Parent Connections

PARENT CONNECTIONS P A N T H E R S October 6, 2015

END OF 1st QUARTER The end of the first quarter will be here on Friday, October UPCOMING EVENTS 14th. Please take time to go over your student’s grades and any due dates that may be fast approaching. Student Oct. 6 RVMS Picture Retakes grade cards will be sent home with the students on Oct. 6 7/8 FB vs. Hiawatha at RVHS -- 4:30 PM Thursday, October 20th. Oct. 7 Meal at the Mall Oct. 10 Staff Development – NO SCHOOL PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES Oct. 10 GBB Practice – 3:45 PM This fall, parent-teacher conferences will be held on Oct. 11 VB/CC Awards Ceremony in gym – 2:50 PM Wednesday, October 26th from 4:00 to 8:00 pm and on Oct. 12 7/8 Fall Music Concert @ RVHS Gym –7:30 PM th Oct. 13 7/8 FB @ Jeff West – 4:30 PM Thursday, October 27 from 8:00 am to 6:30 pm. On Oct. 14 GBB and Cheer Pictures – 3:40 PM th October 26 , teachers will have a dinner break from 5:00 Oct. 14 End of First Quarter to 5:30 pm and on October 27th dinner break will be from Oct. 17 7/8 GBB vs. Holton @ RVES/RVMS – 4:30 PM 12:00 to 12:30 pm. No classes will be held on Thursday, Oct. 20 Grade Cards Sent Home with Students October 27th and Friday, October 28th. 7th and 8th grade Oct. 20 7/8 GBB @ Perry – 4:30 PM conferences will be held in the gymnasium and are not Oct. 21 RVMS Halloween parade – 2:50 PM scheduled in advance. 5th and 6th grade conferences can Oct. 24 7/8 GBB vs. ACCJH @ RVES/RVHS be scheduled online at www.rv337.com or by returning Oct. 25 RVMS WR Pictures – 3:50 PM Oct. 26 Parent-Teacher Conferences 4:00 – 8:00 pm the conference registration form that will be sent home on Oct. 27 NO SCHOOL -- Parent-Teacher Conferences th Thursday, October 13 . Please take the time to visit with 8:00 – 6:30 pm your student’s teachers at this time to learn how he/she is Oct. 28 No School – No Classes doing in class. Oct. 29 PRO Haunted Hallways – 5:00 PM Oct. 31 7/8 GBB @ Sabetha – 4:30 PM ANTI-BULLYING AWARENESS MONTH October is designated to raise awareness to bullying across the nation. At RVMS, students will be going through anti-bullying training modules that will teach the students how to stand up to bullying whether you are being bullied or if you are a witness to an act of bullying. On Wednesday, October 5 th, RVMS had “Black Out Bullying” day. Students were asked to wear black to stand up against bullying behavior.

MEAL AT THE MALL We will be taking those students who met their academic goals during the 2015-16 school year on a field trip to eat lunch at the West Ridge Mall in Topeka on Friday, October 7th. Students will be dismissed at 11:15 and return to school by 1:30. Students had to have earned a Platinum or Gold Reward Card that was tied to MAP Assessment scores and discipline. The school will provide the time out of school and the transportation to Topeka, however, each student is responsible for the cost of his/her meal. Permission forms were sent home and returned to the school by Wednesday, October 5th.

HALLOWEEN PARADE On Friday, October 21st, we will be conducting a Halloween parade in the RVMS gymnasium. The parade will begin at 2:50 pm and will last until about 3:15 pm. Students are allowed to wear costumes to school that day, but if the costume will be a huge distraction to the classroom setting throughout the day, the student should wait to put it on prior to the parade. Students that wear costumes with a mask will not be allowed to wear the mask during school time; it will only be worn during the parade. The RVMS Student Council will be offering prizes in each grade level for the following categories: Most Original, Funniest, and the Scariest! Because we do not have school on October 27th or October 28th, we are moving the parade to the 21st.

PRO HALLOWEEN HAUNTED HALLWAYS On Saturday, October 29th, the RVMS PRO will present the 2nd annual Haunted Hallways and Halloween Dance. There will be Haunted Hallways, games, a photo booth, and a chili supper open to all ages from 5:00 to 6:30. After 6:30, there will be a Halloween Dance for all RVMS students until 8:30. From 8:30 to 10:00 they will reopen the Haunted Hallways. This will be a lot of fun for our community as well as our students. Volunteers are needed. If you would like to help at this event, please contact [email protected].

STUDENT E-MAIL All RVMS students have their own student e-mail address. These e-mail addresses are not private and will be monitored by the school. The student address will look like lastnamefirstinitial @rv337.org. The email student password is rvms and the student’s lunch number.

CALLING WHEN STUDENTS ARE ABSENT It is important to remember to call RVMS when your child is absent for illness or an appointment. Please call 785-966-2251.

NEW BUS EMAIL There is a new email address for parents/patrons to send any changes in bus destinations for students or any other pertinent bus information. The email address is: [email protected]. Please add this to your email contact list.

INTERNET, MOBILE PHONES, AND TEXTING SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS  DO teach your child not to post identifying information on the View the Parent Internet. Connections online @  DO set a limit for how much time your child can spend www.rv337.com on the online. www.rv337.com on the  DO keep the computer in a public room in the house. Do not middle school page! have an internet-connected computer in your child’s bedroom.  DO utilize parental controls provided by your Internet Service Provider and/or blocking software. (Contact your ISP if you have questions)  DO talk to your children about purchasing “in app” products.  DO talk to your child about using any location services on their device.  DO periodically review you child’s computer, emails, and messages. You should have all of your children’s passwords.  DO spend time with your child online. Have them show you their favorite online destinations. Get to know your child’s online friends as you would their real-life friends. Learn to navigate the web.  DO know who they text and email. Most providers have online ways to identify frequent contacts so you can see if someone new appears as a contact.  DO monitor you child’s access to the Internet and texting.  DO talk to you child about the dangers of Internet predators.  DO watch for unexplained changes in your child’s behavior.  DO NOT hesitate to seek help from law enforcement if you think a predator may be targeting your child.

For more helpful Internet safety information, please visit www.netsmartz.org. Netsmartz.org has age appropriate videos, activities, and information for students in elementary school, middle school, and high school.

RVMS ON TWITTER You can now follow Royal Valley Middle School on Twitter. You will be able to see all the great things that happen during school and at school-related activities. Follow us @RVMSPanthers.