Principal's Newsletter 2019-2020
Below is a repository of the Principal's newsletters for the current academic year.
June 5, 2020
Dear RJH Families,
We did it! We have successfully completed the 2019-2020 Academic Year! Thank you for all your support! The entire RJH Community persevered through this challenging time, and we are all stronger because of it.
We are certainly missing our end of year traditions at RJH - especially being able to say goodbye on the last day of school. Waving goodbye to students and wishing them well as they head off for summer vacation is something the entire staff is greatly missing! Please know we are all thinking of your kids and miss them dearly.
Yesterday, we were able to celebrate the 8th grade class. I'm so proud of all our 8th grade students! They are a very special class and are going to do great things. See the following link for pictures from the event. https://www.smore.com/qgry5
As a reminder, Monday is collection day for Chromebooks and other school materials you may have. (I’ve included the information for that below for your reference). 8th grade Chromebooks will be returned to students once they are taken off the network. When that process is complete, we will be in touch for pickup.
If you have any questions or concerns over the summer please don't hesitate to reach out. I'm just an email away and would be happy to assist anyway I can.
Thank you again for a wonderful school year! Have a wonderful summer!
Best,
Marie Soucy
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Dear Parents,
Thank you all for taking the time to pick up the tiles for the Path of Gratitude Project. Drop off information is below. Next week will be a “Week of Gratitude” at RJH. You should be seeing some extra tasks being accomplished around the house and in the neighborhood.
Have a great weekend!
Marie Soucy
The Path of Gratitude Project: Finished tiles can be dropped off on either Tuesday, June 2nd or Wednesday June 3rd from 4pm-5pm outside RJH.
Week of Gratitude: Next Week we are challenging all students to spread their gratitude far and wide! . Students will find the assignment posted on the Daily Attendance Google Classroom this Sunday evening. Their goal is to get 5 in a row on the BINGO board. Students should collect evidence (pictures, videos, etc.) of themselves carrying out the acts of gratitude they decide to embark upon, and will then share them out in their advisory meetings next week. Thank you to our Unified Arts teachers for putting this activity together!
Report Cards: Will be sent home electronically on Wednesday, June 10th.
Spaghetti Dinner Fundraiser: Give yourself a night off from cooking and support our schools by ordering dinner this Wednesday evening. See attachment for more information.
Rye School Spaghetti Fundraiser Poster .pdf
Collection of School Materials: Please set aside Monday, June 8th to drop off laptops and school materials. The Chromebooks need to be collected and updated this summer. Once the process is complete, students will be able to get the Chromebook back for use over the summer. More information about specific times will come out early next week.
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May 22, 2020
Dear Parents,
I hope this email finds you well and enjoying the beautiful weather! It’s finally starting to feel like summer! We are excited to share plans for World Language Week and The Path of Gratitude Project.
I hope you’re able to enjoy the long weekend!
Best,
Marie Soucy
World Language Extravaganza Week will connect academic disciplines to cultures around the world from Tuesday, May 26th to Friday, May 29th. Please see the attached document for more information and instructions . World Language Extravaganza Week
The Path of Gratitude Project: Mrs. Bell is working with an artist in residence to create a tile path of gratitude at RJH. More information below:
All students in grades at RJH are invited to create a tile that will be affixed to a path on the school grounds, entitled The Path of Gratitude. Their tiles will display a message of gratitude in either English, Spanish, French or Visual language. The Path of gratitude is also a way for the community to recognize the sacrifice students have made this year for the greater good and safety of others. We are encouraging the entire student body to participate! Here is what you need to do:
1. Pick up your tiles on either Tuesday, May 26th or Wednesday, May 27th from 4pm-5pm outside RJH. (instructions are included and videos/live sessions will follow to help students with the process of creating their tile)
2. Drop off the finished tiles on either Tuesday, June 2nd or Wednesday June 3rd from 4pm-5pm outside RJH.
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May 15, 2020
Locker Item Pick Up
If you did not get the chance to pick up your child’s locker belongings you will have an opportunity next Wednesday, from 12:30 – 3:30pm. Remaining bags will be put outside for easy pick up.
Assessments
This is a reminder that all students will be taking the STAR assessment in language arts and math, as well as a Stemscopes assessment for science next week. Please see information sent out by your child’s team regarding days/times and instructions.
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April 30, 2020
Dear RJH Families,
I hope this email finds you well. It’s hard to believe we just finished up our 7th week of remote learning. With only 5 weeks remaining, we have made it over the halfway mark! Below are a few updates for you all before heading into our brief Spring break.
Advisor Connection:
As we continue with the remote learning process for the remainder of the school year, each homeroom advisor will provide each family with an update of their child’s progress in terms of assignment completion. In order to maintain a healthy dialogue with your child’s advisor, I ask that you connect with the teacher in some way after receiving Tuesday’s email, whether it be through email or virtual meeting. A strong home-school connection is vital to help students do their best in this learning environment. The school must ensure that students' academic and social-emotional needs are met and will take any and all measures to see that this is happening. I encourage families to ask us for help if your child is experiencing challenges during this process.
