September 3, 2021
NO SCHOOL Monday, September 6 and Tuesday, September 7

FULL DAY Wednesday, September 8, dismissal at 3:15 PM
Dear Husky Community,

Thanks to the RHP and Ren families who attended our Back-to-School Night this past Wednesday. I was able to visit some of the classroom and advisory sessions after the initial introduction and I was both impressed with the presentations of our teachers and questions and comments from our families. One of the reasons this community appealed to me was the dedication of both the parents and the teachers and that was on full display throughout the night. A recording of the introductory session is available and you may access it by clicking the button below.
I was also really pleased to welcome back our REACH Students for their first day on Wednesday. It was an enormous joy of mine to see students connect with new friends, old friends, and their teachers almost immediately upon stepping foot on campus. Our campus now feels livelier than ever with everyone back in action!

I’m proud to share that our Husky Pride is visible everywhere on campus, with engaging morning meetings on the basketball court, students and staff joining our football games, and overall good energy in these first weeks of school.

As we head into a long holiday weekend, I want to wish you all a safe relaxing Labor Day and Rosh Hashanah



Go Huskies!


Amy Hollinger
She/Her/Hers
Head of Schools


Pictured Above: REACH students had their first day back on Wednesday and it was a blast watching friends, new and old, come together in such a positive and nurturing atmosphere!

Please enjoy short recap videos of REACH's first day and RHP and Ren's first week by clicking the buttons below. These are different from the videos sent out on the first days featuring Amy Hollinger and include footage of students.
IMPORTANT - School Communications
As we head into the school year, it's important for our community to understand how we plan to communicate important information and updates throughout the year. There will be some significant differences with our communication compared to previous years and we hope that these changes make school communication more streamlined.

Friday Letters
The Friday Letter is the single most important form of communication we utilize as a school and serves as our main tool of information distribution. Our goal is to try to consolidate our messaging each week into the Friday Letter to ensure that there is little room for confusion or conflicts with communication. Please read the letter each week, especially the "Important Things To Know" section, because that will highlight all the important announcements and details that need to be addressed.

Advisor Letters - Grade Level Announcements
Weekly advisor letters for each grade will now be sent out in the Friday Letter each week, beginning this week. We hope that this consolidation makes it easier to access both school and grade-level specific information in one location rather than prioritizing one form of communication or another. Scroll down below the "Important Things to Know" section to find the links in this letter!

Website
Apart from e-mail communication, our website has an entire "Community" tab dedicated to communicating information. Although all of the pages under the tab can be referenced throughout the year, we highly recommend bookmarking our "Announcements and Events" page because it is frequently updated with information and functions alongside the "Important Things To Know" section of our Friday Letters. In most cases, the "Important Things To Know" section will provide a brief explanation of a specific topic, but greater detail can often be found by clicking a button at the bottom of the section that leads to the "Announcements and Events" page on our website. Bookmarking the "Announcements and Events" page of the website is suggested to make it an easy-to-access resource.
Husky Howls - Emails Throughout The Week
In previous years, families may have gotten used to e-mails sent throughout the week covering specific topics, often referred to as "Husky Howls." Although we still plan on using unique emails from time to time, our goal is to try to avoid overwhelming our community with messaging by consolidating our communications as much as possible in places like the Friday Letter and the "Announcements and Events" page of the website. We do plan on using Husky Howls to invite our community to virtual events (Zoom links are typically sent an hour before the event starts), distribute recordings of events, and provide other time-sensitive communications that can't wait until Friday.
RHP & Ren: Back-to-School Night
We are extremely pleased that we were able to host our RHP and Ren families virtually for Back-to-School Night 2021 on Wednesday. A recording of the introductory session can be found by clicking the button below.
Tuesday COVID Coffee - September 14 | 8:30 AM
Thank you to everyone who attended last Tuesday's COVID Coffee with Amy Hollinger session! We deeply appreciate your questions and comments as we address our community's safety throughout the 2021-2022 school year. A recording of the session is now available and you may click the button below to access it on Youtube.
COVID Coffee with Amy
Tuesday, September 14 | 8:30 AM
Hosted Virtually on Zoom

Next week's session will not take place due to Rosh Hashanah

Each Tuesday, our Head of Schools, Amy Hollinger, hosts a recurring "COVID Coffee" session with parents to address various topics relating to COVID, the safety of our students, and our programs.

No RSVP is required for COVID coffees, but we will provide a question form each week in the Friday Letter to allow families to ask questions in advance. Click the button below to ask questions for next week's session.
Get Involved with Athletics!
Our no-cut athletic teams have a long-running tradition of providing opportunities and new experiences to students seeking out various sports for the first time and helping experienced players develop and condition their skills in preparation for upper school or college.

