Page 1 Rocky River Middle School

October 14 (Upstairs) & 15th (Downstairs)–

Eighth grade Lolley the Trolley field trip

October 14-15th– Stone Lab Field Trip

(Optional 7th grade field trip)

October 15th– Parent HELP Session 9:00

a.m.

October 16th– NEOEA day– No School

October 19th– PSAT 8/9 (given to eighth

graders)

October 19th– Fall Sports Awards 7:00 p.m.

October 26-30th– Red Ribbon Week

October 27th– Picture Retake Day

October 27th– National “Mix it Up at Lunch

Day”

October 27th– Winter Sports Informational

Meeting

October 29th– Talent Show 7:00 p.m.

October 30th– End of first quarter

October 30th– Sixth Grade Student Council

Dance 3:30-5:00 p.m.

November 3rd– Election Day

November 4th– PTA meeting 9:00 a.m.

November 10 (upstairs) & 11th (downstairs)–

Seventh grade Challenge Days

November 12th– Parent Teacher Conferences

1-5:00 p.m. & 6-8:30 p.m. (No School)

November 13th– No School

Dates to Remember Volume 3, Issue 4

Rocky River Middle School Pirate Passages

Megan Rose, Principal

Jeffrey Schultz, Assis-tant Principal

PSAT Test/Lunch

Flip

2

Activities Updates 2

Washington D.C.

Trip

2

Athletics 2

Long-term Substi-

tute Teacher

2

Counselor Corner 3

Safe School Helpline 3

Westshore Leaders 4

Unity Day 4

Sunrise/Sunset 5

Builder’s Club Lead-

ership Elections

5

Inside this issue:

October 9, 2015

"In accordance with State and Federal law, the District will provide reasonable accommodations to persons with disabilities who wish to attend and/or participate in school events. Such individuals should notify the building principal if they require a reasonable accommodation."

Grade Level

Celebrations

Student achievements are now being celebrated by grade level teams. This dif-

fers than the quarterly student recognition award ceremonies done in past years

and allows for both student academic and positive behaviors to be recognized.

This year, students will have the opportunity to nominate deserving peers for

Citizenship Awards. We will continue to have our end of the year large award

assemblies with parents and students.

Congratulations to winners of the first semi-quarterly team awards. Carmen and

Morgan were awarded the Stellar Student Awards and Andrea and Ava received

the Citizenship Awards.

Page 1 Rocky River Middle School

We welcome back Mrs. Jan Schneider who will be filling in for Mrs. Andrea Salem while she on maternity leave.

Mrs. Schneider retired from RRMS after thirty-eight years in education with twenty-five years here at the middle

school. Mrs. Schneider may be reached via email at schneider.jan@rrcs.org

Long-Term Substitute Teacher

Page 2 Rocky River Middle School

PSAT Test/Lunch Flip

All eighth grade students will take the PSAT 8/9 test on Monday, October 19th. Due to testing, students will eat lunch during mods twelve and thirteen instead of the regular mods seven or eight. Sixth grade lunches will take place during mods seven and eight. Sixth graders can bring a peanut free snack for mod twelve or thirteen due to the early lunch time. Eighth grade students will not have their scheduled Unified Arts class on this day.

Please continue to check www.rrcs.org to stay up to date on class-

room activities, clubs and events. A few of our recent events in-

clude the French classes greeting students with a variety of crois-

sants, éclairs, quiche and other goodies to celebrate France’s food

festival Fete de la Gastronomie. The student group “Be the

Change” welcomed new RRMS students by hosting a party for them

on October 1st. This was a great opportunity to get to know new

classmates. “Be the Change” is happy to welcome new members at

any time. Please contact Mrs. Fancher at fancher.mary@rrcs.org

with questions.

Activities Updates

Washington D.C. Trip

The eighth grade class will travel to Washington D.C. June 6-8th, 2016. Please note that the first payment for the trip is due on Thursday, October 15th. Student accounts can be created by visiting www.TourWithDiscovery.com and clicking on the “Create an Account” link. Please contact the trip advisor, Matt England, at england.matt@rrcs.org. with questions.

