Carson MS Weekly Updates -Week of September 18

Important Upcoming Events September 21 & 22 - Fall School Picture Days September 25 - No School -Holiday-Cultural Observance September 26 - Parent Coffee / Blue Star Welcome week September 28 - VGA Reading Assessment - All Students

Parent Coffee Picture Day Community Yard Sale Service Learning Hours Info Other Schools Are Sharing Student Team Shirts on Sale!

Our library offers many things for students: books, resources, and a place to gather with friends.

A Message from Principal Stokes

Greetings Panthers,

Panther Time is an important part of our schedule.  Every B day, one block is devoted to Advisory time and office hours.  During the Advisory portion, students engage in different activities and conversations designed to build positive relationships, explore elements of Social and Emotional Learning (SEL), and take part in school-wide activities that promote community.  Next week, we will also introduce Carson Kids Read – time for silent reading based on student choice.  During office hours, students can make appointments to visit with teachers to get extra support, complete assignments, visit the library, or get organized for the remainder of the day.  We will continue to support students by helping them determine good strategies to best use this time of the day.  We encourage families to have a conversation about how your student is using Panther Time.  Knowing that students are juggling a lot of responsibilities, we hope that Panther Time offers the time and space to get organized and refocused during the day.

Thank you for your support.

Sincerely,

Gordon Stokes

Principal

Dear Panther Families,

We invite you to join us in the RCMS cafeteria for our first Family Coffee of the year entitled “Welcome to Middle School” on Tuesday, September 26^th, from 9:00-10:00 AM. 

For those families who were unable to attend our Back to School Nights and for those who would like more information, we will be presenting an overview of numerous topics.  Join us to hear from our administrators, after-school specialist, school counselors, school-based technology specialist, and other RCMS staff to learn about supports and programs here at RCMS.   Please let us know if you can attend by completing the sign-up linked here.   

Family Coffee Schedule - SAVE THE DATES:

- Virtual Guest speaker, Rachel Bailey: November 29^th 9-10AM

- Guest speaker, Zaina Bankwalla, Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College: March 2024

- Virtual Rising 7^th Grade- Transition to Middle School: April 2024

We hope to see you soon!

Service Learning Hours

This year 8^th grade students will complete a Service Learning Project in civics class in which they will choose a theme of interest, research the theme, design an action plan, complete 8 hours in the field, and create a reflective product. More information about the Service Learning Project can be found on the RCMS Website and on the Parent Page of Schoology.

The Service Learning Project-Research is due for 8^th grade students on October 2.

7^th grade students will learn about service learning hours and experiences in the 4^th quarter.

Sincerely,

RCMS 

Social Studies & Civics Department

On Thursday, September 21st and Friday, September 22nd, students and staff will be getting their pictures taken in the gym during PE classes.

Click the link below to review the Quarter 1 Student Services newsletter.

https://www.smore.com/g7p4j

Dear Panther Families,

We invite you to join us in the RCMS cafeteria for our first Family Coffee of the year entitled “Welcome to Middle School” on Tuesday, September 26^th, from 9:00-10:00 AM. 

For those families who were unable to attend our Back to School Nights and for those who would like more information, we will be presenting an overview of numerous topics.  Join us to hear from our administrators, after-school specialist, school counselors, school-based technology specialist, and other RCMS staff to learn about supports and programs here at RCMS.   Please let us know if you can attend by completing the sign-up linked here.   

Family Coffee Schedule - SAVE THE DATES:

- Virtual Guest speaker, Rachel Bailey: November 29^th 9-10AM

- Guest speaker, Zaina Bankwalla, Little-Known Secrets of Paying for College: March 2024

- Virtual Rising 7^th Grade- Transition to Middle School: April 2024

We hope to see you soon!

Greetings Panther Families!

Mr. Barrows will communicate with students about activities through email and Schoology and will also be in lunches where a daily schedule will be shown on the projector. We try our best to communicate any changes such as cancellations immediately though email and Schoology. Late buses will be offered Monday-Thursday. Late buses are different than your regular bus number. Please make sure students know their late bus number prior to staying after school. You can find your late bus number in SIS and it will say RCLR (Rachel Carson Late Run).

