I hope this week's newsletter finds you warm and cozy ahead of the weather heading our way. There are numerous announcements about the many things coming up this week as well as about the amazing week we had with students last week. Congratulations to the Rams for their wins against the Jefferson Eagles on Saturday. Most importantly, the future is bright for ORHS Wildcats as they will all soon be teammates representing our amazing community.

The first part of this weekend's newsletter includes updates on the many events that are scheduled for tomorrow to help celebrate and remember the work of Martin Luther King Jr. Several of our students are participating in these events and we encourage you to come out to support them if weather permits.

There is a strong chance for inclement weather beginning tomorrow. Please be reminded to look for updates listing Oak Ridge City Schools. We do not follow the closing updates for Anderson County Schools and are listed separately in the event we are closed or delayed. Feel free to email Mr. Corrigan with any questions or concerns about closures/delayed starts and he will get back with you as soon as possible.

Thanks for all you do to in our partnership to help our students be successful. Have a wonderful week, and as always, don't hesitate to reach out if there is anything we can do to better support your student or family.

-Nick Corrigan, Principal, njcorrigan@ortn.edu

-Christy Free, Vice Principal, ccfree@ortn.edu

-Christopher Williams, Dean of Students, cewilliams@ortn.edu

Monday – Jan 15

No School – Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr Holiday

Basketball Benefit Game for Scarboro 85 Monument Project –

• RMS vs. Cherokee (H) GJV 4, BJV 5, GV 6, BV 7

Tuesday – Jan 16

Geography Club 2:45-3:45 (Room 228)

TSA Meeting 2:45-5:00pm (STEM Lab)

Basketball Practice 3:00-6:30pm

Wednesday – Jan 17

SECME Meeting 7:00-7:30am (Room 120)

Student Council Meeting – District Leaders Visit 7:05-7:30am (Room 108)

Café Catch Up 12:45-2:00pm (Cafeteria)

Ski Club to Ober Gatlinburg 1:00-9:00pm

NIET Professional Learning 2:00-4:00pm (SAB Board Room)

Basketball Practice

Thursday – Jan 18

7th & 8th Grade ORHS - CTE Fair (Gym) - Students Only

Board Games Club 2:45-3:45pm (Room 111)

Basketball Practice 3:00-6:30pm

Friday – Jan 19

GIVE Club 7:00-7:30am (Room 224)

Basketball Practice 3:00-6:30pm

Saturday – Jan 20th-24th

RMS Hosts Area Basketball Tournament (RMS)

Mark your calendar for January 15, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr’s birthday and national holiday. Make it a full day by starting at 7:30 am with a prayer breakfast at Green McAdoo Cultural Center, 101 School Street in Clinton (on the hill behind the high school), then zip over to the 9:45 Scholarship Program at Hope Center at the Y-12 New Hope Auditorium, 602 Scarboro Road, in Oak Ridge. In the afternoon, head over to the 1:00 pm program at the Oak Valley Baptist Church, 194 Hampton Rd, in Oak Ridge. Then, a little later, to support a worthy cause and have a good time, drive to Robertsville Middle School for a basketball fundraiser (only $5), starting at 4 pm.

Yes, first join together for a hearty breakfast of bacon, eggs, pancakes, juice, and coffee in honor of Dr. King. The special musical guest, Brandon Whitaker, a musician from Knoxville who is also a composer, will get us grooving. Several area faith leaders will lead us in prayers so that we may continue to strive to fulfill Dr. King's dream. Trevor King will reflect on Dr. King’s legacy and Paris Ellis of Harriman will offer a solo. This first event is sponsored by the Green McAdoo Cultural Center and the Oak Ridge-Anderson County NAACP. This event is free, but please reserve a ticket on Eventbrite so organizers can prepare the necessary amount of food. Reserve your pancakes now: 2024 MLK Prayer Breakfast Tickets, Mon, Jan 15, 2024 at 7:30 AM | Eventbrite)

Immediately following breakfast, head straight over to the Scholarship Awards Program organized by Alpha Kappa Alpha (AKA) at the Y-12 New Hope Auditorium, 602 Scarboro Road, Oak Ridge. It begins at 9:45, and includes performances by SECME (Science Engineering Communications Mathematics Enrichment) students and scholarships will be presented. The SECME students from Robertsville will also present the play, "We Were the First," honoring The Scarboro 85, the 85 students who, in 1955, attended the previously segregated Oak Ridge High School. The keynote address will be given by Rev. Erica Haigler, pastor of Spurgeon Chapel, A.M.E. Zion Church. Afterwards, the Methodist Medical Center will provide lunch, and Church Women United will provide desserts. Everyone, both Adults and school-age students, are encouraged to attend another free event.

