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May 21 - 8th Grade NJHS Ceremony, 3 PM
May 22 - Last Day of After-School Activities and Late Buses
May 29 - 8th Grade Spring Family Night, 6:00-7:30pm
May 30 - 8th Grade End of Year Party, 6 - 8 PM
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Community-
We had a busy week at Rocky Run! All students took their math SOL on Wednesday, May 14. Now that the first run of each test has been completed, teachers will begin to communicate student scores as ungraded assignments in SIS. We will wrap up the last few days of May by administering make-up exams and expedited retakes.
This week we also had our Spring Band and Orchestra concerts. I always love hearing our RRMS musicians perform, and I'm constantly amazed by their talent. This year's band concert was special because it was Mr. Raecke's last concert as the Band Director at RRMS before his retirement later this year. Mr. Raecke has worked at Rocky Run since December 1992!
As we begin to wrap up this school year, I wanted to remind you of a new initiative that we're starting and need your support. To celebrate the growth and accomplishments of students this school year, we are asking each family to write a letter to their child via this Google Form. Letters will be printed and given to students during their awards ceremony in June. We need your help! As of today, we only have 207 submissions. Our goal is for all 896 RRMS students to receive a letter from their family. Please submit your letter by Friday, May 23rd. Email Katelyn Hagen (kmhagen@fcps.edu) with any questions.
Looking ahead to next year, I'd like to encourage all parents and caretakers to consider running for a PTA Board position. Our partnership with the PTA provides valuable resources for the students and teachers of Rocky Run in a multitude of ways and is an extremely rewarding position. We have all 4 board positions open for the 2025-2026 school year. Use THIS LINK to express interest in joining the board.
Finally, I want to resend links from earlier in the month that highlighted May as Jewish American Heritage Month (JAHM). These links should work!
- The Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service and United States Holocaust Memorial Museum join in paying tribute to the generations of Jewish Americans who have helped form the fabric of American history, culture, and society. More information is available online
- Additional Resources about the contributions of Jewish Americans can be found at the National Archives and Library of Congress
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I look forward to seeing you at RRMS soon.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
8th Grade Family Night
8th Grade Families, please join us for our 8th Grade Spring Family Night on Thursday, May 29 from 6:00-7:30pm. We invite students to come with their families to prepare for high school!
We will offer two sessions:
- Q&A session with a panel of current high school students
- Executive functioning skills and organization for high school
Additionally, we will have information available about the FCPS math sequence.
We hope to see you there! Please RSVP to let us know you're coming!
Shhh! It's a Surprise!
Our Rams have had an amazing year, and we want to celebrate them! We are asking each family to write a letter to their child via a Google form submission. Each student will receive their letter at their team's end of year awards ceremony. Letters may include why you are proud of your child, how you have seen them grow this school year, what you hope for them in the future, etc. Please complete this End of Year Family Letter Form by Friday, May 23rd.
It’s Not too Late to Order Your 2025 Yearbook – Don’t Miss a Memory!
In-person orders for the 2025 yearbook will be accepted until the end of the year or until we sell out. Please bring $35 cash or check made out to Rocky Run Middle School to Ms. Valade in Room 125.
Additionally, you can now purchase a yearbook on MySchoolBucks through the school store!
Yearbooks will be distributed to students in school at the end of the year.
Questions? Please email Ms. Valade at jmvalade@fcps.edu
4. Student Celebrations
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
Congratulations to this week's Ram card winners:
Aanya Ambegaonkar (Engaged)
Bella Lam (Engaged)
Luke Troung (Respectful and Engaged)
Tibah Afreen (Accountable and Engaged)
Dante Frazier (Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged)
Stephanie Soto (Engaged)
Great job Raising the Ram!
Punctual on Purpose Student Winners
Each week, our Punctual on Purpose (POP!) drawing recognizes students who are on-time to all classes during the prior week. Each week, students have a fresh chance to be entered into the POP drawing. POP winners are announced every Monday, and students can select from a variety of rewards. Please encourage your child to be on time to all classes, including 1st and 2nd period. This Monday, we celebrated two weeks of POP winners! The POP winners for this week and last week are Silas Abbott, Cooper Aiken, Emily Aban, Tibah Afreen, Rayaan Abdullahi, Adrian Aguirre, Amelia Price, Azan Hamid, Dylan Gibson, Nyah Davis-Galgano, and Si-Eun Park. Congratulations and thank you for Raising the Ram by getting to class on time!
