RIVER DELL MIDDLE SCHOOL 6 th GRADE PARENT ORIENTATION March 15, 2016

COUNSELING SERVICES

COUNSELING SERVICES DEPARTMENT  Ms. Brown: 7 th grade counselor for school year  Ms. Ross: 8 th grade counselor for school year  Dr. O’Neil: Student Assistance Counselor  Mrs. Boettger: Counseling department secretary

 Verify contact information and fill out forms 1. Registration Form (Mandatory: Failure to fill out student forms will result in suspension of computer privileges)  RD Technology Policy (AUP)  Military Release Consent  Web and Media Release Consent  Health Insurance  Permission to Share Medical Information with Staff  Activity/Athletic Participation 2. Laptop Insurance Fee - $75 (Mandatory: Must pay before September in order for your child to receive laptop) 3. Activity Participation Fee - $50 (Optional: May pay any time during school year if your child plays a sport or joins an Extracurricular activity)

 The Genesis Parent Portal is a safe, secure way to view your child’s school record for the current school year  As a parent, you will have access to the following information: – Student Schedule – Report Cards – Daily and Class Attendance Records – Teachers’ Gradebook – Discipline Records

 Each faculty member maintains their own Schoolwires page (including teachers, counselors, nurse, club advisors & administration)  Students and parents should check Schoolwires daily

 Teachers’ pages: Contain course overview, contact info, extra help schedule, grading policy, homework assignments and due dates, tests/quiz dates, & long term projects  Counselors’ pages: Contain our contact info, scheduling documents (Program of Studies Guide & Course Selection Sheets), team meeting times, standardized testing details, volunteering opportunities, Naviance, and other various programs

 School-issued laptops will be distributed to all 7 th and 8 th grade students in their Research for Today classes in September  Laptops may be brought home to use; Students are responsible for charging them nightly  Students will receive an introduction to their laptops and will learn about the different programs we use at RDMS

 Science 7  English 7  World Civilizations 7  Math (Pre-Algebra 7/Adv. Pre-Algebra 7) ­ Math class alternates between a single period and a double period, based on A/B rotation

 Physical Education 7 –Meets every day –All students have Health for one marking period  World Language 7 – Spanish 1A – French 1A – ESL (replaces World Language)  Research 4 Today 7 –Meets on A Days or B Days

Art 7 Cadet Band 7 Chorus 7 S.T.E.M. 7 Projects & Performances 7/8 World of Music & Music Technology 7  Electives – Meets on A Days or B Days – Students rank 4 electives (2 are used in schedule and 2 are used as alternates)

 Our schedule consists of A Days and B Days  A cycle is three days long rotating between three A days in a row followed by three B days in a row throughout the school year  AAA BBB AAA BBB AAA BBB AAA  Weekends, vacations and holidays do not count in a cycle; In case of an emergency closing, we skip the letter and resume the cycle as scheduled

 RDMS Counselors have already visited elementary schools to review courses & scheduling March 8:Roosevelt March 9:Cherry Hill March 11:OPS  Course Selection Forms will then be collected at each school the following week March 15:Roosevelt March 16:Cherry Hill March 18:OPS 6 th GRADE 7 th GRADE 6 th GRADE  7 th GRADE COURSE SELECTION

 During our orientation, we distributed: –Program of Studies Guide: Listing of all courses that RDMS offers; for your review –Course Selection Sheet: Where you choose electives and World Language 6 th GRADE 7 th GRADE 6 th GRADE  7 th GRADE COURSE SELECTION

 RDMS will send a preliminary schedule home in June  Counselors must be notified of all schedule change requests by July 15 th  RDMS will send a final schedule in August

 7 th Grade − Pre-Algebra 7 − Advanced Pre-Algebra 7  8 th Grade − Algebra 8 − Advanced Algebra 8 − Honors Algebra 1

If a student satisfies both of the criteria below, the student is placed into Advanced PreAlgebra 7; otherwise, the student is placed into PreAlgebra 7.  6 th Grade Math Class Test Average ≥ 90%  Placement Test Score ≥ 90%

 PARCC 7 Test − Pre-Algebra 7 − Advanced Pre-Algebra 7  PARCC 8 Test − Algebra 8 − Advanced Algebra 8  PARCC Algebra 1 Test − Honors Algebra 1

CLUBS, INTRAMURALS & INTERSCHOLASTIC SPORTS

Interaction with other students Develop interests Stakeholder in school Promoting school spirit

Academic Competition Club Ambassadors Club Anime/Manga Club Art Club Caterers/Chef Club Drama Club Environmental Club Geography Bee/Spelling Bee Homework Club Library Club/Student Library Aides Literary Magazine

Math Club National Junior Art Honor Society Newspaper Robotics Science Club Select Chorus Ski Club Spanish Honor Society Stage (Jazz) Band Student Government Organization Yearbook

Offers students to be River Dell Middle School news anchors for the school

Seventh and eighth grade intramurals are held after school in the gym. Intramurals is a fun, organized group that plays a variety of pick-up games, such as basketball, hockey, and softball. Students are required to wear sneakers, sign in upon arrival, and have medical clearance from the school nurse.

During the school year, RDMS will offer the following interscholastic athletic programs: FALL SPORTS Boys and Girls Cross Country Girls Volleyball WINTER SPORTS Boys and Girls Basketball SPRING SPORTS Boys and Girls Track

For club information and meeting times, please visit the following site in September:   Click on the “Activities” tab

 Fees: Pay $50 activity fee to join any sport or club. This fee covers as many activities your child would like to participate in.  Payment options: – Credit card on Community Pass – Check submitted to Board Office

All incoming 7 th graders are required to have a physical submitted on the first day of school. A health packet with required physical forms and other health forms including allergy and asthma were distributed to the elementary schools on the following dates:  Roosevelt: March 8 th  Cherry Hill: March 9 th  OPS: March 11 th The physical is mandatory as your child needs to be cleared to participate in the physical education program. Physicals dated between 9/1/2015 and 9/1/2016 will be accepted.

 The 2016/17 Registration/Emergency Contact form is located on the District Homepage of the website under Upcoming Events.  The form can be submitted either electronically (Submit Form button), as an attachment to an , or via the United States Postal Service.  You will receive information on how to register for Community Pass and Genesis this summer.