Athletics

We will conclude the season with our Fall Sports Banquet on Monday Oct 19th at 7:00 pm in the RRMS Com-

mons. Boys basketball tryouts will take place the week of Monday, October 19th. Please see the tryout attach-

ment for the daily times. All students will need a current physical on file in order to participate. Sign-ups for try-

outs will continue to take place during lunches. Please make sure to check our athletic website for the most cur-

rent information.

Page 1 Rocky River Middle School

Counselor Corner

“I’m so glad I

live in a world

where there are

Octobers.”

L.M. Montgomery

Page 3 Rocky River Middle School

RRMS School Counselors Julie Morriss Moira Baylog A – K L – Z Morriss.julie@rrcs.org Baylog.moira@rrcs.org (440)356-6875 (440)356-6875 Welcome to the RRMS Counseling Department The goal of the Counseling Department at Rocky River Middle School is to meet the individual needs of every student - academic, social and emotional. Counselors support students, parents and staff as they develop trusting relationships throughout the middle school years. Communication between students, parents and staff is a critical component to ensure positive school experiences and appropriate high school, career and college planning for all students. We hope to empower all students to achieve their educational goals, to direct their lives, and to contrib-ute to society. Counselor Accessibility If for any reason your child would like to meet with a counselor, they may do so during study halls or other free/non-academic times by securing a pass from their respective teacher. Parents are also wel-come to meet with their child's respective counselor should the need arise. To make an appointment please email the counselor directly or call the Counseling Office.

Safe School Helpline Break the Silence – Prevent the Event 1-800-418-6423 ext. 359 www.safeschoolhelpline.com

This Helpline has been developed for you, and other students, parents and staff members to help main-tain your safety and the most positive school environment possible. The purpose of the Safe School Helpline is to promote school safety and report wrongdoings or illegal activity. Please call the Safe School Helpline if you know anything that threatens our school’s safety. It’s free and confidential 24 hours/7 days a week. Please report any facts, remarks or actions that could jeop-ardize the safety of our children, school or staff. Examples of harmful or threatening behavior might include: bullying, violence, theft, drug or alcohol abuse, talk of suicide, sexual harassment, weapons. The service also provides 24-hour access to a trained mental health counselor to provide support for suicide intervention, family crisis support or other mental health issues. Help Keep Our Schools Safe!

Page 1 Rocky River Middle School

Westshore Young Leaders Attend

Leadership Conference

Over twenty RRMS and RRHS students attended the Westshore Young Leaders Conference on Friday, September 25th at the Westlake Recreation Center. The purpose of the Westshore Young Leaders Network is student leadership skill development through activities within the

school environment aimed at the reduction of alcohol and illicit drugs use among teens. Stu-dents participated in a full day of leadership and team-building activities. Administrators, teach-ing staff, counselors and resource officers from six westshore school districts participated. In addition to participation in the leadership training day, these students will have an opportunity to attend monthly regional meetings with teens from the six westshore schools.

To raise awareness and celebrate Bullying Awareness month, the Rocky River community is being asked to wear orange on Wednesday, October 21st in support of Unity Day. Let us stand together against bullying and unite for kindness, acceptance and inclusion!

Unity Day

Page 4 Rocky River Middle School

Page 1 Rocky River Middle School

Do you need help with homework?

Do you need a quiet place before or after school to get your work done?

Come to

SUNRISE or SUNSET!

SUNRISE is in D101

7:35 a.m. to 8:05 a.m. Tuesday – Friday.

Mrs. Rowe is the supervisor.

SUNSET is in the Media Center

3:30 p.m. to 4:15 p.m. Monday – Thursday.

Mrs. Landers is the supervisor.

If your child would like to support our school, help out in the community then Builders Club is for them! The club will meet every Wednesday at 7:45 a.m. in the Media Center and is an excellent opportunity for stu-dents to meet new friends and give back to their community. Builders Club is an international student-led organization providing members with opportunities to perform service, build character and develop leadership. Core values of the group include:

Character building: The ability to do the right thing, even when it might be the unpopular choice. Leadership: The ability to listen, communicate, serve and guide others. Inclusiveness: Accepting and welcoming differences in other people. Caring: The act of being concerned about or interested in other people or situations.

Builder’s Club will hold elections for leadership positions on Wednesday, October 14 during the 7:45 a.m. meeting. Students interested in serving as President, Vice President, Secretary or Treasurer po-sitions are to see Mrs. Baylog in the Counseling Office before the meeting. .

