Rice Middle School eNews
Monday, January 28, 2019
Construction & the Fine Arts Addition
ATTENTION PARENTS:
We will be sending out further information on this at a later time, but I wanted to let you know that construction on the new Fine Arts addition will begin around the middle of February. The anticipated completion date is around the beginning of next school year. The school board approved the addition at the last board meeting and the construction company is awaiting permits from the city in order to begin. There will be a need for continued patience while the construction progresses.
One HUGE change is that the back carpool lane will no longer be accessible. I am in the process of figuring out alternatives to help with the morning and afternoon drop-off times. Once we have finalized the details, we will send out more information. A BIG THANK YOU in advance for your support, understanding, and most importantly, your patience!
“If there is no struggle, there is no progress.” – Frederick Douglass
Sincerely,
Chris Glasscock
District Spelling Bee
Congratulations to Mr. Reyna & Rice's Jazz Band!
All-Region Jazz Band auditions were last Thursday night. With 31 schools auditioning for only 40 spots in this ensemble, Rice had 6 students make it! Our congratulations goes out to the following wonderful musicians:
· Rishi N. – 4th Drum Set
· Ashley Z. – 2nd Tenor Sax
· Kede A. – 3rd Tenor Sax
· Anish B. – 2nd Alto Sax
· Yash K. – 2nd Trombone
· Shobhit M. – 1st Trumpet
End of Year Planning
Please be aware of our end of year calendar when making travel arrangements. The last day of school is May 24th and finals are given May 21st-24th. STAAR and End of Course Exams will take place from May 7th-17th. Due to State testing, students will be unable to take their exams early. Students will need to be present during part or all of the week of May 20th in order to complete their school year. We appreciate your understanding and support in making your child's school year successful!
Friday, 2/1, Is Your Last Chance to Purchase a Yearbook!
This is the final week to purchase your yearbook. Friday, 2/1/19, will be the last day for all yearbook sales. Order online today at jostensyearbooks.com or from Ms. Marcus! Checks may be made out to Rice Middle School. Do not miss out on your chance to buy a book full of lasting memories!
Again, the sale ends on 2/1/19 and no extra copies will be ordered!
Mark Your Calendars: Spring Open House
Please join us for Spring Open House on March 4th from 6:30 to 8:00 pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to mingle with teachers, view student work, and see what your child has been and will be studying. There is no set schedule for event. Parents may come and go as they would like.
Guidance News: Registration Information
Academic Conferences
Academic Conferences for all current 8th graders will begin the week of February 4th. Letters will come home with 8th graders the week of January 21st with conference dates and times. Conferences run 90 minutes and will be held during the school day. During the conference, students and parents will complete a high school 4-Year plan and register for 9th grade. If your child is attending one of the Academy High Schools, their conference will be specific to their Academy.
Academy High School Selections
If your child has received a letter of acceptance for an Academy High School; IB, Health Sciences or the Academy, please make sure your acceptance is returned this week. It is important for your child to secure their seat in the academy they chose to attend. If your child will not be attending the academy they were selected for, please let the academy know immediately so another Rice student can take their place!
Speech Classes at Rice
CTE Courses for 7th and 8th Grade Students
PTA News
A. Time to Sign up for a PTA Membership
While you’re in Membership Toolkit, sign up for your 2018-19 Rice PTA membership. Families need to renew each July 1 for the coming school year. Signing up for PTA doesn’t mean you have to volunteer, although we appreciate those who do.
Why join PTA? Since we don’t hold traditional fund raisers at Rice, our membership dollars are key to supporting all the wonderful activities and services offered each year. Membership dollars help fund classroom wish list items, student programs, teacher conference registrations, parent education programs, teacher appreciation luncheons and special amenities throughout the building.
This year, we would like to see 100% parent participation in membership. This may be a lofty goal, but everyone can benefit from being a PTA member. Sign up at http://ricepta.org.
B. Complete your Volunteer Application Now
Rice Middle School PTA new and returning volunteers for the upcoming 2018-2019 school year must complete an online volunteer application through PISD to be eligible to volunteer. Get a head-start and submit your application today at https://www.pisd.edu/volunteer.
You can also select the Rice opportunities that you are interested in volunteering for through our Rice PTA Membership Toolkit athttps://ricemspta.membershiptoolkit.com/home - just log in and click on the "Volunteering At Rice 2018-19" form to submit your preferences.
Contact volunteers@ricepta.org with questions. Thank you in advance for your service to the students and staff at Rice!
C. Please Continue to Send in Your Box Tops
Hello, Parents, We would like to thank the families who have contributed to the Box Tops fundraiser. With your help, we are expecting to raise money just like previous school years. Thank you!
For this year our target is $500. Please continue to support our school by sending in your Box Tops! It's easy: just tear or cut off the Box Tops logo from your grocery item boxes and have your child bring them to the front desk of the school where a container is there to collect them.
