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
Dear ERMS Parents and Students:
Welcome to the 2025–2026 School Year! I'm so excited to welcome our students, families, and staff back for another incredible year at East. Whether you’re joining us for the first time or returning for another chapter, you are an important part of what makes our school such a great place to learn and grow.At East, our focus is simple: Every student, every strategy, every day. That means we’re committed to knowing our learners, using our best teaching practices, and making sure every student has what they need to succeed, both in and out of the classroom.Middle school is such a unique and exciting time, full of discovery, friendships, and opportunities to explore new interests. Our job is to make sure every student feels supported, challenged, and connected every single day.Thank you for trusting us with your children and for partnering with us in their journey. Here’s to a year filled with learning, laughter, and growth—let’s make it our best yet!
Adam Burkholder
Principal
East Rockford Middle School
Orientation Dates & Times
All orientations are open house style and should take your child less than an hour to complete.
***STUDENT SCHEDULES will be available on Family Access for ERMS Students on Tuesday, August 19th.***
- Schedule changes will ONLY be made for students who have a hole in their schedule or who were scheduled for a class that the student has already taken.
- Schedule changes will NOT be made for switching electives or requesting a teacher.
If you'd like to make an optional donation for staff and student recognition, please bring cash or personal check (made out to East Rockford Middle School). Students who make a $30 or greater donation receive a t-shirt. These funds are used to fund various activities, supplies, food and prizes throughout the year.
7th & 8th Grade Student Orientation
- Tuesday, August 19th 8:00 am - 11:00 am
6th Grade Student Orientation
- Tuesday, August19th, 1:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Make-up Orientation, Grades 6th-8th
- Friday, August 22nd, 8:00 am - 11:00 am
Student Orientation Stations
- School Pictures/Student IDs (Gym)
- Laptop Pick Up (Library)
- Locate Classrooms
- Practice Locker Combination
- RAM Pride: Yearbooks/T-Shirts/Family Donations
*Medications can be dropped off in the Main Office.
*Counseling services will be available in the Counseling Office.
Family Access Accounts/Student Verification
Once again, RPS will use an electronic system for the verification of student information. Parents will be able to submit changes to demographic information using Family Access. Parents will receive an email outlining the steps to be taken to review and submit any changes to phone numbers, and other relevant information. We highly encourage all families to set up a FA account, as it is the district’s main source of communication with parents. Please visit our website at Rockford Public Schools & click on the Family Access link (upper right-hand side) or please feel free to contact the main office for additional assistance.
Picture Day is coming on Tuesday, August 19!
You can place your order on Order Lifetouch Pictures
Picture Day ID: EVTJRBGBS
Order before midnight on Picture Day to get FREE shipping!
Your child can also bring their completed flyer with cash or check on Picture Day. Orders after Picture Day must be placed online only at Order Lifetouch Pictures.
Instrument Information
This information is for incoming 6th Graders and their families attending ERMS in the fall. If your student is going to be in choir, you can disregard this info.
Students that are interested in BAND or ORCHESTRA at ERMS need to sign up for an instrument fitting.
Saxophone and Percussion both have a limited number of students accepted in each section. Selection will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
**If you are interested in taking advantage of the Rockford Instrument Fund, we strongly recommend that you attend the early summer fittings. Funding will be granted on a first-come, first-serve basis.
The link below has videos of ALL ORCHESTRA INSTRUMENTS for you to watch before you come to your fitting. This will help you know which instrument you are most interested in before your appointment.
These fitting appointments will take place at ERMS in the orchestra room on the dates listed below–please select a date/time that works best for you. If you already participated in the orchestra instrument petting zoo in April and selected your instrument, you do not need an appointment. This is for those students who still need to try and be sized for their orchestra instrument choice.
If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Ms. Kilgore or Mrs. Allen.
ERMS Band Teacher, Ms. Kilgore RKilgore@Rockfordschools.org
ERMS Orchestra Teacher, Mrs. Allen JAllen@Rockfordschools.org
ID Cards
Student ID cards are issued to all students and should be carried at all times during the school day and at school-sponsored events. The ID card is not only for identification purposes but is also used to check out library materials, for the school lunch program, and more! Lost ID cards can be replaced for $3.00 in the library.
School Lunch Accounts and e-Funds
1. Can I view my child’s account?
- You have access to view your child’s Food Service account via Family Portal. This is available 24/7 throughout the school year. Through this portal you have access to view your child’s daily purchases, deposits, apply parental restrictions as well as send a payment without a fee.
2. How can I make a payment on my child’s account?
- Using Family Portal or E-Funds allows you to make a payment of your discretion without any processing fees.
- Payment may also be brought directly to our office, located in the High School, 4100 Kroes Street. Additionally, you can send money with your child to their respective school or through the mail. All checks should be made payable to Rockford Food Service. When sending payment through the mail, please mail to the attention of Kristin Novak at Rockford High School, 4100 Kroes Street NE, Rockford, MI 49341.
We encourage all families who may qualify for Free/Reduced Lunch to complete the application online to receive any additional benefits that may be associated with their account, which may include benefits both in and out of school. This information is also helpful for our school funding.
STUDENT DROP-OFF/PICK-UP PROCESS
Flow of Traffic for Parent Drop Off and Pick Up
Please see the map below which emphasizes which side of the building you will DROP OFF your student(s) and how the traffic flow works.
Parent PICK UP is a little different. All cars should park in the parking lot and your student will come find you. Cars are not to line up along the sidewalk.
