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Superintendent's Message
Dear RBHS Students, Families, Staff, and Community,
Homecoming is one sure sign that the fall season is here. The high school just celebrated another exciting Homecoming Week. It was great to see all the week long activities, and the students demonstrating their school spirit. One thing I have
really
come to appreciate during my time at RB is our passionate alumni and how many of them are excited to return to the school for the Homecoming tour of the campus and to share their memories. As a
community,
we are
truly fortunate
to have a high school that has been in existence for over 100 years with its
distinguished
traditions and history.
First quarter ends October 12. Parents, please take advantage of Skyward and Schoology to monitor your students' attendance and academic performance and to communicate with your child's teachers.
Below are some recent items of interest from our District.
Cordially,
Kevin Skinkis, Ed.D
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As reported last month, we are continuing to work with Cook County Commissioner Jeff Tobolski, Superintendent of Cook County Forest Preserve District Arnold Randall, and Chicago Zoological President-CEO Stuart Strahl to negotiate an agreement for the sole access of the athletic fields to the north of the high school. More information will be shared as the process continues.
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Our Administration presented the annual academic performance report at the Board meeting on September 25. More detailed information can be found in the Board packet for the September 25 meeting on the RBHS website.
The Board of Education will have two meetings in October in Conference Room 201 beginning at 7:00 p.m. The dates are October 9 for the Regular meeting and October 23 for the Committee of the Whole meeting.
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
Mark your calendars for Thursday, October 25, for parent-teacher conferences. Parents will have an opportunity to hear teacher feedback about student academic and behavior performance in order to celebrate accomplishments and encourage student efforts to improve. Parent support for Schoology, our learning management system, will also be available during Parent-Teacher Conferences. Additionally, online resources to assist parents with logging onto and navigating Schoology are available on the school's website.
Report cards are available online for the first quarter via Skyward. Visit
RB's website
if you need assistance in accessing your student's report card. With the end of the first quarter rapidly approaching on Friday, October 12, encourage your student to check their grades on Skyward and give his or her best effort to end the quarter strongly.
In a continuous effort to enhance our communication, we encourage you to stay  connected to the events at RB in a variety of different ways. Visit
RB's website
to subscribe to RB's Twitter feed, Facebook page, monthly podcasts, weekly news and announcements, daily student bulletin, and RBTV's YouTube page.
We hope to see you on October 25 at Parent-Teacher Conferences!
Kristin Smetana
Principal
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Immunization Requirements for Freshman and Transfer
..Students
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All freshman and transfer students must have a current physical on file and be in compliance with all required immunizations. Students who do not provide the proper documentation of their vaccinations by Friday, October 12, will be excluded from school. Please contact your health care provider with any questions. For more information, please visit the
RBHS website.
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Upcoming December National ACT and SAT Exam Registration Deadlines
Students interested in taking either the national ACT or SAT in December may do so at any neighboring school that will be hosting the exam on those dates. RB will not be hosting any December national test dates.
National ACT at RBHS on Saturday, April 13, 2019
National SAT and SAT Subject Tests
The national SAT and SAT Subject Tests will be offered on December 1. While RBHS will not be hosting one of these exams, interested students should register by November 2, at
https://sat.collegeboard.org/home?navid=ap-sat
in order to find local testing centers.
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Upcoming Student Services Events and Information
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Naviance Lesson with Sophomores
Counselors met with their sophomores in small groups during science classes on September 17 and 18 for a Naviance lesson. Students completed the "Do What You Are" assessment, a personality survey. The results of the survey are used to help students explore suggested college majors and careers based on their preferences and strengths. Parents are encouraged to discuss the survey results with their students.
FAFSA Workshop for Seniors and Parents
October 17 at 7:00 p.m. Location TBD.
The FAFSA will be available to current seniors and parents on
October 17. If you are looking for assistance on how to complete the FAFSA, bring your documents to RB on October 17 and meet with a FAFSA expert.
2019-20 Course Selection
Course selection
for the 2019-20 school year will begin in early November. Small group pre-course selection meetings and individual registration appointments with counselors will occur during the following weeks.
More information regarding the course selection process will be shared with parents and students in October.
