PTA has coordinated online back-to-school supply kits again this year! The deadline to order is June 15th. Kits are customizable, and are a convenient and cost-effective way to purchase school supplies. Order online at https://www.1stdayschoolsupplies.com/
Message from the Superintendent
Dear Rolling Hills Middle School Families,
Educating students to their highest potential is job one for all of us in Campbell Union School District. As we work toward successfully completing this school year, we also are looking ahead at how to provide the best support to students in the next school year.
When school begins on August 22nd, Rolling Hills will have a new administrative team. Mr. Gilbert Rodriguez will be joining RHMS as Assistant Principal and will be working with Mr. Cribari, who will continue as the RHMS Principal. Your Assistant Principal Kristin Prindle has accepted the position of Principal at Castlemont School, and Dean of Students Steven Fisher has accepted a position at another school district.
Mr. Rodriguez has more than 10 years of experience as an administrator and educator, including middle school, high school and university levels. He and Mr. Cribari will make a strong and effective team as they are committed to continuing the great programs and experiences for Rolling Hills students, staff and families.
We believe these changes will support the needs of students at Rolling Hills Middle School and prepare our future graduates for the challenges of their yet-to-be-defined futures.
Sincerely,
Shelly Viramontez, Ed.D., Superintendent
TESTING DATES
Spring is finally here, and we're preparing our garden beds for planting. As you're planting your own vegetables, if you find you have extra plants we'll find a place for them in our garden. Please email Sue Coron Odom in the RHMS office, SOdom [at] CampbellUSD.org">SOdom [at] CampbellUSD.org,or stop by.
Thank you!
Details coming soon!
Principal’s Message
We hope Spring Break was an opportunity to re-charge and spend quality time together. With the weather warming and the rain diminishing, it is clear that spring is in the air.
SBAC Testing Schedule
Recognizing that state testing may be a time of anxiety for our students, we are making a concerted effort at supporting them during this time. Often, keeping our days “status quo” is an important step. While testing will occur, there will be many similarities to the previous several months of school. We will have a six period day, every day. We will mirror the same testing schedule we experienced during iReady in September and February. We will have lunch at approximately the same time as the previous 140 days.
You will notice that we have also built in some rest between assessments. They include weekends and Wednesdays. The dates follow, and a specific bell schedule is posted on the website:
It is vital that every effort is made to have your child at school on these days, as make-ups become problematic when assessments continue to build. A good night’s rest, a healthy breakfast, a morning snack, and a good-bye hug are additional ways to support your child as he or she demonstrates their learning on these state tests.
We will continue to re-iterate that assessing a child’s mastery of grade level content is accomplished in a variety of formats. District writing prompts, collaborative presentations, letter grades, the 8th grade Exhibition, iReady, and SBAC, as well as the soft skills associated with the CUSD’s Profile of a Graduate, including being self-directed, innovative, a critical thinker, collaborative, and empathetic, are all measures of a student’s mastery of grade level content. As results arrive, we are excited to see how much our students continue to grow.
LiMPETS Science Field Trip
Looking at our Thought Exchange data, all of our seventh graders are attending an academical based field trip to Santa Cruz over the next two weeks. Incorporating science and math, students will explore the tidal ecosystems, working collaboratively to obtain specimens from the beach, making appropriate measurements of those specimens, and entering data into a national database. While the experience itself has no fees, securing transportation and substitute teachers is a costly endeavor. Fortunately, Mr. Alexander secured a $600 grant to help offset fees. We encourage you to provide the suggested donation amount of approximately $13 per child and sign the permission slip.
Notes and Floats… and a Learning Community
To create a larger sense of community and to demonstrate all the great things that departments, including ELA, math, science, social studies, PE, and electives have guided students to discover this year, our RHMS Notes and Floats event will expand.
On Thursday, June 6th, prior to the 6:00 pm start of Notes and Floats where all of the RHMS bands and choirs will perform, the quad will feature teachers and what each department chooses to share with the public. What is shared will be selected by each department as representative of its grade level and content essential standards.
The event will also include a number of food trucks so that families may remain and enjoy an evening of music and fun.
