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RCMS Newsletter
RCMS Newsletter
August 12, 2026
August 12, 2026
GREETINGS RCMS Community!
WELCOME BACK TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!!!
Here is the Back-to-School special edition RCMS newsletter. Throughout the year you will receive this newsletter every Sunday evening. Please check often to stay informed of upcoming events and to celebrate highlights of recent happenings and celebrations. We will continue to send this newsletter out every Sunday evening. We also now have a live link on the RCMS Website homepage so it is available to check at anytime.
This week features (click on the title to jump to the section):
CLASSES START Monday, August 24th
CLASSES START Monday, August 24th
Please note!!! Our Hours are slightly different this year, they are…
Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday school hours
7:45 am - 2:15 pm
Wednesday school hours
7:45 am – 11:47 pm
Class rosters will be opened for viewing in Powerschool Parent Portal, Friday, August 21 at 4 pm. If you need a review for accessing Powerschool, check THIS out. Our campus gate will be unlocked on the weekend before classes for your family to self-tour, if you wish.
TK and KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION Friday, August 21
TK and KINDERGARTEN ORIENTATION Friday, August 21
Starting elementary school is a huge milestone for little people and for their grownups. On Friday, August 21 we are looking forward to welcoming our TK and Kinder students and families to meet their teacher and get acquainted with their classroom. We will also have a brief presentation providing important information about the first day of school and more. We will stagger the arrival times trying to maximize time and efficiency. Please look to the schedule below to see your arrival. Teacher lists will be posted on the MPR and in the front office, telling you what classroom to go to.
TK/K Orientation Schedule:
1:00 – 1:15 Student with Last Names A – F
1:15 – 1:30 Student with Last Names G – M
1:30 – 2:00 ALL TK/K Parent Orientation in the MPR with teachers and principal
2: 00 – 2:15 Student with Last Names N – S
2: 15 – 2:30 Student with Last Names T – Z
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Thurs. Sept 3rd
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT - Thurs. Sept 3rd
We cherish our partnership with you and are looking forward to seeing you all on Thursday, September 3rd for Back to School Night.
This evening is designed just for parents and guardians where teachers share important information about the school year and your child's learning. To help us keep the focus on these conversations, we kindly ask that students remain at home. Thank you for your understanding and support.
We have two sessions to accommodate families with students in multiple classes. Here is the evening's schedule:
6:00p - 6:15p PTSA Association Meeting (in the MPR)
6:20p - 7:00p Session 1
7:00p - 7:40p Session 2
Welcome to our NEW Staff!!!
Welcome to our NEW Staff!!!
Ms. Denise Oteo, Specialized Academic Instructor (SAI)
Ms. Denise Oteo, Specialized Academic Instructor (SAI)
Ms. Oteo joins the RCC Campus as our SAI teacher. She is a seasoned educator in our district and brings a passion for alternative education and meeting the unique needs of each and every student. We are grateful to have her join our team!
Additional Supporting Staff Members
Additional Supporting Staff Members
Kristy Hart - Instructional Paraeducator
Rachel Chute - SWDSS Program Specialist
Stacey Nelson - Occupational Therapist
Renee Sales - School Psychologist
Families Welcome Letter.pdf
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL – Parent representatives needed
SCHOOL SITE COUNCIL – Parent representatives needed
Our School Site Council (SSC) guides RCMS’ goals and expenditures in line with our district goals and action plans of the RUSD Local Control Accountability Plan (LCAP). For this school year we have three parent representative positions open. Our SSC meetings are open to anyone and we value all voices.
SSC will meet on Tuesdays at 4:00pm throughout 2026-2027 on the following dates:
Sept. 22, Oct. 27, Jan. 12, Feb. 16, Mar. 23, Apr. 13, May 11
If you are interested in serving our RCMS school community as an SSC parent representative, please email Mrs. Sawada (csawada@ramonausd.net) with a 1-2 sentence statement about why you would like to participate.
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
SCHOOL BREAKFAST AND LUNCH
Food Services continues to offer FREE breakfast and lunches this year for all students. Breakfast is served from 7:30-7:45 am. Students are always welcome to bring a lunch and snacks from home. If you plan to have your child eat breakfast, please arrive in time for the student to finish eating before the start of class.
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
PARENT VOLUNTEERS
We are so very happy to welcome volunteers to our campus.