RCMS Q1 After School Schedule

Riley Barrows

Free and Reduced Meals

Free and Reduced Priced Meals for Students

https://www.fcps.edu/frm

Free and Reduced-Price Meals (FRM) Learn more about the criteria and process to apply for free or reduced-price breakfast and lunch. www.fcps.edu

Early Dismissal Procedures

If your student will be picked up early for an appointment:
Please send students to the front office in the morning with a note stating the time of the dismissal. Students will be given a pass to leave class and meet parents in the office. Even without a note, students should come to the office to get a pass. Parents should come to entrance #1, to the main office, with a photo ID to pick up their student for early dismissals. No early dismissals can occur after 2:00pm.

World Languages Credit Exam

Is your child able to read and write in another language?  If so, you may want to consider the World Languages Credit Exam.  

The 2023 World Languages Credit Exam will be administered on November 8th at Edison HS, November 9th at Centreville HS and November 13th at Fairfax HS. The exam is available for students in grades 7 through 12 who have proficiency in one of the thirty languages offered including American Sign Language (ASL), Amharic, Arabic, Bengali, Chinese (Mandarin), Farsi, French, German, Greek, Hebrew, Hindi, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Nepali, Pashto, Portuguese, Punjabi, Russian, Sanskrit, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tamil, Telugu, Tigrinya, Turkish, Twi, Urdu, and Vietnamese. 

What is the World Language Credit Exam??  

The exam assesses reading and writing language proficiency in languages other than English.  Students who take the exam may earn up to three World Languages credits for levels one, two, and three for the language of the exam.  The credits may fulfill the World Languages requirements for the Advanced Students Diploma.  The FCPS World Languages Credit Exam is also an approved assessment for awarding the Virginia Department of Education’s Seal of Biliteracy.  The exam is offered one time per school year.  A student may participate in the exam two times per language, once per year, between grades 7 through 12.  In other words, students have two chances per language to earn credits by taking the exam.  

How and when can I register?

All students must register for the exam through their school counselor by completing the sign-up form linked here.  Registration opens Tuesday, September 5th and closes on Thursday, October 5th.  Late registrations will not be accepted.

Where can I find more information about the World Languages Credit Exam and the new digital language proficiency pilot assessment?

Check out the World Languages Credit Exam here on the FCPS website.  

🚍 Transportation Patience and Safety

Thank you for your patience as we all get used to new routines this school year. We appreciate our families following kiss-and-ride procedures and being patient while waiting for your children’s buses. 

If a student’s bus is delayed, parents/caregivers may access the

Bus Delay Notification or use the Here Comes The Bus Application to receive the delayed bus report. Email messages will be sent to announce significant bus delays. Visit the Transportation Services Contact Webpage to see who to contact with specific questions.

To make sure you receive email messages about bus delays, update your contact information in SIS ParentVUE.

Other Schools are Sharing

Floris Elementary is hosting a chess tournament for K-12!

Oakton High School will be hosting a special presentation by the Fairfax County Police Department

Hidden in Plain Sight (HIPS)will be held at Oakton High School on Tuesday,  09/26/23 from 630PM – 830PM.  Parents and staff are welcome to attend this presentation led by FCPD. 

Please click the link below to sign up for the presentation. 

https://bit.ly/hipsoakton23

SOUTH LAKES SEAHAWKS!

Friday Night Lights – HOME GAME Information

• Friday, September 29 vs Chantilly (Homecoming)
• Friday, October 13 vs Oakton (Golf Senior Night)
• Friday, November 3 vs Westfield (Band, Cheer, Dance Senior Night)

We want you all to “Rock the BLUE & GREEN” and show your school spirit! The cost of all Varsity Football games is $5.00 for students and adults.

To avoid long lines, click here, South Lakes e-Tix and purchase your tickets before the game.
Avoid the lines and use the upper gate if you have prepaid tickets. The main ticket booth takes cash and pre-paid tickets.

The game starts at 7:00 PM. Make sure to dress appropriately for the weather. If you don’t have South Lakes gear, don't worry- the Booster Club will have plenty for sale as well.

Booster Club Passes!

All elementary and middle school students need to be accompanied & supervised by an adult while at the game. High School students who get dropped off must plan to have their rides waiting for them at 9:30 PM.

Click HERE for more information and conduct guidelines for all students.

Go Seahawks!

