Magnet News

February 17, 2022

Celebrating Academic Excellence

Top Science Fair Awards

Top Science Fair Awards

The results are in! Student presenters at the 2022 Rockdale Regional Science and Engineering Fair had the opportunity to earn awards and recognition for their research. Awards given can be viewed at this link so students can share the news with their family and friends. Amazing work to all our student presenters and many thanks to each of our judges who gave their time for this event! Good luck to our 26 students headed to state competition and 7 students with international science fair opportunities!

Top Science Fair Awards
January Students of the Month

January Students of the Month

Wednesday we celebrated these students of the month listed below with a donut party to award them for their efforts. The students listed below were selected by their teachers for exhibiting our RCHS PBIS expectations of Responsible, Respectful, On Time, and Ready to Learn! Keep up the great work!


9th Grade: Emmanuel Allen, Salvador Cervantes, Hannah Coley, Jayden Edwards, Taylor Flagg, Gemma Gayle, Colin Hudson, Shiloh Knusten, Jesus Lopez, Matthew McCoy, Tayton Moore, Juan Moran, Ian Morgan, Dalena Nguyen, James Oniha, Gavin Reece, Joel Samuels, Shianna Shaw, Shinnel, and Solomon Laila Thomas


10th Grade: Xander Atkinson, Zoe Baker, Kameron Bolton, Keelia Brasfield, Danielle Carnegie, Brianna Carr, Aiden French, Jose Funes, Elissa Jefferson, Katya Lans, Camila Moreno, Michello Ngo, and Matilda Rodgers


11th Grade: Angel Gomez, Jeriko Kammerer, Kayla Lewis, Zuri Njenga, Stewart Oser, Jasmyne Porter, Isabella Powell, Amani Roberson, and Ryan Wood


12th Grade: Daniela Aguilar, Gabrielle Daley, Jocelyn Davis, Rose Francois, Gavin Garner, Morgan Gill, Sydnee Hairston, Margaret Hwang, Jalyn Jones, Cindy Manene, Esme McKinney, Amelia Page, and Rhea Sethi

January Students of the Month

Heart Week Highlights

Fringie Friday is tomorrow!

Thank you STUCO for hosting such an amazing Heart Week! The full newsletter for Heart Week can be viewed at this link.

Honor the Past, Celebrate the Present, Inspire the Future: Black History Month 2022

RMSST is proud to celebrate Black History Month 2022! We honor and highlight the triumphs, movements, heritages, cultures, struggles and achievements of Black Americans past and present in order to inspire the future. Here are some of the celebration plans for this month: Black History Month Celebration on Friday, February 18, 2022, presented by the RMSST Black STEM Student Union, which include student-created videos and a synchronous trivia challenge. Students are creating art to expand our internal galleries as part of the second annual "RMSST Celebrate Black Culture Art Contest". Physical artwork can be submitted to the front office and digital versions emailed to abaskett@rockdale.k12.ga.us. All art must be submitted by February 18th to be considered for the $25 Amazon gift card prize. Ambassadors are creating a time capsule on 2-2-22 to be opened by students on 3-3-33. Students are sharing physical mementos of their current and past experiences in hopes of inspiring current 1st graders when they are seniors on 3-3-33. Student leaders are celebrating a Black innovator daily on the morning announcements. Book Club is celebrating Lit Week and Black History Month by highlighting Black authors in a different genre daily January 31st-February 4th. Student Council will be sharing quotes from Black Leaders on kindness, gratitude, and service daily as part of radio broadcast sketches performed during Heart Week February 14th-18th.
Celebrate Black Culture Art Competition. Deadline: February 18th Prize: $25 Amazon Gift Card Submit physical work to Magnet Front Office; email digital art to Mrs. Baskett

AAPI Student Union Kick-off Social

Join the AAPI Student Union Club in the cafetorium! There'll be popular Asian snacks, music, and games

Instructions for Independent Learning Day on Monday, February 21st

Monday, February 21st is an Independent Learning Day. Students should log into ItsLearning to find assignments and other instructional materials posted by their teachers. All student work must be submitted by Sunday, February 27th to be counted as "present" for attendance.


