2022-23 Realms MS/HS Back to School Newsletter

#onerealms – welcome back!

Dear new and returning Realms Middle and High School Families,

The 2022-23 school year promises to be amazing, engaging, fun, rigorous, relevant, radical, and above all....UNIFYING! We are so excited to bring Realms Middle and High under one huge roof on our Brinson Campus. This move marks a milestone in the vision of expanding the impact of our unique "brand" of teaching and learning based on the EL Education model here in Bend!

This year more than ever we can leverage the power of a #onerealms community. The lofty vision that underpins our two schools is now MORE within reach than ever. Under one roof we can pool our resources including some staff, equipment, expertise, and maybe most important of all.... we can pool the power of shared inspiration and community! Our middle school tagline (We Are Crew, Not Passengers) and our high school tagline (Leaders of Change) are complimentary and provide the backbone for powerful learning and an inclusive, engaging school experience from 6th all the way through 12th grade. 

I am sure that some of you are also curious about the progress of construction in the middle school portion of our campus. I will share more details in a separate update in the coming weeks, but in the meantime, suffice it to say that the construction is progressing quickly! Our brand new field is complete and our classrooms are in place, with contractors working on paint, trim, carpet and more. The new middle school campus is going to be AWESOME.

In order to help us get the school year up and running we are going to HOLD OFF giving tours and visits until construction and move in are totally complete! I know this may be hard for some of you, but we ask for your patience and trust... There is still a lot of work to do and the construction crews are ALL working overtime schedules to get it done in time for school, and THAT is our top priority! Thanks for understanding!

Please DO plan to join us on September 22nd for our Back To School Open House!

On behalf of the whole #onerealms staff team I want to welcome you to what will be an amazing year here at Realms Middle and High! 

And reach out if you have questions!

Roger White - Principal
541-355-5502

Upcoming Dates

• Wed, Sept 7th: First Day for 6th and 9th graders as well as students who are New to Realms in other grades (9:00am-3:20pm)
• Thurs, Sept 8th: First Day for 7th – 8th grade, as well as 10th-12th grade
• Thurs/Fri, Sept 8th/9th: “Disorientation Activities” at RHS (details & permission forms coming soon)
• Mon/Tues Sept 12th/13th: “Confluence Activities” at RMS (details & permission forms coming soon)
• Thurs, Sept 22nd: Back to School Open House for all families at the Brinson Campus 5:30-7:00pm

Our Staff Team – New and Returning

In so many ways it is the staff that make our school an amazing place to learn and grow. We are excited to have a great team of returning staff AND to welcome some amazing new staff members to our team!

Our new team members (so far) are listed here and the full staff lists are linked below:

• Jaebird Brown – Inclusion EA at RHS
• Jill Deckman Cooper – Curriculum Secretary/Registrar for RMS & RHS
• Deanne Frazier – 6th Gr Math Teacher, Crew & Electives at RMS
• Lauren McAllister – Supported Ed Learning Specialist at RHS
• Maya Morduch-Toubman – Student Success EA at RHS
• Bethany Skau – Art Teacher & Crew at RMS
• Addy Torian – Counselor for RMS & RHS

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We are ALSO STILL HIRING! KNOW SOMEONE?!

We have a few classified positions to hire and you can direct folks who you think might be a good fit to the applications on the BLSD website, or, if it’s easier, directly to [email protected] or 541-355-5502! Specifically, our openings are:

• Inclusion EA ( 1 @ MS & 1 @ HS)
• Regular Ed EA (MS)
• Online Student Support Manager (1 @ MS/HS)

Bell Schedule For 2022-23

Our school hours this year will be the same for both Realms Middle School and Realms High School. Please note that our start and end times are slightly different than the neighborhood middle/high school start times to allow for student bussing and to allow Realms students to participate in athletics at their neighborhood school! Start and end times will be:

• Doors Open – 8:40AM
• Class Start Time – 9:00
• Class End Time – 3:20PM (1:50 on Wed)

Major Dates Calendar

Similar to the bell schedule above, there are a few slight differences between the Realms MS/HS Major Dates Calendar and that of the neighborhood middle/high schools.

Please note our Student Led Conference Days and avoid scheduling vacations during these days as they are an important part of our curriculum! Thanks!

Transportation – Get Signed Up

Students at Realms are able to ride the bus to and from school each day. Middle schoolers will catch a transfer bus to Realms from their neighborhood middle school and high schoolers will do the same at their neighborhood high school. Please register your child soon for transportation so that they can get put on a bus route. This year, students who reside at more than one address will be able to get a bus route from each home they live in! More information for registering for transportation can be found on the BLSD Transportation Page here.

ParentVue Accounts – IMPORTANT!

ParentVue is the online web portal where parents can access information about their child’s grades, report cards, attendance, assignments, It also contains important information such as parent contact info, student health information and emergency contacts. It is very important that Realms has the most current information for families. Please check your ParentVue account before the school year begins to make sure your information is accurate. And keep it current by updating it right away if you have any changes. If you need to start your account or need help accessing your current account, contact the office manager at your school. Access ParentVue through the Parent Tools button on the Bend LaPine district website.

Realms Middle School: Kelly Beck 541-355-4901 [email protected]

Realms High School: Jennifer Scalley 541-355-5501 [email protected]

School Supplies

Realms will supply all of the basic school supplies that your student will need this school year. We do ask that students bring their own reusable water bottle every day, their fully charged iPad, and their backpack.

Students are of course WELCOME to “gear up” for the school year with supplies but please know it is NOT required! If you do love back to school shopping, here are the types of supplies that are helpful:

• Spiral bound college ruled notebooks
•  #2 pencils and pens for writing 
• 2-3 Highlighters (any color) 
• Ruler 
• Pink Eraser 
• Composition book(s)
• Ear buds or headphones marked with student’s name 
• Sketchbook for art – 11 x 8.5 spiral bound recommended 
• Post it notes
• Sharpies  
• 2 pocket folders 
• Calculator

If you would like to donate supplies to the school, the following are always in high demand:

• Boxes of kleenex
• Dry erase markers
• Sharpies
• Stickie notes
• office paper

Concussion Testing

We continue to participate in the Return to School after Concussion Study (cbrit.org) in partnership with the CDC, High Desert ESD and the University of Oregon. 

Here is a brief description of the project and the flowchart of activities associated with the work. This is a volunteer opportunity for families.

Our Next Newsletter (Monday August 22nd) Will Contain….

Learn more about how to get involved!

Friends of Realms and other special projects for parent volunteers.

Details on our start of year community building

Each year we build a strong foundation for academic engagement by participating in community building activities. These often include off campus experiences. Details and forms will come out soon!

Student Schedules Coming Soon

High school students are always excited to see their schedules. These will be pushed out on StudentVue ON THE SAME DATE BY ALL HIGH SCHOOLS towards the end of August.

Middle School students this year will have the opportunity to choose from some awesome elective classes… we will be sending out a choice form very shortly so you can see all the cool options.

AND MORE TOO!!