Robinson Student Ram Blast | January 15, 2024

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 


Orthodox Epiphany (O day) - Friday, 1/19

In the Orthodox church, Epiphany is celebrated on January 19 and commemorates the baptism of Jesus rather than the arrival of the Magi. It is believed that Christ's baptism by John the Forerunner (John the Baptist) in the River Jordan began Christ's ministry on earth and revealed the Holy Trinity of God, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit to mankind. 

The school calendar recognizes many religious and cultural observances (O days) during the school year. There is school on these days, however, the School Board has directed that tests, quizzes, field trips, graduation, homecoming, or FCPS-scheduled athletic events will not be held on these observance days.


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.


National Mentor Month

mentoring

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


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! 

parent coffee

Robinson Ice Hockey Double Header and Senior Night Friday, January 19th

Hockey

 

Please come for a fun night of hard hitting hockey at an Ice Hockey DOUBLE HEADER and Senior Night!

WHEN: January 19th

JV Team 9:00pm

Varsity Team 9:40pm

WHERE: The St. James

6805 Industrial Rd, Springfield, VA 22151


Eight Session Parent Partnership Program Starting February 1st

The Robinson ESOL department will be hosting an eight-session parent partnership program beginning on Thursday, February 1, 2024.  Each session will take place in the Library from 7:00 – 8:30 pm. Refreshments will also be served. We welcome our multilingual families, particularly those who have recently enrolled students in FCPS schools, to attend these sessions.  Please register so we can gather an accurate list of attendees and to ensure we have interpreters and childcare services available as needed.

Please contact the following staff for more information:

Ruth Azimi, Family Liaison,  RMAzimi@fcps.edu

Cindy Gagnon, HS ESOL Chairperson, CMGagnon@fcps.edu

Hannah Lockard, MS ESOL Chairperson, HDLockard@fcps.edu

esolesol 2

Robinson Speech and Debate Club - Volunteers Needed

Speech and debate

Support the Science Fairs

science fair

MS Clubs & Activities Program

robinson header

Late buses run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Please click on the links below to learn more about the after-school program. 

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. 

football

Lego Robotics 

Lego Robotics meets on Wednesdays in Room A211 after-school.

lego robotics

Math Mission Possible 

math

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 24 in the library. 

Battle of the books

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. 

HW Club

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!

MS Quiz Bowl

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. 

mock trial club

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

Science 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

library

Game on! Students, join us for games all month long; see the image below for details.

Happy 2024!

The Robinson Librarians

library

Buy Your Middle School Yearbook!

Yearbook

Social Work Spotlight

Kristen Licciardo, LCSW, School Social Worker

Meet Ellen Galinsky Friday, Feb. 2nd, 10-11am 

Meet the Author Series, Mind in The Making with Ellen Galinsky 

Hosted by FCPS Family Resource Center

speaker

Looking for research-based advice on how to raise children to be well-rounded and achieve their full potential, helping them learn to take on life's challenges, communicate well with others, and remain committed to learning?

These are the "essential life skills" that Ellen Galinsky has spent her career pursuing.

The good news is that there are simple everyday things that all families can do to build these skills in their children for today and for the future. They don't cost money, and it's never too late to begin.

 Register: https://www.fcps.edu/event/meet-author-series-mind-making-ellen-galinsky


Important Dates 

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. 

mental health

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