The RMS Newsletter

January2018

From the Principal …

HappyNewYeartoALLofourRMSFamilies!

Aswebeginthisnewyear,wearelookingforwardtoourparentsupport,teamwork,successfulcollaborationandworkingrelationshipsthatwillbenefittheRMSFamilyandcommunity.WeallsharethecommongoalofRMSbeingaplacethatisbothwelcomingandmeetingtheneedsofallofourchildren,staff,andfamilies.

Incelebrationofourcommitmenttodiversityandservice,thedistrictwillhostthe2ndannualdistrict-wideMartinLutherKing,Jr.DayofServiceonMonday,January15from10–11:30a.m.atRadnorHighSchool.ThisNationalDayofServicehonorsDr.King'slegacyandcommitmenttotransformingournationthroughservicetoothers.Thismilestoneisaperfectopportunityforourschoolcommunitytotakeactiontovolunteerandparticipateinvariouscommunityserviceopportunities.Formoredetails,contactTeresaGroshansatteresagroshans@gmail.com.

Thisyear'sschoolmusicalisalreadyonthemove.“Shrek”iscurrentlyinrehearsalsandwelookforwardtoanothergreatshow.Pleaselookforticketinformationinourupcomingnewsletters.

Just a reminder, we welcome parent participation in various activities and you arefree to contactyourchild's teacher, guidance counselor and administrator if youhave anyquestions, commentsorconcerns.Mydoorisalwaysopen. Iamgrateful forbeingapartofhelpingtoleadyourchildrenthroughtheirMiddleSchoolyearsandfeelwehavemuchtobeproudofhere-students,staff,parents,administrators,anamazinggroup.

Thankyouforyour continued supportanddonothesitate to contactmeifyouhaveanyquestions, comments, concerns or suggestions.

HappyNewYear,

EstherM.PurnellPrincipal

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News…FromtheLibraryFromtheRMSLibrary(January2018)

OnDecember20ththeAnnual6thGradeEuropeanBottlePeopleConventiondescendedupontheRMSLibrary.Thisprojectistheculminationof

researchingfamouspeopleofEuropeandescent.Thecolorfulandcreative“people”areondisplayforparents,studentsandstafftosee.Thedisplaywillremaininthelibraryasadecorativeandlivelyadditionfortheremainderoftheschoolyear.

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From the Nurse...Carolyn V Seaton, RN MSN CSN

Monthly Medical Trivia Question: What is the difference between a cold and the flu?

The flu and the common cold are both respiratory illnesses but they are caused by different viruses. Because these two types of illnesses have similar flu-like symptoms, it can be difficult to tell the difference between them based on symptoms alone. In general, the flu is worse than the common cold, and symptoms such as fever, body aches, extreme tiredness, and dry cough are more common and intense. Colds are usually milder than the flu. People with colds are more likely to have a runny or stuffy nose. Colds generally do not result in serious health problems, such as pneumonia, bacterial infections, or hospitalizations.

Please refer to the following chart:

Cold vs. Flu Chart Symptom Cold Flu

Fever Fever is rare with a cold Fever is usually present with the flu in up to 80% of all flu cases. A temperature of 100°F or higher for 3 to 4 days is

associated with the flu.

Coughing A hacking, productive (mucus- producing) cough is often present with a cold.

A non-productive (non-mucus producing) cough is usually present with the flu (sometimes referred to as dry cough). .

Aches Slight body aches and pains can be part of a cold.

Severe aches and pains are common with the flu.

Stuffy Nose Stuffy nose is commonly present with a cold and typically resolves spontaneously within a

week. Stuffy nose is not commonly present with the flu.

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Chills Chills are uncommon with a cold. 60% of people who have the flu experience chills.

Tiredness Tiredness is fairly mild with a cold. Tiredness is moderate to severe with the flu.

Sneezing Sneezing is commonly present with a cold. Sneezing is not common with the flu.

Sudden Symptoms

Cold symptoms tend to develop over a few days.

The flu has a rapid onset within 3-6 hours. The flu hits hard and includes sudden symptoms like high fever, aches and

pains.

Headache A headache is fairly uncommon with a cold. A headache is very common with the flu, present in 80% of flu cases.

Sore Throat Sore throat is commonly present with a cold. Sore throat is not commonly present with the flu.

