway through quarter 1 already! This is a great time to sit down with your child and take a look at PowerSchool together to make sure they are on track with their academics. If you have questions or concerns, please reach out to your child's teachers or School Counselor.

We've seen an uptick in students who are anxious about school safety. If your child is expressing concerns, or asking questions at home, you might find these tips from the National Association of Psychologists helpful. Always feel free to reach out to any of us in Guidance if you are worried about your child's concerns.

SOAR Youth Leadership Group kicked off the year with snacks and a friendly game of kickball for their first meeting! SOAR welcomes all RHAM students in grades 7-12 to attend meetings that take place on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 2:15-3:30pm. The next meeting will take place on October 15th. Please reach out to Prevention Coordinator Ashlee Parks at ashleep@ahmyouth.org or Mrs. Rusch at carol.rusch@rhamschools.org if your student would like to participate!

Here at RHAM Middle School we offer a large variety of clubs and activities for students to get involved in. This is a great way to meet new people and try new things of interest. Please click the picture above to see the most up to date list of clubs, descriptions, dates and times. The full list is also available on the Middle School website.

Middle School is the first opportunity for students to participate in a full school sport. Some of the teams at this level are try-out based and others are open to all students. See below under the Fall Athletic Information if your student is interested in joining athletics.

Registration for Winter Athletics is now open. For Middle School, we offer Boys Basketball, Girls Basketball, Wrestling, and Cheerleading. Scheduling information for tryouts and start of season will be published at a later date.

Students must be in full compliance with all Interscholastic Athletic Requirements to be eligible for participation. See registration requirements below.

RHAM Student-Athlete Pre-Season Participation Checklist

1.) Complete and submit registration via FINAL FORMS

• If you have an account already, log in and use previous information to register for current season.
• If this is you or your family’s first time registering for athletic participation through Final Forms, create a new account and register for the current season. Your information is now saved and will make future registrations easy.

2.) Submit a valid State of CT School Health Assessment Record Form to the Athletic Director’s Office or electronically via Final Forms.

• Page 1-Completed and signed by parents.
• Page 2-Completed and signed by medical provider.

Link: CT Health Assessment Record Form

***YOUR PHYSICAL EXAM FOR ATHLETICS EXPIRES AFTER 13 MONTHS. AN EXPIRED PHYSICAL WILL RESULT IN INELIGIBILITY***

3.) Complete an ImPACT concussion baseline test. (Click Link)

• These expire every two years. If you do not have an up to date concussion baseline test, you will not be able to participate. Upon registering on Final Forms, you will be able to check the expiration status. If no information is listed, email daniel.trudeau@rhamschools.org to notify.
• If your test is expired you may retake it at home by following the instructions provided in the appropriate link below.

-MIDDLE SCHOOL AT-HOME CONCUSSION BASELINE TEST INSTRUCTIONS

--

Dan Trudeau

RHAM High School & Middle School

Athletic Director

(860)228-9474 ext. 3411

Pursue Excellence, Inspire Others, & Make A Positive Difference Today

We have two lunch waves at RHAM Middle School. The first wave starts at 10:35am and the second wave starts at 11:20am. We know that students often get hungry before and after lunch, so they may bring a snack to keep in their locker. We would like to remind everyone that because of allergies, no nut products are allowed in school.

Shannon Nemethy, General Manager

Email: Shannon.Nemethy@rhamschools.org

Office: 860-228-9474 ext. 3710

Where Can I Find the Menu?

https://www.fdmealplanner.com/

There are times when families find themselves in need of support to ensure that their children are able to get lunch at school. If you are in need of assistance, please see the Free/Reduced information under the parent tab and then click on food service.

• Late buses run Monday - Thursday (No Fridays).

• Students are picked up at the Middle School around 4:00pm.

• There is 1 bus per town.

• Bus routes are determined at the time of pickup, based upon how many students are on the bus and student locations. The length of time it takes to get home will vary. You might not be dropped off at your actual home, you could be dropped off up to 1 mile away.

• You will report to the library after your activity or event and wait there doing school work, etc. until the late bus arrives.

• You must be staying after school for an event or activity.

• You cannot leave the school grounds then come back to take the late bus.

You can follow your child's bus in real time through the My Ride K-12 app or website. Instructions to set up your account can be found through the linked picture to the right.

Bus Traffic

All buses will enter RHAM from Route 85 and RHAM Road. The buses will proceed along the bus lane between the schools and the middle school baseball and high school softball fields. All middle and high school students will be dropped off in the morning and picked up in the afternoon at the high school drop off area and the buses will then leave RHAM through the main high school exit onto Wall Street. All students will enter through the High School main entrance. No parent vehicles will be permitted to enter the bus lane leading to the high school and staff parking area.

Morning Drop Off Directions

High school parents dropping their children off must enter the high school drop-off loop off of Wall Street and drop their children off at the drop-off area that is across from the weight room and Central office (See map). Parents must then exit back onto Wall Street. Parents dropping off students will not be allowed to enter any of the parking areas.

Middle school parents dropping their children off may enter from Wall Street through the high school entrance adjacent to the Wall Street practice fields or from RHAM road. Parents entering from Wall Street must proceed along the access road adjacent to the tennis courts and drop their children off in front of the middle school main entrance (See map for drop off/pickup areas). Parents must then take a left at the stop sign and exit onto Route 85 via RHAM Road.

Parents entering from RHAM Road must take a right into the student drop off loop, and then follow the signs that will lead you to the drop-off point in front of the middle school main entrance. Parents must then take a left at the stop sign and exit onto Route 85 via RHAM Road. Parents are not allowed to enter the main staff parking area.

Parents with both middle and high school students must make one drop-off and enter the high school drop-off loop off of Wall Street and drop their children off at the drop-off area that is across from the weight room and Central office (See map). Parents must then exit back onto Wall Street. Middle school students dropped off at the high school will walk through the high school and proceed to the middle school.

Afternoon Pick Up Directions

High school parents picking their children up must enter through the main high school entrance on Wall Street and pick their children up at the pick up/drop off area immediately in front of the weight room. Parents must then exit back onto Wall Street from the exit adjacent to the Wall Street practice fields. Parents picking up students will not be allowed to enter any of the parking areas.

Middle school parents picking their children up must enter from Wall Street through the high school entrance adjacent to the Wall Street practice fields or enter from RHAM road. Parents entering from Wall Street must proceed along the access road adjacent to the tennis courts and pick up their children in front of the middle school main entrance. Parents entering from RHAM Road must take a right into the Parent Drop-off loop and then follow the signs that will lead you to the Pick-up point in front of the middle school main entrance. Parents picking up at the end of the day may wait along the right side of the access road in front of RHAM Middle School. Please do not double park on the left side of the access road. Parents are not allowed to enter the main staff parking area. Parents must then take a left at the stop sign and exit onto Route 85 via RHAM Road.

Parents with both middle and high school students can either pick up both students using either the high school or middle school pick-up area or pick up first at the high school and then proceed down to the middle school pick-up area.

Student Directions

High school students parking in the upper or lower student parking lots must enter and exit through the Wall Street student entrance (see map) adjacent to the Wall Street fields.

Link to MS Maps

Link to HS Map