250 Slade Drive • Longwood, Florida • Phone: 407 - 746-9350

A Publication for the Parents, Staff, and Community of Rock Lake Middle School

Rock Lake Middle School

www.rocklakemiddle.scps.k12.fl.us

A Message from AdministrationMarch 2016volume iiissue iii

Mission Statement

As a team, we strive to develop responsible students

with positive self-concepts who will fulfill their academic

potential and who will be provided exploratory

opportunities for a variety of experiences within an

enthusiastic and supportive atmosphere.

insidethis issue...

Important Dates pg. 2

Learning Communities pg. 3-4

Medication Policy/Transportation

pg. 5

Dress Code pg. 6

Code RedBETA Club News

pg. 7

Student CalendarPick up/Drop off

pg. 8

Bullying & HarassmentRLMS Talent Show

pg. 9

FSA/FCAT 2.0 Science /EOC Testing Window: April 5 – May 20 Parents, the best thing you can do for your child is to advise them that al-though this is an important assessment, they should relax and do their best on testing days. The skills that they will be assessed on are the skills that they have been taught in their classes throughout the year. We will hold an FSA Boost Program on Saturday, April 2nd, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Parents please make sure your students: • Arrive at school on time. Once the test starts, students cannot enter the

testing room and will have to take the make-up test. • Get adequate rest and eat a nutritious breakfast. • Students, leave all cell phones and electronic devices at home. A stu-

dent’s test will be invalidated if his/her cell phone and/or electronic devices are in the testing area.

Parents, you are also asked to review the following test taking strategies with your child: • Think positively. • Read all answer choices. • Check their answers to make sure the best answer for the question has

been chosen. • If you are not sure of an answer, eliminate the choices that you are certain are

wrong. Then choose your answer from the ones left.

“The Rock” – Building Solid Foundations for the Future of our Students

‘Raiders’ Log’March 2016

Published Six Times Per YearRock Lake Middle School

250 Slade DriveLongwood, FL 32750

Issue #3

Rlms

Rock Lake Middle School250 Slade DriveLongwood, FL 32750Phone: 407 746 9350Fax: 407 746 9399

www.rocklakemiddle.scps.k12.fl.us

ADMINISTRATIVE STAFF

Pamela Y. ShellmanPrincipal

Eric BasiloAssistant Principal

Marc PittersAssistant Principal

Tim BairDean

GUIDANCE STAFF

Babita HindujaCounselorSixth Grade Seventh Grade M-Z

Stufflet AngelaCounselorSeventh Grade A-LEight Grade

Five Star SchoolA+ School

Rock Lake Middle School Salutes Their Business Partners With Much Appreciation For Their Support.

Barnes and Noble DBK Construction Group Marc Mero-Champion of ChoicesCentury Link FASTSIGNS MathasiumChick-Fil-A, Altamonte First Watch Longwood Papa John’sChick-Fil-A, Lake Mary Fit Piglet Sommerville Kids Klub

CiCi’s Fleet Feet Altamonte Springs TargetCity of Longwood Police Dept. Herff Jones Wiesner ConstructionCostco Hurricane Grill and WingsDavid Maus Automotive Group Jeremiah’s Italian Ice

Cell Phones & Other Items Rock Lake Middle School nor Seminole County School Board is responsible for the replacement or repair of any technology students bring to school. Students are not to bring any unauthorized items to school as defined by the Code of Student Conduct which includes, but are not limited to: skateboards, radios, CD players, headphones, toys, video games, and other electronic devices. Teachers will send a release form home if the use of personal technology is allowed in their classroom for academic purposes.

Skateboards and Scooters are

NOT Permitted on

Campus!