Chest Discomfort

Chest discomfort is mild to moderate with a cold. Chest discomfort is often severe with the flu.

Remember the 24-Hour Rule of Thumb

Students may return to school after:

• 24hourswithouttemperature(andwithouttakingfevermedications)• 24hourswithoutnausea,vomitingordiarrhea(andtolerationofnormaldiet)• 24hoursofreceivingmedication(suchasantibiotics,eyeointment.etc.)

Thankyouforfollowingtheseguidelines.

Happy&Healthy2018!

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FromtheAttendanceOffice…

Thecoldandfluseasonisuponus—thisisthetimeofyearwhenschoolsexperiencetheirhighestlevelsofabsences.Whileweareanticipatingaminimumnumberofabsencesduetoillnessduringthistime,IthoughtitmightbehelpfultoremindyouoftheRMSattendanceprocedures.

AbsenceFromSchool

Ifyourchildwillnotbeinschoolonaparticularday,youshouldcalltheRMSSafeArrivalLine(610)688-0930toinformusthatyourchildwillnotbeinschoolthatday.Iftheschoolisnotnotifiedonthedayofyourchild’sabsence,anautocallismadetoyourhometoverifythestudent’sabsenceandtodeterminethereason.

Ifyourchildwillbeabsentmorethanthreedays,wewillcollectworkforyourchilduponrequest.YoumayrequestthehomeworkbycallingtheSafeArrivalline.

Whenyourchildreturnstoschool,he/sheshouldhaveanofficialabsenceexcusecardexplainingthereasonforhis/herabsence.

LatenessToSchool

Pleasemakeeveryefforttohaveyourchildtoschoolontimeeveryday.Whileweunderstandtherewillbetimeswhenyourchildmaybelateduetoillness,medicalappointments,weatherconditionsorrecognizedreligiousservices,undernormalcircumstancesstudentsshouldbeatschoolby8:00a.m.Intheeventthatyourchildistardyforanyoftheabovereasons,pleasesendinaparental/guardianorphysiciannoteindicatingthereasonforthelatenessandhaveyourchildsignintoschoolattheattendanceoffice.YoumayalsocalltheRMSSafeArrivalLine.

Tardinessisunexcused,however,whenyourchild’slatenessisnotverifiedbyawrittennoteorphonecall.Examplesofunexcusedlatenesstoschoolincludebutarenotlimitedto:oversleeping,missingthebus,personaltransportationproblems,etc.Fiveormoreunexcusedtardiestoschoolwillresultintheassignmentofdetentions.

EarlyDismissalFromSchool

Foranystudentwhoneedstobedismissedfromschoolearly,pleasesendanoteinwithyourchildandhavehim/hershowittotheirteachertouseaspasstogotothemainofficefordismissal.Inacasewhereyoudidnotsendanotewithyourchild,pleasecallouroffice(610)386-6300ext7506soweareabletohaveyourchildwaitingforyouwhenyouarrive.

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Ifyouhaveanyadditionalquestionsregardingtheseprocedures,pleaserefertothestudenthandbookorcalltheattendanceofficeat610-386-6300ext.7506

Happy New Year!!

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CareerCafé:RMSiscurrentlylookingforparentswhowouldliketospeaktostudentsabouttheirprofession.Thesessionswouldlastabout15-20minutesduringourstudent’slunchperiods:

11:10-11:40(8thgradelunch)

12:00-12:30(6thgradelunch)

12:45-1:15(7thgradelunch)

PleasecontactNicole.ottaviano@rtsd.org,Clyde.Diehl@rtsd.org,orLauren.Raines@rtsd.orgifyou’dliketoshareyourexperienceofyourprofession!

ATTENTION8thGradeParents:There are many activities planned to assist your child with the

transitiontohighschool.Eighthgradestudentswillbe involved inthecourse selection process frommid-January until the end of February.Thehighschoolcoursecatalog(programofstudies)willbeavailableontheRHSwebsite shortly.RMSparentsandstudentsareencouraged toperuse it for course options. Again this year, there will be ONLINEcourse selection via the Home Access Center. A letter will be mailedhome to provide students with their individual HAC pass-codes foronlinescheduling.

COUNSELORS C O R N E R

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TheRadnorHighSchooladministrationwillbevisitingRMS8thgradersonThursday,January11th(duringtheschoolday)toreviewthecourseselectionprocess for9thgrade.Thetime line forcourseselection isasfollows:

January29thto16th:Core8thgradeteacherswillenterrecommendations

February20thto23rd:StudentsselectelectivesinScienceclasseswithMrs.Rainesandhighschoolcounselors.

February27th:Allteacherrecommendationsvisibletostudentsafterthisdate.

February27thtoMarch10th:SchoolCounselortoreviewschedulesduringSocialStudiesclasses–ParentapprovaloftheelectiveselectionduetoMrs.Rainesaswellasanyoverrideforms.

May25th2018:LastdaytomakeanychangestotheFreshmancourserequests

Additionally,RadnorHighSchoolwillbeholdingameetingfortheClassof2022(current8thgrade)parentsonThursday, January18that6:30 pm. Immediately following this meeting, Winterfest will takeplace. The two events used to be held on different evenings,however,wearetryingtostreamlinethisprocessforparentsthisyear. Winterfest will enable you and your child to speak torepresentativesfromvarioushighschooldepartmentsandactivities inan informal setting. There will be opportunities to speak with RHSguidanceandadministrativepersonnelaswell.

Finally,thedateforanystudentchangesforcourseselectionisFriday,May25that3:00pm.

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CrossroadsStudiestheCultureofOurNationBySofiaDillon,GabyHeberling,GrantHeberling,andCaraRuggieri.

ThismonthinCrossroadswasverybusy.WitheverythingfromthefieldtriptotheLackawannaCoalMine,towrappingupwithexcellentindividualpresentations,all43studentscontributedgreateffortandideaswhilelearningaboutthecultureofournation.

ThestudentsinCrossroadssplitupintoeightgroupsandeachreadabookthatshowedtheprocessofimmigrationfromadifferentpartoftheworld.Crossroadsalsotookthreefieldtripswhilestudyingthecultureofournation.ThefirstfieldtripwastotheLackawannaCoalMineandEckleyMiner’sVillagewherewelearnedhowtheimmigrantminersandtheirfamiliesstruggledthroughthechallengesoflifebothinandoutofthemines.Thestudentsgottoexperienceawalkthroughacoalmineandinsideacoalminer’shomes.

ThesecondfieldtripwetookwastoTheConstitutionCenterwherewestudiedtheBillOfRights,boththroughplayingsomefungamesandreadingsomehistoricaldocumentswhereConstitutionalrightswere(orwerenot)applied.

WealsowenttotheTenementMuseuminNewYorkCitywherewelearnedaboutlifeinarealtenementhouse.Ifwedidn’talreadyknowitfromourearlierlearningexperiences,wefoundouttherehowhardtheimmigrants’liveswere.ThenwetookaferrytoEllisIslandwherewegottoseehowtheimmigrantswereprocessedbeforestartingtheirnewlivesinAmerica.

EachCrossroadsstudentsalsointerviewedanimmigranttotheUnitedStates.Wehadtopreparethequestions,conducttheinterview,andtakenotesonwhatwelearned.Then,wewroteanessayanddidaninformationalpresentationonourimmigrantsubject.Eachstudentinterviewedadifferentimmigrant,andtheirstorieswereincredible.

Westudentsalsodidagrouppresentation.EachtablegroupresearchedtheexperienceofadifferentculturalgroupwithintheUnitedStatesandlearnedthepushandpullfactorsoftheirimmigrationstoriesandwhatlifewaslikeforthemasnewimmigrantsinAmerica.Eachgrouphadtodosomethingtomaketheirpresentationcreative.

OverallthestudentsinCrossroadslearnedsomuchfromthisexperienceandnowhaveabetterappreciationforourAmericancultureandhowit’sbeenshapedbybothourFoundingFathersandthemanyimmigrantswhocametoournationafterthem.

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We wish to extend a heartfelt thank you to everyone who helped with our annual holiday gift drive for the Delaware County Children and Youth Center. Not only did we provide many, many

individual gifts for children ages 6-13, we also provided gifts for families, as RMS families "adopted" a family through the Center. Six 8th grade RMS students helped deliver the gifts mid-

December to a very grateful Children and Youth staff.

Thank you!!