Pre-Course Selection Meetings with Counselors
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October 30 & 31
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Class of 2021 - Sophomores (Science)
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November 27 & 28
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Class of 2022 - Freshmen (PE, Band, & Dance)
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January 8 & 9
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Class of 2020 - Juniors (Science)
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Course Selection Appointments with Counselors
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November 5 - 20
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Register Class of 2021 - Sophomores
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November 29 - December 14
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Register Class of 2022 - Freshmen
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December 17
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Make-ups for the Class of 2021 & 2022
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January 10 - 28
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Register Class of 2020 - Juniors
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January 29 & 30
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Make-ups for the class of 2020
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Screenagers Growing Up in the Digital Age
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Riverside Brookfield High School, in conjunction with the PTO, is excited  to present a parent and community viewing of the award-winning documentary, Screenagers. The viewing will be held on Tuesday, October 16, in the Auditorium at 7:00 p.m. This documentary goes far beyond exposing the risks of screen time, it also reveals multiple approaches on how parents and educators can work with our students to help them achieve a healthy amount of screen time.
There is no charge for this event; however, ticket reservations are required. The reservation link to reserve your seats is available within the following link
Screenagers Ticket Reservations.
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As part of the Digital Citizenship curriculum, all freshmen and sophomores will be viewing Screenagers on October 16. The purpose of the film is to explore the "impact of the digital age on children and how to help them minimize harmful effects and find balance." After the screening, students will participate in a follow-up lesson to discuss topics such as the effects of digital devices on school life and relationships, as well as how they can achieve balance in their technology use. Parents and guardians are invited to a viewing of Screenagers that night. For more details, click here.
GoGuardian - Staff members now have access to GoGuardian, which is a Chromebook management tool. With GoGuardian, educators are able to monitor Chromebook use during class to increase student engagement. GoGuardian provides a way for staff to create a digital learning environment where students are on task and focused on their academic assignments.
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Extracurricular Activity Updates
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Activity Fair
On Thursday, September 20, students gathered in the Commons Area before school and during lunches to promote their favorite extracurricular activity. For a listing of clubs and a calendar of meetings/events, visit
Clubs & Activities
on our website.
Model UN
As the 2018-19 school year begins, RB's Model United Nations Club has been preparing for the year ahead. We are very excited about all the new faces at our Tuesday morning meetings as we begin our conference season. Our first conference of the year will
be held at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park on October 6. We're sending 25 students to this conference, and they will represent The Netherlands, Vietnam, and Italy. We also have two students serving on
special councils: The Colonization of Mars and a Star Wars Imperial Council.
Our second major conference of the year will be November 2 at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. Students will represent Venezuela, The United Arab Emirates, Switzerland, Cuba, The Lao People's Democratic Republic, and Timor-Leste. Two students will serve on opposite sides - U.S. and U.S.S.R - of the Cuban Missile Crisis.
Overall, this is a super exciting year for Model UN, and the Exec Board is eagerly planning our own UN simulations to kick off the year!
RB Model United Nations Executive Board: Gillian Gaines ('19), Rowan Elwart ('19), Maggie Greenlees ('19), Neil Styx ('19), Elizabeth Donoghue ('19), and Cali Carlson ('19)
Student Association
Homecoming 2018 was a positive experience for RBHS. The Dance theme was Somewhere Beneath the Sea, which was also carried into Spirit week. The week included a day to dress in neon like the coral reef, an opportunity for students to see the movie, Moana, and even a student game at the pep rally that involved flippers, goggles, and swim caps.
What's next for the Student Association? More spirit dress-up days, a Blood Drive on November 7, and preparing for our major fall event of creating Thanksgiving Baskets. Please continue to save pop tops for the collection in April! SA meets every Wednesday at 7:20 a.m. in Room 201. All are welcome!
The Freshman class of 2022 elected their new officers.
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President
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Claire Harrison
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Vice President
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Remy Hilpp
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Secretary
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Madison Lester
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Treasurer
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Mary Izzo
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Appointed Officers
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Alli Brand and Claire Stanislaw
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Dodgeball Tournament 
Homecoming week kicked off with a dodgeball tournament on Sunday, September 16.
Thirteen teams represented and raised over $450.00 for the Junior Class.
Team
, "Orange, Mango, Guava" were the champions.
Pictured Front: Ian Vranek, Jack Delorenzo, Mariano Ortiz Middle: Nate Roberto, Chris Robertson, Caden Vais, Zach Veselsky, Joe Donavon Back: Joe Shelvan
The Girls That Code
The Girls That Code Club created games for Homecoming 2018. The group had two apps, a Bulldog Operation game using Scratch with Makey Makey and a Simon game using Microbits. These games were available at lunches during Spirit Week for all Bulldogs to enjoy. Students paid $0.25 per game or $1.00 for five games. The points they earned in the games counted toward class level points for the Spirit Bone Competition. All proceeds from the games were combined with the Penny Pinch money to donate to the family of Ethan Tkalec.
