ROCKFORD MIDDLE SCHOOL
CENTER FOR ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES
Parent Newsletter May 2014
Principal’s Message
Thank you to each and every one of you for making our 2013-14 school year a tremendous success!
To our future 9th grade students/current 8th grade students:
Though we will be sad to see you go, we know that you are ready for the new challenges that high school will
bring! You are our first class to spend all three years in our STEM magnet program. We are sending you off armed
with the knowledge, confidence, and skills that you will need to not only succeed in high school, but flourish! Even
though you are moving on, you will always be welcome here. The RHS Open House is scheduled for Wednesday,
August 27th. Please come back anytime and share your new adventures with us!
To our future 8th grade students/current 7th grade students:
This is what you have been waiting for since that very first day of 6th grade Open House; you are now the leaders of RMS-CES! We have every
confidence that you will be role models in our building – demonstrating kindness, respect, and hard work. We look forward to seeing you at
Open House on Tuesday, August 26th, when we reveal the mural that you created this year in art class with Ms. Pfannenstein!
To our future 7th grade students/current 6th grade students:
Can you believe that you have already been in middle school for one full year? All of those “firsts,” like opening your locker and moving from
class to class, that seemed so daunting last fall are now second nature to you! Please be sure to come to Open House on Tuesday, August 26th,
to meet your 7th grade teachers, pick-up your class schedule and locker assignment (please don’t forget to make sure that your immunizations
are up-to-date before returning this fall), and get ready for another fabulous school year!
To our future 6th grade students/current 5th grade students:
Welcome to middle school! We hope that Move-Up Day on May 30th helped you feel comfortable and excited to be in your new school!
Remember that we have additional orientation opportunities ahead! The first will be Open House on Tuesday, August 26 th, when you will see
all of the teachers that you met on Move-Up Day, officially open your new locker, and walk through your class schedule. Another opportunity
will be the activities on the first day of school from our new Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) program; which is designed to build a positive
school community!
To our future 5th grade students/current 4th grade students:
Welcome to middle school! We hope that Move-Up Day on June 3rd gave you a glimpse of the great things ahead in middle school! Please join
us on Tuesday, August 26th, for Open House. You will receive your class schedule and locker assignment, as well as having the opportunity to
practice moving through your daily schedule (including opening your locker using a combination lock). Additionally, remember that the first day
of school will be filled with Where Everyone Belongs (WEB) activities to help you feel at home in your new school!
To the parents and guardians of RMS-CES students:
Thank you for trusting us with the education of your child! We take our responsibility very seriously and truly enjoy working with middle-level
learners! Thank you for partnering with us. Together we can to great things for kids!
We are thrilled to be able to provide all 5th, 6th, 7th, and 8th grade students with a copy of the RMS-CES student planner next year, so you do not
need to purchase a planner. A very special thank you to Partners In Education (PIE) for helping us provide this organizational tool to all of our
middle school students!
Please enjoy the summer break! We look forward to welcoming you back for the 2014-15 school year at our Open House on August 26th from
4:00-6:00 p.m. We will be excited to reveal the improvements to our facilities made over the summer break! If you have any questions before
then, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected]. Once again, thank you for a wonderful year!
RMS-CES
Counselor’s
Corner!
Attention all Students and Parents!
I know that summer is right around
the corner and you may not want to
think about next school year, but I
need you to give me your attention
one more time.
All 6th and 7th graders registered
online for their music instruction next
year. Please make sure you discuss
with your child the choice they made.
If you have any questions or concerns
about their choice, please contact me
and we can make adjustments.
Students schedules will be available
August 26 during open house.
8th graders, please make sure you are
registered for high school classes. If
you are unsure if you registered,
please contact the RHS counselor,
Laura Weisbrich.
Have a wonderful summer and thank
you for another great school year!
6th Grade - James J. Hill House and MN State Capitol
Mr. Petroski, Ms. Pennuto, Ms. Werth, Ms. Wilts, Ms. Pfannenstein
Sixth graders recently went on went on a
field experience to the James J. Hill House
and the Minnesota State Capitol. The
James J. Hill House was completed in
1891, and was the largest and most
expensive home in Minnesota. It cost a
total of $931,275.01 to build the threeacre estate. Highlights for the students
included seeing the many fireplaces, the
16 cut-glass chandeliers, an 88-foot
reception hall that had a gold ceiling and
secret doors, an abundance of elaborately carved oak and mahogany woodwork and the
three-story pipe organ. When asked what they liked the best about visiting the James J. Hill
House, students said:
“I found the secret doors and the gold
ceiling the most interesting.” ~Luke Pepin
“What I liked the most about the James J.
Hill House was all the cool woodwork.”
~ Ryan Fleischhacker
“I liked learning about the secret safe and
the golden ceiling in the dining room”
~ Kailey DeWolfe
At the State Capitol, students explored the Capitol’s history, art and
architecture. They saw the chambers where government decisions
are made and visited the Quadriga (golden horses) on the roof of
the Capitol. Students learned about the architect of the State
Capitol, Cass Gilbert, and how he oversaw the work of sculptors,
decorators and furniture designers. When asked what they liked
the best about visiting the Minnesota State Capitol, students said:
“The part I liked best about going to the Minnesota Capitol was
going on the roof and seeing the horses and people. The view was
great, too.” ~Samantha Campbell
“I found it interesting the choices of material that were used to
build the Capitol. It has
no set theme, but looks
really cool with the different materials from
around the world.” ~Ashlyn Kneeland
“I thought it was very interesting when we went
to watch the House of Representatives in session.
I couldn’t believe how many people were there.
The thing I liked the best was going up to the roof
and seeing the Quadriga and the view from the
roof. Since I’ve never been there I thought it was
pretty fascinating.” ~Alayna Schloeder
RMS-CES
7th Grade
Ms. Sarsland, Mr. Pennings, Mr. Reeck,
Ms. Piehl, Ms. Russell, Mr. Roelofs
Phantom Tollbooth Contains “tokens”
of Wisdom
Students entertained us all on May eighth and
ninth with their production of the musical The
Phantom Tollbooth. The play tells the story of
Milo, a young boy who is bored with everything
and who fails to see the value in learning.
As an audience member, it’s hard to pick out the nuggets of wisdom embedded in the
dialogue, but members of the cast were quick to take these lessons to heart. Nowhere else
was this highlighted more, than in the gift the cast recently presented to Ms. Russell, 7 th
grade STEM teacher, at her baby shower.
The gift was a letter “w” made from paper mache and painted a lovely pastel pink! But
examine the “w” close up and you would notice how each of the main characters in the
cast had written a quote on the letter – a life lesson – they had learned from the script.
Here are just a few of the lovely words of wisdom from the script that the cast chose to
share….


“People who don’t think often get stuck in the Doldrums.” – the Lethargarians
“Isn’t it amazing what you can accomplish with just a little thought?” – Tock the
Watchdog
 “Just because you have choices doesn’t mean that any of them has to be right.” –
Miner 1
 “When you don’t have anything, you still have more than enough.” –Digitopolians
 “Try to see yourself as you really are, you will be amazed and proud, you have
come so far.” –Princesses Rhyme and Reason
 “What you can do is often just a matter of what you will do.” – Princess Reason
 “We thought your mission was impossible. But if we had told you then – you might
not have gone.” – King Azaz and the Mathemagician
 “Many things are possible, as long as you don’t believe they’re impossible.” – King
Azaz
 “Everything’s new, new and exciting, under the sun and moon. Oh it looks like a
fine fantastic afternoon!” - Milo
In 2011, the children’s novel The
Phantom Tollbooth celebrated its
50th anniversary and has been
recognized as one of “The Top 100
Books for Children” by the National
Education Association. The novel is
loaded with puns, idioms, and
lessons to be learned. Summer
reading time is here. Why not pick
up a copy of The Phantom
Tollbooth and discover for yourself
why it’s one of those books you can read over and over again. Each time you will likely
discover some “token” of wisdom you might not have noticed before.
RMS-CES
8th Grade
Ms. Hendrickson, Mr. Andres, Mr. Mickelson, Mr. Weberg, Mr. Madson
Social
June 30
Last day to order school supplies
for 2014 2015 online from
Write Stuff
(more information on last page)
August 26
RMS-CES Open House
4:00pm to 6:00pm
September 2
First Day of Classes
September 10
U of M Arboretum
7th Grade
September 11
Picture Day
September 12
Baker Park
8th Grade
Global Studies students focused on the influence oil has
had on Southwest Asia. Students analyzed geographic
data to answer a series of critical thinking questions about
how oil has affected 10 countries in the region. Students
investigated the geology and geography of oil, oil wealth
and people’s well-being, along with the price and flow of
oil.
Science
Students have been very busy this month. It was a mad dash up to
the State MCA test as students finished up new material in
preparation for the test. The test results won’t be available until
next August, but students felt confident that the test went well!
The students set a goal for themselves to raise the overall test score
by 10% over last year’s score.
Students also worked hard at finishing up chapters on volcanoes and
earthquakes. The volcano chapter was especially fun as a lab was
performed to note the factors of explosive and non-explosive
volcanic eruptions. Students used film canisters and alka-seltzer to
create their eruptions. The earthquake chapter was finished off with
a visit by Mike Thomas from MTS Engineering. Mr. Thomas brought his shaker/
earthquake table and had the students build a structure that could withstand a major
earthquake. The year was finished off by revisiting the astronomy unit and space travel.
Students were given the challenge of designing a rocket out of a 2-Liter bottle. They had
to use their imaginations and engineering skills to come up with their finished product.
Students also spent a couple of days reading and following
instructions to build a model rocket. Launch day for the model
rockets will be the last week of school, weather permitting.
Reading—From Poetry to Persuasion
This past month, students have been busy reading, researching,
and analyzing both poetry and the art of persuasion! Through our
study of traditional and non-traditional poems, students
discovered the relationship and the shared impact that RHYTHM
has in both music and poetry! In the epic poem, “The Song of
Hiawatha,” they experienced a Minnesota connection that
Longfellow richly wrote about!
Robert Frost once said that, “Learning to write is about learning to have ideas.” As
students prepared to research, we first learned about Aristotle's Rhetorical Triangle and
developed an understanding of Ethos, Pathos, Logos, bias, and logical fallacies, which all
impact persuasive writing and speaking. They then moved on and applied their knowledge
of the elements of argument and persuasive techniques, picked a debatable topic, and will
both write a persuasive esay and deliver a persuasive speech to achieve the ultimate goal
of persuasion: to convince their audience that their argument is a worthy one!
RMS-CES
Mr. Ferdig—Update on the Me/We Africa Pen Pal Project
In March, the Rockford Me/We Program began a pen pal project with the Magulilwa
Area Secondary School in Tanzania, Africa. The school is in the central part of the
country. Tanzania is located in east central Africa. The project began with members
of the Me/We group sending off a package of Rockford items as well as contact
information of our Me/We students.
The care package arrived safely in Tanzania and select students from this secondary
school began writing back to our students. On Wednesday, May 21, the Me/We
students shared their email letters from their new pen pals to the group. It was very interesting to hear what the students in
Tanzania had to say. It was also impressive to hear how well they could write in English. Students are now encouraged to
continue writing to their new friends from Africa and continue the dialogue.
One of the gifts from RMS-CES were
several Rockford bouncy balls. They
were a big hit with the students.
Pictured here are members of the
faculty at Magulilwa Secondary
School. Notice the Rockford pins they
are wearing!
REMINDER FOR INCOMING 7TH GRADERS
RMS-CES Health Office
This is a reminder that the 2014-2015 7th graders will need to provide the RMS-CES with record of the
following immunizations:



Menigococcal *New for 2014*
T/dap (Tetanus Booster)
2 Varicella (chickenpox) or history of chicken pox disease
If your student still needs these immunizations please make an appointment at your clinic as soon as
possible. Immunization records should be received at Rockford Middle School by August 1, 2014.
Please email or fax to:
Email: [email protected]
Fax: (763) 477-5832.
Thank you to the families that have already submitted this immunization information.
If you have questions or concerns please contact Colette Viquez, RMS-CES Nurse at [email protected]
or call (763) 477-5831 ext.2015
RMS-CES
April Star Students
Summer Office Hours
8th Grade
Pictured: Jack Cady and Sarah
Hetchler
Not pictured: Maria Sieg, Heidi
Trandahl, Leiana Jensen
Due to extensive summer
construction, office hours may
vary. Please visit our website for
current office hours and
information.
www.rockford.k12.mn.us
7th Grade
Kyrsten Hannegrefs, Victoria
Nelson, Madelyne Schmidt,
Alexis Becklund, Alyssa Nelson,
Justin Vann, Seth Stewart,
Marcus Sarkinen, Sanibel
Randolph, Angela Grabowski
Not pictured: Beau Ayers
LOOKING AHEAD TO 2014-2015
Helpful Links:
Comments or Questions?
Contact:
Jeanette Zetah
763-477-5831 x2000
[email protected]
2014 2015 Student Supply List
Order your supplies online:
Write-Stuff Online Ordering Information
2014 Summer Reading Lists
RMS-CES
6051 Ash Street
Rockford MN 55373
Phone: 763-477-5831
Each grade level reading teacher, along with other members of the literacy team, has
developed a list of books for students for the 2014-2015 school year. Each student will
choose one book from the list to read over the summer, but students are welcome to
read all of them! Each grade level has selected a theme for their summer reading list.
6th Grade—Adventure
7th Grade– Overcoming Adversity
8th Grade-Energy in Nature and Self
Click on the link below
for Hennepin County Library
Summer Reading Book Clubs:
Grade 4-6 Online Book Club
Registration Begins 5/25
website: www.rockford.k12.mn.us