Click anywhere on the emailed image to access the Translation and ADA bar or on the Translate button at the top of the email.

Haga clic en cualquier lugar de la imagen enviada por correo electrónico para acceder a la barra de traducción y ADA o en el botón Traducir en la parte superior del correo electrónico.

This Week

• OCTOBER 9 (M): A DAY
  
• OCTOBER 10 (T): B DAY
• OCTOBER 11 (W): A DAY
• Early Release - 2:35 PM
• OCTOBER 12 (TH): B DAY
  
• Cross Country dismissed at 11:10 AM for Meet
• OCTOBER 13 (F):
• No School: Planning/Professional Development Day
• Campus Clean-Up- 9:00 AM

Next Week

• OCTOBER 16 (M): A DAY
• OCTOBER 17 (T): B DAY
• OCTOBER 18 (W): A DAY
• Early Release - 2:35 PM
• School Board Meeting- 7:00 PM
• OCTOBER 19 (TH): B DAY
• Parent Equity Meeting- 6:30PM
• OCTOBER 20 (F): A DAY

PICTURE RETAKES: October 26

• Picture retakes are Thursday, October 26 during first period (9:00 AM - 9:50 AM). If students are taking picture retakes, they must bring the original picture packet to school on Thursday to give the photographer.
• Any students who did not have pictures taken on the first picture day should definitely plan to have pictures taken Thursday, October 26, even if they choose not to purchase pictures. Student pictures are used for their IDs, promotion certificates, and Activity Night admission cards.
• If you want to purchase pictures, packets are available in the office or you may order online with the code: EVT6CR324

Picture Packets

For those of you who ordered picture packets, they will be handed out in House! If for some reason you did not receive your picture packets, please contact Lifetouch Customer Service at 866-955-8342.

LOST AND FOUND:

If your students have lost any large items, like clothes, water bottles, or binders, please have them check our Lost and Found closet in the C Hall. If they've lost a small or valuable item, they can ask the front office. On Friday October 13, all items remaining in the Lost and Found will be donated. Thank you!

We are excited to announce a new counselor to our team. Joining Lee Baker will be Kelly Ayres, our former RMS registrar. We are thrilled Kelly will pick up this role as she has extensive experience in California as a high school counselor and in Oregon in several academic programs and schools.

Lee and Kelly will be organizing their case loads, grades 6-8 by last name. Kelly will take students with last names A-Ma and Lee will work with students with last names Mc-Z. If you have been working with Lee on 504 Plans, he will continue to support your student.

Best practice in schools indicates that counselors should have no more than 250 students on their case loads. With the addition of Kelly to our team, we can get closer to this ratio and in turn, students and families will get more support. At the end of this year, we would like to ask families to share with us feedback about how additional resources have helped your family with a survey. We'll share more about this after spring break and look forward to having another counselor on our team!

We've got a lot going on in and around school these days... including YMCA construction and lots of students walking, biking and getting dropped off at school. Please follow these three reminders to ensure safety and flow.

1. Do not pause along 24th Avenue to drop off your student. We have lots of traffic coming from both directions and it is dangerous to pull over into the bike lane and potentially force traffic into the oncoming lane.

2. Students should use the crosswalk directly across from the school for safety. If you are dropping your student off at the Very Little Theatre or near the apartments, please remind your student to use the crosswalk with the crossing guard. Trying to cross at Patterson Street is also dangerous and slows down traffic.

3. Only turn right out of the school parking lot. We know this is inconvenient. However, when cars try to turn left across traffic, it is causing a significant back-up in our parking lot. Please only make right-hand turns to ensure a smooth flow in and out of the lot.

Many thanks for your attention and cooperation for the benefit of our entire community!

On Thursday, October 5, Yuki Roberts presented to RMS and Spencer Butte families in the Library and on Zoom about healthy relationships and dating. Lots of great information with a reminder to keep lines of communication open between you and your teen, practice curiosity and care, and express unconditional love for our magical middle school students.

Missed the event? Check out the slide deck here.

And, if you aren't familiar with Ophelia's Place, check out their work here!

A huge THANK YOU to all who joined and ordered take-out from Hot Mama’s Wings on Tuesday last week for our first Let’s Eat Out! fundraiser this year. We raised $130 for PAR, with this month’s funds designated to the drama/art departments and ongoing teacher appreciation events. Keep an eye out for next month’s Let’s Eat Out! event at Fisherman’s Market. Details to come!

THANK YOU to all our amazing parent volunteers who helped on our Walk or Roll to School day last Wednesday. It was great to see so many of you out encouraging students and honoring their efforts!

• Come and join us for another campus clean up! Join us October Friday 13, 2023 from 9am to 11am. This time we are going to focus on the courtyard and hanging posters throughout the building. Please bring your gloves, tools, and personal weedwacker WITHOUT BLADES. Treats and drinks will be served.

• Our Cross Country Team is looking for volunteers. If you would like to join them please contact Laura Fuhriman for more information. Thank you.

• Activity Night is coming up on October 27, if you would like to help during the event please contact Laura Fuhriman for more information. Thank you.

