ERMS Newsletter August 8, 2025
ERMS Orientation
Adam Burkholder - Principal
aburkholder@rockfordschools.org
Derek Dillon - Assistant Principal
Jennifer Domagalski-Athletic Director/Student Activities
jdomagalski@rockfordschools.org
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Hello East Middle School families,
Thank you for your continued partnership and support. East Middle School remains committed to learning, growth, and fostering strong relationships with students and their families.
Learning and Support
Students are engaging in clear, purposeful instruction focused on essential skills and success criteria. Our staff works collaboratively to monitor progress and provide timely support or extension, so every student is known and supported. We intentionally create opportunities each day for students to learn, reflect, and get better through instruction, feedback, and practice.
Student Culture
We are proud of the many positive behaviors we see across classrooms and common spaces. At the same time, classroom disruptions remain our most significant hindrance to learning. We will continue to address these behaviors directly and coach students toward meeting expectations so classrooms remain focused and productive.
Reminders
Parent-teacher conferences will be held on February 4 in person and February 5 virtually. We strongly encourage parents and guardians to sign up and attend, especially if you have questions or have not yet had the opportunity to meet your student’s teachers. Having families in the building matters and strengthens our partnership.
Please continue to check the school calendar and weekly updates for additional important dates and events. Regular attendance and arriving on time make a meaningful difference for students.
If you have questions or concerns, we encourage you to reach out. Strong communication helps us best support your child.
Thank you for the opportunity to serve.
Adam Burkholder
Principal
East Rockford Middle School
PT conferences will be held February 4th and 5th. The link to "School Bookings" to reserve your time slot with your student's teachers will be sent on Friday.
Reservations will close Tuesday, February 3rd at 3:00 p.m.
East Rockford Middle School will host a Scholastic Book Fair from January 30 to February 6 in the library! Students will shop with their ELA classes. Families can also shop our online fair at this link: East Rockford Middle Book Fair. Online orders ship directly to your home and still benefit our school! We’ll be open during Parent/Teacher Conferences on February 4 from 3:30–6:30 PM so families can shop together after school. To make checkout easy, you can set up a Scholastic eWallet,ahead of time, which is a secure, cash-free way for students to shop. Create one through our Book Fair homepage and add funds. If you had one for the last fair, you will need to log in and move any remaining funds to this fair before your student can access it.
Counselors will be visiting current 6th and 7th grade students to talk about course requests for the 2026/2027 school year in the next couple of weeks. Look for those forms to come home.
Current 8th graders will have meetings with Freshman Center counselors on February 11.
Upcoming Parent Advisory Council Meeting
Thursday, February 12th
9:00 a.m.
Location: TBD
350 N. Main St.
attendance at ERMS
Policy for picking up your student DURING the school day:
Please have your student come to the main office to pick up their pass when they arrive at school in the morning. A note stating the time they need to leave is helpful in case they forget the time they are leaving. This policy is to discourage calling into classrooms and interrupting teacher instruction. When you arrive to pick up your student please wait in the vestibule for them and sign them out on our sign out sheet. If your student is sick or unable to attend school for the whole day please leave a message on our attendance line 616-863-6140 stating the reason for the absence. Please spell your student's first and last name during your call.
"Strive for less than 5"