If a student has technical difficulty, please use the list below as guidance for seeking help:


  • email or itsLearning message the teacher for guidance
  • students/parents can review the help documents available in ClassLink’s Tech Help folder with an icon that says, “Student Tech Help”
  • visit website: Parent Technology Support - Rockdale County Public Schools (rockdaleschools.org)
  • call 770-860-4259 and leave a detailed message and a member of the technology staff will return their call
Light blue background with yellow and pink floral border reads "Have a great and safe break! In-person Instruction resumes Monday, February 28th."

College & Career Corner

Juniors and Seniors: Sign up for SAT School Day in April!

We excited to share that we have the opportunity to offer the SAT School Day on April 13th. This will allow you to take a full SAT test at school.The standard test fee is $55. This is reduced to $8 if your family income qualifies for a reduced fee waiver from College Board. Fees must be paid in the Magnet office by 8:05 am Thursday, March 3rd so that the tests can be ordered. Students should bring their payment to the Magnet Front Office in the form of exact change via cash, check or money order made out to Rockdale County High School. More information about SAT School Day is available at For Parents - SAT School Day | College Board.

QuestBridge College Prep

Questbridge Scholars Flyer. Please see Ms. Harris for more information.

Academic Support Opportunities

Yellow background with a square loose leaf paper in the center, surrounding by various school supplies. On the paper reads "Extended Tutorials Tuesdays and Wednesdays 6 PM Pickup."

Extended Tutorials & Open Work Session Tuesdays & Wednesdays

Yellow background with a square loose leaf paper in the center, surrounding by various school supplies. On the paper reads "Extended Tutorials Tuesdays and Wednesdays 6 PM Pickup."

Below is the list of teacher/counselors/tutors available for the extended hours. Keep in mind that even if the subject you need is not listed, any of the adults can help you make a tutor.com appointment or give you general direction on making the most of your study time. Students can stay after school for ANY teacher's office hours, clubs, and/or teams and then report to the extended tutorial OR students can come directly to the cafetorium to work or get help. Students must be picked up by 6pm on extended tutorial days. This allows families a later window for transportation.


Tuesday, March 1st:

Garner - Mathematics

Kennen - Chemistry

Peer Tutoring Subjects Available: Analytic Geometry, Advanced Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, AP Environmental Science


Wednesday, March 2nd:

Matthews - Mathematics

Jones - Biology

Peer Tutoring Subjects Available: Analytic Geometry, Advanced Algebra, Pre-Calculus, Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, Spanish I

Weekly Office Hours and Clubs/Teams Calendar

Big picture

Free Tutoring! Access Tutor.com via ClassLink for Live On-Demand Help at Home! AP Courses are Included!

Reminder: Rockdale County Public Schools (RCPS) and Tutor.com, one of the world’s largest online tutoring services, have partnered to provide live, online tutoring services for RCPS students. Through this partnership, quarantined RCPS students in grades 6-12 can access live tutors on-demand, 24 hours a day, seven days a week, from Tutor.com for 1-to-1 learning support. RCPS students in grades K-12 can access the same expert tutors afterschool.


The service provides homework help across more than 120 subjects, along with drop-off essay review and test prep.


Students can access Tutor.com through the ClassLink landing page in any internet browser on their school-issued laptop or device, which will automatically sign in the student to their account. Or they can visit https://launchpad.classlink.com/rockdale.

Updates & Announcements

Save the Dates!

Upcoming Magnet Events:
  • Black History Flex hosted by BSSU- February 18th
  • GJSHS at UGA- February 20th
  • Winter Intercession- February 22nd-25th
  • Rising 9th Grade Parent-Student Meeting- March 3rd
  • Teacher Work Day & Conference Day- March 4th

Front Office Staff Change, Submitting Excuse Notes & Limiting Unexcused Absences

We are excited to welcome Ms. Stephanie Kabance to our staff as the new Front Office Clerk. We wish Ms. Riemersma the best as she starts a new adventure in Atlanta. Ms. Kabance will be the answering the Front Office phones and door so please welcome her to the Magnet Family as you have the opportunity. The procedures for excuse notes remains the same as it has been and is noted below.


Excuse notes can be brought to Magnet’s front office or submitted via email to

MagnetOffice@rockdale.k12.ga.us .Please note that excuse notes must be submitted within 3 days of your student’s return to school.