• We are looking a for a couple more parents volunteer to help us at the front office. If you would like to join us please contact Laura Fuhriman for more information. Thank you.

All volunteers need to do a background check found HERE , before volunteering.

Though students don't have school Friday, teachers and staff will be in the building for professional development. Let’s support our staff's commitment to our school with some snacks and treats! Sign up HERE-- items can be dropped off at the front office during the school day, before Friday October 13. This is a fantastic, easy way to show our amazing RMS staff how much we appreciate their hard work and energy. Thanks for your contributions-- just like our teachers do for students, it makes a huge difference for teachers to be seen and recognized by our community!

RMS sweatshirts, t-shirts, long-sleeve shirts, joggers, and beanies are on sale now! The online shop will run through Monday, October 16th through Tuesday, October 31st. Upon ordering, you'll have the option to pick up your items at school or shipped directly to your home!

The online store will open on Monday, October 16th.

https://threadbare.printavo.com/merch/roosevelt-middle-school/

Our Canvas Pairing Code process has changed!

Please refer to this link for the Self-enroll Canvas Course on 4J's website. On this page, you will find this video which provides step-by-step instructions for you and your student to pair their Canvas account with an Observer.

Greetings, RMS families:

At times, it feels as though the world conspires to provide multiple opportunities to discuss difficult topics with our middle schoolers. Given the unique age, students' access to social media and peer groups with different understandings and experiences, it can be hard to know exactly what or how much to share with students.

Saturday morning provided another one of those opportunities as we listened to reports of terrorist attacks by Hamas on Israel and the resulting declaration of war. Similar to the crisis in Ukraine, the effects are far-reaching and images of violence on the news and social media can cause psychological distress among students and adults.

Though it may be less likely middle school students actively follow recent current events, they still overhear conversations or news reports and will see images on social media. They will most likely be curious about the cause and impacts global crisis events have both globally and locally. In addition, they may have peers with cultural and family ties to Israel and Palestine. In recent months, Oregon has seen a rise in antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents and as educators, we are compelled to provide a space for our community to learn about current events, ask questions, and share thoughts.

If you are interested in materials and resources to help your student contextualize current events, we've shared a few below. This is also a body of research our teachers may draw upon if they choose to address current events in class.

It is also important to recognize that the adults in student's lives, including teachers and parents, may also experience a range of emotions as news continues to unfold. We encourage each and every person to take care in conversations and ask for help or support.

As our mission states, our goal is to create an 'innovative, rigorous, culturally relevant learning environment the emphasizes... a culture of respect." Our priority is to engage intellectual and emotional growth of our students in ways that are safe and compassionate. We must work together to ensure our school and classrooms remain spaces of knowledge, empathy, and belonging.

Thanks for partnering with us,

Courtney and Mike

RESOURCES for Events in ISRAEL AND GAZA (Updated October 8)

• New York Times Resources: What We Know About Israel-Gaza-Hamas
• United Nations Resources: Teaching about Terrorism and Violent Extremism
• Council on Foreign Relations: Terrorism
• The Economist (subscription required): The Lessons from Hamas’ Attack on Israel
• BBC: What is Hamas what is happening in Israel and Gaza Strip, and other questions
• PBS: (from 2021): Core Issues Behind the Escalating Conflict in Israel-Palestine

Civil Discourse and Discussing Current Events:

• OJMCHE Lesson on Stereotypes and Scapegoating
• Oregon’s Civics Learning Project-Civil Discourse In The Classroom (Activity & Supports
• Facing History and Ourselves – Fostering Civil Discourse How Do We Talk About Issues That Matter
• Street Law – Classroom Deliberations
• Constitutional Rights Foundation – Conducting a Civil Conversation in the Classroom

Oregon Open Learning Resources:

• Addressing Antisemitism
• Addressing Islamophobia

SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL LEARNING RESOURCES FOR FAMILIES AND EDUCATORS TO SUPPORT STUDENTS

For Middle School Students:

• Learning for Justice: When Bad Things Are Happening
• Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of middle school children

Trauma-Informed Resources for School Systems

• National Child Traumatic Stress Network provides resources that can be filtered by topic or keyword and by audience with a focus on how adults can identify traumatic responses in young people and how to support them.

On Monday, October 9, we had the opportunity to honor and offer respect to tribal nations across Oregon-- the second Monday in October is Indigenous Peoples’ Day, formerly Columbus Day.

Many descendants of the original inhabitants of the Willamette Valley live here today, and attend or work in our schools. As educators we collectively acknowledge their vibrant contributions to schools and the community we love and work diligently helping students understand our unique history and relationship with Native American tribes in the state of Oregon.

Roosevelt, like most Eugene school sites, is located on Kalapuya Ilihi, the traditional indigenous homeland of the Kalapuya people. Following treaties between 1851 and 1855, Kalapuya people were dispossessed of their indigenous homeland by the United States government and forcibly removed to the Coast Reservation in Western Oregon. Today, descendants are citizens of the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde Community of Oregon and the Confederated Tribes of the Siletz Indians of Oregon, and continue to make important contributions in their communities and across the land we now call Oregon.

