One week down and the building already sounds like RMS again. This edition is mostly about what happens next: a fall sports deadline on Tuesday that does not move, an instrument rental night the same evening, and your first PTSA meeting of the year on the 15th, where members vote on the budget. Enjoy the long weekend, and then let's get going.

At a glance:

• 🐻 Join RMS PTSA: Membership Drive Is Open!
• 👋 Meet Your 2026-27 PTSA Board
• 🎒 Sep 7: No School, Labor Day
• 🗳️ Sep 7: Redmond Budget Questionnaire Closes
• 👟 Sep 8: Fall Sports FinalForms Deadline
• 🎺 Sep 8: Band and Orchestra Info and Rental Night, 6 PM
• ⏰ Sep 9: Early Release Wednesdays Begin
• 🍂 Sep 14 - Nov 6: Fall Sports Season
• 🗣️ Sep 15: General PTSA Meeting, 6:30 PM
• 📝 Sep 15: Skyward Directory Opt-Out Deadline
• 🔬 Sep 16: Science Club Info Session, 7 PM (online)
• 📸 Sep 18: Picture Day (volunteers needed)
• 🍎 Sep 22: Curriculum Night, 6-8 PM
• 🎼 Sep 26: Junior All State Auditions at RMS
• 🎨 Reflections 2026-27 Theme Announced
• 🥪 Be a LINKS Lunch Buddy
• 🌟 LWSF Is Seeking Ambassadors
• 💪 Volunteer Opportunities

As always, remember to check out our PTSA website rmsptsa.org and RMS Facebook page for the latest news, programs, and information. Send email inquiries to board@rmsptsa.org. And now... on to the good stuff!

🇲🇽 Lea las traducciones al español de este boletín en nuestro sitio web en los archivos.

Start here: https://rmsptsa.org/Packet/Join

Welcome to all our new Grizzly families, and welcome back to our returning ones! Our first ask of the year is also our easiest: join the RMS PTSA. Membership is what powers Math Club, Science Team, Drama, Spelling Bee, Reflections, staff appreciation, family events, and the grants and programs that make RMS a warmer place for every student. It also pays for things you may not see, such as the Junior All State audition fees covered for our band students later this month.

Joining takes about five minutes. Sign up online, tell us what you're interested in, and you're done.

This is the one we hear most. Becoming a member does not sign you up for anything. Plenty of our members simply add their name, pay the dues, and let their membership do the work. If you do want to help out, wonderful (there's a box for that), but a membership is just a membership.

• Read 10 Myths About Joining the PTSA
• Read about the benefits and discounts that come with being a PTSA member

RMS families have donated membership scholarships for families and staff facing financial challenges. They hope you'll join! Scholarships are first-come, first-served with no application process. Simply choose the "Scholarship" product during the Join process.

Employer matching can double your dues and gifts; see the Bear Paw Fund section for details.

RMS PTSA is a 501(c)(3) organization. Membership fees and donations are tax deductible.

Questions? Email board@rmsptsa.org.

A big thank-you to the parents and guardians who stepped up to lead your PTSA this year. Say hello if you see them in the building.

Good news since our last edition: the open VP of Fundraising role has been filled. Please join us in welcoming Cristin Schmidt and Cori Park, who are taking it on together as co-VPs. Thank you both for stepping up.

If your student wants to play a fall sport, Tuesday, September 8 is the last day to register. RMS will not accept registrations after that date. Sign up through FinalForms. The fall season runs September 14 through November 6.

• Tryout sports: boys tennis, boys basketball, girls basketball (24 athletes each), girls soccer (40 athletes)
• Cross country (boys and girls): the non-tryout fall sport

Sports physicals are also due September 8. A physical is good for two years and must be on file before your athlete participates. Clinics fill up fast.

Payment isn't due at registration. Athletic fees are paid after tryouts, once your athlete makes a team, through online payments or the ASB office. Scholarships are available: contact rcady@lwsd.org.

Transportation change this year. Rising costs mean RMS ASB will no longer bus every sport:

• Buses run for: cross country, wrestling, track, soccer
• Families drive to away games for: basketball, tennis, badminton, volleyball

RMS will ask for parent volunteers to help coordinate carpools so every student can compete. If you can drive or help organize, say yes when the call goes out.

• RMS Athletics | LWSD Middle School Athletic Calendar
• Questions? Athletic Director Rathan Mahendran, rmahendran@lwsd.org

New to band or orchestra? Come to the RMS Gym at 6:00 PM on Tuesday, September 8. The evening is aimed at 6th grade band and orchestra families, and at new instrumental students in any grade.

The music teachers will give a 30 minute presentation on the things that Curriculum Night has no room for: program costs and supplies, fundraising goals, performance opportunities, scholarships, and how to reach them about your child. Then there is time to meet them.

Vendors will be on site to help you rent an instrument and pick up the supplies your student needs. This is also the night to arrange a school-owned instrument if your family needs financial assistance.

Questions? Ms. Ashlyn Stoddard, Director of Bands, astoddard@lwsd.org.

Our first general membership meeting of the year is Tuesday, September 15, 6:30 to 7:30 PM, in the RMS Library and online. Everyone is encouraged to attend.

• Hear the PTSA's goals for the year and an update from Principal Bede
• Members vote on the 2026-27 budget and standing rules
• Meet other RMS parents

General meetings are where members vote, so this is the one to attend if you want a say in how your PTSA spends its year. Have an agenda item? Contact us at least a week ahead.

Can't make it to the building? Joining online is as easy as signing in to Teams. The link is on our meetings page, so you can be in the room from a laptop or a phone with no drive and no sitter.

• Meeting schedule and the virtual meeting link

The RMS Science Club is kicking off the year and wants to meet you. Come to an online information session on Wednesday, September 16, 7:00 to 8:00 PM, held on Microsoft Teams.

The Science Club is a PTSA-supported program run by parent volunteers. It gives students a way into science beyond the classroom, including competitions:

• Science Olympiad
• National Science Bowl
• You Be The Solution
• Future City Competition

The session covers what the club does, the competition pathways open to students, and the ways parents can help. That last one matters: this club exists because parents run it.

• Join the Science Club info session on Teams
• Questions: Scienceteam@rmsptsa.org

The short version of what's coming at RMS. The school posts the full details on ParentSquare.

• Sep 7: No school, Labor Day.
• Sep 9: Early release Wednesdays begin. Every Wednesday from here on is an early release day. Daily bell schedules
• Sep 15: Skyward directory opt-out deadline. If you want your student's information withheld from the directory, set it in Skyward by September 15. This renews every year. Skyward Family Access · FERPA details
• Sep 18: Picture Day. Ordering is open now at mydorian.com: search Redmond Middle School, then use the green Order button. Orders can be placed up to two days after picture day at no extra charge. Volunteers are needed to help the day run.
• Sep 22: Curriculum Night, 6:00 to 8:00 PM. Meet your student's teachers and learn how to support their learning at home. The building opens at 6:00 and the Period 1 session starts at 6:15. Print your student's schedule from Skyward before you come. Skyward Family Access help
• Sep 26: Junior All State auditions at RMS, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. Prepared band students can audition, and the PTSA covers the audition fee. Sign up for a recording timeslot with Ms. Stoddard.
• ASB memberships and yearbooks are on sale now. Yearbooks are $45 and are presale only, so no copies are available in June.
• Still catching up in Skyward? Verify phone numbers, emails, and emergency contacts, and complete the Nurse Alert form, which the district asks every family to submit even if your child has no condition.
• Free and reduced price meal applications must be redone every year. Apply online or use the paper application and email F-RMealapp@lwsd.org.

New to RMS? ParentSquare · Skyward Family Access · Daily Bell Schedules

National PTA has announced this year's Reflections theme: "What My Culture Means to Me." Reflections is the PTA's student arts program, open to every RMS student, with categories for dance choreography, film, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts. Last year fourteen LWSD student artists were recognized at the state level.

Sreerupa Basu is chairing Reflections again this year, and she is looking for an assistant chair to help run it. If you enjoy student art and can give a few hours across the fall, this is a good one to take. Email reflections@rmsptsa.org.

RMS entry details and our local deadline are coming in a future edition. The RMS round usually runs September through November, so there is time to make something.

• About Reflections | Washington State PTA Reflections

The good stuff comes fast, and to be ready for it you need to be LWSD-Volunteer-Approved. This is for the safety of our students and staff; approval status is verified before every event.

The online application takes 5 to 8 minutes and all you need is some personal info and an electronic copy or photo of your ID. Approval can take a week or more to come through, and it's valid for two years. If you need to apply for the first time or renew, please do it now.

• Start or renew your LWSD volunteer application
• Volunteering in LWSD: application process, checking whether your approval is still valid, and other district opportunities
• Find RMS PTSA opportunities

Picture Day runs smoothly when parents help it run smoothly. We need volunteers to help check students in and keep the lines moving on Friday, September 18. It is a few hours, it is indoors, and you will see a lot of Grizzly faces.

• Sign up for a Picture Day slot
• Remember: you must be LWSD-Volunteer-Approved before the day. If you have not applied or renewed, start above.

LWSD is looking for Lunch Buddy mentors: one lunch a week with a student who could use a friendly adult in their corner. It is one of the lowest commitment, highest impact volunteer roles in the district, and training is provided.

• Learn more about LINKS | lunchbuddy@lwsd.org | 425-936-1410

Calling all adults who care about students! Become an LWSF Ambassador and help promote the Foundation's mission at your local school, share news and events that benefit your community, and capture photos and videos of LWSF programs at RMS. It's a volunteer role with a real ripple effect.

• Learn more or sign up | Contact Heather, heather@lwsf.org
• Why one parent became an ambassador

Last call. The city is building its 2027-2028 biennial budget and wants community input. It takes about five minutes and closes Monday, September 7.

• Take the questionnaire
• Questions? communications@redmond.gov or 425-556-2126

Bear Tracks Newsletter is produced by RMS PTSA as a benefit to the Redmond Middle School Community. Bear Tracks is edited by Neil C. Obremski. Please submit articles via the Bear Tracks Online Submission Form. Articles are due on Thursdays, by 5:00 PM for publication the following Sunday. Direct all inquiries to beartracks@rmsptsa.org.