RHS August Family Newsletter 2020-21

Republic High School

Family Newsletter

MISSION: Prepare students for success in future endeavors

VISION: Excellence in learning and leading

Welcome Back!

RHS Families,

As the new principal of Republic High School, I would like to say thank you for allowing me to serve you and our students for the upcoming 20-21 school year. This back to school letter will provide you with need-to-know information to begin the school year, as well as any event updates and details. Please click below for an introduction message!

Thank you,

John Thompson

RHS Principal

Introduction Video Message

Important Updates:

We realize that this coming year will be different than any other year with uncertainty and quickly changing landscapes. We want to assure you that we are working hard on many plans, procedures, safety protocols and instructional methods to meet the needs of all our students throughout the year. Our goal is to partner with you and the community to communicate clearly and regularly.

There will be MUCH more communication forthcoming on 8/14/20 with regard to health protocols and learning plans!

Masking Update:

Masks are required for all students and staff throughout the day and at events

Open House Update:

Open House will move to a virtual format this year. More information to come from teachers on Aug 18th!

Virtual Open House:

August 19th 4-7pm

Freshmen Orientation Update:

In an effort to limit guests in the building the Freshmen Orientation parent meeting will be moved to a virtual format. Information will be sent to all freshmen parents. We are still excited to welcome our freshmen students in person during orientation so they can get familiar with their classes and the building. More information below.

*1st Day of School-Monday, August 24th

Freshman Orientation:

August 13

Greetings Class of 2024 and Families!

We are excited to welcome you to Republic High School! Freshmen Orientation will look a bit differently this year to allow for social distancing, but regardless of this we are looking forward to a fun-filled and informative day.

This event will take place on August 13 at RHS. Incoming 9th grade students will attend the event from 3:00-6:30 p.m. Parent meetings will be virtual. Meeting information will be sent out to all freshmen parents. Students will be divided into small groups by their English classes to allow for social distancing.

Students in attendance will have an opportunity to be mentored by an older RHS student ambassador, tour RHS and go through their upcoming class schedule, which will be shared on that day.

Event Details:

*Students and employees are all required to wear a mask during the event.

Please contact Brandy Krudwig (brandy.krudwig@republicschools.org) if you have any questions.

Online Back to School Forms

Nearly all back to school forms will need to be completed online through the SISK12 Parent Portal by August 12. As a reminder, the Parent Portal is a tool that parents can use to monitor items like meal balances, grades, attendance, etc. We recommend using it throughout the school year!

This tool makes the back to school form process as easy and smooth as possible for our families. Please login to the Parent Portal and complete the needed forms by August 12. ALL students (preschool through 12th grade) must have a parent/guardian complete these required forms. Take note that specific forms must be completed for students to participate in various activities, including receiving a parking permit, technology usage and athletic/activity participation.

To find the Parent Portal CLICK HERE or simply visit republicschools.org and click on the "Parent Portal" icon. This can also be accessed through the district's free mobile app. As a reminder, to login use the email address you have provided to the district and enter the password you have created. If you’ve forgotten it, simply click on the “forgot password” button and follow the prompts.

RepMO Ready Technology Plan:

Every student in grade 6-12 will be issued a take home technology device as part of the RepMO Ready plan. Our goal is to provide a digital learning device to all secondary students for use both at school and at home. Students are responsible for the care of their assigned device at all times, both at school and home. The district strongly encourages families to purchase an Accidental Damage Protection Plan explained in the online form found on the Parent Portal. Students will not be allowed to use school technology resources until the appropriate online form has been completed. Chromebooks will be distributed to students the first day of school (8/24) during WIN time in 6th hour.

~~Student Handbook:~~

The student handbook provides a summary of the practices, policies and procedures our district follows. Please review the document at https://www.republicschools.org/studenthandbook. The handbook will remain on the website throughout the entire school year, and printed copies can be requested by contacting our building office. Digitally signing the online Policy and Procedure Acknowledgment form indicates approval of this document which is included in the online back to school registration process.

Fall Sports Information

Athletic Director: Trevyor Fisher

Reminder that fall sports practices and tryouts start Monday, August 10. All students must have a copy of their physical plus MSHSAA annual documentation on file in the athletic office before they are able to start practice. This documentation can be found at the following link. https://www.mshsaa.org/SportsMedicine/

Random Student Drug Testing

Per Board of Education policy JFCI, if your student plans to participate in any activities, athletics, clubs, or organizations they must have a random student drug testing form on file.
The random student drug testing consent form is a one-time enrollment for a student's entire school career (6-12 grades). If your student turned one in last year they will not need to submit a new one for this year, or for any additional years your student attends Republic School District.
If your student plans to participate in any of the qualifying activities during the 2020-21 school year, they must have a copy of the random student drug testing consent form on file. RHS does have two enrollment windows for this process. For all fall or winter activities, or year-long clubs, enrollment consent forms must be turned in by September 4th.
For athletic/activities taking place in the spring, the second enrollment window is open from January 5th-January 19th.
A copy of the consent form can by clicking here. For questions or comments please contact the main office at Republic High School: 417.732.3650

First Day of School

On the first day of school students are encouraged to ride the bus to school or to be dropped off using the car line.

Traffic Flow Information

Here are a few things to keep in mind when dropping off or picking up students:

Only let students out of your car in the designated drop-off sections of the traffic route.
Be aware of potential pedestrian students along the traffic route.
Please follow the arrows on the maps. Deviating from the provided traffic route can be a potential safety hazard for pedestrian students, and can cause other drivers frustration.
Be courteous of other drivers and of our bus drivers.
When picking up, do not arrive more than 15 minutes prior to dismissal as that creates traffic congestion. From the time of dismissal, it will only take 10-15 minutes for every student to be picked up.

Arrival

In the morning, upon arriving at school, all students are required to wear a face covering and wash/sanitize hands upon entering the building.
Their face coverings will stay on throughout the day.
Busses will drop students off at staggered times to reduce number of students entering the building at the same time.
Only students needing to eat breakfast will report to the commons.
Students not eating breakfast will travel to the floor of their first hour teacher and wait there until the classroom doors are open at 7:15am. Then they may enter their class to reduce crowds in the hallways.

Dismissal

Students will release in a staggered progression based on the location of their 8th hour class.
Students riding buses need to board them as soon as they get outside with their mask on.
All students should be out of the building by 2:40pm, unless they are being supervised by a teacher or coach.

The building is opened at 6:50 am Students are dismissed at 2:30pm Monday-Thursday and 1:30pm on Friday. Any student or group in the building after 2:40pm must be supervised by a teacher or coach.

School Supply List

Republic School District is pleased to partner with Teacher Lists to make your school supply shopping easy. By visiting https://www.republicschools.org/schoolsupplies you now have the option to use one click online ordering or to print supply lists and go to the store directly for purchasing. Local vendors will also have these lists available, just as in the past. *Supplies needed the first week will be provided by RHS.

2020-21 Bell Schedule

*Note: The bell schedule has been adjusted this year to accommodate 4 lunch periods instead of 3 to reduce the number of students in each lunch by 125. This along with the addition of 20 new lunch tables allows for better social distancing. The adjustment to the schedule is reflected by the removal of 4 hr WIN time, which we added to 6th hr. Students will still have WIN, however it will be with their 6th hour class.

Attendance

Attendance is extremely important and students are expected to be present and punctual for classes throughout the school day/year. When students miss school, their grades may suffer as well as their social environment, BUT attendance incentives will not be implemented this year. RHS attendance goal is for 92% of students to be in attendance 90% of the time. Our overall building goal is for 96% student attendance. For more information on attendance policies and procedures please see the student handbook on the RHS webpage.

Weekly Friday

Early Release

Fridays are early release days with dismissal at 1:30pm. To learn more and find answers to frequently asked questions please visit https://www.republicschools.org/fridayearlyrelease.

Tardies

In an effort to encourage arriving promptly to class, students arriving late will be counted tardy. Tardy sweeps will be conducted before each class period. Students will be escorted by a staff member to a designated area on each floor to have their ID scanned and then be escorted to class. The following discipline will be associated with excessive tardiness:

6th tardy: Phone call home to let parent know that the next tardy will result in disciplinary action.

7th tardy: One after school detention during early release time.

8th tardy: Two after school detentions

9th tardy: 1 day ISS

10th tardy: 1 day ISS

11th tardy: 1 day ISS

**Continuous tardies may result in out of school suspension.

Food Service

Lunch Accounts:

The district Food Service Department offers daily breakfast and lunch options. Meals may be prepaid by submitting cash/check to the school office in a sealed envelope with the student(s) name and amount enclosed on the outside of the envelope. Another option for payment can be done through the Parent Portal. For meal prices and additional details visit https://www.republicschools.org/foodservice.

Free/Reduced Meal Applications:

We request that all families complete the form, even if you plan not to use the benefit. The free & reduced meal application can be found on our website at https://www.republicschools.org/Page/185 along with further information.

Note: A new form needs to be completed annually.

Transportation

Starting this year, students who selected they will be riding a bus this year during online registration will need to login to the Parent Portal to see bus information. Bus letters will no longer be mailed out. For those who have completed online registration by August 12, bus information will be viewable on August 18 in the Parent Portal. Those who have not completed online registration by this date will experience a lag in being able to view transportation details in the Parent Portal.

Additionally, those needing to utilize the shuttle buses from the high school to the middle school can find information at https://www.republicschools.org/transportation beginning August 18.

If you do not see any bus information in the Parent Portal August 18, 2020, please call the Transportation Department at 417.732.3680. Information is updated nightly in the Parent Portal.

Due to the volume of students being routed, bus stop locations and times need to be adjusted, so please check the day before school starts for the most up to date bus stop information. Questions regarding transportation can be directed to 417-732-3680.

LEAD THE WAY

Lead the Way exists for the purpose of developing leadership, service, and personal ownership in RHS students and staff. This year we will continue to focus on:

Setting and achieving personal and academic goals.
Celebrating student and staff achievements.
Serving our school and community.
Developing leadership within our athletics and activities.
Increasing student involvement in the RHS community.

We look forward to seeing our students and staff grow in leadership and service this year!

RHS Lead Team

Communications

It is vital to student success that all RHS families have updated contact information. You may contact the RHS office at any time to update your information or use parent portal to do so. Be reminded that communication with building teachers and administrators is always available and important. Below you will find many of the communication tools you may access:

Website: republicschools.org and republicschools.org/rhs
District Twitter: @republicschools
District Facebook: Republic School District
Email/phone
Tiger Talk e-newsletter: Sent on the 2^nd and 4^th Tuesdays of each month during the school year. Parents who have provided an email account are automatically signed up. Others can sign up on our website.
Mobile App
Voice calls and text messages at the building and district level (All numbers provided will receive these notifications, there is no longer a need to opt-in as in the past. However, opting out is still an option.)
Canvas