Varsity Home Football Game Reminders -

• The game will start at 7:00pm  Cost of tickets are $5, and can be purchased at the gate or ahead of time through this ETix
• For varsity football games, once you pay and enter the stadium you may not leave and reenter. Please plan accordingly.
• Patrons will not be allowed to enter the stadium with athletic equipment such as bats, balls, sticks, etc. 
• Backpacks are not allowed.  Everyone entering the stadium is subject to search.
• Patrons will not be allowed to enter the stadium with outside food or containers such as water bottles, cups, cans, etc. 
• We welcome all members of the community to attend our games, but parents are needed to attend and monitor middle and elementary aged students.  All attendees, regardless of age, are expected to behave responsibly.  

TJHSST Invitational Science Fair 2024!

We are TJ Investigative Science Outreach, a student-led organization at Thomas Jefferson High School for Science and Technology. We will be hosting our 11th annual science fair on March 16, 2024 and we would like to invite 5th-8th grade students from your school to participate. Admission to the science fair is completely free. 

Participants will complete a research project of their choice and present at the fair in-person on March 16, 2024. We help students prepare for this fair by holding multiple sessions to teach them important skills in STEM like brainstorming, collecting data, presenting, writing an experiment summary, using statistics, creating an experimental diagram, etc.

Our first interest/brainstorming session is Friday October 6th, 2023 at 6:00 pm. We will be holding this session in-person at TJHSST. During this session we will go over the goals and guidelines of this fair and introduce students to a multitude of project ideas. All interested students should sign up using the form at the link: https://forms.gle/RMfQYuvACK3YajRw8 

We would greatly appreciate it if you could advertise the fair on a weekly school newsletter or through some other means.

If you have any questions or concerns, please email us back. Feel free to also check out our website at tjsciencefair.wordpress.com or email us at tjhsstsciencefair@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

TJ Investigative Science Outreach

Purchase your 7^th & 8^th grade class of/team shirts today!!

Link to Purchase: Yearbook Sales - MySchoolbucks

2023-2024 Yearbooks are available for purchase. Reserve your copy today by purchasing through MySchoolBucks!

We have a limited number of surplus, once we reach our sales limit yearbooks will be sold out. Sales are on a first come first serve basis.

Safe Student Drop-off – Kiss N Ride Procedures

• Please use the Kiss N Ride loop when dropping off students in the morning. No students should be dropped off in the RCMS parking lot, on the shoulder of McLearen Rd., or on EDS Dr. All locations other than Kiss N Ride place students in a dangerous situation and contributes to unsafe conditions for students.
• Students who participate in after school programs should be picked up in the Kiss N Ride loop and not at another location on or off-campus.
• As a reminder when driving through the RCMS parking lot please proceed slowly and with caution as there are a number of natural blind spots in parking lots.

An alternative to Kiss N Ride is to ride the bus.  All students who arrive via bus are considered on-time.  We appreciate your attention to these important procedures.

Sincerely,

The RCMS Administrative Team

If a student will be absent or arriving late to school, parents or guardians should always report the details of the absence to the RCMS Attendance Office. Teachers do not have access to mark a student excused for an absence, which is why it is imperative that parents contact the attendance office (instead of, or in addition to, the teacher) when their child is absent so we can mark them correctly. 

To report an absence, parents have these options:

1. Use the link to our online attendance form (preferred) from the main page of the RCMS website:
2. Send an email with full details to: CarsonMiddle.Attendance@fcps.edu, or
3. Call the attendance line at 703-925-3636 being sure to include the spelling of your student’s last name and reason for the absence.

For more information on the attendance policies, please visit the RCMS Attendance page.

Who to Contact

If you have a question or concern, please visit our website for a full listing of  Who to Contact.  This listing includes all of our administrators, our counselors, and who to speak to regarding a specific content area or class. Contact information for all staff members is listed on our website - just click on the name of the person you wish to contact  to be redirected to their email address: RCMS Staff Directory.

Meet The New RCMS PTA Officers for 23-24

Joy Charles, RCMS PTA President-joyandcoevents@gmail.com

13618 McLearen Rd. Herndon, VA 20171 |  Main Phone: 703.925.3600
Attendance: 703.925.3636 or CarsonMS.Attendance@fcps.edu 
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Join the RCMS PTA today!  

Click here