Dear Rye Neck Families,

Welcome to another edition of our biweekly middle school newsletter! We hope this message finds you well and that your family is looking forward to the start of spring. In this week's newsletter, we have some exciting updates and important information to share with you about our students' progress, upcoming events and reminders.

As always, we encourage you to stay connected with our school community and reach out to our staff if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for your continued support and dedication to your child's education.

Best regards,

Dr. Dulce Barker

• Modified sports info meeting for 7th & 8th gr. - Tuesday, March 21st, 3PM, DH
• MS Science & Technology Fair - Thursday, March 23rd, 6-7:30PM, DH
• Superintendent's Conference Day - No school for students - Friday, March 24th
• Modified spring sports begin - Monday, March 27th
• FEB 5th gr. visits - Monday, March 27th; Tuesday, March 28th; & Wednesday, March 29th
• Judith Altmann virtual presentation for 8th grade - Friday, March 31st, Pds. 8 & 9
  
• Spring Recess - No school - Monday, April 3rd - Friday, April 7th

To further strengthen our safety and security measures, middle school students were issued ID cards on February 27th and asked to wear them during school hours. This will help easily determine who belongs on campus. We ask that you continue to work with your child to establish the best routine for them to store and remember their IDs. We encourage students to keep IDs in one of the small pockets in their backpacks.

Monitors check IDs as students enter the building, therefore, students should be wearing them as they enter the building. If a student has forgotten their ID, they will be sent to the main office for a temporary card (or blue visitor pass). Since we have a limited number of temporary cards, we ask that students store their phones or airpods in the main office (instead of their lockers) in exchange for the temporary ID. This will help ensure the return of the temporary ID. If a student loses their ID, have them report it to the main office for replacement.

As you are making summer plans, please keep in mind that middle schoolers will be taking finals in June.

June 13th - English final (grades 6-8)

June 14th - Living Environment Regents (8th grade); Science final (grades 6-7)

June 15th - Algebra Regents (8th grade); Math final (grades 6-8)

June 16th - Social Studies final (grades 6-8); 8th grade BBQ 11:45-1:45

June 20th - FLACS (8th grade); World Language final (grades 6-7); Moving Up rehearsal pds 7-9

June 21st - Moving Up Ceremony

Please note the location and time of the Moving Up Ceremony has changed. The ceremony will take place at 1:00pm in the high school gymnasium.

A reminder for parent, student, and staff drivers:

Our MS/HS parking lot, driveways, and Hornidge Rd. can become congested at times. Typical drivers may be in a hurry with other places to go, appointments to make, and get annoyed at others who either don’t pay attention or hinder progress. Please keep these tips in mind for everyone’s safety, particularly the children who may be less careful, less aware, or who exercise the degree of judgment that comes with their age level:

• Avoid cutting people off-- it leads to rapid and poor decision making, and it can generate road rage.

• Adhere to stop and speed limit signs, and give people using crosswalks the right of way.

• Take turns at merges, stop signs, and intersections to give everyone a chance to enter and exit.

• Drive slowly and defensively. The 10 mph campus speed limit is slow, but slow is better than unsafe.

• Assume walkers and bikers are not paying attention to you. Although walkers and bikers should follow road rules, assume that they will not do the safe thing.

• Be aware that there are other drivers in other cars: don’t block driving lanes or intersections, move for those exiting parking spots, and load/unload students quickly in designated areas.

• Traffic in the “temporary” gravel parking lot on Hornidge is one-way. Students should not be dropped off in the lot. Additionally, pedestrian traffic is not permitted in this lot. You cannot walk through as a shortcut.

It is flu season. Please continue to keep children home when they are sick. Symptoms of Covid, Influenza, Strep, common cold, etc. often overlap. Students who test negative for Covid but are still sick should not be sent to school.

• Students experiencing a fever must be fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of medicine before returning to school.

On January 23, 2023, sixth graders began participating in the DARE program with Village of Mamaroneck Police Officer Christine Belisito-Maikish. The program meets during Character Education classes. Officer Belisito-Maikish is working with each class once per six-day cycle. If a student does not take Character Education, they will join one of the classes to participate in this program.

The DARE program complements the Character Education curriculum already in place for grade six. Although at its outset in the 1980s, DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) focused on drug abuse, today the program helps sixth graders learn to make good decisions, particularly in the areas of responsibility and confidence, peer pressure, and bullying, as well as alcohol and tobacco. An added benefit of this program is that the presence of Officer Belisito-Maikish helps build relationships between the police department and our students and community.

As our modified athletic contests are starting for 7th and 8th graders, it's important to remember sportsmanship. It's wonderful to have excited fans and families in the bleachers! Please remember to cheer positively for our athletes, coaches and teams and refrain from saying anything negative toward officials, opponents or visiting teams. Individuals or groups who are not able to demonstrate appropriate behavior will be asked to leave the event. Let's share in the goal of creating an environment that is welcoming, energizing and educational. Go Rye Neck!!

Hello 8th Grade Parents and Guardians!