Page 5 Rocky River Middle School

RRMS BOYS BASKETBALL TRYOUTS

RRMS MAIN GYM

Monday Oct. 19th

7th grade 3:30-5:00pm

8th grade 5:00-6:30pm

Tuesday Oct. 20th

7th grade 3:30-5:30pm

8th grade 5:30-7:30pm

Wednesday Oct. 21st

7th grade 3:30-5:30pm

8th grade 5:30-7:30pm

Thursday Oct 22nd

Team selection day. All grades 3:30-4:30pm

Must have a current physical on file in order to tryout.

© 2015 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

October 2015

Homework is part of your middle grader’s daily routine, but stressing about it doesn’t have to be. Try these ideas to handle common dilemmas.

Problem: Your child puts off homework until the last minute.

Solution: One reason students procrasti-nate is that they feel overwhelmed. Sug-gest that your tween decide in what order to do her work so she knows where to start and what to do next. Also, encour-age her to put steps in her planner for big tests or long-term assignments. That way, she can tackle them one at a time. Exam-ple: “Review notes, make a study guide, quiz myself for a test.”

Problem: She rushes to finish homework.

Solution: Requiring a set amount of daily study time may keep your child from hurrying through math to watch TV or meet her friends. Ask teachers how much time she should spend on homework each day (typically 60–90 minutes in the middle grades). Let your youngster know her work isn’t done until she double-checks it and corrects

Language lessons Is your child learning a for-eign language this year?

Plan a special dinner with foods from the country he’s studying. Example: Eat gazpacho and paella if he’s learning Spanish. Have him teach you words and phrases for passing food and say-ing “please” and “thank you.” Con-sider doing this each quarter—he’ll be proud to show you his progress.

A good sportExplain to your tween that by show-ing good sportsmanship, she will rep-resent herself—and her school—in a good light. When she’s in the stands, encourage her to respect players, coaches, and referees. For instance, instead of booing to disagree with a call, she might cheer, “The next goal is yours!”

It’s privateAs middle graders get older, they become more private. Try not to take it personally—it’s natural for your child to want some time alone. In fact, increased privacy often signals growing maturity. Honor your tween’s privacy by knocking before entering his room. If he shares a room, help him find places or times he can have privacy.

Worth quoting“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” Maya Angelou

Just for fun

Q: What runs but can’t walk?

A: A faucet.

Homework problems—solved

mistakes. With leftover homework time, she might read, do extra-credit assign-ments, or work ahead on projects.

Problem: She gets frustrated when she’s stuck.

Solution: Have your middle grader make a list of resources to turn to if she’s stumped. She could list phone numbers of classmates or older students, along with information for homework hotlines or websites. Suggest that she check the public library or community center to see if they offer homework help. If she’s still having trouble, she can ask her teacher the next day.

ShortStops

Nice save! When your child earns or receives money,

he may be tempted to spend it all. Teaching him to save will start a valuable habit. Con-sider these tips.

■ Make it automatic. Discuss what percent-age of money he should set aside. Have him put that amount in a savings account when he gets money for odd jobs, allowance, or gifts. Explain that this will help him save for big purchases like a new bike.

■ Stick to the plan. If he’s thinking about dipping into his savings, he can ask him-self whether he would rather have a new video game now or a bike later. To stay moti-vated, he might hang a picture of the bike he wants and imagine himself riding it.

■ Stretch what’s left. Your child’s spending money will go further if he looks for ways to do things for less. He could borrow a book from the library instead of buying one, for example.

Rocky River Middle School

© 2015 Resources for Educators, a division of CCH Incorporated

To provide busy parents with practical ideas that promote school success, parent involvement,

and more effective parenting.Resources for Educators,

a division of CCH Incorporated128 N. Royal Avenue • Front Royal, VA 22630

540-636-4280 • rfecustomer@wolterskluwer.comwww.rfeonline.com

ISSN 1540-5540

O U R P U R P O S E

Middle Years October 2015 • Page 2

2. Point out that what hap-pens online may have seri-ous, real-life consequences. A humiliating photo gone viral could cause the victim to stay away from friends or hurt himself. And the bully

can get into trouble at home, at school, or even with the law.