Yesterday, we read a land acknowledgement over the morning announcements. Teachers may have also discussed the day in classrooms or in House with a focus on history and experience. We are also pleased to announce our Native American Student Union (NASU) will start up next week with a new advisor for the year ahead.

Marking events like this and others for our students helps us grow and flex our understanding, build perspective and grow empathy. This week also marks the last week of Hispanic Heritage Month which was celebrated with posters, announcements, and classroom conversations. If we aim to raise students who aspire to our school commitment statement in a culturally relevant learning environment, we are stronger and more aware in honoring, acknowledging, and bridging our differences.

We view FLEX as a time for students to get additional academic support and continue to explore and find an enrichment activity outside of their regular class schedules. Our desire is for students to have more personalized learning, develop additional skills and social connections and reduce stress for students either to connect with the teacher they need or take a welcome break during a busy school day.

During FLEX, students can choose to visit a teacher to complete work, make-up a test, or get additional help on an assignment. Teachers might also request to see a student during FLEX. If students don't need this option, they can join a club or activity about which they are passionate. FLEX is fluid: one week students might need to see a teacher and another week, they might participate in a different activity.

Today in House, we will introduce the concept of FLEX and encourage students to think about how they would like to make the most of the time. We look forward to FLEX enhancing our students' middle school experiences and helping them grow academically and personally.

Please feel free to reach out to teachers or other staff if you have questions!

Our district is launching a new school-to-home communication platform called ParentSquare to keep parents and guardians informed and encourage greater engagement and connection with their school and our district. RMS is embracing this new tool whole-heartedly and we love it because you can get *all* your communications in one place, even if you have multiple students in multiple schools!

Get Started: Log in to ParentSquare TODAY!

To help make registration has seamless as possible, make sure your student and contact information are up-to-date. You can do this by visiting ParentVUE or by contacting the front-office staff of your school.

ParentSquare provides a safe way for district administrators, school principals, teachers, staff, and parents to send and receive school and class information, share pictures and files, see calendars, sign up to volunteer, schedule parent-teacher conferences, and much more . . . all in one centralized place!

All information will now be sent to your computer or phone via email and/or text, depending on your preference. For even more convenience, download the ParentSquare app (available for free on the Apple/Google app stores for iOS and Android devices).

LOG INTO PARENT SQUARE

WATCH NOW: Get Started Video

Our 2023 Showcase last spring was a big success thanks to hundreds of donations from generous local businesses and families. Thank you for supporting Roosevelt! We’re offering the last of these donations to you on sale now as we wrap up the year and prepare for the 2024 Showcase. Check out the last of the silent auction items for some great deals on fantastic items! Every penny raised goes to support PAR - the parent group at Roosevelt that exists to enrich the learning environment of our school for students, teachers, and staff. Take a look at the auction link and score some deals while supporting RMS. And thank you!

https://www.32auctions.com/RMS2023SHOWCASE

All students in 4J schools can get a student pass to ride Lane Transit District (LTD) buses for free. Student transit passes can be used to travel anywhere within the LTD service area. Student passes can be used at any time—after school, on weekends and during school breaks, as well as to get to and from school each day.

To get a free LTD student transit pass middle school students can request their own passes at the front office. Passes are valid from September 1 of the current school year to September 30 of the following year and can be renewed by the school each year for ongoing free service.

¡Pase de tránsito para estudiantes gratis!

Todos los estudiantes de las escuelas 4J pueden obtener un pase para viajar en los autobuses del Distrito de Tránsito de Lane (LTD) de forma gratuita. Los pases de transporte para estudiantes se pueden usar para viajar a cualquier lugar dentro del área de servicio de LTD. Los pases para estudiantes se pueden usar en cualquier momento: después de la escuela, los fines de semana y durante las vacaciones escolares, así como para ir y volver de la escuela todos los días.

Para obtener un pase de tránsito para estudiantes LTD gratuito, disponible como tarjeta táctil o aplicación para teléfonos inteligentes Umo, los tutores/padres pueden solicitarlo para estudiantes de primaria; los estudiantes de secundaria y preparatoria pueden solicitar sus propios pases en la oficina. Los pases son válidos desde el 1 de septiembre del año escolar actual hasta el 30 de septiembre del año siguiente y la escuela puede renovarlos cada año para continuar con el servicio gratuito.

Oregon's Bottle Drop Program! Blue bags and tags are available for pick up in the front office.

You can help Roosevelt earn money for our school by registering your credit card with eScrip. Earn money for Roosevelt every time you shop at Market of Choice, Sizzle Pie (& other local restaurants). Register your credit/debit cards, designating Roosevelt Middle School—Recipient ID #6723045. Click on the link above to get started.

Sign up for the Community Rewards program by linking your Fred Meyer Rewards Card to Roosevelt. You can search by our name or by our non-profit number GB554.

Download the Box Top for Education App in Google Play or the App Store, sign up (or sign in) and take a picture of your receipt within 14 days of purchase. It will automatically credit the school for each product. For more information, click on the link above.