The RemDawg Bark
September Edition
Welcome Back!
We have enjoyed seeing familiar faces and also meeting students who are new to RMS over the past two weeks. Students are settling into the routines and are developing relationships with their teachers and classmates.
If you haven't already, please take a minute to complete the beginning of the year form (online link) and submit the office/nurse cards. Students and families should read through this important information and complete the appropriate sign offs.
Don't forget to check the important dates at the bottom of this newsletter!
Core Values, The Big Rules, and Supports Meeting
Additionally, we spoke regarding our most important rule:
All members of the RMS community will use supportive and inclusive language towards each other at all times.
We discussed how this rule will help students feel welcome and belong while also prevent bullying and harassment. Further, we explicitly shared resources within the building if they were having trouble following those rules, as well as possibly experiencing bullying/harassment or unfair/unkind treatment.
Advisory Focus--September
Provide opportunities for students to develop meaningful connections and build relationships with a small group of peers and their Advisory teacher
Directly teach and provide opportunities for the development and practice of SEL skills and Portrait of a Graduate skills
Celebrate differences and embrace inclusive practices in a safe place
Create a common shared experience for all students and staff with opportunities for ongoing input
Develop compassionate citizens who can effectively communicate their needs, ideas, and hopes and who feel an increased sense of belonging and purpose in the school community
The first month of Advisory will focus on a few components. They will include building team norms and community agreements, building relationships (peer to peer and peer to staff), and then transitioning to a focus on building Self Awareness skills. This will be accomplished to learning about the benefits of a growth mindset and reflecting on their own identity.
Breakfast Available
To create or access your account, use this link to make online payments, monitor purchases and transactions, set up automatic payments, view the balance, or transfer funds between accounts.
Menus can be found using this website.
Picture Day--9/29/2022
Go to http://www.mylifetouch.com and use our School Picture Day ID: EVTS2GHFX
Weekend Backpack Program
We would like to inform you of a new program available for children enrolled in the Remington Middle School. Remington Middle School has partnered with the Franklin Food Pantry to provide food to students who might benefit from this support. Together, we will gather, package and provide bags of food for students during the school year to take home over the weekend. Students who participate in this program are kept confidential to appropriate school personnel. Names are not shared with food pantry personnel.
The packaged food will be sent home on Fridays and this will continue through the end of the school year. This is a free program for all participating families. The backpacks will contain a variety of child friendly foods. Some examples are granola bars, oatmeal, SpaghettiOs, shelf stable milk and Ritz crackers. The backpacks will be distributed to students in a discreet and caring manner.
If you are interested in receiving the Backpack or have questions about the program, please call Elizabeth Quinby, at 508-541-2130 or email quinbye@franklinps.net.
Message from the PCC
We hope all RMS students had a great first two weeks back at school. The PCC is certainly looking forward to another great year of supporting our staff and students! If you are not familiar with the PCC, we work to enrich the education of every student at Remington by helping to plan and/or fund field trips, enrichment programs, student/teacher supplies, staff appreciation and 8th grade events, and more. Please read below for some important information.
Sign up to receive our emails
If you would like to find out what’s happening with the PCC throughout the year, including upcoming events, fundraising opportunities and more, please opt in to receive our emails by filling out our Contact Information Form. Due to privacy policies, we do not have access to family contact information. You will not receive our communications if you do not opt in to our distribution lists.
All-School PCC Meeting
Please join us for our first meeting of the year on Wednesday, September 21st at 7 p.m. A google link will be sent that week. Come hear what we have planned for the year and how you can help! We need more volunteers in order to have a successful year and we have lots of ways you can help without a huge time commitment. If you are unable to make the meeting but would like to find out more about ways to pitch in, please fill out our Volunteer Form.
Community Partnership Event
Please join us for our first Community Partnership of the year, taking place all day at Panera (270 Franklin Village Drive) on September 15th. Bring this flyer or show a digital copy to the cashier when ordering at the cafe, or enter code FUND4U online to ensure we get a portion of the proceeds.
Spiritwear Orders
Spiritwear orders that were placed over the summer are being distributed this week. There will be another chance to order in the next few weeks. Be on the lookout for more information soon! Any questions, please reach out to Christine Tetherly-Lewis at ctetherlylewis@gmail.com.
A Huge Thank You
Thank you so much to the generous families who contributed to the Welcome Back Lunch for staff. It was a wonderful way to welcome the amazing Remington educators back for the new school year. There will be other opportunities to contribute to staff appreciation events throughout the school year.
Keep in Touch!
Please visit the PCC website (https://sites.google.com/site/remingtonpccfranklin/home)
for more information. Feel free to reach out by email (pccremington@gmail.com) with any questions or ideas.
Tips and Discussion Prompts for Middle Schoolers
In alignment with our focus on self awareness and community building during Advisory, I wanted to share some of her "top tips" and conversation starters from the chapter titled "Embracing Difference in Self and Others".
Top Tips
- Don't shut down unpopular view points. Engage in discussion, but set a boundary-your child can't say anything that degrades someone's humanity
- Monitor your own biases. Family members can say "check that" to one another when someone makes a generalization about a group
- Encourage authentic inclusion, not just a "hi" in the hall
- Think about who your child sees you befriending and treating with respect
- Encourage them to draw from their own experiences with feeling different to help others
Conversation starters
- What differences and similarities have you noticed when you hang out with....?
- What do you think it's like to have to worry about _________ ?
- Why do you think kids find it scary to approach people who are different in some way?
Important Dates
September:
- Tuesday, September 13: Bus Evacuation Practice for Students (PM dismissal)
- Thursday, September 15: Community Partnership Event at Panera!
- Wednesday, September 21: Half Day for Students (10:45am dismissal)
- Monday, September 26: No School (Rosh Hashanah)
- Thursday, September 29: Picture Day
October:
- Wednesday, October 5: No School (Yom Kippur)
- Friday, October 7: Half Day for Students (10:45am dismissal)
- Monday, October 10: No School (Columbus Day/Indigenous Peoples Day)
- Thursday, October 13: Back to School Night at RMS (6:00pm)
- Thursday, October 27: Leslie Connor Author Visit at RMS
- Friday, October 28: Half Day for Students (10:45am dismissal)
Remington Middle School
Email: williamsc@franklinps.net
Website: https://www.franklinps.net/remington-middle-school
Location: 628 Washington Street, Franklin, MA, USA
Phone: 508-541-2130