Principal’s Corner Happy Holidays and Happy New Year! Thank you all for supporting the RPMS Book Fair. It was a huge success. We are preparing for a number of school events to which we hope you can attend: STEM Night (12/5); RPMS Talent Show (12/7—12/8); and the RPMS Winter Band & Orchestra Concert (12/14). As a reminder, our school numbers have changed: Please make sure that all emergency con-tact information is updated on MyMCPS Parent Portal. Contact the main office if you need support. Also continue to check your child’s grades on the portal and ask him/her about his/her learning experi-ence at Rosa Parks.

PTA News…

Happy Holidays,

The PTA is off and running. By the time of this newsletter, you should have picked up your wreath purchases if you placed an order. We are still working on the new option for communicating with everyone and are most likely going to start using MyClassroomAnywhere. Watch for information coming soon to you.

We will not be meeting in December or January but plan to get together again on February 13th for a meeting. We also will be supporting the Multi-Cultural Night here at Rosa Parks on Thursday, February 22 (snow date March 8th). This is a great event that starts at 6:00 p.m. and showcases a lot of the culture in the RPMS community.

A Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year!

December & January

Dolphin News…

Please join us…

On Tuesday, De-

cember 5th RPMS

will be hosting its annual STEM Night!

The event will go from 6:30 to 8:30 in

the gym and cafeteria. The theme for

this year’s STEM Night is Space. Activi-

ties will include Alien Nation where

students will be able to make their own

planet, Mars Rover where students will

be able to design and test a rover pro-

totype, Rocket Mania where students

will design a personalized rocket and

send it flying through the cafeteria,

and even our own Sky Dome Planetar-

ium where students will be able to see

the stars and more in the inflatable

planetarium!

We welcome all to join us for our Night

Among the Stars!

Mark your calendars…

November 27—December 1 — RPMS Book Fair in Media Center

December 7 & 8—RPMS Talent Show, 7:00 p.m.

December 14—Winter Band & Orchestra Concert 7:00 p.m. at Sherwood HS

December 25—January 1—Winter Break, No school for teachers

and students

January 15—Holiday, Schools and Offices Closed

January 25—1st Semester and 2nd Marking Period Ends

January 26—Professional Day, No School for Students

January 29—2nd Semester and 3rd Marking Period Begins

We’re here to help… Counseling Office (240) 740-3310 Fax (301) 924-3192

Grade 6 - Mrs. Sara Chapper

Grade 7 - Mrs. Sara Watts (Lef-Z), Resource Counselor

- Mrs. Michelle Ewers (A-Lee)

Grade 8 - Ms. Barbara Becker

Counseling Secretary - Mrs. Cathy Fordham

Request for homework for long-term absence (3 day minimum)

Withdrawal from school

New registration

Coming Soon…

Please offer to volunteer your time, talents , and/or treasures (for display).

E-Mail: gina_p_woodward@mcpsmd.org or sarah_k_devlin@mcpsmd.org

A Celebration of Culture

Thursday, February 22, 2018

We plan to celebrate with: artifacts, dancing, music, poetry, cuisine and tradi-

tions from around the world and in our neighborhood.

RPMS Main Number 240-740-3300

Attendance 240-740-3301 Counseling Office 240-740-3310

Health Room 240-740-3302

Building Services 240-740-3303

Cafeteria 240-740-3304

Seventh Grade News!

Our seventh grade students are awesome! Our first 7th grade Town Hall meeting was a success thanks to the enthusiasm and participation of all of our students! The seventh grades came to school that day all decked out in the color which represent their TAP classes. As we dis-cussed being digitally responsible citizens, our students engaged in some friendly completion. They tried their hand at a Kahoot quiz, they raced during a fill-in-the-blank relay, and they pulled together as a grade level to sing their hearts out to some reworded Karoake songs! You can’t even imagine the sound of 260 students sing-ing away in the bleachers of our gym! We can’t wait to see what the next Town Hall brings! In addition, we celebrate our Student of the Month win-ners, our Honor Roll and Straight A students, our content stars, all of our students participating in after school clubs and teams, and all of our many, many students recognized daily with a Dolphin Dollar for having demon-strated our four core values or our Give Me Ten charac-teristics.

