The Weekly Olé FAMILY EDITION
Rancho Minerva Middle School - March 19, 2021
COURSE HIGHLIGHT - MAKING COMICS
Making Comics is one of Rancho Minerva’s new electives this year. Despite the challenges of the virtual classroom, our scholars have jumped right in and enthusiastically explored the qualities that make graphic storytelling such an appealing art form. They’ve examined the tools writers and artists use to pull readers into their worlds through a combination of words and images. So far this year, scholars have studied and tried their hand at creating single-panel comics, multi-panel strips, storyboards that summarize a favorite show or movie, and even 8-page mini-comics that tell a brief but complete story. They’ve fooled around with perspective, imitated a favorite artist or two, moved through the stages of penciling, inking, and coloring, and compared the traditional American superhero comic to the distinct techniques of Japanese manga. Looking ahead, scholars will take this experience and apply it to a longer, more polished final project that will give them the opportunity to express their own unique perspectives and experiences to the world. To quote the immortal Marvel mastermind Stan Lee-- "Nuff Said!"
A Message from the RMMS Electives Team
On behalf of the RMMS elective team, we wanted to send a personal video message (see video above) to all of our elective families at Rancho Minerva. We have included a brief introduction from each elective teacher along with a few tips for supporting your classic or virtual scholar.
We hope this video is helpful and want you to know that we are here to support you, and your scholar for success here at Rancho Minerva Middle School. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions, or if you just want to say hello! We have included our contact information for your convenience.
Sincerely,
Your Elective Team
Our Rancho Minerva family is here and ready to help!
We know you have a lot of questions.
Don't be afraid to call us and ask!
To maintain physical distancing and safety for all, please make an appointment before coming to campus. The front office is open every school day from 8 am - 12 pm, by appointment only. We want to be sure that we have someone to assist you when you arrive.
FACE MASKS & TEMPERATURE CHECKS
ARE REQUIRED BY EVERY PERSON WHO COMES ON CAMPUS.
Please call us at any time between 8am - 3:00pm for assistance.
FRONT OFFICE - (760) 631-4500
CHECK YOUR PARENT PORTAL - KEEP YOUR EMERGENCY CONTACTS UPDATED!
With COVID-19 concerns, it is more important than ever that your emergency contacts are up-to-date. When we return to school, if a scholar shows any symptoms of COVID-19, we will be contacting you to pick them up immediately. This is for everyone's safety. If you are unsure about how to do update your Parent Portal in Aeries, please contact the front office for assistance. 760-631-4500
Weekly Update
“Instead of worrying about what you cannot control, shift your energy to what you can create.”
― Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
GET READY TO CELEBRATE! MARCH 25
We are excited to celebrate our scholars who earned a 3.0 GPA or above for the Fall semester. We are planning a festive drive through event on Thursday, March 25, from 3 pm - 6 pm. Scholars will be invited by grade level and will have a specified time slot. Thank you for honoring our schedule. Safety first!
- 3 pm - 4 pm - reserved for our 8th grade scholars (and families with scholars in multiple grades)
- 4 pm - 5 pm - reserved for our 6th grade scholars
- 5 pm - 6 pm - reserved for our 7th grade scholars
INCOMING 6TH GRADE PARENT NIGHT & FEEDER VISITS
OMG! Such a great week! Tuesday night, RMMS staff hosted 50 parents at our Incoming Bulls Virtual Parent Night! Thanks to Claudia for offering interpretation services for our families that needed it. Click here to see our presentation. On Wednesday, March 17, RMMS staff, along with the amazing scholar leaders from ASB, hosted Welcome to RMMS presentations to all of our feeder schools, including a special presentation for all the virtual scholars - 150 5th graders attended! Needless to say, our two ASB scholars, Gabe and Chase, were overwhelmed by the number of scholars they saw on the Zoom - and DID AMAZING!
SCHEDULES ARE BELOW IN NEWSLETTER
No matter your scholar's learning model - the times are the same. Everyone is on the same time schedule. Please check your learning model schedule below. Click on the Classic Schedule to go to a more specific (by group and grade level) schedule for your scholar.
COVID PROTOCOLS STILL IN PLACE
Just a reminder to our Classic scholars about the safety protocols that will be in place when you return to campus. If you choose to not follow these mandatory requirements, you may be moved to the Virtual model. It's everyone's job to keep everyone safe.
- Every scholar must get their temperature checked prior to coming on campus.
- Every scholar must have an approved mask that covers their mouth and nose on at all times while on campus, except when eating or drinking. No gators, bandanas, masks with vents. If you don't have a mask, we will give you one.
- Every scholar must maintain appropriate social distancing - which is 6 feet. This is a tough one for all of us! Everyone needs to keep their hands to themselves. Virtual hugs only.
- Hand washing will be encouraged.
- Please bring a re-fillable water bottle to school as all the water fountains are shut off.
- No sharing of food, drink, or other items. No sharing of anything :-(
- Scholars will have assigned seating in their classrooms AND at lunch.
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FROM PREVIOUS NEWSLETTERS:
ETS is offering POWER HOURS
“ETS Power Hour(s)” started on Tuesday, February 9th. Join the ETS team for drop-in questions/office hours, games (maybe lol), homework help, or just to hang out with your ETS staff members.
ETS Power Hour takes place on
Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Times
Lunch Time: 11:45am-1:00pm
After-School: 2:45pm-4:15pm
To access ETS Power Hour and for the weekly schedule, click here.
Hapara is Now Active
Our school takes your child’s online safety seriously. The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires that K-12 schools and libraries use internet filters and implement other measures to protect children from harmful online content as a condition for the receipt of certain federal funding, especially E-rate funds.
- Parent Letter - English about Hapara
- Parent Letter - Spanish about Hapara
ASES Program is Offering Tutoring - see flyer below in newsletter
ASES is now offering free tutoring for all scholars! If you have any questions, please reach out to maytelopez@vistausd.org
AM ASES - 7 - 8:30 AM
6th/7th/8th - Zoom Link
PM ASES - 3:45 - 5:45 PM
6th Grade - Zoom Link
7th Grade - Zoom Link
8th Grade - Zoom Link
School Accountability Report Card Available
RMMS's School Accountability Report Card (SARC) is now available on our school website and in the Main Office for your review.
Meal Distribution - Wednesday-only
Meal distribution will be provides 7-days’ worth of meals every Wednesday at all of our existing sites. Each week will feature a variety of fresh, seasonal produce based on seasonal availability. Keep an eye out for flyers and social media posts announcing each week’s produce. Service is available for all children 18 & under, with no forms or paperwork required.
Locations and times for meal distribution on WEDNESDAYS are as follows:
Foothill Oak Elementary now serves between 11AM - 1PM
8AM - 9AM: Roosevelt Middle School; Vista High School
11AM - 1PM: Foothill Oak Elementary School; Grapevine Elementary; Madison Middle; Maryland Elementary; Rancho Buena Vista High School; Roosevelt Middle School; VAPA; Vista High School
3PM - 4PM: Vista High School
BE TECH SMART - KEEP YOUR SCHOLAR SAFE
YouTube Parent Guide 2021- FROM SMART SOCIAL
Click the link above for the entire article.
YouTube by the Numbers:
- People spend 1 billion hours each day watching videos on YouTube (website and app)
- Users upload 500 hours of video every single minute
- Over a billion people listen to music on YouTube every month (Source)
Who is using YouTube?
- 74% of adults in the U.S. use YouTube
- 80% of parents with children 11 and under say their kids watch YouTube
- YouTube is the world’s second-most visited website after Google.com
Why should parents care?
- Students could unintentionally watch inappropriate or dangerous videos because the content is automatically suggested
- YouTube is user-generated and relies on users to flag videos that violate YouTube’s terms of service (for things like violence, nudity, encouraging danger, hate speech, etc.)
- Students can easily get addicted to watching YouTube videos because there is so much content offered
- Students can waste a lot of time in the YouTube app and could lose interest in offline activities
- There are in-app purchases and monthly memberships that students might purchase without realizing the costs
What can parents do?
- Set up a shared family Google account and agree that students will only watch videos using that login
- Encourage your student to use YouTube in a positive way by watching educational content and learning new skills
- Explore and watch YouTube as a family to discover good channels and content to subscribe and follow
- Consider using YouTube Kids when possible for the most parental control over screen time limitations, what your students can watch, search for, and see in comments
- Create a Google Family Account to link for older students to help monitor their screen time and the content they watch on YouTube
- Turn on the Safety Mode in the YouTube app
- Don’t rely on the filters. Parents must still closely monitor what their students are posting and watching on YouTube
- Turn off the autoplay feature (it is a default setting)
- As a family, set a daily or weekly time limit for YouTube and hold each other accountable
- Set up “take a break” reminders in the YouTube app
- Contribute to reporting inappropriate content when you see it
WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOUR SCHOLAR!
Thank you to all the parents and guardians who attended our Coffee with the Counselors!
If you need to contact us, please see our information below or fill out the virtual counseling request form Virtual Counseling Request Form. Canvas tiles from your counselor with information and resources will be coming soon. Also, join our new Instagram account @rmmscounseling for updates and announcements!
Scholars with the last name A-L
Mrs. Ramirez
760-631-6400 ext. 64005
Scholars with the last name M-Z
Ms. Mayoral
760-631-6400 ext. 64003
JOIN PTA AND SUPPORT OUR SCHOLARS AT RMMS!
Please use this link to get access to all the PTA flyers.
RMMS Facemasks are available for $12. Visit PTA page on RMMS website for more information.
20-21 PTA Board:
President - Ashley Tovar (click name for email)
Vice President - Ashley Doyea
Secretary - Lucia Rodriguez
Treasurer - Amanda Remmen
Looking for a job? VUSD is hiring!
You are a VIP!
The Vista Institute for Parents (VIP) is a collaborative effort to create a system of support to engage and empower families as partners in education.
- Facilitating access to academic supports
- Prioritizing care and connection
- Building technology literacy
- Helping families effectively navigate the education system
This website is designed to provide up-to-date resources and videos, a platform to communicate with our support team and get connected to others, to learn new skills and tips for your family, and have fun with us as we all continue to grow and learn together to support our amazing Vista Unified students. This is an ever-evolving program, so if you identify something you would like to share or learn, please reach out to us today! Here's to being partners in education!
COVID Information & Updates
Public Testing Sites:
https://211sandiego.org/resources/health-wellness/covid-19-testing/
About us
Email: luciarodriguez-v@vistausd.org
Website: https://rmms.vistausd.org/
Location: 2245 Foothill Drive, Vista, CA 92084, USA
Phone: (760) 631-4500
Facebook: www.facebook.com/RMMSBulls
Twitter: @RMMSBulls