RHHS Wildcats: News You Can Use

Monday, January 29th, 5-7pm - Curriculum/AP Night at RHHS for rising 10th-12th graders - Curriculum Night provides all students and parents/guardians with an overwhelming amount of information. We offer teacher-led sessions on all AP courses, we have course and content-specific teachers here to answer questions about courses, and we will have sessions on Dual Enrollment and Work-Based Learning.

One of our school goals this year is raising awareness and improving education about social and emotional issues. One social/emotional issue that continues to plague high-schoolers is tobacco use. Today, our teens are turning to vaping.

My knowledge base on vaping is limited, so I have been spending time educating myself. In the last week, I found two good resources on the internet that I thought I would pass on to you.

The first is an article written by NPR and published in December, 2017: "Teens: Pretty sober except for marijuana and vaping" which you can read at https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2017/12/14/570767261/teens-pretty-sober-except-for-the-marijuana-and-vaping

The second is a resource from the CDC dated January, 2017: "E-Cigarettes and Young People: A Public Health Concern" which can be accessed at https://www.cdc.gov/features/ecigarettes-young-people/index.html

Both resources note a rise in vaping among teens in recent years, and both note significant health concerns associated with vaping and e-cigarettes. Of particular interest, is that some of the vaping liquids sold contain addictive drugs such as nicotine and THC, the chemical compound in marijuana responsible for its euphoric side effects.

Parents, please take a few minutes a read both resources. If you haven't please have a conversation with your child about the harmful affects associated with vaping. In addition to the health hazards tied to tobacco products, there are also behavioral consequences. As a reminder, Bryan County School students who are in possession of tobacco or tobacco related products will receive disciplinary consequences, which is a minimum of 1 day Out of School Suspension.

If you have questions or need more information, please contact me, one of our assistant principals, or your child's counselor. We are here to help!

Lots of BIG WINS to report:

• RHHS Wrestling Team is the 6A Duals State Champ! This is a FIRST for RHHS! What an amazing accomplishment for the RHHS Wrestling Team, our Athletic Program, our school, and our community!
• RHHS Swim Team has had multiple swimmers qualify for STATE! This year, both the Girls and Boys Relay teams qualified! Good luck to our Wildcat Swim Team at State next weekend.
• RHHS FBLA had Region Leadership Conference this week, and several students advanced to State! Congratulations to Joe Belfield, Tennessee Sack, Alexandra Sprole, ad Mckenzie Levesque and good luck to them at State.
• RHHS HOSA also has students who will be advancing to State - congrats and good luck to Caroline Luke (medical terminology) and Lakyn Greenwell (clinical nursing). Woo hoo!
• All state chorus auditions were held last weekend at 13 made it from RHHS! So proud of these talented singing Wildcats!
• RHHS Wildcat Band has 7 students in the Georgia All State Band this year and an additional 2 alternates - this is a school record! Music to my ears!

Each year, the State of Georgia gives schools the opportunity to have all stakeholders provide feedback about their schools. Students, school personnel, and parents are provided survey links to share their feedback. School personnel and students will complete their surveys during January and February. During this same time, we would also like to get as many parents to complete the survey as possible.

Georgia Parent Survey

The Georgia Parent Survey is modeled after the student survey and contains 24 questions. Parents may complete the survey using their personal computer, smartphone or tablet. For parents that do not have access to the Internet, please come to the west office, and we will gladly provide you the computer and internet access to complete this. Survey responses are anonymous and will be submitted directly to the Georgia Department of Education for analysis. The Georgia Parent Survey is also available in Spanish. Parents may select the Spanish version within the survey. Results from the Georgia Parent Survey will not be available to the public and will not be posted online.

The Georgia Parent Survey link is posted below.

Georgia Parent Survey:

http://gshs.gadoe.org/parents

Please take time to share your perspective about RHHS.

The deadline for paying class dues before prom is February 23rd.

JUNIOR Dues = $35.00 (includes the $5 late fee)

• If the student did not pay freshman ($30) and sophomore ($30) dues, he/she owes $95. Juniors who have dues paid in full receive a prom ticket at no additional cost.

SENIOR = $35.00 (includes the $5 late fee)

• If the student did not pay freshman ($30), sophomore ($30) or junior ($30) dues, he/she owes $125. Students only pay for years that he/she has attended RHHS. Seniors who have dues paid in full receive a prom ticket at no additional cost.

After February 23rd, Juniors and Seniors who have not paid class dues who plan to go to prom will have to purchase their prom ticket separately. Prom tickets, purchased separately from class dues, are $125.

Dues are paid through MyPayments+ - https://www2.mypaymentsplus.com/welcome

Advanced Placement Exam Registration is now open.

Students may register for exams and begin making full or partial payments toward the cost of their AP exams beginning November 1, 2017.

Please visit the following link to register for 2018 AP exams:

https://user.totalregistration.net/AP/112525

The SAT and ACT are given several times throughout each school year. Please click the links below for additional information about test dates, registration deadlines, and information about how to register.

Fee waivers are available for students on free/reduced lunch. Students should talk to their counselor for more information.

SAT information

ACT information

Empathy vs sympathy

Pain and suffering are universal experiences, but choosing empathy can ease that pain and suffering. When you encounter a friend or family member who has experienced emotional pain or grief, does your response take their perspective, use a nonjudgmental approach, and communicate recognition of their emotional experience? Does your response involve a silver-lining, using words like, “At least…”?

In advisement this week, your students learned the difference between empathy and sympathy through a video and discussion. Empathy is choosing to feel WITH people; it requires vulnerability. Sympathy involves feeling pity for people. Understanding the difference between these two responses is important in our tight knit community as empathy helps foster connection, rather than drive it away. For many of us, it’s a natural response to try to fix a problem before genuinely listening to what a friend or family member is experiencing, but a response rarely makes something better. By choosing empathy, you can help ease a loved one’s pain through connection and compassion.

Phrases that demonstrate empathy and promote connection:

· “I don’t even know what to say, I’m just so glad you told me.”

· “I hear you.”

· “I’m here for you.”

· “I cannot imagine how upsetting it is to…”

· “I can understand how frustrating it is when…”

· “I understand where you’re coming from.”

· “I feel your pain.”

· “So what you’re saying is…”

Phrases that reflect sympathy and drive disconnection:

· “At least…”

· “It could be worse.”

· “I’m sorry that happened to you.”

· “I feel bad/sad for you.”

· “I’m sorry, that sucks.”

For more information on empathy and other aspects of wholehearted living, dive into Brené Brown’s books, including “Braving the Wilderness”, “Daring Greatly”, and “The Gifts of Imperfection”, or check out her TED Talks centered on courage, vulnerability, authenticity and shame.

Empathy v. Sympathy Video

Brené Brown’s Website

Brené Brown’s TED Talk Page

Counselor information is included below - please never hesitate to let us know if we can be of better support. Email information for each counselor can be found on the RHHS website (http://www.bryan.k12.ga.us/o/rhhs/page/school-counseling--7 )

Rhashida Bunyan: last names A-Davidson

Emily Neff: Davis - Hobby

Wallace Ingram: Hod-Miller

Laine Lynch: Milton-Sa

Saraswati Hendrix: Sc-Z

Jennifer Blanton: Graduation Coach

Jonna Vaughn: Military Family Life Counselor

Email: dmcneal@bryan.k12.ga.us
Website: http://www.bryancountyschools.org/o/rhhs
Location: 1 Wildcat Drive, Richmond Hill, GA, United States
Phone: 912-459-5151
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/richmondhillhigh/
Twitter: @RichmondHill_HS