Parent Questions

Middle school can be a frustrating and scary journey for both students and parents. However, if we work together, this will be an enjoyable and memorable year. Below are some common questions I get from parents. Perhaps this information will be helpful to you.

1. How can I know what is on my child's Google Classroom?

While parents are not allowed to join their child's Google Classroom, you can have your child log in while you're together. This is a great way for you to guide your student in double checking assignments and directions for clarification. They are learning the importance of verifying their course assignments and you get to see what they are doing in class, all while spending time together. Now, that's a WIN!

2. How can my child find his/her work on Google Classroom?

Click on this link to find out. Thank you to Mrs. Goodnough for disseminating this information.

3. How is my child doing?

Anytime you would like to see your child's most current grades, please check the Parent Portal or Parent Backpack. Gradebooks are updated with each assignment and is available 24 hours a day. WOW!! Staying informed has never been more simple.

4. How do I get assistance for my student?

The first place to go is your child's teacher. Here at RMS, we offer many different supports for students as posted on our RMS Menu of Student Supports.

5. How do I get in touch with my child's teacher?

Please look at the "Home" page of your child's teachers' websites for their contact information. They would love to hear from you! The ease and convenience of email makes is very simple to stay in touch with you're child's academic achievements. Also, don't forget about the Parent Backpack. Directions for signing up can be found here.

6. What is going on at school?

Please check the posted assignments on your child's teachers' Weekly Planner pages on their website. The page is updated weekly (usually by noon on Mondays). Some changes may occur during the week if needed. You would certainly not want to miss out on any of the educational and fun-filled activities at Riverside Middle School and your child's classes. Our school also has many wonderful activities going on. Check out the RMS Webpage and calendar of events.

7. How can I help my child develop as a writer and reader?

Have your child write sentences that do not include linking verbs (am, is, are, was, were, has, have, had, be, being, been). Instead, encourage them to use strong, vivid verbs. Even when they do use an action verb, have them analyze whether it could be better. There is a different feeling to these two sentences: Doris walked out of the room mad--versus--Doris agrily stormed out of the room. Both essentially mean the same thing, and neither one uses linking verbs; but I certainly wouldn't want to step into the path of the second Doris. Would you?

Have you listened to your child read aloud lately? If not, you should. Children who spend too much time sounding out words or skipping words they do not know may be missing out on comprehending what they are reading. You can't focus on two things at once. So, if you're struggling to read the words, you're not able to understand the story's real meaning. If this is the case, have your child read several books that are a little easier. They may feel they don't need to read those "elementary" books. However, independent reading needs to be at a comfortable, not frustrating, level. Otherwise, it could be turning your child against reading.

Once they've found the "perfect" level book (one that has no more than five words per page that they have trouble with), have the child read the book. Encourage them to stop frequently and reflect on what they've read. Many kids just read straight through a page. They get to the bottom of the page and have no idea what they just read. They should be stopping frequently during their reading to think about what was just said or what just happened. Sometimes students actually say, "But Mrs. Faulk, I can't stop to think; I'm reading." I have to explain to them that reading is an interactive activity. If they aren't thinking while they are reading, they might as well not be reading.

8. How does my child qualify for Gifted and Talented (GT) Language Arts?

The School District of Greenville County provides programs for Gifted and Talented Students to challenge them with rigorous, complex class work and research. Gifted students may demonstrate high performance ability or potential in academic areas. Administrators, parents, teachers, and students may make referrals for students to be screened. All students who are referred from any source are screened during the first quarter of each school year to determine their eligibility. Upon meeting the requirements for this program, written parental permission will be obtained.

In November of each year, the State Department of Education provides testing for students in grade two to determine their eligibility for Gifted and Talented Programs. The Iowa Test of Basic Skills, an achievement test, and The Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), and aptitude test, are administered. As soon as results are available in mid-January, parents are notified of their child’s performance on these tests.

Students may qualify automatically with an extremely high aptitude or IQ score at 96th percentile or higher for their age group. If students do not qualify solely on aptitude, this process will be used for screening:

** In Dimension A - Reasoning Abilities Students must demonstrate high aptitude (93rd national age percentile or above) in one or more of these areas: verbal, nonverbal, quantitative and/or a composite of the three.

