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April 29-May 1 - History 7 Field Trip (students attend one day by team)
May 6 - Reading 7/8 SOL
May 8 - Science 8 SOL
May 9 - Music Department Trip to Kings Dominion
May 12-13 - SOL Makeups
May 14 - Math SOL
May 15-16 - SOL Makeups
May 21 - 8th Grade NJHS Ceremony, 3 PM
May 22 - Last Day of After-School Activities and Late Buses
May 29- 8th Grade Spring Family Night, 6:00-7:30pm
May 30 - 8th Grade End of Year Party, 6 - 8 PM
2. A Note from the Principal
Dear Rocky Run Community-
We are back into the swing of things after a restful spring break! Somehow one week off just doesn't seem long enough. I popped into the building a few times over break to get caught up on some lingering items, and each time I marveled at our hard-working custodial staff that was busily getting the building and grounds in shape for the sprint to the end of the year. They take immense pride in the appearance of our building, and I am grateful from their dedication.
Even though spring break was a time to rest and relax, two important events in the Christian calendar occurred last week. Good Friday was on April 18, and is the day on which Christians annually observe the commemoration of the Crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Good Friday is a day of mourning. During special Good Friday services Christians meditate on Jesus's suffering and death on the cross, and what this means for their faith. Good Friday is the precursor to Easter Sunday, which fell on April 20. I join the entire RRMS community in wishing a joyous Easter to all the Rams that celebrate. The springtime celebration of Easter is the most important Christian holiday. It commemorates the resurrection of Jesus, who sacrificed so that Christians may have life with God after death. If anyone is looking to get rid of their surplus of Reese's Eggs, I will gladly take them off your hands!
Finally, This past week (April 21-25), we celebrated Administrative Professional Appreciation Week. Rocky Run would not be the school that it is without the hard work and community focus from AJ Ries, Carol Cutler, Will Martin, Hannie Gonzalez, Carol Chrzanowski, and Cleo White. Our staff honored their dedication with gifts of flowers, cards, banners, food, etc! They truly are the BEST office staff in FCPS and one week is not long enough to celebrate the important role they serve in our community.
As always, thank you for your continued partnership and please do not hesitate to contact me if you have questions. I look forward to seeing you at RRMS soon.
Sincerely,
Peter Kownacki
Principal
Rocky Run Middle School
@pakownacki
3. Action Items for Families
Get Your Yearbook Today!
Order your yearbook online before it’s too late! Get yours now before they sell out.
Buy online now at https://prod.yboc.varsity.com/
School Code: 5333
Save the date!
8th Grade Spring Family Night will be held on Thursday, May 29th from 6-7:30. We hope to see you there! Keep watching this space for more updates!
4. Student Celebrations
Rams on a Roll- March
Each month, teams identify two students who have exemplified our RAISE attributes throughout the month by being Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, Safe, and Engaged. These students are consistently Raising the Ram both in and out of the classroom! Congratulations to our Rams on a Roll for January:
Team Emerald: Hannah Foster and Jayden Li
Team Meteors: Yaseen Masri and Rose Ria Putti
Team Platinum: Juan (JJ) Ortiz Tabares and Abigail Zhang
Team Kryptonite: Sia Vadakkoot
Team Sapphire: Izzy Alonge and Jonah Hilbert
Team Tigers Eye: Tate Dalton and Ava Khamis
RAISE the Ram Card Winners
Congratulations to this week's Ram card winners:
Sarah Pettyjohn (Respectful and Engaged)
Fran Valencia (Engaged)
Alison Yan (Engaged)
Charlie Gurson (Engaged)
Jamie Nowicki (Respectful, Accountable, and Egnaged)
Abigail Solomon (Respectful, Accountable, Inclusive, and Engaged)
Great job Raising the Ram!
 Mark your calendars for our 8th Grade End of Year Party. This event is only open to current Rocky Run 8th graders (no former students, family members, siblings, etc.). More details are coming soon.
We are looking for a few parents/guardians who are interested in helping with our party planning. This would involve some after-school planning meetings, event coordination, and day-of decorating. If party planning is an interest of yours, please reach out to Shannon Campbell at SLCampbell@fcps.edu. There will be other volunteer and donation opportunities for this event and that sign-up will be posted in the next couple of weeks.