All sports have a no-cut policy.

Middle School

  • MS soccer open to both boys and girls will start practice Monday, September 13. To participate students must have a sports physical turned in to Coach Kitani. Practice will be every Monday and Tuesday from 3:30-5:00 PM. Questions? Email Coach Hollandsworth at LHollandsworth@RollingHillsPrep.org.
  • MS Cross Country open to both boys and girls has already started practice and students can still join the team. To participate students must have a sports physical turned in to Coach Kitani. Questions about practice or participation? Contact Coach Ramos at BRamos@RollingHillsPrep.org.
Upper School Teams

  • Fall: Cross Country, Football, Girls' Volleyball, Cheer
  • Winter: Boys' Basketball, Girls' Basketball, Boys' Soccer, Girls' Soccer, Surf, Cheer
  • Spring: Baseball, Softball, Golf, Beach Volleyball, Diving, Cheer
  • Questions or want to participate in a team? Email Coach Hollandsworth at LHollandsworth@RollingHillsPrep.org for more information!
Go Huskies!
Things To Know - Read this section every week!
Service Learning: While students are not required to complete service-learning hours for the 2021-2022 school year, we still encourage them to participate in activities in which they can help others. Our service-learning webpage will be updated with events as they become available, and students should contact Rachel Rubin (rrubin@rollinghillsprep.org) if they find additional events that interest them.
COVID Testing - Updated 9/3: Weekly COVID testing will be required for all individuals on campus regardless of vaccination status. Weekly testing for all students and employees will take place on Wednesdays. If your student is absent on Wednesday, they will need to be tested outside of school. Our testing partner, COVID Testing Today, requires a one-time registration (registration link below) for every student. Registration will require uploading insurance information, however, there will be no charge for the COVID Testing.
COVID Testing for Athletes: Athletes are no longer required to test additional days and will be tested on Wednesdays with the rest of the student body.
SchoolPass: We require all students to fill out a daily health questionnaire provided through SchoolPass. If you require additional assistance, please refer to the setup guide linked below. It will also be featured on the "Announcements and Events" page of the website and on the "Current Parents" and "Current Students" pages of the website (all of which are under the "Community" tab).
Lunch: This is just a reminder that ChoiceLunch is our only outside food provider this year and all orders must be placed by 9:00 AM the day before service. We encourage parents to tell their children about ChoiceLunch orders because they will have to retrieve their meals from the distribution area near the Koi Pond.
Students are always welcome to bring a lunch to school. Please note that there are no microwaves or refrigerators available to students on campus and we encourage everyone to pack accordingly with ice packs, insulated bags, or other methods.
PE Uniforms - September 12 Order Deadline: New PE uniforms are here! All items can be ordered online and be delivered directly to your home via the One Stone Apparel link provided below.
 
The required attire will be shorts and a t-shirt, but there are also additional purchase options for Husky sweats, long-sleeved shirts, hoodies, and sweatshirts. The option to purchase PE attire will be available throughout the school year.

We understand that there is a delivery delay with our vendor and students are encouraged to bring shorts and a t-shirt for PE class until they arrive.
Advisor Letters - Grade Level Announcements
Weekly advisor letters are taking a different route this year and will be presented in the form of grade-level announcements in the Friday Letter each week. Please click the buttons below to see the general advisory update document and grade level updates.
REACH newsletter coming next week!
Counseling and Wellness Corner
New Students:

New students had the opportunity to have lunch together this week with the school counselors. They did a few ice-breaker games and even had a few laughs getting to know one another! Students who may want a School Buddy for occasional check-ins will be paired with one of our student leaders next week. Ongoing check-ins will be encouraged with guidance and monitoring by the counselors. 

Husky Peer Mentors:

Peer Mentors is a wonderful leadership opportunity for students that are in the 10th, 11th, or 12th grade. The opportunity is for peer mentors to check in and support our middle school students. This is a program for students in good standing and they must be approved by their advisor. The applications and interview process will begin after Labor Day weekend. Please talk with your upper school student to see if they are interested.
Clubs, Clubs, Clubs:

Student clubs that met last year have begun, and applications for new clubs are available for students. We will have a Club Showcase for students to sign-up on Wednesday, September 15 during lunch. It’s always a fun and dynamic showcase where students encourage others to join their clubs. Please see if your child is interested in starting a new club, applications must be approved and can be accessed on campus or through this link.


Christina Morse
Director of Counseling and Wellness
Rolling Hills Preparatory and Renaissance School | RollingHillsPrep.org | RenaissanceSAS.org