Pep Rally - Recap
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Puppettes perform for the crowd.
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Seniors win the spirit bone for the most spirit.
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Cheerleaders put on a performance.
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Mr. Mannon gets a pie in the face from the winning team
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Staff vs. Student dodgeball turnament -- Students Win!!
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Homecoming Court 2018 
Congratulations to the Homecoming King and Queen, William Briolat and Melissa Oliveira Liz, who
were announced at the Homecoming pep assembly. The following ten students were those selected by their peers for the Homecoming Court.
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Girls
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Boys
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Georgiana Gomorczak
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William Briolat
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Kori Hopek
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Patrick Hanley
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Angela Murray
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Chris Magno
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Melissa Oliveira Liz
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Josh Ranft
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Abigail Regan
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Connor Raymond
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Music Notes and Updates
Tri-M
The Tri-M Music Honor Society is the program of the National Association for Music Education which focuses on creating leaders in music education and music advocacy.
Students
are selected
for membership in the Society
on the basis of
musicianship, scholarship, character, leadership, and service to the school and community.
Congratulations to this year's Tri-M Executive Board:
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President
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Kierra Notz
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Vice President
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Maggie Simpson
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Secretary
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Sydney Lindenberg
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Treasurer
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Alex Angeloni
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Public Relations
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Maggie Greenlees
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Von Steuben Parade
RB students represented us very well at the Von Steuben Parade on
Saturday, September 8, and they had a great time at the German-American Fest.
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RBEF Holiday Market
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 The Riverside Brookfield Educational Foundation (RBEF) is having a Holiday Market in the Alumni Lounge on Friday, December 7, and Saturday, December 8.
Arts, prints, and crafts will be sold and funds raised will support the RBEF (
rbef.tv
).
Contact Jim Franko at
frankoj@rbhs208.net
with any questions.
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We've been busy in RBLibrary to start off the school year, promoting some great programs and reading opportunities for all RB students. All year, RBLibrary promotes the Lincoln Award: Illinois Teen Reader's Choice Award, and many students have started participating in this year's program. Students who want to participate should read from the list of 20 nominated titles and turn in a bookmark to the library. Each participating student receives a Hero point for each book read. Students who read  four of the nominated titles will be invited to a pizza party at the beginning of March to vote on their favorite, and special prizes are awarded to those who read all 20 titles!
The Bulldog Book Club has also kicked off its third year. The club will begin the year reading from the Lincoln Award list. The first pick is, When Dimple Met Rishi, by Sandhya Menon. All students are welcome to come to the next meeting for a book discussion and snacks on October 11 at 7:45 a.m. in the Library.
 Lastly, RBLibrary celebrated Banned Books Week September 24 - 28 with library displays, banned book facts during morning announcements, and a table during lunch where students could take a picture with their favorite banned book.
The fun will continue in October with Teen Read Week, October 9 - 12. Happy reading!
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Senior Yearbook Ads are on sale!
Don't miss this opportunity to recognize your senior student. Go to
www.jostensadservice.com to create a custom design and purchase your senior ad. The last day to order is December 31. Contact Mrs. Marsh at
marsha@rbhs208.net or call Jostens at 800-358-0800 with any questions.
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Fall Sports Update
Fall Sports are in well into their season schedules and will soon be competing in IHSA State Tournaments. Below are some updates on each team as of September 23.
- Boys Cross Country Team placed 4th in our own Bulldog Invitational while the team looks to build up to Conference (October 13) and the IHSA Regionals that RBHS will host on October 20 (at 11:00 a.m. at Sundown Meadows). The core group of seniors - David Keen, Chris Magno, Conor Raymond, and Josh Ranft - are running strong. They are a nice pack, and a pack attack is a recipe for success.
- Girls Cross Country placed 3rd in our own Bulldog Invitational. Varsity finished 6th, and the Freshman/Sophomore team finished 2nd at the Harvest Christian Invite on September 22. Tara Janney placed 3rd in the Varsity Race at the Harvest Christian Invite on September 21. The Girls will also look for a strong showing at the Conference (October 13) and the IHSA Regionals that RBHS will host on October 20 (at 11:00 a.m. at Sundown Meadows).
