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1. Important Dates
February 14 - No After-School Program, all students depart at 2:15 PM
February 17 - No School (Presidents' Day Holiday)
February 18, 19, 21 - 8th Graders at Finance Park (attending one day with their team)
February 20 - Valentine's Party, 2:30 - 4:30 PM (all other after-school clubs are cancelled today), PTA Meeting, 6:30 PM, Library
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Community-
Middle school hallways are always an interesting place to be on Valentine's Day, and this year was no exception (especially with the unexpected snow storm)! Candies, balloons, flowers, etc. all made appearances at Rocky Run this week. In addition to Valentine’s Day, we recently celebrated Lunar New Year on January 29. On this holiday, people across Asia (and beyond) ushered in the Year of the Snake. Lunar New Year is typically marked by family gatherings, eating traditional foods, time spent honoring ancestors, and the exchange of small gifts, including money given in traditional red envelopes. Each Asian culture has its own traditions, which may also include a thorough cleaning of the house, lighting firecrackers, performing dances, and wearing traditional clothing. We wish all RRMS families who celebrate Lunar New Year happiness and fortune.
Enjoy the upcoming three day weekend in celebration of President's Day. Presidents Day, officially recognized in the United States, is celebrated on the third Monday in February each year. It is a time to honor and remember the birthdays and achievements of the country's most distinguished leaders, and to reflect on the president's role in shaping the nation's history and development. Students should have the opportunity to engage in meaningful and enduring learning experiences that explore the remarkable history and impactful contributions of American presidents.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I look forward to seeing you at RRMS.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
Parents, Family, and Friends: Career Day volunteers are needed!
Rocky Run's Career Day will take place on Friday March 28, 2025. Please use this form to sign-up to share your career or job with Rocky Run students. The event will run from 8:00am-2:00pm, but volunteers do not need to commit for the entire day. We will be in touch closer to the date to confirm your available times. Presentations may be to small groups, large groups, on a panel, or in a career cluster fair. At this time please let us know if you are willing and available to present and save the date on your calendar!
Please reach out to Halissa Jacobson at hdjacobson@fcps.edu or Anna Slevin agslevin@fcps.edu if you have questions or would like more information. Thank you!
4. Student Celebrations
Rams on a Roll- January
Each month, teams identify two students who have exemplified our RAISE attributes throughout the month by being Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged. These students are consistently Raising the Ram both in and out of the classroom! Congratulations to our Rams on a Roll for January:
Team Emerald: Andrew Exley and Emery Venus
Team Meteors: Luke Briscoe and Ella Corliss
Team Platinum: Aishik Banerjee and Nicole McCants
Team Kryptonite: Nayde Jones-Carvalho and Rhys Tepovich
Team Sapphire: Imogen Brinkmoeller and Calvert Klarevas
Team Tigers Eye: Andrew Duong and Meera Hamed
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
Congratulations to this week's Ram card winners:
Freya Younce (Inclusive)
Lily Thurston (Respectful and Accountable)
Lilya Basalaki (Respectful, Accountable, and Inclusive)
Kamalini Vellore (Engaged)
Chelsea Monroy (Accountable and Engaged)
Umar Shafkey (Engaged)
Great job Raising the Ram!
5. Student Services Updates
Summer 2025 Online Campus Courses
Registration for the Summer 2025 Online Campus courses starts Friday, February 14 and ends Friday, June 6. Courses are open to middle and high school students who meet prerequisites.
Courses may be cancelled if they are under-enrolled. If a course is cancelled, students will be notified using the registration contact information and a full refund will be given.
Please note that students wishing to enroll in a summer course must enroll and notify their counselor by March 7,2025 in order to ensure a seat in the desired course for 25-26 school year.
8th Grade (Rising 9th) Updates
All students met with their school counselor individually and entered their courses for next year. Please review their selections in SIS under Course Request. Each high school has their own timeline for their course changes. Please make sure your student has reviewed their selections by the deadline and contact their high school counselor directly to make any changes.
7th Grade (Rising 8th) Academic Advising
Rocky Run counselors gave the Academic Advising Presentation to all our students last week, and they are meeting with each 7th grader individually to discuss courses throughout this month. They will also confirm all classes have been entered in SIS correctly. Students will be bringing home their course selection sheets. Please review course selections with your child and make sure they enter selections in SIS. Please check our Academic Advising website, Course Selection Form, and Course Catalog for more information and contact your child's teachers and counselor for any questions.
6. Instructional Updates
Library Happenings
This week, all of Mrs. Sprouse’s and Mrs. DeVaughn’s classes visited the library to check out a book for their upcoming Independent Reading Project. Students enjoyed browsing the shelves, making recommendations to friends, and selecting a book of their choice for the project. Did you know? Our library has more than 14,000 titles, including 300 new titles added since school began! There’s always something for everyone at the Rocky Run Library!
On Friday, Ms. Valade’s Computers in Art class visited the library for an important lesson on how to find free images online to use in their class assignments. Students learned about intellectual property and that they own their own art, including pictures they take and even doodles they draw! We also talked about AI-generated art and how it affects the artist community. Students were engaged in the activity and came away with lots of new resources for finding images online as well as new thoughts about AI.
Coming Soon: Author Visit!
Rocky Run is partnering with our PTA to sponsor our annual author visit coming up on April 9. This year, the author visiting Rocky Run is New York Times Bestselling Author, Jennifer Nielsen! During her time here, Ms. Nielsen will deliver engaging presentations to all students as well as have a signing time and special lunch event.
Also, we will be offering presale orders of several of her titles coming soon. Stay tuned for more details!
7. After-School Program Information
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After-School Schedule: Week of 2/17
- Due to the snow this week, the PTA Valentine's Party was rescheduled to 2/20. All other Thursday clubs will be cancelled so students can attend the party and we have adequate staff supervision.
- Mark your calendars: there will be no after-school programs on these upcoming dates - 2/14, 3/28, 4/11, 5/23
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Spring Track and Field: Click here to review the interest meeting slides. All required forms are linked in those slides. Forms are due by 3 PM on 3/28 for students to begin practicing on 4/2.
- 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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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
Quick Links
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