Important Dates To RememberMARCH8 BOOSTER MEETING 1:00 P.M.RM 6289 SAC MEETING 7:30 A.M. RM 62817 END OF QTR 318 NO SCHOOL-TEACHER WORK DAY21-25 NO SCHOOL-SCHOOL SYSTEM CLOSED

28START QTR 4-CLASSES RESUMEREPORT CARDS DISTRIBUTED

31 RLMS TALENT EXPO 6:30 P.M. IN GYMAPRIL12 BOOSTER MEETING 1:00 P.M.13 SAC MEETING 7:30 A.M. RM 62829 PROGRESS REPORTS DISTRIBUTEDMAY3 BAND CONCERT 7:00 P.M. AT LYMAN5 CHORUS CONCERT 7:00 P.M. IN GYM10 BOOSTER MEETING 1:00 P.M. RM 628

JAZZ BAND CONCERT 7:00 P.M. IN GYM11 8TH GRADE FIELD DAY 1:30 P.M.13 8TH GRADE DANCE 6:30 P.M.-9:00 P.M.24-26 EARLY RELEASE DAYS FOR STUDENTS 1:50 P.M.

REPORT CARDS WILL BE SENT HOME WITH STUDENTS ON MARCH 28, 2016

School Advisory Council (SAC) Meeting Schedule

The Rock Lake Middle School SAC (School Advisory Council) normally meets the second Wednesday of every month at 7:30 a.m. It is the responsibility of SAC to assist in the preparation and evaluation of the School Improvement Plan and to provide a communication link between the school and parents. Visitors are welcome and en couraged! The following are the meeting dates: • March 11 • April 8 • May 13

Yearbooks Don’t wait or you might miss out on the keepsake everyone wants to have! Pre-order your RLMS 2015-2016 yearbook TODAY at discount-ed prices! Prices will increase January 26, 2015. Order on-line at YearbookOrderCenter.com using order number 740, or look for the mailed flyer in mid-November. Options this year include:• $35.00 – Bare Bones

Package (Yearbook only)• $39.00 – Pirate Package

(Yearbook and Autograph Supplement)

• $39.00 – Raider Package (Yearbook and Name Stamp)

• $43.00 – Treasure Package (Yearbook, Autograph Supplement & Name Stamp)

...continued on next page

News from the Learning Communities Our Math clubs are in full force as educators and students are preparing for the Math Festival that is quickly approaching. This year the festival will be at Sanford Middle School on April 30th. We would love to have more students join. If they are interested, please have them speak to their math teacher.

Social Studies6th Grade World History For the third quarter, students started on an Ancient Greece unit and had learned about the geography of Greek city-states, including Athens and Sparta, the culture of Greece and the Hellenistic Age. Students were then engaged in a detailed document analysis on citizenship in Athens and Rome. Students had to use documents to determine which area, Athens or Rome, had the better system of citizenship. As the DBQ ends, we progress to a study of Ancient Rome, which will take us through the nine weeks exam in March.

7th Grade Civics Students have been examining the Constitution and the Bill of Rights this quarter. We have completed a DBQ explaining how the Constitution guarded against tyranny. After a complete examination of the Bill of Rights, our classes reviewed other amendments that have changed voting rights in the United States. Included in this study was an analysis of the song “Glory” from the movie “Selma” as we recognized Black History Month and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The American Legal System followed the Constitution units with a discussion of relevant Supreme Court decisions. Finally, we prepared for our third quarter exam with a review of all that was covered this nine weeks.

8th Grade American History For the third quarter, students started with a discussion of our first president, George Washington and the numerous precedents set during his tenure. We moved on to our second and third presidents, John Adams and Thomas Jefferson and discussed the expansion of the United States with the purchase of the Louisiana Territory. As the quarter reached the midpoint, we researched our 7th president, Andrew Jackson, and learned why his time in office is referred to as the time of “Jacksonian Democracy.” Our Pre-AP students completed a DBQ to answer the question “Was the United States justified in going to war with Mexico?”. We then wrapped up the quarter with a discussion of western expansion, including the Trail of Tears, the Gadsden Purchase, and the California Gold Rush.

ESE We have been busy preparing our 8th-grade students for their transition to high school! This is such an exciting time in their lives, and we look forward to hearing about the amazing things they accomplish! Parents lets continue to work together as a team, so both at school and at home we can support and monitor your student’s progress. Please continue to log on to Skyward and check your child’s grades and missing assignments weekly. If you have any questions regarding Skyward, please contact us (407) 746-9350.