 Mark your calendars for our 8th Grade End of Year Party. This event is only open to current Rocky Run 8th graders (no former students, family members, siblings, etc.). 8th Grade Families - you received an e-notify message on 5/14 with more details. Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell at SLCampbell@fcps.edu.
5. Student Services Updates
SY25-26 Intention Form
If your student is transferring to another school next year, please complete the Student Intention Form and send it to Ms. White, our Registrar via email at CBWhite@fcps.edu. No need to submit the form if your child is going to attend our school or one of our feeder high schools as planned.
Spring 2025 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener Results Now Available
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of March, providing information on their SEL skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results are now available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to your child’s school counselor with any questions.
6. Instructional Updates
Library Updates
This week, Mrs. Grover visited both 7th and 8th grade English classes to talk with students who still have books checked out from before February! There were lots of book returns but also many statements like, “I know where it is at home – I’ll bring it tomorrow!” Please check with your student to make sure they know how to view their library account on Destiny Discover. In FCPS, all library books are due on May 28. If you cannot find a book, please contact Mrs. Grover to arrange for replacement (ragrover@fcps.edu). Thanks!
7. After-School Program Information
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After-School Schedule: Week of 5/19
- Upcoming high school opportunities are linked on the After-School Schoology Course.
- Mark your calendars: the last day of after-school activities for this school year will be Thursday, 5/22.
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Sports Physical Information:
- Each spring, FCPS high schools offer pre-participation physical exams for student-athletes. Middle school student-athletes are eligible to receive an athletic physical free of charge through this program. If you are interested in this opportunity, please do the following:
- NOTE: Legislation introduced in the Virginia General Assembly and recently signed into law will result in two significant changes to the athletic pre-participation examination (physical) requirements for FCPS student-athletes:
- Beginning July 1, 2025, athletic physicals will be considered valid for a period of 14 months from the date the form is signed by the medical provider completing the exam. This is the date on page 3 of the FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parent Consent/Physical Examination Form (revised January 2021).
- Beginning May 1, 2025, FCPS student-athletes are EXPECTED to have athletic physicals completed on the new FCPS Middle School Sports Athletic Participation/Parental Consent/Evaluation Form (revised April 2025).
- 2025-2026 Update: In the past, only our Cross Country and Track and Field participants needed an athletic physical, but due to changes in legislation, any middle school student who participates in a sport that leads to an interscholastic competition is required to have a physical before try outs. This includes our after-school intermural sports teams - possibilities include basketball, volleyball, and/ or futsal.
- Middle School Sports Physical Information & Links
- High School Sports Physical Information & Links
- Having the athletic physical exam completed at one of our high school events ensures a complete, valid physical is on file and ready to go next fall. Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell (SLCampbell@fcps.edu).
After-School Program Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu
What are your rising 7th & 8th graders doing this summer?
Like you, we believe your child is a very important person and deserves a summer experience that is safe and full of fitness, friends, fun and enrichment. FCPS and Fairfax County Department of Neighborhood and Community Services (DNCS) have teamed up to offer a 5-week camp for rising 7th and 8th graders in the Western Fairfax area. Campers will have a great time participating in sports, games, fitness, art, and STEM activities in a safe environment. The program is led by FCPS After-School and DNCS Teen/Community Center Staff.
Camp Details:
- Dates - Tuesday, July 1st - Thursday, July 31st
- NO camp on July 4th
- 9:00 AM - 4:00PM (Site opens at 8:00AM for drop off)
- Location – Rocky Run Middle School, 4400 Stringfellow Road, Chantilly
- Bus Transportation will be provided from feeder middle schools and other selected stops
- Cost – $100* for all 5 weeks (this does not include field trips)
- *Scholarships are available for families who require financial assistance
- This camp serves rising 7th and 8th grade (2025-2026 school year) students who reside in the Franklin, Katherine Johnson, Liberty, Rocky Run and Stone Middle School boundaries.
Camp Registration:
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May 14th at 6 PM: VIP Camp registration opens
Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, our After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu.
Lost and Found
Our lost and found is overflowing! If your student is missing a sweatshirt, winter coat, bike helmet, water bottle, etc., there's a great chance that it is in the lost and found. Remind them to claim their items!
8. Community Corner
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