Rice Middle School eNews
Tuesday, January 16, 2018
Rice News
A. School Report Card
The State 2016-2017 School Report Card for Rice Middle School has now been released, and posted to the Rice Middle School website (https://www.pisd.edu/rice_ar). The report provides information concerning student performance on the State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readiness (STAAR), as well as information on student enrollment, class size averages, and financial expenditures. The information contained in the School Report Card is described in the “School Report Card Definitions.” If you have any questions concerning the School Report Cards, please let us know. Thank you for your continued support of Rice Middle School.
B. Avid Parent/Student Information Night!
Is your student Interested in AVID for the 2018-2019 school year? Would you like to know more about the AVID program? Advancement via Individual Determination (AVID) is a yearlong elective that teaches study skills, provides in class tutorials, encourages leadership and community service, and requires students to participate in courses of rigor. Recruitment for the 2018-2019 school year will get underway soon. If you are interested in your child joining AVID next year or would just like more information, please attend the Parent/Student Information Night on Monday, January 29th, at 6 PM in the library. Our AVID coordinator, Mrs. Dyer, will present information about AVID at Rice and the high school level. Current and former Rice AVID students will share their experiences as well.
What: AVID Parent/Student Information Night
When: Monday, January 29th, 6 PM
Where: Rice Library
C. Empty 2 Liter Bottles Needed
7th grade science classes need 2 liter plastic bottles for their bottle biology projects. Please send your empty bottles with caps attached to Ms. Bottin (room513), Ms. Hughes (room 813), or Ms. Van Houten (room 812) by January 22. Thank you so much!
D. Free Vision Exams
Free Vision Exams and Glasses Sponsored by The Lion’s Club – Please read linked flyer below for more information. Deadline to sign up for an appointment is TODAY!
Free Vision Exam Informational Flyer
E. Cold and Flu Prevention
Parents and students can help reduce the impact of the cold and flu season by following these simple tips:
- Get a flu shot!
- Keep your children at home for fever of 100˚F or more for 24 hours without fever reducing medication.
- Wash your hands often with warm water and soap for 20 seconds or more. Use hand sanitizer when soap and water are not available.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth. Germs can easily enter the body this way.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
- Cough and/or sneeze into a tissue or your upper sleeve, not into your hand.
- Clean and disinfect surfaces at home, work, and school, especially if someone is ill.
- Practice other good health habits such as being physically active, drinking plenty of fluids, getting plenty of rest, and eating nutritious foods.
If you want more information on influenza please visit these helpful sites:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: http://www.cdc.gov/flu/index.htm
Texas Department of State Health Services: https://www.dshs.state.tx.us/idcu/disease/influenza/
PTA News
A. PTA Board, Volunteer Positions Available for 2018-19
The Rice PTA Executive Board is seeking parents to fill volunteer positions and the following chair positions for the 2018-19 school year.
Taking a board position is a good way to keep up with what’s going on with the PTA and Rice. Available positions include:
· President
· 1st VP Membership
· 3rd VP of Ways & Means
· Secretary
· Treasurer
· Parliamentarian
· Communications/Webmaster
· Legislative
If you are interested or need more information on what these roles entail, please email PTA President Pernille Nordstrom at president@ricepta.org.
B. Spirit Night at Lita’s on Jan. 29
Join Rice PTA for a Spirit Night fundraiser at Lita’s La Mexicana on Monday, January 29, from 5-9 p.m.
Lita's is located at 7224 Independence Parkway, at the NE corner at Independence/Legacy.
Bring in the attached flyer, and 20% of all purchases will be donated to Rice PTA!
Contact volunteers@ricepta.org with questions.Thanks for your support!
C. Collect Box Tops for Our School
Please continue to save those Box Tops! It’s an easy way to earn hundreds of dollars annually for our school. Have your child bring them to the front desk and put them in a container marked Box Tops.
Guidance News
All of our current 6th and 7th graders will be registering for the 2018-2019 school year during January. Be on the lookout for registration packets to come home later this month.
