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1. Important Dates
October 11- PM Observance: Yom Kippur (regular school day for students), No After-School Program Today - all students depart at 2:15 PM
October 14 - No School- Indigenous Peoples' Day (Staff Development)
October 15-17 - 7th Grade Science MWEE Field Trip
October 17 - PTA Meeting, 6:30 PM, Library
October 21-22 - Fall Pictures (students attend during their PE class)
October 31 - End of 1st Quarter, 2 Hour Early Release
November 1 - No School (Holiday- Diwali)
November 4-5 - No School
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Families-
Greetings from Jolly 'Ole England! As you may be able to tell, I am writing to you from across the pond in Banbury, England (relatively close to Oxford). Since last weekend, I have had the pleasure of escorting 26 amazing Rocky Run Rams in our bi-annual exchange program with the Warriner School. We will return the favor and host our English friends during the last week of March. Our hope is that the Cherry Blossoms will be in peak bloom and we can really show off Washington DC and Northern Virginia.
Even though I've been away, I've been keeping up with all the happenings at Rocky Run, and things are running smoothly. I am extremely appreciative of my Director of Student Services Young Hong, and Assistant Principals Johnelle Sweet and Rachel Sweeney for holding down the fort in my absence.
Looking ahead, Indigenous Peoples' Day will be celebrated on Monday, October 14. Students will enjoy a three-day weekend, while staff members will participate in professional development focused on literacy. This holiday honors the histories, cultures, and contributions of indigenous peoples, past and present. While students are enjoying the three-day weekend, I encourage them to spend some time thinking and examining one of the more than 2000 tribal groups that are indigenous to North America. Each one has a unique culture and way of life that span history up to and including present day.
Thank you for your continued support and please do not hesitate to reach out if you have any questions or concerns.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
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Chromebooks: Please make sure that your student still has their protective case on their Chromebook! If they do not, please ask them to bring their Chromebook and case to the tech office so that we can put it back on for them. The screens are prone to breakage and students who do not have their cases on will be responsible for damage!
- Make a direct donation to the 8th grade event with Rise Against Hunger and/or sign-up to donate other items needed for the Day of Service and be entered to win a $50 gift card to Bonefish Grill. Drawing will be October 18 - donate now!
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BUY YOUR YEARBOOK- Don’t Miss a Memory!
Prices go up December 1st – Buy yours now for the best price! Get yours at https://yearbookordercenter.com/ School Code: 5333
Available while supplies last.
- Hearing and Vision Screening volunteers needed for October 29 and 30. Sign up here.
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School Picture Day is Coming- October 21st and 22nd
Photos happening during PE classes:
October 21st – Blue Day PE Classes
October 22nd – Gold Day PE Classes
Lost and Found
Is your student missing any sweatshirts, jackets, water bottles, lunch bags?! Chances are - they are in our lost and found in the cafeteria! Please remind them to check for their items as we will be donating all unclaimed items at the end of the month.
4. Student Celebrations
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
Congratulations to this week's Ram card winners:
Liam Ashiabor (Engaged)
Kaya Magwire (Inclusive and Engaged)
Hajar Yousufi (Inclusive and Engaged)
Adelyn Mizell (Engaged)
Yusef Albedrani (Engaged)
Elif Sen (Inclusive and Engaged)
Great job Raising the Ram!
 Punctual on Purpose Student Winners
We recently began our Punctual on Purpose (POP!) drawing to recognize students who are on-time to all classes during the prior week. Each week, students have a fresh chance to be entered into the POP drawing. POP winners are announced every Monday, and students can select from a variety of rewards. Please encourage your child to be on time to all classes, including 1st and 2nd period. This week's POP winners are Freya Younce, Vedant Kommaraju, Rachel Ganbat, Katelyn Prem, Caroline Grindal, and Suhas Devarakonda. Congratulations and thank you for Raising the Ram by getting to class on time!
5. Student Services Updates
Advanced Academic Program Referrals
Parents or guardians of seventh and eighth-grade students NEW to FCPS as of January 2024 who were not screened in Spring 2024 may initiate screening for full-time AAP services by submitting an Advanced Academic Programs Level IV Referral Form (multiple languages are available at this link) to Rocky Run’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART), Anna Slevin (agslevin@fcps.edu), by Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Please view AAP Testing and Identification Timelines for more information.
