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Have a Wonderful Break! Warm holiday greetings from the RMS PTSA! We hope everyone's holidays are filled with warmth, love and a little relaxation as well!

December 20, 2020

RMS Calendar       Grizzly Gram Archive

School & LWSD

Winter Break

Winter Break will be from Monday, December 21 thru Friday, January 1. School resumes on Monday, January 4. For a quick view of all school dates, you can view the 2020-2021 LWSD Calendar.

Donate to RMS Thru InvestED

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Redmond Middle School uses InvestED, a critical scholarship program, to support students with essential needs, such as school supplies, clothing and activity fees. These supports help increase school engagement for students from low-income backgrounds and ensure they have access to the same school experience and opportunities as their peers. Supporting our students through InvestED has never been easier.

Donate now by visiting the website and make sure to choose "Redmond Middle School".
https://www.invested.org

RMS Library Extended Hours

Curbside Checkout is going strong and there are changes happening!

Extended Pick Up and Drop off Hours
• Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday from 8:00 AM-3:30 PM

Place Hold By --> Pick Up 
• Monday 11:30 AM --> Tuesday
• Tuesday 11:30 AM --> Wednesday
• Wednesday 11:30 AM --> Thursday
• After Wednesday 11:30 AM --> Tuesday

Skyward Downtime

Skyward Family/Student Access will be unavailable December 23 - December 30 for scheduled maintenance. Families that need information from Skyward during the outage should access Skyward prior to 5:00 PM on December 23. All information will be back and available on December 31.

LWSD Live Update, Jan. 6

On Wednesday, January 6, 2021 at 6:00 PM, LWSD Superintendent, Dr. Jon Holmen, will be hosting a live update about LWSD's Pathway Forward. This live update will be recorded for families that are not able to view the live broadcast. More information can be found on the LWSD Pathway Forward website located at https://www.lwsd.org/pathway-forward.

RMS PTSA

Virtual Open Mic Night (Repeat)

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Calling all RMS students! It's not too late to have students sign up! Sign up before December 30!

RMS PTSA is partnering with the The Redmond Academy of Theatre Arts (RATA) to present the virtual Open Mic Night, tentatively on Friday, January 29! All RMS students looking for a venue to express their inner artist individually or as a group are invited, either via live streaming or by recording. There is NO COST to any studentsSecure your spot now by signing up!

Hear RATA Program Manager Bethany Willis give a brief introduction about the Open Mic program at the Kick Off Meeting! View Short Video

The PTSA Needs You for Nominating Committee!

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The RMS PTSA is looking for a few good people to be on the 2020-21 Nominating Committee

We're looking for three individuals to serve on our Nominating Committee, presenting a unified slate of candidates for next year's RMS PTSA Board of Directors. These volunteers play an integral role in shaping RMS PTSA. Take a chance, step-up, and make a difference! Being on the Nominating Committee doesn't take a lot of time and most communication is done through email.


The Nominating Committee is in charge of identifying and recruiting candidates for the incoming PTSA Board. This is a relatively simple, but very important task. Training and resources available. To volunteer or for more information, please fill out this very short 
Nominating Committee Interest Form.

PTSA Sponsors "Holiday Treat Yourself" Event

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In appreciation of the awesome RMS Staff, the PTSA and parent volunteers usually host two holiday themed luncheons in November and December. Obviously, we couldn't do that this year so instead, we had to reimagine a way to celebrate the season and show our gratitude for their immense flexibility and fortitude during these trying times. The PTSA decided to host a “Holiday Treat Yourself” event and recently treated every staff member to a little something special from a restaurant of their choice. They received their treat the week of December 14. Join with the PTSA in recognizing the contributions that the RMS staff brings to our community. They are so amazing!

Virtual Enrichment Enrollment is Open! (Repeat)

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The joint RMS/Mann PTSA Enrichment Team has a great Winter Session of Virtual Enrichment Classes planned. Enrollment closes on January 6 and classes will run from January-April. Classes include Drama, Cooking, Programming, Spanish, Trendy Crafts, etc. E-mail questions or suggestions to OnlineEnrichment@rmsptsa.org.

Enrollment Closes: Wednesday, January 6
View Choices
https://mannptsa.org/Page/Enrichment/afterschoolclasses

Winners of the $50 Gift Card!

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The RMS PTSA Membership Drive had ended! Congratulations to two lucky RMS PTSA members who won a $50 restaurant gift card to the awesome restaurant located at Redmond Town Center. They can treat their families to breakfast or lunch on us!