Eighth Grade News!

Eighth grade had their first town hall to recognize student achievement. Congratulations to all award recipients!

As a grade level we discussed plagiarism as well as student online presences being public and permanent encompassing the idea of being digitally responsible. Please talk with your student about the appropriate uses of technology to ensure their safe-ty for now and the future along with maintaining academic honesty and integrity.

We will continue to recognize students in their content classes as well as in town hall meetings throughout the year in addition to the end of the year 8th grade awards assembly.

Have a safe & enjoyable holiday!

Social Studies

Junior Achievement Volunteers Needed!

This year, Rosa Parks Middle School will once again partner with Junior Achievement to bring financial literacy education into

the classroom. Adult volunteers are needed to teach pre-developed, interactive lessons about goal-setting, budgeting, insur-

ance, and credit to 6th grade students.

NO PRIOR TEACHING EXPERIENCE NECESSARY! The time commitment is one 45 minute class period per week for five weeks. You can even volunteer in your 6th grade child’s Social Studies class! This year, Junior Achievement sessions are scheduled on the following days: February 9th, 16th, and 23rd, and March 9th, and 16th. If you are interested in volunteering and would like to be contacted by a Junior Achievement representative, please complete the form found here: goo.gl/nG7qsw

Get Ready for the Geo Bee!

The annual Geography Bee competition is right around the corner! Students will test their knowledge of

global geography through Social Studies classes on the last two days prior to winter break. Classroom win-

ners will then compete in early January to determine a schoolwide champion!

Please visit https://www.nationalgeographic.org/bee for more information about the competition.

Sixth Grade News!

Sixth graders just completed their first quarter of middle

school in November! The sixth grade team had a town hall

meeting where we discussed cyberbullying and reviewed

behavior expectations in middle school. We had many

student participants and the students enjoyed being cele-

brated as we recognized student achievement in quarter

one.

As the holiday cheer starts to travel down the sixth grade

hallway we know behaviors will reflect such excitement.

Please discuss with your child how to handle the excite-

ment appropriately.

Upon our return from winter break, students will be re-

ceiving information through science class on Outdoor Edu-

cation. Please be sure to let Mrs. Morales

(Stacy_R_Morales@mcpsmd.org) know if you are inter-

ested in chaperoning.

Thank you and Happy Holidays!

Physical Education & Health

The colder weather has arrived. Please remind your child to bring in sweatshirts, sweatpants, hats and gloves. We will con-tinue to engage in activities outside as long as the weather is manageable. Mrs. Eurie’s and Mrs. Johnson’s health classes will continue instruction during the second quarter. Check your child’s binder/ folder to see what activities they have been learning in health. It makes for great conversations at home.

Family Life forms were sent home with every 7th and 8th grade student on September 7th. Due to the new change in the collecting procedures, we only need those opting out to return the forms to their teacher.

Student Service Learning Students may turn in verification forms and completed SSL forms to the designated folders located outside of Mrs. Lewis’ classroom, B112. Stu-

dents may also pick up verification or pre-approval forms in this location. Please contact Mrs. Lewis directly with any questions regarding

SSL: sarah_f_lewis@mcpsmd.org

SYSTEMWIDE DOCUMENTATION TIMELINES

January 5, 2018:

Documentation of service performed during the first semester is due to the school-based SSL coordinator.

SYSTEMWIDE SSL AWARD TIMELINES

April 6, 2018: Documentation that qualifies middle school students for the Superintendent ’s SSL Award is due to the school-based SSL coordina-

tor. This award is given to students who meet the 75 hour graduation requirement during middle school (It is only awarded once).

