Welcome Back- 8/22/25
Tina Cortis
Contents
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Welcome Back to School Message from Principal Manning
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RAMS Open Building Presentation for Rising 6th Graders, New Students, and Parents/Caregivers
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Drop Off & Pick Up
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How To Report Absences & Tardies
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Grade 6 Survival Guide
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PTO Newsletter
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RAMS 2025 - 2026 Student Schedule Information & Supply Lists
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The RAMS Drama Club Announces Auditions for the Fall 2025 One-Acts: Justice for Pluto & Haters
- RAMS Athletics
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RAMS Summer Reading Reminder
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Mark Your Calendar
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RAMS Think it Over
Welcome Back to School Message from Principal Manning
Welcome back, RAMS families! We are so glad to be welcoming our new 6th graders and their families, and welcoming back our 7th and 8th graders and their families. As we begin the year, we’ll continue to center our CARE values—compassion, acceptance, respect, and effort—which guide how we learn, grow, and support one another. Middle school is such a unique and special time—full of energy, curiosity, and growth—and I feel truly privileged to share this journey with you at RAMS.
RAMS Open Building Presentation for Rising 6th Graders, New Students, and Parents/Caregivers
We welcomed many new faces to the building yesterday for our Open Building Presentation and Guided Tours. As promised, we are including a link to the presentation below.
Drop Off & Pick Up
Parents should drop off and pick up students at the Woodland Street or Linden Street loops. Parents should drop off students in the loop and otherwise should not park, stop or drop off on Linden Street itself in order to ensure that students are dropped off safely and buses can proceed from the bus exit without interference. The main parking lot is reserved for buses and employees during drop off and dismissal times. When using the loops, parents must pull up to the curb so that students will not walk in front of or in the back of cars. Students will be required to stay on sidewalks at all times and will not be permitted to walk in the parking lot area. Parents are urged to remind students about pedestrian safety and to exercise extreme caution when driving on school premises. The Fire Department emphasizes that there is no parking in the fire lanes at any time, and the Police Department stresses the importance of not impeding traffic on Woodland or Linden Street by parking or stopping. Both Linden and Woodland Street have one way entrances, exits. Please be mindful of those locations when entering and exiting the RAMS parking lot.
How To Report Absences & Tardies
If your child will not be in or late to school, you have several options for reporting your child's absence or tardiness. Please be aware that if you report your child's absence or tardiness by 9:15 a.m., you will not receive a notification from Bright Arrow indicating that your child has been reported absent.
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Call in your child's absence or tardiness. Our RAMS Absentee mailbox is (508) 429-0657; press option 3. Please leave your child's name, grade, and reason for your child's absence.
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Email us your child's absence or tardiness. Send an email to ramsattendance@holliston.k12.ma.us. Again, please leave your child's name and grade and the reason for your child's absence.
Early Dismissals
We have implemented an easy and efficient new online dismissal system to run RAMS more efficiently. When you fill out this easy Google form, the online dismissal system informs our front office staff of your child's dismissal before arrival. This allows time for us to call your child's classroom and have them ready when you arrive to pick them up.
Rather than calling the office or having them bring a note to school, if you need to dismiss your child before the end of the school day, please fill out our online dismissal form as soon as you know you will need to dismiss your child. The form can be filled out days or weeks in advance and can be used for multiple dismissals to accommodate recurring appointments. It allows us to monitor and organize dismissals throughout the day. It has been extremely helpful on busy days when classes might enjoy the outside in the good weather or exam days. The more advance notice you give us, the better. And while we understand that there may be a day when a student needs to be dismissed last minute, the advance notice this dismissal system gives us is a massive help as we work to dismiss students promptly.
Click here to access the online dismissal form. You may also visit our RAMS website and click on About. This will give you a drop-down menu, and the last item on that drop-down menu is Dismissal Form. Fill out the information, click Submit, and that's it! The information will be forwarded to our front office staff. Thank you for helping RAMS run more efficiently!
