Please Note: Due to inclement weather, tomorrow's picture day has been rescheduled to Saturday, November 14. For more information, please see the "Things to Know" section in the letter below. |
|
Dear Huskies,
It’s hard to believe that Admissions Season for the 2021-22 school year is underway for all three of our great schools. Next Thursday, November 12, at 10 am, we will be hosting our Virtual Discover Day for prospective RHP & Ren students. As always, our number one marketing resource for all our schools is our parents. Please direct any potential families to the admissions page on our website, www.RollingHillsPrep.org/Visit, for more information on Discover Day and the admissions process. If families are interested in REACH, they can sign up for a virtual tour at https://www.reachschool.org/tour-sign-up.
Throughout the fall, the LA County Department of Public Health and the Office of Education has been holding informative webinars for school administrators around the protocols and mandates for returning to campus. On Monday, November 9, from 6 to 7 pm, the agency will hold a virtual town hall event FOR PARENTS to discuss the parameters around students coming back to campus. Parents are invited to actively participate as well by submitting their questions to Public Health, and the Office of Education experts during a live Q&A. You can watch the event at tinyurl.com/WatchLACParentTownHall.
For RHP & Renaissance families, we would like to thank you and your children for your contributions to our most recent surveys where you were asked to reflect on our current distance learning and its subsequent impact on your child’s learning and social/emotional well-being. Your candid reflections and participation are helping guide us to make adjustments to our distance learning format that we hope will benefit our students here at RHP & Renaissance Schools.
Across both the student and parent surveys, there was a significant majority of people that reflected a deep level of stress and exhaustion from the amount of time looking at their computer screen, as well as the general workload in classes. In effort to be responsive to everyone’s needs, we will be making a few adjustments to classes.
First, we will be adjusting the requirement for in-class screen time for students. For 80-minute blocks, instructional time will be limited to 60 minutes and the final 20 minutes of the period will allow for students to start their homework. Teachers will still be available during these final 20 minutes to provide assistance, answer questions, or provide extra challenges for students. AP teachers may choose to hold classes for the full 80 mins in order to stay on track for curricular outcomes set by the AP.
Secondly, we will be moving to an “office hours” format on Fridays when 45 minute classes meet, in which teachers will “have their rooms open” during their scheduled class times. During this time students will be able to seek extra help, catch up on work, or work on special projects as assigned. If a student has a C- or below or is missing major assignments, teachers will require students to attend office hours. This is also an opportunity for students that would like to accelerate their academic progress to receive extra challenges. Lastly, AP classes can also require students to attend Fridays if needed in order to stay on track for curricular outcomes set by the AP.
It is our hope that the introduction of office hours and providing dedicated time to complete work will reduce stress and screen time during the week, providing more support to those feeling the strain from navigating this multifaceted environment that is distance learning while at the same time providing opportunities for extended achievement for others.
Again, sincere thanks to all of you who responded to the surveys in the past few weeks. We also look forward to your feedback on November 19 and 20, during virtual Parent-Teacher Conferences for RHP & Renaissance. To schedule conferences with teachers please login to BlackBaud, then select the “Resources” tab in the toolbar. Once you are on your resource board you will see an icon at the top left-side of the page, select the “Parent-Teacher Conferences” tile and you will be directed to a schedule for parent-teacher conferences. If you need assistance logging into BlackBaud please contact Michael Wasef at mwasef@rollinghillsprep.org.
Thank you again for your support these past months, we are truly all in this together.
Sincerely,
David
Pictured Above: Special thanks to all the grandparents and special friends who attended our virtual Grandparents' and Friends Day event today! The header image includes shots from the student performance portion of the event.
|
|
We will be meeting as an entire school via Zoom on Monday, November 9 at 8:00 AM. A link to the Zoom meeting can be accessed below and a reminder e-mail will be sent that morning to all students. Please note, these meetings will use a different Zoom link each week.