Math

C2.0 Math- 6 - Math 6 students are currently working on long

division using the standard algorithm. Students will spend a few days adding and subtracting decimals. and then they will begin a unit exploring integers.

C2.0 Math- 7 – Students are working with rational numbers using

number lines and models to explore the rules for all four opera-tions.

They will be able to represent their answer using various strate-gies. Students will be using the foundation built in 6th grade for fraction and decimal problems as they make connections to the integers. These topics will set the foundation for using rational numbers in expressions and equations.

C2.0 IM – Students have just wrapped up using rational number

operations in various ways to show mastery of their computation skills in the first topic of Unit 2. Lots of group discourse was used as teams competed on dry erase boards and games to show this process. Topic 2 focuses on integrating those same skills into alge-braic expressions and equations. The IM curriculum will set a strong foundation of algebra skills as our students continue to do multiple steps to determine the answer.

C2.0 Math 8 - Students in C2.0 Math 8 are continuing to work in

Unit 2 Topic 2 to develop and broaden understanding of slope in the context of a table, graph, & written scenario. They will also further explore the meaning of slope and y-intercept in the context of a real life situation.

C2.0 Honors Geometry - Students in Honors Geometry finish up

Unit 1 by proving theorems using a variety of formats and solving problems about triangles, quadrilaterals, and other polygons. Then, students build a formal understanding of similarity by using their knowledge of proportional reasoning. They identify criteria for similarity of triangles, use similarity to solve problems, and apply similarity in right triangles to understand right triangle trigo-nometry.

English

6th Grade English: Students have begun the second unit of

study: Adventures. Students have begun their second novel study of either The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle or Where the Red Fern Grows. In this unit students will write an analysis of how a particular sentence, scene, or stanza contrib-utes to the development of theme in a text. In this unit, stu-dents will also write and deliver a speech presenting a proposal for action.

7th Grade English: Students in English 7 have just begun their

second Unit study: A Sense of Place. Students, in this unit, will be analyzing how setting often shapes characters- including writing a short story where a character is impacted by their immediate setting. Students will also be starting a new novel study on either The Call of the Wild or The Great Gilly Hopkins.

8th Grade English: Students in English 8 will be working on and

finishing up their first common task of the quarter where they will be analyzing how authors use literary techniques to achieve certain purposes. In the Reader’s Workshop, students should have read around 8-9 books in order to reach their goal of 30 by the end of the year.

Digital Literacy: The sixth grade Digital Literacy students are

working on the novella, Seedfolks, by Paul Fleishman. Students have been reading and analyzing each chapter considering the following literary devices: point of view, symbolism, analogy, and metaphor. In December we will continue building research skills with special attention given to creating, revising and strengthening claims. In January all students will complete their third research project with a slide presentation for the class.

RPMS Dolphin Athletics

What a start to the sports year! Our Fall sports teams all had wonderful seasons! Now it is time for the RPMS basketball season. Below is the schedule for the games and who plays at home for each game. As always, if you have a child interested in trying out for a team in the future, please make sure all forms are turned in and they have an updated physical on file in the health room before they try out. Please note, students participating in an athletic activity must meet the MCPS Grade Point Average (GPA) eligibility requirement which is no less than a 2.0. The links to all the forms are on the RPMS Athletic Website. Happy Holidays!

January 4th Boys Basketball at Loiederman ( Home) Girls Basketball vs Loiederman

January 10th Girls Basketball at Parkland ( Home) Boys Basketball vs Parkland January 16th Boys Basketball at Farquhar ( Home) Girls Basketball vs Farquhar

January 18th Girls Basketball at Argyle ( Home) Boys Basketball vs Argyle January 31st Boys Basketball at Montgomery Village (Home) Girls Basketball vs Montgomery Village

February 6th Girls Basketball at Shady Grove ( Home) Boys Basketball vs Shady Grove

For questions regarding the athletics program at Rosa Parks MS, please contact: Evan Miller, Athletic Coordinator, at Evan_J_Miller@mcpsmd.org

A flu vaccination is needed every year because viruses are constantly changing. The flu vaccine is manufactured each year to keep up with the flu viruses as they change. Studies have shown that an individual’s immunity to the influenza viruses (either through natural infection or vaccination) declines over time.

