RMS Knightly News
Week of September 6, 2021
Richards Middle School
Email: huston.julian@fraserk12.org
Website: https://www.fraser.k12.mi.us/RMSHome
Location: 33500 Garfield Road, Fraser, MI, USA
Phone: 586-439-7400
Twitter: @HustonLJulian
Hello RMS Knights and Families
On behalf of our Richards Middle School staff, I (Huston Julian) am grateful to welcome our families and students for the start of the 2021-2022 school year! This summer, our Fraser Public Schools Operation and Maintenance staff have worked diligently in preparing our buildings, classrooms, and parking lots in preparation for the upcoming school year.
Our RMS staff also met during the summer for completion of students’ schedules, participated in ongoing professional learning opportunities, and curriculum and lesson planned for our upcoming school year. I’m excited about the start of this school year and what lies ahead of us. Our year-long theme will be on learning that ensures engagement, growth and achievement while creating community (Honoring the Castle) with our Knights. We will continue to create opportunities for our Knights that make up our Portrait of a Graduate (through creativity, collaboration, critical thinking, communication, citizenship and character) and creating relationships within our school and community (RMS staff, families, and students).
RMS will open our doors for the 2020-2021 school year on Tuesday, September 7th. This will be a full school day beginning at 8:05 AM and ending at 2:50 PM. For more information regarding the first day student procedures and our RMS Arrival and Dismissal process, please scroll below.
We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure our students can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school; our students need support from home, community, and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in our students’ learning and growth. As partners, we share the responsibility for student success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out those responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your student’s learning by ensuring that our students:
- Follow our PBIS guidelines: modeling respect, responsibility, and safety as they navigate through their school day, after-school in the community and when they attend school sponsored events.
- We expect our students to arrive at school every day prepared to learn with their iPad fully charged, classroom materials, and mindset to continue to grow and learn. (We will start our iPad distribution for our students during the 1st week of school).
- We expect our students to be model citizens by following iPad, dress code, and code of conduct guidelines. This is especially important as we work together to “Honor the Castle”.
The RMS staff and I feel privileged to be a part of the Fraser Public Schools family. We thank you for your support and look forward to meeting you at our Meet the Teacher/Class information Night on Thursday, September 15th starting at 6:00 pm. Additional information related to our Meet to the Teacher/Class information night will be shared with our RMS families during the first week of school.
Sincerely,
Huston Julian and Kristi Skladanowski
Administration at Richards Middle School
Arrival
There are two main entrance points for our students in the morning- RMS main entrance doors for our 7th graders and door 37 for our 8th graders- our RMS gym entrance doors. These locations are both on the Garfield roadside of our building.
Schedule Pick-Up
Students will be able to pick up their schedule beginning at 7:40 am. Although schedules were shared during our orientation days, we reprint schedules in the event that a course changed or was switched since the date of our orientation.
Our 7th graders should report directly to room 104 to pick up their class schedule and our 8th graders should report to the gym to pick up their class schedules. Once students have their schedule, they may go to their locker or head to their 1st hour class.
Lunch will also be served on the first day of school. (Information about our nutrition services and monthly lunch and breakfast menu can be found at Fraser Public Schools Nutrition Information. Although Breakfast and Lunch will be free for any interested students during the 21-22 school year, we encourage our families to complete our free and reduced lunch application process at the link above as this process provides valuable information that supports our food services funding.
Honor the Castle Theme for September - "Making Meaningful Connections"
This week’s mindset message states that "The most important things in life are the connections we make with others". We look forward to connecting with each of our Knights during the month of September (and throughout the 21-22 school year) while getting to know one another better. Have a great first week Knights!
To provide the most effective process for entering and exiting Richards Middle School, we need our families consistent help in observing the below traffic expectations:
- Our RMS bus loop is only to be used by emergency vehicles and our district’s school buses between the hours of 7:15 am through 4:00 pm.
- To help with our daily traffic flow, please follow our painted traffic arrows in our parking lot.
- In supporting our traffic flow for entering and exiting for all vehicles, please observe no standing, parking, waiting and stopping in the parking lot aisle ways.
- The only area that vehicles should wait is our curb side lane (nearest to our crosswalk sign and bus loop median). This area is not wide enough for double parking to occur.
- In the case that you are not able to secure a curbside lane spot, a vehicle should park in a designated parking spot in our parking lot(s). This parking spot can be secured in our RMS Garfield Side Parking Lot, the Stadium Parking Lot or the RMS Klein Side Parking Lot.