ScienceThe Upcoming Scientific Learning GoalsMonths 8th Grade 7th Grade 6th GradeMarch/April Atomic Theory

Atomic BondsEvolutionEnvironment

Human ImpactHuman Technology

April/May FSA Science TestH.S. Biology Preparation

Cycles in Living Systems

Solar SystemSun and Stars

GuidanceIMMUNIZATIONS: Rising 7th graders: Please remember that if you are the parent of a current 6th -grade student, your child needs to have updated Immunizations before he or she can enter 7th grade. The Florida Department of Health and the Department of Education require all students entering 7th grade to have received a Tdap booster (adult strength tetanus, diphtheria and pertussis). An updated Florida Certification of Immunization DH 680 Form must be turned into Rock Lake before your student can pick up a schedule or start school for the 2014-15 school year. It is not too early to take care of these immunization requirements!FSA Testing and End of Course Exams are upon us! Exact dates of testing are to be determined and will be after spring break, however, please be aware of the following:• No electronic devices will be permitted – please keep them at

home as much as possible, including Apple/smart watches. If a student has an electronic device on their person during testing, their test will be invalidated. Students will be asked to TURN OFF cellular phones and electronic devices and store them turned off in their backpacks during testing.

• If you must sign your student out during a test session, he or she cannot come back and complete any missed questions. His or her test session for that day will be marked complete if they leave campus for any reason. Each test session must be completed on the day it was started. Please be aware of this and sign out students only for emergencies.

Scheduling for 2016-17 If you would like to change something on your student’s course request form such as moving down from an advanced course choice or moving up from a standard course choice, please submit your request in writing to your student’s guidance counselor. Please include your student’s name and which course you would like to change, along with your name as the parent.• Ms. Hinduja – all current 6th graders and 7th graders last

names M-Z Babita_Hinduja@scps.k12.fl.us• Mrs. Stufflet – current 7th graders last names A-L, all incoming

6th graders for 16-17 Angela_Stufflet@scps.k12.fl.us

Language Arts Language Arts in middle school is not just a subject, but a way for our students to express their feelings and opinions through their writings or to engage their minds by reading the latest book or to develop their interests by exploring the outside world through all types of media. Language Arts continues to teach the fundamen-tals of writing, reading and vocabulary. Can our students argue? Ask to see your child’s argumenta-tive essays and decide for yourself. To help students prepare for the FSA writing test on March 1, students are writing in their civics and language arts classes. Writing instruction includes informa-tion on counterclaims, elaboration, introductions, conclusions, and organization, just to mention a few. Some of our teachers are using Study Island to further enhance these writing skills. Students continue to build their reading skills through both Study Island and Reading Plus. Please check that your child is completing these in a timely fashion, so students are fully prepared to take the FSA ELA test the week of April 11.

Math Our Math teachers are busy preparing your students for the FSA assessment that is coming up in April. An excellent way to prepare is to continue to do the Study Island assignments that your teacher has assigned. Also, continue to practice at home by doing your homework nightly. Many teachers also offer extra help sessions during homeroom or in the mornings.

Reading Reading comprehension and writing skills go hand in hand; therefore, the Reading Department took an active role in helping to prepare our students for the Florida Writing Assessment. We utilize PEEL for our writing assignments:

P – (Point/Claim) Use full sentences to clearly and correctly an-swer the question.E - (Evidence) Include evidence from the text to support the point.E – (Elaborate) Write about how the evidence supports the point.L – (Last) Provide a link to wrap up the information.

We also expect our students to include higher level academic language and utilize correct writing conventions. Reading Enrichment classes read intriguing novels and utilize creative and challenging academic games and activities along with thought provoking higher level questioning to work on informative and argumentative essay writing, identifying the author’s purpose, the main idea and supporting details and developing a strong work-ing knowledge of academic vocabulary. How can parents continue to help their students with their reading comprehension and writing skills? The best way is to spend time reading together and utilize the four core reading strategies: predicting to help make a con-nection to background knowledge, clarifying to figure out words and phrases that are unclear, questioning to further knowledge and summarizing to identify the main idea and supporting details.