Below are the dates for Parent Information Nights.
January 17th
Parents night for current 7th graders going to 8th grade. 6:00pm in the Cafeteria
January 24th
Parents Night for current 6th graders going to 7th grade. 6:00pm in the Cafeteria
B. High School Registration!
All current 8th graders will begin Academic Conferences for high school registration in February. Letters with dates and times for conferences will be coming home with students the week of January 15th. Conferences will begin February 7th. Conferences consist of 15 students with a parent/parents. Conferences last about 1 ½ hours. During this time we will review graduation requirements and students will complete their academic 4-year plan as well as register for 9th grade. We will also cover information about summer school, eschool and credit by exam.
The Academies will also have academic conferences for students accepted into their program. These conferences will also be held at Rice.
January 25th and 26th
Ms. Edwards will complete registration presentations during social studies classes.
C. Incoming 6th graders!
All current 5th graders will be visiting Rice on January 23rd. During this time students will hear music demonstrations from our band, choir and orchestra programs. Mr. Glasscock, principal and Ms. Edwards, incoming 6th grader counselor, will also speak to students about Rice and the transition to Middle School.
Parents Night will be at 6:00 pm January 23rd in the Rice Cafeteria.
Please like the Rice PTA Facebook page to stay informed about PTA activities!
Jasper News
Club News
A. Spelling Bee News
The Spelling Bee will be held after school on Wednesday, January 17, 2018, from 3:40 pm to 5 pm in the cafeteria. Parents are welcome to attend.
B. Final Yearbook Sale
Have you purchased your 2016-2017 yearbook yet? Time is running out! The final deadline to guarantee that you get a yearbook is Friday, January 27th. Yearbooks start at $35 and you can pay by cash, check, or online.
If you are paying by cash or check, you will need to fill out an order form. Order forms can be picked up in the Front Office, the Counselor’s Office, or Ms. Kosel’s room (728). All order forms and money need to be delivered to Ms. Kosel’s room (728) on or before the deadline. Students may drop off their money and order forms ONLY before or after school.
1. If you are paying by cash, please bring exact change
2. If you are paying by check, make the check payable to Rice MS and put your DL# on the check.
If you are purchasing online, you do not need to fill out an order form. Visit www.jostensyearbooks.com to order and pay.
Individual Pictures
Ms. Kosel will post the individual student pictures in the cafeteria windows facing the hallway in the rotunda starting today. Please have your student check to ensure their names, grade levels, and pictures are all correct. If there are any issues, there will be a form for your student to fill out. They will be located near the pictures and they will need to turn them into Ms. Kosel (728) by January 20th.
C. ECO Club News
Why you should join the Eco-Club at Rice? It gives students the platform they need to take action on the environmental issues. Students take a leadership role in identifying and achieving your school’s environmental goals. Environment club’s eco-initiatives can be big or small and may take the form of awareness activities, school events, or programs.
Projects for the Spring Semester:
Continue recycling efforts at school
Drop off poster show
Great American Clean Up Day
Earth Day
Recycling week
School-yard clean up
Field Trip
Recycling workshop
This is what we currently recycle at Rice:
Paper, plastic, glass, carton (Throughout the school)
Coffee pods in teacher’s lounge
Markers (a box in each pod)
Electronics (CFK program)
Lithium Batteries
Plastic Bags (Room 817)
Bottle caps (Room 817)
Join the Eco Club!!!
We meet the 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month.
Next meeting is Wednesday 17th in Room 817.
Miscellaneous Information
Jasper Band Booster: Princeton Review Practice Test
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 3rd.
The tests are open to all students. Testing will begin at 9:00 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 (9:00am-1:15pm)
Practice ACT $15 (9:00am-1:00pm)
Practice PSAT $10 (9:00-11:30am)
* 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, January 31st.
This is a fantastic opportunity for students that want that extra edge before the test.
Save the date: Tuesday, February 20th 6:30-8:30pm is the Test Review Session, students are encouraged to attend for feedback on the test.
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