Hello Roth Families and Friends,

And just like that, we have entered the transitional month of March. The ground may be frosted with a delightful blanket of snow one morning (much like today), and transformed into a muddy pool of pre-spring rain (see Tuesday’s forecast) the next. You’ll see me bundled up in a heavy winter coat greeting students one morning, and then ungloved and wearing a light vest the next. Winter is reminding us that though spring is in the air, we still have March in Western New York to contend with. 

In just a few weeks, we will be at the midway point of our 3rd marking period. Students will have adjusted to any new courses by then. It is my hope that you continue to encourage our students to show up each day on time, motivated to learn, ready for respectful interactions, and prepared to give their best effort day in and day out. We certainly continue to discover opportunities for growth at Roth Junior High. I am proud of the great work we have already been part of this school year, and I ask our students, families, and staff to acknowledge that it is a great privilege to be able to experience each day anew. Please continue to monitor your student’s grades and attendance. Encourage and have honest conversations about responsible social media use and online activity. Together, we can continue each individual student’s rise to excellence.

New AP: Last Friday, we welcomed our new assistant principal, Mrs. Jessica Dolan, to the Roth Junior High family. Mrs. Dolan will be working with our counselors, social workers, teachers, clerical, paraprofessionals, and leadership team to provide a new relationship/bridge for student success. Mrs. Dolan will work most closely with our 7th graders and first-half-alphabet 9th graders. Mrs. Dolan looks forward to meeting our Roth families over these next four months. 

News from the Roth Library: So many great things have been happening in and have come from our library this school year. A continued big shout out to Mrs. Leader and Ms. Thomas, for the excellent work they have done helping our students and staff access news, highlights, lessons, and fun activities. Personally, I am very excited for our Pet March Madness tournament! On Mondays in March, students and staff will vote for “winners” in a bracket-style challenge that asked us to submit photos of our fur friends. Please click here for our library’s March Smore Newsletter.

Student Council Fun Night: There is still time for students to purchase their ticket to fun! Our Student Council is hosting a Winter Fun Night from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on Friday, March 7. Tickets are $5 each, and will be sold during lunches to start this week. Come hang out with your friends and enjoy food, drinks, games and much more! There will be a movie in the auditorium, and Open Gym. We can't wait to see you there!

DC Trip: Please continue to check the DC Trip Google Classroom for up-to-date information about our May trip. As a reminder, all medical paperwork should have been submitted last week. If everything has been submitted on time, students will soon be able to share a buddy request, as well as complete forms for meals and their t-shirt. Here is the information I shared last week.

Spring Sports Reminder: Please click here for a message from Mr. Onze, R-H Athletic Director, regarding spring sports registration and important information. Students who feel connected to the school community have a more positive, engaged, and healthy school experience. For many of our students, athletics provide an active connection. As a reminder, we are excited to add Girls Flag Football at the Modified level. We have significant interest, and tremendous talent. I believe it will be an exciting inaugural season for Flag Football. 

Roth JHS Student Clubs: Another excellent opportunity for students to feel connected to the school community comes via our after-school student clubs. It has been wonderful seeing students and faculty spending time together over these first 23 weeks, engaging in after-school clubs that meet their interests. Our full list of clubs can be found on our building website. 

Transportation Requests Forms (Due April 1): Transportation requests for daycare or split-custody arrangements for the 2025-2026 school year are due by Tuesday, April 1. Requests received after April 1 may be delayed. The forms are available on the district website at www.rhnet.org/busing. You may submit the form to the main office or return it directly to the transportation department. Thank you for completing and submitting these forms by Tuesday, April 1.

Safety Week: As part of our continuing efforts to make schools as safe as possible for all students and staff, the Rush-Henrietta Central School District will hold safety drills during the week of March 3. These drills are designed for practicing and assessing emergency response procedures. Each school will practice evacuation, medical emergency, and lockdown emergency response procedures. Rush-Henrietta works year-round to refine its safety and emergency response practices. These activities help us be as prepared as possible in the event of an actual emergency. Thank you for your patience and support as we complete these important drills.

Google Apps (YouTube, Maps, Translate, etc.): This will be the first full week in which students no longer have access to some of the Google applications that many have come to enjoy. Please note that this is not strictly a Rush-Henrietta decision. This decision comes from our State Department of Education, and is an effort to protect student data. When looking at student online activity (via Go Guardian), we found that YouTube alone accounts for the majority of overall student web activity. Teachers will continue to deliver high quality instruction, and will provide alternative access for any instructional content that may be impacted by this access change. 

Here’s to another month of growth, reflection, connection, and celebration at Roth Junior High. Please know that you are welcome to join us, as we continue to engage students and families in new ways. Thank you, as always, for your support.

Click here for previous E-News communications.

Sincerely,