• Hello, Ram families! 

    I know you have many, many questions as we near the start of a very different learning experience to start the 2020-21 school year.  There are several things that we need to share to help you feel as if you are finding your feet and focusing for what comes next.  Let’s do this in chunks.  In fact, there is much here to process, so you might have to read and process in chunks. 

    NEW INFORMATION 

    Freshman Academy Information 

    Mr. Garland, Freshman Academy AP, has prepared a virtual presentation and will share that information to help families prepare for the start of the high school experience.  Information will be posted on August 12th to the RHS website..  Also, make sure you follow Mr. Garland and the Freshman Academy on Twitter @RHSRamsFA.   

    Pick Up Schedules, Request Parent Portal Account, Get Wake ID for Students 

    From 10-11:30 AM on Thursday and Friday, August 13th and 14th, we will have staff available to assist with three items.  We will provide assistance outside of the main office.  You must wear a mask and practice social distancing when you come to school.  We all want to be safe and healthy! 

    1. If your Ram is not able to access his or her schedule online, we will print a copy for you. 
    2. If your Ram does not know his or her Wake ID number, we can assist.  Some may have forgotten and some may have never known.  This number is CRITICAL to access online lessons and email from teachers and administrators. 
    3. If you, the parent, do not have access to your Ram’s grades through Parent Portal, you may come to school and complete the paperwork to request an account.  You will need your current NC driver license.  While we will assist you at school on these dates and times, you may go to the WCPSS website to learn more about Parent Portal for Powerschool. 

    WakeID, Email, etc. 

    As you know, our Rams will need to access online learning platforms like Google Classroom and CANVAS through their WakeID and the WakeID Portal.  They are also going to need to be able to access communications through email.  Make sure you remind them that in addition to knowing their WakeID, they also need to make sure they can get into email.  

    Technology Needs 

    WCPSS asked ALL families to respond to a survey to let us know if you need or if you do not need a chromebook or a hotspot,  I have seen the results and we have roughly 450 folks who did not respond either way.  This means that we have to try to get in touch with everyone who did not respond.  It is going to be a big task.  We are going to FIRST try to get folks to respond to a RHS survey for information upon request.  We will only send the link via Talking Points to families who did not respond.  At this time, we only have the information for students who were with us last year.   We are trying to figure out the best way to reach freshman parents.  Please, please...if you get a Talking Points text, we are begging you to respond to the survey.  For all who do not respond, we will have to call or send emails.  Honestly, we are losing time in support of all our students who need assistance if we do not have proper communication.  Families who need devices will be scheduled to pick them up at a specific location (most likely Knightdale HS) on a specific day and time beginning Aug. 17th.  The pick up will NOT be at RHS.  We want to help you, so we need a quick response if we contact you, 

    Orientation Activities Begin August 17th - Students Must Log-In 

    The official first day of school is August 17th.  This means that students will log into class according to their daily schedule on Monday (17th), Wednesday (19th) and Friday (21st).  We will provide asynchronous assignments on Tuesday (18th) and Thursday (20th) which students will submit to each teacher via the teacher’s online platform. 

    During the workday week, teachers are going to create landing pages which will be linked to their information on the RHS website.  We will load these next Friday or Saturday.  Go to the Staff Directory under Our School.  You will see a link for each teacher to send your Ram to the proper place online to participate in class.  Your Ram will need his or her Wake ID to be able to get into the portal that will take them to the teacher’s online platform. 

    There will be synchronous and asynchronous orientation activities each period all week from August 17th-21st. We will be taking attendance each period, each day.  These sessions might be shorter than the classes will be once we begin learning new material.  We will try to pace ourselves to help everyone absorb the large amount of information and changes in the way we are doing business.  Teachers will walk students through their syllabus as well as the way they will load practice work and assignments in addition to how live instruction will be conducted. 

    New material will be presented in classes starting August 24th.  Students will be expected to attend the online live sessions as well as complete and submit their work online by the deadlines.   

    If You Have a New Address or New Phone Number 

    It is critical that we have accurate information to reach you during these distant and challenging times.  Often when people change telephone numbers or move, they forget to update their contact information at school.  If you have changed your address or phone number, please contact Jane Stever, our Data Manager, at jstever@wcpss.net as soon as possible to allow us to clean up our data. 

    Schedules and Change Requests 

    We will turn on access to schedules no later than Monday.  Students and parents need to review to make sure they are complete and all are preparing for the first day of school on the 17th.  If students would like to make a schedule change request, the form will be on the school website from Aug. 12-19.  This is the only way we will accept a request.  Remember that requests can only be considered if they meet certain criteria.  Also, we can only accommodate the requests that meet criteria if we have room in the class.  Criteria are: 

    1) A student wants to increase rigor (moving from an Academic course to Honors course or an Honors course to an AP course) 

    2) A student is scheduled for a course they have previously passed, a student is missing a course needed to graduate (this only applies to Seniors) 

    3) A student has an incomplete schedule (holes in schedules will be filled with courses selected during the registration process OR classes with available space at the time of the request) 

    4) A student is scheduled for the same course twice, or a student has a schedule with a sequencing issue (i.e. scheduled for French II before French I - in this case the scheduling issue will be fixed, but the student will not be able to select new courses). 

    Student Parking 

    We certainly are a long way from worrying about students parking on campus.  However, I know many of you have wondered about how WCPSS will handle it.  WCPSS will not charge for parking as long as we are in Plan B.  Students will be required to complete the paperwork and secure a parking tag to prevent being towed.  When students return to campus in plan B, WCPSS will tell us the prorated amount that students will need to pay for the remainder of the year. 

