BEAR TRACKS WEEKLY NEWS & UPDATES
Monday, March 27, 2017
Links to Every Article in This Week's Bear Tracks 

Headline Items
Check Lost and Found Before Spring Break
Upcoming Events at RMS
Remember to Do This Week
(Core Classes, Band, Choir, Orchestra)

No new news this week
No new news this week
(Math, Science, NatGeo)
**NEW**  Math Teams Win Trophies at WA State Championship
No new news this week
Sports/Activities in Redmond (non-RMS sponsored) Links to Local Sports/Activities
Student Announcements Recap from Previous Week
**NEW**  Language Accessibility
**NEW**
 US Gov't Seeks Input on IDEA Website
8th Grade Parents Needed for "Very Last Time" Events
Nominations Open for RMS PTSA
PTSA Donations & Tax Deductions
New TV in School Entry


WA State PTSA Convention

New College Admissions Guidelines
Graduating Seniors Need Help
Incoming Freshmen Encouraged to Attend Strength & Conditioning
**NEW**
 Cheerleader Tryouts
AmazonSmile
School Calendar Extended to June 23rd
**NEW**  Mumps in King County
Beat the Bunny 5K
Mega Movie Effects



CHECK THE LOST AND FOUND BEFORE SPRING BREAK!  CheckLostAndFound

All lost and found items will be donated after Spring Break.

CHECK THE LOST AND FOUND BEFORE SPRING BREAK!
UPCOMING EVENTS for RMS UpcomingEventsAtRMS

Monday, March 27
Wrestling Tournament JV/Varsity:  Finn Hill MS Evergreen MS, Kamiakin MS, Rose Hill MS, Inglewood MS, Bellevue Christian and RMS  @ Kirkland MS Gymnasium (3:30 - 7:00 pm)
Girls Regional Volleyball: Inglewood MS @ RMS Gymnasium (3:30 - 5:30 pm)
Tuesday, March 28
Wrestling Tournament JV/Varsity:  Finn Hill MS Evergreen MS, Kamiakin MS, Rose Hill MS, Inglewood MS, Bellevue Christian and RMS @ Kirkland MS Gymnasium (3:30 - 7:00 pm) 
Girls Volleyball JV/Varsity:  RMS @ Evergreen MS Gymnasium (3:30 pm - 5:30 pm) 
Battle of the Books Middle School District Competition: @ Rose Hill MS Commons (6:30 pm - 8:00 pm)
LWSD - Mead Elementary School Project Community Open House @ Mead Elementary (6:00 pm - 7:30 pm) 
Wednesday, March 29
No events scheduled today
Thursday, March 30
Girls Volleyball - JV/Varsity:  RMS  @ Kirkland MS (3:30 - 5:30 pm) *Tandem Calendar says locations are the Commons and Library
Friday, March 31
No events scheduled today
Monday, April 3 - Friday, April 7
No School: Spring Break

Wednesday, April 12
Full School Day (NO 1.5 hr. early release)

REMEMBER TO DO THIS WEEK
RememberToDoThisWeek

ACADEMIC NEWSAcademicNews
(Core classes, Band, Choir, Orchestra)
No Academic News this week.  Tell your teachers to send updates! :)

