Thundercat Weekly

Hello Thundercat Families,

Celebrate:

8th grade awards night was fantastic! Thank you to the parents, counselors, teacher and students for all you do to make RTMS a place of success!

Congratulations to Coach Dobbins on being nominated for the FBISD FAB Middle Coach of the Year!

Fine Arts had amazing programs this week! Thank you to the parents, students, and teachers for amazing nights of showcasing our RTMS talent.

Upcoming Events:

Final Exam Week- May 22-25.

***This week, May 22-25, will be a no-backpack week. Teachers are aware and will make preparation with supplies to support no backpacks. Fine arts will let the students know their procedure for this week. Students may bring a lunch kit and a small purse or pencil-size case if needed.

May 24 and 25 are half days. Students will be eating sack lunches in their classrooms on these days. If a student needs to purchase a sack lunch from the cafeteria that will also be available.

Safety-

The building opens, and supervision begins at 8:20 am. Students who are left outside will not be supervised until our doors open at 8:20, and they are expected to demonstrate appropriate behavior. Please do not allow your students to bring toys to play with during this time. (examples: football, tennis balls, anything that would violate student safety)

In addition, supervision for after school ends when our car rider line is complete, which is generally around 4:45 pm.

Water bottles- students have been poking holes in water bottles, creating messes that our custodians are having to clean up and this also causing safety issues. This has become a large enough issue that our custodians have asked us to address it with parents and staff. Please talk with your student regarding the responsibility of carrying water bottles at school.

Summer School Information:

Summer School Link for Middle School

RTMS Parents,

-RTMS Immunizations-

All incoming 7th grade students for the 2023-2024 school year are required to obtain T-dap and Meningococcal vaccines per Texas law, please provide a copy to the clinic with a valid physician's signature or stamp.

-.RTMS- Student Medications

The end of the year is almost here. Please make arrangements to pick up your student’s unused medication in the clinic. Medications will not be sent home with students.

Any medications not picked up before noon on the last student day (May 25, 2023) will be destroyed. Medications will not be held in the clinic during the summer.

Medications for the next school year must be delivered to the clinic at the beginning of the year by a parent or guardian with a new medication form. District forms can be found on the district web site: http://www.fortbendisd.com/Page/888.

Thank you for your continued cooperation in protecting the safety of our students. If you have questions about the procedure, please contact the school nurse.

Katrina Outlaw MBA, BSN, RN

Parents

There is no supervision until 8:20 am. Please speak to your students regarding appropriate behavior if you chose to drop them off unattended. In addition, no toys should be brought to play with before school (ex, tennis ball, football, soccer ball, ect..).

FBISD promotes literacy for all students during the summer as we celebrate the joy of reading and build lifelong reading habits. Below you will see a link to a Word document to learn more about the Summer Reading opportunities offered in our district for students.

Link: FBISD Summer Reading K to 12 grade.docx

Dear Parents,

This is information about FBISD Credit Recovery (Remedial)-Summer School Program. The list of students who are danger of not successfully completing a course will be out later this month. The final list of students needing to attend Credit Recovery will be out in May. FBISD credit recovery program is different from previous years and we fell it important to share as much as we an as soon as we can.

Thank You,

RTMS Counselors

Below is the remedial information as well as the new cost structure.

Hello Parents,

Please see the student safety and accountability reminders below:

3rd Party Food Deliveries- No outside food deliveries for students will be accepted, (Grubhub, Postmates, Ubereats, Doordash. etc,

Student ID- Worn daily around the neck with the grade-specific lanyard. Use the link below to purchase lost/misplaced ID for your child. ($5)

https://fortbendisd.revtrak.net/FBISD-Schools-1082/ms/thornton-ms/rtms-fines-fees/#/v/rtms-student-id-replacement-fee

10/10 Rule – Students are not able to leave the classroom during the first and last 10 minutes of class due to the importance of this time in the lesson cycle.

Out of Area - Students should only go to their assigned classroom for each class or at any time during the school day. This is a safety violation and a discipline referral will be entered.

Cell phones/Earbuds – Shall be kept in backpacks during the school day. If they are out, on or seen they will be confiscated. The only exception is for teacher-led instruction.

• Please note the 3rd offense will require a $10 fee. Refusal to give phone/earbuds for confiscation when out, on, or seen will result in a discipline referral.

Dress code- Students must wear appropriate length shorts/shirts No hoodies. No midriffs showing.

Thank you for you help in addressing these reminders with your children,

First and second offense, students will get their phones back at 7th period.

Third offense and beyond, parents will have to pay $10 via RevTrak and come to the campus to pick up their child’s phone.

https://fortbendisd.revtrak.net/FBISD-Schools-1082/ms/thornton-ms/rtms-fines-fees/#/list

Reminder all cell phones/earbuds/air pods must be put in student backpacks before they walk into RTMS.

We are a cell phone free zone school.

• All incoming 7th grade students for the 2023 - 2024 school year are required to obtain Tdap and Meningococcal vaccines per Texas law.
• Todos los estudiantes que ingresen al 7.º grado para el año escolar 2023 - 2024 deben obtener las siguientes vacunas Tdap y meningocócica según la ley de Texas.

