RMS Knightly News
Week of December 11th, 2023
Hello RMS Knights and Families
December’s Honor the Castle theme is "Finishing the Semester Strong”. This week’s Mindset Monday Message for the week of December 11th shares that “When we are in alignment with our values daily…great things can happen.”
Click here for video of this week's mindset monday message.
Stay up to date by checking our School Website regularly: Richards Middle School Website
Email: huston.julian@fraserk12.org
Website: https://www.fraser.k12.mi.us/RMSHome
Location: 33500 Garfield Road, Fraser, MI, USA
Finishing 1st Semester Strong
We are two weeks from the end of our first semester. Our Knights have grown in plenty of ways. We are proud of everyone's efforts thus far, but it is important to maintain the focus until we cross the finish line.
We will continue to have conversations about successful habits and we hope that you will too. Here are a few helpful reminders.
- Be on time to class. Tardies and absences add up and take away from important instruction. BONUS: if our building stays below the tardy goal, all of our Knights will be able to enjoy our December incentive.
- Check Canvas and Powerschool for grades, citizenship, and missing assignments.
- Come up with plan to complete or catch up.
- Talk to your teachers or other trusted adults if you need help coming up with a plan.
Let's continue to GROW Knights and finish off a successful first half of the year.
Student Council will be hosting Holiday Spirit Weeks starting on Mon., Dec 11th
Dear Parent/Guardian:
The way students, families, teachers, and other school staff experience Fraser Schools and school-related activities affects student attendance, learning, and achievement. Students in positive learning environments that are safe, supportive, and engaging are more likely to improve academically, participate more fully in the classroom, and develop skills that will help them be successful in school and in life.
For almost 20 years now, Fraser has developed five-year strategic plans that guide our district forward. These plans can be considered our North Star. As we embark on our next five-year strategic plan, it is critical to use data to develop our next steps. School Climate is an important part of that work. Therefore, we invite you to complete the parent survey from the US Department of Education’s School Climate Survey (EDSCLS). The district also uses this survey for both our School Improvement process and to support the next Strategic Plan. For more information and to see the survey questions, please visit the EDSCLS website.
The survey is open to all families as of Monday, December 4th and closes December 18th. If you have children in multiple buildings, you may take the survey more than once. Each time you take the survey, it will ask for the building and grade level your child attends.
The data you provide may also be used by the school and district to better understand the current climate in the school(s) your child(ren) attends. Your answers will be combined with the answers of other parents at the school and district levels, and used to create records about the climate of our schools. These reports will not identify any person or their responses.
The survey will also be administered to students in Grades 5-12 during regular school hours during the week of December 11th. It will ask students about their perceptions on topics such as student engagement, school environment, and school safety.
Thank you for your continued efforts in meeting our mission for designing learning for all. We will continue to remain focused on our goals of growing strong - learning partnerships, learning environments, digital ecosystem and teaching practices. We appreciate your participation in this important work.
With Fraser Pride,
Dr. Wozniak
Superintendent
Season of Giving - RMS Amazon Care Closet
With the season of giving upon us, we thought this was an excellent time to support an initiative that will directly benefit our students and families in the Castle. As we continue to work together to ensure the success and well-being of our Knights, we are excited to introduce a valuable resource that can make a significant difference in the lives of our students.
We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Amazon Care Closet at Richards Middle School. The Amazon Care Closet is a dedicated space where students in need can access essential items such as toiletries, snacks, and other basic necessities. This initiative aims to support our students by addressing their basic needs, ensuring they can focus on their education without the added stress of lacking essential supplies.
The Amazon Care Closet is a convenient and discreet resource for our students. It is stocked with a variety of items, including but not limited to:
- Toiletries (such as soap, shampoo, toothpaste, and feminine hygiene products)
Snacks (non-perishable food items)
Basic school supplies (notebooks, pens, pencils)
We understand that students may face challenges both inside and outside of the classroom, and we believe that providing these basic necessities can make a significant impact on their well-being and academic performance. Our goal is to create a supportive environment where every student can thrive, regardless of their circumstances.
If you are interested in donating items, please access the Amazon Care Closet link here. Donations will be sent directly to Richards Middle School.
Additional information will be shared, but if you have any questions, please email Mrs. Skladanowski directly.
We believe that the Amazon Care Closet will positively impact our school community and ensure that every student has the opportunity to succeed. We encourage you to share this information with your child and let them know that this resource is available to support their needs.
Thank you for your continued support of our school and our mission to create a nurturing and inclusive environment for all students. If you have any questions or suggestions regarding the Amazon Care Closet, please feel free to reach out to us.
SECOND STEP LESSON 7 FOR THE WEEK OF 12-11-23
7th Grade -Week 7 Emotions Matter
Summary- In this week’s lesson, our 7th grade knights will learn how their brain handles strong emotions and brainstorm positive and negative decisions they might make when they feel a strong emotion.
At home question to ask your 7th Grade Knight-
Ask your knight about a negative decision they recently made because they were feeling a strong emotion. Help them think about how they can turn that negative decision into a positive one if they feel that emotion again.
8th Grade- Week 7 Environmental Factors that Contribute to Bullying
Summary- In this week’s lesson, our 8th grade knights will identify environmental factors (the physical space and rules of an area) that contribute to bullying and harassment, and explore how they contribute to bullying and harassment in their school.
At home question to ask your 8th grade Knight-
Ask your knight what environmental factors are. Share your observations about environmental factors that you’ve witnessed in the world outside of school.
