Camps begin the week of July 2nd and continue through to August 10th, with different camps offered each week.  Students have received more information about these camps including a registration form.  Some camps will fill quickly and are capped at ten participants, so registering as soon as possible is advised.  If you have any questions about our MOVE Camps Program, please call David Cornwell at RMS (773-1960 x308) or email at dcornwell@rutlandhs.k12.vt.us

A PDF copy of the MOVE Camps Brochure and Registration Form can be found here:  Brochure- PT1 , Registration Form- PT2

Parent/Guardian Letter 2012

Clicking this link will open a PDF file containing the bus schedule which can be printed or saved for later use.

Welcome to Rutland Middle School and the start of the 2011-12 school year!  We are excited about the start of the school year!  We hope you are too.

The First Day at Rutland Middle School is Wednesday, August 31, starting at 7:45 a.m.   Students should report to their first period classes at that time.  Student schedules will be available at the RMS Fall Orientation to be held at 6:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 24 in the RMS/RIS Cafeteria.  A listing of first period locations will also be posted on the RIS/RMS cafeteria windows in front of the school. Parents are also invited to take part in our ‘First Day of School’ activities.

The school day for students ends at 2:25 P.M.  A bus schedule has been posted for your convenience. If your child plans to take the bus to school, please be at the closest stop five minutes before the bus arrival time.

In their first days at Rutland Middle School, students will receive a number of important materials. Perhaps the most important item is our Student Planner/Family Handbook.   This handbook contains important information about the Rutland Middle School and school policies.  Please take some time to go over this handbook with your child.  This handbook includes a planner that will be used by all students to record upcoming assignments.  Students will also bring home an emergency information card.  Please complete and sign this card and have your child return it to school as soon as possible. Students should also bring $4.00 on Opening Day so they can buy locks for their lockers.  Returning students may use the lock they purchased in their Seventh Grade year.

Letters  from your child’s teaching team have been mailed home welcoming new students to the Seventh Grade or returning students to the Eighth Grade.

On Wednesday, August 24 at 6:00 p.m. we will have our Annual School Orientation Night in the RMS gymnasium.  This event helps incoming families (especially families of seventh graders) become more familiar with our school.  We will provide an overview of your child’s schedule and give you a chance to meet some of your child’s teachers and walk through the school.  We encourage RMS parents and students to participate in this evening.

Two other important school opening announcements are listed below:

• For all students interested in participating in interscholastic middle school soccer, field hockey or cross country this fall, there is a mandatory meeting for these students and a parent on Monday, August 29 at 6:30 p.m. in the Rutland High School Gym.  Prospective middle school athletes must have a copy of the blue physical form stating that the athlete has had a physical or be able to show proof of such an examination within the past two years. (You can pick up a copy of this blue form at the Athletic Offices at Rutland High School).  Additionally, please bring health insurance and emergency contact information and a pen to this meeting.

• A reminder that all students must be in compliance with Vermont immunization laws. Specifically, this means that seventh grade students must have received two doses of the varicella (chicken pox) vaccine if they have not had the chicken pox disease.  Also required is a Tdap (tetanus/diphtheria/pertussis) booster that is usually given at age 11 or 12.  Please be sure that you have correctly filled out all medical information on the emergency information card.  One of our school nurses will contact you if they have any questions once they receive this important medical information.

If you have any questions or concerns prior to the start of the school year, please contact the Main Office at RMS.  The phone number is 773-1960 ext. 222

Again, welcome to the 2011 – 2012 school year at RMS.  We are all looking forward to a great year!

Sincerely,

Wil Cunningham – Principal, Rutland Middle School

Kris Francoeur – Assistant Principal, Rutland Middle School

A copy (in PDF Format) of the RMS Summer Academy Enrollment Form can be found HERE.

Goals of this program include the following:

ESP provides extended blocks of time for intensive study and immersion into academically challenging and interesting topics that cannot be studied within the typical school day;

ESP helps teach students a wide variety of problem-solving skills and apply them to culminating projects and ‘exhibitions’ that are presented to parents and the community at large;

ESP broadens the range of success experiences for middle level students;

ESP reinforces positive student/teacher relationships while studying topics of particular interest in a collaborative, positive environment.

