🎄This holiday season, we want to take a moment to express our heartfelt gratitude to our incredible Rockingham County Schools family. To our dedicated staff, hardworking students and supportive families—thank you for your unwavering commitment, resilience and care throughout the year.
As we celebrate the spirit of Christmas, may your homes be filled with joy, laughter and cherished moments with loved ones. Let’s carry the kindness and hope of this season into the new year, continuing to learn, grow and inspire together.
From our RCS family to yours, Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!
Don't forget to pre-order your child's yearbook. This is the ONLY way to guarantee a copy at the end of the year. The deadline to pre-order is January 27. Right now the cost is $45 but the cost will go up to $50 on January 1st. Take advantage of these savings! Order online at www.yearbookforever.com or stop by the front office to grab a paper order form.
RCS would like to congratulate our most recent National Board Certified Teachers and those renewing their certification! Your dedication to excellence in teaching inspires us all!! https://docs.google.com/document/d/1O-VCp_rcb_cSNDk29L7T4Wz7FEFkUxxvZpoTn1g9zgU/edit?tab=t.0
📰🤔 Teach Your Kids (and Yourself!) to Spot Misinformation Online 🤔📰
In today’s digital world, learning to evaluate online information is a must-have skill—for parents and kids! Here’s how to get started:
✅ Ask questions: Encourage your child to think critically. Who published this? Why? Is it credible?
✅ Cross-check facts: Teach them (and practice yourself!) to verify information with multiple trusted sources.
✅ Spot red flags: Sensational headlines, lack of citations, or unknown websites are signs to dig deeper.
✅ Be a role model: Show your child how to pause before sharing information online.
Together, we can combat misinformation and build media-savvy habits for life! 🌐🧠
#MediaLiteracy #OnlineSafety #ParentingTips
🌐 Stop Cyberbullying Before It Starts: Tips for Middle School Parents 🌟
Cyberbullying can affect any child, whether as a victim or a participant. Here’s how you can help protect your child and guide them toward positive online behavior:
📱 Stay Involved: Know which apps and platforms your child uses. Open conversations about their online experiences can make a big difference.
🛡️ Set Boundaries: Encourage screen time limits and establish rules for respectful online communication.
👀 Recognize the Signs: Sudden mood changes, secrecy about devices, or avoidance of social situations can signal cyberbullying.
💬 Teach Empathy: Remind your child that behind every screen is a real person with feelings. Help them think before they post or comment.
👨👩👧👦 Lead by Example: Model kindness and respect in your own online interactions.
Together, we can create a safer, kinder digital world for our kids. 💙 #CyberSafety #ParentTips #KindnessMatters
Our RCS nurses wish all our staff, students & families a Merry Christmas!!
🌟 Think Before You Post: A Lesson for the Digital World 🌟
Hey parents! 🧑💻📱 Social media is a powerful tool, but it’s also a space where decisions made in seconds can have lasting impacts. Teaching our kids to pause and reflect before posting can help them build safe and positive online habits. 🤔✨
✅ Encourage thoughtful sharing
✅ Protect their digital footprint
✅ Foster kindness and empathy
Today, start a conversation at home! Ask your kids:
"What would you want someone to think about before posting about you?"
"How might your future self feel about what you post today?"
Let’s empower our kids to navigate the digital world with confidence and care. 💬💻 Join the discussion—what strategies do you use to guide your child’s online choices? Share your thoughts below! ⬇️
#DigitalCitizenship #OnlineSafety #ParentTips #ThinkBeforeYouPost
📱💡 Help Your Middle Schooler Stay Safe Online! 💡📱
Did you know kids start building their digital footprint as soon as they go online? Teaching them to protect their personal information is a critical life skill! 🛡️
✅ Start the conversation: Discuss why details like full names, addresses, passwords, and even school names should stay private.
✅ Use examples: Help them recognize phishing scams, oversharing on social media, and the risks of sharing photos or locations.
✅ Set a good example: Model safe online habits at home, like strong passwords and thinking before you post.
Together, we can empower our kids to navigate the digital world safely and responsibly! 🌐💙
#OnlineSafety #ParentTips #DigitalWellness
All middle schools in Rockingham County are going to spend some time this week helping to educated our students about digital citizenship.
In today’s digital age, teaching kids how to navigate the online world responsibly is just as important as teaching them to be good citizens in the real world. Digital citizenship equips middle school students with the skills they need to use technology safely, ethically, and effectively.
It’s about understanding how to:
Stay Safe Online: Protect personal information, avoid scams, and recognize potential risks.
Show Respect: Communicate respectfully with others and consider the impact of words and actions in digital spaces.
Think Critically: Evaluate the reliability of online information and avoid misinformation.
Balance Screen Time: Practice healthy habits for managing technology use.
At this age, students are developing their independence, and their online presence is expanding. Digital citizenship helps them learn to make positive choices, build a responsible digital footprint, and contribute meaningfully to their communities—both online and offline.
Together, we can guide our kids to thrive in a connected world. Let’s encourage open conversations about their digital experiences and reinforce the values of kindness, responsibility, and curiosity!
