Orientation Meeting for 5th Grade Parents

at RMS May 5, 2017

This year’s orientation meeting for 5th grade parents will begin on Wednesday, April

5th with a Welcome to RMS reception at 5:30 PM in the cafeteria followed by a

general overview of our Middle School program that starts at 6:00 PM in the

auditorium. The agenda for this meeting, which will take place in our auditorium, will

include an overview of our school’s curriculum, daily schedule, teaming, and

opportunities for extracurricular activities and various services available to you and

your child. We also encourage you to join us to give you a chance to interact with

parents from the other two elementary schools.

This meeting is intended for parents only (your 5th grader does not need to

attend). The fifth graders will have their visit in May. During their visit, they will learn

more about the Middle School from a panel of current sixth graders. They will also

have the opportunity to tour the building and meet some of our current sixth grade

teachers.

Rising 8th grade Electives:

7th graders should have turned their 8th grade elective course selection sheets in to

guidance by 3/29/17. Any 7th grader who has not done so, should immediately return

their selection paper to Mrs. Raines.

Radnor Middle School

2016-2017 Assessment Schedules

Assessment Who When

MAP (Reading & Math) 6th Grade December 1- 6

MAP (Reading & Math) 7th Grade December 7-14

MAP (Reading & Math) 8th Grade December 15-20

ACCESS EL Students February 6-10

IAAT -Iowa Qualifying 6th graders (MIF Course 1 & Honors Course 1) February 8

DRP 6th & 7th grades (non-fiction comprehension probe) February 22

PSSA (ELA) 6th, 7th, & 8th grades April 3 - April 6

PSSA (Math) 6th, 7th, & 8th grades April 25 - April 27

PSSA (Science) 8th grade only May 3 & 4

CDT (Science) 6th and 7th grades May 3 & 4

Keystone Algebra students only May 17 & 18

Please Note:

• Make-ups for each assessment will be conducted as close to the assessment as possible

• Specific daily schedules for each assessment will be distributed prior to testing

RMS’s Integrated Programs –

Opportunity Knocks

RMS invites you and your child to learn about

Crossroads Watershed Soundings Gateways Nationally recognized for academic innovation and excellence

Dear Parents of 5th, 6th, and 7th Graders,

As you begin to think about your child’s next year in school, you have choices to consider involving Radnor Middle School’s highly acclaimed integrated programs – Crossroads in 6th grade, Watershed in 7th, Gateways in 8th, and Soundings, also in 8th.

To help you make an informed decision, we encourage you to learn more about integrated learning in general as well as the specific programs appropriate to your child's grade level next year. You can begin at the integrated department website (http://www.rtsd.org/Domain/918). There, you can learn about the philosophy and practices of integrated learning, how it is different from the regular programming, and access the websites for each integrated program. The timeline for this year's selection process is also outlined there.

To help your child make an informed decision, we provide presentations to all the students in fifth, sixth, and seventh grades during school hours. We highly encourage parents to also attend one of these meetings. The dates and times of the meetings are posted on the integrated department (http://www.rtsd.org/Domain/918) as well as the individual program websites.

If you have any questions, please contact either your child’s guidance counselor or the appropriate program teachers.

National History Day

Winners

National History Day 2017

From four teachers, Radnor had 39 students participate by entering 28 projects.

Radnor took 10 of the 27 awards in the nine categories, with an additional two

honorable mentions.

Paper

1st: Escalating Fear through Falsehoods: Joseph McCarthy’s Stand Against

Communism in America by Ari Jones-Davidis (8th Grade)

Individual Website

1st: The Age of Lynching: Ida B. Wells by Anya Chan (8th Grade)

2nd: William Lloyd Garrison: Taking a Stand Against Slavery by Sishil Namana (8th

Grade)

Group Website

1st: Elizabeth Blackwell: a Pioneer in the Medical Field by Ellie Davis and Justin

Nourian (7th grade)

Individual Documentary

2nd: The Story of Dred Scott; How Dred Scott took a stand against slavery and helped

shape America into what it is today by Rory Harper (8th grade)

Group Documentary

Hon. Men. : Deborah Lipstadt: Taking a Stand against Holocaust Denial by Neya

Anand/ Janie McRae (7th grade)

Individual Exhibit

1st: Mary Beth Tinker: The Voice Behind Student Free Speech) by Brendan Hung (8th

grade)

2nd: Ruby Bridges: Taking a Stand for all Students by Jesse Conen (8th grade)

3rd: Kathrine Switzer by Chloe Hannum (8th grade)

Hon. Men.: Sojourner Truth by Carina Vale (8th grade)

Group Exhibit

2nd: Mahatama Gandhi by Juliana Bryant and Uzma Khan (7th grade)