Grading & Reporting:
From the onset of this school closure, our staff has focused on how best to adjust expectations for teaching and learning in a remote environment. The extension of distance learning through the end of the year has prompted further modifications that account for the diversity of access and support available to students, as well as the many challenges families are facing. We understand there are limitations to this model, and that every student and family situation is different. While some students are able to excel, we know that others who would normally find academic success are finding this learning model especially challenging. To that end, the third trimester report card will look different. Below is an update on grading & assessing and report cards.
Grading & Assessing:
Teachers will continue to assign grades and offer clear feedback on all essential assignments. Grading, on a 100-point scale, will continue and numerical grades will be entered into PowerSchool through the end of the year.
PowerSchool can and should be used as a tool for students and parents to determine which assignments are missing and how the student is performing on a day-to-day basis.
Third Trimester Report Cards:
Students will not receive a numerical average for the third trimester report card, as is typical. RJH will put out a narrative report giving a written explanation of what curriculum has been covered, how your child has done, and areas of focus specific to your child. This format is also consistent with what the other school in SAU50 are using.
Student Belongs:
Our custodial staff has been hard at work cleaning out and bagging belongings in student lockers. Each bag is labeled with a locker number and is ready to be picked up. 8th grade artwork and other items that may have been left in classrooms will be put with the locker items. There will be two days in which parents can stop by school to pick up bagged locker items. More detailed instructions to come, in the meantime please set these dates aside:
5th & 6th grade students: Tuesday, May 12th, 12:30 – 3:30pm
7th & 8th grade students: Wednesday, May 13th, 12:30 – 3:30pm
Daily Attendance:
Please remind your child that he/she should be checking in to the Google Classroom for Attendance daily. This is how we keep track of student attendance and it’s important they continue to “turn in” their daily attendance assignment.
Attendance in advisory “class” once a week is mandatory. Please help ensure your child’s attendance during this time.
Lunch Bunch:
Beginning the week of May 4th RJH will be hosting a "Lunch Bunch" with Mrs. Dunn, our School Counselor. Lunch Bunch will begin at 12:15pm and end at 12:45pm. To join the group, simply have your child email Mrs. Dunn at adunn@sau50.org. Lunch bunches are scheduled as follows:
8th grade – Tuesdays
7th grade – Wednesdays
6th grade – Thursdays
5th grade – Fridays
The purpose of this group is simple: connection! Our goal is to provide an opportunity for students to connect with other RJH students (outside of their social media circle) along with RJH adults to chat about anything and everything. Mrs. Dunn will have conversation starters for students, but really it's an opportunity for students to connect with one another. We understand and recognize that some of our students are starting to feel socially isolated. Middle School aged kids are social beings. This is a challenging time for them not only academically, but socially too. The more we can connect and talk the better. If the group gets too large, we will add more groups. The more the merrier! Please encourage your child to email Mrs. Dunn to sign up and she will send your child a Google Meets link to join.
Lastly, please continue to stay in touch with us. If you have any questions or concerns we are only an email away. I appreciate all the kind messages so many of you have sent and also the openness concerning your stressors, worries and fears. You are not alone and we are here to help, accommodate and be flexible to make this remote learning experience the best it can be for your child. Please let me know if there is anything I can do to support your child during this time.
I hope you all have a wonderful extended weekend and are able to unplug for a bit. Enjoy the weekend!
Best,
Marie Soucy
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April 24, 2020
Dear Parents,
It was great to see so many of you at the parade this week. I know it gave all of us a much needed boost, and hopefully it was the same for you and your children. Thank you for all your support!
Have a great weekend,
Marie Soucy
Calendar Change: As a reminder, there is school next Monday thru Thursday. Next Friday (5/1) and the following Monday (5/4) are vacation days for students and staff. Additionally, May 22nd was scheduled to be an early release day for students. It will now be a full student day.
Parade Photos: If you have any photos from the parade that you’d be willing to share, please send them to me. We’d love to make a slideshow for the fire and police departments thanking them for their help.
Show Your School Spirit! (Students & Parents)
After the AMAZING parade last week we'd like to keep the school spirit going. The Student Council would like you to join us in participating in RJH's Spirit Week beginning Tuesday, April 28-Thursday, April 30. Send us pictures of your participation and we will proudly post in emails, newsletters, or on our website!
Tuesday: Fantasy/ SuperHero Day
Wednesday: Dress CRAZY Day (Hair, shoes, socks, clothes, hats...ANYTHING to be CRAZY)
Thursday: RIPTIDE DAY (wear blue and white to show school spirit)
Pictures can be sent to adunn@sau50.org
Look forward to seeing all of your faces![Description: https://mail.google.com/mail/e/263a]()
-Alison Dunn
April 17, 2020
Dear Parents,
We hope you're all hanging in there. Although expected, yesterday's news that we will not be returning to school for the remainder of this year was devastating to us all. The best part of our job is the interactions with the students and I know we are all missing them very much. Please reach out at any point, to any of us, if there is something that we can do to help out during this time. Below are a few updates for this week.
