Rockport Middle School
Viking News - The Week 2/12/2024
The Week of 4/1/2024
Happy Friday, RMS Families,
We are headed into April with so much to look forward to in the weeks leading up to the April vacation! Spring sports are in full effect and the spring concert season kicks off this coming week as well! Please check out the schedule and be sure to attend one (or all!) of the upcoming events ahead.
We wrapped up Spirit month with class color day and a pep rally in the gym to kick off the long weekend. Thank you to the RMS Student Council for organizing a fantastic month of class bonding and culture building. It has certainly made March a lot more fun!
Here's to a great week ahead! 😎
-Ms. Rose
RMS PEP RALLY
Counseling Update
Ms. Douglas will be out for the remainder of the school year due to personal reasons. Students with IEP-related services have been working with the high school counseling staff and/or middle/high school school psychologist or BCBA within their individual goal areas. As students and families require counseling support, please email one of the professionals below:
Ms. Wilson (Adjustment Counselor): cwilson@rpk12.org
Mr. Klayman (6-12 School Psychologist): jklayman@rpk12.org
Ms. Price (RHS School Counselor): rprice@rpk12.org
Ms. Vavruska (RHS School Counselor): tvavruska@rpk12.org
Mr. Reardon (BCBA): areardon@rpk12.org
Grade 8 DC trip
Just a reminder to 8th-grade parents to register your students for the Washington DC field trip if you have not already done so. All payments are due on the 15th of each month. The registration information was included in the letter that parents received from the 8th-grade team 12/15/2023.
All questions can be emailed to Ms. Crocker @ rcrocker@rpk12.org
EVERYONE WELCOME!
Homework club runs mornings Mon. - Fri. 6:30-7:25 and afternoons Mon.- Thurs. 2:10- 3:00. Homework club is a place where students can come and get their work done and help if they need it. There is no sign-up, open door policy, and students can leave when they are done.
NO AFTERNOON homework club on:
Weds. March 20th
Thurs. March 28th
Nurse Updates
Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their children, and staff should monitor themselves for each day BEFORE coming to school.
Students and staff should NOT come into the school building and should contact their school nurse if they are experiencing the following:
• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
• Headache when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in
combination with other symptoms
If your child is experiencing any of the above symptoms, please notify your school nurse for further guidance
School nurses are here to help and answer questions or any concerns that you may have!
Respect and as much confidentiality as possible will be maintained at all times. Some information, such as positive COVID-19 test results, may need to be shared with the Rockport Board of Health.
*PLEASE reach out to your school nurse if:
- Your child has symptoms
- Your child or household members/close contacts have tested positive for COVID-19.
- You have any questions or need more guidance .
General Guidelines:
Generally speaking, any child with a fever of 100.0 and above or an illness with fever that produces chills, muscle aches, sore throat, or sweating should remain at home until 24 hours after the fever has resolved without using fever reducing medicine (ex: Tylenol/Acetaminophen, Motrin/Ibuprofen, Aleve/Naproxen) . Please do not send any medication into school with your child.
Strep-throat, Conjunctivitis or impetigo (a rash with pustules) requires 24 hours of medication as prescribed by the physician before a student returns to school.
A child with a rash or skin condition that is undiagnosed by a physician should remain at home until all lesions are healed, or the child is seen and cleared by their physician.
Parents whose children have had any of the above conditions should contact the school nurse so that we may ease the transition back to school after an illness and implement communicable disease control in the school or classroom if necessary.
Your child may attend school with a cold however, if your child has copious amounts of nasal drainage or persistent coughing that interferes with the ability to participate in class they should stay home. Children with persistent cold symptoms should see their primary care physician.
The School Nurses do not have cold medicine in the school. If your child requires cold medicine before school, chances are that it will wear off by lunchtime. If you feel that your child will need another dose of over the counter medicine while at school, please call the school nurse, plan to bring the medicine in, and fill out the Medication Authorization form. Children with cold-like symptoms should not attend school, please refer to the above COVID-19 guidelines for more details.
If a mid-day dose of antibiotics is required, no-problem! Call the school nurse and we can accommodate your child's needs. You can print the Medication Authorization Form from the web-page. A responsible adult (age 18 or older) must bring medicine to school.
Your child may attend school if he/she needs short-term inhalers or nebulizers for acute Reactive Airway Disease/Asthma or Cold. Please fill out the Student Asthma Action Plan Form and have your child's physician sign it. More pediatricians are prescribing inhalers for persistent cold symptoms. Ask your pediatrician for an extra inhaler for school or call the school nurse to make arrangements. While you are at the Pediatrician, ask your pediatrician for a spacer (Aerochamber), it makes it easier for your child to inhale the medication and it will be more effective.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school a healthy place to learn.
Thank you,
Jeanne E. Pratt RN BSN NCSN (she/her)
RMS/RHS nurse
tc-(978)-546-1236
fax-(978)-546-3805
Updated COVID-19 guidance from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health:
· If your child develops symptoms (fever, cough, congestion, etc.) of a respiratory virus, such as COVID-19, please keep them home until they are feeling better. For most respiratory illnesses, symptoms generally begin to improve after 72 hours.
· Your child may return to school as soon as they have been fever-free for at least 24 hours (without the use of medications like Tylenol/Ibuprofen) AND once any symptoms have improved.
· Your child is no longer required to stay out of school for a full 5 days. However, if they are still within the first 5 days of the onset of respiratory symptoms and/or testing positive for COVID-19, your child should wear a mask at school and keep some distance between themselves and others.
· Please remember that masks should fit well and cover both the mouth and nose.
· If you have a child who is unable to wear a mask, please consider keeping them home until their symptoms have fully resolved.
· Follow good hygiene measures, such as frequently handwashing/sanitizing, covering coughs/sneezes, and disinfecting high-touch surfaces and common spaces.
· If your child is exposed to someone with COVID-19 or another respiratory illness, they do not need to stay home as long as they remain asymptomatic. Please do an at-home rapid COVID test if they do become symptomatic or 5-7 days after initial exposure.
· Free rapid COVID-19 test kits are available from the Town of Rockport.
· Remember to get your child vaccinated annually for both COVID-19 and Influenza.
--
Thank you,
Ruth Wagner, MSN, RN
School Nurse
Rockport Elementary School
34 Jerdens Lane
Rockport, MA 01966
(T) 978-546-1223
Preschool
PTO Updates
Your PTO needs your unique talents, whether it's volunteering a few hours a month or a few hours a year, serving on the board, or attending meetings. Find your pet project and join us! All communications from the PTO will be done via link in school newsletter, our email address of ptorockport@gmail.com and our Facebook page under Rockport Parent Teacher Organization. We would love to have you join us!
--Rockport PTO Membership Dues-- $10 per family--
Thank you for your support!