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Superintendent's Message
Dear RBHS Students, Families, Staff, and Community,
Even though this is the beginning of the 2017-2018 second semester, plans are well underway for the next school year. Freshman registration, curriculum planning, and remaining construction projects are a few items keeping us busy.
Cordially,
Kevin Skinkis, Ed.D
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At the January 9, 2018, regular meeting, the Board of Education approved the school calendar for the 2018-2019 school year. The first day of school will be August 14, 2018. The full
calendar
including district breaks and holidays can be viewed on the RBHS website.
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Each year the Illinois State Board of Education issues a Financial Profile Score for school districts in the State. This Score monitors district financials and identifies schools showing financial concern. Five indicators are used to determine each district's financial profile designation. The four designations are Financial Recognition, Financial Review, Financial Early Warning, and Financial Watch. For the fiscal year 2017, RB scored 3.7 out of 4.0, which places us in the Financial Recognition category.
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Weather and School
Cancellation
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Just a reminder that we need to be mindful of our winter weather. Please have your students dress appropriately for their trip to and from school. If the need arises, any school cancellations can be found on the RBHS website, Skyward, and local news stations.
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Five Year Financial Projections
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At the January 23, 2018, Committee of the Whole meeting, Chief Financial Officer Scott Beranek presented financial projections for the District's next five years. A detailed version that was given at the meeting can be viewed on
www.rbtv.tv
.
In summary,
the District will experience some small operating deficits over the next five years. However, the District has done a good job building a fund balance over the previous five years that can offset the operating deficits. If we stick to the plan that was laid out at Tuesday's Board of Education meeting, the District should still have an operating fund balance above 33 percent by the end of fiscal year 2023.
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The Board of Education will have two meetings in February. The Regular meeting is February 13, 2018, and the Committee of the Whole meeting is February 27, 2018. Both meetings will be held in Conference Room 201 starting at 7:00 p.m. Information regarding Board meetings can be found on the RB website under the Board of Education tab or watch the meetings on
www.rbtv.tv.
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Principal's Message
We have officially welcomed the Class of 2022 to RB at Future Bulldog Night on January 17. In addition to receiving course placements, students and their parents toured the halls of RB to learn about the wide range of extracurricular activities. As you can see below, current RB students shared information about new and existing extracurricular activities with future students.
At grade level assemblies, our building administration met with all students to review academic and behavior expectations, in addition to important upcoming standardized testing information (see below for additional information). These presentations are located on the
RBHS website.
Please review these expectations with your student to ensure that the second semester is a successful one!
Kristin Smetana
Principal
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School-wide
Testing Information (No Registration Required)
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ACT on February 27 (required and free for all junior students)
The RBHS-funded state level ACT exam will be given to all students that are of junior status on Tuesday, February 27. Testing will take place during the school day. Parents do not have to register their children for this test.
Practice SAT on March 6 for Juniors
During periods 1-4, all juniors will take a practice SAT on March 6 to prepare for the state mandated SAT on April 10. More information about this practice opportunity will be announced as the date nears.
School-Wide Testing Day on April 10 for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors (early dismissal)
Student testing with regular testing time will finish around 1:00 p.m. More information will be shared at a later date.
- Freshmen will be taking MAP testing
- Sophomores will be taking a PSAT10 exam
- Juniors will be taking the state mandated SAT exam
- Seniors will have a non-attendance, college visit day
Parents do not have to register their children for any of these tests.
PSAT 9 on April 17 (required and free for all freshmen students)
All currently-enrolled RBHS freshmen will be sitting for a PSAT 9 exam on Tuesday, April 17, in the Field House. No cell phones are allowed in the testing facility. Please make sure that you bring an approved calculator, pencils, and your student ID.
Parents do not have to register their children for this test.
More information about the PSAT can be found at
https://collegereadiness.collegeboard.org/psat-8-9
.
