Wednesday, January 22, 2025

 

Hello Roth Families and Friends,

 

I hope this email finds you warm and safe on this very cold day. With Friday’s Grading Day, this will be a rare week for our students: only two days of school. When I reflect on my growth as a classroom teacher, I quickly land on the importance of establishing routines and expectations for students. Even as an adult, I like to have at least some notion of what to expect, when, and how to prepare. So, though this week is atypical in terms of student attendance, I believe it’s important that we each reflect on the routines and expectations that we set for ourselves, our families, and our students. Consistency in daily schedules and routines may not be possible to the same extent for each of us, given different work, family, or life circumstances. And still, I believe it is an important enough aspect of developing our adolescents to reflect on during this day off. What does our morning routine look like? Do we use an alarm? What are our evening routines and habits? What is our bedtime ritual? As we reflect on some of these routine-based questions, I ask that we consider opportunities to offer our students consistency.

I’d also like to use this opportunity to remind families of Dr. Marie Windover’s departure from Roth Junior High. As I wrote three weeks ago, Dr. Windover’s contribution to the Roth community paved the way for so many of the positive changes we have been able to enjoy this school year. I am grateful for her service. We are in the final stages of onboarding a new assistant principal at Roth; however, in the interim, we will be joined by Mrs. Beth Patton. Mrs. Patton is a retired Rush-Henrietta administrator and brings a wealth of experience to this interim role. It is my hope that Mrs. Patton finds her brief return to Roth to be welcoming and promising.

And now for some friendly reminders.

2nd Semester Schedules: By now, I am hopeful that you have been able to access your child’s 2nd Semester schedule. For most of our students, any changes will be minor. Either way, please contact your child’s School Counselor with any questions you may have. 

• 7th Grade, Mrs. LaPlaca
• 8th Grade, Mrs. Hernandez
• 9th Grade, Ms. Prinzi

Personal Device Reminder: I absolutely love being in our hallways at Roth. During passing time, I see students moving from Point A to Point B, typically without issue. While classes are in session, I see clear and safe halls. When district leaders visit our building, I am proud to show off what our students are capable of at Roth Junior High. And still we have an opportunity to rise. Every now and then I’ll catch a glimpse of a phone, i-Pad or other personal device that students know should be stowed away in their lockers. The gentle reminders from staff continue to work. But, I am asking that our families take this natural transition from 1st to 2nd Semester to reinforce our device expectation. Student devices (especially phones and i-Pads) should only be accessed at student lockers, and should be stored there as well. I’ve written this before and I feel it necessary to restate: the vast majority of our students are doing the right thing. They have followed our guidance to unplug to connect. But all of us can use some gentle reminders now and then. That is what this is. Thank you in advance for supporting our learning and behavioral expectations at Roth Junior High.

After-School (Athletics, Musical, Etc.) Pickup: We have many activities running after school. Our building comes to life in a different way most afternoons from 3 p.m. on. As those activities end each evening, we have dozens upon dozens of eager drivers ready to get their children home for the night. It is my hope that you are all able to do so safely. And so I ask that we re-read the following message from before Winter Recess: 

I love witnessing so much activity at Roth after dismissal. Students travel from other buildings for athletics. Students stick around to participate in extracurricular clubs. As I have written before, I believe that schools are meant to house, educate, and support students. 

However, I have also noticed a troubling trend that I am hopeful we can work together to correct. When I leave the building around 5:45 - 6:15 p.m., I exit to dozens of vehicles waiting to pick up our students. Please note that our bus loop is not intended to function as a multi-lane roadway. Our bus loop must be single-lane only to ensure student safety. On more than one occasion, I have seen unsafe driving behavior in this loop, and I am asking our families to wait in the parking lot if you notice that there is no additional space in our single-lane bus loop. Additionally, I have observed traffic backed all the way down to East Henrietta Road. As a resident of this community, I worry about the traffic safety that we may be disrupting. If the bus loop single-lane traffic does not have space for additional vehicles, please wait in the parking lot. The goal of this specific request is to ensure student (and family) safety. Thank you in advance for your cooperation as we continue to identify areas to improve at Roth Junior High.

Roth Junior High Valentine’s Dance: Tickets will be on sale for two weeks leading up to our dance from 6 - 8 p.m. on Friday, February 7. Tickets are $10 per person and will be sold during student lunches from Monday, January 27 - Friday, February 7. We look forward to dancing the night (early evening) away!

Upcoming Events:

• Grading Day (no school for students): Friday, January 24
• Roth Parent Group Meeting: Monday, January 27, at 7 p.m.
• Lunar New Year (no school for students): Wednesday, January 29
• Roth Musical (Shrek the Musical Jr.): Friday, January 31 at 7 p.m. and Saturday, February 1 at 3 p.m. 
• Roth JH Dance: Friday, February 7 at 6 p.m.

Click here for previous E-News communications.

Sincerely,