3. Go over rules. Your middle grader should avoid doing or saying anything online that he wouldn’t do or say in person. Encourage him to think about how someone might feel before he texts or posts.

4. Tell your tween not to respond to a bully. It may make the situation worse. Have him save, print, or take a screen shot of the post to keep a record of what happened. Then, he should block the sender and tell you what happened so you can decide what to do, such as notifying your Internet service provider or the school.

Writing for pleasure ■Q My daughter used to enjoy writing, but now she sees writing

assignments as a chore. How can I help her find the joy in it again?

■A Your child might rediscover her enjoyment by doing creative writing activities that don’t have grades attached.

For example, suggest that she write and decorate an inspiring poem to put inside her locker. Or she could make up funny captions for photos and share them with family.

She can even write with friends by having a paper “snowball fight.” One per-son writes an opening sentence of a story on a piece of paper, crumples it, and tosses it to another player. That person adds a sentence, re-crumples the paper, and tosses it again. Keep writing, crum-pling, and tossing until the page is full. Then, read the story aloud.

Writing for fun may take the pressure off and unleash her imagination. And that can help her loosen up and enjoy written assignments in school more.

Dealing with cyberbullying

The digital world has opened up a whole new realm for bullying. Help your middle grader stay safe with this advice.

1. Explain that what may seem like common online behavior can be cyberbullying. If friends post or share embarrassing photos or videos of others, classmates spread rumors on cell phones, or peers send hurtful messages via social media, that’s crossing a line. If done purposely and repeatedly, it’s considered cyberbullying.

My son Blake was sur-prised and disappointed

when he auditioned for seventh-grade band and wasn’t placed in the highest level. Until then, he had done well at whatever he tried. He wasn’t prepared to handle it when something didn’t come easily.

I explained that it was okay to struggle—and in fact, it was a normal part of life. I shared stories of times I’ve had to work to get better. In my first job, I

Fit in fi tness With school in full swing, your child prob-

ably has many demands on her time, and she may not be thinking about staying fit. Here are easy ways to add activity into her day.

Start a 60/30 challenge. Doing 60 minutes of activity a day for 30 days might kick-start a fitness habit. The hour can be spread throughout the day (30-minute dance class + 10-minute walk to a friend’s house + 20-minute bike ride after dinner). Have her record her totals.

Make a “random activities” pile. Your tween could brainstorm exercises to do for 1–2 minutes, such as squats, push-ups, or sit-ups. She can write them on index cards and leave the cards by her desk and the TV. During homework breaks and commercials, she should draw one and do what it says. She might note on the back how many she completed and try for more next time.

Work your way to success told him, I messed up a few customers’ orders, so the manager had to review the steps with me for a week.

I encouraged Blake to see his trumpet playing as a work in progress. He brain-

stormed ways he could improve a little at a time. Then, he taped a note to his music stand that says, “Aim for progress, not perfection.” He has been practicing extra each day, working on the parts that give him trouble—and on his perseverance.

Parent to

Parent

Q&A

Talking regularly with youth about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs reduces their risk of using in the first place.

Know! encourages you to share this Parent Tip with friends and family.

Learn more at: DrugFreeActionAlliance.org

Drug Free Action Alliance6155 Huntley Road, Suite HColumbus, Ohio 43229PH: (614) 540-9985FX: (614) 540-9990

We see a lot of colored ribbons out there, symbolizing various important causes; so what makes the red ribbon so special? The Red Ribbon Campaign® stands out because it impacts the health, safety and well-being of each and every one of our children during adolescence and beyond.

Red Ribbon Week officially kicks off October 23rd and this year’s theme is, “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.” The focus is on self-worth and dignity, encouraging youth to make positive lifestyle choices through such messaging as: “Love Yourself;” “Be Confident;” “Be Resilient;” “Be Strong.”

Why highlight “self-love?” Because youth with low self-love/self-esteem are at a much greater risk for alcohol and drug abuse. They are more likely to give in to peer pressure when their friends begin experimenting with substances, and they are more likely to turn to alcohol and other drugs in an attempt to escape reality (and who they really are).

