The RMS Newsletter. January From the Principal. Happy New Year to ALL of our RMS Families!

Transcription

1 The RMS Newsletter January 2018 From the Principal Happy New Year to ALL of our RMS Families! As we begin this new year, we are looking forward to our parent support, teamwork, successful collaboration and working relationships that will benefit the RMS Family and community. We all share the common goal of RMS being a place that is both welcoming and meeting the needs of all of our children, staff, and families. In celebration of our commitment to diversity and service, the district will host the 2nd annual district-wide Martin Luther King, Jr. Day of Service on Monday, January 15 from 10 11:30 a.m. at Radnor High School. This National Day of Service honors Dr. King's legacy and commitment to transforming our nation through service to others. This milestone is a perfect opportunity for our school community to take action to volunteer and participate in various community service opportunities. For more details, contact Teresa Groshans at teresagroshans@gmail.com. This year's school musical is already on the move. Shrek is currently in rehearsals and we look forward to another great show. Please look for ticket information in our upcoming newsletters. Just a reminder, we welcome parent participation in various activities and you are free to contact your child's teacher, guidance counselor and administrator if you have any questions, comments or concerns. My door is always open. I am grateful for being a part of helping to lead your children through their Middle School years and feel we have much to be proud of here- students, staff, parents, administrators, an amazing group. Thank you for your continued support and do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions, comments, concerns or suggestions. Happy New Year, Esther M. Purnell Principal

2 2 News From the Library From the RMS Library (January 2018) On December 20 th the Annual 6 th Grade European Bottle People Convention descended upon the RMS Library. This project is the culmination of researching famous people of European descent. The colorful and creative people are on display for parents, students and staff to see. The display will remain in the library as a decorative and lively addition for the remainder of the school year.

3 3 From the Nurse...Carolyn V Seaton, RN MSN CSN Monthly Medical Trivia Question: What is the difference between a cold and the flu? The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar flu-like symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations. Please refer to the following chart: Cold vs. Flu Chart Symptom Cold Flu Fever Fever is rare with a cold Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100 F or higher for 3 to 4 days is associated with the flu. Coughing A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold. A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough).. Aches Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold. Severe aches and pains are common with the flu. Stuffy Nose Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a week. Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

4 4 Chills Chills are uncommon with a cold. 60% of people who have the flu experience chills. Tiredness Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu. Sneezing Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. Sneezing is not common with the flu. Sudden Symptoms Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days. The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and pains. Headache A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases. Sore Throat Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu. Chest Discomfort Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu. Remember the 24-Hour Rule of Thumb Students may return to school after: 24 hours without temperature (and without taking fever medications) 24 hours without nausea, vomiting or diarrhea (and toleration of normal diet) 24 hours of receiving medication (such as antibiotics, eye ointment. etc.) Thank you for following these guidelines. Happy & Healthy 2018!

5 5 From the Attendance Office The cold and flu season is upon us this is the time of year when schools experience their highest levels of absences. While we are anticipating a minimum number of absences due to illness during this time, I thought it might be helpful to remind you of the RMS attendance procedures. Absence From School If your child will not be in school on a particular day, you should call the RMS Safe Arrival Line (610) to inform us that your child will not be in school that day. If the school is not notified on the day of your child s absence, an auto call is made to your home to verify the student s absence and to determine the reason. If your child will be absent more than three days, we will collect work for your child upon request. You may request the homework by calling the Safe Arrival line. When your child returns to school, he/she should have an official absence excuse card explaining the reason for his/her absence. Lateness To School Please make every effort to have your child to school on time every day. While we understand there will be times when your child may be late due to illness, medical appointments, weather conditions or recognized religious services, under normal circumstances students should be at school by 8:00 a.m. In the event that your child is tardy for any of the above reasons, please send in a parental/guardian or physician note indicating the reason for the lateness and have your child sign into school at the attendance office. You may also call the RMS Safe Arrival Line. Tardiness is unexcused, however, when your child s lateness is not verified by a written note or phone call. Examples of unexcused lateness to school include but are not limited to: oversleeping, missing the bus, personal transportation problems, etc. Five or more unexcused tardies to school will result in the assignment of detentions. Early Dismissal From School For any student who needs to be dismissed from school early, please send a note in with your child and have him/her show it to their teacher to use as pass to go to the main office for dismissal. In a case where you did not send a note with your child, please call our office (610) ext 7506 so we are able to have your child waiting for you when you arrive.