ASB CLUBS / EVENTSASBClubsEvents
ASB STUDENT COUNCIL
Meets once per month, scheduled by students.  Please email Kelly Konicki with questions.
D.I. CLUB (Destination Imagination)
Meeting time & location TBD.  Please email Paul Neet with questions.
DR. WHO CLUB
Meets Thursdays 2:30 - 3:30 pm in room 214.  Please email Liz Dunsire with questions.
DUNGEONS & DRAGONS (AND OTHER GAMES) CLUB
Meets Fridays 2:30 - 3:30 pm in room 162.  Please email Craig Patterson with questions.
GLEE CLUB
Meets Wednesdays, 1:00 - 2:30 pm in room 119.  Please email  Jackson Pinder with questions.
GREEN TEAM
Meets Fridays 2:30 - 3:30 pm in room 160.  Please email  Carlene Dowling with questions.
LGBTQ+ CLUB
Meets Fridays 2:30 - 3:30 pm in room 214.  Please email  Danielle Potter with questions.
NATIONAL HISTORY DAY CLUB
Meets Tuesdays 2:30 - 3:30 pm in room 222.  Please email Liz Dunsire with questions.
NJHS (NATIONAL JUNIOR HONOR SOCIETY)
Meeting times & locations TBD.  Please email Kas Morris with questions.
SAFE SCHOOLS AMBASSADORS CLUB
Meeting times & locations TBD.  Please email Kas Morris with questions.
YEARBOOK CLUB
Meets Thursdays 2:30 - 3:30 pm in room 202.  Please email Emily Jacobson-Ross with questions.

 

RMS PTSA  ACADEMIC TEAMS (Math, Science, NatGeo)AcademicTeams

**NEW**
RMS TEAMS WIN TROPHIES IN WASHINGTON STATE MATH CHAMPIONSHIPMathTeam

Congratulations to our Mathletes who competed at Washington State Math Championship held at Blaine on March 25, 2017. Over 225 teams representing various schools from the state participated in this event and our teams from all the 3 grades performed exceptionally well.    Congresswomen Suzan Dalene was present during the awards ceremony   and was pleased to see so many students excited about math and participating in the Math Championship! 

And a big round of applause for the following RMS students who won awards / trophies for being placed in the Top 10: 
Andrea Wu won the 10th place individual award in Grade 7.

Aaron Gao won the 9th place individual award in Grade 6.

Raghav Narula with his 6th place individual award in Grade 8 with Congresswomen Suzan DelBene.

Grade 8 team consisting of Andrew Chen, Arnav Narula, Raghav Narula and Shrey Srivastava won 5th place trophy.

Grade 7 team consisting of Andrea Wu, Conor Kennedy, Julie Liu and Krish Jain won 4th place trophy, with Congresswomen Suzan DelBene.

E XTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITIESExtracurricularActivities
(Drama)

No news this week.

RMS SPORTS RMSSportsHeadline
UPCOMING RMS SPORTING EVENTS  RMSSports
         
Mon, March 27
Wrestling Tournament JV/Varsity:  Finn Hill MS Evergreen MS, Kamiakin MS, Rose Hill MS, Inglewood MS, Bellevue Christian and RMS  @ Kirkland MS Gymnasium (3:30 - 7:00 pm)
Girls Regional Volleyball: Inglewood MS @ RMS Gymnasium (3:30 - 5:30 pm)
Tues, March 28
Wrestling Tournament JV/Varsity:  Finn Hill MS Evergreen MS, Kamiakin MS, Rose Hill MS, Inglewood MS, Bellevue Christian and RMS @ Kirkland MS Gymnasium (3:30 - 7:00 pm) 
Girls Volleyball JV/Varsity:  RMS @ Evergreen MS Gymnasium (3:30 pm - 5:30 pm) 
Wed, March 29
No sports today
Thurs, March 30
Girls Volleyball - JV/Varsity:  RMS  @ Kirkland MS (3:30 - 5:30 pm) *Tandem Calendar says locations are the Commons and Library
Friday, March 31
No sports today

Sports and Activities in Redmond (Non-School Sponsored)NonRMSSportsActivities
Links to local  sports and activities for middle-school aged kids.  LocalSportsClubs 
Redmond PTSA is providing these links only as a resource for our families, not as an endorsement of any particular site. If you know of any other local sports or activities for middle-school-aged kids, please email us   
**NEW**
March 30 - 7 pm Redmond Junior Mustangs Football Information Night JuniorMustangFootball

If you are interesting in playing football next fall, please attend the information night. It is at Redmond High School in the cafeteria at 7:00.

