STUDENT RAM BLAST
Providing students and parents with important updates and reports of events and happenings in the middle school.
Calendar Reminders
2023-2024 School Year Calendar
Martin Luther King Jr. Day - No School 1/15
As a reminder, schools and offices will be closed on Monday, January 15, for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day holiday. Learn more about Martin Luther King Jr.
 Volunteer with Give Together
FCPS students continue to find incredible ways to serve their community while building Portrait of a Graduate skills such as becoming an ethical and global citizen. The division is excited to collaborate with Volunteer Fairfax for the Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service.
Students and families can volunteer on Monday, January 15, at Give Together, Volunteer Fairfax’s family, friendly volunteer event. This event is designed to engage families with children (ages 5-12) in service learning. Volunteer Fairfax invites families to attend and participate in thoughtful, engaging service projects working alongside local nonprofit partners across a variety of mission areas. Projects will include a food drive, assembling caring kits for community members who need support, making no-tie fleece blankets for veterans, environmental stewardship, and support for animal welfare.
Teens are welcome to support this event as Teen Event Volunteers. This event is free and open to the public but registration is required.
National Mentor Month
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Imagine a world where young people feel empowered, encouraged, and understood. Mentors can make that world a reality by helping young people find and follow their passions, excel in school, and thrive wherever they are. Learn more about Mentoring Month. |
Research has shown that young people with at least one trusted mentor are less likely to skip school, less likely to use illegal drugs or drink alcohol, and more prepared to enter college or the workforce. Yet one in three children lack a mentor.
All it takes is one person to serve as a trusted adult to help change a young person’s path in life. Mentors provide attention, support, and enrichment, and help connect their mentees to resources that may help them on their journey in life.
FCPS’ MentorWorks program matches mentors with students in schools near where they live or work. They meet for at least 30 minutes a week. Learn more about how to become a mentor for an FCPS student. Please contact Martha Macdonald, mentoring specialist, for additional information at mmacdonald@fcps.edu.
Lean more about all of the FCPS 2023-24 Religious and Cultural Observances.
Learn more about the heritage months, celebrations, and traditions celebrated in FCPS.
🎵 Band Director Wants Students to “Feel the Magic”
 When Tiffany Hitz was in high school, she wasn’t sure if she wanted to be a music or math teacher. In the end, a practical decision helped her decide. “As it turns out, there are not a lot of math education scholarships and there are a lot of music scholarships … especially if you play the French horn,” she said. It’s a decision that she doesn’t regret. And she continues to perform as a French horn player.
As the director of Robinson's middle school band, Tiffany continues to learn and practice music, hoping that her students will see how much she loves music and that she is still learning and growing as a musician and a teacher.
Tiffany is pictured above with her college band director, who recently presented her with an award from the John Philip Sousa Foundation.
Congratulations Tiffany!
You can read more about Tiffany and what inspires her as a teacher in the Employee Blog.
Robinson Crew Fundraiser - Tomorrow, 1/9
Parent Coffee - Academic Advising
Join the Middle School counseling team on Wednesday, January 24th from 8:30 - 9:30 in Davala Hall to learn about the academic advising process.
Click here to RSVP!
Support the Science Fairs
MS Clubs & Activities Program
 Late buses run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Please click on the links below to learn more about the after-school program.
New activities -
Football Conditioning - Football Conditioning for 7th and 8th grade students began on Thursday, January 4th and meets on Mondays and Thursdays in the weight room with Coach Arena. Students will need a signed Football Conditioning permission slip in order to participate. The forms can be returned to the SubSchool 8 office or to Ms. Molle.
For questions regarding the After-School program, please email Courtney Molle.
Football Conditioning
Football conditioning meets on Mondays and Thursdays.
Students must turn in a permission slip to attend.
Lego Robotics
Lego Robotics meets on Wednesdays in Room A211 after-school.
Math Mission Possible
Battle of the Books
Join Battle of the Books! Battle of the Books is an after-school competitive reading club. We will have fun reading books and competing with peers. Students will participate in a cross county battle in April!
Next Meeting - Wednesday, January 3rd in the library.
