RCHS Newsletter - August 21, 2023

Hello Fellow Jaguars,

I hope the start of this school year has been great for you and your families. We have had so much fun celebrating the return to school with both our assembly and our back-to-school dance. It always feels like we settle into the school year after these kick off events and this is a great time to be checking in with your students to see how classes are going and to help them navigate their experience. IC is a great way to check on attendance and academics. Additionally, your students can show you their Canvas, which is the learning management software we use at RCHS. Canvas is a great place to find more detailed information on the learning taking place in the classroom and beyond.

I look forward to seeing you at Back to School Night (details below) and at many of our school events in Activities and Athletics. If your student is still looking for a way to be involved beyond the classroom, we have our Activities Fair this week during Access where they can discover all of the opportunities and sign up to be part of clubs and activities.

Wishing you the best,

Andy Abner

Principal

8/23/23 Parent Night / The Dangerous Truth About Today's Marijuana

8/25/23 Late Start 8:20am

8/29/23 SENIOR Breakfast / during Access in the courtyard / Danny's Flapjacks

8/30/23 Back to School Night - 6pm (*Optional 9th grade parents info - 5:15pm)

9/01/23 Late Start 8:20am

9/04/23 No School - Labor Day

9/08/23 Black Day - Periods 1, 2, 3 and 4 (Reminder)

9/15/23 Late Start 8:20am

9/19/23 Picture Re-Take Day / Lifetouch

9/20/23 Spirit Parade with Feeder Schools

9/21/23 Homecoming Parade / Bonfire

9/22/23 No School - Professional Development Day

9/23/23 Homecoming Dance

9/29/23 Late Start 8:20am

Jostens Onsite

• 9/26/23 Jostens Senior Meeting (during Seminar)
• 9/28/23 Jostens Sophomore Meeting (during Seminar)
• 10/3/23 Jostens Onsite - Cap & Gown, Ring Order during lunch.
• 10/4/23 Jostens Onsite - Cap & Gown, Ring Order during lunch.

As we bring everyone back to school, it remains imperative that we have a strong focus on our safety and security. We believe that this is everyone’s responsibility at RCHS. During Seminar on Tuesday, August 15, our staff reviewed our Standard Response Protocol (SRP) with students.

We encourage you to view our Standard Response Protocol (SRP) and to have discussions with your students about how they may react in a variety of situations. The protocols that we follow can be found at iloveuguys.org.

Our students are our greatest resource for a safe environment. It remains so important that if they see, hear, or feel something that is not right, to say something to a trusted adult or to submit an anonymous Safe2Tell report. You can report concerns at safe2tell.org or by calling 877-542-7233. Safe2Tell Reports go directly to school administration during school hours and to the Sheriff Department 24-7.

We will begin periodic exercises and drills throughout the school year beginning in the coming school days. Many of these exercises are a joint effort under the direction of the School's Administration, DCSD Security personnel, South Metro Fire Rescue and the Douglas County Sheriff’s Office.

We value your partnership in creating a safe and secure environment for all of our stakeholders.

Sincerely,

Rock Canyon High School Administration

The Activities Fair will be conducted on Tuesday, August 22nd during Access in the Commons and Gymnasium. Student leaders and sponsors of our numerous and varied Activities and Clubs will share how to become more involved in our Rock Canyon community.

*The club leaders will be setting up the fair during seminar and the students will "attend" the fair during access.

Back to School Night is a great night to meet your students' teachers. Teachers will share an introduction of themselves and a brief summary of their courses. They will not be discussing individual students at this time.

*Please bring a copy of your student's schedule.* You can also pull up your students schedule in IC and take a snapshot with your phone.

5:15-5:50 Optional Informational Session for​ Freshman Parents in the​ Auditorium

6:00-6:30 Principal’s Welcome in the Gym

6:40-8:35 Class Schedule Rotation.

Meet Our Teachers - Please attend your students’ classes according to the following schedule:

• Seminar / 6:40-6:50pm
• Period 1 / 6:55-7:05pm
• Period 2 / 7:10-7:20pm
• Period 3 / 7:25-7:35pm
• Period 4 / 7:40-7:50pm
• Period 5 / 7:55-8:05pm
• Period 6 / 8:10-8:20pm
• Period 7 / 8:25-8:35pm

Mission Statement: To inform, engage, and motivate students to promote and embody what it means to be a Jaguar and beyond.

Vision Statement: Students and teachers connect with each other and resources, engaging in meaningful and relevant learning opportunities to facilitate success at RCHS and beyond.

*Seminar is also transcripted as an S (satisfactory) or a U (unsatisfactory).*

When is Seminar?

Seminar is every Gold Day from 9:18 - 9:43.

What are students working on in Seminar currently?

This week in Seminar all grade levels went over our SRP Safety training. 9th Grade also held a class meeting to help them prepare for the Back to School Assembly. 10th - 12th grade students working on getting access to their College Board and Naviance accounts.

The Rock Canyon High School SAC is composed of parents, business leaders and community members from our surrounding area. This committee is charged with advising the Principal and the administration team on decisions that affect stakeholders and the overall culture and climate of Rock Canyon High School. The goal of this committee is to provide input into decisions that foster the highest quality education for the students we serve.

Cast your vote for the SAC / "Parent at Large" Community Member on the LINK below.

Welcome Back RCHS Parent Volunteers!

We will have our All Volunteer Kick-Off Meeting Tuesday, 8/29 at 6:30pm-7:30pm in the RCHS Library.

• If you want help with After Prom, Rock the Night Away -all school fundraiser, Teacher Grants, Staff Appreciation or anything else at the school, please attend.
• You will also meet the executive board of Rock Canyon Community Alliance and RCHS Activities Director.
• Find out how you can volunteer a little or a lot. This will be the only all volunteer meeting of the year.
• Research has shown that parental involvement is a critical factor in the success of students' education. "When parents are involved in their children's education, children are more likely to do well in school and have better social and emotional development. Parental involvement improves student achievement, self-esteem, and behavior. It also helps to build strong relations between parents and their children's school." (Mark Anthony Llego / Importance of Parental Involvement in Education.)

• In addition, it's fun and a great way to get to meet other parents and know what's going on at RCHS.Looking forward to seeing you!

Karen Brankin

RCHS Health Assistant/Volunteer Coordinator

The Black & Gold yearbook is excited to offer five days for seniors to get a free photo taken for the 2024 yearbook. NOTE: If you already had your photo taken by Keepsake or Monty Nuss, you do NOT need to sign up for the free day.

Sign up for a slot with one of our photographers - Class of 2024 Senior Portrait Free Day - Sign Up HERE

Please only sign up for ONE time slot. All times are during Access and first lunch, so no student will have to miss class time. The dates are: August 29, August 31, September 12, September 21 and September 26. Any student who does not get their photo taken on one of these free days or at the Keepsake or Monty Nuss studios will not be in the senior portrait section of the 2024 yearbook. Questions? Email us at rcbgyearbook@gmail.com.

Last week, we sent a communication announcing the implementation of a rolling cancellation bus schedule with advance notice in the Douglas County School District for the 2023-2024 school year.

This means, for general education bus routes, each student’s bus route will be on for four weeks and then off for one week with this schedule rotating throughout the school year. As a reminder this rolling cancellation schedule is for general education bus routes only. Special education routes will continue as normal and will not be canceled.

***Please visit the DCSD Transportation website to view your student's bus route and rolling cancelation schedule.***