**NEW**  Lacrosse Summer Skills Camp

New this summer for boys in 1st - 8th grade and born after 03/04/1999: Redmond Lacrosse will be offering a Summer Skills Camp, July 17-19, at Grass Lawn Park. Register now!
Student News SummaryStudentNewsSummary
 
STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS RECAP 
(Week of March 13 - 17, 2017)   StudentAnnouncementsRecap 
  • RHS CHEER TEAM: Are you interested in being a part of the RHS Cheer Team next year? Tryouts are April 10th-14th from 3-5 pm. You can pick up a cheer packet from the office. You must be athletically cleared through the Redmond High School Athletic Office. Mandatory Parent Meeting at Redmond High School on March 28th at 6 pm. Questions? Please contact Mrs. Campbell at Redmond High School.
  • BATTLE OF THE BOOKS ROUND THREE VOTING: Round Three voting is open now and goes through Friday. We are trying to get the biggest group yet to take part in the voting-and you can only vote ONCE. Vote for the books that will go to the finals!
  • OVERDUE AND LOST LIBRARY BOOKS: Attention all students who have checked out library books: Our overdue list and our LOST list are both getting bigger. If you have received an overdue notice, or an overdue email, return your book immediately!
  • WRESTLING: Reminder to all wrestlers that you have practice WEDNESDAY this is a change from your schedule. Please make sure that your rides know. If you have any questions, see Coach Hagerman.
  • AFTER SCHOOL STUDY LAB: This is a reminder for all students who attend after school study lab: you need to be in the library by 2:30 pm and are expected to stay until 3:30 pm. If there are any special circumstances, please see Mr. Clark or Ms. Clapp. Also, if you are staying after school for any reason, you must be under the direct supervision of a teacher or other staff member ALWAYS.
  • SSA CLUB: will meet after school today in room 153. All students are invited to attend. 
  • SEATTLE UNIVERSITY FIELD TRIP: Come join Study Lab on a field trip to Seattle University! We will tour the campus, meet with administrators, and learn what it's like to be a college student. Trip is on Wednesday, April 19th. Stop by Study Lab in the Library after school for a registration form.
  • LEADERSHIP 1 KINDNESS RAFFLE: Attention Grizzlies. Leadership 1 has created a kindness raffle for the den. If you get inducted into the Den, your name gets entered in a raffle to get a prize. Get caught doing something kind! Thank you and be kind!
  • DR. WHO CLUB: Dr. Who Club will meet today in room 214.
  • LGBTQ+ CLUB: LGBTQ+ Club will meet on Friday in room 214.
  • JV WRESTLERS - GOOD LUCK!! Good luck to the JV wrestlers going to Kirkland Middle School today for their tournament: If you see the following wrestlers please wish them good luck: Justin Humphreys, Lucas Falcone, Michael Chubarov, Caleb Lee, Theo Gremmert, Alex Chan, Jake Nelson, Ricardo Escamila, Kaiya Syputa, Juneau Tullock, Ian Van Niman.
  • D & D CLUB: D&D club will be meeting today after school in room 162. 
Be Kind, Be Honest, and Be Proud.
PTSA NEWS / EVENTS

**NEW**
Language Accessibility LanguageAccessibility

Did you notice that the school has started adding information about school closures to the sign out front in Spanish? Have you had a chance to stop by the school and see the new screen in the lobby?  Our school and PTSA welcomes all families and are making some adjustments to be more transparent about available resources.  For example, did you know that there are Spanish language versions of the fliers on the entry kiosk available in the student services office?

What else can we do? Have an idea? Click here to send it to the RMS PTSA
8 th Grade Parents & "Very Last Time" events VeryLastEvents
 - April 14 - Spring Social (2:30 - 4:30)
 - June 21 - 8 th Grade Celebration
 - June 22 - Field Day

Your student will soon be saying goodbye to Redmond Middle School and there are a few 'very last time' events coming up that need volunteers.   RMS PTSA would like to invite 8th grade parents to volunteer for these events.  

