August 22, 2024

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Welcome back to Rochambeau Secondary School! I am pleased to extend a warm welcome to you and your family as we start this new academic year. I want to give a special welcome to the new families joining us from different countries, other schools, and the Maplewood Campus. We are committed to making everyone feel at home on Forest.

As we think about our graduates heading off to universities, we are also excited to welcome our new Sixième class. These students are now the youngest in our school, and we are looking forward to seeing them grow and thrive.

Our connection with families has always been strong, and last year’s collaboration was excellent. This year, we are eager to continue working closely with you and the Parent Association (PAR) to create a positive and supportive environment for all our students.

Over the summer, we have made some important updates to our campus. The school has been freshly painted, we have added two new labs and refurbished the track field. These improvements are part of our ongoing effort to provide the best facilities for our students. I want to thank our maintenance team for their hard work in making these upgrades.

I would like to invite you to our Back to School Nights, starting on August 29 with our Sixième graders. This will be a great opportunity to meet the teaching staff and learn more about what is planned for the year. I am also looking forward to seeing you at our traditional "Back to School Barbecue" on September 14. It is a chance for us to come together as a community and start the year on a positive note.

Thank you for trusting us with your child’s education. Let us work together to make this year a successful and rewarding one for everyone.

Philippe Vanhille,

Director of Secondary. 

Who can you contact at the Office at the Secondary School?

New Staff/Faculty Members

This year, we are thrilled to welcome several talented and dedicated individuals to our team. Each new member brings a wealth of experience, enthusiasm, and a shared commitment to our mission of providing an exceptional educational experience for our students.

Please join us in welcoming the following faculty and staff members to the Rochambeau family:

School Books and Supplies

All school books and supplies that have not been picked up will be available at the Vie Scolaire. 

For parents of IB MYP students (3ème and 2nde) you can now order your child’s supplies and LVB books on the Rochambeau Bookstore. You should have received the link by email. If you did not receive the link to place your orders, please contact bookstore@rochambeau.org

After-School Clubs

To enrich our students’ programs, Rochambeau offers various after-school activities. Our young and bright minds can register for clubs starting on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

For more information, please consult the Clubs Fall Guide or contact Cristen Steele, Director of Auxiliary Programs at steelec@rochambeau.org.

Chromebooks

Chromebooks will be distributed to Collège students (6ème through 3ème) by the IT Department during the first two weeks of school. Students will also receive an Acceptable Use Policy that you will have to read carefully and sign. For any questions regarding this device, please contact stechsupport@rochambeau.org.

Where to go upon arrival on Monday, August 26?

• Drop-off time for students arriving by car will be staggered according to the schedule below. 



• Upon arrival, students will gather per grade:

Dismissal on the first day of school

For the first day of school only, classes end at 3:30 p.m. for all students (no bus service at 5:30 p.m.). There will be no clubs or étude on the first day of school. Do not hesitate to contact Ms. Steele. (steelec@rochambeau.org) for club-related questions.  

To better control traffic, dismissal will be staggered according to the following schedule:

Problem with your child's schedule?

In the event of an error (missing option, for example), please contact us by e-mail (Sandra Percy). Please note that we may modify the schedules slightly during the first two weeks of school. Final schedules will be effective as of September 16.  

Should a student wish to add or drop an option, parents have until September 16 to request by e-mail to Mr. Vanhille. For IB students, the request should be emailed to Ms. Percy. No changes will be made after this date. No requests from the students themselves will be considered.

The first day of school

• Welcoming students: On the first day of school, 7th - 12th Grade students are welcomed in class by their homeroom teachers during the first two hours, and during the first three hours for 6th graders.

• What to bring on the first day: For the first day of school, students should bring paper or a notebook, and pencils. No special supplies are required. This first day is primarily a day for introductions and building connections.

• Lockers: All Secondary students will be provided with a locker during the first week of school. Please encourage your child to make use of the locker to lighten the load from backpacks as well as to keep valuable items safe during the school day.

• Internal Rules (Règlement Intérieur): Homeroom teachers will review the School Rules and Regulations with the students on the first day. Please read the document available on the Parent Portal of the school website, as you will also be required to sign an acknowledgment that you have read it.

• Permission for Middle school students to leave the school campus: Parents must also sign a Permission to Leave Campus release form. Please review this form carefully, as there are several options to choose from.

Make sure to complete all required forms!

Please verify that all required items on your enrollment account checklist are complete. You will receive an email when items are added.

Additional forms will be distributed by teachers on the first day of class. Parents must ensure that their child complies with medical requirements since these documents are required for your child to attend school.

If you have any questions about medical issues, please contact the school nurse directly: nurse@rochambeau.org. 

Pronote

Pronote is our main system of communication for grades, homework, absences, and more. Each family and student is assigned a username and password to access the system. The IT department will provide this information by email during the first week of school. Should you have difficulties logging into Pronote, please contact the following email for support: pronotesupport@rochambeau.org

Back-to-School Meetings

As part of the Back-to-School Nights, we invite you to a presentation of your child's teaching team. This general presentation will allow us to give you the essential information to understand what your daughter/son will discover and learn during this new school year. 

Parent information meetings will be taking place according to the table below. Here is some information about them.

The Back-to-School Nights will be held in person in the following locations:

• Auditorium (BF): For all grades, except for IB MYP and DP classes.
• CDI (Library): For IB MYP/DP classes.

What is the schedule for the evening?

Subjects presented: Subjects will present their programs, except for optional courses. The teachers of these courses will send an introductory letter to the families concerned.

What will be covered during the meeting?

• The meeting will allow you to get to know the homeroom teacher and his/her team, and discover the main outlines of the syllabus, Teachers will unfortunately not have time to answer specific inquiries during this presentation.
• The PowerPoint presentations will be shared with families afterward. 

Bonne rentrée !