D. Coding with UTD
Date extended to sign up for coding classes starting Jan 30th, 2019. Sign up @ http://bit.ly/riceutdcc and www.ricepta.org
E : Attention Moms of 8th grade boys
The Legacy Chapter of Young Men's Service League is conducting its annual membership drive! Young Men's Service League is an organization of mothers and sons formed to encourage young men to pursue philanthropic involvement in their community and to enhance mother/son relationships. Membership is open to mothers of sons who are entering the 9th and 10th grade in the fall. For more information, please contact Shannon Hodges at shannon.hodges91@gmail.com.
When: Tuesday, February 5th - 6:30 – 7 pm
Where: The Deerfield Clubhouse in Plano
Please like the Rice PTA Facebook page to stay informed about PTA activities!
Important Information from Nurse Yang
Attention 6th Graders:
Please read this linked letter for required immunizations in order to enter 7th grade. A separate parent letter with your child's detail immunization requirements will be mailed to you in March 2019. These required immunizations are due by last day of school, 5/24/2019. You can also view your child's current immunization record on file with the school on https://parentviewer.pisd.edu/
Flu Season Is Here!
To learn more about seasonal influeza, please click on the link below:
https://www.pisd.edu/cms/lib/TX02215173/Centricity/Domain/233/Influenza2014-2018A.pdf
Guidelines for Exclusion due to Communicable Disease
Communicable Diseases – Exclusion from school for health reasons
Flexible Seating
Are you looking to clean out old items and can’t find a buyer on Facebook? We have the solution for you! We have some teachers experimenting with flexible seating and are looking for some donations (stools, comfy chairs, exercise balls, mats, whatever it may be) to give a try. You can bring these items to the front office and we will let the teachers know they are available.
Student Events for the Next Two Weeks
Monday, January 28
- 8th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Murphy -- Rice Gym 6:00
- 8th Grade Girls Basketball @ Murphy -- Murphy Gym 6:00
Thursday, January 31
- 7th Grade Girls Basketball vs. Murphy -- Rice Gym 6:00
- 7th Grade Girls Basketball @ Murphy -- Murphy Gym 6:00
Monday, February 4
- 8th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Haggard -- Rice Gym 6:00
- 8th Grade Girls Basketball @ Haggard -- Haggard Gym 6:00
Tuesday, February 5
- 7th Grade Boys Basketball vs. Haggard -- Rice Gym 6:00
- 7th Grade Girls Basketball @ Haggard -- Haggard Gym 6:00
Thursday, February 7
- AMC 10A Test (8:30-10:30)
Thursday, February 7 - Saturday, February 9
- Middle School Basketball Tournaments
Eco Club News
Bottle Caps and Tin Cans!
The Eco-Club @ Rice needs plastic bottle caps of all sizes and colors. We also need tin cans of all sizes. Please wash them and bring them to Room 817. We appreciate your help. Thank you.
Cartridges and Electronic Devices
The Eco-Club at Rice is participating in a program called Cartridges for kids. They are a Product Recover Service that collects ink cartridges, cellphones, laptops, Ipods, tablets, ereaders, to provide help to children in need. Please consider donating any of these items instead of disposing them once they are no longer being used. For more information visit: http://www.cartridgesforkids.com/
National Honor Society's Annual 5K Color Run
Plano West, Senior, and East National Honor Society presents the annual 5K Color Run!
The event will be on March 2nd, 2019 at Plano Senior High School, and the run will start at 10 AM.
Please look out for more information regarding this event, as registration by the priority deadline of February 15th will give participants a free, original t-shirt! Registration for all runners will be $20 and walk-ins will be accepted as well; however, no t-shirts will be available at that time.
All proceeds will go to PISD’s Special Needs Adult Transition Center, so every dollar counts!!
Also—plan for extra time AFTER the run for student performances, raffles, food, and more.
Let’s make the NHS run another successful event this year, beating last year’s record of over 400 participants and over $4500 raised!
PWHS Invites You to Glenn Miller Night, 2/2!
Jasper Booster Clubs Announcements
Princeton Review Practice Test (Better Scores > Better Colleges)
Thinking about taking the SAT or ACT? Don't practice on the real thing!
The Jasper Band Boosters and Princeton Review are sponsoring practice SAT, ACT, and PSAT tests at Jasper High School on Saturday, February 9th. The tests are open to all students. Testing will begin at 8:30 am (we encourage students to get to Jasper High School 10-15 mins in advance).
- The SAT and ACT generally test the same types of content. Both ACT and SAT scores are used for college admissions and merit-based scholarships.
- The biggest differences between the tests are that the ACT has a Science Test, and there’s one SAT Math Section for which you cannot use a calculator.
- The costs for the practice tests are as follows:
- Practice SAT $15 (8:30am-1:00pm)
- Practice ACT $15 (8:30am-12:30pm)
- Practice PSAT $10 (8:30-11:30am)* Grade-appropriate for 8th and 9th graders and establishes a baseline measurement for students as they enter high school.
- Online registration is now open at https://jasperband.membershiptoolkit.com/home. Registration deadline is Wednesday, February 6th.
This is a fantastic opportunity for students that want that extra edge before the test.
Save the date: Tuesday, February 19th 6:30-8:30pm is the Test Review Session, students are encouraged to attend for feedback on the test.
Thank you,
Jasper Band Boosters
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