Your child's last 
Spring Social is April 14 th from 2:30-4:30
.  Volunteers help teachers and staff by handing out snacks and supervising in the Great Hall, the Commons, and the Gym.  Volunteer here!
 
Your child's 'very last' Field Day is June 22
th
.  Volunteers are needed to serve BBQ lunch, chaperone, and hand out Otter Pops.   Volunteer here
 
There is also the big 
8 th Grade Celebration on June 21
.  Sign-ups will begin at the end of April.   Our Chairperson is Keoki Sears.  Thank you Keoki!!    

Staff Appreciation Volunteers Needed for May event MayStaffAppreciationVolunteerRequest

Calling all planners and doers!  Do you have great ideas? Can you implement those great ideas?   If you can do either or both we need you!! 

Please call or email Meirav Yaaran to help start planning the staff appreciation week taking place on the first week of May.

Thank you in advance for your time and dedication!
Meirav
425.922.2286
PTSA Donations and Tax Deductions  TaxDeductions

If you're preparing your 2016 taxes, your donations to PTSA and ASB/School are generally tax deductible.  You can find a copy of your "order" on the RMS PTSA site

Join the PTSA Today!  JoinPTSA

Can you help us grow?  We are 25 members away from earning the state seedling award for membership equal to 50% of the students enrolled in the school.  It's not too late to join and take advantage of all the state and national discounts available to members.  Click here to become a member today.

Nominations are open for RMS PTSA Board until 4/18/17  NominationsRMSPTSA

Nominations are open for the RMS PTSA board, if you are interested in a leadership role at RMS in the fall, please contact the nominating committee  or download a form. Nominations close on 4/18/2017.
Now Hiring Fearless Leaders!

The RMS PTSA nominating committee is currently looking for PTSA leaders for the 2017 -2018 school year.  Did you know that every PTA member is eligible to be a board member? Your RMS PTSA nominating committee is currently looking for people interested in being a PTSA leader for the 2017-2018 school year.   Will you have a student at RMS next year? Do you have an hour a week to give in support of programs that help our children succeed? 
 
The RMS PTSA Nominating Committee is currently looking for volunteers for the following positions:
  • President or Co-Presidents - Oversees the board and chair positions, hosts monthly meetings, and communicates with teachers and parents. Commitment of ~1hr/week + monthly meeting(s). 
  • Treasurer Maintains management of PTA funds and bank accounts. Pays bills, receives and disburses all monies as voted upon by the general membership. Great role for a math geek! Commitment of ~2 hours +/week. 
  • 1st Vice President - Assists in one or more roles working directly with the PTSA President. ~1 hour/week.
  • 2nd Vice President - Assists in one or more roles working directly with the PTSA President. ~1 hour/week.
  • Secretary - Are you good at taking notes? Love buying office supplies? The Secretary takes official meeting minutes and stores records for the PTSA. < 1 hour/week.
  • Event chairs
Perks: Volunteering for PTSA is joyful and rewarding. We help teachers achieve amazing things for our students, and there is a great deal of satisfaction watching small ideas become big realities. Helping our school gives you a better understanding of your child's day, gets you the insider scoop on upcoming events and programs, and builds many skills that are useful in today's job market. More than half of this year's board are full time employees, and the commitment to PTSA is as easy as an hour a week. Jump in with us and make 2017-2018 the best year ever at RMS!
 
Interested in learning more? Contact the Nominating Committee for more information, download a nomination form, or fill out our easy online application

 

RMS PTSA Nominating Committee:  Lisa Wheeler, Emily Papel, Mandi Bhatia
School Entry Has a New TV!  TV

Did you see the new TV in the entry way of the school? This new item will be used to display information for students and families and has the ability to display text for languages other than English. There are other outreach items in the works, stay tuned to Bear Tracks for more information.
**NEW**   US DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION SEEKS COMMENTS ON NEW WEBSITE: INDIVIDUALS WITH DISABILITIES EDUCATION ACT (IDEA) IDEA

The Office of Special Education and Rehabilitative Services (OSERS) is seeking input from users of the  IDEA website , as part of their effort to provide updated, easy-to-find IDEA resources to children with disabilities and their families, teachers, school administrators, and other stakeholders.
To help facilitate this effort, OSERS has created a  BLOG  to provide comments. OSERS appreciates your support and suggestions as they continue to improve online resources. 