Grade 6 Survival Guide
Dear Parents and Families of Rising 6th Graders,
We are thrilled to announce that our veteran teachers, Mrs. Ditto-Kustwan and Mrs. Going, have created a new resource for rising 6th graders and families, designed specifically to support your transition into Robert Adams Middle School! Please check out the website and explore the valuable information we’ve prepared for you. We are super excited to welcome you and your child to our community! Stay tuned for the next edition of our newsletter, coming in early August, which will provide all the details for our Open Building Day at RAMS. This event will offer another opportunity to tour the school and ask any questions you may have.
PTO Newsletter
Click the link below for the latest news from the PTO. Inside this newsletter, you’ll find:
- Key dates for the start of the year
- Volunteer Signups for the first few weeks of school
- A quick link to renew your PTO membership (we’d love to have you back!)
For my educator friends, the Staff Back to School Breakfast is on Monday, August 25th.
UPDATES: RAMS 2025 - 2026 Student Schedule Information & Supply Lists
Student Schedule Information: The student and parent Power School portal will be opening Monday, August 11, 2025 at 12:00pm. If you have a question about your student's schedule please contact the counselors who will be in school and available by email on August 20th and 21st. Please note that emails will not be returned prior to August 20th.
Counselor assignments for the 25-26 school year are as follows:
Grade 6, Mr. Almeida - almeidat@holliston.k12.ma.us
Grade 7, Mrs. Smith - smithk@holliston.k12.ma.us
Grade 8, Mrs. Gavan - gavana@holliston.k12.ma.us
Supply Lists: We're excited to share that the updated class supply lists are ready! Please click the appropriate link below.
The RAMS Drama Club Announces Auditions for the Fall 2025 One-Acts: Justice for Pluto & Haters
Auditions for the fall 2025 One-Acts will be held after school on Monday, September 8th and Tuesday, September 9th. Performances will be on Friday, 10/24 and Saturday, 10/25. Audition materials will be available in Room 115 starting on the first day of school, and signup sheets will be posted on the Drama bulletin board. Flyer attached. Thank you!
RAMS Athletics
Calling All Field Hockey Players:
We are looking for some more players for a full field hockey roster this season. If you're interested or have any questions, please reach out to Sarah Doiron - contact info below.
Attention Middle School Athletes:
Registration for fall sports will be August 11 @ 8am for Volleyball (7th & 8th), Field Hockey (6-8th), and Cross Country (6-8th). Schedules for the fall season are listed below along with the link to our athletics website where registration is. If you have any questions please contact Sarah Doiron, our athletic coordinator. doirons@holliston.k12.ma.us
Be Part of the Action! We are in search of coaches for this fall at RAMS. The following positions are open:
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Field Hockey Head & Assistant Coach
If you are interested in filling a position, splitting a position with another person, or if any names come to mind please do have them reach out to taylorr@holliston.k12.ma.us and I will answer any questions.
Fall Sports Night for parents/caregivers will be held on Tuesday, September 2 from 6:00 - 7:00pm in the RAMS Auditorium.
Summer Reading Reminder for All RAMS Students and Families
Please remember that summer reading is due upon return to school!
REQUIRED:
ALL STUDENTS 6-8 should have finished reading two books of their choice for the summer.
For 8th GRADERS ONLY: choose one fiction book and one nonfiction book.
ALL STUDENTS 6-8 must turn in the Summer Reading Form to their English teachers during the opening weeks of school. English teachers will announce a final due date for their classes. Parents will need to sign off that students completed their summer reading.
OPTIONAL:
ALL STUDENTS 6-8 have the option to complete the extra credit activities and submit their work to their English teachers. The optional extra credit must also be turned in for credit. Your child's English teacher will let them know how to submit their optional extra credit work when school starts in August.
We are so excited to see you next week!
Mark Your Calendars
August
25 Opening Day for Staff
26 Opening Day for Students (½ Day for Students)
28 Opening Day for Students PreK/K
28 School Committee
September
1 Labor Day
2 Parent Sports Night @ 6:00 pm in RAMS Auditorium
4 School Picture Day
11 School Committee
12 PD Day-District, No School for Students
17 Open House
23 Rosh Hashanah - No School
25 School Committee