October 9, 2020
Reminder:
There is no school on Monday, October 12, in observance of Indigenous People's Day
Greetings Husky Community,
 
As distance learning continues and the stresses of isolation and technology use continue, we wanted to use the Friday Letter today to share resources with you around student health and wellness. South Bay Families Connected (SBFC), our partner in both student and parent support, is an incredible organization providing blogs, events, newsletters, support groups and more, all geared to providing educators and parents with our “shared goal of keeping our students on a healthy path to maturity.” These include the SBFC Substance Use Prevention newsletter that you can access HERE. Be sure to visit the following links from the newsletter:


We also provide a link on our Friday letters and on our website to the weekly blog of Dr. Moe Gelbart, Executive Director of the Thelma McMillan Recovery Center at Torrance Memorial. Dr. Gelbart’s blog aims to provide clear and helpful insights and suggestions on a variety of topics related to student health and well-being.

We recognize that students are facing new challenges with regard to distance learning and with the absence of in-person connections, social opportunities are paramount. The student life team has weekly Zoom-into-Wellness forums for middle and upper school students to find connections, learn some social-emotional skills and practice mindfulness. 

On October 13, we will have a presentation for our middle school students on Social Media Literacy by educational technology consultant Raena Hawkins. Topics include social, emotional and physical wellness related to the digital world, restrictions, privacy and liability. More information about Raena Hawkins can be found at www.edtechraena.com. A wonderful follow up to this for the family is to watch the documentary The Social Dilemma on Netflix -  www.thesocialdilemma.com

Finally, on October 21, our ongoing speaker series will feature two prominent South Bay psychologists discussing the role of technology in brain health and wellness. RSVP for “Technology & The Brain” HERE.

We hope these resources will be helpful to you and your families moving forward. As always, please don’t hesitate to provide feedback on these topics or others to me, or our student support team of Christina Morse, Director of Student Life, and Emilie Padua-Douglas, our School Counselor and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Coordinator, as we all do our best to celebrate Healthy Bodies as a pillar of the Husky Community.

Best,

David

Pictured Above: Congratulations to our artists, performers and crew for an exceptional job on the 2020 Visual and Performing Arts Invitational. Thank you to all of our guests who attended the performances on Friday, October 2 and Saturday, October 3. We appreciate all of the support! 
Morning Meeting Link - Tuesday, October 13
We will be meeting as an entire school via Zoom on Tuesday, October 13 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.
Things To Know - Read This Section Every Week!
School Directory - Update your Privacy Settings on Blackbaud by 10/9: We are preparing to launch our new digital directory via Blackbaud and we need all families to update their privacy settings prior to publication by October 9. Please note, if you do not opt-out or change your privacy settings, it is likely that your information will be included in the online directory. Click the "Announcements and Events Details" button below for more information.

Coffee House - 10/15: Our first Coffee House talent performances will take place on Thursday, October 15 beginning at 1:20 PM. More information and Zoom links will be provided next week.

Invite Your Guests to Grandparents' and Friends' Day: Grandparents' and Friends' Day is a time-honored tradition at Rolling Hills Prep and Renaissance Schools. If you would like to invite grandparents or special friends in your student’s life to Grandparents' and Friends' Day, hosted Friday, November 6, please complete the invitation form that can be found by clicking the "Announcements and Events Details" button below.

Middle Years Programme (MYP) Parent Information Session - 10/28: You are invited to an information session about the International Baccalaureate (IB) and its Middle Years Programme (MYP) for grades 6-10. Join Ms. Cheryl Beshke and Mr. Justin Flamini to learn what makes the MYP such a powerful learning experience for students and to find out about our journey to become an authorized IB school. There will be time for questions.

This meeting will take place on October 28 at 7:00 PM and is geared for parents of sixth and seventh-grade students, whose teachers are beginning to implement MYP in their classrooms, but all are welcome.

Smilin' Jack at Phillips 66: Our local neighbors, Phillips 66, are hosting their 68th annual viewing of "Smilin' Jack" on October 30 and our community is invited to attend. This event is a drive-through experience and all attendees must stay in their vehicles at all times. Please click the "Announcements and Events Details" button below for more information.
Senior Speeches
Landon Rheuark

"My interests have kept changing over the years and I have learned so much, but the greatest thing I learned in high school was that it’s important to try out new adventures. If you stay in your comfort zone and don’t try new challenges, how will you grow?"
R&R Speaker Series: Technology & The Brain
Parent Resources for Student Wellness
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