- Football is comprised of a young group that continues to improve with each week. The football program will be holding their annual Military Appreciation Night on October 12. The team looks to have a strong finish in the 2018 season.
- Girls Golf is currently led by Kiki Keen who earned a silver medal vs. a tough competitive field in the Willowbrook Invite. The girls golf team looks to improve their conference standings at the Conference Tournament on September 27.
- Boys Soccer, in addition to posting victories in the competitive PepsiCo tournament against top-ranked opponents, the program has implemented a junior-varsity level this season and looks forward to continued growth of the program.
- Girls Swimming started their season strong this year and currently hold a 2-1 record in duals. They placed 6th at the Lockport Invite, 3rd in the Hinsdale South Invite, and 4th at the Bulldog Invite.
- Girls Tennis is off to a great start and earned a 1st place finish at the RBHS Bulldog Invite. The JV team recently won the Downers Grove North Invite as well.
- Girls Volleyball had a strong showing at the Maine East Invite and look forward to celebrating their seniors on Senior Night vs. Chicago Christian on October 16.
- Boys Golf earned a 7th overall at the conference tournament with the lowest team score for RB (by 30 points) in three years! Thirty-eight student/athletes make up the golf program this year. The future looks bright for this team as roughly five underclassmen athletes are in the mix to compete in the state series.
- The Poms will be holding their Annual Little Poms fundraiser on October 12 at the Football game, and their competitive season begins October 22.
Winter sports will be here before you know it. Riverside Brookfield offers the following
sports
in the winter with these starting dates: Competitive Cheerleading (October 22), Competitive Dance (October 22), Girls Basketball (October 29), Girls Gymnastics (November 5), Boys Basketball (November 5), Wrestling (November 5), and Boys Swimming (November 19).
Be active and stay engaged!
Registration will be online only on the RB Athletics Website. The Website continues to grow and has many links and school forms for parents and the community. Please check it out at
http://il.8to18.com/RBHS
and sign up now for email alerts from the Athletic Department regarding important information regarding our athletic contests.
Athlete Recognition and Leadership
So far this year's winners are:
Christopher Doherty - Football, Chris Robertson - Boys Golf, Kiki Keen - Girls Golf, Daniel Sessler - Boys Soccer, Daniel Villegas - Boys Soccer, Kyle Platt - Boys Golf, Mary Izzo - Girls Swimming, James Burger - Boys Golf, Leah Rettke - Girls Volleyball, and Jack Jones - Boys Golf.
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Semifinalist in the 2019 National Merit® Scholarship Program
Elise Wojack has been named a Semifinalist in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program. About 1.6 million juniors in more than 22,000 high schools entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT®). Approximately 16,000 Semifinalists throughout the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise.
Elise will have an opportunity to continue in the competition for approximately 7,500 National Merit Scholarships worth more than $32 million that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a Merit Scholarship® award, Semifinalists must fulfill several requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition. About half of the Finalists will win a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar® title.
Commended Students in the 2019 National Merit Scholarship Program
Six of RB's own have been named Commended Students in the 2019
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Front Row:
Audrey Santora, Elise Wojack (
Semifinalist in the 2019 National Merit® Scholarship Program), and Sophia Marhoul Back Row: Michael Kusz, Gustas Gladstein, David Keen, and Luka Malovic
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National Merit Scholarship Program. Approximately 34,000 Commended Students through the nation are being recognized for their exceptional academic promise. Although they will not continue in the 2019 competition for National Merit Scholarship awards, Commended Students placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.6 million students who entered the 2019 competition by taking the 2017 Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test
(PSAT/NMSQT
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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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Fall Orchestra Festival Concert
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
October 8
Columbus Day
Non-attendance Day
October 9
Board of Education Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
October 12
End of 1st Quarter
October 13
8th Grade Placement Exam
8:00 a.m.
October 15
Music Sponsors Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Band Room
October 16
Screenagers, Growing Up in the Digital Age, Movie Viewing
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
October 17
Jr High Choir Festival
10:00 a.m.
Auditorium
October 17
Jr Fall Choir Concert / Jr High Choir Festival
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
October 18
Booster Club Meeting
6:30 p.m.
Alumni Lounge
October 23
Board of Education Meeting - Committee of the Whole
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
October 24
Fall Band and Orchestra Concert
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
October 25
Parent Teacher Conferences
12:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Field House
October 26
Institute Day
Non-attendance Day for Students
November 5
PTO Meeting
7:00 p.m.
Room 201
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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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