Illinois Science Assessment (required by the State for all Biology students)
All RBHS students that are enrolled in a Biology class will be taking the Illinois Science Assessment this spring. The assessment will only be administered via the computer, and the test will be administered the week of March 19. Students should bring their fully-charged Chromebooks for the exam. More information will be released when available. Parents do not have to register their children for this test.
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Additional Testing Information (Tests that Require Registration)
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Advanced Placement (AP) Testing
For the 2018 AP exams, students at Riverside Brookfield High School are required to complete two online registrations, so please read the following information carefully.
Registration #1: AP Pilot Registration Program - Deadline is February 5
Riverside Brookfield High School has partnered with the College Board to test a pilot registration program. We are one of only 80 schools in the country who is utilizing the system in order to provide feedback for a nationwide launch during the 2019-20 school year. As a result, AP teachers will gain early access to a multitude of online AP exam materials for use with their students. Students will use their College Board user information to log in to
myap.collegeboard.org and unique "Join Codes" which have been distributed to students on a section-by-section basis, and then they will indicate their intention to take the associated AP exam for that class.
Registration #2: Total Registration - Deadline is March 2, 2018
As in previous years, in order to officially register for AP exams, students will use Total Registration (
www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/143655
). This registration will take a few minutes and can be completed from any computer with internet access. Online exam registration will begin on Thursday, January 18, and officially end on Friday, March 2, at 11:59 p.m. In order to register, you should click on the link provided on the school website or visit
www.TotalRegistration.net/AP/143655
to register. To complete registration, you must answer all of the required questions. Registration is not complete until you have printed the PDF of the confirmation page that is provided at the end.
Please contact Mr. Marc Helgeson,
helgesonm@rbhs208.net, if you would like to register for an exam not listed or have any questions.
Additionally, for those students who will be taking an AP test this spring, the AP Student Bulletins have been distributed in AP classes. If your student did not receive their AP Student Bulletin, please have them see their AP class teacher, or they may stop in Student Services for a copy.
ACT
RBHS will host a national ACT exam on Saturday, April 14. The registration deadline for this exam date is March 9. Please note that this is not the ACT exam being funded by RB that all juniors will be taking at RBHS on February 27. Students interested in the April 14 ACT exam should register at
www.actstudent.org.
Score Information
PSAT
Information on how to access PSAT scores online was sent via email by the College Board to all students that took the PSAT exam back in October. Please access those scores online. Paper copies of the scores will also be handed out to students in February. Students should listen to the announcements for the exact date and time.
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The
PTO Announces the New Summer Academic/Leadership
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The RBHS PTO would like to announce applications are now available for the Summer Academic/Leadership Enrichment Grant on the PTO website.
This grant is to assist students with the costs of attending camps/workshops during the summer of 2018 that provide academic enrichment and/or enhance their leadership skills. This grant is not for athletic or music programs. It is for individual, not group use. This grant is open to current RB freshmen, sophomores, and juniors who will be enrolled at RB in the fall of 2018.
Please place completed applications in an envelope labeled 'PTO Grant' and drop off in the main office for placement in the PTO mailbox no later than Monday, April 16.
Grant applicants will be notified by Wednesday, May 10.
Grant recipients will be notified by Monday, May 14.
MLK Service Day
The first annual MLK Service Day was a great success! One Hundred survival kits were made to help the homeless. Each survival kit contained the following items: bottle of water, hat, gloves, socks, hand/toe warmers, lip balm, lotion, toothpaste/toothbrush, soap, shampoo/conditioner, several food/sweet items, and a blessing bag note. Fifty-five kits were delivered to BEDS in LaGrange, twenty-five went to PADS, and twenty went to local police.
 
PTO Sponsored - Day of Service 2018 - Making a Splash in Our Community
Mark your calendars! This year's RBHS Day of Service event will be held  on Saturday, April 28, from 8:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. Again, this year our Day of Service efforts will focus on cleaning up the waterways that surround RBHS - the Des Plaines River and Salt Creek. We are developing over 20 service projects in Riverside, North Riverside, Brookfield, Broadview, and Lyons for RBHS students, staff, parents, and community members. Look for information on how to sign up to participate in March and be a part of this great Bulldog tradition! Any questions, contact RBHS PTO Co-Chairs Lisa Gaynor at
ltgaynor@aol.com
or David Kodama at
dkodama@sbcglobal.net
.