** In Dimension B - Academic Achievement Students must demonstrate high achievement (94th national percentile and above or advanced status) in reading and/or math as measured by a nationally normed or South Carolina statewide assessment instruments.

** In Dimension C - Intellectual/Academic Performance Students must demonstrate a high degree of interest in and commitment to academic and/or intellectual pursuits, or demonstrate intellectual characteristics such as curiosity/inquiry, reflection, persistence/tenacity in the face of challenge and creative, productive thinking. Rising third, fourth, fifth, and sixth grade students may be eligible to take the Performance Task Test in March if they have already met the criteria in Dimension A or Dimension B. Beginning with grade 7, students must have a 3.75 GPA on a 4.0 scale to meet the criteria in Dimension C.

Students must meet the criteria in two of these three dimensions to participate in the Gifted and Talented Program.

Results of private testing will not be accepted for placing students in the Challenge program.

Students who meet the state criteria may be placed in the academically gifted and talented program beginning in third grade. This program is called "Challenge" in Greenville County. At the elementary level, Challenge is a pull-out program. In third grade, students attend Challenge for at least 125 minutes each week. Students in grades four and five attend Challenge for at least 200 minutes per week. Each school receives a Challenge teacher based upon the number of qualified students in that school. Students are taught in classes with a teacher-pupil ratio of 1 to 20 or less.

At the middle school level, the Challenge program serves students through Language Arts instruction. Challenge Language Arts is a daily scheduled class with a teacher-pupil ration of 1 to 25 or less.

Honors math and English courses serve identified gifted and talented high school students. These classes meet daily with a teacher-pupil ration of 1 to 25 or less.

If you have questions regarding Gifted and Talented Programs, please contact Jane Snyder at 241-3211 or email her at jsnyder@greenville.k12.sc.us.

9. How can I better understand and relate to my middle school child?

First of all, teachers and parents alike agree that middle school children are "different." They are not your sweet, little elementary children of a couple of years ago, nor are they the mature young adults that they will soon be. They are stuck some where in the middle. So, what do we do with them? No, now I'm certain the thought that just crossed your mind is illegal in the continental U.S. (ha-ha) Seriously, though, there are several techniques and studies that can help us here. One of the basic ones is to remember that your child has enough friends, but he/she only has one or two parents. So, don't short change them by trying to be something that you're not. Middle school children genuinely need your rules and guidelines, no matter how much they object. Structure gives adolescents a sense of security, and love gives them a sense of caring. Hey, who wouldn't thrive if they felt cared for and secure? So, lay the ground rules that you feel are best for you and your family and stick to them. Wouldn't it be nice if that were all there was to it? Unfortunately, we know that each child, family, and situation is very different. To help you find what is best for you, I've included a list of books that you may find helpful in your efforts to understand and deal with your middle schooler. As I come across others, I'll add to this list.

Get Out of My Life, but First Could You Drive Me & Cheryl to the Mall: A Parent's Guide to the New Teenager-- by Anthony Wolf

I'm Not Mad, I Just Hate You!: A New Understanding of Mother-Daughter Conflict --by Roni Cohen, Phd Sandler, Michelle Sliver

Yes, Your Teen Is Crazy!: Loving Your Kid Without Losing Your Mind -- by Michael J. Bradley, Jay N. Giedd

The Way We Learn --by Cynthia Tobias

Every Child Can Succeed -- by Cynthia Tobias

“You Can’t Make Me!” --by Cynthia Tobias

“Ordinary” Children, Extraordinary Teachers --by Marva Collins

Why Bright Kids Get Poor Grades--by Dr. Sylvia Rimm

Different Children Different Needs--by Charles F. Boyd

Bringing Up Boys--by Dr. James Dobson

A Mind at a Time--by Mel Levine, M.D.

Who Moved My Cheese--by Spencer Johnson, M. D.

The Five Love Languages of Children--by Gary Chapman & Ross Campbell, M.D.

Making Children Mind without Losing YOURS--by Dr. Kevin Leman

Raising Resilient Children--by Robert Brooks & Sam Goldstein

It Takes a Village--by Hillary Clinton

Life Strategies--by Dr. Phil McGraw

Family First--by Dr. Phil McGraw

Life on the Edge : The Next Generation's Guide to a Meaningful Future--by Dr. James Dobson