Then, at 1:00 pm the public is invited to Oak Valley Baptist Church, 194 Hampton Rd. in Oak Ridge to consider Dr. King’s goal to create a Beloved Community. This program was organized by the members of ORSOR, and supported by the local branch of the NAACP and Joyful Reconcilers. Valeria Roberson will again serve as the Mistress of Ceremonies for this inspiring, music-and-spirit-filled event. Among the speakers will be the new City Manager Randy Hemann and the Rev. Derrick Hammond, both pastor of this church and City Council member. Two choirs will share their uplifting music. Again, all are welcome and a reception follows. (See the program for additional details.)

The Basketball Benefit event at Robertsville Middle School, 245 Robertsville Road in Oak Ridge, beginning at 4:00 pm, will include the home team playing Cherokee Middle School of Kingston. Come cheer for the home team and know that funds received support the Scarboro 85 Monument Project. (See the flier for additional details.)

Yes, it’s a full day. But this federal holiday “Is a day on, not a day off.” See you there!

On Dec. 1, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat while riding a bus in Montgomery, Alabama. This led to her arrest and the start of the Montgomery Bus Boycott, which lasted for more than a year. To honor Rosa Parks, KAT marked one seat on each bus on Friday, featuring a placard explaining the importance of Dec. 1. At the same time, civil rights history was happening in East Tennessee.

On Sept. 6, 1955, 85 black students integrated Oak Ridge High School and Robertsville Junior High School. This means, this happened before the Clinton 12, Little Rock 9 and even Ruby Bridges. "You can't have a civil rights conversation without bringing up Oak Ridge," John Spratling, the chairman of the Scarboro 85 Monument Committee, said. "You cannot leave us out of that conversation. We predated all of those events."

Dec. 3, 1955 is a day that fundamentally changed sports in Tennessee and the nation. That date marks the first time Black student athletes entered an all-white public school (or university) sports event in the Southeastern United States. On that day, two young Scarboro 85 students entered an Oak Ridge High School basketball game for the first time, in a game against Powell Valley High School. It was a major turning point in American civil rights history. It’s difficult to appreciate the extent of emotional pain these young pioneers experienced. The teams they played were all white … and racial segregation (outside public education) was rigidly-enforced and perfectly legal.

Dear RMS Parents and Students,

I am collecting quotes for a feature in the 2024 yearbook via an online survey. The topic of these questions is the "LITTLE THINGS" that bring you joy and happiness in life...things that make you smile, that make your day, that sometimes bring a bright spot in a day that's not so bright.

Students at all grade levels are encouraged to answer the survey and submit a photo (if desired) to accompany the quote if selected for inclusion in the yearbook. The survey link is NOT open to anyone outside the ORTN network, so students will need to complete the survey on their devices OR log in with their ORTN credentials if another device is used.

More specifics are available at the survey link. The deadline to respond is January 31, 2024. Thank you!

Dr. Julie Kinder-McMillan (jkinder@ortn.edu)

Yearbook Sponsor

We're thrilled to introduce Emily Haendel, our new school librarian!

Ms. Haendel earned a BS. Ed in Elementary Education from UT Martin, a M.Ed in Curriculum and Instruction from Ole Miss, and a graduate certificate as a School Library Information Specialist from the University of Memphis.

Ms. Haendel taught 6th grade for one year before transitioning to the library. She has amassed nearly 7 years of experience in school libraries. In 2021, Ms. Haendel won the TASL Innovative Library Award for her exceptional work with diverse book clubs, promoting inclusivity and empathy through high-interest middle grade literature.

Beyond her professional achievements, Ms. Haendel is a baker extraordinaire with a love for the creative arts. She also enjoys spending time with her golden retrievers, Eevee and Leia.

We are excited for the future of our beautiful, newly renovated library and confident that Ms. Haendel will instill the love for reading in our students and continue the tradition of excellence at RMS!

