Posted by PRISCILLA SCHANDLER on 1/3/2022
Knightly News: January 2, 2022
News from the Principal
I hope you and your families have enjoyed a wonderful holiday break! The time away has been a welcome opportunity to relax, spend time with loved ones, and prepare for the close of the first semester, and transition into the second semester of the school year. The first semester will conclude on Thursday, January 13. It will be an early dismissal day for students and we will take advantage of the morning to engage with them in a variety of activities for our school-wide Wellness Day.
Beginning in the second semester, we will be adding a weekly advisory period to the school day on Wednesdays. This thirty minute period will be utilized to support student learning in a variety of ways. Activities may include lessons in study and organizational skills, time to complete assignments, opportunities to access additional support, or small group needs-based activities. The advisory period is new to us and will evolve over time. We are excited for the opportunities it will bring. Students will learn more about the advisory period in the weeks ahead.
Some of you have reached out about the recent announcement that the CDC is changing the quarantine time frame to five days. For our return on January 3, we will keep all previous protocols in place. Please stay tuned for communications from Rockwood School District for any updates.
With much gratitude,
Karen Hedrick, Ed.D.
Announcements
Teacher of the Year recognition is a longstanding program in the Rockwood School District. It is the time of year to once again recognize the outstanding work of our staff at Rockwood Valley. Nominations are accepted from our staff, students, families, and community members. If you would like to nominate a phenomenal staff member for this award, please review the criteria below and fill out the google form. Nominations will be accepted until 3:00 pm on Friday, January 14th.
District Teacher of the Year Criteria-
- Teacher of the year candidates do whatever it takes to ensure all students realize their potential.
They:
- Organize and plan content so that students can learn
- Engage students by using a variety of instructional techniques
- Behave in a professional manner
- Are skilled, dedicated teachers who plan to continue teaching
- Highly respected by students, parents, colleagues, and the community
- Take an active role in the school community providing service and leadership
- Staff must be full-time teachers who intend on teaching next year. Counselors, librarians, and instructional coaches are eligible to participate in Teacher of the Year programs.
- Must be willing to participate in the Rockwood School District teacher of the year process.
PLEASE FILL OUT THE FORM BELOW TO NOMINATE A TEACHER YOU FEEL BEST EXEMPLIFIES THESE QUALITIES.
Rockwood Valley Teacher of the Year Nomination Form
Please let us know if your child has been vaccinated. As part of our Rockwood Safe Together mitigation efforts, the district has been encouraging all staff members and eligible students to get vaccinated to keep students and staff healthy and in school. We encourage all parents to work with their health care professionals to determine if the vaccine is right for their children.
Since the beginning of the school year, we have been asking employees to voluntarily share with us if they have received the COVID-19 vaccine, and we have been publishing those numbers on our district website. Now that all K-12 Rockwood students are eligible to receive the vaccine, we are requesting that parents voluntarily disclose when their child has been fully vaccinated so we can update their immunization records and have an accurate measure of how many students are vaccinated in our building.
Originally, we asked parents to fill out an online form with the information. If you have already done so, we have that record. If you have not submitted the form, we ask that you take a photo of your child’s vaccination card and email it directly to our school nurse, Ms. <insert nurse name>, at <insert email address>. Thank you!
Tell us how we’re doing: The Rockwood Heartbeat check-in is an ongoing process to solicit feedback to meet the needs of all members of our school community. These checkpoints will be used to support re-entry transitions as we identify and respond to the needs of our students, staff and families. As part of these activities, parents/guardians are asked to complete an online questionnaire (3-5 questions) that encourages you to reflect on your own mindsets and experiences connecting with our school (view questions).
- Complete one form for each middle school student
- Use this link https://bit.ly/parent68 to access the survey.
- Make sure to select Rockwood Valley and the grade(s) that your children are currently in.
Upcoming Events
Mon, 1/3 - Wed, 1/12: Winter STAR Reading & STAR Math Testing
Mon, 1/10: PSO Meeting, RVMS Library, 6 pm
Mon, 1/10: PSO New Parent Welcome, RVMS Library, 7 pm
Thur, 1/13: RVMS Wellness Day, dismissal @ 11:32 am
Thur, 1/13: First Semester Ends
Fri, 1/14: No School - Teacher Work Day
Mon, 1/17: No School - MLK Day
Tues, 1/18: Second Semester Begins
Tues, 1/18: Counselor enrollment visit @ Pond Elementary
Tues, 1/18:Incoming 6th Grade Parent Night, RVMS Commons, 7pm
Wed, 1/19: Counselor enrollment visit @ Babler Elementary
Thurs, 1/20: Counselor enrollment visit @ Chesterfield Elementary