    Family Technology Supports 

    WCPSS has developed or sources materials and methods to support this distance learning.  The following link will give you access to videos to help you know how to support your Ram or how to request assistance.  Please review the following links to help you prepare for the upcoming weeks. 

    Also, a staff member shared an article from PC Magazine regarding  student and parent use of Google Classroom that might be helpful to review:  “10 Essential Google Classroom Tips” 

    RHS Food Distribution Site 

    We have been notified that we will continue to be a curbside food distribution site. 

    Free and Reduced Lunch Applications 

    As you know, parents must apply each year for free and reduced lunch, because the prior year application expires.  WCPSS has provided all information for online submission of the application.  You can find the page with the information to help you complete the form here:  Information on Completing Free & Reduced Lunch Form. 

    In addition to the online application, we have paper copies at the school which we will make available on Aug. 13th and 14th.  You can come from 10-11:30 AM to pick one up.  You may also get a hard copy of the student schedule, Wake ID information and apply for Parent Portal access. 

    Sports Eligibility 

    I mentioned eligibility in the email last week.  We are hopeful that HS athletics will be in the picture sooner than later.  It is very important that families and student athletes pay attention to issues that will impact eligibility.  First of all, students who are enrolled in Virtual Academy are eligible to compete as long as they meet all NCHSAA eligibility requirements and have a completed valid physical and physical packet on file.  If we begin athletics this semester, a student-athlete is eligible to participate if they were promoted after the 2020 Spring semester and have not been in school for more than eight semesters.  Regarding physicals,                                                               the NCHSAA Board of Directors implemented the following modifications to the physical date: 

    • Physical on or after May 2, 2020: Valid for 395 days 
    • Physical between March 1, 2019  and May 1, 2020: Valid through end of 2020-21 school year 

    Physical prior to March 1, 2019: New physical required to participate 

    Although the physical itself may continue to be valid, each student-athlete will be required to fill out a new participation packet to begin the 2020-2021 athletic year. These are available at  https://www.wakecountyathletics.com/page/show/1932622-wake-county-participation-forms 

    If all athletics are moved to the second semester, eligibility requirements will be the same as a normal season’s eligibility and will be based on the previous semester. (See WCPSS eligibility requirements https://www.wcpss.net/Page/1470)  If all athletics move to the second semester, you must pass at least three courses in the previous semester to be eligible in the Spring. 

    All courses offered by WCPSS, virtual or in-person, are already approved by the NCAA. 

    Thinking ahead for return to the school building 

    When students return to school, water bottles will be used in lieu of drinking directly from a fountain.  Likewise, we will only provide hand sanitizer that has alcohol in it.  If you do not have a water bottle or if your child cannot use sanitizer with alcohol in it,  you will need to plan to purchase and send these items with your child. 

    REPEAT OF IMPORTANT INFORMATION 

    REVISIONS TO REQUEST FOR SENIOR WORK RELEASE 

    Due to the potential impact of COVID-19 on internship opportunities in the 2020-2021 school year, students can request up to two total periods for partial day early release  for the 2020-2021 school year only and for seniors only.  Keep in mind that approval will be partially based on scheduling of required courses for graduation.  We must meet these requirements.  Please indicate below what you are applying for: 

    • 4th period in the fall only 
    • 3rd and 4th period in the fall 
    • 4th period in the fall and the spring 
    • 3rd and 4th period in the spring 
    • 4th period in the spring 

    We are adding the application to our school website.  Go to the homepage and watch for the request to come up on the rotating banner.  You will find the form by clicking on the associated graphic for partial day early release.  These will be due by August 17th. 

    APPLICATIONS FOR MIDYEAR GRADUATION 

    We have extended the deadline to August 17th to apply for mid-year graduation. 

    VERY IMPORTANT RE. VACCINATIONS - Rising Seniors Meningococcal Requirement   

    State law requires rising seniors to have the meningococcal booster before starting senior year.  In many cases, this information is on record with your child's pediatrician.  We have a very large number of rising seniors who do not have the booster record on file with us.  For this reason, we are going to need to collect records from families as soon as possible to clear this requirement.  It is important to note that an appointment card will not suffice to keep students in school.  If you cannot produce a shot record, please make arrangements now, we all know it takes a while before you will be able to see the doctor with your child.  We will make contacts to families who need to produce a record.  If you want to mail a copy of the shot record to Rolesville High School to the attention of Jane Stever to assure your child is not on the list, you are invited to do so immediately.  You may also send an email to jstever@wcpss.net with a photo or scan of the shot record. For your reference, you may find more information about the requirement on the NC Dept. of Health and Human Services website. http://www.wakegov.com/humanservices/publichealth/Pages/clinics.aspx 

    Masks and Social Distancing 

    Anyone who comes to school and requests to enter MUST wear a mask. Otherwise, we cannot allow admittance.  You must also follow social distancing protocols.  While we have not opened schools for general business, there are a couple of reasons that people have had to report to school.  We will let you know of changes to both general opening of the school and wearing of masks. 

    AP Summer Assignments 

    All students who are registered for AP classes next year need to be SURE you know what you need to do over the summer to prepare for AP classes.  There might be slight changes to the requirements, so you need to know what your teacher has posted.  Please make sure you look at the summer assignment information at https://www.wcpss.net/Page/34342 sooner than later!!! 

    Staying Healthy  

    I want to remind you that WCPSS also has resources listed for families who are experiencing great stressors at this time and need community support.  Those resources are at the bottom of this page. 

    Stay healthy and Ram Strong!   

    Best, 

    Mrs. Lassiter