Calendar

Check out the combined calendar  here .

Please send comments/suggestions and April Calendar Items to  calendar@rmsptsa.org
School
LWPTSA 2019 Award Winners
Principal Jon Young r eceived this year’s Outstanding Educator award for his work as principal at Redmond Middle School. Principal Young has only been in his role for a year and a half but has made a large impact. He has created a culture where students, staff, and the community enjoy being at the school, and feel empowered to do their jobs. He is willing to go above and beyond his job description in order to create a school community that is welcoming, nurturing and fun.
Congratulations on a much deserved recognition!! Details here.
The RMS Music Department Needs your help!
Every eight years, RMS has the privilege of hosting the LWSD Middle School Solo & Ensemble Festival. The festival is an opportunity for middle school musicians to perform piece of music as a soloist or in a small ensemble for an expert adjudicator that provides feedback and encouragement. This year it is our turn to host this festival and we will be doing so on Saturday April 20, 2019.
 As with all large events, “many hands” are what make the day a success. We are in need of those in our community that might be able to donate their time or a food item or both! If you are able to assist us and our young musicians with the Solo & Ensemble Festival, please indicate that by filling out  this form. Thank you from the bottom of our Grizzly hearts!
Save the Date - Griz Biz 2019
Mark your calendars for Tuesday, August 20, 2019, this will be the date of Griz Biz where families can pick up and complete paperwork, sign up for sports, open lunch accounts, tour the school, etc.
Spring time Reminder
As our weather warm-ups up and our students continue to grow, just a quick reminder about our dress code. We know that all families have different expectations of modesty and appropriate school wear, but here is our policy when at school:
Primarily, we ask that student attire should be safe, appropriate, non-disruptive, and professional or work appropriate. Examples may include, but are not limited to:
Clothing, bandanas, bracelets and personal belongings should not display designs or messages about sex, drugs, alcohol, obscenity, gang affiliation, violence or harassment of any group.
Revealing clothing is not permitted. Undergarments and private body parts must be covered. 
Hats and hoods are not to be worn inside the school building, except for medical and religious reasons.
Google Hangouts
It has recently come to our attention that some students are using “Google Hangouts” and/or Gmail on their school laptops. This is something that was blocked by the district at one point, but Google frequently changes their URLs and access methods, which causes it to not be caught by the district’s firewall.
 The district has been made aware of this, and is taking action to block it newly, but it is likely to be changed again by Google.
We are asking for help from parents to keep an eye out, and if you notice your student using Google Hangouts or Gmail on their laptop, to please alert the school or PTSA so we can alert the district.
PTSA
How to Support the LWSD Capital Projects Levy
Lake Washington Citizens Levy Committee (LWCLC)
1.   Educate  yourself, friends, and neighbors about the levy by visiting the  LWSD levy website  and the  LWCLC website  and passing on the information.
2.     Endorse  the levy  here . Personal endorsements are welcome and appreciated.
3.     Like  the  LWCLC Facebook page
4.     Donate  to the LWCLC here . Your donation will help get cover the campaign costs and to help educate the community about the levy.  
5.     Get Involved  to help get out the vote.
Phone/text Banking : PTSA dates are Tuesday, April 2: 4:30-7:30, Monday, April 15: 4:30-7:30 at the LWEA office in Kirkland.  Sign up here .
Sign Waving :
-April 16:   RED  TUESDAY – This is a district-wide sign waving event. All PTSAs, including parents, students and community members are encouraged to participate. In addition to sign waving, there is a plan for a media event the same day. More info to come.
-April 22: Teachers + PTSA – The LWEA has organized sign waving event on April 22nd. Teachers will be sign waving and PTSAs are welcome to participate, if possible. Follow up with your LWEA building rep.
6.     Vote  YES !  Get your ballot in by April 23rd.
RMS PTSA seeks leaders for next year
The following are the RMS PTSA Nominating Committee’s candidates for the 2019-2020 school year executive board and open positions:

  • Co-President – Ashley Epstein
  • Co-President – OPEN 
  • VP FACE – Swarnima Aswinkumar
  • VP Communications – Sujatha Patra
  • VP Volunteers – Stacy Hatch
  • Treasurer – OPEN
  • Secretary – OPEN
All current Lake Washington Council PTSA members are eligible to become board members and are invited to recommend themselves for any position at the RMS PTSA General Meeting on Tuesday, April 16 at 7:00 p.m. For information about a board position, please contact the Nominating Committee at nomcomm@rmsptsa.org .

If you have a student at RMS in the fall - consider giving couple hours a month to support, engage and advocate for our students, staff and community. Your RMS PTSA nominating committee is currently seeking volunteers interested in joining the PTSA leadership team for the 2019-2020 school year.  Please Download a nomination form   and submit by April 2, 2019 or   contact the nominating committee   for more information.
Not a member but interested in making good things happen at RMS?   Join the PTSA   and become eligible.
Volunteers Needed
Please view  this link for volunteer needs.  
We have many opportunities for you to help implement important programs this month. Top three events this month:
  • International Night
  • Music solo/ensemble program
  • Spring Social
We need your help! Please sign up where you can – it is greatly appreciated!

Don’t forget to drop off your food box donations April 4 th . They could use help making deliveries. See the link for additional information.
Link -

Please join the PTSA in congratulating Taunya Covington for her outstanding performance and dedication to the students of RMS. Taunya demonstrated leadership, team work and commitment to academic enrichment by donating over 100 hours of time between October and January by directing a large group of enthusiastic munchkins, scarecrows and witches. Thank you Taunya, you are an amazing volunteer!
Math Club News
Kudos To The RMS Teams At The Washington State Math Championship
The following teams from RMS won the championship contest held in Blaine, WA on March 23
6th Grade Individuals:
2nd Place:  Alon Ragoler
6th Place:  Alan Duan
7th Place:  Juwang Lee
9th Place:  Ethan Li

7th Grade Individuals:
3rd Place:  Michael Sheng
10th Place:  Chris Ma

8th Grade Individuals:
4th Place:  Evan Kim
6th Grade Teams:
2nd Place: Team 3 ( Aakarsh Balla ,  Alan Duan ,  Alon Ragoler ,  Ethan Li )

8th Place: Team 7 ( Annabel Wang ,  Cynthia Kennedy ,  Juwang Lee ,  Luke Lee )

11th Place: Team 2 ( Chujia Yang ,  Eva Jain ,  Grace Zhao ,  Reese Long )

12th Place: Team 8 ( Andrew Zhao ,  Anish Deshpande ,  Anna Povey ,  Sarah Wen )
Congratulations to Math Club students!!!
Science Club News
Kudos to RMS Blue team who placed 1st and RMS Green team who placed 5th at the Regional Science Olympiad held at Bothell High school, WA.
Both teams will be participating at the State Tournament on April 13th.

6 RMS Science teams participated at Science Olympiad on March 16th,2019
where a total of 34 teams participated. Congratulations to the science club students!!
RMS International Night
Join us to celebrate 40+ cultures represented at RMS! PTSA is
hosting a colorful and entertaining International Night
on Tuesday, April 23rd from 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm. There will be
cultural booths, crafts and samples of ethnic foods at our Cultural
Bazaar, located throughout the main hallways. Students and their
families can also join our international community for Live
Performances on the RMS stage in the commons from 7 pm- 8 pm. It
will be a fun night!
RMS students and their families or friends can now sign up to represent a culture (no, it does
not have to be just their culture, any culture…) at this event! There are many exciting ways to
participate:
- Set up a cultural booth with info about a country
- Perform on the stage – sing, dance, play an instrument or do martial arts
- Crafts – bring them to share or teach others to create crafts at the event
- Share ethnic food (bite size samples)
Sign up online here. Reserve your spot now, it is first come/first serve! Applications are due by
Friday, March 29th.
Support our Community
On Thursday, April 4th, just in time for spring break, Nourishing Network will distribute the final School Break Food Box for this year.
As you may already know, the mid-winter food box program was cancelled due to hazardous weather and road conditions, which makes this distribution especially important for families who are still trying to “catch up” from many days without school lunch and supplemental resources. 
With your help, Nourishing Network will provide a box of groceries to support 70 LWSD families who live in the Education Hill area. Please visit the signup genius link for more detailed information about this spring break donation opportunity here.
ASB
Season 4 – April 2019 - Schedule
Below is the schedule for the first two weeks of season 4. Coaches will be sending home a more detailed schedule, include matches. 
RMS dines out at MOD Pizza on Thursday April 18 th . Please support RMS ASB by eating at MOD Pizza and either showing them the attached flyer, or letting them know that you are with RMS. MOD Pizza will donate 20% of your bill to RMS ASB. 
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
Parent Ed on Suicide Awareness and Substances 101
April 1 st , 2019, 7- 8:30 pm at Lake Washington Resource Center
In partnership with our local YES (Youth Eastside Services) and LWSD , LWPTA council is proud to sponsor a parent education talk on the much needed topics of Substances 101 and Suicide Awareness. YES is a lifeline for kids and families coping with challenges such as emotional distress, substance abuse and violence. Through intervention, outreach and prevention, YES builds confidence and personal responsibility, strengthens family relationships, and advocates for a safer community that cares for its youth. This is a free seminar and is open to all LWSD families, though more geared towards high school and middle school parents. Come and learn from various specialists that work with LWSD schools and our community about this topic.
Cheer tryouts at RHS
Cheer tryout packets are now available in the Athletic Office at Redmond High School.
 Tryout dates are April 15-19 (Monday, Tuesday and Thursday from 3:15 - 5 and Wednesday 1:30 - 3:30)
 Any questions can be directed to  jacampbell@lwsd.org
Preventing the Flu: Good Health Habits Can Help Stop Germs
Avoid close contact with people who are sick. When you are sick, keep your distance from others to protect them from getting sick too. If possible, stay home from work, school, and errands when you are sick. This will help prevent spreading your illness to others. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. It may prevent those around you from getting sick. Flu and other serious respiratory illnesses, like respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), whooping cough, and severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), are spread by coughing, sneezing, or unclean hands. Washing your hands often will help protect you from germs. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand rub.
Germs are often spread when a person touches something that is contaminated with germs and then touches his or her eyes, nose, or mouth. Clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at home, work or school, especially when someone is ill. Get plenty of sleep, be physically active, manage your stress, drink plenty of fluids, and eat nutritious food.
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 .