Dear Students and Families,
On behalf of our whole team of teachers and support staff I am so excited to welcome you to Realms Middle School! We are looking forward to an awesome year and can’t wait to welcome you all back to campus.
As we return to school there is no escaping the effects of this lingering pandemic. Luckily, at Realms one of our “superpowers” is creating a school community where all students can feel like they belong. Together, with a united community of learners and teachers, we will rediscover the joy in school: the satisfaction of tackling challenging and relevant academic work together, and the fulfillment that comes from being a connected part of a community of peers.
I am looking forward to the adventures ahead, and most of all to getting to know all of you!
Roger White
Principal
Upcoming Dates & School Year Calendar:
- Thursday September 2nd: Welcome Back to School Open House on Webex (6:00pm)
- Tuesday September 7th: 6th Grade Orientation Day! (9:20am – 12:50pm) – details below
- Wednesday September 8th: First Day of School! (Full Day 9:35am – 3:55pm)
- Wednesday September 15th: School Improvement Wednesdays begin (Early Release 9:35am – 2:25pm)
- Monday September 27th: Picture Day
- Friday October 1st: No School (RMS & RHS Only)
- Thursday October 28th & Friday October 29th: No School (District-wide)
Meet Our Staff!
We have an amazing team who is excited to dive into a year where HOPEFULLY we are back on campus and re-capturing the inspiration of school done right!
The Office Team: A few changes here! Roger White will be our Principal this year and will be splitting his time each day between the middle and high school campuses. Lynda Beauchamp has temporarily hung up her calculator to take over the “Dean of Students” role here at RMS and will be in the office every day ensuring smooth operations! Kelly Beck will remain our Office Manager and we are HIRING a new Front Desk and Attendance Secretary as we speak.
The Teaching Team: Please welcome Melissa Gerner, Delaney Morse, and Ian White, three new teachers to Realms MS! Melissa will be teaching 6th grade math, Delaney is our new Supported Education Teacher, and Ian will be teaching Mind & Body and ! Other than that, everyone else is “back in the saddle”!
Our New “Student Support Team” We are lucky to have a robust and newly re-formatted Student Support Team this year to provide students with academic and social/emotional support as we all navigate the dynamics of 2 pandemic impacted school years. Amy Anderson will operate as our new “Student Success Coordinator” and Delaney Morse is taking over for Brian Endter as our new Supported Education Teacher here at RMS. These two will be supported by two new Educational Assistants – Brenna Netzky (Social/emotional learning EA) and Ali Boyum (Supported Education EA).
Check out our full staff list with pics and bios here!
Bell Schedule
6th Grade Orientation Day
On Tuesday September 7th we are excited to host our incoming 6th graders for an “Orientation Day” from 9:20AM – 12:50PM.
What To Expect:
A fun morning of activities designed to get to know the campus, your classmates and teachers, and of course, what it means to be “Crew” at Realms Middle!
What To Bring:
- Your mask!
- Your fully charged District iPad (we have iPads ready for our new-to-BLSD students)
- Water bottle
- Sack lunch (we will have lunches available)
Bus transportation is available (see below to sign up)
ParentVue (Action Item)
Please take a moment to update your information in ParentVue. If you don’t yet have an account, please email Kelly in the office at [email protected] to get one activated for you. Having your current phone number, address and email is necessary so that you receive all of our communication, can sign up for buses, and so that we have important information about your child, such as health, emergency contacts, and more! Please keep your account up-to-date throughout the school year. ***
***IMPORTANT TO KNOW: On the STUDENTS tab, you will come to a question entitled “Directory Information” that asks you to indicate if you would like to release your student’s directory information. As it states in ParentVue, “Student directory information is regularly included in school publications, class pictures, yearbooks, event programs, vendor solicitations and external/internal communications”. Here at Realms, we do not share any contact information with our families, but please note that if you indicate “Do Not Release”, your child’s photo and/or name will not be included in the yearbook, any school photos on social media, any videos shared with families, or any external communication. Let me know if you have any questions about this. This question will replace any “Media Release Forms” you have filled out at Realms in prior years.
Follow these instructions to update your information:
- Log in by clicking the PARENTVUE ICON HERE and selecting Log In.
- Select the Updates/Enrollment button located at the top right-hand side of the page.
- Verify and update your information on each page. You must press Save and Continue to move to the next page.
- When you get to the STUDENTS section, use the EDIT button to verify or update information for each of your students.
- Be sure to go through each window until you reach the final step of clicking on the Submit button.
Transportation (Action Item)
The Bend LaPine School District Transportation office is busy at work developing a plan for the upcoming school year. If your child is planning on riding a bus, please update that information in ParentVue by following these instructions:
1. Login to ParentVue.
2. Select the Updates/Enrollment button located at the top of the window.
3. Verify and update your information on the Family and Parent pages.
4. Use the EDIT button to verify or update information for each of your students. During this step you will see our questions regarding school transportation.
5. Be sure to go through each window until you reach the final step of clicking on the Submit button.
iPads (Action Item)
All students that attended a Bend LaPine School last year should still have their school iPad in their possession which they will use for the upcoming year. If you are new to the district and need an ipad OR if your ipad is damaged or broken, please contact Kelly at [email protected] to get a replacement.
FOR ALL FAMILIES: It is strongly recommended to purchase the optional insurance for your child’s iPad. We consider it the most important school supply you can buy! The cost is $30 annually and will cover any accidental damage, cracked screens, theft and more. Please visit https://www.bend.k12.or.us/district/parents/ipad-information/ipad-insurance to learn more. You can purchase your insurance on-line here. This link will close on 9/30/21. After that date, insurance can still be purchased only after the ipad has been inspected.
School Meals
All school meals are free to all families again this year! For more information about school meals including daily menus, visit the Nutrition Services webpage. Here you will also find the application for Free and Reduced Meals. While this is not required to be filled out for school meals this year, there are other programs that may require this application.
School Supplies/ What to Bring
Just like last year, we will provide all of the school supplies that your child will need at Realms. However, if your child would like to bring some of their own supplies, they are free to do that. Here are some things that your child should bring to school every day:
- their CHARGED iPad
- backpack (not mandatory but they will need a way to carry their items and on fieldwork days will need one)
- earbuds
- water bottle
- snack (and lunch if not getting school lunch)
- mask (we have plenty of disposable masks available)
COVID-19 Realities
It is clear that with COVID-19 numbers higher than ever, we MUST remain vigilant and follow all of the required precautions to keep our students safe! Though I truly wish we were past this, we simply are not.
There are more details and you can keep track of them on the BLSD’s Return to School COVID-19 page and we know that details are CHANGING WEEKLY, but here are a few things that we know for now:
- Masks will be required for all students and staff indoors
- Masks will not be required outdoors
- Classroom seating will maintain at least 3′ between students to the maximum extent possible
- Essential personnel only on campus… this means no visitors and parents past our “lobby” and that all parent meetings will, for now, be on WebEx
- Students will be eating lunch outside to the maximum extent possible. Indoor eating during inclement weather will be spread out, with increased ventilation
- Students with symptoms must remain at home and follow District guidelines
- the quarantining “rules” have changed from last year – details here.