Thank you to all our members this year for your support! During this season of giving and gratitude, we are grateful to our donors and volunteers. Without them, we would not be able to host all of our programs throughout the school year!

Introducing Question Corner (Repeat)

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RMS PTSA is excited to launch a new section to Bear Tracks, Question Corner! We're soliciting questions from you about topics such as RMS, PTSA, and Redmond. We'll post selected questions in "Question Corner" which will be published periodically in the newsletter. Submit Your Questions Now!

Community

Redmond Food Box Program

The Redmond community and Redmond United Methodist Church are partnering again this year to collect donations for families in need who are experiencing extra stress and insecurity during COVID-19 pandemic and during school breaks. Each Food Box distribution day costs $10,000 and serves 160 families.

Your donations will have a significant impact on the well-being of children and families in our neighborhood. Please donate via Redmond Food Box Program GoFundMe page.

Sign Up for Emergency Notifications

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Alert King County
Alert King County is a free regional notification service offered by King County Emergency Management that the City can also use to send Redmond-specific emergency messaging. Sign up for Alert King County and stay informed about potential hazards and threats in Redmond and throughout King County.

WA Notify
Washington Exposure Notifications (also known as WA Notify) is a new tool that works through smartphones, without sharing any personal information, to alert users if they may have been exposed to COVID-19. It is completely private, and doesn’t know or track who you are or where you go. Please visit the WA Notify website to find out more and to enable/download.

Reminders for Being Green

Enjoy Greener Holidays
From reusable wrapping to recyclable crafts to virtual activities with family and friends, ideas abound for making this holiday season meaningful while reducing waste.

Pick Up Pet Waste to Keep Redmond's Water Clean
Did you know that pet waste contains harmful bacteria such as E. coli and Salmonella? Please always pick up your pet's waste. Learn the importance of keeping bacteria from washing down storm drains when it rains.

Remember to Flatten Then Recycle
With the holidays comes an increase in cardboard boxes and the need to recycle them. Please flatten all cardboard boxes before placing them in your recycling container. Flattened cardboard saves space and ensures your recyclables can be made into new boxes, bags, paper towels, and other products in high demand.

Recreate Responsibly
Put used personal protective items in the trash. Littered disposable wipes, face masks, and gloves can be a hazard to health and wildlife. They also make their way into storm drains and end up at wastewater treatment plants, where they can cause clogs and backups. A properly functioning sewer system is essential to public health—so please put used gloves, masks, and wipes in the trash.

City of Redmond Updates

Tell Redmond Where Growth Should Go
Redmond will continue to grow, and we need you to tell Redmond where you think the best places are for new growth. Try out our new map-based tool where you can play with different choices on where growth should go and what the impacts would be.
Play with the growth model.

2021-2022 Budget
On December 10, Redmond City Council voted 6-1 to adopt the 2021-2022 biennial budget. More community members than ever before provided input through the community-based Civic Results Team, online and direct mail questionnaires, emails, focus groups, and four public hearings.
Review budget meeting documents.

Parent Education

Youth Substance Use Recap Did you miss the LWPTSA November 19 parent education panel on youth substance use and prevention? Parent Ed Co-chair Hae Sue Park has captured a summary of the event, websites, and handouts.

LGBTQ+ Panel Discussion Recap On December 1, LWPTSA hosted a LGBTQ+ Panel discussion that included parents, district representatives and non-profit partners. For a list of resources and summary, Please visit their website for a list of resources and summary.

Calling All Teens! Join Balance in Mind on Instagram
  • Mindful moments with Marrie - every second Wednesday of the month at 9 PM! How’s your mood? Have stress? Anxiety? Chat with Marrie live for some tips! Instagram/balance.in.mind
  • Real Talk – every 1st and 3rd Tuesday of the month at 4:30 PM on Instagram live! Listen to young adults share their own stories about life, relationship struggles, depression, anxiety, self-care tips, racial issues, gender identity and more. Instagram/balance.in.mind
Bear Tracks Newsletter is produced by RMS PTSA as a benefit to the Redmond Middle School Community. Bear Tracks is edited by Neeta C. Please submit articles via the Bear Tracks Online Submission Form. Articles are due on Thursdays, by 5:00 PM for publication the following Sundays. If you have any questions, please email beartracks@rmsptsa.org.
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Redmond Middle School PTSA 2.8.80
10055 166TH AVE NE, Redmond, WA, 98052, United States of America
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