As was discussed at the Freshman Orientation Meeting, I am scheduling 4-year planning meetings with eighth grade students and their parents/guardians. These meetings outline high school graduation requirements and the classes students may take in order to meet them. We will also discuss post-secondary goals. Four-year plans are reviewed each year with the students' high school counselors.

Meetings will take place during 3rd or 8th period when students have specials, PE or Health. Meetings will be approximately 30 minutes. They will be held in person. When signing up, please include your child's name in the comment section if their last name is different from yours.

To sign up for a 4-year planning meeting, click here. I will then send you a calendar invite.

Please click here for the presentation. Be sure to review the resources provided at the very end.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at (914)777-4732 or at csullivan@ryeneck.org.

Thank you!

Coleen Sullivan

MS Counselor

The Tri-State Engineering Expo aims to inspire middle school and high school students interested in STEM careers with hands-on activities, interactive displays, educational panels, robotics competitions and more. Representatives from engineering and technology firms as well as colleges and universities will be on hand to talk to students. Admission is free to students and families. The location is White Plains High School on March 26, 2023.

http://www.beanengineer.org/

Herff Jones will be sending out emails throughout the year about ordering a yearbook!

You can also purchase a yearbook by clicking on the link below and entering Rye Neck Middle School’s code: 40568.

www.yearbookordercenter.com

Yearbooks will be on sale until April 4th so get yours now!

After-school clubs started the week of October 3rd. Homeroom teachers shared a club offerings presentation with students. The presentation was emailed to them and you can also find it on our school website. Clubs are open to students in grades 6-8. Students can try different clubs; or if they are in 6th grade, they can also participate in intramural sports. The club presentation as well as the schedule for intramural sports is below.

MS After School Clubs

Monday - Friday

3:00PM - 4:00PM

• Intramurals sessions are run by Rye Neck coaches.

• Intramural design will consist of skill development and scrimmaging.

• Please use this FamilyID link to register your child for Intramurals:

• 6th Grade Intramurals

• 6th Graders are to report directly to the location indicated below.

• Intramurals only run on days school is in session.

• Attendance is not mandatory for participation but if you sign up we ask that you make every attempt to attend each day. A student may register for multiple sessions/sports.

2023 FALL PRESEASON START DATE FOR VARSITY and JV SPORTS!!!

Mark your calendars! The fall sports start date for Varsity and JV sports is Monday, August 21st! All fall athletes in 9th-12th grades for the 2023-24 school year are expected to be back and cleared to participate on that date. Please make sure that any vacation plans are completed prior to the start date. Thank you!

Registration Form

Please make sure your child has a pair of headphones and brings them to school every day.

Code of Conduct

6th graders celebrated Pi Day on Tuesday, March 14th in Ms. Reynolds’, Ms. Massi’s and Mr. Ghiozzi’s classes. Pi, which is used to calculate measurement for all things round, was the inspiration for all of the round shaped treats the students brought in. During the celebration students had the opportunity to represent Pi as a paper chain, make Pi art, read a silly story about the Dragon of Pi, and of course, snack on pie. It was a wonderful event that spread the joy of math through the 6th grade and beyond! A big thank you to our 6th grade class moms, Mara LoConte and Gina D’Amore, for helping get supplies and organizing volunteers. Another big thank you to all volunteers who helped make the day possible.

Students just finished learning about Cubist artist, Georges Braque. They created portraits inspired by his art style with a focus on using complementary or contrasting colors as well as continuing to practice value throughout their work. They created fun and interesting collages for this project! Now students are currently learning about Pablo Picasso with a focus on his anti-war painting called "Guernica”. Students will be using the peace dove as their subject in order to create paintings that portray a positive message.

6th grade students working on their Cubist portraits:

Students in seventh grade English classes are halfway through the comedy

A Midsummer Night’s Dream and have seen a stage production of the play performed by the Shakespeare Theater of New Jersey. Students are also reading their third independent reading book and should complete it by Friday, March 24th.

We'll continue reading and examining themes in The Giver. Our unit question asks students to ponder how much of their freedom they would be willing to give up in order to live in a society that is one hundred percent safe. Since it's March Madness time, I'll be encouraging everyone to cheer for the Providence Friars to finally win an NCAA basketball title!

Students just finished learning about abstract painter Sonia Delaunay in order to create collages inspired by her style. They focused on using contrast, line direction, and overlapping shapes within their abstract designs. Now students are currently learning about the glass artist Dale Chihuly in order to create their very own colorful sculptures inspired by his “Macchia” series.

7th grade students working on Dale Chihuly sculptures:

The eighth graders are reading Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Discussions will highlight the themes of prejudice, empathy, courage, and maturity in this classic novel. We continue to work on improving reading comprehension skills and expository writing.

Students just finished working on their graffiti name designs inspired by the artwork and graffiti murals created by Lady Pink. Students learned about and understand the difference between graffiti as an art form and as vandalism. They created very colorful works of art using drawing and printing techniques. Now students are currently learning about the Renaissance artist, Albrecht Dürer. They will be taking inspiration from his detailed use of lines and texture in order to create interesting insects for this new project.

8th grade students working on their graffiti names: