Note from School Leaders

Dear Rising Tide Students and Families,

Thank you to all our families for your flexibility with the impact of the weather on the operation of school.

This morning, we released another view of current second term grades for students in their courses through the Community Portal. Please note that these grades will be unlocked for a limited amount of time and can be viewed on the Community Portal until Thursday, January 18 at 8:00 a.m. Students and Parents/Guardians can use the print screen option on their computer (windows option; mac option) to capture this release of current grades.

Last week, our Board of Trustees approved the 2024-2025 School Calendar, which you can also find on the school website. Additionally, the Board of Trustees discussed the attendance trends at Rising Tide and in Massachusetts over the last five years. Department of Elementary and Secondary Education Commissioner Riley has established a statewide campaign to improve attendance in schools, and Rising Tide has joined this effort as student attendance is critical to a connection within the school community as well as successful academic achievement. You can see the joint letter from Commissioner Riley and Rising Tide here. As a part of joining this effort to improve attendance, Rising Tide has reviewed and updated the Attendance Policy. This updated policy was approved by the Board of Trustees and will be implemented at the start of the second semester on Monday, January 29.

We hope to see many of you tomorrow evening at our Winter Arts Show!

Have a wonderful week.

Sincerely,

Michael O'Keefe

Head of School

Zahra Williams

Interim Principal/Assistant Head of School

Wednesday, January 17: Rising Tide's National Honor Society will host a bake sale for middle and upper school students. Proceeds will benefit the Red Cross.

Wednesday, January 17: Rising Tide will host a Winter Arts Show featuring the creative work and performances of students in grades 5-12. It will take place at 6:00 pm at Rising Tide.

Thursday, January 18: Rising Tide will host a College Financial Aid & FAFSA Information Meeting for parents/guardians of seniors (and curious juniors) at 6:00 pm at the school.

Saturday, January 20 and Thursday, January 25: Rising Tide will host Enrollment Open Houses for prospective students and their families interested in applying to Rising Tide for the 2024-2025 school year. The Open House on Saturday will begin at 9:00 am and the Open House on Thursday will begin at 6:30 pm in the School's Atrium.

Monday, January 22 - Friday, January 26: Students identified as English Learners will participate in ACCESS testing during this week.

Friday, January 26: The Upper School Student Government will host a Winter Formal for upper school students at the American Legion Post 02360 at 7:00 pm.

Thursday, February 1: The next SEPAC (Special Education Parent Advisory Council) meeting will be held at 7:00 pm via Zoom.

Announcements

Winter Art Show

Join us this Wednesday, January 17, for an exciting evening celebrating the Arts at Rising Tide. Works and performances from students in grades 5-12 will be showcased beginning at 6:00 pm (doors open at 5:45 pm). Families and friends are welcome!

Rising Tide to Host Enrollment Open House This Saturday

Rising Tide will host an enrollment open house this Saturday, January 20 at 9:00 am. There will be a second Open House on Thursday, January 25 at 6:30 pm. Families of students entering grades 5 to 12 this fall are invited to attend and learn about the school’s curriculum, meet staff and faculty, and visit classrooms on student-led tours of the school. Additionally, a virtual Information Session will take place on Wednesday, February at 7:00 pm. Please share this information with your friends who may be interested in applying. Applications for grade 5 and grade 9 have the highest chances of acceptance.

Rising Tide is currently accepting applications for enrollment for grades 5-12 for the 2024-2025 school year. Enrollment applications are due by Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 3:00 p.m. All applicants, including siblings of current students, must submit the one-page application by the deadline to be eligible for enrollment. The application is available both online and through a paper form. Students can apply online by clicking here. Students can also download a paper application here, or get an application at the Main Office of the school. Completed paper applications can be faxed to (508) 747-1826, emailed to mjackson@risingtide.org, mailed, or dropped off to the front desk.

Save the Date: College Financial Aid & FAFSA Info Meeting

Rising Tide will be hosting a College Financial Aid & FAFSA Information Meeting for parents/guardians of seniors (and curious juniors) on Thursday, January 18 at 6:00 pm at the school. FAFSA is (finally) open, and the financial-aid application process is underway. Join us for a quick walk-through of the FAFSA and CSS Profiles. Understand the terms that financial-aid offices will use in their financial-aid decision letters, and learn how to approach the financial-aid appeal process. Ask any question, big or small, about the college process and financial aid. 

ACCESS Testing to Take Place January 22-26

For students identified as English Learners, ACCESS testing will be conducted during the week of January 22-26, with makeups scheduled for the following week. ACCESS measures students' skills in the domains of Reading, Writing, Listening, and Speaking.

Important Reminder About Dismissals

As a reminder, aside from truly exceptional situations or for sports dismissals, dismissals are not accommodated after 2:30 p.m. on regular school days, nor after 11:30 a.m. on early dismissal days.

Yearbook Club Seeking Parent/Guardian Page Submissions

The Yearbook Club is looking forward to our seniors' parent/guardian page submissions, which are due Tuesday, January 30th. Please reach out to Ms. Martz, hmartz@risingtide.org, or Ms. Llera, ellera@risingtide.org, if you have any questions. Directions for submitting a parent page are located in the Senior Packet here. 

Athletics Update

Weekly Athletic Schedule

Tuesday, January 16th

Middle School Boys' Basketball hosts Trinity Christian at 3:45 pm

Site: Village Sports Club, Pine Hills, Plymouth

Varsity Girls' Basketball at Falmouth Academy at 4:00 pm

Site: Falmouth Academy

Thursday's (1/18) middle school games have been postponed to Thursday, 2/8.

Friday, January 19th

Varsity Girls' Basketball hosts Sturgis West at 4:00 pm

Site: Wolves Den, Pembroke

Varsity & J.V. Boys' Basketball at Sturgis West

J.V. at 5:30 pm, Varsity at 7:00 pm

Site: Hyannis Youth Center, Barnstable

Recent Happenings At Rising Tide

Eighth Graders Challenged to Build Bridges with Toothpicks

Students applied their knowledge and understanding of the technology design process they learned during their unit on bridges to construct free-standing bridges out of one box of toothpicks. This helped them to better understand what makes a toothpick bridge strong and how the forces of compression and tension work. Many bridges held a mass of 46 kg plus (that is over 100 pounds)!

Middle Schoolers Learn about Prosthetics so Animals Can Survive in the Wild

After learning about animal adaptations and their environment, students in the Animal Adaptations and Bioengineering Discover class used their knowledge of the technology design process to create prototypes of prosthetics for injured animals. Their prototypes were built to help the animals survive in the wild.

Quick Links and Contacts

Breakfast and Lunch at Rising Tide: Rising Tide's breakfast and lunch program, catered by the Plymouth Public Schools, offers free breakfast and lunch for students each day at Rising Tide. Check out January's lunch menu here.

Attendance Line: Call (508) 747-2620, ext. 102 to report your child's absence from school. You can also complete a Notes from Home to Rising Tide Office Form to report an absence or share other daily communication with our office staff at Rising Tide, including dismissal information.

Health Questions: Contact Nurse Leader, Lisa Hughes, at lhughes@risingtide.org. You can also call (508) 747-2620 x115.

Monday Memo Translated: If you are interested in translating the Monday Memo into another language, you can do so by clicking on the button below for instructions. Each issue of the Monday Memo will be added to this website page the day after an issue is published.