RIVER DELL MIDDLE SCHOOL 6 th GRADE PARENT ORIENTATION February 4, 2015

COUNSELING SERVICES

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

 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, 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

 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 and Progress Reports – Daily and Class Attendance Records – Teachers’ Gradebook – Discipline Records

 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 – French – ESL (replaces World Language)  Research 4 Today 7 –Meets on A Days or B Days

Art 7 Cadet Band 7 Chorus 7 Inventions & Creativity in Technology 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 Jan 29: OPS and Roosevelt Feb 6: Cherry Hill  Course Selection Forms will then be collected at each school the following week Feb 5: OPS and Roosevelt Feb 13: Cherry Hill 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 17 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 two of the three criteria below, the student is placed into Advanced PreAlgebra 7; otherwise, the student is placed into PreAlgebra 7.  NJASK 5 Math Score ≥ 290  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 Anime/Manga Club Art 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 Spanish Honor Society Ski Club 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

 Provide your contact information and fill out necessary forms 1. Athletic Forms (Optional: Only if your child plays a sport) 2. Student Fee - $50 (Optional: Only if your child plays a sport or joins an Extracurricular activity) 3. Student Forms (Mandatory: Failure to fill out student forms will result in suspension of computer privileges)  RD Technology Policy (AUP)  Drug and Alcohol Test  Military Release Consent  Web and Media Release Consent  Health Insurance  Permission to Share Medical Information with Staff

All incoming 7 th graders are required to have a physical submitted on the first day of school. A health packet with the required physical forms and other health forms including allergy and asthma forms will be distributed to each elementary school May 15 th

 Registration Forms were already handed out to 6 th grade students. They are due back to the 6 th grade teachers by February 13 th. You must return them in order to register your child at RDMS and receive a schedule.  You will receive information on how to register for Community Pass and Genesis this summer.