Have a great weekend,
Marie Soucy
Update to the School Calendar: (per Superintendent Petralia’s email) On Wednesday evening, April 15th, the Rye School Board approved a change to the current school calendar that will cancel a portion of the April school break and add four (4) days of remote instruction / learning beginning April 27th through April 30th. The Rye Board approved two (2) non-instructional days for Friday, May 1st and Monday, May 4th. With this change the anticipated last day of school for Rye students is Friday, June 5th.
Emails from Staff: We our doing out best to keep all students working under these conditions. Teachers have been emailing students and parents regarding missing work and not “attending” sessions. Please know that this all comes from a place of concern and care. We are working on streamlining it a bit so you are not inundated with emails from multiple teachers regarding multiple subjects of concern. If you or your child receives an email from staff, please respond (or encourage your child to respond). This lets us know it was received. Additionally, if there is ANYTHING at all we can do to help, please let us know.
Additional Supports: Just a reminder that staff member Alex Ferris is available for help sessions with kids. You can connect with him via email at aferris@sau50.org or your child can email him at aferris@ryesd.org.
Graduation – We do have graduation and awards on our mind. We will make sure we have a celebration when we can, we just don’t know when that is yet.
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April 10, 2020
Dear Parents,
Phew! We made it through another week. I continue to be impressed by the staff and students of RJH as we go through this process of remote learning. There’s has been a learning curve for all of us, but certainly something that we can be proud of.
I hope you are all enjoying this gift of extended time with our families that we’ve been given. Have a great weekend.
Best,
Marie Soucy
We Miss our Students: The following video was emailed out to students today and shared on Facebook. If you or your child have not seen it, please take a minute to do so.
RJH Staff Video
Report Cards: were sent home electronically today for trimester 2. You should have received an email with your child’s report card attached. If you did not, please reach out to Terri Hogan (thogan@sau50.org).
Message from our Librarian: Hello, parents! As spring rolls in, I’d like to address the potential issue of checked out and overdue books. It is very possible that your children will not be able to return RJH library books in the way that they typically have. To help with this, there is a cart located in the entryway of RJH where books can be returned on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 8am - 3pm for the duration of this remote learning time. Keep in mind that due to the official building closure, Tuesdays & Thursdays will be the ONLY days that you will be able to access this area and return books. I am hoping to email students with a list of books that they have checked out, but unfortunately, I am unable to access our library database remotely. I’m working on a solution for this and will hopefully have an update in the coming weeks. Until then, it would be greatly appreciated if you could check in with your child about any RJH library books that they have and find a way to return them (when they are finished, of course!) to RJH. Please feel free to email me at lbrown@sau50.org with any questions or concerns.
Mosquito Spraying in Rye Notice:Rye Mosquito Control 2020.pdf
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March 27, 2020 - Email
Dear RJH Parents & Guardians,
Alison Dunn and Lori Arsenault, our guidance counselors for the Rye School District, have created a newsletter for families that I will include in my updates each week. They provide pertinent information, resources and useful tips. Take a moment to read Alison's newsletter if you can. RJH Counselor's Newletter 3-27-20.pdf
We are happy to say we can now take non-perishable food donations or gift cards. We fill boxes twice a week for multiple families in need and we could use your help. There is a blue barrel outside the front door at RES for any donations. The custodians will empty it daily. Alison addresses this in her newsletter above.
March 20, 2020 - Email
March 6, 2020
February 21, 2020
February 14, 2020
February 7, 2020
January 24, 2020
January 17, 2020
January 10, 2020
December 6, 2019
November 15, 2019
November 8, 2019
November 1, 2019
October 18, 2019
October 11, 2019 Newsletter
Family Activity - Media Balance
October 4, 2019 Newsletter
September 27, 2019 Newsletter
September 20, 2019 Newsletter
September 13, 2019 Newsletter
September 6, 2019 Newsletter
August 29, 2019 Newsletter
August 19, 2019 - Back to School Newsletter
On behalf of the Staff at Rye Junior High School, I am happy to welcome you to the 2019-2020 school year!
For many of you it is a welcome back and continuation of all the exciting things that Rye Junior High has to offer. For others, it is the start of a new journey filled with excitement and wonder. Whichever path you are on, we are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure your child achieves their highest potential.
Communication is vital to achieving this success and to our overall growth and sense of community here at Rye Junior High. Please do not hesitate to share your thoughts regarding your child’s school progress throughout this academic year.
If you haven't had a chance to read my back to school newsletter, you can access it here. In it, I introduce our amazing new staff members, provide an overview of our daily schedule and highlight a few upcoming key dates.
We hope you had a wonderful summer and we look forward to a successful 2019-2020 school year at Rye Junior High!
Best,
Marie Soucy, Principal