Dear Rancho Families,

For students attending tomorrow's Winter Wonderland Dance, here is a reminder for what was printed on the permission slip:

Our Rancho Winter dance is on Friday, December 12th, from 4:30pm to 6:00pm in the Rancho Gym. The dance will feature music, food, and fun! It is free dress, but make sure to keep it school appropriate, (no short shorts/skirts, strapless dresses, bare midriffs, etc). Please refer to your student agenda for appropriate school dress code.  Students who do not adhere to dress code policy will not be admitted. 

Tickets are sold the week of the dance during lunch time and the price will start at $1 on Monday and increase $1 everyday with a price of $5 on Friday. No tickets will be sold at the door during the dance.  Students need to present their ID when buying a ticket and they must present BOTH their ticket and ID at the gate on the night of the dance. The doors will open at 4:15pm and will lock by 4:45pm. Students must be on time and are not allowed to leave the dance early. The school gates will remain locked until 6:00 pm. Students must be picked up by 6:15. Students are not allowed to walk home after the dance. They must be picked up. 

Students will NOT be admitted in the dance if they arrive late, have no ticket, have no ID, or are dressed inappropriately. There are NO exceptions and NO ticket refunds will be issued. 

Tomorrow during lunch is the LAST CHANCE for students to purchase dance tickets. Once again, Tickets will NOT be sold at the door.

Spirit Week December 12th-19th:
Spirit Week Starts tomorrow with our Winter Wonderland Dance!
Click here for our Holiday-themed Spirit Week line-up (or see attached flyer). The team with the most spirit points will win a Hot chocolate party! (*Spirit Points will only be counted on days with Advisory classes.)

Holiday Grams! Pre-sales Mon Dec 15th - Wed Dec 17th:
ASB will be selling Holiday Grams for $2 each ($7 each to include a Holiday Plushie). Students can purchase them in room 34 during Lunch from Monday, December 15th - Wednesday, December 17th. Holiday grams will be delivered to recipients' Advisory classes on Thursday, December 18th. (see attached flyer)

Boys Basketball Game Reminder:
Come out to support our Boys Basketball Team's for our home game hosted at Rancho on Tuesday, December 16th against Herman. 7th graders play first at 3:30pm. The entrance fee is $2 for Rancho Students and $3 for High School Students and adults. Once the gym is full, the doors will be closed, and NO FOOD or DRINKS are allowed in the Gym. Rancho students MUST show their student ID for the $2 discount rate and students on Social Probation are NOT allowed to attend.

Winter Orchestra Concert - Wednesday, December 17th 6:00pm:
Wednesday, December 17th is the Rancho Orchestra Concert in the Rancho Gym. Admission is FREE for all!

End of Semester 1:
Semester 1 ends on Friday, December 19th, which means there are only 1 week left of the semester. Please encourage your students to finish the semester strong!

Winter Break: Dec 20th - Jan 5th:
Please note that Friday December 19th will be a minimum day. School is out at 12:20pm. There is NO SCHOOL December 20th-January 5th. School will resume again on Tuesday, January 6th, 2026. 

Student ID cards: 
Students were also reminded the importance of always wearing their ID cards, especially in emergency situations. All students should now have their ID cards and lanyards. Any student who missed taking their pictures on the August Registration days AND picture make-up day, or lost their ID cards should see Ms. Rashmi in the office. For safety and security reasons, students are expected to wear their ID cards visibly to school every day. Students also need their IDs to enter school events such as dances or athletic games.

Global Essay Competition - Judged by Cambridge and Oxford Faculty:
Rancho has been invited to participate in a Junior Scholars Essay Contest for a chance to win CASH prizes! 

The Junior Scholars Essay Contest is an international essay competition open to middle school students (grades 6 to 8) worldwide. 6 winners (1 Gold, 2 Silvers, 3 Bronzes) will share more than $11,000 in cash prizes and scholarships. Entries will be judged by professors from Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia, Brown, and Dartmouth.

The deadline for submissions is December 14, 2025. More details on our website. 

Submit your essay here.

For questions, please reach out to Dr. Dhruva Bhat (co-founder of Lumiere Education) at dhruva.bhat@lumiere.education

Order a Yearbook: Click here on information on how to order a Yearbook for your child. It's not too late to order a Yearbook! The price is now $45. Order them before December 31st, before the priced increase again!

Europe Trip Summer 2026: 
Is your child interested in traveling to London, Paris and Rome this summer? It's not too late to sign up! Spots have opened up for parents to travel with their children as well. See Mr. Tran's parent square post or contact Mr. Nguyen (hnguyen@musd.org) or Mr. Tran (vtran@musd.org) for more information. 

-Mrs. Mai
ASB Advisor
Rancho Milpitas Middle School