Technology is a fascinating subject and a fast growing field which demands critical thinking and problem solving skills.  Career opportunities     abound for those who are motivated and possess the skills that are in high demand in today’s  workplace.

The Technology Education Team at  the Richardson Sixth Grade Academy (RSGA) strives  to help each child reach their maximum potential and to prepare them for this  next step in their education.  We want to work with you to help your student succeed.

Communication

I welcome your input and want to keep you informed about the activities, assignments, and progress that your student is making in this course.  There are a number of ways to contact me if you have any questions at all.

‍    Telephone        (386) 755-8130

‍    Fax                (386) 755-8154

‍    e-Mail            riherdt@columbiak12.com

‍    RSGA Website    https://rsga.columbiak12.com

After the end of each school day at 3:25 PM, I am usually available in my classroom and may be reached at that time.  Lake City is a great community and we’re likely to bump into each other at school events, the grocery store, or elsewhere.  Please don’t feel as if you are disturbing me if you want to discuss your student when you see me out in the community.

I have found that using e-mail is a convenient method to keep parents and guardians up-to-date with what we are doing.  This form of communication also allows me to send you notices about upcoming tests, deadlines, or projects which are approaching their due dates.  If you would like to receive these notifications, please provide your e-mail address to the school secretary or have your student bring it to me and I’ll make sure it is entered into our e-mail system.

Getting Involved

When students reach the middle school grades, they tend to be a little less excited to have their parents or guardians join them in the classroom.  Therefore, your opportunities to be involved directly in your student’s class are not as frequent as when they were in elementary school.  However, this doesn’t mean we don’t value your participation.  If your business or industry is using high-tech to carry out its’ mission or produce goods, I would like to invite you to share your expertise with the students.  Also, if you want to bring snacks or special treats, please contact me ahead of time and we can work together to do a little something special for the class.

The school’s budget often leaves us wanting for some classroom supplies.  There are also some students who cannot afford the basic school supplies.  I would greatly appreciate any donations of office supplies, pens, pencils, markers, paper, and notebooks.  During cold and flu season, we especially have a need for hand sanitizer and tissues.  Any donations of hard candy are also prized as they serve as rewards or prizes for the students.

Tracking Student Progress

At Richardson Sixth Grade Academy , we utilize an online system for entering grades, attendance, and student progress.  This system, known as Focus, also provides you and your student with instant access to their grades, assignments completed, missing assignments, and attendance information.  It’s a great way to keep tabs on

your student and make sure they are getting their work done.  If you do not have a logon code

and password, please contact the school office and they will be happy to provide you with

access codes.  In a pinch, you may also have your student logon to Focus using their access

codes for you to view their information.  This system is also accessible using a variety of

smartphones.  You may find the free Skyward App suitable for your device where you typically

acquire apps for your smartphone.

General Information

The course syllabus was provided to each student on the first day they were present in the classroom.  This document describes the basic information such as material covered, grading methodology, and general requirements.  For more information choose one of the links in the list below:

‍    STEM Course (RSGA)

Standards for courses are established by the Florida Department of Education.  Some of the classes have been segmented into 2 semester courses in lieu of a 1 year class  that the standards may refer to.  Using semester-based classes allows more students the opportunity to choose from a broader selection of technology experiences or to mix technology with another course of interest to students.  In those classes, we strive to focus on a subset of the standards while attempting to avoid repetition between the 2 semester classes.  Standards for classes are shown below.

‍    0200010    M/J Computer Science Discoveries (Introduction to Coding & Robotics)

Parent greet is on August 8, 2023 at RSGA.  If you are unable to attend, or your student transferred to our school later in the school year you may view the presentation by choosing one of these links.

‍  

‍    8000400    Orientation to Career Clusters (STEM)

Other important information you may be interested in can be found at these links:

• You may click here to view the Student Code of Conduct for RSGA.
• You may click here to view the Student Handbook for RSGA.
• You may click here to view the 2023-2024 School Calendar.

Supplies students should bring with them to class each day are:

• Notebook / 3-ring binder (either 1” or 1/2” size
• Loose leaf notebook paper
• Pencil or pen (black or blue only)
• Earbuds  (3.5mm, corded only, NO bluetooth)

Absences

If your student is unable to attend school due to an illness or any other reason, it is important that you provide documentation to the RSGA Office immediately upon return.  The attendance policy is outlined in the Student Code of Conduct which is available online.  Students are responsible for obtaining any missed work upon returning to school and must submit the assignments as required by this policy.

Please try to keep absences to a minimum as it seems that those students who miss school regularly simply cannot perform well on assignments and tests because they have missed the instruction that provides further content and background necessary to be successful. We simply cannot pause instruction to repeat course content that was covered during a student’s absence.