Band Congratulations to all of the band members that participated in the District Solo and Ensemble Festival at Markham Woods Middle School on Feb 26-27. There were approximately 70 band members to represent Rock Lake at the festival! All students did extremely well; I am proud of all their hard work and dedication! Members of the Advanced and Concert Band are working hard for their upcoming Music Performance Assessment on April 7-9. This is our most important performance of the year as we are assessed by a panel of three adjudicators. (The day and time that each band performs are currently TBA). In preparation for MPA, the ADVANCED BAND will have extra rehearsals with guest clinicians on Tuesday, March 15 after school until 5:30 pm and on Thursday, March 31 from 6:30-8:00 pm at Lyman HS.

Chorus Congratulations to our Solo & Ensemble participants - Kathryn Anderson, Meghan Witten, Jasmine Abram, Ryleigh Hanners, and Samantha Keimach. They did an awesome job, and we are incred-ibly proud of them! Thank you to everyone who helped support our fundraiser! Cakes will be delivered sometime before spring break. Also, now we look forward to our Music Performance Assessment on Saturday, March 12, where all choirs will perform and be adju-dicated. Good luck choirs! FROM ART: Kudos to Ana Sloan for her talent! Ana’s painting was chosen to be displayed at the Orlando Museum of Art, in the Peggy Crosby Student Gallery. Ana represents Rock Lake Middle School, as the only middle school to have a piece displayed. Well done Ana! Congratulations also to Avery Bennett, Kaiden Harris, Piper Craig and Anisa Valazquez for having their artwork accepted for display

at the Lake Mary/Heathrow Festival of the Arts. Lastly, kudos to all the art students for having a fabulous semester!

Physical Education Fuel Up to Play 60 is still going strong!

Learn how to participate in Challenges by visiting FuelUptoPlay60.com. Remember to stay active and eat healthy this New Year!

“Learning Communities” continued... Leadership The Leadership students continue their exploration of leader-ship skills through utilization of the text, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Teens and Success 101 for Teens. Our main area of focus, during the third nine weeks, has been the development of values that are essential to leadership and success. Students get many opportunities to practice their leadership skills by bringing what they have learned in class to the school wide leadership group and actively participating in school activities such as Black Out Bullying Week and Literacy Week. Students are also in the process of utilizing what they are learning to complete five volunteer hours at a local community service organization or their choice. Students who have already completed their hours reported that it was a positive and uplifting experience to help others and to give back to those who are in need. As stated above, our leadership classes participated in Black Out Bullying Week. Students had their choice of creating post-ers, writing essays or creating a video that encouraged students to be kind and to treat others with respect. All of the posters were displayed around the school to promote the cause and many students had the opportunity to read their essays on the school news broadcast. We also submitted a poster, essay and video to Seminole County Black Out Bullying competition and are proud to announce that we won first place in all three categories. Congratulations to the following leadership students:

• Patrick Tumbos – 1st Place Poster Competition• Trinity Meyer – 1st Place Essay Competition• Samantha Keimach, Cara Roth, Alexandria Humphries and

Nicole Back - 1st Place Video Competition

Boosters Spring is coming soon! The Boosters have been busy this winter. Holiday CandyGrams were a huge hit making a healthy budget for the 8th-grade party. The Book Fair was also very successful. Stay tuned for the next one coming up. We are now members of Parent Boosters USA, getting our 501C and new Booster bylaws in place. Soon we will be having elections for Booster positions for next year. Apply for positions by 4/15 to Karen by email KStillings@ymail.com or 407-462-7493. Spirit Wear is available in the School Store. They accept credit and debit cards. Coming Soon, we will have a live inventory available online! The kids had a blast at the Games2U game truck event even though there were some technical difficulties. Games2U offered another session so we will keep you informed. We showed our appreciation to our wonderful Teachers for all that they do for our children with Valentine’s Day treats We still need volunteers for the 8th Grade Dance Committee. Let’s make it an event for our kids to remember. We need Dance Chairmen for various committees. The theme for the dance is Sailing Into High School! Contact Karen Stillings. Please, Please, Please, we are very much in need of volunteers for the school clinic! To volunteer, go to the Clinic Sign Up link on the Parent Boosters page, which you can find on the School’s website. It is such a comfort to our students.

Rock Lake Clinic As you probably know, our clinic is manned by parent volunteers. We currently have a need for more volunteers. Please contact Janice Winn at 407-746-9414 if you would like to work in our clinic. We also are in need of Ziploc sandwich bags (used for ice), band aids (regular and large size), Kleenex and disinfecting wipes. Your donations are appreciated.

Medication Whether your student takes a daily medication at school or simply needs to take a pain reliever or cough drops, the following information is of importance to you. Authorization forms must be on file in the front office for medications to be taken on campus during the school day. Please review the regulations and keep a copy, so that should the occasion arise and your child needs to take medication at school, you will be aware of the paperwork necessary to make that happen.

The following is the State of Florida medication policy:• Middle school students are not permitted to deliver medication to school. All medication must

be delivered by the parent/guardian.• All medication must be accompanied by a Student Medication Authorization form (SCPS

Form 157). This includes over-the-counter (aspirin, Tylenol, cough drops, vitamins, drops, etc.), sample drugs and prescription medications. There are no exceptions to this policy.

• All medications (over-the-counter, samples, prescription) must be in their original containers.• If the medication is over-the-counter or samples, it must be labeled as follows:• Child’s full name• Medication name• Dosage directions (how many to administer)• Time of day to be taken (specific hours or as needed)• Physician’s Name

Over-the-counter medications can be self-administered and the student can carry with him/her a daily dose if this is indicated on the Student Medication Authorization form on file in the front office at Rock Lake. Students cannot carry over-the-counter medications without this authorization form, which must be signed by a parent.

THERE ARE NO EXCEPTIONS TO ANY OF THESE POLICIES.1. A staff member delegated by the principal must

administer medications.2. An Authorization for Medication form must be

completed prior to the administration of any medication to student. This authorization must be renewed annually each school year.

3. Administration by school personnel of injectable medication must be planned on an individual basis with parent, physician and School Board nurse of the student involved.

4. Each school will keep a current record of students needing medication during school hours, including name, dosage, and usual time of administration.

Arrival On Campus

Students are not permitted on campus until 8:50 A.M. Outside supervision does not start until 8:50 A.M. However, when there is an activity, such as intramurals or club meetings that begin at 8:15 A.M., students may be dropped off at the FRONT RAMP no earlier than 8:00 A.M. and no later than 8:30 A.M. Students will need a teacher pass to be permitted in the building.

Student Check Out

Due to safety concerns, we do NOT permit students to be signed out after 3:30 p.m. (2:30 p.m. on Wednesdays). When there are buses in the loading area, cars will not be permitted to enter or exit. Once all buses are clear, visitors and employees may access the parking lot.

Bus Transportation Students are required to ride the bus to which they have been assigned. Permission to ride another bus must be requested in writing from the parent/guardian to an administrator and will be granted when the request states emergency reasons related to health, welfare, and safety of the student. Permission will not be granted for purposes of a general nature or for convenience. In addition, students will not be bused outside the zone of the school where they reside except for academic programs deemed eligible by the Board for school bus service. The transporta-tion department can be reached at 407-320-7550 if you have questions concerning student transportation.

Student Appearance and Dress Code 2015-2016Responsibility for the dress and appearance of students enrolled in the Seminole County Public Schools primarily rests with parents and the students. Some student apparel, however, may not be appropriate to wear to school even though that same apparel may be appropriate to wear in other settings. To assist parents and students in making appropriate fashion and grooming decisions for school, the School Board has established the following minimal guidelines for the appearance and dress of students.The standards of appearance for students shalt insure that the students be clean, neat, and property dressed. They shall observe modes of dress and standards of personal grooming which are appropriate for the academic environment.It is the responsibility of the Principal to see that the dress appearance of any student shall not be extreme, to the point of creating a disturbance, or is hazardous to oneself, others, or school property, whether or not the specific case is covered by the information below. The Principal or Principal’s designee has the final authority for interpreting whether a student’s apparel/appearance conforms to the dress code.All schools have the option of adopting a standard dress code (uniform) when developed and agreed upon in collaboration with their School Advisory Council. Schools that adopt a standard dress code policy should include the following: collared shirts, sleeves, khaki or dark pants/ shorts/skorts, defined shirt colors (e.g. school colors).(1) Head(a) No hats, caps, visors, hoods, bandanas, sunglasses or other head gear may be worn on campus except with administrative permission (i.e. medical necessity, religious, school related events).(2) Upper Garments(a) Garments must be of a length and fit that are suitable to the build and stature of the student.(b) The following items are pro-hibited: halter tops, tube tops, backless dresses/tops, spaghetti straps, tank tops.

(c) Necklines of all upper garments must be modest. Low cut necklines are prohibited, and the cut of garments must not expose undergarments or cleavage.(d) Shirts must touch, at minimum the top portion of lower garments at all times.

(e) Garments that are distracting or inappropriate are prohibited, including but not limited to those with see-through materials, skin-tight items, pajamas, trench coats, rips/ tears, printed profanity, or language/symbols/ styles that promote the use of alcohol, drugs, tobacco products, gang-related or other illegal activities.

(3) Lower Garments(a) Pants and shorts should conform to the build and stature of the students.(b) Undergarments and the buttocks MUST remain entirely covered even while seated.

(c) Dresses, skirts, and shorts must be at least mid-thigh or below in length. Rips/tears above mid-thigh not permitted.(d) The waistband of pants, shorts, or shirts must be worn and secured between the hips and the waist.

(e) Undergarments as outerwear, pajama pants, bathing suits, cheer shorts, bike shorts, jeggings, leg-gings, spandex material and any skin tight bottoms are prohibited.

(4) Footwear(a) All students shall wear shoes/footwear. Students must wear shoes that are safe and appropriate for the learning environment Students must wear athletic shoes in all PE classes.

(b) Cleats, slippers, and shoes with wheels are not permitted on campus. Non-metal cleats may be worn for appropriate extracurricular sports in proper areas.

(5) Accessories(a) Clothing, jewelry, and accessories shall not convey messages that are: crude, vulgar/ profane, violent/death-oriented, gang related, sexually suggestive, promote alcohol, drugs, or tobacco.

(b) Jewelry or accessories that pose a safety concern for the student or others are prohibited. Dog collars, wallet chains, large hair picks or chains that connect one part of the body to another are prohibited.

Positive Behavior Support (PBS) Rock Lake Middle School will continue with Positive Behavior Support (PBS) this year. The purpose of PBS is to facilitate positive behavior change in our students and staff through the application of the PBS Approach. Our goal this year is to reduce the number of inappropriate behav-iors, and increase academic achievement by educating the students and staff and reinforcing appropriate behaviors.

Attendance Policy SEMINOLE COUNTY PUBLIC

SCHOOLS It is the intent of the Florida Legislature that school districts and their constituent schools implement an aggressive program for the enforce-ment of student compliance with the compulsory attendance law of Florida. The compulsory attendance law requires that all children, who will have attained the age of 6 years by February 1 of any school year or who are older than 6 years of age but who have not attained the age of 16 years, or to age 18 unless a student has formally withdrawn at age 16 or after (dropout), attend a district school or otherwise comply with the law. Enforcement of this policy under Florida Statute 1003.26 will be the responsibility of the school and law enforcement. When a student accrues five (5) un-excused absences in a calendar month or ten (10) unexcused absences in a 90-calendar day period, the student shall be deemed as a student that is exhibiting a pattern of non-attendance. All children between the ages of 6 and 16 are required to attend school. In addition, students that have attained age 16, but who have not graduated or withdrawn as permitted by law, are sub-ject to com pulsory school attendance. Any student deemed to be tru-ant will be placed in the attendance enforcement procedure under the Seminole Schools Attendance Policy which will include non-judicial interven-tions and /or a referral to Legal.

BETA Club News Beta Club has been diligently working on service projects at school and in the community. Betas were instrumental in the success of the RLMS Black Out Bullying Week activities by implementing a “sticky note challenge”. Students wrote positive messages on sticky notes and posted them all around the school to promote kindness and they also encouraged students to do acts of kindness for others. Betas also took an active role in Literacy Week by encouraging students to make a pledge to read 20 minutes per night. Betas continue to actively participate in Relay for Life activities by attending monthly meetings and participating in fundraising activities. We recently raised $138.00 through a Valentine’s Day chance drawing and students are also filling water bottles with change to be donated to Relay for Life. Our upcoming activities include volunteering at a Track Shack 5K race, Markham Woods Trail clean up as well as more Relay for Life activities. The Big Relay for Life event will take place on April 15 at the Central Florida Zoo. Thank you to our Betas and their families for making all of our activities great successes!

