Saturday, May 31, 2025

 

Hello Roth Families and Friends,

 

As we say farewell to the month of May and look ahead to these last few weeks, I’d like to officially share a policy that will be in effect for the 2025-2026 school year. Starting in September, students at Roth Junior High will be expected to store backpacks in their lockers during the school day. This decision is made with student safety in mind. Our hallways, cafeteria, common spaces, and classrooms can become very crowded, and backpacks contribute to the congestion. This change is important to ensure a smooth flow of foot traffic. Though student backpacks should be stored in lockers, students will be able to carry smaller bags such as small crossbody bags and small purses/totes. Though not unlimited, the idea is for students to still be able to carry essential personal items.

Additionally, full-size student backpacks often have multiple pockets, which can make it easier to hide cell phones, personal devices, or other prohibited items. We ask that all backpacks be stored in lockers during the school day to minimize this risk. Our personal device policy has been for students to store these in their lockers, so familiarity with combination locks and time management should not be a concern for those who have been meeting our expectations. Students can still bring backpacks to school; however, they can no longer carry their backpacks throughout the day. Again, we ask that backpacks be used only for transporting materials to and from school, and left in their lockers during the day. Most classes require only a Chromebook, so this change should not pose an instructional problem. Students can visit their lockers during passing time to access any necessary materials. Additionally, reliance on the school locker will help to develop many executive functioning skills that will help students in the near- and long-term. These skills include organization, prioritization, and time management. We at Roth Junior High recognize this will be a major shift in how students plan and map out their school day, which is why we are sharing this policy change with three months’ notice. 

For our 7th and 8th grade families, please take time over these next three months to prepare your child/ren for this change. As a building, we will include regular opportunities to help students make this transition during those first few weeks of the new school year. Please direct any questions or comments directly to me.

Okay. We have an exciting next few days at Roth Junior High. Semi-Formal was a blast last night! We have our Awards Ceremony on Tuesday, and our NJHS Induction Ceremony on Wednesday. I hope to see many of you at next week’s ceremonies, and next Friday night’s Students/Staff Kickball game. Here is more information about each of those events, and some other reminders.

Awards Ceremony & NJHS Induction: On back-to-back evenings, I am grateful for the privilege to honor so many of our students and to celebrate their accomplishments with their families. The celebration kicks off with our Roth Junior High Awards Ceremony at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, June 3. Academic and character awards will be presented at this event, and student award recipients will be receiving a Save-the-Date next week. The next evening will honor Roth’s newest members of our National Junior Honor Society. The NJHS Induction Ceremony starts at 6:30 p.m. on Wednesday, June 4. Similar Save-the-Dates have already been mailed home. Congratulations to all of Roth’s shining stars.

Student Council Kickball Game: Please check out the following announcement about another upcoming event with and for our students. “Student Council is hosting a student/staff kickball game on Friday, June 6. Students who wish to participate must complete and submit the run-around sheet to Mrs. Biata or Ms. Flood by Wednesday, June 4. Students who wish to play need to be back at Roth at 5:50 p.m. June 6. We will be done at 7:30 p.m. Parents/guardians and families are encouraged to stay and enjoy the game.” 

Roth Library News: Here is our final Smore of the 2024-2025 school year. I am so grateful to Mrs. Leader and Ms. Thomas, for all that they have done this year to transform our Library into a sacred space where creativity and inspiration can shine. Here is a glimpse of what they share in this month’s newsletter: 

Pop-Up Pride: Every month, Rochester LGBTQ+ Together hosts Pop-Up Pride! These family friendly events take place around the community. This June, they are hosting the pop-up at the Seneca Park Zoo. The fun continues this summer with pop-ups at SeaBreeze and Wickham Farms.

Rush-Henrietta Kicking Hunger 5K on June 7: The annual 5K race is coming up soon! Sponsored by the Rush-Henrietta Athletic Association, in conjunction with the Rush-Henrietta Area Food Terminal (RHAFT) and the town of Henrietta Recreation Department, this event provides financial support for the R-H school food pantry located in the Good Shepherd building. The 8th annual event will be held at 8 a.m. Saturday, June 7, at Veterans Memorial Park in Henrietta. There will be food, drinks, awards, and a participant raffle to follow. There is also a virtual option to be part of this community event. For more information or to register, visit the race website by clicking here. We hope to see you on race day!

Roth Freshmen Lock-In: If your 9th grader has ever wanted to roam Roth’s halls after-hours to see what happens when the lights go out, this event is for them. This event will run from 8 to 11 p.m. Friday, June 13. Freshmen will be able to celebrate the close of their Roth chapter by viewing the sunset from our beautiful campus fields. If the weather cooperates, we’ll use flashlights to participate in some fun outside games and enjoy snacks. Who knows? Maybe we can do s’mores! This event is limited to Roth Junior High freshmen. Tickets are $10 and will be on sale during lunches the week prior. 

End of Year Schedule: As we prepare our students for these final weeks together, teachers have been sharing what the final two weeks in June will look like. After June 16, our 8th and 9th graders will come in only for scheduled Regents exams. Our 7th graders will be on a half-day cycle up until their very last day. Here are some helpful resources to understand what those weeks will look like. *Please note: this will be an excellent opportunity for families to use our new StopFinder App to track bus routes and locations. Primary contacts should have already received information to sign up; but, please call our Transportation Center at (585) 359-5380 if you have questions. **Also, please note that our 7th graders will not begin their school day until 10:30 a.m. on Monday, June 23.

Regents/Exam Schedule (Grades 8 and 9)

Grade 7 Year-End Schedule

Upcoming Events:

• Roth Junior High Awards Night - Tuesday, June 3 at 6:30 p.m.
• Roth National Junior Honor Society Ceremony - Wednesday, June 4 at 6:30 p.m.
• Student Council Kickball Game - Friday, June 6 at 6 p.m.
• R-H Kicking Hunger 5K Race/Walk - Saturday, June 7 at 8 a.m.
• Freshmen Lock-In - Friday, June 13 at 8 p.m.
• Last Regular School Day for 8th and 9th Grade - Monday, June 16
• Juneteenth (No School) - Thursday, June 19
• Last School Day for 7th Grade - Wednesday, June 25

 

Thank you, for being a part of Roth's rise to excellence.

Click here for previous E-News communications.

Sincerely,