RMS Wildcat Weekly
April 17, 2020 Information for our Families
Happy Friday!
Greetings Wildcat Families,
First let me say that I am so impressed by the level of participation and engagement by our Wildcats so far in Virtual School. We have had 97% of our students log into Google Classrooms and begin to participate, which is wonderful. We are now focusing on getting ALL students connected and regularly engaging in their classes online. With that said, I am also very aware of how difficult this transition is for so many families, mine included. My graduating senior has many questions about what the end of his senior year might look like- questions about prom, senior awards night, graduation, and all of the typical activities a senior would expect. Our 8th graders have similar questions, and we are all doing our best to follow safety guidelines while still figuring out how to come up with solutions for these important questions. The status of end of year activities like promotion is still unknown, but we hope for more answers soon!
The collaboration and efforts that we have seen from students, parents, teachers, and staff have been inspiring. As we continue in this virtual learning environment, maintaining schedules and completing assigned classwork may be challenging for many of your students. Please know that you are not in this alone, nor are you expected to be able to guide your students through all of this work. The learning environment we are in right now is not normal. I have heard many say this, and it is true. You are not homeschooling. You are crisis schooling, and this is stressful and different. Students are not used to being home all day and they're not used to not interacting in person with their peers and their teachers. They are experiencing all kinds of feelings that we need to be aware of, and so are the adults in their lives. When our children are acting out and expressing turmoil, we need to remember to give them grace and to give ourselves grace and to express compassion for one another. Please reach out to their teachers and counselors for support! You and your student can set up an appointment in office hours, email for support, and ask all the questions you need. We are here to support our Wildcats and each other, and we will get through this together!
Sincerely,
Heather Golly
ASB Weekly Announcements- What's Up Wildcats?
ASB students are working to create a weekly video called “What’s Up Wildcats” to boost school spirit and help our Wildcats stay connected to our school community. Please check out our first video on your Hub Google Classrooms on Monday 4/20 and follow our ASB instagram @rms.asb_2020
Virtual School Reminders!
- Students should be checking their Pride Hub Google Classroom, their school email, and their subject area Google Classrooms every day. They should be turning in their assignments through Google Classroom.
- If students have not joined their Pride Hub Classroom, they should do that now. Pride Hub Google Classrooms are where teachers from each Pride will share information and announcements and provide a Week-at-a-Glance of assignments and due dates. Students should join the Pride Hub and review the announcements that are posted! This is also where they will see the weekly videos from ASB!
- Grading: The VUSD School Board voted 5-0 to have all Report Card Grades for Semester 2 be "Credit/No Credit." The district office is developing more clear guidance on what this means and we will be sending further communication. Teachers are providing feedback and grades through Google Classroom as students submit their assignments. CLICK HERE for a letter by the district and a survey for input.
- Live Conferencing through Zoom: VUSD will now be allowing live video chats, but not requiring it for teachers or students. This will be rolled out as the district continues to provide training and protocols for teachers and students. Teachers can currently use Google Meets, and the district is working on secure licensing and training for teachers to use Zoom.
- Students should follow this schedule (or a similar schedule co-created with their families) and these expectations each day: Roosevelt Middle Virtual School Daily Schedule and Expectations. Routine is important in the lives of middle schoolers, so please work together to create a schedule that works for your family that includes time for when students will do school work, chores, physical activity, fun time, and family time!
- Roosevelt Virtual School Parent Guide: In this new environment, you likely have many questions about the best ways to monitor and support your students as they engage in their virtual learning. Please review the information, resources, and links in this Parent Guide to help you. The Frequently Asked Questions and resources should serve as a Beginner’s Guide. Please reach out with other questions! We are here to support you and to work as a team.
- Please continue to reach out to teachers with any questions! Teacher Contact Info and Office Hours are linked below! Office Hours = Time set aside for immediate help, support, feedback. Non-Office Hours = Teachers are still working (planning, grading, collaborating, meetings, etc) and will reply to emails during the day.
Important Links:
Roosevelt Middle Virtual School Daily Schedule and Expectations- students should follow this schedule every day
Roosevelt Middle Virtual School Student Checklist- to help students get started on April 6 by logging in to their devices
Roosevelt Middle Virtual School Parent Guide- helpful FAQs and resources
Teacher Contact Info and Office Hours- contact your teachers with questions!
8th Grade Course Selection Update- important info for picking classes for next year!
Other Academic Resources:
Accelerated Reader is now set up to use at home! Please log in through Cloud Connect as you would as if you were at school. This will ensure that you build upon the points you have earned thus far. Test on the books you have read over the last few weeks.
Login page: https://www.myon.com/school/readathome
School Name: Read at Home
Username: readnow
Password: myon
Technology Support and Internet Connections
Internet Service Providers: Our school is working hard to obtain hot spots, but at this time we do not have confirmation that we will receive them. In the meantime, please contact these organizations, to see if you qualify for no/low cost internet.
Cox has a program called "Cox to Compete program." You can reach Cox Communications at (855) 222-3252 or www.cox.com/c2c. for information. To qualify you will need a letter from the Child Nutrition Dept. verifying you receive free lunch. To obtain this letter, please contact Teresa Diaz at the Child Nutrition Dept. at teresadiaz@vistausd.org or (760) 726-2170 ext 92400.