Students must stay home if they are sick and stay home until they have been fever free for a minimum of 24 hours. Additionally, students and staff are required to isolate for 10 days when they receive a positive COVID-19 test.


While understanding it is key to stay home if a student is sick, we also need your partnership in limiting or eliminating unexcused absences. Students, you will not be eligible to exempt your Spring final exams if you have more than 3 unexcused absences. Please ensure that you are coming to school on all days that you are able.

A person in PPE conducts a swab test with the text that reads Free Covid-19 Testing

Safety Reminders & COVID-19 Testing

A person in PPE conducts a swab test with the text that reads Free Covid-19 Testing
As a reminder, we will continue with our multi-measure approach to reducing the spread of illness in our building. These measures include wearing well-fitting masks, frequent handwashing and use of hand sanitizer, social distancing when feasible, contact tracing, requiring students and staff to isolate for 10 days when they receive a positive COVID-19 test, and requiring students and staff to quarantine when identified as a close contact. Mrs. Baskett is our primary contact tracer at Magnet. Please reach out via email at abaskett@rockdale.k12.ga.us or by phone at 770-483-8737 if your student has a positive COVID-19 test or has been identified as a close contact.


Also, RCPS continues to offer free COVID testing Monday through Thursday along with free vaccine events. To learn more about contact tracing, isolation and quarantine guidance, testing and vaccines, please visit the district website at www.rockdaleschools.org and click on the COVID tab at the top of the page. Thank you for doing your part to keep our students and staff healthy!

You are not alone. Help is in your hand! When life is making you lonely or feel that no one understands, let your fingers do the talking for you. Use your phone to CHAT, TEXT, or CALL anytime, day or night, to reach a mental health professional for support. • Download the MyGCAL app for your Android or Apple device to access assistance 24/7, 365 days a year! • Touch CHAT, TEXT or CALL in the app to receive immediate support from a caring GCAL professional including licensed clinicians. • Or call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225. MyGCAL is specifically designed for Georgia’s youth to get help in times of need. You are not alone... click or call the Georgia Crisis and Access Line (GCAL) at 1-800-715-4225. #NotAloneRCPS No estás solo. ¡La ayuda está en tu mano! Cuando la vida te esté haciendo sentir solo o sintiendo que nadie entiende, deja que tus dedos hablen por ti. Utiliza tu teléfono para CHAT, TEXTO, o LLAMADA en cualquier momento, de día o de noche, para ponerte en contacto con un profesional de salud mental para obtener apoyo. • Descarga la aplicación MyGCAL para tu dispositivo Android o Apple para acceder a la asistencia 24/7, 365 días al año! • Toqua CHAT, TEXTO o LLAMADA en la aplicación para recibir el apoyo inmediato de un profesional de GCAL, incluye médicos con licencia. • O llama a la Línea de Crisis y Acceso de Georgia (GCAL) al 1-800-715-4225. MyGCAL está diseñado específicamente para que los jóvenes de Georgia obtengan ayuda en momentos de necesidad. No estás solo... haga clic o llame a la Línea de Crisis y Acceso de Georgia (GCAL) al 1-800-715-4225. #NotAloneRCPS
RMSST Clubs & Teams Instagram handles. Please see Mrs. Baskett or club sponsors for additional information if needed.
A graphic showing the RCPS PBIS expectations

PBIS School Wide Rules with RCHS

Be Respectful

Be Responsible

Be On time

Be Ready to Learn

A graphic showing the RCPS PBIS expectations
The word mission is shown large with the Rockdale Magnet School logo

Rockdale Magnet School Mission

The mission of RMSST, a specialized research-focused learning community, is to foster and produce students who think ethically, critically, and independently while excelling in competitive academic environments and demonstrating high standards and expectations.

The word mission is shown large with the Rockdale Magnet School logo
The Magnet logo with three gold hexagons

Rockdale Magnet School for Science and Technology

The Magnet logo with three gold hexagons
Challenge, Opportunity, Distinction
930 Rowland Road Northeast, Conyers, GA, USA abaskett@rockdale.k12.ga.us 770-483-8737 rockdalemagnetschool.com