No news this week.


WA STATE PTSA WASTATEPTSA
Want to be a Delegate at the WA State PTSA April 28-30?  PTSADelegate

Do you want to get involved? RMS PTSA has seven voting delegates to the state convention April 28-30. If you'd like to consider a leadership position for next year we'd love to send you to the convention as one of our delegates.  Contact the co-presidents for more information. 
104th WSPTA Annual Convention - April 28-30
WAStateConvention
This year's annual convention is April 28-30 at the Hilton Seattle Airport & Conference center.  You can take the 545 bus from Redmond and catch the train to the airport to attend.  Rooms are also available at the convention rate if you'd like to stay over.  Convention is a wonderful experience where you can meet PTA members from around the state and learn about tools and resources available to your school.

No news this week.
Redmond High School News and EventsRHSNewsEvents
Graduating Seniors Need Help with Grad Night Event
Help keep our graduates safe on graduation night!  GradNightHelpRequest
  • Sponsor a Senior - We have 14 Seniors that need sponsorship and currently only 2 of them have been covered. Please consider helping to give them access to this fun event! 
  • Monetary Donations -  to help offset the costs of buses, prizes, etc.
  • Prize donations - These can be gift cards, tangible items or a cash donation so that the prize committee can purchase them.
      Suggestions:  textbook companies  (Barnes & Noble, Amazon), 
    dorm room items
    (fridges, microwaves, decor, etc), travel items (gas cards, airline gift cards, Amtrak, luggage), event tickets , and electronic items (tablets, etc).
  • Sponsors - We are also looking for family owned businesses interested in sponsoring any or all of Grad Night 2017 
    in exchange for extensive advertising
    Please contact Desiree Michael with interest
Grad Night takes place in the late evening/overnight on the same day as graduation (June 15th) and is designed to keep the graduates safe while celebrating their hard work. Grad Night is completely chaperoned, and the kids can win prizes, go to two different venues, and just really have a great time together before they head off in separate directions. For many of them, it will be the last time they see many of their peers.
New College Admissions Guidelines  NewCollegeAdmissionsGuidelines

(From Jane Todd, RHS Principal)  I thought that many of you might find the attached report "Turning the Tide" relevant.  It has just been published, and, as you see, while initiated by Harvard, it was produced by a think tank of representatives from many universities in the country.  It looks to us like those universities have committed to begin changing their admissions policies and criteria based on this report, and the work on these changes will take place over the next two years.  I hope you find it as interesting as I did.   Turning the Tide

Incoming Freshmen Interested in Sports Are Encouraged to Attend Strength & Conditioning StrengthandConditioning
Wrestling, lacrosse, soccer, basketball, baseball, parkour, tennis, cross country,  swimming, track, golf, rugby, American Ninja Warriors & even thumb-wrestlers

Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays,  2:45 - 4:30 pm  
Players are expected to wear a grey shirt and green shorts, and to attend on the days that they are not participating in a spring sport.
 
Cost is $280 and covers S&C through January 2018.   That's less than $23.50 per month!  
Exercises and activities are closely supervised  by Personal Trainer Darius Terry who has a Bachelor's Degree in Kinesiology, Exercise Science and Health Promotion from the University of Wyoming.  He is a Certified Youth Strength & Conditioning Specialist, IYCA and is also an ACE (American College on Exercise) Certified Personal Trainer.   
 
  1. Use the inner scroll bar to find "Activities"
  2. Select "Strength and Conditioning."  
  3. Verify that it has been added to your cart,  
  4. Enter the players name in the box labeled "Add additional note to merchant"
  5. Complete your transaction.
 