Code Red Simulation During our unannounced Code, Red representatives from the Sheriff’s Department and Home Land Security applauded out reaction to the simulation. Several under-cover officers came in separately to determine how long they could be in the building without being detected. One of the officers looked like a student. She was stopped by a teacher because she was not wearing her required school ID. We were given praise for requiring our students to wear IDs because this safety measure helps identify who is a current member of our Rock Lake family. Please remind your children of the importance of not wearing their ID with marked out faces. Failure to adhere to this safety measure could result in a referral to the dean’s office. Again, we are very proud of our faculty, staff and students who follow the procedures that we have in place. It is comforting to know that if this had been a real emergency, we were prepared to handle the situation appropriately. Please note that all aspects of our safety procedures were assessed, and we passed with flying colors. Thank you for helping us keep Rock Lake number one in safety prevention.

Rock Lake’s Convenience Store!

AWESOME AND INEXPENSIVE SCHOOL SUPPLIES!

OPEN MONDAY & FRIDAY9:00 A.M.-9:15 A.M.

WEDNESDAY DURING LUNCHES

Study Island Study Island is web-based instruction, practice and as-sessment built from Florida state standards. It contains rigorous academic content that is both fun and engaging. Students can log on from home and complete an assessment in Reading, Math or Science. The program will then build lessons for the individual needs of the student in each of the three areas for 8th graders, as well as, math and reading for 6th and 7th graders. Log in today with your child and make it a part of your weekly routine. Go to www. studyisland.com and log in:

• User: student id#@rlms• Example: 12345@rlms• Password: student

birthday beginning with the month with 4 numbers

• Example: 0215

Reading Plus Rock Lake Middle School is using Reading Plus to help students become better readers. Reading Plus is a web-based program that helps students to develop the skills they need to be proficient readers and independent learners. All of the content is based on the new Common Core State Standards that will excel students to become College and Career Ready. Through regular Reading Plus practice, your child will begin to read faster and understand more of what [he/she] reads. In school, your child has completed the InSight Placement Test that calculated their reading comprehension and vocabulary levels. We are requesting that each student log into Reading Plus three to four times during a seven day week. Students can log in daily if they wish to excel in the program.

How to Log In:Step 1 - Go to login.readingplus.comStep 2 - Press the Student Login buttonStep 3 - Enter Site Code: rocklakemidStep 4 - Type Username: Student IDStep 5 - Type Password: 4 digit b-day: mmdd

Please contact Laura_Adlam@scps.k12.fl.us if you need help or have any questions.

SCPS School CalendarStudent Pick-up and Drop-off Procedures

Car Ramp The following procedures have been imple-mented to insure the safety of students being picked up and dropped off in cars:

Morning drop-off After 8:30 A.M. cars are not allowed on the ramp in front of the school, as this is re-served for bus traffic ONLY. Students are to be dropped off on the ramp in the rear of the school. Please pull up as far as possible or to where directed by law enforcement and school staff. After the last bus has arrived for the day, visitors should use the parking lot.

Dismissal pick-up At dismissal time, car riders will not be permitted to leave the covered walkway to meet cars in the parking area or further down the car ramp unless accompanied by a parent. Only 5 cars at a time will be permitted to load students. For the safety of your child, and to manage traffic, please do not use any other procedure or location to pick up your child from school! Cars will circle the loop and exit by way of Poplar. Please resume a safe speed of approxi-mately 5 miles per hour while on the car loop. Please do not park on the pick-up ramp and exit your car. If you must exit your car for any reason, please park in a parking space. Watch for pedestrians walking in the lot and on the ramp. To ensure the safety of your children, your cooperation with school staff and other parents is greatly appreciated. Thank you for your assistance in this mat-ter of student safety.

