News From Roger: 2022-23 Plan for Realms Middle School Joining the High School
Dear Parents,
Some of you may have heard “rumors and rumblings” recently about the idea that Realms Middle School and Realms High School may be “co-locating” sometime soon and I wanted to set the record straight and also invite you to some opportunities to ask questions and share your feedback!
First off, it is true! Realms Middle School WILL indeed be moving to the Brinson Blvd campus that currently houses Realms High School, and the move will happen this summer in advance of the 2022-23 school year! This is the culmination of many years of planning and we are super excited about all the potential that this move holds for us as a middle school AND as a part of the larger Realms Schools 6-12!
We are currently working closely with our Architect and District Design team as we move through the design, permitting and bidding process in advance of building new classrooms, offices and other learning spaces at Brinson that will house our middle school program.
You probably have a few (or a few hundred?!) questions, and I’d love to provide some time to share more details about the transition and to answer your questions! I will share details about the “why” of this move, the interior design, thoughts about what kind of connection there will (and won’t) be between the MS and HS, the construction of a ball/play field at Brinson, the sibling preference-admission policy, and much more!
Mark your calendars for Thursday January 1th3 at 5:30PM ON WEBEX
In the meantime, if you have specific questions you’d like answered or topics you’d like to hear about, please share them here!
Upcoming Dates
- Tuesday Nov 16th – 2nd Quarter Enrichments Begin
- Monday Nov 22nd- Friday Nov 26th – No School for Thanksgiving Break
- Wednesday Dec 1st – Friday Dec 3rd – Student-Led Conferences held on WebEx
- Thursday Dec 2nd & Friday Dec 3rd – No School for Realms Middle School for Conferences
- Monday Dec 20th – Friday Dec 31st – No School for Winter Break
- Thursday Jan 13th – RMS Campus Transition Meeting, 5:30PM ON WEBEX
- Monday Jan 17th – No School for Martin Luther King, Jr Day
Midterm Progress Reports!
Midterm Progress Reports came out this weekend and this MAY the first official time you as a parent have seen grading information on your student! On the other hand, if you have a routine of checking in on ParentVue, then this information will not be very new to you.
- This information is ALWAYS available in ParentVue – you need not wait to stay caught up with your student’s progress. Check ParentVue ANYTIME – the midterm progress report information is straight out of ParentVue!
- How do I determine my student’s proficiency level? At RMS, we do NOT report overall letter grades… so to know how your student is doing, you must look at the “standard scores”! There are two views for parents in ParentVue – the Standards View and the Assignment View. To determine proficiency, you should look at the score on each of the standards in the class. At RMS, we have a “proficiency scale” that goes from 1-6. A score of 4 indicates the student is “at grade level” on the particular skill or content standard! See image below.
- How do I determine if my student is “caught up” or staying on track? In ParentVue, use the “Assignment View” to see if any assignments are missing! Missing assignments should be completed as homework! If your student does not know how to complete the missing work, please contact the teacher!
- There is STILL time to improve grades. Teachers usually allow students to submit late work and/or to re-take or re-do assessments/assignments to demonstrate increased levels of proficiency. Students are encouraged to talk (or email) their teachers!
Student Led Conferences…Sign Up Reminder!
****Student Led Conferences will be held virtually this year and will take place in the afternoon of Wednesday, Dec 1st and all day on Thursday, Dec 2nd. (Note: There will not be school on Thursday the 2nd and Friday Dec 3rd at Realms Middle School.)
If you have not signed up already, the sign up tool is open and we still have some slots available. We are aiming for 100% participation so please sign up today. Click on one of the links for your child’s grade to sign up!
6th Grade Sign Ups
7th Grade Sign Ups
8th Grade Sign Ups
Notes From the Field
We just wrapped up a successful Fall Fieldwork season with our 7th graders at Ryan Ranch and our 8th graders along Tumalo Creek. We weathered all the weather, waded into stream science, and put down roots in our studies of riparian areas. A huge thank you to our Fieldwork team that made this happen and took our kids out there each day in all kinds of weather to learn and explore…THANK YOU Mr. Beck, Molly, Caleb, Brenna and Dante!!
Friends of Realms Update
The Annual Wreath and Tree Sale at Realms typically raises close to $10,000 to support fieldwork and other experiential programming at both RMS and RHS! During Pre-COVID times, our students would help sell wreaths door to door, and the proceeds supported the overnight trips that were highlights of the year for many students.
While overnight trips are on hold currently, we hope to continue to develop meaningful fieldwork opportunities for students at all grade levels. You can help make this possible by purchasing wreaths/trees and by sharing this flyer and/or ordering link with your friends and family!