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Student Services Events and Information
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College Week at RB - A Yearly Tradition
RB will hold our annual College Week March 5-9. To help encourage 2- and 4-year colleges as a post-secondary option, Student Services will organize several activities during the week. More information will be shared via e-mail and on the RB website.
Local Scholarship Applications for Seniors
The local scholarship applications will be available on the Student Services website on February 2. You can access the applications by clicking on the following link,
Local Scholarships.
The deadline for most applications is March 9, although a few scholarships have a different deadline. Please see your counselor with any questions.
College Planning Tips for Sophomore Parents
February 7 at 7:00 p.m. in the Auditorium
Jim Franko will give some helpful tips for parents of seniors on admission, college applications, and financial aid.
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Rouser - Senior Ad Deadline Extended
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The senior ad deadline for the yearbook has been extended! If you would still like to recognize your senior student with a message in the yearbook, go to
www.jostensadservice.com
to design your ad. You have until February 16 to complete your ad. Please contact Allison Marsh with any questions at
marsha@rbhs208.net.
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Extracurricular Activities Update
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Little Shop of Horrors 
RBHS will present the spring musical, Little Shop of Horrors, March 1-3 at 7:00 p.m. and March 4 at 2:00 p.m. in the Auditorium. Tickets are $10 each and are available in advance at the Business Office and at the door.
Illinois High School Theatre Festival
 Students attended the All State Theatre Fest at Illinois State University in Normal, Illinois. It was a fast paced gathering of dance, tech, theatre, and musical students from around the state. Students were able to attend various classes as well as see plays and musicals that schools brought down to Normal for all to see.
Student Association Update
Student Association held the annual Custodian Appreciation Day on  Thursday, January 25, serving both lunch and dinner to the Custodians. We also helped the PTO create Homeless Survival Bags on the Martin Luther King Day of Service. Last month we visited the Ronald McDonald House at Loyola. We baked holiday cookies, cleaned the House, and some students new to the House took a tour. We will hold our annual Pop Tops collection and contest for the Ronald McDonald House in April....so SAVE your Pop Tops. We had another successful Santa Anonymous Fundraiser, helping 20 individuals through CSS in Brookfield. We also enjoyed the Spirit-themed day - Ugly & Tacky Holiday Sweaters in December! The next Spirit-themed day will be Twin Day on Valentine's Day. SA meets every Wednesday at 7:20 a.m. in Room 201; all are welcome to join at any time throughout the school year!
The Hip Hop Club
 A group of students advocated for the establishment of the Hip Hop Club this school year. Students choreograph short dances to Hip Hop music; practicing the routines twice a week. They meet on Wednesdays and Fridays from 3:15 p.m. - 4:15 p.m. The club had their debut performance on Friday, January 12, during half time at the sophomore boys basketball game. They are currently working on a new dance to perform on
February 16.
Ski and Snowboard Club
The Ski and Snowboard Club is taking advantage of the cold and snowy Midwest winter. They took their first trip to Wilmot Mountain with 33 members the day after final exams concluded. Several students started the day off taking ski or snowboard lessons to sharpen their skills before  going off on their own. Visit the Ski and Snowboard Club website to watch a video of their experience. The more experienced ski/boarders took their chances in the terrain park where they were able to hit jumps and rails. The Wilmot trip concluded with making S'mores around a fire at the base of the mountain.
The second trip of the season was to Chestnut Mountain in Galena over the extended Martin Luther King weekend. The club plans on taking their third and final trip to Cascade Mountain over Presidents' Day weekend in February. The club welcomes members of all skill levels. Students can see Mr. Shermack in Room 105 if interested in joining the final outing.
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Winter Sports are coming to an end.