Additionally, to ensure security of our meetings, students and employees must use their google sign-on to access this meeting or else they will not be allowed in.
|
|
Husky Turkey Trot 5K
November 21 - November 28
Join in the fun as we host our First Annual Husky Turkey Trot – Virtual 5K Fun Run/Walk over Thanksgiving Break! It's the perfect time for you and yours to get involved in some healthy outdoor fun and fundraising. We hope to have the participation of the whole Husky community, so get your team together and your tailfeathers moving! The beauty of a virtual 5K is that friends and family will be able to participate from their own neighborhood, gym, track, or treadmill, either independently or as part of a team.
Register for the race by November 13, and be entered to win a pair of AirPods! Prizes for individuals and teams! Proceeds will support all three schools’ essential technology, learning tools, and program supplies.
|
|
POSTPONED: Picture Day and Picture Orders - 11/14: Due to inclement weather, tomorrow's Picture Day will be rescheduled to Saturday, November 14. Additionally, we would like to remind parents that this is a drive-through process and no parking is permitted, meaning students who drive will need a ride to and from their picture. For more information and links to ordering, click the "Announcements and Events Details" button at the bottom of this section.
|
|
Purchase your 2020-2021 Yearbook and Yearbook Ads: The time has come to order your yearbook! This year students will not automatically get a yearbook at the end of the year. The book must be ordered through our printer’s website. We are being offered an early bird special of $90 per book if you order now. But this special will only last until December 20 so make sure you order today. Please click the "Announcements and Events Details" button at the bottom of this section to access more information and to order your yearbook.
|
|
National Honor Society Induction - 11/10: Congratulations to our National Honor Society inductees of 2020! Please join us in celebrating the Rolling Hills Prep & Renaissance NHS Chapter in honoring these students for their hard work surrounding leadership, character, and service. We will be inducting the following students into National Honor Society:
Tom Bendelow
Olivia Buckler
Devon Darley
Maria Galvan
Paulina Galvan
Benny Gealer
Kyra Prendergast
Julia Paige Ramirez
Chloe Smith
Tatum Tamashiro
Myles Tan
Sofia Velasco
The ceremony will begin at 7pm and will conclude around 8pm on Tuesday, November 10, 2020. We are really excited to celebrate this special honor and once again want to congratulate all of the 2020 inductees!
|
|
Purchase Tickets for Council For Change - 12/10 & 12/11: Tickets are now available for our school production, Council For Change, with virtual performances taking place on December 10 and 11. Please scroll to the Council for Change section further down this e-mail or click the "Announcements and Events Details" below to purchase tickets or access more information.
|
|
Middle Years Programme (MYP) Parent Information Session - Recording: A recording of the parent information session can be accessed by clicking the button below. Due to interactions with parents captured on video, we cannot share this video publicly on our website and it will only be featured in the next two Friday Letters.
|
|
Claire Brenton
"Change is inevitable. But much like a differential equation, how we relate ourselves to various changes shapes our very existence. You can dismiss unprecedented situations as obstacles you will never overcome, or you can choose to take advantage of the unique opportunity to reimagine things."
|
|
Rolling Hills Preparatory and Renaissance Schools are proud to present
Council For Change
An original musical delving into and shedding light on some of the most important issues of our time. Performers selected topics, wrote scenes and sing songs that connect with their theme. Tech crew designed the production and the gift packets that will be mailed home to all who reserve by
December 4.
Tickets must be reserved in advance.
Suggested donation: $15
|
|
Word-of-mouth referrals are a significant component to admissions for independent schools and we deeply appreciate any referrals provided by our community. We will be offering several admission-oriented "Discover Days" and virtual tours in the coming months and we would greatly appreciate it if you passed the word along within your network of family and friends. The above image can be copied and shared privately, on social media, or any other capacity you deem appropriate. Additionally, interested families may also view or RSVP for the available Discover Day and tour dates by accessing the web address below:
|
|
Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance Schools proudly partner with South Bay Families Connected, an organization dedicated to providing meaningful social-emotional wellness resources for parents and students. Additionally, our schools have a dedicated Families Connected page for our communities that can be accessed by clicking the button below. |
|
Rolling Hills Preparatory and Renaissance School | RollingHillsPrep.org | RenaissanceSAS.org |
|
|
|
|
|
|
