A note of gratitude:
Dear Realms Families,
Wow, it’s been a whirlwind since our last newsletter! Over the past month, we’ve had so many fantastic events worth celebrating—our Banff Film Festival and Rubbish Renewed Eco Fashion Show fundraisers were huge hits, and Intensives Week, 8th Grade Travel Study, 10th Grade Newport Overnight Fieldwork, Senior Expo Night, and 8th Grade Passages were all amazing.
While I’d love to give each of these events the spotlight they deserve, I want to instead take a moment to share some heartfelt gratitude. As many of you know, I just returned from a week and a half away for the birth of my son. It was a busy time of year, and we were already down an administrator, but our incredible Staff Crew stepped up and kept everything running smoothly. I couldn’t be more thankful for their dedication and hard work.
I also want to give a huge shout-out to you, our wonderful parents. I know that you put in a ton of hard work every day to help your children succeed. Thank you for trusting us with your kids and partnering with us to raise happy, proud, and strong humans.
As we wrap up the school year, I hope you all have a joyful last few days and a fantastic start to the summer.
Warmly,
Zach Harju
Interim Principal, Realms Middle and High School
Upcoming Dates
- Tues June 11th – RHS Class of 2024 Graduation, 7PM (followed by Grad Night Party hosted by the Parent Action Crew!)
- Wed June 12th – iPad Roll In: 8th Grade
- Thurs June 13th – iPad Roll In: 6th and 7th Grade – All middle schoolers will be turning in their iPads for the summer! Send your child with their brick and cord on these days!
- Thurs June 13th – RMS 8th Gr Promotion, 6PM
- Mon June 17th – RMS: 6th to Al Moody Park, 7th to Ryan Ranch
- Tues June 18th – Last Day of School, 2:30 Release
If you are not planning to send your student to school during the last two days (6/17 & 6/18) for any reason, please let us know ASAP as these numbers will effect our programming.
Summer Resources for Families
Meals:
Local recommended mental health resources
Celebration: Sources of Strength at Realms
“We Belong”: High School Leaders and 6th Grade Students Define Belonging Together using New Sources of Strength Program
Realms is wrapping up the first year of implementing a student-led mental health program called Sources of Strength. Students in the high school Leadership class and the middle school club have been trained to use Sources of Strength to help their peers identify what hope, help, and strength looks like to them. “We Belong” was the first campaign in December. The high school leaders planned and led a classroom lesson to inspire belonging and connection with 6th grade students.
Roughly 60 6th graders and 10 high school students participated. The lesson began with “All About Me Bingo” made from anonymous fun facts about the 6th graders, and they had to find students who identified with the fun facts to make a bingo. They then read a quote and had a brief discussion about community. At the end of the lesson, each student wrote down one person, place, or thing that makes them feel like they belong on a paper feather and they had the opportunity to share in a large closing circle. The feathers were made into a display that hangs in the middle school. High school leaders said the lesson the sparked meaningful conversations and the positive interactions they had with the 6th graders were beneficial.
Sources of Strength is an upstream strengths-based suicide prevention program Bend-La Pine high and middle schools are implementing this year. Trained student leaders create interactive campaigns to help their school community learn about healthy coping skills, how to ask for help, and building positive connections with others. For more resources and information, visit sourcesofstrength.org.