- Boys Basketball currently sports an overall record of 11-9 and 5-1 in the MSC and tied for 1st Place. The Boys will possibly be playing in our IHSA Boys Basketball Sectional at RB on March 6, 7, and 9. Seeding for the IHSA Regional will happen in two weeks.
- Girls Basketball is currently 16-5 overall and 5-1 in the MSC and in 2nd Place. They will be headed into the Proviso West Sectional for the IHSA tournament. Seeding for the IHSA Regional will happen next week.
- Wrestling has continued their winning ways and currently sport an overall dual meet record of 15-8 and 7-1 in the MSC, which puts them in 2nd Place. The MSC Individual Conference Championship meet was held on Saturday, January 20, at RB. The Wrestlers will be heading to the Lyons Township North HS IHSA Regional on February 3.
- Girls Gymnastics hosted an Invitational on Saturday, January 20. They have reached their highest score of the season, with a 130.20. Their IHSA Regional Meet will be Wednesday, January 31, at Downers Grove South HS.
- Boys Swimming hosted an Invite on Saturday, January 13, and came in 4th Place. They will be hosting the Independent Conference Invite on Saturday, February 3, at RB. The Boys Swimming Sectional will be held at Downers Grove North HS on Saturday, February 17.
- Competitive Dance participated last week at the MSC Invite and finished in 2nd Place. They competed at Geneva HS for the IHSA Sectional on January 20 and qualified for the State competition on January 26 and 27.
- Competitive Cheerleading placed 2nd at the MSC Conference Invite. Their IHSA Sectional Meet will be held at Niles West HS on January 27.
SPRING SPORTS ARE ALMOST UPON US!
ALL ATHLETIC FORMS ARE ONLINE ON OUR ATHLETIC WEBSITE.
- Girls and Boys Track are starting indoor practices the week of January 15 and will gear up for a short indoor season before taking it outside for the outdoor season at the end of March. Athletes are encouraged to come out early for the indoor season, if they are not in a Winter Sport, otherwise they can join the outdoor season.
- Most SPRING SPORTS start February 26. This includes Badminton, Girls Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Boys & Girls Water Polo, and Boys Tennis.
- Boys Volleyball starts March 5.
 To help keep the Bulldog Community connected, sign up and follow us on TWITTER, @rbhsathletics.
The Riverside Brookfield HS Athletic Booster's are always appreciative of help. Please consider joining the Boosters since all of their funds go directly to RB Athletics. You can register for membership online at
http://www.boosterapp.com/rbhs/
.
All members are invited to the monthly Booster meetings that fall on the 3rd Thursday of every month at 7:00 p.m. in the Alumni Lounge. Upcoming Booster Meeting Dates: 2/15, 3/15, 4/19, and 5/17.
Our Athletic Website is called 8to18.com, which we launched to communicate Athletic information to the public, continues to grow and has many links and school forms for parents and community. Please check it out at
http://il.8to18.com/RBHS
and sign up now for e-mail alerts from the athletic department regarding important information regarding our athletic contests.
Football Gives Back
The Bulldog Football team demonstrated that leadership extends beyond the football season and into the giving season by participating in the "Stockings For Soldiers" initiative in partnership with the Kuratko-Nosek Funeral Home of North Riverside. The Bulldog Football program donated nearly 50 holiday stockings filled with "everyday items of need" for service members such as personal care items, clothing, and books.
The football team also supported the Greater LaGrange YMCA of Chicago's annual Reindeer 5K Run at the Brookfield Zoo by volunteering as course directors on a chilly Saturday morning on December 9.
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Students of the Quarter
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Pictured L to R: (Front Row) Alanna Waas, Audrey Hicks, and Halley Jepson. (Back Row) Guillermo Arteaga, Joseph Quarino, Joseph Mieczkowski, Ms. Smetana, Aaron Anderson, and Korinne Hopek. (Not Pictured) Allison Prasch, Tyler Hinz, Marissa Drake
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On Wednesday, December 13, ten students were honored, representing each academic department, in addition to a Student Building Leader, who exemplify our values of "Excellence and Ethics in all Bulldogs Do!" These students were nominated by faculty for excelling in two areas: academics and character.