You may also qualify for affordable home internet if you are participating in one of the following programs: National School Lunch Program, SNAP, SSI, Medical, or have a household income under $40,000/year. To determine which of the Internet providers serves your area enter your zip code at this site: www.everyoneon.org/capta. It will list your choices and you can call the companies in your area.
General News
ASES
Roosevelt Middle School offers an After School Education and Safety (ASES) Grant Program, to students grades 6th-8th. This is a cost-free grant program, based on student attendance, providing homework assistance, tutorials, and enrichment activities for your child. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic applications for the 2020-21 school year will be online. Any students who completed a paper application before the school closures are encouraged to re-apply. The application can be found online at the school's website. Applications will be due May 11, 2020. Any applications received after May 11th will automatically be placed on the waiting list and families will be called if/when there is an opening. Students who are currently in the program are not guaranteed acceptance for the next year and need to re-apply. To apply for 2020-2021 ASES click here
Students may still be receiving overdue notices from our automated library system. Please know that students will not accrue fines while school is not in session. Information about when and how to return library books, textbooks, and Chromebooks will be coming soon. If you have any questions, please email Deanna Bennet at deannawestphal@vistausd.org or call 760-472-3375.
Yearbooks are still on sale online! Buy yours now before they sell out! Follow this link to buy yours now: RMS 2019-20 Yearbooks
7th Grade "Family Life/Sex Ed": At this point it looks like the state of California will postpone compliance with the state-mandated Family Life/Sex Ed curriculum for this year. We anticipate picking it up as part of 8th Grade Science.
Would you like to receive school information via text messages? To sign up click here.
Important Information for 8th Grade Students
Please click on this important document and review how you will sign up for your 9th grade classes!
Attention all 8th grade families: Due to school campus closures, the district office is still a little behind on processing Intradistrict, Interdistrict and Magnet School Applications. Please refer to our High School Registration Google Folder for all your HS registration needs. In this folder, you will find a document and slideshow specific to the High School your student wants to attend as well as the update Mrs. Golly sent out regarding application delays.
Check our RMS and VUSD pages and follow us on social media here:
Communications
Square 1 Art Fundraiser!
Our Square 1 Art creations are now ready for online ordering! Students have created beautiful works of art and you can preserve them on memorable keepsakes and help support our school at the same time! Online orders can be shipped directly to your home! Check it out today! Please contact Ms. Turner or the Square 1 Art at service@square1art.com with any questions!
Square 1 Art Ordering Directions
Health Office:
School Nurse Contact Information: Lisa Franck: Cell: 760-691-0165 Email: lisafranck@vistausd.org. Please contact with any questions or concerns. Please also refer to Health and Safety Webpage for information: https://www.vistausd.org/healthandsafety
Counseling Corner!
Counseling: SD-Crisis Line-888-724-7240 Family Resource Center-866-262-9881
REMINDER: Any student or family needing support can request to speak with a school counselor by visiting bit.do/rmscheckin (all lowercase). Encourage your student to fill this out even if they are concerned about a friend or family member. If a student does not want to be identified, they can still anonymously report via the PSST link on the RMS website, VUSD website or at THIS LINK. We’ve been updating our counseling website with resources and information! Check it out at bit.do/rooseveltcounseling (all lowercase).
PARENTS AND STUDENTS: Follow us on our new Instagram @rooseveltcounseling for daily updates, and a cool video of Mr. Sosa dancing. :)
Thank you PTA for the Popcornopolis Distribution!
If you were not able to pick yours up and need to make arrangements for pickup or delivery please email lizdebaets@gmail.com.
A message from PTA
Want to be involved with the PTA next year? Nominees for the 2020-2021 PTA board are being accepted! Contact Liz DeBaets at lizdebaets@gmail.com
Family and Community Liaison
Please check this link with Important meal information from WaveCrestCafe We will continue with food distributions among five VUSD schools. Five days" meal in one day started Wednesday April 8th.
It is essential that you verify your email address since this is the best way of communication for now. Please leave a message to Ms. Gabby at her extension 63013, or email me at gabrielathompson@vistausd.org for any question you may have. You may find me on Facebook and Twitter accounts below.
#WeAreInThisTogether
Thank you for your support!
Roosevelt Wildcat Pride!
Our PRIDE represents life ready skills we want our students to foster. Please help us reinforce these traits in our Wildcats!
Spirit Fridays!
Wear RMS spirit wear or school colors on Fridays!
Go Wildcats!!
PAWS of the Month: Positivity
At Roosevelt, we want to show positivity in all we do. We continue to work and move forward in our education, and we strive to make progress each day. We also stay optimistic as we deal with adversity. We look for positivity in our students every day and hope to hand out many more positive behavior referrals before the year is through!
Novel Coronavirus Fact Sheets:
Parents: Fact sheet: What You Need to Know
Spanish: Nuevo coronavirus (PDF)
Russian: Новый штамм коронавируса (PDF)
Vietnamese: Vi-rút Corona Mới (PDF)
Tagalog: Mga Rekomendasyon ng Pampublikong Kalusugan sa COVID-19 (PDF)
Chinese Simplified: 新型冠状病毒 (PDF)
Chinese Traditional: 新型冠狀病毒 (PDF)