Further details will follow as that event draws closer.
PTA
Please log onto https://www.ptarhms.org/ for more details about how to support the PTA as it works to support over 1,000 RHMS students.
RHMS Parents and Guardians-
Principal’s Message
Hello, families! Welcome to the start of Spring! It was great sharing dinner with many of you at Super Duper last week, and Mr. Aguayo was quite the emcee for families at RHMS Bingo on Friday.
Certificates of Academic Achievement
Like in the fall, we will provide students with certificates for their second trimester academic achievement. Sixth period teachers will distribute them to those students whose grade point averages were between 3.00-3.49, 3.50-3.99, and at 4.00. Please look for the certificates in your child’s backpacks on Tuesday of next week.
On behalf of our entire staff, I’d like to thank you as parents, guardians, and extended families for the support you continue provide our students at home. That support, whether it’s providing a quiet place to study or an additional email to a teacher or reading this message, is paramount to the success of the children and students we share.
LiMPETS Science Field Trip
In an effort to bring learning alive, we are excited to have booked LiMPETS, a science based field trip for seventh grade. Incorporating science and math, and taking place in April, it will serve all 325 of our seventh graders. Students will spend one school day in Santa Cruz, where they will explore the tidal ecosystems, working collaboratively to obtain specimens from the beach, making appropriate measurements of those specimens, and entering data into an international database. While the experience itself has no fees, securing transportation and substitute teachers is a costly endeavor. Fortunately, Mr. Alexander has secured a $600 grant to help offset fees. In order for this to be successful, letters with an attached suggested donation amount along with permission slips will be distributed to seventh graders early next week. We encourage you to provide the suggest donation amount of approximately $13 per child. Details will be distributed through seventh grade science classrooms.
Counseling Presentations
Our Counseling Department continues to have a meaningful impact upon our students. Focused upon the social emotional development of our students, both Ms. Wood and Ms. Gotuaco have led several engaging classroom presentations at all grade levels. Topics have been entitled, “How to Solve a Problem,” “Healthy Friendships,” and “Coping Strategies.” Our counselors are wrapping up presentations in sixth grade classrooms this week.
Always seeking ways to quantify success, there are pre and post assessments associated with the presentations. Based upon student feedback, students are acquiring skills that are proving beneficial to their social emotional development and our school’s climate.
In addition to these presentations, Kaiser Permanente will lead our 7th and 8th graders in a large performance called “Nightmare on Puberty Street.” A fast-paced show featuring current music and dance, this presentation encourages students at this age to look critically at healthy lifestyles and decision making skills. This presentation will take place Thursday of next week.
Reading Intervention
We are always looking at opportunities to support additional students. While we offer an array of electives, including STEAM II, Spanish II and symphonic band, and advanced math classes in seventh and eighth grades, we are also looking at further ways to leverage our Reading Intervention Specialist. We will be meeting with students in the coming days to discuss the opportunity to be in a 10 week reading support class. The aim is to offer additional support in vocabulary development and reading comprehension to students who qualify based upon data, including SBAC and iReady. Students will meet with Ms. Nishihara and receive an introductory letter on Friday before the support starts next Monday. Our expectation is that with a ten week support class, additional students will access increasingly complex texts in English, social studies, science, and math classes and become more confident readers.
CLMS
Several months ago, California League of Middle Schools Region V bestowed upon Mrs. Bell its Educator of the Year award. To follow up, she was honored in Sacramento last weekend for her commitment to educational excellence and making significant efforts at implementing educational reform. Mrs. Bell has worked to implement proven instructional techniques in her classroom and in CUSD, including learning targets and writing strategies that benefit all learners. In my several months at RHMS, it is clear to me that RHMS has a bevy of committed educators like Mrs. Bell of which I am very proud.
PTA
Special thanks to the PTA for organizing the Super Duper fundraiser and Bingo Night last week. Proceeds from the events go directly to our RHMS PTA who in turn gives it directly to programs at RHMS. Please log onto https://www.ptarhms.org/ for more details about how to support the PTA as it works to support over 1,000 RHMS students.