Health officials encourage everyone to help prevent the spread of flu and many other contagious diseases by practicing the following good hygiene habits:

Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue; immediately throw away used tissues. This will block the spread of droplets from your mouth or nose that could contain germs.

Sneeze and cough into the upper sleeve, not the hands.

Wash hands frequently throughout the day

Wash hands by scrubbing together for 20 seconds with soap and warm water. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.

Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth. Germs spread this way.

Try to avoid close contact with sick people.

Stay home from school and work if symptoms develop such as a fever, coughing, sneezing, runny nose, headache, and body aches

Routinely clean frequently touched objects and surfaces, including doorknobs, keyboards, railings, and phones, to help remove germs.

Call or take your child to a doctor right away if your child has: a high fever

trouble breathing skin that looks blue not drinking enough

seems confused gets better but then worse again

“Could it be the flu or is it just a cold?” Before you can figure out how to help yourself or your child feel better, you need to know what is making you/them feel sick. Typically the flu (also known as influenza) has symptoms that can make you/them feel worse than symp-toms associated with a common cold, but it is not always easy to differentiate between the two. To help determine whether you/your child are fighting the flu or combating a cold, answer these questions about the symptoms:

Questions to ask concerning... Flu Cold Was onset of illness… sudden slow Do you/your child have a… high fever no (or mild) fever Is exhaustion level… severe mild Is cough… dry severe, hacking Is your/your child’s throat… possibly sore sore Is your/your child’s head… achy headache-free Is appetite… decreased normal Are muscles… achy fine Do you/your child have… chills no chills

If most of your answers fell into the first category, chances are that you/your child have the flu. If your answers typically fall in the sec-ond category, it is most likely a cold. Don’t be too quick to brush off an illness as just another cold. The important thing to remember is that flu symptoms can vary from person to person (and they can change as the illness progresses), so if you suspect the flu, call your

Rosa Parks Middle School’s

Variety Show !

We hope to see you there!

Order Your Yearbook Today! Order today on the Rosa Parks Middle School Website.

Only $28 now through December 31st.

Use the link that looks like the picture below and follow the

directions.

OR

Complete an order form and bring it to Mrs. Woodward in

room C208.

Order forms are in the main office.

ORDER TODAY (cheapest price of the year)!!!!!!

Student Government Association Hot Topics... Now that we have our student elected leaders, it’s time to get to work!

SGA members had their first official meeting on November 15th at which time future events and other student focused activities and possible fundraisers were discussed. To ensure all students voices are heard, a survey will be shared with stu-dents to take during a TAP class sometime in December be-fore planning and scheduling any of the discussed events.

Stay tuned for more information as the student leaders and members of the SGA have a lot they want to do and are deter-mined to honor their campaign promises to the staff and stu-dents at RPMS as well as increase student involvement.

Happy Holidays and Happy New Year!

Student Service Learning Students may turn in verification forms to the folder outside of Mrs. Lewis’ classroom, B112. Students may also pick up verification or pre-approval forms in this location. Please contact Mrs. Lewis directly with any questions regarding SSL: sarah_f_lewis@mcpsmd.org

SYSTEMWIDE DOCUMENTATION TIMELINES January 5, 2018: Documentation of service performed during the first semester is due to the school-based SSL coordinator. June 1, 2018: Documentation of all service performed during the second semester is due to the school-based SSL coordinator.

SYSTEMWIDE SSL AWARD TIMELINES

April 6, 2018: Documentation that qualifies middle school students for the Superintendent’s SSL Award is due to the school-based SSL coordinator. This award is given to students who meet the 75 hour graduation requirement during middle school (It is only awarded once).

SSL forms should be turned in to Mrs. Lewis in Room B213.