Parents

There is no supervision until 8:20 am. Please speak to your students regarding appropriate behavior if you chose to drop them off unattended. In addition, no toys should be brought to play with before school (ex, tennis ball, football, soccer ball, ect..).

Thank you for being timely in your drop off and pick up of our thundercat students.

A student is tardy when they arrive less than five (5) minutes after the bell without a pass. Arrival after twenty (20) minutes without a pass students are truant. Each teacher will record tardies in Skyward.

Consequences:

• Tardy: Student Conference with Teacher

• 2-3 Tardies: Parent Contact by Teacher

• 4-5 Tardies: Disciplinary Referral, After School Detention

• 6+Tardies: Referral; Saturday Detention and Parent Conference

The safety of our Thundercats is top priority and we appreciate everyone adhering to our dismissal process.

Parents please be kind to our RTMS neighbors and do not drop off or pick up students in those areas. Please use our car rider line. Thank you for your understanding in keeping our Thundercats safe and our neighbors safe too.

· If you plan to drop off/pick up your student by vehicle, please remain in the RTMS designated car rider line.

1. When dropping off students for tutorials or clubs 7:50 - 8:15 am, please use the second lane crosswalk area, in the front drive, to drop off in the morning.
2. Please have students exit and enter vehicles near the front curb of the campus.

Thank you in advance for following the car rider map.

Thank you for helping to keep our thundercats safe !

Thank you for reaching out to the Ronald Thornton Middle School Attendance Office! Here are some frequent Q’s & A’s and resource information that may help address your concerns even faster:

1. What should I do if my child is absent?

If your child is absent from instruction, please attach your documentation to an email within 5 days of the absence to attendancertms@fortbendisd.com

2. I believe my child was incorrectly marked absent.
Please contact the teacher who marked the absence. If it is incorrect, the teacher will either edit the attendance or contact the attendance office to make a correction.

3. What do I do if I need to pick my child up early for an appointment?
Sign in at the Front Office with your sate issued I.D., you will get a Visitor’s Badge to the Attendance Office. Sign your student out from the Attendance Office. Please remember to bring a doctor’s note back to school the next day to allow the absence to be excused. Please make sure if you (parent or guardian) are sending another person to pick-up your student/s, they are listed on the emergency contacts.Students will not be released if they are not on the emergency contact.

4. What if I need to add someone on my student/s emergency contact for early pick-up?

Email Christine.gruber@fortbendisd.com the name, number and relationship to student/s with a copy of your ID.

5. What is the latest I can pick-up my student?

Student pickup is suspended from 3:40 p.m-4:10 p.m.

6. Do I need to call when my student is absent?

No, calls are considered a courtesy but not an excuse please follow up with a written note or medical note in order for absence to be excused.

7. Why is the absence still showing unexcused?
Once documentation is submitted, it can take up to 48 hours to show in Skyward.

8. What information should be included in the absence note?

Please include first name and last name, grade level, reason for absence.

9. How many days can my student be absent before they need a Medical Note?

According to the FBISD Parent/ Student Handbook, a student can be absent 4 consecutive days with a parent written excuse after the 5th day a medical note will need to be provided.

10. My student is sick and leaving from the clinic, do I need to sign out from the Attendance Office?

You will sign your student out from the Clinic only if the nurse or nurse’s assistant has spoken with you. The nurse will let the Attendance Clerk know and your student will be excused for the missed classes.

If the Nurse or Nurse Assistant does not inform you to pick your student up from the clinic then you will need to sign your student out from the Attendance Office and the student will be called from class.

11. Can my student wait for me in the entrance, if they know I am coming to pick them up?

Due to safety reasons and constant flow of entering and exiting the building, please DO NOT have your student wait for you in the entrance of the school.

12. My child forgot an item (lunch, band instrument, technology, etc.) at home, how can I get it to them?

We do not deliver items to students. Student will not be called out of class to retrieve items. A table is set up in the vestibule, where you are able to drop the item off, text your student the item is at the front of the school on the table. If allowed by the teacher they may come or during passing period to pick item up.

#AttendanceCounts

• Free and reduced lunch forms open on August 1. It can be completed at www.schoolcafe.com/fbisd. Families must complete an application for each school year.
• Meal prices for 2022-23 School Year:
• Student Breakfast: $2.00
• Secondary Lunch: $3.00
• Parents may put money in student’s accounts PRIOR to the 1st day of school to avoid longer lunch lines at the start of school.

Please refrain from parking in the neighborhood across from Ronald Thornton Middle School. Violators will be ticketed.

Please understand that we cannot honor requests for students to ride bus routes other than their own designated route. Students who do not have bus-riding privileges will not be able to ride the bus with their bus-riding friends. Therefore, please plan accordingly so that everyone experiences a smooth dismissal each school day.

Twitter: https://twitter.com/RTMSThundercats

Website: https://www.fortbendisd.com/rtms

Join the official Thornton ThunderCats Facebook page!
Please visit and join us HERE.

RTMS

Website: https://www.fortbendisd.com/rtms
Location: 1909 Waters Lake Boulevard, Sienna, TX, USA
Phone: (281) 327-3870
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1648470585359225
Twitter: @RTMSThundercats

Please be sure ALL belongings are removed from assigned student lockers by Wednesday, May 17.

All items left in lockers after this date will be discarded.