The following Fundraiser Information and order forms went home with your student on Thursday, January 11th. All orders and money are due to Mrs. Frazier no later than Friday, January 19th. Checks should be made payable to RMS. Cookies will be delivered to your student for distribution by the end of the school day on Friday, February 2nd. If you have any questions or need additional order forms, please see Mrs. Frazier in Room 232, leave a message at ext. 2232, or email rwfrazier@ortn.edu

A huge shout out to PTSA and our many community partners such as Papa Johns, Chik-Fil-A, Wendy's, and many others that contribute regularly to help celebrate the great work of our students! We truly would not be successful without the support of our wonderful community.

We celebrated a total of 121 students for making all As on their report card and an additional 188 students for making all As & Bs! To top it off our teachers celebrated an additional 100 students for following the Rams Way and displaying self-awareness, self-discipline, and empathy.

Last Friday, January 12, our students participated in this year's Regional Competition. The results of the competition are below, and we are extremely proud of their success! The hard work, determination, and grit that it takes to prepare for these competitions is even more commendable. We wish them the best of luck in preparing for the next round in the state competition. A huge shout out to Dr. Burnette, Ms. Leftwich, the many parent and RMS alumni volunteers, & our community sponsors that help make our program so successful!

Please read a short summary about each of the areas our students competed in below:

• Challenging Technology Issues: Following the onsite random selection of a technology topic from a group of pre-conference posted topics, participants work to prepare for and deliver a debate-style presentation, in which they explain opposing views of the selected topic.

• Children’s Stories: Participants create an illustrated children’s story based on the annual theme. The entry product is a physical storybook of artistic, instructional, and social value. Semifinalists read their story aloud and participate in an interview.

• Community Service Video: Participants create a video that depicts the local TSA chapter’s involvement in a community service project. Semifinalists deliver a presentation on the project and participate in an interview.

• Inventions and Innovations: To address the annual theme, participants research a need - and brainstorm a solution - for an invention or innovation of a device, system, or process. Participants document their work in an interactive display and the creation of a model/prototype. Semifinalists deliver a presentation about their work and participate in an interview.

• Leadership Strategies: Participants prepare for and deliver a presentation about a specific challenge that officers of a TSA chapter might encounter. Semifinalists follow the same competition procedure but must respond to a different chapter challenge.

• Medical Technology: Participants conduct research on a contemporary medical technology issue related to the annual theme, document their research, create a display, and build a prototype. Semifinalists deliver a presentation about their entry and participate in an interview.

• Off the Grid: Based on the annual theme, participants conduct research on a sustainable architectural design for a home in a country not their own. Participants produce a portfolio and create a display and a model. Semifinalists present their design and participate in an interview.

• Prepared Speech: Participants deliver a timed speech that relates to the theme of the current national TSA conference. Semifinalists and finalists are determined using the same competition procedure.

• Tech Bowl: Participants demonstrate their knowledge of TSA and concepts addressed in technology content standards by completing an objective test. Semifinalists participate in a head-to-head, team competition.

• Vlogging: Participants use digital video technology to create original content about a pre-determined technology theme. Semifinalists compete in an onsite challenge to produce additional video(s) based on specified criteria, such as provided props, lines of dialog, and topics.

RMS 7th Graders appreciate the time and energy of Ms. Light! She spent an entire day with us reviewing chemistry. Check out the video of our 7th graders experiencing this amazing opportunity this week! Thanks to Ms. Hickson and Ms. Sluss for organizing this visit!

We are happy to notify you that beginning Wednesday, January 3, Robertsville Middle School will be providing free breakfast and lunch to all students. This change stems from an adjustment in the U. S Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) threshold for participation in the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) that allows schools to offer free meals to all students.

This change will be in place for the remainder of the 2023-24 school year, however, it is not retroactive and does not erase any current meal balances. Current meal balances can be paid online, or in-person at your school cafeteria to avoid processing fees.

While the change from the USDA allows for increased eligibility, unfortunately, there will still be some schools in the district with a lower eligibility rate that will not be receiving free meals. The district will evaluate the eligibility data and associated costs of including more of our schools on an ongoing basis to determine if we can include any additional schools for next school year or beyond.

Order your 2024 RAM Yearbook today. The deadline to order special options such as name stamping on the cover is rapidly approaching: January 19, 2024. The cost is $20.

Visit www.yearbookordercenter.com and use our school code 17202 or enter the school name to begin. A service fee of $3.99 (or more if ordering multiple books) will apply to online orders.