5. Student Services Updates
Spring Standards of Learning (SOL)
State assessments measure the extent to which students have learned the content and skills reflected in state standards and may also be used to measure growth in learning state standards. These include:
- Spring Standards of Learning (SOL) standardized tests in reading, mathematics, and science, including an integrated reading and writing (IRW) component;
- Ongoing local alternative assessments (LAAs) completed as part of classroom instruction in science, and social studies;
- SOL-aligned growth assessments completed as part of classroom instruction in mathematics and reading;
More information about these assessments can be found on the following webpages:
Test Dates for Rocky Run Middle School are scheduled as follows:
- May 6 – Reading SOL (7th and 8th)
- May 8 – Science SOL (8th grade only)
- May 14 – Math SOL (Math7 – Algebra 2)
Retake Parent Permissions Needed:
Retesting is available with parent permission when a student fails their first SOL attempt with a score of 375-399. (A score of 400 is considered passing for SOL tests.) To better facilitate the remediation and retake process, we need to know ahead of time if you give your child permission to retest. If you haven’t already, please submit your decision using the Parent Digital Consent application (https://www.fcps.edu/family-resources/technology/digital-resources/consent). (You will need your SIS ParentVUE account login.) Alternatively, if you do not have a ParentVUE account, you can submit your decision on this GOOGLE FORM. We will notify you in May if your child qualifies for a retest.
If you have questions about state assessments, contact your student’s counselor or Ashleigh Kim (askim@fcps.edu), the school test coordinator.
Spring 2025 Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Screener Results Now Available
Students in grades 3-12 took the SEL Screener during the month of March, providing information on their SEL skills like achieving goals, understanding and managing emotions, establishing and maintaining relationships, and making responsible decisions. The screener also asks students how well their school community makes them feel valued, included, and supported.
Individual student SEL Screener results are now available to families in the Documents section of SIS ParentVUE. For families who do not have an active ParentVUE account, results will be sent via postal mail.
For support in understanding your individual student’s results or for ideas on how to support them at home, please review the Family Guide or reach out to your child’s school counselor with any questions.
2025 Summer Camps and Learning Programs
Have you made summer plans for your child yet? Are you looking for a camp for your child with special needs?
The FCPS Family Resource Center has compiled information on summer camps including local options, camps for students with special needs (sorted by need), and camps for students experiencing grief or who have parents in the military.
FCPS Summer Camp Offerings
Registration is now open for many summer camps and learning opportunities offered by FCPS for all students.
Career and Technical Education (CTE) camps and Institute for the Arts (IFTA) camps will be held in July at Lake Braddock Secondary School from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Free bus transportation will be available from select FCPS middle and high schools. Visit these sites for more information:
Find session dates and registration links and deadlines on the FCPS summer programs webpage.
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact your child’s school counselor:
Esther Bae, eybae@fcps.edu
Meteors Team (7th Grade) & Tigers Eye Team (8th Grade)
Halissa Jacobson, hdjacobson@fcps.edu
Platinum Team (7th Grade) & Kryptonite Team (8th Grade)
Lorraine Marshall, ljmarshall@fcps.edu
Emerald Team (7th Grade) & Sapphire (8th Grade)
6. Instructional Updates
RRMS Talent Show
Come audition for the talent show! There are still spots available for Monday’s audition. The rehearsals are next Wednesday or Thursday, depending on which act you are placed in. The show is next Friday evening (May 2) at 7pm. See Mrs. Pafumi or Mrs. Slevin for more information and an application form. Audition forms say they are due Friday, but if you can get it to Mrs. Pafumi before first period on Monday she will take it! Come show off what you can do! See the All Student Schoology for more information and a link to the audition form.
Questions? Email mfpafumi@fcps.edu or agslevin@fcps.edu
7. After-School Program Information
- After-School Schedule: Week of 4/28
- Upcoming high school opportunities. 7th and 8th graders are welcome - regardless of which high school they are attending. Students must be logged into their fcpsschools account to access these forms.
- Mark your calendars: the last day of after-school activities for this school year will be Thursday, 5/22.
- Late buses will depart Monday - Thursday between 4:45 - 5:00 PM. Routes differ from regular AM/PM buses as there are fewer late buses and fewer stops. Routes are posted on the After-School Schoology Course. Please make sure your student knows their late bus number prior to staying after.
- Check out our Program Preview for information on program times, pick-up, etc.
After-School Program Questions? Contact Shannon Campbell, After-School Program Specialist, at SLCampbell@fcps.edu
At this time, we are not currently accepting registrations for the VIP Summer Camps as this program may not be available or may be restructured. The current Fairfax County budget proposal includes eliminating funding for the Middle School After-School Program Specialists who design and run the VIP summer camps.
8. Community Corner
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