Letter From Roger
Dear Realms Students and Families,
We have an awesome year ahead of us and it is my honor to welcome each and every one of you… new or returning, middle school or high school, student, parent, guardian or friend!
Our mission at Realms is to bring learning to life for and with our students through our focus on learning expeditions that include compelling projects, hands-on fieldwork, and real world connections to experts, service opportunities and more. This year, we are excited to to stretch every one of our students to achieve more than they thought possible, both academically and socially. To do this we will prioritize and invest in excellent teaching so that our classrooms are places where focus and fun meet and reinforce each other. We also know that for each student to really achieve, our classrooms must blend high levels of challenge with high levels of support, and that we must intentionally create a connected community where ALL of our students feel a strong sense of belonging and voice. We look forward to the moments of pride that students experience when they realize that they can achieve more than they thought possible, alone and together with peers. These priorities for 2023-24 reflect our commitment to you, our students and families.
As a part of that commitment, we are excited to partner with you in the work ahead. The newsletter below is just the beginning. We hope to see you on campus often, and we invite you to reach out, get involved if you can, and never hesitate to call or email with questions!
Two things we ask parents to be aware of as we kick off the school year are our cell phone/earbuds policy and our goals around consistent attendance.
- Attendance – our goal is that every student maintains an average of 90% attendance or greater. Below 90% is considered “chronically absent” by Oregon Department of Education standards. More importantly, we know from direct experience that inconsistent attendance has a very real and significant impact on student achievement AND student well being. Parents – please read our attendance guidelines so you know YOUR role in the attendance process!
- Cell Phones and Earbuds – As mentioned above, this year is about achievement. It is about classrooms where learning comes to life, and focus, engagement, effort (and fun) are paramount. Research and experience tell us that the use of phones and earbuds during learning has a negative impact on attention, retention, test scores and behavior. Aligned with our goals around achievement, the use of cell phones and earbuds will be prohibited in all classrooms. High school students may use their phones and earbuds at lunch and during passing periods, while middle school students have their phones “off and away all day” from the 8:45 – 3:45. Parents, please read our cell phone policy here and know that YOU have a role in supporting the achievement and well being of our students by supporting this policy! If you have any questions, please reach out to our Admin team!
On behalf of an excited staff team I welcome you to Realms 2023-24 school year!
Roger
PS – don’t forget to follow us in social media for pics, updates and more:
UPCOMING DATES!
- Mon Aug 28th 4:00PM – 6:00PM – iPad Pick Up
- Wed Aug 30th 4:00PM – 6:00PM – iPad Pick Up
- Tues Sept 5th – 11:00AM – 2:00PM – LAST iPad Pick Up!
- Wed Sept 6th – 1st day of school for 6th and 9th gr (full day. free BLSD lunch this day!)
- Thurs Sept 7th – 1st day of school for 7th-8th gr and 10th – 12th gr
- Monday Sept 11 – Confluence Day for Realms MS! (Suttle Lake Camp)
- Thurs Sept 14th – Confluence Day 1 for Realms HS (Grade Level Activities)
- Fri Sept 15th – Confluence Day 2 for Realms HS (Tumalo State Park)
- Wed Sept 20th 5:30PM – 7:00PM – Back to School Open House Night (details coming)
CONFLUENCE at RMS and RHS!!
What is Confluence you might ask?!
Creating a strong culture of belonging, trust and connection is critical to learning and central to our school’s beliefs about a powerful education. In the EL Education Network we believe in the POWER of pulling together as CREW, and we know that this doesn’t just happen “by accident”! Confluence is a set of experiences designed to accelerate the process of building that trust and connection and designed to help students “explore the edges of their comfort zone”.
You will SHORTLY receive details and electronic permission forms that need to be signed, but for now, here is a teaser:
Monday Sept 11th – All of our 6th – 8th graders will head to Suttle Lake Camp for a day of grade and crew based activities including low ropes course team building, canoeing, hiking and more!
Thursday Sept 14th – 9th – 12th grade in grade based team building challenges:
- 9th grade – whitewater rafting
- 10th grade – on campus design challenge and adventure
- 11th grade – off campus River Trail Adventure
- 12th grade – on campus service project and team building
Friday Sept 15th – 9th – 12th grade at Tumalo State Park for Crew Based Activities
STAY TUNED FOR A PERMISSION FORMS EMAIL COMING SOON! Our permission forms are electronic and we are hoping to “bundle” several together to make it more convenient for parents!
SCHOOL SUPPLIES
As required by Oregon State law, we will provide all the supplies you NEED for success in our classrooms, however we know that many students LIKE to have their own supplies, and that is perfectly fine. In some ways, your most IMPORTANT SCHOOL SUPPLY is your iPad Insurance, so do that first!!
If you’d choose to go further, here is a list of the kinds of school supplies that can be useful (we can provide similar):
- for note taking: spiral bound notebooks with pockets for handouts OR zip closing binder for notes and handouts OR composition books
- pens, pencils, sharpies, highlighters
- earbuds for teacher assigned audio/video assignments
- water bottle
- calculator (on ipad so not critical)
Want to make a supplies donation? If you would like to make a donation of school supplies in support of students in need, here is a list of what we go through the most. Just drop off at the office in our 1st week of school. And thank you in advance!