Would you like to submit photos for the 2024 Ram Yearbook? Visit www.hjeshare.com and enter the school code “ramfam” to upload your images for consideration. For ease of upload, check the App Store to download and use the Herff Jones eShare app for your device. Please note that we cannot guarantee that all images will be used.

Students in 5th, 6th and 8th grades will participate in the Oak Ridge Board of Education approved Family Life curriculum during their Physical Education class on January 29-February 2. The programming will be age appropriate and address topics covered in the 5th, 6th, and 8th grade Health Education standards.

5th Grade Family Life Information

Lessons presented will be age- appropriate information on the emotional, social, and physical aspects of growing up. Boys and girls will be separated for this presentation but will watch the same video. The link for the video is: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Bw1N06PKhu4

6th and 8th Grade Family Life Information

Lessons presented will be age-appropriate information on the emotional, social and physical aspects of growing up. Information on sexually transmitted diseases, refusal skills, abstinence, HIV/AIDS is also included. Students will remain in the same classroom, unlike when boys and girls were separated in the 5th grade program. This information will be presented by the non-profit, Let’s Talk 101.

Per School Board Policy 4.213:

A parent/guardian has the right to opt their child out of participating in this programming. If you want to opt your child out of programming, please complete the following form using the QR code/link below: https://forms.office.com/r/bxUdZaN1JU

If you would like additional information about the program, or if you have further questions, please feel free to contact Lauren Hawkins, Dean Williams, or Jamie Petrie at 425-9201 or by email at lmhawkins@ortn.edu, dwilliams@ortn.edu or jpetrie@ortn.edu

PTSA is excited to announce we have a Donor who is willing to match donations up to $5,000. As you can see above the impact of your donation is great for RMS Students. Without PTSA many of the above would not take place. If we receive $15 per student, we will hit our overall goal. PTSA also supports our amazing Educators with staff appreciation events as a Thank You for all they do in educating our students.

PTSA has already funded over $3,000 in requests this school year for Stem Lego kits, Soldering Kits, Bulletin Boards for Electives and Reflex Math Subscription to assist with students needing extra help in math.

How to donate? Return the Donation Envelope that went home with your student to school or Via Paypal at at paypal.me/rmsorptsa. Scan the QR Code above to take you to our direct PayPal link.

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Need to See a Counselor - Student Request Form

If students need to see a counselor throughout the year for any reason, we ask that they complete the online “Request to See a Counselor” form located in Clever. Once students complete this form, the counselors will receive an email and will work to schedule students based on their availability. If the situation is an emergency, we ask that students please make note of this in the comments section. We ask that students please be patient and know that we will get them scheduled as soon as possible. If it will take more than a day, we will reach out to the student by email or through their teacher to let them know.

Parents are always welcome to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Kristy Best works with 5th and 7th grades – kbest@ortn.edu. Tarah Sanford works with 6th and 8th grades – TASanford@ortn.edu.

About

The Robertsville Middle School Parent Teacher Association (RMS PTSA) is part of the RMS family. Our purpose is to support fun and educational programs, events, services, and opportunities to our children, to enrich their academic experience. We work closely with the school administration, faculty, and staff to help our students achieve all that they can.

Membership

The membership dues for the current year shall be set at $5.00. At the present time, the TN PTA portion is $2.00 and the National PTA portion is $2.25. RMS PTSA will keep $.75 to offset membership processing fees.

Volunteer

Research shows that students whose parents are involved in their school get better grades, do better on tests and have fewer disciplinary problems at school.

What is your talent? Community outreach, back to school activities, spirit gear, RAM Perks reward program, donation drive/fundraising, visiting author receptions, or providing items for events like our teacher/staff luncheons, intercessions, and State testing.

While you DO NOT need to be a member of PTSA to be a volunteer, we would like to invite all adults AND students with an interest in RMS to join and have a voice in how PTSA funds are used to support RMS. Volunteer forms are in the back-to-school packets or may be found on the Forms page of PTSA website.

The PDFs of the bus routes have been posted online and are available to families on the transportation website. They are also linked from the back-to-school website.

Additionally, families can log on to the Tyler Versatrans website and check their route information there. The directions for that are below.

Tyler Versatran Log In

Username: (use student’s name) firstname.lastname

This is case sensitive–example: john.smith

Password: (use student birth date) in this format 03122007 for March 12, 2007

Transportation Dept Information & Points of Contact can be found at:

https://www.ortn.edu/district/bus-routes/