- When exiting Richards Middle School at dismissal time, please utilize either our RMS Garfield exit, FHS Garfield exit or FHS Klein exit.
Please be aware of students, families and guests who are walking in our parking lots by obeying traffic laws, regulating your speed, and following the traffic direction arrows.
Our district security personnel will communicate these expectations to our families when needed. Thank you for your support with keeping RMS a safe travel area for everyone on campus.
My Bus Stop Information
Honor the Castle - General Overview Expecations
Our intention is to return to a normal school environment and routine for the 2021-2022 school year. Fraser Public Schools’ top priority remains the health and well-being of all, and doing our part every day to reduce the spread of the COVID-19 virus.We have and will continue to work closely with our local Macomb County Health Department, we will adjust accordingly if needed. We will continue to follow the law and any school mandates. For the latest updates COVID-19 updates and calendar information please visit our Fraser Forward page.
Mask Policies
Masks are optional for all staff, students and visitors on campus. We will have masks available in all of our buildings for anyone who needs one. Fraser Public Schools encourages everyone who is not fully vaccinated to wear a face covering. Facial coverings are a safe, and proven strategy to prevent secondary transmission of this aggressive Delta variant in schools. Masks are primarily intended to reduce the emission of virus-laden droplets. They also help reduce inhalation of these droplets by the wearer. We ask everyone to respect each individual’s choice whether or not to wear a mask.
Masks must be worn on Fraser Public School buses. The CDC requires masks to be worn on school buses.
Procedure when a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19
When a student or staff member tests positive for COVID-19, he/she should notify the Macomb County Health Department at (586) 463-3750 during normal business hours. Additionally, families and staff members should contact the school administrator.
The individual should stay home and isolate for at least 10 days from the first date of symptoms or 10 days from the test date if asymptomatic AND fever-free for 24 hours without the use of fever-reducing medications and improved symptoms.
Fraser Public Schools will be reporting all COVID-19 positive cases to the Macomb County Health Department (MCHD). The MCHD will investigate to determine if any additional students or staff should be quarantined. We will continue to work with our Health Department to support these efforts.
Transportation
Students will be required to wear a mask on our buses. In addition, we will have seating charts in place.
Vaccinations and COVID-19 Testing
We will not require vaccination nor proof of vaccination from any of our staff, students or visitors. However, if someone is identified as a close contact they will need to show proof of vaccination in order to avoid a quarantine. Additionally, we will not be testing our students, staff or visitors.
Health Screenings
As we have said before, please keep your child home if they are feeling sick. Teach your child to cover their cough or sneeze and wash their hands or use hand sanitizer often. We encourage you to perform daily self-assessments for COVID-19 but the daily screener is no longer required.
Cleaning Policies
- Each building will have a temporary table set up in the entry vestibule with available face coverings and hand sanitizer.
- Cleaning and sanitization practices will continue in a modified capacity.
- Wiping down of the highly touched surfaces will continue throughout the day.
- Wall hung hand sanitizer stations will remain in place and product will be provided.
- Hand sanitizer bottles will be available in classrooms as requested.
- Classroom cleaning kits will be available for those classrooms that request them.
- Students are encouraged to wash their hands or use sanitizer often.
Fraser Public Schools continues to evaluate all protocols and procedures as additional information becomes available from county, state, and national health protection agencies.
We are proud to be part of a community that values education and partners together with us to prioritize the health and wellness of our students, staff, and families.
We appreciate your support to help keep our students safe and in-person.
An Important Message from the Macomb County Health Department
The State of Michigan requires children to be age-appropriately vaccinated to enroll in school programs, unless a valid exemption applies. Contact your physician or local health department to obtain these vaccinations before the school year starts.
If your student is up to date on vaccines, no further action is necessary on your part.
To obtain a certified nonmedical waiver, a legal guardian must make an appointment by calling 586-466-6840 and receive education on vaccine(s) waived. Waivers received from the Health Department must be turned in to the Main Office.
For more information, please visit our website at https://health.macombgov.org/Health-Programs-DC-SchoolImmunization.
Important Dates
Wednesday, Sep. 15 - Early Release, 12:30 Dismissal
Thursday, Sep. 16 - RMS Meet the Teacher
Friday, Oct. 1 - Early Release, 12:30 Dismissal
Office Information
Attendance Line: (586) 439-7490 24 hour voicemail
Attendance/Counseling Office: Mrs. Demsky (586) 439-7462
Attendance Office Hours: 7:15am - 3:15pm
Main Office Hours: 7:15am - 3:15pm
Main Office: (586) 439-7400 Fax: (586) 439-7461