Important Upcoming Events
- February 9-16 - 8th Grade Finance Park Field Trips
- February 15 - SRO Appreciation Day
- February 19 - Holiday- No School
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- Message from Mr. Stokes
- SRO Appreciation Day
- Lightspeed Classroom Management
- Summer Programs
- Other Schools Are Sharing
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A Message From Principal Stokes
Greetings Panthers,
Let me begin this week’s message with a shout out to our SRO, Officer Griffin. We are very fortunate to have such an enthusiastic and knowledgeable SRO here within the RCMS community. Ofc. Griffin is a constant presence in our hallways and on our school grounds. He interacts with students in a positive fashion and is always available to address important matters that arise. As you see below, Thursday is an opportunity to say thanks to Ofc. Griffin for his service.
It’s not too early to begin thinking about summer opportunities for your student. FCPS offers a great range of summer learning and enrichment experiences for students. We will continue to share some of those activities in our News You Choose messages. For a general overview, you are invited to visit the FCPS Summer Learning website at: https://www.fcps.edu/academics/summer-learning
Have a great week.
Gordon Stokes
Principal
Thursday, February 15th is SRO Appreciation Day!
Carson's Officer Matthew Griffin pictured above.
Student Services Newsletter
Check out Student Services third quarter newsletter to learn more about our recent events such as academic advising. Take a look at our upcoming events including information about Wellness Week and Career Day
Academic Advising
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During the month of February, students will be meeting with their school counselors for individual academic advising sessions through their Science classes. Counselors will review their course selections and assist them with entering requests into StudentVue. Courses will be finalized in StudentVue once students meet individually with their counselor.
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Parents will be able to view the courses students have selected using their Parent Vue account; however, all changes must be processed by your child’s middle school counselor.
CLICK HERE if you need help accessing your Parent Vue account.
Understanding High School Mathematics Course Offerings
Please work with others in your building to share this info with families (through Schoology, News You Choose, etc.)
How can students participate in mathematics throughout high school in a way that is relevant to and supportive of post-secondary and career interests?
During this session we will discuss mathematics graduation requirements and how to support students in navigating the various course offerings currently available in FCPS.
Students and their families may start thinking about what course pathways are available beginning in middle school. Join us to learn more.
Presented by Jennifer Allard FCPS High School Math Specialist and Erin Sylves FCPS Math Specialist.
March 8, 2024, 10-11:30 a.m. Add to Your Calendar
Register for Understanding High School Mathematics Course Offerings
Lightspeed Classroom Management Tool
Our school will be using a new classroom management tool that will help teachers better connect with student devices during classes. The new tool will provide teachers with a number of helpful features:
Easily view student screens in real time from the teacher console to see which students may need guidance or support.
- Focus student attention on a particular website on their device to minimize distractions.
- Pause student access to the internet to focus on other classroom tasks.
We believe this classroom management tool will allow us to maximize class time to support your student’s learning while at school. Currently, we have a pilot team of teachers using it in order to identify best practices for school-wide implementation. Following feedback from the team piloting the tool, all teachers will have access to the tool. We anticipate all teachers utilizing the tool by the beginning of March.
Spring SEL Screener
Hello families,
The Spring Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener will be administered to RCMS students on Friday, March 8th during Panther Time. Students use the SEL Screener twice a year to share their perspectives on how well their school and community help them develop skills they need to succeed. The screener works by asking questions or presenting statements that students can think about and respond to. More information is available about the SEL Screener by accessing this link:
Thank you for your support!
Save the Date: Academy Open Houses
FCPS high school academies will hold open houses for interested students beginning in mid-January.
A high school academy is a center within a high school that offers advanced technical and specialized courses to prepare students for postsecondary education and/or career fields. Students enrolling in academy elective courses will be provided with opportunities to participate in a variety of career experiences including shadowing, mentoring, or internships with local businesses.
Learn more and view the calendar of Academy Open Houses.
Attention 8th Grade Parents
Carson MS 8th grade teams are going to Finance Park on the following dates (any snow days will be rescheduled at a later time) –
Friday, February 9 - Dream (and Mr. Grant’s classes)
Monday, February 12 – Discovery
Tuesday, February 13 – Explorers
Wednesday, February 14 – Wolves
Thursday, February 15 – Voyagers
Friday, February 16 – Dolphins
If you are able to volunteer with Carson’s Finance Park field trip, please view this document on Canva and follow the instructions to sign up for Carson AND JA Finance Park.