Homework Club
Would your child like a quiet space to work on your homework? Come to Homework Club on Mondays after school with Ms. O'Brien. Meet in room A-120 for a snack, then bring all of your homework to the Media Center for a quiet place to work. This club runs after-school on Mondays from 3:00-4:30.
Middle School Quiz Bowl
Does your child like to recall facts and compete against others in a high paced setting? Then Quiz Bowl is for them! Quiz Bowl is a competition of questions and answers where players buzz in to answer and earn points for their team. It’s not general trivia, but academic facts from subjects like science, geography, literature, fine arts and history. Quiz Bowl meets Mondays after school in Room A203 to learn some facts and compete against each other. There are several opportunities to compete against other schools too! No experience is necessary and new players are welcome year round. Come check out the Robinson Middle School Quiz Bowl Team!
Mock Trial Club
Would you like your child to learn how to craft a winning argument? Are they interested in learning about the legal profession? Do they like storytelling or public speaking? They should join Mock Trial Club on Thursdays after-school.
Disclaimer for all afterschool activities:
Fairfax County Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to all clubs and activities.
Opportunities offered by organizations other than Fairfax County Public Schools are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County School Board, the Superintendent, or a specific school. These opportunities may utilize technology tools that have not been assessed by the Fairfax County Public Schools Department of Information Technology. Students should gain permission from their parent or guardian before engaging in any non-FCPS enrichment opportunity and families should review the Terms of Service, User Agreements, and Privacy Policy for any technology platform that the enrichment opportunity may use before participating.
Seeking Judges for Robinson's Science and Engineering Fair
 We are seeking parents/guardians/community members to help us judge projects at our annual Science and Engineering Fair!
This year's fair will be held after school on Monday, January 29, 2024, from 2:30-5pm in our Gold Cafeteria.
No experience necessary! We ask judges to arrive to Robinson at 2:30pm in order to prepare for the judging process, while judging will begin promptly at 3:00pm. Food will be served!
Please contact Biology Teacher Abbie Achatz (abachatz@fcps.edu) if you are interested, or fill out the form using the QR code or link above! Thank you so much for considering!
Library Spotlight
 Game on! Students, join us for games all month long; see the image below for details.
Happy 2024!
The Robinson Librarians
Buy Your Middle School Yearbook!
Social Work Spotlight
Kristen Licciardo, LCSW, School Social Worker
Happy New Year! Gratitude is one way to improve our mood and mental health. It may be the second week of January but it's never too late to start...Join me in a 30 Day Gratitude Challenge.
 
Important Dates
January 15 - Martin Luther King, Jr.'s Birthday (No School)
January 25 - End of Second Quarter (2-Hour Early Release)
January 26 - Teacher Workday (No School for Students)
February 19 - President's Day (No School)
Counselor Corner
Important updates and resources from the student services department.
The Student Services staff is here to help you in any way we can. Please note that students cannot leave class or lunch to see their counselor without an appointment and a pass. If they need assistance, we encourage them to email our Student Services staff to request an appointment. If there is an emergency, their teacher will call the subschool office for assistance.
7th grade counselors by student last name:
A-La – Mr. Herendeen neherendeen@fcps.edu
Le-Z – Ms. Lyons jalyons@fcps.edu
8th grade counselors by student last name:
A-LA – Ms. Peters vcpeters@fcps.edu
Le-Z – Ms. Hall sshall@fcps.edu
School Psychologist – Erika King (elking@fcps.edu)
School Social Worker – Kristen Licciardo (kflicciardo@fcps.edu)
Registrar and Student Information Assistant – Melanie Knowlton (maknowlton@fcps.edu)
Family Liaison - Ruth Azimi- (rmazimi@fcps.edu)
Director of Student Services – Katy Frank (kmfrank@fcps.edu)
Please reach out to any of us if you have any questions.
Quick Links & Phone Numbers
Helpful Resources
RMS Administration
Malicia Braxton: 7th Grade Principal | MYBraxton@fcps.edu
Carly Zook: 8th Grade Principal | cjzook@fcps.edu
Katy Frank: Director, Student Services | kmfrank@fcps.edu
Courtney Molle: After-School Program Specialist | cemolle@fcps.edu
Bryan Hazard: Systems of Support Advisor | bthazard@fcps.edu
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