Where do such thoughts come from? When children are recipients of constant criticism and/or they feel like they aren’t living up to their parents’ standards; when youth are treated poorly by peers, are bullied, or are victims of racism; when young people feel like they don’t fit in or when they dislike their appearance; when youth fail to meet their teachers’, coaches’ or their own expectations in the classroom or in extracurricular activities; and anytime a child is abused (physically, mentally, sexually) - these are all common causes for low self-esteem.Tell your children to rest assured, even those students who appear to be the most confident, more than likely have some self-esteem issues. It’s a natural part of adolescence. It is when it becomes overwhelming that it is a real problem. Try reading through these self-improvement tips and sharing them with your teen. Every child can benefit from a boost in self-esteem.

• Let go of the negative thoughts about yourself. Instead, focus on your strengths. Write down five things you do well, post it on your bedroom mirror and refer to it when you’re feeling low.

• Forget perfectionism. Aim for accomplishments, even simple ones, rather than perfection.

• Give yourself a break. Know that everyone makes mistakes. View mishaps as learning opportunities.

• Try something new and be proud of your bravery.

Know! To R-E-S-P-E-C-T Yourself and Celebrate Red Ribbon Week

Know! is a program of:

Drug Free Action AllianceLIFETIME PREVENTION | LIFETIME WELLNESS

Click here to print a PDF of this article so you can start a conversation with your child

Link to the article on the Drug Free Action Alliance Facebook page

Link to the Spanish archives

Talking regularly with youth about the dangers of alcohol, tobacco and other drugs reduces their risk of using in the first place.

Know! encourages you to share this Parent Tip with friends and family.

Learn more at: DrugFreeActionAlliance.org

Drug Free Action Alliance6155 Huntley Road, Suite HColumbus, Ohio 43229PH: (614) 540-9985FX: (614) 540-9990

• Help others. Try tutoring, volunteering in a local pet shelter or mentoring a younger student. You’ll be amazed at how good it feels and how much it lifts your self-esteem.

• Know the things you can change and accept the things you cannot. Eye color, body type and race are all givens. But if you need to be a little more outgoing to make a new friend, be daring and say, ”hello.”

• Exercise Daily. It’s a natural stress-buster that is good for the mind and body.

Red Ribbon Week is designed to motivate, educate and empower the children in our lives to be drug free. For more information and tips on raising drug free teens, please visit RedRibbon.org.

Sources: Red Ribbon: Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free. AlcoholRehab.com: Addiction and Low Self-Esteem. WebMD: Teen Health - Improving Self-Esteem.

Know! is a program of:

Drug Free Action AllianceLIFETIME PREVENTION | LIFETIME WELLNESS

Click here to print a PDF of this article so you can start a conversation with your child

H.E.L.P. How to Enjoy Living with your Preadolescent

Sessions

October 15, 2015

November 19, 2015

December 10, 2015

January 14, 2016

February 18, 2016

March 10, 2016

April 7, 2016

2015-2016 Session Dates:

HELP Sessions are sponsored by the RRMS School

Counselors. Sessions begin at 9am in the Media

Center. Coffee and breakfast items will be provided

compliments of RRMS PTA. Join us to discuss a variety

of topics that affect your middle school students.

2490 Coral WayMiami, FL 33145305.856.4886305.856.4815 faxwww.redribbon.org www.nfp.org

Enter The Red Ribbon Photo Contest

Get Started Today! For more details and a list of terms and conditions,

visit www.redribbon.org

Win An iPad & $1,000 For Your School

2014 Region 5 Winner 2014 Region 8 Winner2014 Region 7 Winner

DECORATE Families, decorate your HOME front door, mailbox or fence witha Red Ribbon (double-looped) and this year’s theme:“Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.”

Schools, decorate your SCHOOL campus with a Red Ribbon(double-looped) and this year’s theme: “Respect Yourself. Be Drug Free.”

SNAP A PHOTO & UPLOAD Take a picture of your Red Ribbon decoration (preferably with people in it!) and upload to www.redribbon.org. You must be 18 years old to enter, so parents (or for school entries, school staff or PTA members) must submit the photos.

GET VOTES! Ask your friends, family, colleagues and school contacts to votefor your photo on our website.

10 home entries and 10 school entries with the mostvotes will win an iPad and $1,000 for a local K-12 school.

TWO WAYS TO ENTER:1. Families may submit a photo of a home decoration and

2. Schools may submit a photo of a school decoration.

Here's how it works:

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