Individual Performance

2nd: Stonewall: The Clash of Psychiatric Ethics and American Egalitarianism by Aleni

Voskeridjian (8th grade)

The PSSA ELA Assessment for 6th, 7th and 8th grade will be administered in

the morning on April 3rd - April 6th . PSSA Math testing for 6th, 7th and 8th

grade will occur April 25th -April 27th . Additionally, eighth grade students

will take the PSSA SCIENCE Assessment on the mornings of May 3rd and 4th

. Please schedule appointments and trips around this testing period. The

PSSA is a state mandated test and it is required that students

participate. Students who are absent for any testing sessions will need to

miss regularly scheduled classes during the days following the testing to

complete the assessments. It is critical that students arrive to RMS on time

each day for testing. THANK YOU!

WANTED : WEB Leaders—Attention 7th grade Students and Parents. The

recruitment of 7th grade students who want to make a difference in the lives

of next years’ incoming 6th graders will begin when we return from Spring

Break. WEB is a student leadership opportunity here at RMS that will be

entering its 7th year. The Program is designed to help our 6th graders make a

smooth transition from elementary school to middle school with assistance

from a team of 8th grade mentors (your child next year!). WEB leaders will

receive training for their role and will work in pairs to support a group of

approximately ten 6th grade students. The WEB program plays a critical role

in the first day orientation for the 6th graders. WEB leaders will also have

multiple opportunities throughout the remainder of the school year to

foster this mentoring relationship. Please consider this opportunity—there

is a simple application process which will be explained to students in early

April. WEB Application Forms will be posted online and will be due to

Guidance by May 5th.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

April is National Poetry Month, and on

Thursday, April 27th, RMS will participate in "Poem In

Your Pocket Day." Students will be asked to have a

favorite poem in their pocket or memorized. During

advisory, any student who shares his or her poem will

be entered into a drawing for a prize. Additionally,

throughout the day, the prize patrol will stop random

students and ask to hear their poems. If students are

willing to share their poems, they may receive a small

prize. Please encourage your child to come to school

with his or her favorite poem on this day.

FROM THE NURSE…

From the nurse…Carolyn Seaton, RN MSN CSN

Medical Trivia Question:

Q: How long does it take to receive a sunburn on unprotected skin?

A: A person can sustain significant sunburn to their skin from as little as 5 minutes

in the midday sun.

With the long, cold winter behind us and Spring Break upon us, many people are

outside enjoying the spring sun and air. However, it is very important to take the

proper precautions to protect your skin. The sun poses many threats - above and

beyond being burned. Here are 6 dangers of sun exposure.

1. Sunburn - First-degree sunburn can be painful and typically turns the skin

pink or red. Severe sunburns, or second-degree burns, cause blistering and

swelling of the skin, and will begin to peel three to eight days after exposure.

Each blistering sunburn doubles the risk of developing skin cancer later in

life.

2. Premature Aging - Just a few minutes of sun exposure each day over the

years can cause noticeable changes to the skin. Skin also becomes loose,

wrinkled, and leathery much earlier with unprotected exposure to sunlight.

3. Brown/Age Spots – These dark spots usually have rounded edges and look

like large freckles and tend to appear on people in their 40's and older. Age

spots are not considered to be cancerous or pre-cancerous, although if you

notice an age spot with uneven edges, consult your doctor for further

examination

4. Moles - Moles vary in size and can be pink, tan, brown or flesh-colored. They

can be either flat or raised, round or oval, and rough or smooth. Some moles

are present at birth, most appear by age 20, and new moles can still appear

up to age 40. Be aware. Any mole that changes needs to be seen by a doctor.

Why? It can indicate a skin cancer called a melanoma.

5. Eye Damage -With excessive sun exposure you may also be burning the

cornea of your eyes. Eye surface burns usually disappear within a couple of

days, but may lead to further complications later in life.

6. Skin Cancer - The most common or well-known damage that can happen to

your body from excessive sun damage is skin cancer.

Early protection from the sun can eliminate these future dangers. Select an

appropriate sunscreen SPF based on your skin type and how long you anticipate

being in the sun. In general, a sunscreen with SPF 30 or higher and used with sun

protection clothing, hats, and sunglasses- will give the maximum protection

available when you are outdoors.

News from the RMS Library…

This year the annual Delaware Reading Olympics competition took

place on March 29th at Springton Lake Middle School from 5:45 p.m.

to 8:15 p.m. Nine RMS Reading Olympic teams have worked all year

to read forty-five books from the Delaware County Reading Olympics

Book List. The competition is their chance to show what they know

about those books. Each student was given a ribbon to represent how many questions

their team answered correctly. Congratulations to the over 100 students who

participated. Great job!