Click here for more information about the Redmond Strength and Conditioning program

The Strength & Conditioning (S&C) room is located near the auxiliary gymnasium at Redmond High School.  

**NEW** 
Cheerleading Tryouts CheerTryouts

8th graders interested in cheerleading at Redmond High School next year may pick up a 2017 Cheer Information packet outside of the RMS office or at Redmond High School. 
  • Mandatory preseason parent meeting Tuesday, March 28th at 6:00 pm in the RHS Library
  • Students must submit a Cheerleading packet to the cheer coach (Cyndi Campbell) and be registered online by Friday, March 31st in order to be cleared for tryouts.
  • Cheer Tryouts are April 10th-14th from 3-5pm
Please plan ahead and get cleared before March 31!  ( Click here for RHS Sport page)
FUNDRAISING NEWSFundraisingNews
You shop.  Amazon gives!  AmazonSmile

Amazon donates 0.5% of the price of your eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organization of your choice.  ( Redmond Middle School PTSA 2 8 80, of course!)   Support your charitable organization by starting your shopping at 
PTSA Donations and Tax Deductions  TaxDeductions

If you're preparing your 2016 taxes, your donations to PTSA and ASB/School are generally tax deductible.  You can find a copy of your "order" on the RMS PTSA site

Lake Washington School District News/EventsLWSDNewsEvents
UPCOMING Lake Washington School District EVENTS UpcomingLWSDEvents

No events this week


**NEW**
Mumps in King County Mumps - What is mumps, and how can you prevent it? 


Last Day of School Now Friday, June 23!

LWSD Adds 2 Days, Extends 4 Early Release Days to Make Up Snow Days  SnowDays

The last day of school, a half day, will move from Wednesday, June 21, to Friday, June 23. To make up the third snow day, and the following early-release Wednesdays will now be regular full school days:
  • Wednesday, April 12
  • Wednesday, May 3 and
  • Wednesday, May 31
In addition, the LWSD calendar has been updated as follows:
  • Wednesday, June 21 and Thursday June 22 will now be full school days for students. Wednesday, June 21 will NOT be an early release day.
  • Friday, June 23 will be the last day of school. It will be a half (1/2) day for students and a full day for staff.
CityofRedmondContactInfo
Teen Programs

Contact afterhours@redmond.gov   with questions.
Beat the Bunny 5K - April 8  BeatTheBunny5K

This great introductory race welcomes all ages and ability levels. Regardless of your goal, it's an ideal time of the year to sign up for a race!   Click here for more info
Mega Movie Effects  MegaMovieEffects

Spring Break- April 3-7,  9:30am-3:30pm $255

Dive into the world of special effects and learn about 3-D  animation, green screen, slow-motion, fast-motion, reverse, stop action and virtual reality! In this introductory class, students will explore each genre and combine them in new and exciting ways!  Click here to register with code #7858

No news this week.

At YES - We help children, teens and families prevent and overcome depression, substance abuse, trauma and more through counseling, treatment and education. Help us work toward a stronger community and a brighter future.
Redmond Area Events and Activities
What's going on in the area?    RedmondAreaCalendars

Experience Redmond
Red Tricycle
Redmond Patch
City of Bellevue
Parent Map
Seattle's Child
City of Seattle

Redmond PTSA is providing these links only as a resource for our families, not as an endorsement of any particular site. If you know of a calendar or website featuring local events and activities suitable for families, 
please  email us  
SUBMIT YOUR NEWS TO BEAR TRACKS!
podium_man.jpg
Submit on THURSDAY for Bear Tracks! BearTracks

Got something to say? Shout it from email inboxes with the RMS Bear Tracks newsletter!  
The Bear Tracks newsletter accepts articles from parents, students and staff on a variety of subjects for our school and community
to be published at the discretion of the editor 

For Monday morning publication, please submit articles here by Thursday!  
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