Parent & Student Resources
On this page you will find a number of resources to help you navigate the RCS school system as well as important forms, enrollment information, and student programs. Click on a thumbnail below for more information.
Quick Links
Links and Resources
Alert Now
Rockingham County Schools utilizes the Alert Now: Connect 5 Phone Notification Service.
Transcripts From Sunday Night Phone Calls:
Your child’s school will be utilizing the Alert Now: Connect 5 service for:
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Back to School
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Parent Conferences
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Special Events
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End of Grade Testing Dates
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Sports Cancellations
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Report Card Distribution
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Make Up School Day Reminder
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PTO/PTA/PTSO/Booster Clubs
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Emergency Messages
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Attendance / Absence Notification
The district will be utilizing the Alert Now:Connect 5 service for:
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Weather Related Information
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Emergency Messages
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Other Important Information
To update your primary and emergency contact information, please call your child’s school.
To receive a replay of school and district messages sent to your phone, call 1-855-4-REPLAY or 1-855-473-7529.
Anyone who accidentally opted out of their RCS/school automated phone calls can easily opt back in. Call 855-502-7867 and select option 2. The call MUST be made from the opt-in phone number, which means schools cannot add a phone number for families. We don't want you to miss any important messages!
Parent Guides
Parents’ Guide to Student Success (listed below in English and Spanish) was developed in response to the Common Core State Standards in English language arts and mathematics that more than 40 states have adopted.
Created by teachers, parents, education experts, and others from across the country, the standards provide clear, consistent expectations for what students should be learning at each grade in order to be prepared for college and career.
The National PTA® created the guides for grades K-8 and two for grades 9-12 (one for English language arts/literacy and one for mathematics).
The Guide includes:
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Key items that children should be learning in English language arts and mathematics in each grade, once the standards are fully implemented.
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Activities that parents can do at home to support their child's learning.
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Methods for helping parents build stronger relationships with their child's teacher.
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Tips for planning for college and career (high school only).
Parent Guides - English
This guide provides an overview of what your child will learn by the end of 6th grade in mathematics and English language arts/literacy.
This guide provides an overview of what your child will learn by the end of 7th grade in mathematics and English language arts/literacy.
This guide provides an overview of what your child will learn by the end of 8th grade in mathematics and English language arts/literacy.
Guía Para Padres Para Fomentar El Éxito Escolar
Esta guía presenta un panorama general del aprendizaje que habrá adquirido su hijo en matemática y artes lingüísticas en inglés/alfabetización al terminar 6to grado.
Esta guía presenta un panorama general del aprendizaje que habrá adquirido su hijo en matemática y artes lingüísticas en inglés/alfabetización al terminar 7mo grado.
Esta guía presenta un panorama general del aprendizaje que habrá adquirido su hijo en matemática y artes lingüísticas en inglés/alfabetización al terminar 8vo grado.
Student and Parent Surveys
Dear Parents and Community Members,
As a part of our District Strategic Planning process, the Strategic Planning Committee for Objective I.J. is requesting your assistance and input in completing the Parent and Community Survey in order to gain needed feedback to help inform school and district planning. The following survey specifically addresses the following measurable objective as indicated on the District Strategic Plan: I.J. - Parent and community perceptions regarding student character will positively increase as measured by the parent and community survey.
Feedback gained from this survey will be used to make decisions about what instructional changes need to be made regarding character education in our schools. The results collected from the survey will also help district leaders determine needed professional development for the upcoming school year in the area of character education and development.
We appreciate your input and greatly value your opinion as we seek to provide Rockingham County students with the best education possible. Thank you for your participation.
Sincerely,
RCS District Strategic Planning Committee – I.J
Queridos Padres y Miembros de la comunidad,
Como parte de nuestro proceso de planificación estratégica del distrito, El comité de planificación estratégica para el objetivo I.J. está solicitando su asistencia e información para completar la encuesta de los padre y la comunidad a fin de obtener los comentarios necesarios para ayudar a informar la planificación de la escuela y el distrito. La siguiente encuesta aborda específicamente el siguiente objetivo medible como se indica en el plan estratégico del Distrito I.J.- La percepciones de los padres y la comunidad con respecto al carácter del estudiante aumentaran positivamente según lo evalúe la encuesta de los padres y la comunidad.
Los comentarios que se obtengan de esta encuesta se utilizarán para tomar decisiones sobre qué cambios de instrucción se deben hacer con respuesto a la educacion del caracter en nuestras escuelas. Los resultados colectados de la encuesta también ayudarán a los líderes del distrito a determinar el desarrollo profesional necesario para el próximo año escolar en el área de educación y desarrollo del carácter.
Apreciamos sus comentarios y valoramos mucho su opinion, ya que todos buscamos brindarles a los estudiantes del Condado de Rockingham la mejor educación posible. Gracias por su participación.
Sinceramente,
Comité de Planificación estratégica del distrito de RCS – I.J
Be There
Be There is a multimedia campaign designed to inspire families to become more involved in their children's education.
The Idea Behind the Be There Campaign –
Constant inspirational reminders to Be There for children that will change behaviors and make connecting with children the new norm throughout our nation.