Thank you for donating your time and experience to our students. If you have any questions, please contact Brian Corman at bdcorman@fcps.edu
FCPS Summer Learning and Fun
Career and Technical Education
CTE Summer Academy (CSA) is a week-long enrichment program that allows students in grades 6-11 to dive deeper into CTE program areas, develop skills, and begin career exploration. Visit the CSA webpage to register.
Institute for the Arts Camps
IFTA is a two- or three-week summer enrichment program for students currently in grades 6-11. Students select from nearly 90 classes in art, dance, health and physical education 9 (graduation requirement), music, and theater. Visit the IFTA webpage to register.
Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance
Summer is a great time for high school students to fulfill the Economics and Personal Finance course requirement. During the self-directed course, students work independently to complete the requirements. Students must register by Friday, May 24. For more information, see the Summer Learning information page.
Summer Online Campus
Take advantage of the opportunity to earn a high school course credit via this summer’s online campus program. Registration ends Friday, June 7. Math, health and physical education, career and technical education, English, science, social studies, and world language courses are available to eligible students.
Additional Summer Learning Opportunities
Please go to the following website Summer Learning information page to learn about these summer opportunities:
- Credit Recovery Academy/ Extended Learning
- English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL)
- Self-Directed Economics and Personal Finance
Private School Request
If your student is planning on applying to any private schools for the 2024-2025 school year, please complete the "Private School Request Form" and the "Parent Consent Form: SS-SE79" and submit them to the Student Service’s Office or to your counselor. Counselors will be emailing all records to the requested schools via an admissions email OR the school's portal. Please note these requests are due at least 2 weeks prior to the due date.
Please visit our website for more information regarding required forms and teacher recommendations – Rachel Carson Middle School Private School Requests
Online Tutoring
This is a reminder that all students in FCPS have access to Tutor.com. This a free service where students have 24/7 access to an on-line tutor. Students can connect with someone about nearly any school subject. We encourage all families to take a few minutes to review the basics of Tutor.com and log-in to try out this great resources. You can go directly to tutor.com or review the FCPS overview page at: https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/tutoring-options-fcps/tutorcom-online-tutoring-services
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We are excited to share a great opportunity that is available to all FCPS students! Your child now has unlimited access to 24/7, on-demand, online tutoring support services through Tutor.com.
www.fcps.edu
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Attendance Tip: Scheduling Family Trips or Events
Good attendance is an important life skill that will help students succeed in school and beyond.
When scheduling trips or family events, try to use weekends and school holidays, and refer to the FCPS Calendar when planning.
Watch this video with tips on understanding our school calendar and visit our Attendance webpage for additional information. Attend today, achieve tomorrow!
Tips to expedite early dismissals
If your student will be picked up early for an appointment the following will help expedite the wait time to locate students and minimize class interruptions during instruction time:
- Please send students to the front office in the morning at arrival time with a note specifying dismissal time. Even without a note, students should come to the office to get a pass. The office staff will then provide a pass to excuse the student from class. This process allows for a smoother check out because your student will be in the office when you arrive
- 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.
- In emergency cases, or unscheduled early dismissals, please be patient with our office staff as we locate your student and request they be sent to the office.
Your cooperation is greatly appreciated.
Spring Track & Field Information
We are very excited to announce Spring Track & Field interscholastic competition at the middle school level! This program will start in March, but students and parents will need to complete several steps prior to participating in middle school sports, including:
Please submit all forms to the Athletics Coordinator in the RCMS main office.
Please see important details about the program on our website.
We look forward to an exciting season!
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).
here is the Q2 After School Schedule
Riley Barrows
After School Program Specialist
Building Use Coordinator
South Lakes High School IB Information Night
Thursday, February 15th
6:30 pm to 8 pm in the SLHS Cafeteria
Learn about the IB Middle Years, Career-related, and Diploma Programs at South Lakes High School.
ClickHERE for information about Chantilly HS Sports
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.
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.
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