Level One volunteers must go through a clearance process which includes: photo identification, negative tuberculosis test, the clearance process takes a few days. Pick up a volunteer packet in our main office if you are interested.
Level Two volunteers also require a physical and fingerprint clearance.
Not all classrooms use parent volunteers, and our Montessori teachers typically prefer to wait until classroom cultures are normalized before including other adults in the mix.
PTSA: Parent Teacher Student Association
PTSA: Parent Teacher Student Association
Our PTSA is already planning and preparing for lots of fun and opportunities to connect with each other through a slate of monthly events:
October 2: Fall Carnival,
November 13: Tie Dye Night,
December 4: Craft Night,
January 22: Family Game Night,
February 19: Family Movie Night,
March 19: Pasta Dinner Fundraiser
Events are open to all students and their families. Your membership helps underwrite these events, assemblies and other supports to our classrooms. Parent volunteers are needed to also make the events successful.
ATTENDANCE
ATTENDANCE
We cannot emphasize too much how important it is to their success for students to be at school, on time, for the whole day of instruction.
PREPARING FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR
PREPARING FOR THE SCHOOL YEAR
Students of all ages (and their parents!) can benefit from some preparation for the school year for these last couple of weeks of summer.
Re-establish bedtime and wakeup. Elementary and middle school students need 9-12 hours of sleep. High school students do best with 8-10 hours. Keeping technology out of the bedroom can assure good sleep.
Practice morning routine. Choosing clothes, packing lunch and snack, organizing backpacks can all contribute to a sense of control for students of all ages.
Visit campus. Students will feel more confident the first day when they know the location of their classroom. Our campus gate will be unlocked on the weekend before classes for your family to self-tour, if you wish.
Sign up for 1-2 after school activities. Extra-curricular activities can increase motivation and attention in school, and build a stronger sense of belonging to our community.
STUDENTS LEAVING EARLY
STUDENTS LEAVING EARLY
Due to the traffic congestion and the busyness of the end of each day, students needing to be picked up from school early, need to be checked out from the front office before 1:45pm (at least 30 minutes prior to dismissal). Please plan accordingly when your student needs to leave school early for appointments.
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL - Efficiently & Safely
ARRIVAL & DISMISSAL - Efficiently & Safely
Please take a moment to review the protocols below to ensure that we keep all students safe and maintain maximum efficiency.
It is no secret that our parking lot can be a challenge during drop off and pick up times. As we share the campus with our sister school, Mountain Valley Academy, we have strategically timed our RCMS and MVA arrival and dismissal times in order to minimize the traffic as much as possible. Please show extra grace and courtesy during the busiest times in the parking lot and follow these protocols:
The middle row in the parking lot is one way (southbound) only. If you pass through the middle parking row, please exit at the south into the inside lane for flowing traffic.
The inside lane is for flowing traffic only - students may not enter or exit cars from the inside lane, only the outside lane (curbside).
If using the pick up lane, you may only pick up at the curb in one of the 4 marked spaces. There is no loading unless your are in one of these 4 spaces.
Handicapped spaces are for vehicles with handicapped placards only. Please do not idle or park in these spaces unless you have a valid handicapped placard on display.
The school-side curb is for IMMEDIATE loading and unloading ONLY.
Please remain inside your vehicle when picking up at the curb. If your child is not yet able to get in the car and/or buckled on their own, you need to park and then walk up to meet your child.
If your student is not in front of the school ready and waiting for pick up, please park in an available parking space to wait for their arrival.
Please abide by all traffic laws. Do not enter the parking lot using the exit lane, and do not turn left when exiting the parking lot.
Pedestrians, please use the blue crosswalk in the parking lot to enter and exit campus. Do not walk in-between cars in the pick up line. This is not only dangerous for you and drivers, this also slows down the flow of traffic.
If a friend or family member is picking up your student, please make sure they are aware of and follow the parking lot protocols.
Please review the complete Ramona Community Campus Parking Lot Protocols HERE
RCMS Bullying Prevention and Reporting
RCMS Bullying Prevention and Reporting
We encourage our students to be up-standers and if they "See Something, Say Something" to reduce bullying on our campus. We investigate all instances of bullying that are reported to our school site. If there are any concerns please email our counselor, Ms. Bishop or Principal, Mrs. Sawada, and/or complete the bullying reporting form: Online Bullying Reporting Form (If you are a parent assisting your child with completing the form, you must be signed in to their student email.)
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