6 6 If you have any additional questions regarding these procedures, please refer to the student handbook or call the attendance office at ext Happy New Year!!

7 7 Career Café: COUNSELORS RMS is currently looking for parents who would like to speak to students about their profession. The sessions would last about minutes during our student s lunch periods: C O R N E R 11:10-11:40 (8 th grade lunch) 12:00-12:30 (6 th grade lunch) 12:45-1:15 (7 th grade lunch) Please contact Nicole.ottaviano@rtsd.org, Clyde.Diehl@rtsd.org, or Lauren.Raines@rtsd.org if you d like to share your experience of your profession! ATTENTION 8 th Grade Parents: There are many activities planned to assist your child with the transition to high school. Eighth grade students will be involved in the course selection process from mid-january until the end of February. The high school course catalog (program of studies) will be available on the RHS website shortly. RMS parents and students are encouraged to peruse it for course options. Again this year, there will be ONLINE course selection via the Home Access Center. A letter will be mailed home to provide students with their individual HAC pass-codes for online scheduling.

8 8 The Radnor High School administration will be visiting RMS 8 th graders on Thursday, January 11 th (during the school day) to review the course selection process for 9 th grade. The time line for course selection is as follows: January 29 th to 16 th : Core 8 th grade teachers will enter recommendations February 20th to 23rd: Students select electives in Science classes with Mrs. Raines and high school counselors. February 27th: All teacher recommendations visible to students after this date. February 27th to March 10th: School Counselor to review schedules during Social Studies classes Parent approval of the elective selection due to Mrs. Raines as well as any override forms. May 25 th 2018: Last day to make any changes to the Freshman course requests Additionally, Radnor High School will be holding a meeting for the Class of 2022 (current 8 th grade) parents on Thursday, January 18 th at 6:30 pm. Immediately following this meeting, Winterfest will take place. The two events used to be held on different evenings, however, we are trying to streamline this process for parents this year. Winterfest will enable you and your child to speak to representatives from various high school departments and activities in an informal setting. There will be opportunities to speak with RHS guidance and administrative personnel as well. Finally, the date for any student changes for course selection is Friday, May 25 th at 3:00 pm.

9 9 Crossroads Studies the Culture of Our Nation By Sofia Dillon, Gaby Heberling, Grant Heberling, and Cara Ruggieri. This month in Crossroads was very busy. With everything from the field trip to the Lackawanna Coal Mine, to wrapping up with excellent individual presentations, all 43 students contributed great effort and ideas while learning about the culture of our nation. The students in Crossroads split up into eight groups and each read a book that showed the process of immigration from a different part of the world. Crossroads also took three field trips while studying the culture of our nation. The first field trip was to the Lackawanna Coal Mine and Eckley Miner s Village where we learned how the immigrant miners and their families struggled through the challenges of life both in and out of the mines. The students got to experience a walk through a coal mine and inside a coal miner s homes. The second field trip we took was to The Constitution Center where we studied the Bill Of Rights, both through playing some fun games and reading some historical documents where Constitutional rights were (or were not) applied. We also went to the Tenement Museum in New York City where we learned about life in a real tenement house. If we didn t already know it from our earlier learning experiences, we found out there how hard the immigrants lives were. Then we took a ferry to Ellis Island where we got to see how the immigrants were processed before starting their new lives in America. Each Crossroads students also interviewed an immigrant to the United States. We had to prepare the questions, conduct the interview, and take notes on what we learned. Then, we wrote an essay and did an informational presentation on our immigrant subject. Each student interviewed a different immigrant, and their stories were incredible. We students also did a group presentation. Each table group researched the experience of a different cultural group within the United States and learned the push and pull factors of their immigration stories and what life was like for them as new immigrants in America. Each group had to do something to make their presentation creative. Overall the students in Crossroads learned so much from this experience and now have a better appreciation for our American culture and how it s been shaped by both our Founding Fathers and the many immigrants who came to our nation after them.

10 10 We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped with our annual holiday gift drive for the Delaware County Children and Youth Center. Not only did we provide many, many individual gifts for children ages 6-13, we also provided gifts for families, as RMS families "adopted" a family through the Center. Six 8th grade RMS students helped deliver the gifts mid- December to a very grateful Children and Youth staff. Thank you!!