RTMS Review
8/31/21
¿Necesita traducción? Utilice el botón de traducción a la derecha para seleccionar su idioma preferido.
Potrzebujesz tłumaczenia? Użyj przycisku tłumaczenia po prawej stronie, aby wybrać preferowany język!
വിവർത്തനം ആവശ്യമുണ്ടോ? നിങ്ങൾക്ക് ഇഷ്ടമുള്ള ഭാഷ തിരഞ്ഞെടുക്കുന്നതിന് വലതുവശത്തുള്ള വിവർത്തന ബട്ടൺ ഉപയോഗിക്കുക!
Upcoming Dates Dates
September 6 - No School (Labor Day)
September 7 - No School (Non-attendance Day)
September 11 & 12 - PTC Dine Out Fundraiser (see below)
September 16 - No school (Non-attendance Day)
September 22 - PTC Meeting
October 30 - PSAT-8 (John Hersey High School - more info to come)
Please click on this link to see the 2021-22 District Calendar.
A Note from Mrs. Krall-Meske
Dear RTMS Families,
I hope your child(ren) are having a wonderful week so far!
A few updates for you:
- - We are currently finishing up our MAP assessments; those who were not able to start last week, and those who had a few more questions to complete. As soon as our students are done testing we are quickly getting them back to their classes.
- - We will be starting safety drills this week, and they will be spread out over the next few weeks. As a reminder, the drills that we practice in school are evacuation (i.e. fire drill), hard lock down, bus evacuation, and shelter-in-place (i.e. tornado drill). A new state law requires schools to give parents an opportunity to opt out of the hard lock down drill. If you prefer that your child does not participate, please email me. Our hard lock down drill is currently scheduled for Thursday, September 9th.
We will announce these drills to the students during their lunches so that they have a heads up, and teachers will go over the expectations for each type of drill. We will remind students that it is essential to listen to the directives of the staff in this and all emergencies.
- - We believe that we have worked out many of the kinks in our SHIELD saliva testing scheduling for our eligible students. While it may likely change, we are going to be working with a rotating schedule whenever possible so that students do not miss instruction time from the same class each week. Some students were absolute spit rockstars (seriously, it was impressive), while others struggled a little. With time and practice we are confident that this process will run even more quickly/smoothly.
Please do not hesitate to reach out to me with any questions or concerns.
In partnership,
Mary Krall-Meske
Masks & Water Bottles
Also, please make sure your child has a refillable water bottle. We have plastic cups in case of an emergency, but these supplies are also running low...and are not great for the environment!
Late to School
As we are now in our second full week of school, we will be running this report to let parents know if their child has been late to school three times with the report start date being 8/30/21. Some students were late both yesterday and today.
Upon a 4th unexcused late arrival to school, students will serve an after school detention. We will restart this count each quarter.
See below for more information directly from our student/parent handbook:
STUDENT ATTENDANCE/TARDY PROCEDURES:
Good attendance and timeliness to school is absolutely necessary for student success.
If patterns of late arrival and/or absence continue, a school administrator will call home to review the attendance policy with the parents reiterating the importance of acceptable school attendance. Continued excessive absences or late arrivals will be reported to the Cook County Truancy Division for further action. Students exhibiting poor attendance will lose extracurricular privileges.
Students must be on time to school everyday. Parents, please drop off your child at least 10-15 minutes before the first bell. School begins at 7:40 AM on Mon-Tues-Wed-Fri. This means they must be in their first period, in their seats before the 7:40 AM bell rings. (School begins at 8:30 AM on Thursdays, the same rules apply.) Students must arrive to every class period, including lunch, on time, meaning in their seat before the bell rings.
A Message from Our PTC
What is the PTC?
PTC stands for Parent Teacher Council of River Trails Middle School and it supports ALL students at River Trails Middle School.
Who is a member of the PTC?
All parents, guardians, and staff are members of the River Trails PTC. As a member of the PTC you are always welcome to attend meetings to voice your concerns, share your opinions, offer suggestions for new activities, discuss fundraisers, or to ask questions.
Donating time and/or funds to the PTC is a positive way to express your support and become involved in your child’s education. Please take the time to help the PTC and together we can make this a successful school year for all RTMS students.
Please consider either participating in our Fundraisers such as Spirit Wear, Dining Out Fundraisers, and others OR try our “STRESSFREE DONATION” option by clicking on the button below for more info.
Upcoming Meetings:
9/22/21
10/27/21
1/26/22
2/23/22
3/30/22
4/27/22
5/18/22
More info on meeting location (whether in person or virtual) will be shared closer to the first meeting.
PTC Dine Out Fundraiser
Our first PTC fundraiser is scheduled for the weekend of September 11th! We have two days to raise money for our schools, support a local business, and enjoy some delicious food!
If you order from Hubby's in the Dog House (208 S. Main Street, Mount Prospect) on Saturday September 11th and/or Sunday September 12th (Saturday 11-5, and/or Sunday 11-3) please mention District 26! 20% of the sales will come back to our schools.
P.S. The French Poodle is delicious.
--Reminders--
Wellness & Safety Reminders
✷If a household member is/has gotten tested for COVID-19, DO NOT send any other household members to school until you receive NEGATIVE test results. For example, if big brother was tested for COVID-19 on Sunday and little brother feels fine, do not send little brother to school on Monday. Big brother can return after a negative COVID test result and no more symptoms. Little brother can return after big brother has negative COVID test result.
✷Students with the following symptoms may have COVID-19 and cannot attend school. You should report the absence and symptoms to school:
- Fever or chills
- Cough
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- Fatigue
- Muscle or body aches
- Headache
- New loss of taste or smell
- Sore throat
- Nausea or vomiting
- Diarrhea
SHIELD SALIVA TESTING - BEGAN FRIDAY, 8/27
We are approaching this first week (maybe the next 2) as a practice experience, and it's possible that not every eligible student will be tested tomorrow as we get into this new routine. Spitting in a tube can be harder than you think! However, with some practice, patience, and a bit of humor we'll be okay and be able to use this as another mitigation strategy to keep our children safe.
Students will be supported by their teachers and other support staff as they go to the testing location (an open hallway corridor) together as a class. Students will remain 6+ feet apart while their masks are lowered.
Remember, you will only be contacted about your child's test results if the results are positive. NO news is GOOD news.
Please support your child with a positive outlook about the experience, build an understanding of what they will do, and help them to know this is a way to help the grown-ups do an even better job keeping the children safe.
River Trails D26 Covid-19 Update Center.
For more information about this program, click on the button below.
Concurrent Teaching
Any student who tests positive or is exposed to COVID-19 and awaiting test results is eligible for virtual learning. However, this will be slightly different from the virtual learning arrangement that was in place last year. It will be an opportunity for the student to observe and follow along with a teacher’s in-classroom lessons. A student will stay connected with school, but will not be able to interact with the teacher during class.
In these instances, a teacher will ensure that the day’s lessons and learning activities are posted in Schoology or Seesaw (depending on grade level) or available at school for pick-up. The student will then be able to see and hear that day’s lesson through Google Meet. To reiterate, this is only for students who are home due to COVID-19. If you have any questions regarding this policy, please contact your school or the district office.
2021-22 Health Requirements
Completed forms may be dropped off in our school office between the hours of 7:00-4:00.
_________________________________________________
River Trails Middle School
Email: rtmsinfo@rtsd26.org
Website: http://rtms.rtsd26.org/
Location: 1000 North Wolf Road, Mount Prospect, IL, USA
Phone: 847-298-1750
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiverTrailsMiddleSchool
Twitter: @RiverTrailsMS