Hello Roth Junior High Families,

For the majority of my career, I spent 30-45 minutes traveling to and from work. I used that early morning time to prepare for the day ahead. I used the afternoon/evening ride home to reflect on what went well, and what needed to improve. My commute is down to less than five minutes. This morning, I stared up at the early morning sky. The moon had not yet set. The stars were bright. I reviewed the week’s events, and I thought about areas to improve upon.

Please consider this plea from your Roth Junior High building leaders. At the close of Week 7, we have encountered numerous examples of student social media activity negatively impacting our school community. Students are posting and reposting. They are "liking" and hitting "Send." While many of our students are responsible users of social media, we continue to recognize a need for some students' social media use to be monitored, filtered, and restricted. At school, we are working to maintain consistency with our "Off and Away" device policy. However, we are unable to extend our work beyond the school day without your support. In truth, we need your support during the school day to keep our students focused on teaching and learning. 

When one of our students -- or a group of friends -- engages in drama, gossip, rumor-spreading, intimidation, harassment, etc. on social media, the effect on others is not always being considered. I am asking you to take some time this weekend to remind your students that what they say (and write) matters. What they post about another person matters. I am asking you to remind our students that there are feelings attached to the subject of those posts, group chats and messages. Though they may be screens and miles apart at night, they share the same classes, halls and common areas on campus. 

Most of the conflict that we are attempting to mediate at Roth is a direct result of social media behavior that started outside of school. So, please consider this plea. Remind our students to practice responsible human citizenship when they communicate on various platforms. I would much rather we be unpopular with our kids for a few nights or weeks than to continue this feeling of helplessness that results from unsupervised and unfiltered social media access. Thank you for your support.

And here are a few reminders and upcoming events.

Student Council Fall Fun Day (Friday, October 18, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m.): Student Council is excited to enjoy an excellent evening tonight at Roth. There will be a selection of activities available for students to participate in. Some of the options include matball in the large gym, giant games, board games and a movie in the auditorium. Snacks will be provided. This event is limited to current Roth Junior High students. I’m looking forward to a great night with our students and staff!

Coffee with the Principal (Saturday, October 19): This is a new opportunity for families to engage with each other, and with me. For this first offering, we will meet from 9 - 10 a.m. tomorrow, Saturday, October 19. Feel free to bring your own coffee or snack, but I will also make coffee, hot water and tea available to all who attend. This is a parent/guardian meeting. I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow morning.

Student Clubs: I highly recommend extracurricular club participation. Please click here for Roth Junior High’s student clubs. Student clubs provide an opportunity for students to connect with their peers and our faculty around common interest areas. Clubs also help students to connect and socialize. The majority of Roth clubs meet monthly after school, on Mondays, Tuesdays or Thursdays. Students can find sign-up sheets for our clubs outside of the classroom of the club advisor/s. Students who stay after school for a club will be given a pass for the appropriate late bus. Late buses typically leave campus by 3:45 PM. For more information about a specific club, please encourage your student to email or contact the advisor directly. Families can also contact club advisors using the appropriate email from our Staff Directory.  

Washington D.C. Trip Update (from the Advisors): Attention 8th Grade Parents/Guardians, the Washington D.C. buses are filling up. The Washington D.C. trip will be from Wednesday, May 14 - Friday, May 16, 2025. Please remember to have students hand in both the blue and yellow permission slips, as well as a check or money order made out to Roth Junior High to either Ms. Flood or Mr. Mallaber by November 1 to secure a spot. There are two payment options to choose from. With either payment plan, there will be an opportunity to fundraise November 1- 22. There will be more information coming soon regarding this opportunity. Please reach out via email to Mr. Mallaber or Ms. Flood with any questions. 

• Payment Option 1: $134.44 due by November 1; $219 due by December 18; $220 due by February 28, 2025. 
• Payment Option 2: $303.44 due by November 1; $270 due by February 28, 2025. 

Device Policy & Behavioral Leadership: This week, I’d like to share about both of these topics in one paragraph. Students are doing a nice job managing their device use and following our school policy. Student devices should be stored in their lockers, and only accessed during passing time. Though we continue to have individual reminder conversations as needed, the frequency of these reminders has decreased. I believe this is a result of our families affirming to students that Roth’s primary purpose is to grow their academic potential. We are better able to do our part because you are doing yours. Thank you. Additionally, we are experiencing positive outcomes from our refined Behavioral Leadership system. The goal of this system is to shape student behavior, while communicating regularly with families and inviting them to participate at each level of interaction. Our goal is to keep students engaged and active in their learning. A fantastic effect of this goal is the development of supportive relationships between students and the adults they work most closely with at Roth Junior High. 

SHS Spotlight Theatre Fall Play (October 25-26)
Rush-Henrietta Senior High School’s Spotlight Theatre presents Last Day of School by Ian McWethy. Enjoy the hilarious and heartwarming antics that take place on the last day of school. During morning announcements, a challenge is issued to all students to seize the moment and make it count. There will also be a fast-paced, comedic feature titled, “Bullies Anonymous," by E.M. Bell. Come and see our talented students perform!

Shows are scheduled for 7 p.m. Friday, October 25, and 2 p.m. Saturday, October 26. ASL interpretation is available on Saturday. Tickets are $10 and general admission. The show includes a few profanities and likely will be most enjoyable for ages 10 and older. Buy your tickets today at rhnet.org/lastday. We hope to see you there!

Make A Difference Day (Saturday, November 2): The Town of Henrietta and the Rush-Henrietta Central School District are joining together once again for “Make A Difference Day,” the annual National Day of Caring. All Rush-Henrietta schools will be accepting donations of non-perishable food products and personal care items during the week of October 28-November 1. This year’s Day of Caring will be held on Saturday, November 2 at the R-H Senior High School. Roth Junior High is happy to join our community in supporting this community service cause. Families can donate the following non-perishable food products and personal care items to the Roth main office. Please be sure your donations are in a bag or box so that we can transfer to the Senior High School. 

• Mac and cheese
• Packs of ramen
• Mashed potato flakes
• Hearty/chunky soups
• Canned fruit
• Canned veggies
• Laundry soap

Please click on the following links for more information: Food Collection; Clothing Drive; and, Volunteer Request. 

Picture Retake Day (Wednesday, October 30): This is for any student who did not get their picture taken during the first visit from our photographers, or who wish to retake their photo.