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407-255-6287

RLMS

Bullying & Harassment Including Cyber Bullying At Rock Lake Middle School, we have zero tolerance for Bullying and Harassment. We feel our students are entitled to a safe, secure, and free from harassment and bullying of any kind atmosphere. In order to ensure this opportunity, we have made available multiple ways for students to share any concern that they may have with regards to bullying and/or harassment. Bullying is any systematically and chronically inflicting physical hurt or psychological distress on one or more students. Any unwanted repeated written, verbal, or physical behavior. Harassment is any threatening, insulting or dehumanizing gesture, any written or use of data through social media directed against a student. Additionally, cyber stalking is considered bullying and/or harassment, which means to engage in a course of conduct to communicate, or cause to be communicated, words, images, or language through electronic devices which cause emotional distress to a person for no legitimate purpose, this behavior will be reported to law enforcement. Students are made aware of our informing process and the various ways to report any bullying behavior through Good Morning Rock Lake, announcements throughout the year and through one-on-one communication. We have established with all teachers a central location on the web to get forms for a student to readily report any concern with bullying. Students are informed about other locations to report a bullying matter i.e. the guidance office, main office, or to any administrator, dean, or security. Additionally, we have a locked Bully Box located in the media center for any student to present their concern about a bullying matter. This box is checked daily and investigated. Students are asked to give their reports of bullying in the form of a written statement in any of these locations. The student’s statement is immediately dated upon receipt to begin the investigation process. The student is given written notification, if any further bullying incidents occur, they are to report the concern immediately to administration.

Rock Lake Talent ShowLights, Camera, Action!Rock Lake Talent Show

March 31, 20166:30 –8:00 pm

Auditions:March 9, 2016

(If needed, there will be auditions on 3/10/16.)Sponsored by the RLMS Student Council

Rock Lake Middle School250 Slade DriveLongwood, FL 32750

Non-Profit OrganizationU.S. Postage PAID

Orlando, FLPermit #2346

www.rocklakemiddle.scps.k12.fl.us

Speakout Hotline: You can give tips 3 ways!

On-linewww.speakouthotline.org

You may give an anonymous tip on the website

Call800-423-TIPSNo caller ID

No recorded calls

Text‘speakout’ plus your

Tip information toCRIMES (274637)

To download a pdf version of this newsletter, go to http://www.academypublishing.com/schools/rocklake/rocklake.php.

Charge For Copies Here at Rock Lake we charge $1(one dollar) per page (each side is considered a page) for any copy requests.

Attention Parents Due to limited personnel and the disruption to classroom instruction, we are unable to deliver messages to students. Please make personal arrange-ments for/with your child prior to them coming to school.

Academy Publishing School Newsletter Program™ • 800-644-3541

SCPS And RLMS Websites Have you visited Seminole County Public Schools’ website located at www.scps.k12.fl.us? It has tons of information, including the 2015-2016 School Calendar, lunch menus, school bus route information, school board agenda, etc. You can visit Rock Lake Middle School’s website from there by going to: schools, middle, Rock Lake or go to www.rocklakemiddle.scps.k12.fl.us to go directly to our site.

Ways to Raise Funds for Rock Lake Rock Lake would like to encourage our parents to participate in the following programs to help raise funds for your school.• Target Take Charge of Education: Did you know that simply by shopping at Target, you can help raise

money for Rock Lake? Here’s how the “Take Charge of Education” program works for us. If you have a Target charge card, you can designate our school to receive a rebate of 1% each time the card is used. You can designate Rock Lake Middle School as your school of choice by calling 1-800-316-6142.

• Box Tops for Education: Did you know there are 240 products that support Box Tops for Education? Simply by looking through your grocery store products and cutting out the box top labels, you can help support Rock Lake’s Exceptional Education Programs earn money for activities such as science experiments, cooking, art and so much more! Schools can use their box tops to purchase whatever they need. Each box top is worth 10 cents. That may not sound like a lot, but they add up fast! So please don’t forget to cut out and turn in your box tops each and every week. You can turn them in to the front office any time, or your child can give them to his/her homeroom teacher for a chance to win a donut party for their class.