Dear Parents, Caregivers, and Community Members,

We had a super December at Randall Middle School! We engaged in high levels of learning, while also having lots of fun!

On December 14 we hosted the schoolwide Randall Middle School spelling bee. Two participants from each homeroom classroom community competed in the oral competition. Parents and caregivers were invited to attend in person or view the Spelling Bee online. We have 4 winners who will be moving on to the regional online spelling bee the first week in January:

First Place: Derek Mendiola, 5th grade

Second Place: Zoey Olmstead, 6th Grade

Third Place: Mason Call, 6th Grade

Fourth Place: Mason Shaff, 6th Grade

We had an awesome field trip on December 20 to the JMA Wireless Dome in Syracuse to see the SU Orange Women’s Basketball Team win versus University of Albany. This was a schoolwide field trip, and was earned as an incentive for our entire school community working hard to show ROAR (Respectful, Open-Hearted, Act Safely, Responsible) throughout our day here at Randall Middle School. December 20 was School Day at the Dome, and Randall Middle School was one of MANY schools represented. There were over 7,000 people at the Dome! We noticed that our Randall Middle School students were very well behaved, and represented Randall Middle School and the Cortland Enlarged City School District in a very positive light!

Our Randall Middle School PTO will be sponsoring our next ROAR incentive in February. We will be taking a schoolwide field trip to Crown City Cinemas, where we will watch a movie selected by a student vote. In order to earn this field trip, our classroom communities will be selecting ROAR learning targets that they will focus on. We keep track of our incentive points by classroom community, and each day on the schoolwide morning announcement video.

As we move into 2023, please take a moment to review cell phone and online etiquette with your student. We have instances of numerous students engaging in online conversations that are very inappropriate in nature. Often when these conversations are printed out and shown to parents or caregivers, they are shocked that their students are using such inappropriate language and topics. It is imperative for us to monitor our students’ online presence and enforce specific expectations. None of our Randall Middle School students are thirteen years old, which is the minimum age for social media accounts. This means that hundreds of our students have created social media accounts by falsifying their birthdates to gain access. The age of thirteen is chosen because students under that age are not developmentally prepared for the maturity and judgment that is required to navigate online platforms.

If there were a billboard put up on Main Street in Cortland with the vile content that our students are exposed to on their phones and social media, there would be a community uproar! Unfortunately, our students are carrying around a device that contains direct access to vile and inappropriate content and language that would absolutely shock you if you saw what they see and how they communicate.

I urge you to become more involved in your student’s online presence, and to view their phone more often. As a parent myself, I have also struggled with this issue within my own home. I know there is no easy fix. But together, we can continue to reinforce the ROAR expectations of being Respectful, Open-Hearted, Acting Safely, and Responsible, whether it be online or in person. It is our responsibility to ensure high levels of learning, both academic and social/emotional, for ALL students and adults.

Thank you for your support of Randall Middle School!

With Purple Tiger Pride,

~Juli

Welcome back! January promises cold hands and wet feet – but it also offers a playground of snow and endless smiles! Kindly send hats, mittens and extra dry clothes so that everyday can be a fun day!

Business:

1. Physicals for the 5th grade continue every Thursday. If you do not want your child to receive a school physical please contact the Health Office at 607-758-4174.

2. Immunizations are required for 6th and 7th grades. Please check with your child's Primary Care Provider and schedule an appointment. Students will not be allowed to attend school after 14 days without the required immunizations. (Tdap for 6th grade and Meningitis for 7th grade.)

3. Sickness will either have the opportunity to wither away, or spread without concern! Please keep your child at home if they are sick.

As always–If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call me.

Stay well,

Nurse Neuman

~Gina Vachon

The Randall Middle School

Friendship Club is collecting new hats and mittens for those in need!

If you would like to donate, please bring the new hats and/or mittens, with the tags on, to school between January 4th-25th.

The items can be placed in the box outside of the main office.

Thank you for your support!

We concluded the 2022 year by focusing on the P2 Trait of Self-Control, and we kick off 2023 with Optimism, Prudence, Perseverance and Social Intelligence. Sometimes, it may seem as if one week is not enough to gain a deep understanding of these complex ideas. Please remember that, as P2 families, you have full access to home resources that target each one of the traits. They can all be found here at https://posproject.org/p2-for-families/

The password is P2

~Kaylee Updyke

In ELA, students have been learning that the 3,700 year long history of chocolate is full of twists and turns and big surprises. Students were able to taste test milk chocolate, dark chocolate and white chocolate and then write an argumentative/persuasive paragraph about which chocolate they liked the best. Milk chocolate definitely came out on top in both classes.

They have learned about the child labor that is involved in the harvesting of cocoa beans and why it is important to buy chocolate with the Fair Trade label on it. The students then wrote a letter to a candy store owner telling them the reasons why they should buy chocolate only from Fair Trade companies. The students are really enjoying this unit!

5th grade ELA classes are wrapping up their poetry unit. We have read poems by many poets and explored writing

different types of poetry including rhyme scheme, villanelle, list and parallel structure. Students are selecting one of their poems and a published poem to share

in a Poet’s Cafe.

Mrs. Alm’s Class Poet Tree ⇒

The NYS Digital Equity Survey is a short questionnaire that will help districts identify students who may need access to reliable internet and/or a digital device for completing schoolwork at home. NYS requires that school districts collect this information to better serve our families needs. Thank you for completing this survey.