STUDENT SCHEDULES
Student schedules will be available in StudentVue/ParentVue on September 1st (for all schools).
Middle School Students: Our classes and schedule is very similar to last year! Know that our small school size creates some unique restrictions on scheduling, so we rarely change middle school student schedules. Please direct questions or concerns to Zach Harju ([email protected]).
High School Students: After schedules come out, if you have questions or concerns about your schedule, please use THIS FORM to let us know or request a change.
We do not make schedule changes to move friends together, or to request a different teacher for the same class. Please do not call the office to request a schedule change; if you request follow-up on the form (linked above) we will reach out. Schedule changes can be made up until the 10th day of the trimester, and once the school year starts, our counselor and student success coordinator will be available for individual meetings with students (coordinated through that same google form).
CROSS COUNTRY TEAM @ RMS
Once again we are excited to field a Realms MS Cross Country Team, coached by Caleb Campbell. New and returning runners are welcome, and no previous experience is needed…. just a desire to challenge yourself and get involved!
Practices will happen every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday and will take place from 3:50-4:50PM. Our first practice will be on Thursday September 7th. Athletes need to be signed up (link here) and have their physicals turned in to be cleared for practice. The XC season goes through late October. Our meet schedule is still TBD, but expect meets to take place on Tuesdays or Thursdays after school.
Turn in your physical form to the main office! New yearly sports physicals are required for athletes competing in both 6th and 7th grade athletics. 8th graders are required to have a new physical ONLY if they did not have one in 7th grade. All physicals need to be completed prior to the sports season and not before May 1st of the previous year. You can find the physical form in the registration link below.
If you need assistance with the registration process, please contact FamilyID at 888.800.5583, ext. 1 or [email protected].
Questions about XC can be answered by Caleb Campbell, [email protected]
PARKING LOT GUIDELINES – GO SLOW!
Returning families know that we have a unique parking lot situation! Please allow a little more time during the first few weeks of school for everybody to get acquainted with our system.
The west, smaller parking lot (Humm side) is reserved for school staff and shared with Humm employees. Please do not use that parking lot for waiting, drop-off, pick-up, or turnaround.
PLEASE DO NOT PULL OVER ON BRINSON BLVD! Pulling over into those bike lanes is a traffic violation and messes up the flow of traffic.
Buses will be looping around the back of the school in the morning and afternoon. This will free up the loop in our main parking lot for pick-up/drop-off. It also means that we will need to leave space for them to pull out, so please respect the signs and staff directing traffic.
Our small population size has allowed us to offer the main parking lot for all student drivers, as well as parent parking and we intend to continue this practice unless space becomes an issue.
Thank you in advance for your patience!
PSAT – 11th Graders, October 14th
Families of Juniors (and Sophomores),
On Saturday, October 14th. we will be hosting the PSAT/NMSQT test at Realms High School. The Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT) is a standardized test administered by the College Board and cosponsored by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) in the United States. It is recommended for all college bound juniors who have a 3.0 GPA and who have completed or are currently enrolled in Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus, or Math 2.
Click Here for all the details, dates, cost and sign ups.
Registration open: Aug 25th-Sept 10th
If you have any questions or concerns, please direct them to Assistant Principal (and Testing Coordinator) Zach Harju ([email protected])
MAJOR DATES CALENDAR
The major dates calendar for RMS and RHS is SLIGHTLY different than our neighborhood schools due to our professional development work with EL Education and to our unique trimester and conferences schedule.
You can see the Realms Major Dates calendar here and compare it to the other schools calendars here.
Please know that this calendar spells out the start and end dates as well as conferences. However all of the week-to-week happenings will be posted in our monthly newsletters and our RMS and RHS website calendars.
NEW START/END TIMES FOR 2023-24
As many of you know, Realms MS/HS as well as Bend Tech Academy have had a shorter school day (later start and earlier release) than the rest of our schools due to the challenges of bussing students from all different parts of Bend.
Thanks to the hard work of our Transportation Department, that problem has been solved! Starting this year, Realms MS/HS as well as BTA and some of our other programs (TAG, Dual Immersion) will run on a separate bus route network allowing our students to have shorter and more direct bus routes and allowing our students to have the same length of school day as other students in our District.
What You Need To Know:
- ALL Realms students will have new bus routes – that means new times AND (for many) new stop locations
- Parents will need to use the bus route lookup tool here after August 15th to determine your students exact bus times and stop locations
- Make sure you have REGISTERED for the bus on ParentVue first!
- Students who are participating in sports at their neighborhood school will be released slightly early from their last period class and can board a dedicated “athletics bus” that will get them to practice on time
- Most Realms students will experience shorter and more direct bus routes!
SchooLinks: A New College-Career Platform
We are excited to introduce some new programming to our students this year in Bend LaPine. SchooLinks is a modern, college and career readiness platform to prepare students for what comes after graduation. SchooLinks helps students discover their interests and strengths, explore colleges and careers, and create a personal graduation plan that best reflects their post-secondary goals. SchooLinks at Bend-La Pine Schools is accessible in 6th-12th grades by students and their parents/caregivers.
School Links Info For High School
School Links Info For Middle School
If you want to learn more about SchooLinks please visit schoolinks.com