Keep up the Routine of Attendance through the Holidays
As we prepare for the end of the first semester and winter break, we are grateful for everyone who has helped to restore a routine for showing up to school while supporting students and families.
Daily routines are essential for reducing stress and creating a sense of security for students and adults.
In Fraser, attendance rates continue to increase or hold steady at all our schools. More than 94 percent of students in Fraser were on Tier 1, which means they had missed 19 percent or less of the school days. That is an increase of more than 2 percentage points from the end of September.
Please take steps to keep your child healthy and send them to school unless they are truly sick. Every day of school is an important opportunity for students to learn and connect to peers and their teachers.
Attendance Works has put together a helpful list of tips to help keep your child healthy and in school.
We want to thank all our families, students, and staff for their continued support of our attendance initiatives.
Week 13 Castle Crew Members of the Week
The Knight Shift in December- After-School Homework Club in the media center from 3:05pm-4:00pm
The Knight Shift after-school homework club (designated Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:05pm-4:00pm in the media center)
*Students who attend the Knight Shift must arrange for transportation home after 4pm.
The Knight Shift -“The time period after a long day of work to organize, to prepare, and to be ready for success!”
All Noble Knights are invited to attend the Knight Shift…If they have:
Homework assignment(s) to complete- Individual tables area
A group project needs to be worked on - Collaboration stations area
A quiet location to read - Flexible seating area
Please note- Outside purchased food and beverages are not permitted during the Knight Shift session.
The Knight Shift will be staffed by RMS staff member(s) during each sessions.
December's Knight shift days are
Tuesday,12/12th
Tuesday,12/19th
Guest Teachers Needed around the district
Check the "Student Success Resource" Below for more useful info.
RMS and FHS Little Leaders Holiday get-together
Peer to Peer Ornaments of Joy
Green Team Recycles weekly
Our RMS Band preparing for the upcoming holiday concert
Fashion Style Club going strong
We are getting a great turnout by our knights for our Fashion Style Club and their creativity is on full display with each projects.
Congrats to our November Student of Month
On Thursday, we were able to celebrate our RMS students of the month for November with a breakfast and certificate recognition.
2023-24 Meals Information
Families are still asked to complete the Education Benefits Form, as this information is used for district funding.
Breakfast and Lunch are FREE for all students for the 2023-2024 school year.
We encourage everyone to participate. You are still welcome to send your child with a lunch from home if you would prefer.
Honor the Castle by respecting others, modeling responsibility, and making safe choices.
Gleaners Mobile Food Pantry
We are excited to announce that we have extended our partnership with Gleaners through the school year!
They will continue to be set up in the FHS Klein Road parking lot from 9-11 a.m.on the following dates:
12/14, 1/11, 1/25, 2/8, 2/22, 3/7, 3/21, 4/4
This is a drive-up service that allows our families to remain in their vehicles and pick up a box of grocery-type items.
The Gleaners Mobile Food Pantry will continue bi-weekly pending no closures for inclement weather.
For more information CLICK HERE
Outside Food and Beverage Policy
Outside food delivery is a safety concern. We do not want to have strangers and people that we do not know coming to our buildings with delivery bags. It also is a workload issue for office personnel. Managing multiple food deliveries during lunchtime becomes an additional responsibility for our office staff.
The District works hard to provide a variety of healthy, good-tasting food in its cafeterias, and students are always free to bring their own lunch to school. We will continue to follow our past practice of making sure students receive lunch if they forget to bring one from home.
Upcoming Athletic Games/Events
Basketball the week of 12-11-23
Thursday, 12/14- 7th grade Basketball and 8th grade basketball are home against Wyandot Middle School starting at 3:30pm. 8th grade games starts 10 to 20 min. after the end of the 7th grade game concludes.
REQUIREMENTS TO PARTICIPATE
1. All students interested in trying out for a fall sports team must hand in a completely filled out 2023-24 MHSAA Physical Form or have one on file with the Athletic Department (dated after April 15, 2023) prior to participating. If a physical being handed in by the student is not completely filled out (missing signatures/spaces left blank), student will be held out of participating in tryouts until the physical is returned, completely filled out on both sides, to the Athletic Department or coach.
MHSAA Physical Form:
https://www.fraser.k12.mi.us/cms/lib/MI02212020/Centricity/Domain/81/Sports%20Physical%20Form.pdf
2. Prior to trying out, all students must have completed the online FamilyID registration. You will fill out the form for the sport and grade level you are trying out for. If this on line registration is not completed, the student will be held out of participation until it is completed.
FamilyID Instructions:
RMS Family Reg Instructions 2023-24.docx
If you have any questions, please contact the Athletic Director, Shane Redshaw at shane.redshaw@fraserk12.org or Athletic Secretary, Deborah Rinehart at Deborah.rinehart@fraserk12.org
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.
- 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. Images can be found below. Please no parking or standing where you see a red x.
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.
PLEASE BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR ADDITIONAL SIGNS ALONG THE DROP OFF LANE TO HELP DIRECT TRAFFIC FLOW!
Attention students who utilize the crosswalk to walk over Garfield Road
This is a reminder to our students to ensure that you are using the appropriate area to cross the street to get to the other side of Garfield. Please see pictures below for reference of our crosswalk signs and striped area by the Richards Middle School Electronic Board. We want our students to make sure they are looking both ways and being aware of vehicles traveling on Garfield. Always wait to cross this crosswalk when the road is clear to do so.
We thank you for always being aware of your safety and traveling vehicles as you arrive and leave RMS at this crosswalk area.
Change of Address Information
If you have recently moved, please complete the following form to update your address and upload the files needed for update: https://form.jotform.com/211594973642161