Calendar
School
Reminder : National Geography Bee
RMS is attempting to host a National Geography Bee this year. The deadline to register is fast approaching and we need a few more students to participate to officially register. Please email Mr. Williams if you’re interested and to receive more information at   awilliams@lwsd.org
LWSD Board Meeting Hosted by RMS
Redmond Middle School will be the highlight of the January 14th Lake WA School District Board meeting. There will be a video and a brief talk by Principal Jon Young highlighting the activities and successes of Redmond Middle School. PTSA will be providing refreshments at 6:30 and the board meeting will start at 7. RMS will be the first item on the agenda. We would love to see you there!
Reminder : Oz! Tickets Now on Sale!
OZ! THE RMS MUSICAL - Tickets Now On Sale – Get Yours Today! Find all Details here.
PTSA
Advocacy
Thank you to RMS PTSA delegates Steve Hitch, Felice Nightengale, and Shawn Roland and also Devon Kellogg who spent their weekend at the WSPTA Legislative Assembly in October to help the WSPTA select our legislative priority for Olympia.

The top 5 legislative WSPTA priorities for 2019 are:
- Social Emotional Learning
- School Construction and Simple Majority for Bonds
- Prevent Gun Violence
- Strategies to Address the Teacher Shortage
- Strategic K-12 Investments to Close Gaps

Read more about the state’s legislative priorities, resolutions and supported issues for 2019 here.

PTSA Advocacy Focus Day in Olympia is February 11, 2019. Contact Steve at  advocacy@rmsptsa.org  if you are interested in participating.
Science club news
8 RMS Science teams participated at Invitational Science Olympiad at Camas high school on Dec 1 st ,2018
where a total of 38 teams participated. RMS teams performed very well, and team rank and top
medalists are mentioned below. RMS Blue placed 1 st at the Tournament. Click below to see the detailed results.
Results from RMS Internal Buzz Bowl Competition
Total of 12 RMS teams (50+ students) participated at an internal buzz bowl competition held at Redmond Middle School on Sunday Dec 16. The event was organized by RMS Science Club and executed by an external evaluation team Science for Community team. All teams performed exceptionally well, and top 2-3 teams will move forward and represent RMS at the National Science Bowl to be held at Portland in Feb 2019.
Membership Earns Cookies for Classes & Discounts for You
Thank you to everyone who has signed up to support the  Cookies and Milk contest. Winners will be announced as they happen. In the meantime please enjoy some of the benefits of membership such as 10% off tickets to Pacific Northwest's Ballet Nutcracker or discounted tickets to Holiday With Lights at Wild Waves. Contact  membership@rmsptsa.org  for discount codes if you can't find your membership letter.
We want to acknowledge this month's Volunteer of the Month for her efforts in planning, supplying and chaperoning the monthly Student Recognition events. 
As she genuinely stated, she does it because the kids love it!
This is why we have named Savita Iyer the December Volunteer of the month.
Congratulations Savita! Keep doing what you love - You are an "Awesome Pawsome" volunteer!

Stacy
Redmond Middle School PTSA and parent volunteer
Winter Social - January 25th
The time to celebrate the end of the semester is approaching.
This is a BIG event and worthy of many adult chaperones.
Please use this exclusive link to sign up to chaperone at the social. Click Here
Look for additional information about the social in future articles.
RMS PTSA awarded Gold Membership Growth Award!
RMS PTSA has recently been recognized by Washington State PTA as a Gold Membership Growth Award recipient! PTAs are presented with this award for enrolling members equaling at least 110% of their previous year’s total membership. That means our PTA is growing!

Thank you to everyone who has become a member so far this year: YOU are the reason our PTA achieved this award! If you haven’t yet signed up for a 2018-2019 PTA membership, please consider joining today! By doing so, you are demonstrating your support for our PTA and all it does for Redmond Middle School.   http://rmsptsa.org/Packet/Join
'The Snuggery'- RMS Initiative for students in need
Redmond Middle School has created a food pantry/clothing closet for students in need of these extra resources during the school day or at home during the week. They have dubbed this room “The Snuggery”.
ASB
With the Holidays approaching, a reminder that purchases made on Amazon using this link help RMS ASB.
Help RMS ASB by donating used clothing and shoes. The bin is located in the parking lot by the portables.
Fund the Grizzlies  –  Please donate to the Redmond Middle School Associated Student Body (ASB) to help fund student activities.
Community
Student Self-Advocacy Seminars
Thursday, January 17th, 2019          
Session #3: Student Self-Advocacy: Olympia Here We Come – Bellevue PTSA Council will be inviting all students, parents & staff to join them for a day of advocacy in Olympia on January 21st for “Bellevue Goes to Olympia”. This session will be providing tips and guidance for advocating with our state senators and representatives.

All sessions will be held at Sammamish High School, Room 216,  100 140th Ave. SE, Bellevue WA 98005  from 6pm-8:00pm. 

Seating is limited so please register as soon as possible for each of the individual sessions. If registration is full, please check the website for the most up to date details of possible additional dates.

For more information please email:  jessjean@hotmail.com  and registration available at  www.bellevueptsacouncil.com/   Click here to go to website
Safety Spotlight
Reminder: Are you ready for inclement weather?
When emergency conditions such as snow and ice or windstorms result in school schedule changes, the district will notify families directly through our SchoolMessenger automated phone system. You can learn how to know when school is delayed or cancelled on the  School Closures and Late Starts page  of the district website. Families with students who ride the bus should watch their mail for a postcard with information about their bad weather bus route. Want to make sure you receive alerts about school closures right away? Sign up on  flashalert.net   to be notified about the latest school delay and school closure news from LWSD.
Choice School applications open; Middle school and high school options booklets available
Choice school applications are now available online for the 2019-20 school year . The deadline to apply is 4 p.m. January 18, 2019, for any school that relies on a lottery to determine enrollment.

Parents of students in grades five or eight should have received a Middle School Options postcard or High School Options postcard. They outline the opportunities in these respective levels, including information about neighborhood schools and choice schools. Videos about each choice school are posted on the  district website  and  YouTube channel .
Bear Tracks weekly is produced by RMS PTSA as a benefit to the Redmond Middle School Community. Articles are due on Thursdays for publication the following Monday. Bear Tracks is edited by Ekta Vadlamudi and [YOUR NAME HERE - please email Sujatha Patra: communications.vp@rmsptsa.org if interested in co-editing]. Please review our communication priorities and submit articles to weekly@rmsptsa.org .