Don't forget to pre-order your child's yearbook. This is the ONLY way to guarantee a copy at the end of the year. The deadline to pre-order is January 27. Right now the cost is $45 but the cost will go up to $50 on January 1st. Take advantage of these savings! Order online at www.yearbookforever.com or stop by the front office to grab a paper order form.
The RCS 2024 District Science Fair award ceremony was held on December 5th at Osborne Baptist Church in Eden, NC recognizing students’ achievements in science comprehension and presentation through science project displays and interviews . A total of 81 projects were entered in the science fair to compete for the chance to advance to the Region 5 Science Fair to be held at Parkland High School on February 15, 2025. First and second place award recipients advance to the Regional Competition. Congrats to all competitors and all the best to those advancing to Regionals!!
Don't forget to pre-order your child's yearbook! This is the ONLY way to guarantee a copy at the end of the year. The deadline to pre-order is January 27. Right now the cost is $45 but the cost will go up to $50 on January 1st. Take advantage of these savings! Order online at www.yearbookforever.com or stop by the front office to grab a paper order form.
RCMS would like to recognize all of the participants of the science fair. They wowed the judges with their projects and excitement for their study. Each participant was in a different category so they all came out on top as 1st place winners.
Waylon Gillespie with "A GOODER WORLD MAP" ; Math and Engineering
Alexander Tobul with "TORNADOES"; Earth and Environmental Sciences
Cayden Harmon and Luke Smith with "HAND - EYE - BALL" ; Biological Science A
Elijah Frantz with "CAN I PROVE SCIENCE WRONG?" ; Physics
Reid Chrismon with "LET'S SHAKE IT UP" ; Chemistry
Great Job!! District Fair results coming soon!
❄️❄️☃️☃️❄️❄️
Attention parents!!
Starting Monday, we will be running a food drive to restock our Backpack Pantry at RCMS. Please see the attached flyer to know which items your child’s grade level will be donating. We appreciate your support and generosity as we prepare our backpack students for the long Winter Break!
I am so thrilled to share this info with you again this year. This program was HUGELY successful last year. Because of parents, staff and our wonderful RCMS community, we were able to purchase 43 copies of the yearbook to give to our students in need. I will tell you that I personally witnessed 2 students completely break down in tears because last year they received their VERY FIRST EVER copy of a school yearbook. It was a truly beautiful experience to be able to do this!
Please see the information below and share with your families/friends on social media, dojo, church, community groups or wherever else you see fit. Physical flyers will be sent home with each student this week. If you need additional copies, please feel free to pick those up in the front office of RCMS or contact bbrown3@rock.k12.nc.us. We hope to see this program grow every year that we do it!
Yearbook Angels are everywhere
Written by Kathy Beers
Updated by Walsworth Yearbooks
I watched Connor slide a stapled packet of notebook paper across the table to the girls in his art class. One of them picked it up abruptly and flipped it over, inspecting it.
“What’s this? Am I supposed to sign this?”
He shyly moved to retrieve it, but Shelby reached in to intercept.
“I’ll sign it,” she said cheerfully, “and will you sign mine?” she asked as she placed her shiny yearbook in his hand.
After both had placed their sentiments on the pages and returned them to their owners, Shelby got up and came to my desk. She leaned in and whispered, “Are there any more yearbooks?”
I knew why she was asking. Shelby had always been the bright spot of the room and had always shown so much compassion and understanding for her seventh grade classmates. It broke my heart to tell her no.
At that moment I knew we could have done better. Next year would be different. Next year, there would be angels.
RCS would like to invite our community to attend the RCS District Science Fair on Thursday, December 5th at Osborne Baptist Church in Eden. Elementary students will present projects from 8:30 - 11:00am with awards presented at 11am and secondary students will present projects from 11:30am - 2pm with awards presented at 2pm!
This Thanksgiving, let's give thanks for the teachers who inspire us, the staff who support us, the parents & guardians who guide us and the students who light up our schools. Together, we make a difference every day. 🦃 Grateful for our RCS families & team! Happy Thanksgiving!!
Thanksgiving Break would be a GREAT TIME to order your RCMS yearbook! ALL PRE-ORDERS are due by 1/27/25. If you do not pre-order your yearbook, we cannot guarantee that you will get one!
**You're definitely going to want one this year! The yearbook staff is working on something EXTRA SPECIAL!**
Order online at www.yearbookforever.com
OR
Pickup an order form in the RCMS front office or media center to pay with cash/check.
On November 20, 2024 the RCS Board of Education Policy Committee Meeting will be held from 8:30 - 9:30 am and the RCS Board of Education Meeting will be held at 10:00am at the RCS Administrative Offices , 511 Harrington Highway, Eden, NC .
RCS congratulates Amy Dowdle, EC teacher at RCMS, who was recognized by the NCDPI Exceptional Children's Division as an Educator of Excellence for the 2024-25 school year! Thank you Mrs. Dowdle for everything you do for our students and RCS! Our teachers make the difference!!
