Dear Rye Neck Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. Our dedicated teachers and staff continue working hard to create a supportive and engaging learning environment for your children.

Students have recently completed the winter administration of the iReady benchmark in English Language Arts (ELA) and Math. These tests provide valuable insights into each student's individual strengths and areas for growth, and helps guide our instruction throughout the school year.

I would also like to remind you that winter recess takes place from February 20th to February 24th. When students return on Monday, February 27th they will be issued their student ID cards along with a cover and lanyard. As a means of strengthening safety and security measures, students will be asked to wear their IDs during school hours.

I encourage you to stay informed and involved in your child's education by regularly checking our school's website and parent portal. If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to reach out to us. Our goal is to work together to provide the best education possible for your children.

Thank you for your support and partnership in education.

Best regards,

Dr. Dulce Barker

BOE Meeting/1st Budget Pres.- Wednesday, February 15th, 7-8 p.m., Comm. Room

MS/HS Speech and Debate Showcase - Thursday, February 16th, 3-5:30 p.m., Comm. Room

Winter Recess - Monday, February 20th to Friday, February 24th

JCK Foundation Presentation for Grade 8 - Thursday, March 2nd
Principal's Advisory Committee Meeting - Thursday, March 2nd, 1:15 p.m.

JCK Foundation Presentation for Grades 6 & 7 - Friday, March 3rd

As you are making summer plans, please keep in mind that middle schoolers will be taking finals in June.

June 13th - English final (grades 6-8)

June 14th - Living Environment Regents (8th grade); Science final (grades 6-7)

June 15th - Algebra Regents (8th grade); Math final (grades 6-8)

June 16th - Social Studies final (grades 6-8)

June 20th - FLACS (8th grade); World Language final (grades 6-7); 8th grade BBQ and Moving Up rehearsal

June 21st - Moving Up Ceremony

Please note the location and time of the Moving Up ceremony has changed. The ceremony will take place at 1:00pm in the high school gymnasium.

Camp Scholarship Letter

It is flu season. Please continue to keep children home when they are sick. Symptoms of Covid, Influenza, Strep, common cold, etc. often overlap. Students who test negative for Covid but are still sick should not be sent to school.

• Students experiencing a fever must be fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine before returning to school

On January 23, 2023, sixth graders began participating in the DARE program with Village of Mamaroneck Police Officer Christine Belisito-Maikish. The program meets during Character Education classes. Officer Belisito-Maikish is working with each class once per six day cycle. If a student does not take Character Education, they will join one of the classes to participate in this program.

The DARE program complements the Character Education curriculum already in place for grade six. Although at its outset in the 1980s, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) focused on drug abuse, today the program helps sixth graders learn to make good decisions, particularly in the areas of responsibility and confidence, peer pressure, and bullying as well as alcohol and tobacco. An added benefit of this program is that the presence of Officer Belisito-Maikish helps build relationships between the police department and our students and community.

As our modified athletic contests are starting for our 7th and 8th graders, it's important to remember sportsmanship. It's wonderful to have excited fans and families in the bleachers! Please remember to cheer positively for our athletes, coaches and teams and refrain from saying anything negative towards officials, opponents or visiting teams. Individuals or groups who are not able to demonstrate appropriate behavior will be asked to leave the event. Let's share in the goal of creating an environment that is welcoming, energizing and educational. Go Rye Neck!!

National School Counseling week was the week of February 6-10! Students thanked their school counselors for all they do and how important they are to our school! Students signed a poster to show their appreciation. Thank you to Mrs. Lawlor and Mrs. Sullivan who help brighten our school each and every day. National School Counseling week is a way for schools to highlight the major impact counselors can have in helping students achieve success in school. It is always celebrated the first full week in February!

Hello 8th Grade Parents and Guardians!

As was discussed at the Freshman Orientation Meeting, I am scheduling 4 year planning meetings with eighth grade students and their parents/guardians. Eighth grade 4 year planning meetings outline high school graduation requirements and the classes students may take in order to meet them. We will also discuss post-secondary goals. Four year plans are reviewed each year with the students' high school counselors.

Meetings will take place during 3rd or 8th period when students have specials, PE or Health. Meetings will be approximately 30 minutes. They will be held in person. When signing up, please include your child's name in the comment section if their last name is different from yours.

To sign up for a 4 year planning meeting, click here. I will then send you a calendar invite.

Please click here for the presentation. Be sure to also review the resources provided at the very end.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (914)777-4732 or at csullivan@ryeneck.org.

Thank you!

Coleen Sullivan

MS Counselor

The Tri-State Engineering Expo aims to inspire middle school and high school students interested in STEM careers with hands-on activities, interactive displays, educational panels, robotics competitions and more. Representatives from engineering and technology firms as well as colleges and universities will be on hand to talk to students. Admission is free to students and families. The location is White Plains High School.

http://www.beanengineer.org/

Herff Jones will be sending out emails through-out the year about ordering a yearbook!

