Your big year is finally here: you’re now our most experienced, most responsible and most knowledgeable group of students in the RPCS Middle School. You’ve worked hard to come this far, and we hope that you will find your 8th grade year to be the best yet! Ms. Baker, Mr. Hardcastle, Mrs. Jaspan, Mrs. Pringle, Mr. Short and Mrs. Venn are the 8th grade advisors, and each of us is eager to get to know you in class and out, and we look forward to working closely with you and your family throughout the year. Many other teachers in the Middle School interact with 8th grade students, and they too are looking forward to seeing you again in Arts, PE, Foreign Language, Skills classes, etc. We, your teachers, would like to welcome you warmly and give you an idea of what to expect this year as an 8th grader.
Fall is a very busy and exciting time in 8th grade. First of all, everyone will be getting used to her new classes, and, as you can see on your schedule, each day is going to be full! You may want to mark your calendars now for these special events that are important to 8th graders. On Friday, September 10, RPCS will host the first of several 8th grade Mixers to be held throughout the year. We look forward to meeting your parents the evening of Thursday, September 16, when they will get a taste of your schedule and activities for the year. The traditional 8th grade camping trip to The Mountain Institute (formerly Woodlands) will take place September 20-24, and even though you may have questions about your biggest outdoor adventure yet, everyone always returns from the trip with lots of great stories and fond memories shared with friends.
As the year progresses, we can look forward to many more special events. Each one of you will stand in the spotlight to deliver her 8th Grade Speech; this will be one of the most memorable moments in Middle School for you, and your mentor will work with you to craft the perfect speech. Your class will establish relationships with students at Barclay Elementary School for our community outreach project, and we are already looking forward to the many fun activities we do with those friends at Barclay. Eighth graders engage in an in-depth study of Human Rights, and throughout the year, your class will meet to learn more about this fascinating and controversial topic. You and your family can regularly check the 8th Grade homepage off of the Middle School tab of our RPCS Intranet to see a calendar of assessment dates for classes and to access teacher and class websites.
While we will together enjoy the privileges and challenges of 8th grade, it is also important that we prepare you for the transition to Upper School. Particularly during the spring semester, we will have several occasions to talk about aspects of Upper School life, and your teachers will guide you in designing your Upper School schedule. As a part of your preparation for success in Upper School, 8th graders get to take not one, but two sets of exams this year: one in December and the other in late May; your teachers will help you prepare with confidence for these exams.
Before you know it, you will be standing on the stage June 3 in your white dress at Closing Exercises for the Middle School. The year is going to go so fast for you, so we encourage you now to rest and relax and get excited for a great year ahead – one that will be full of good friends, new experiences and exceptional opportunities!
Sincerely,
Team 8