All-State Musicians
HUGE congratulations are in order for our selected All-State Musicians: Joy Greco and Johnathan Wells, All-  State Honor Chorus; Katherine LaHart, All-State Chorus; and Luka Malociv, Composition Track - 2nd place in the state.
These students headed downstate Saturday, January 27, for their final culminating concerts and awards ceremony. All of these students went through a rigorous process, and we couldn't be more proud of their efforts and musical achievements.
Chess Team Wins the Metro Suburban Conference Championship
Saturday, January 20, at Fenton High School, the Chess Team won all three of its matches decidedly.
Six of the Eight Bulldogs won their respective boards:
1st Board - Senior Jackson Hajer
2nd Board - Senior Luke Graham
4th Board - Junior Andres Resto
6th Board - Sophomore Rokas Lukosevicius
7th Board - Junior Megan Sroka
8th Board - Freshman Peter Giannetos
Juniors Joe Vitek and Alexander Mercado both finished 2nd on their boards (3rd and 5th)
All 8 won ALL CONFERENCE HONORS.
In the Open Tournament, five Bulldogs competed and did outstanding. Senior Juan Quiroz won all four of his matches, along with a blitz tie-breaker to be the 2018 MSC Open Champion. Freshman James Jerz won 3 of 4 matches and finished in 7th place (and medaled). Senior Dominique Rodriguez also won 3 of 4 matches and finished in 8th. Sophomore Nathan Sanchez won two of his four matches. Lastly, Sophomore Teddy Roussin had two wins and a draw and won a medal in the Beginners Category.
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Staff Recognition
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Culinary Arts Teacher Patti Farlee and Business & Technology Teacher Patty Sarkady were selected to speak at the National Career Pathways  Network Conference in St. Louis. Their topic: In the CTE Classroom: Engaging Students with Formative Assessment. Farlee and Sarkady demonstrated how to use efficient and effective strategies for assessing Common Core standards in the Career Technical Education courses. Participants learned about formative assessment tools that help to easily check students' progress. In addition participants were able to interact with each tool during the presentation.
 During 1st semester, Kristi Sterling was a part of the Learning While Teaching Project through Northwestern University. Out of 86 applicants nationwide, only 24 were selected to participate. This project was led by Dr. Brian Reiser, Professor of Learning Sciences in the School of Education and Social Policy at Northwestern University. Dr. Reiser has helped to develop the Framework for K-12 Science Education (2012), which guided the design of The Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Through the Learn While Teaching Project, Kristi piloted a new, cutting edge biology curriculum that is fully aligned to NGSS. For every unit in this curriculum, students were presented with a science phenomenon and then asked to create a model to make sense of that phenomenon. Over the course of the unit, the students led the way by finding ways to test their models and revising them as they discovered new information. Each unit culminated with the students applying their final models to a new situation. The results from each unit will be used by Northwestern to revise the curriculum with the goal of offering it to schools nationwide.
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Excellence and Ethics
in Education
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Important Dates
Please check our website for the dates and locations of all performances and events.
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February 5
PTO Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
February 6
Winter Band & Orchestra Concert
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
February 7
College Planning Tips for Sophomores
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
February 8
Winter Choir Concert
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
February 12
Music Sponsors Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Band Room
February 13
Board of Education Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
February 16
Teacher Institute Day
Non-Attendance Day for Students
February 19
Presidents Day
Non-Attendance Day for Students
February 27
Juniors ACT Test
Periods 1-4
February 27
Committee of the Whole Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
February 28
Blood Drive
8:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
East Gym
March 1- March 3
Spring Musical,
Little Shop of Horrors
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
March 4
Spring Musical,
Little Shop of Horrors
2:00 p.m.
Auditorium
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Contact Us
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(708) 442-7500
newsletter@rbhs208.net
See our website for individual staff email addresses
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