The Enriched Studies Program will take place over five school days, starting Wednesday, June 8 and ending on Tuesday, June 14. During that time students will participate in two half-day programs or one full-day program while at school. They received their ESP Handbooks on Thursday, April 7. The ESP Handbooks contain course descriptions and other information about this special program. Students will choose their ESP programs during a special scheduling assembly that will take place on Tuesday April 19. We will have more information about ESP in our June issue of FYI.

The Rutland Middle School Fair! T., May 17 and W., May 18– We are revitalizing the RMS School Fair! The School Fair gives parents an opportunity to view student work that has been collected by teachers and is displayed in the Keefe Gym. Many student-created projects and other student work will be displayed on tables set up throughout Keefe Gym.

The School Fair will take place on Tuesday, May 17 and Wednesday, May 18. These two dates coincide with our two spring musical concerts. Plan on spending some time at our School Fair before listening to our wonderful music groups!

Spring Is Here! – Some Reminders- As long awaited warmer weather approaches we want to be sure that our students remember these important reminders:Dress and Footwear: Please be sure that your child is appropriately dressed for school. Check the ‘Dress Code’ section on page 27 of your Family Handbook for details. Additionally, please encourage your child to wear solid footwear. ‘Flip flops’ or locker slippers are discouraged. This type of footwear provides less stability and is not safe for an everyday school atmosphere.

Bike Riders: We anticipate that students will begin riding their bikes to school. We have a bike rack located behind Keefe Gym. If your child does ride a bike to school be sure that he/she is wearing a helmet and uses a bike lock to keep it safe during the school day.

RMS May Assessments– During the month of May, our seventh and eighth grade students will participate in two different tests.Eighth grade RMS students will take the New England Comprehensive Assessment Program’s (NECAP) Science exam. This test is similar to the fall NECAP tests in Reading, Math and Writing. The Science NECAP measures a student’s progress in meeting science standards from 5th to 8th grade. It includes two sessions that ask students to show what they know about physical, life and earth science through multiple choice questions and constructed response short essays. The third session asks students to perform as a scientist, analyzing data or conducting a lab, and then to writing an extended response (lab report) based on evidence they come up with. We will use student results to make decisions on curriculum and professional development. Parents will also receive individual results sometime in the early fall. Our science teachers will also spend some time prior to this exam preparing our students to do their best on this assessment. Please encourage your eighth grade child to give his or her best effort on this important test.

While eighth graders are taking the Science NECAPs, seventh grade students will take tests in Math and Language Arts. These ‘in-house’ tests have been created by RMS staff to evaluate student progress during the year. Results on these assessments will help RMS staff gain a better understanding of student progress during the 2010-11 school year. It will also help us make better student scheduling decisions for the 2011-12 school year.

A New Final Day for Students –Thursday, June 16- Because of our four snow days (so far!) the final day of school for students is now Thursday, June 16. We will have our two awards ceremonies on the morning of June 15 and 16 in the RIS/RMS auditorium. More specific information about our special end-of-year programs will be publicized in our June edition of FYI.RMS-RHS Transitions– As many parents are aware, eighth graders who are planning to move to Rutland High School next fall have already begun the transition process. This past winter, RHS Counselors met with these students in small groups to give an overview of the high school and came to RMS to complete ninth grade schedules. This May we will continue this preparation when RHS students come to RMS eighth grade Teacher Advisories to talk directly with our pupils. RHS visitors will receive written questions from our eighth graders prior to their visit. Two RHS students will be assigned to each eighth grade TA and talk directly to students to respond to these questions and discuss other concerns they may have. Student to student communication has been extremely successful in the past in allaying the normal anxiety eighth graders often experience during this transition. We are hopeful that this will give further comfort to departing students as they get ready for grade nine next fall. The RMS Coffeehouse is Coming!- Our popular Coffeehouse takes place on Thursday, May 12 in the school cafeteria. Students will recite their own original poetry, prose and short stories to an audience in a darkened coffeehouse atmosphere that will include cookies and floor lamps. What a wonderful way to celebrate the literary efforts of our students! We hope you can make it. Our annual Memorial Day Service, presented by the RMS Student Council, will be Friday, May 27 at 1:30 in the RIS auditorium. Please join us for this event honoring those who have given their lives for our country.

School will be closed for Memorial Day on Monday, May 30.