You can also purchase a yearbook by clicking on the link below and entering Rye Neck Middle School’s code: 40568.

www.yearbookordercenter.com

After school clubs started the week of October 3rd. Homeroom teachers shared a club offerings presentation with students. The presentation was emailed to them and you can also find it on our school website. Clubs are open to students in grades 6-8. Students can try different clubs or if they are in 6th grade they can also participate in intramural sports. The club presentation as well as the schedule for intramural sports is below.

MS After School Clubs

Monday - Friday

3:00PM - 4:00PM

• Intramurals sessions are run by Rye Neck Coaches.

• Intramural design will consist of skill development and scrimmaging.

• Please use this FamilyID link to register your child for Intramurals:

• 6th Grade Intramurals

• 6th Graders are to report directly to the location indicated below.

• Intramurals only run on days school is in session.

• Attendance is not mandatory for participation but if you sign up we ask that you make every attempt to attend each day. A student may register for multiple sessions/sports.

2023 FALL PRESEASON START DATE FOR VARSITY and JV SPORTS!!!

Mark your calendars! The Fall sports start date for Varsity and JV fall sports is Monday, August 21st! All fall athletes in 9th-12th grades for the 2023-24 school year are expected to be back and cleared to participate on that date. Please make sure that any vacation plans are completed prior to the start date. Thank you!

Registration Form

Registration Form

Registration Form

Please make sure your child has a pair of headphones and brings them to school every day.

Code of Conduct

We are continuing our work in reinforcing the need for authoritative information when doing academic research. As students gain more fluidity with the extensive array of Rye Neck subscription databases, it's becoming easier to see how using the databases is more efficient and effective than using Google for school projects. We're also looking at how and why we give the creators of the information we use credit through the use of citations. Each week we'll continue to expand the number of middle school-level databases students are familiar with and comfortable using. This is always one of my favorite parts of the year as we lay the foundation for the research work that lies ahead. I’ll have the joy of working with your students from now through high school as they build their research skills.

New students began their quarter in art at the beginning of the month. The first artist that students have been learning about is Sarah Morris. They are taking inspiration from her abstract paintings that resemble spiderwebs. Students are using shapes, lines, repetition, and color to fill their compositions in an interesting way. Students discussed and learned about the differences between abstract art and realistic art to help with their designs.

6th graders working on abstract designs:

Students in seventh grade English classes have completed Lois Lowry’s The Giver and are working on a study guide for a test next week on the book. I hope everyone has a wonderful winter break!

We'll be wrapping up A Raisin in the Sun and taking the final test on the book the week before February break. Students will not be given homework over the break, but they should spend some time each day reading a book of their choice.

7th graders in French and Spanish demonstrated their learning of ‘school’ vocabulary by creating their own school webpages or brochures. In this chapter, students learned how to locate specific objects in the classroom and use prepositional phrases, shared what they learned in each class and described their classes. They also learned to imitate teachers by giving commands. The students’ creativity and artistic abilities enhanced each and every webpage or brochure!

New students began their semester in art at the beginning of the month. The first artist that students have been learning about is Keith Haring. They are taking inspiration from his use of bold colors, stylized figures, movement, and rhythm that can be seen in much of his work. Students are using his figure style to create and visually tell a story throughout their own work.

7th graders working on Keith Haring drawings:

New students began their semester in art at the beginning of the month. They began by learning about the Op Art movement and two of its leaders, Victor Vasarely and Bridget Riley. Students will be creating an illusion that their hands are popping off the page simply by using different lines as well as value. Emphasis is being placed on the use of value and how important it is when creating dimension within a work of art.

8th graders working on their Op Art hand drawings:

Sora, formerly OverDrive, is our platform for eBooks and audiobooks and Flipster is an extensive collection of online magazines. Both are easy ways to access great content 24/7 on any device with wifi connectivity.

• Sora

• To read ebooks and magazines or listen to audiobooks on your laptop or desktop, simply go to the Sora link. Quick links to this site are available on the District webpage at the Libraries tab, the Library webpage or my teacher page.

• When searching Sora, make sure you SIGN IN using your student ID (no initials) before you search. We’re part of a consortium that shares purchases, but much has been purchased for the use of our Rye Neck Community exclusively. You’ll only see the Rye Neck content by signing in.

• Parents and Guardians, you’re part of our reading community too. Feel free to email me for an OverDrive ID so that you can enjoy our online collection.

• Sora offers a lot of help to get you started no matter what type of device you're using.

• The Sora platform allows you to have up to 3 books checked out and on your BookShelf, ready for you to read or listen to. Books will automatically return to the system after 3 weeks. You don’t have to do a thing!

• Flipster

• An amazing collection of 60+ emagazines including Astronomy, Muse, Sports Illustrated Kids, PC Gamer, Poets & Writers, J-14, GamesMaster, Comics & Gaming, Wired and many more!

• On a computer, go to my Teacher Page or the MSHS Library page > Databases and select Flipster. Password: ryeneck

• On any device, download the free Flipster app

• Username: ryeneck Password: #1panthers

Please reach out if you need any help getting up and running. Here’s to some great reading and listening!