DROP-OFF TIMe
7:05 am to 7:35 am
- Doors will open at 7:05 am
- Student hallways open at 7:30 am
- School starts at 7:40 am
PICK-UP TIME (ATHLETIC PARKING LOT)
- School dismisses at 2:30 pm
- Students should be picked up prior to 3:00 pm unless they are in athletics, attending a club, or with a teacher.
Counseling Corner
Ms. Barbeau and Mr. Haggadone are here to support your child! If your child is in need of academic, social, or emotional support, please have them come to our office. We are also available by contacting (616) 863-6140.
Counselors
Last Names A - L: Scott Haggadone - shaggadone@rockfordschools.org
Last Names M-Z: Erin Barbeau - ebarbeau@rockfordschools.org
ERMS Counseling Dog - Ruffles
***STUDENT SCHEDULES will be available on Family Access for ERMS Students on Tuesday, August 19th.***
- Schedule changes will ONLY be made for students who have a hole in their schedule or who were scheduled for a class that the student has already taken.
- Schedule changes will NOT be made for switching electives or requesting a teacher.
Library Loop
CHROMEBOOK CARE:
We want to take a moment to remind you about Chromebook care. When we first issued devices to students years ago, we spent a lot of time reminding students of the ways to keep their Chromebook in good shape. Over time, we’ve gotten away from those reminders, but now that students are required to pay for damaged or lost devices, we want to remind you again:
- We recommend that students keep their device in a case when it’s not in your backpack. This provides extra protection in case of a drop.
- Please have your child always carry your device with two hands.
- Please remind your child not walk around the classroom or your home with your device open. Close the screen so you can carry it properly with two hands.
- Do not pop off keyboard keys as they will eventually not pop back on.
Do not touch another student’s device for any reason. You will be responsible for damage that results from an action you take, whether you meant to do the damage or not, so please be careful.
- Broken Screen $30
- Broken Keyboard (missing keys, etc.) $30
- Damaged chassis/lost device $200
- Charger $15
If you have any questions, please let us know. We appreciate your support!
Library FYI for families: If you receive a Thursday notification about lost or overdue book and have any questions, please encourage your student to come to the library and ask library staff OR login to their Destiny account in HelloID and see which books on their account need to be returned. If your family needs to pay for a book that was damaged or cannot be returned, your student should bring cash or a check (written to Rockford Public Schools) to the library. Library staff will update the student's account and print a receipt.
Important dates
August 19th: Student Orientation (7th/8th-8:00am-12:00pm, 6th 1:00pm-3:00pm)
August 22nd: Make-Up Orientation (8:00-11:00)
August 25th: First Day for Students
August 29th: No School
September 1st: NO SCHOOL / LABOR DAY
September 10th: Early Release @ 12:30 pm
September 24th: Early Release @ 12:30 pm
Transportation Information
If you missed the deadline, have questions about registering a new student, or have transportation questions, please call the transportation office at 616-863-6328 or e-mail mpuett@rockfordschools.org.
Only the transportation office staff will be able to fill out the Bussing Form after August 8th.
- Dear Rockford Community:We are pleased to introduce you to My Ride K-12, a mobile app where you can access your student’s secure data at the touch of a button. Access to real-time data helps your student to be at the right place at the right time.
My Ride K-12 capabilities include the following:- Stop location, assigned route, and scheduled pick up time
- GPS geolocation push notifications, giving estimated time of bus arrival and information concerning bus status changes
- Real time communication and messaging
- Secure and confidential log in
- Android/iOS app and Web Version available
The app is available for up to four users per student. If you would like to opt out of this platform, please contact transportation to have My Ride K-12 disabled for your student.
To access My Ride K-12 for your student, you will need to complete the set up by following the directions included in the Parent User Guide. Users will need their student’s ID number and Last name to link to their student. Please follow the Parent User Guide for instructions on how to access and use the app and Web Version. Please allow your phone to send notifications from this app and remain logged in to receive district notifications.
We trust this will be a helpful tool for you! Should you have any questions or concerns or would like to limit or remove access for your student on My Ride K-12, please contact the transportation department at 616-863-6328.
Rockford Public Schools
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 students first and last name.
"Strive for less than 5"
Medication Drop-Off
If you have medication that you would like to drop off during orientation, our healthcare assistant will be here to assist you. Please bring all medications in their original container. Paperwork will need to be signed in order for our staff to distribute medication. RPS Medication Authorization Sheet
Lockers and Backpacks
All students will be assigned a private locker and expected to use it to hold all their personal belongings, including their backpacks and electronic devices. The elimination of backpacks creates more space in classrooms and will grow our students in organization and planning!
Cellphone/Watches/AirPods/Ear Buds
Instructional time is for learning. With 1:1 computer access at school, cell phones no longer have a place in the classroom. Our students are only permitted to use their cell phones before and after school. During the school day, all cell phones, and earbuds/AirPods are expected to be kept in their locker. Students are required to use wired headphones during the school day to connect to their laptops if sound is required. The purpose of this practice is to eliminate distractions in our classrooms and to help our students stay focused on their academics.
Please note: If a child has an IEP or special circumstance, accommodations may be made through the Counseling Office or IEP team.
Unless explicitly directed by a staff member, students are not permitted to use a phone (or similar device) during the instructional period. This policy extends to our hallways and common areas.
Parents/guardians who need to reach a student during an instructional period may call our main office at 616.863.6140 and we will ensure that the student receives the message. Thank you!
