The Weekly Ramsey Update
Week 3
Upcoming events
Sept. 22nd -SCIT (School Climate Improvement Team) from 5-6
Sept. 22nd - PTO (Parent Teacher Organization) from 6:30-8
Sept. 27th - Picture Day!!
Sept. 29th - Family iPad Orientation Night, 6-7:30
MYP update of the week
Students have been completing coursework in Foundations this week to help them become principled digital citizens before getting iPads in a few weeks. It is important for students to understand the consequences of their digital footprints and how important it is to be responsible communicators as they post online. Check in with your students about what they have learned and how it might affect their online habits.
This week at Ramsey
In Ms. Fontana’s ELA Workshop 7, students continued readingtheir independent reading books and thinking about characters. We also practiced analyzing characters together with shared texts. Students turned in their first homework reading log bookmark on Friday and received a new one for next week. Students should be reading at home for 100 minutes per week.
Ms. Sawyer, Ms. Ashland, and Mr. Roberts ELA 6 classes have been building strong communities by learning each others' names, sharing a little bit about each other, and having student leaders take jobs in the classroom. All students have gotten hooked into a 'Just Right Book' and have read for 10-15 minutes each day in class. This week marks the start of official reading homework: 20 minutes each night or 100 minutes total each week. Students will record their reading on the homework reading bookmarks and turn them in each Friday. Happy reading!
A note from our PTO and Parent Volunteers
PTO NEWS - VOLUNTEERING AND FUNDRAISING
Thank you to all who came to the PTO meeting Thursday night. Everyone in the Ramsey community is a member of the PTO and we had a nice response to requests for volunteering at upcoming events. There will be more opportunities to get involved- stay tuned. The more we bring our community together to volunteer at Ramsey, the more Ramsey will benefit.
PTO is also about raising money. We'll have several ways families can contribute throughout the year, including Amazon Smiles . In the past, we raised a significant amount of our PTO money through Target’s “Take Charge of Education” program. Now that it is discontinued, we are asking that if you shop with Amazon, please consider signing up for the Amazon Smiles program. Ramsey will receive .5% of all sales.Please clink on the link below and designate Ramsey Middle School, St. Paul (not Ramsey Jr High in Minneapolis!) as your recipient. It is quick and easy to do!
Our main PTO fundraiser this year will be our Direct Donation Drive, which will start soon. Watch for details.If you have any questions please contact us, we'd love to hear from you.
Sincerely,
Ollie Muhammad and Ann Malm
PTO Co Chairs
Did you know?
Ramsey Middle School has a Classroom Volunteer Program!
The goal of this program is to help all students succeed and to support Ramsey’s dedicated teachers. We have a very diverse student body at Ramsey and it is important to us that the volunteers helping in the classroom represent that rich diversity.
A weekly commitment is needed. Reliability (and flexibility) is a key to the program’s success. An orientation is given to all new volunteers, so you can be prepared to walk into the classroom. Parents will not be placed in their student’s classroom.
If you feel called to help students succeed, please consider joining us one day a week for as little as one hour or for longer as your schedule allows.
To sign up to be a weekly classroom volunteer, complete the Volunteer Intake Form, https://airtable.com/shrIbWjrMDrgz2GmO
If you would like more information or have questions, send an email to kirstenfrost@comcast.net. Include your name, preferred phone number and a good time to reach you.
Thank you for your interest! We look forward to matching your availability to a need.
Parent Classroom Volunteer Coordinators,
Christine Danielson, Kirsten Frost and Amy Vargo
A special request from the Science department
Now that our year is in full swing -
8th grade is starting the year with Matter and Particle Theory
7th grade has a unit on Scientific Inquiry
6th grade is investigating Safety and Science Tools
Science is looking for the following in-kind supplies:
- Fun Pencil, Gel Pens, and other school supply like things to give as incentives for positive behavior
- Stress balls for hand fidgets
- 5 OZ Dixie Cups or Generic Equivalent
- Rolls of 3/4 inch scotch tape or refills for 3/4 inch scotch tape - it would be awesome if someone has a connection to 3M for this type of thing
- 65lb cardstock paper in white, blue, pink, yellow, and green
Cash donations for Science consumables are always welcome to offset the costs of chemicals, live specimens, and building materials.
Thank you for helping the Ramsey Science Department!
Important Notices
All Saint Paul Public Schools are required to complete a School Comprehensive Improvement Plan, otherwise known as a SCIP. This is a living document we use to strategically plan for continual improvement in student achievement and school climate. Because the SCIP is a very extensive document, we are providing this summary for our families outlining our major initiatives. If interested in viewing the entire document, please go to www.ramsey.spps.org or follow the link.
Yearbook Update: Yearbooks are on sale now for the lowest price of the year—order one now for $20 online atwww.jostensyearbooks.com. If you add personalization to the yearbook, you can get four free icons if you order by September 30.
Math Team is starting soon. Our first practice will be Monday, October 10th and our first meet will be October 17th. This is an opportunity for students to solve challenging math problems, compete with students from other schools and have lots of fun. All grades welcome. If interested, please see Ms Darcy from Flipside.
Our new librarian, Ms. Stephanie Krajicek would love to get some feedback from our parents and guardians about what they see as important as we reimagine the library. Please follow the link to share your thoughts. Thanks!
ATTENDANCE REMINDER: For all student absences or attendance issues please call Rita Wright at 651-744-4750.
National Junior Honor Society is hosting a Family Volunteer Night on November 29th. More information will be coming out later in the fall. If you would like to receive email updates about the Family Volunteer Night please fill out the following form https://goo.gl/KwQB9T
Right now we are asking for donations of denim jeans and clothing to support the Sole Hope project occurring that night. Drop them off in the office or send them to school with your student. Contact Ms. Ludwig or Mr. Haugen for more information or if you would like to assist with planning the event.
Please bring in the BoxTops for education. We have a bin in the office to collect them!
We have lots of opportunities to volunteer in the classrooms - please contact Christine Danielson at lcdanielson@msn.com
Minnesota Statute §121A.30, Pesticide Application at Schools requires that
schools provide annual written notice to parents/guardians and employees
regarding Herbicide, Pesticide, Insecticide & Fertilizer Applications. You can find the report here.
GiveMN is a local nonprofit that hosts fund-raisers for philanthropic giving on behalf of organizations and individuals across the state. Ramsey Middle School has a GiveMN account and is easily accessed on our website: ramsey.spps.org - look for the "donate" button in the upper right-hand corner of our website. While our PTO does a variety of fundraising for Ramsey student activities, this is an easy place to give to the school programming and student activities. Please check it out and let us know if you have any questions!
We at Ramsey have partnered with Buffalo Wild Wings on Snelling for the athletic department! The first Wednesday of every month will be Ramsey night and a part of the proceeds from each bill will be donated to Ramsey's athletic department. You do have to mention that you are there for Ramsey Middle School family night. All purchases (including adult beverages) go works towards the Ramsey donations!
Each year the state of Minnesota sends school test scores out to be shared with parents and guardians. You can find the letter here to see more information regarding our MMR scores.
About Us
Website: ramsey.spps.org
Location: 1700 Summit Avenue, Saint Paul, MN, United States
Phone: (651) 293-8860