Parents or guardians of seventh-grade students who are NOT NEW to FCPS may initiate screening for full-time AAP services by submitting an Advanced Academic Programs Level IV Referral Form (multiple languages are available at this link) to Rocky Run’s Advanced Academic Resource Teacher (AART), Anna Slevin (agslevin@fcps.edu), by Sunday, December 15, 2024. Please view AAP Testing and Identification Timelines for more information.
MAP Testing for Mathematics
Reminder that all students will be taking the MAP Growth assessment during their math classes on either 10/17, 18, or 21. The Virginia Literacy Act (VLA) and Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) Multi-Tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) require schools to provide reading and mathematics screening tests for all students in grades 6-8. These assessments also fulfill a requirement for reading and mathematics growth assessments under the Virginia Assessment Program (VAP). Test results help families and teachers know how to support each student’s learning and development. The Academic Screening, Growth, and Diagnostic Tests webpage (https://www.fcps.edu/academic-screening-growth-and-diagnostic-tests) provides more information on these tests.
Student Council
Rocky Run SCA Representatives had their first meeting to start planning fun events for this school year. Today we planned our first Spirit Week for the last week of October!
6. Instructional Updates
Day of Service
Learn about Rocky Run’s Day of Service here. This year’s Day of Service will take place on October 31, 2024.
Families can support Rocky Run’s Day of Service in multiple ways:
(This link is only for donations, our 8th grade students are our volunteers and they will all participate throughout the morning. If you would like to help us by volunteering on our Day of Service please use this Google Form)
- Sign up to donate supplies needed for service projects during the Day of Service here
- Sign up to help us on the Day of Service here
- If you are connected to an organization or have an idea of how our students can give back to the community on October 31, please reach out to Anna Slevin at agslevin@fcps.edu
Any donations made before October 18 will be entered in a drawing for a $50 gift card to Bonefish Grill!
 Library Updates
Mrs. DeRusso’s Spanish 2 classes celebrated Hispanic Heritage Month in the library by learning about famous Hispanic Americans! Working in groups, students reviewed a folder with multiple resources about their person and contributed to a graphic organizer prioritizing important facts and reflections about their person. Then, the groups transformed their graphic organizer into colorful, informative posters for their peers to learn about their person. Overall, it was a great mini research project that included collaboration, leadership, negotiation, and persistence!
Mrs. Kaplan’s classes also visited the library earlier this week for a book browsing activity to learn more about the different fiction genres in the library. Almost all students chose a just-for-fun book to read because of this activity! Students were engaged in the interesting book choices specially curated by Mrs. Grover and practiced critical thinking when deciding from their list of potential books which one title they wanted to check out.
Finally, Ms. Speir’s and Ms. Bolton’s 8th period Civics class visited the library to create buttons for their 3rd party candidate as they are learning about elections in the United States. Their designs showed creativity, inspiration from what they were learning, and looked professional after using the button maker!
7. After-School Program Information
- Schedule for the week of 10/14
- Mark your calendars: there will be no after-school programs on these upcoming dates - 10/11, 10/31, 11/8, 11/25, 11/26, 12/20
- Late buses will depart Monday - Thursday between 4:45 - 5:00 PM. Routes differ from regular AM/PM buses as there are fewer late buses and fewer stops. Routes are posted on the After-School Schoology Course. Please make sure your student knows their late bus number prior to staying after.
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Late Bus Runs were updated on 10/2 - the updated route sheet is pinned on Schoology with the impacted buses highlighted in yellow
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Registration form is required for ALL RRMS students (regardless of intent to participate). Your student will not be able to stay after for any clubs, activities, or events if this form is not completed.
- Program updates, announcements, and schedules are posted on the After-School Schoology Course - all families have been added.
- Check out our Program Preview for information on program times, pick-up, etc.
After-School Program Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu
8. Community Corner
Chantilly High School Haunted House Event – Saturday, 10/26
Mark your calendar for one of our local area’s favorite fall events - the Chantilly High School Haunted House! Along with the Haunted House, there will be games, face painting, and refreshments for sale. Proceeds benefit the Chargers Field Hockey, Girls Soccer & Girls Lacrosse programs. Tickets are $10 in advance ($15 at the door). To order your tickets, use the QR code or log on to www.CHSHauntedHouse.com
 Westfield Theatre Halloween Festival
Our Halloween Festival is Saturday, October 19th at Westfield High School!
The carnival in the auditorium from 4-8pm will feature games and princess and pirate meet and greets! Costumes encouraged. Come anytime!
The escape room (for ages 12 and up) in the Blackbox classroom will run from 4-8pm. Sign up for the escape room with the QR code on the flyer or by this LINK.
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