Be There Goals:
• To improve student achievement through increased family involvement.
• To align parent activities with state/district goals.
• To support educators by making it easier for parents to become effective partners.
• To show families that simple, easy connections with children make a huge difference.
For more information about Be There, visit their website at www.bethere.org
RCS Dress Code
Regulation Code: 4300-R-2
We ask our students to dress in an appropriate manner for school. Clean, neat, appropriate sized, comfortable clothing, which allows students to participate in all events of school without undue concern, will be most appropriate. Reasonable consideration will be made for those students who, because of sincerely held religious beliefs, cultural heritage, or medical reasons, request in writing to the school administrator a waiver of a particular guideline for dress or appearance. Decisions of this nature will be made by the school administrator.
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Clothing must be age appropriate, cannot be distracting, revealing, indecent, or vulgar. No short skirts or short shorts are allowed. Skirts and shorts must be mid-thigh.
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No headgear including but not limited to hats, caps, earmuffs, bandanas, hoods, sweatbands, or sunglasses will be worn inside of the school, unless prior approval has been obtained by administration.
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All tops must have a fitted arm opening. No spaghetti stringed tops are allowed. All tops must cover the waistband of the bottom garment. Upper garments must cover the midriff at all times.
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Leggings must be worn with a shirt no shorter than mid-thigh.
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Clothing will not be allowed which promotes alcoholic beverages, tobacco, the use of controlled substances, depicts violence, is of a sexual nature, is racially offensive, demeaning or degrading to a particular group or individual, or is disruptive in nature.
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Clothing is not to be sheer or of mesh material as to the reveal the body or undergarments.
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Any accessories or attire that has the potential to be used as a weapon is prohibited.
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All pants must be worn and fitted at the waist.
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No rips or tears of any nature above the mid-thigh should be worn.
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Sleepwear is not permitted, unless prior approval has been obtained by administration.
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Appropriate footwear should be worn at all times. Flip flops in the elementary school should not be worn for safety purposes.
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Jewelry or body piercings that poses a health risk, safety risk or is disruptive to the learning environment is prohibited.
RCMS PTO
We need you! Click here to find out more on how to get involved.
RCS Middle School
Grading Practices
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Grades Reflect Actual Learning
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All assignments that have not been completed at the time of progress reports, will be given a one week window to be completed after progress reports are sent home. After the one week timeframe, all missing assignments will become final.
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For assignments after the interim, students will be able to complete missing assignments for the nine week period until the end of the grading period.
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Points should not be deducted for late work or non-instructional components of the assignment. (ex. missing name)
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No credit/grade given for supplies and other non-learning opportunities. (ex. Tissues, progress reports for extra credit/grades)
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Homework Should be Formative in Nature
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PBIS incentives to reward completion of assignments.
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Feedback provided in a timely manner
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Purpose of practice for mastery - previously taught skills, standards-based
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Allow time during a working lunch or after school to complete the missing assignments.
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Consistent Weighting for Course Assignments
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Common grading practices are expected across courses and grade levels at each site
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Communication of Grading Practices to Students and Families
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Timely entry to PS and/or Canvas
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Interims go home with all students each nine weeks
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Personal contact (email, phone call, etc.) will be made with the parent/guardian of a student that is currently receiving a D/F at the interim and one week prior to the end of the grading period.
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PBIS
Our Jaguar PRIDE Motto:
P: Preparation
R: Responsibility
I: Integrity
D: Discipline
E: Effort
Rockingham County Middle School wants to provide a safe and positive learning environment for students, teachers, and staff through the implementation of Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) System. In addition, we want to reduce behavior problems that interfere with student learning. PBIS is a school-wide program that will help improve consistency in expected behaviors, resulting in students being ready and prepared to learn.
We have developed a matrix listing the behaviors we expect from all students in all areas of the school and on the school bus. This matrix is located in classrooms and other areas of the building and is also displayed prominently on a hallway bulletin board and in the cafeteria.
The PBIS Program has three tiers:
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In Tier 1, core behavior expectations are taught, modeled, and reinforced by all staff in all school settings.
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In Tier 2, supplemental interventions are designed for small groups of students not meeting behavioral expectations.
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In Tier 3, customized interventions are designed for individuals not meeting behavior expectations.
Jaguar PRIDE Celebrations!
We celebrate positive behavior by having celebrations and extra incentives for individual students and classrooms who demonstrate great PRIDE behavior.
Jaguar PRIDE PAWS Tickets:
Students are able to earn PRIDE tickets on a daily basis from any staff in the school building. Teachers and staff will reinforce appropriate behaviors in our seven common areas by giving students PRIDE PAWS tickets. These tickets are kept and tallied by the last block teacher and can be redeemed for PBIS celebrations throughout the year. Students must earn a designated number of PRIDE PAWS tickets in order to attend a PBIS celebration. If a student receives one bus referral or one classroom referral, additional PRIDE PAWS must be earned to delete the referral and still attend a PBIS celebration.
A PRIDE PAWS Ticket looks like this:
