You have been hearing their names since the first week of school. On Tuesday you get to meet them. Curriculum Night is September 22, and it is the one evening built for hearing each teacher explain how their own room works, what they assign, and what actually helps at home. Bring your student's printed schedule, because the night follows their timetable rather than a map. The rest of this edition is the fall filling up: a choir meeting on Monday, auditions on Saturday, a band fundraiser, and a spelling bee that will not happen unless somebody steps up to run it.

At a glance:

• 🍎 Sep 22: Curriculum Night, 6-8 PM (print your schedule first)
• 🎵 Sep 21: Choir Boosters Meeting, 6 PM at RHS
• 🔬 Sep 22: Science Club Registration Closes
• 🗺️ Sep 23: Realignment Survey Closes, 11:59 PM
• 🐝 Spelling Bee Needs a Chair
• 🎺 Sep 26: Junior All State Auditions at RMS
• 🗳️ Sep 29: Realignment Town Hall, 6 PM (online)
• 📚 Oct 9: Author Brandon Mull Visits RMS
• 🚗 RMS Band Car Wash Fundraiser
• 🎁 School and Teacher Grants Drive
• ➗ Math Club After-School Training
• 👋 Two New Board Members
• 🎨 Reflections 2026-27: "What My Culture Means to Me"
• 🎲 Grizz Den, Wednesdays After School
• 📖 Yearbook Sales Return in December
• 🥪 Be a LINKS Lunch Buddy
• 🌟 LWSF Is Seeking Ambassadors
• 💪 Volunteer Opportunities
• 🐻 Join RMS PTSA

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.

6:00 to 8:00 PM at RMS. This is the night you meet your student's teachers and hear how each class actually works: what gets assigned, how it is graded, and what helps at home.

Print your student's schedule from Skyward before you come. The evening runs as a series of short sessions that follow your student's own timetable, so without the schedule in your hand you will not know which room to be in.

• The building opens at 6:00. The Period 1 session starts at 6:15.
• Leave extra time. Traffic around the school is slow on Curriculum Night.
• Skyward Family Access help

All RMS choir families are invited to meet the director and hear how families can support this year's events and opportunities. Redmond Choir Boosters is a non-profit group supporting choir education at RMS and RHS, and its fundraising lowers the cost for families.

• Monday, September 21, 6:00 to 7:15 PM, RHS Library. Enter through the PAC doors.
• RMS families meet from 6:00 to 7:00, then RHS families join for a shared budget review and other joint business.
• Meetings are usually the third Thursday of the month in the RHS library, but check the calendar each month, because September is an exception.
• Questions? Kristine Dorrain, president@redmondchoir.org

RMS Science Club registration is open through Tuesday, September 22. Register, and find all the Parent Info Night materials, on the RMS PTSA Science Team page. It also has:

• An overview of the RMS Science Club
• Upcoming competitions
• New initiatives for this year
• Registration steps and the Interest Survey

The club held its info session on September 16 and is running for the year. It is a PTSA-supported program run by parent volunteers, and it gives students a way into science beyond the classroom through Science Olympiad, the National Science Bowl, You Be The Solution, and the Future City Competition.

Get ready to learn, compete and grow with a motivated team. Go Grizzlies! 🐻

• Questions: Scienceteam@rmsptsa.org

LWSD is running a Boundary and Enrollment Realignment Process, and the community survey closes Wednesday, September 23 at 11:59 PM. That is three days after this edition reaches you.

The district says declining birth rates, demographic shifts and changing housing patterns have left a mismatch between where students live and the capacity of its schools. The strategies under study include attendance boundary adjustments, changes in program placement, reducing reliance on portable classrooms, repurposing space, and school consolidation or closure.

This is the item in this edition most likely to change your family's school, so it is worth the ten minutes.

• Take the realignment survey and read the background by Wednesday, September 23 at 11:59 PM
• Online town hall, Tuesday, September 29 at 6:00 PM. Superintendent Dr. Jon Holmen reviews the survey results and the next steps. Details are on the same page.
• Questions? BoundaryCommittee@lwsd.org

This one is blunt. RMS will not hold a spelling bee this year unless a parent volunteers to run it. There is no chair, and without one the event comes off the calendar.

It is a contained job with a clear shape: a date, a word list, a room, and a few helpers on the day. If you have ever thought about taking on one PTSA thing, this is a good one to take, because it is finite and it plainly matters to the students who look forward to it.

• Interested, or want to ask what is actually involved first? Contact us

The Redmond Mustang Band Boosters are running a fundraiser and every dollar goes to the RMS band program, supporting performances, travel, and program costs.

• Car wash tickets are $12 each and the band keeps $9.50 of every ticket. Tickets are good for a standard wash at any Brown Bear Car Wash in the greater Puget Sound region and never expire.
• Buy car wash tickets
• Put your student's name in the form field when you buy. It is the only way the boosters know who to hand the tickets to.
• Prefer to give directly? Donate to the RMS band, and every dollar is kept.
• Questions? Ms. Ashlyn Stoddard, astoddard@lwsd.org

Our grant drive is open, and it is the fund that pays for the things classrooms ask for and the district budget does not cover.

• Donate to the School and Teacher Grant Drive
• You can also give to Music Program Support, the Library Book Purchasing Committee, or Staff Appreciation.

Prepared band students can audition for Junior All State at RMS, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM, and the PTSA covers the audition fee.

• Sign up for a recording timeslot with Ms. Stoddard, astoddard@lwsd.org

Brandon Mull, the New York Times best-selling author, visits RMS on Friday, October 9 during periods 5 and 6. He will give two back-to-back presentations in the Commons about his latest series and his writing process. The visit is sponsored by Brick and Mortar Books.

More information is coming from your student's ELA teacher.

PTSA Math Club runs year-round, coaching students for math competitions and coordinating their entries. This year the club is adding after-school training for students aiming at regional and national competitions, to get them familiar with the different contests and sharpen their skills.

• Math Club main page
• Schedule
• Competitions and registration

• Brandon Poe has joined as Co Staff Support Director, sharing the role with Ester Peter, who is also Membership Director.
• Praj Kulkarni is the new Science Team Chair.

Welcome to both, and thank you for stepping up.

National PTA's student arts program is open to every RMS student, with categories for dance choreography, film, literature, music composition, photography, and visual arts.

Sreerupa Basu is chairing Reflections again and is still looking for an assistant chair. If you enjoy student art and can give a few hours across the fall, this is a good one to take.

• RMS PTSA Reflections
• reflections@rmsptsa.org
• About Reflections | Washington State PTA Reflections

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

• Wednesdays: Grizz Den. A supervised space in the cafeteria after early release, for students to hang out with friends, play games, or do homework. No sign-up, students just show up. Students must be in the cafeteria by 1:00 PM and stay until 1:50 PM, sign in on the way in, and arrange their own ride home for 1:50. There are no organized activities and no supplies provided, so if your student is coming to play cards, they bring the cards.
• Wednesdays: early release. Daily bell schedules
• Sep 21: Choir Boosters meeting, 6:00 PM, RHS Library.
• Sep 22: Curriculum Night, 6:00 to 8:00 PM.
• Sep 22: Science Club registration closes.
• Sep 26: Junior All State auditions at RMS, 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM.
• Sep 23: Realignment survey closes, 11:59 PM.
• Sep 29: Realignment town hall, 6:00 PM, online.
• Oct 9: Brandon Mull author visit, during the school day.
• Yearbooks: more sales are coming. The September sale has closed, but the school will run additional sales periods in December and February, at $45 a copy. No copies are sold in June. Yearbooks are produced for students by students, and part of the proceeds support RMS ASB.
• 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

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

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

Become an LWSF Ambassador and help promote the Foundation's mission at your school, share news and events that benefit your community, and capture photos and videos of LWSF programs at RMS.

• Learn more or sign up | Contact Heather, heather@lwsf.org

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.