RBHS BRIDGE Communication
Rock Bridge High School Newsletter: March 23, 2023
Mission: Rock Bridge High School is a community in which ALL students and staff inspire each other to become lifelong learners.
Rock Bridge Families
Now is a good time to remind all families that good attendance at school leads to positive academic performance. Following our time in virtual learning, it is easier than ever for students to access classroom materials and content from home. However, as we have shifted our priorities back to in-person learning, we want to remind everyone that there is rarely an appropriate substitute for being in seat and learning the content directly from teachers alongside peers. There are so many opportunities that occur in-person to assist with learning that are very difficult to recreate for students not in class. In order to have the best opportunity to perform at their highest level, students need to come to school every day they are able, be on time, be present in each class, and engage fully in the activities their teachers are facilitating. Remember that our classes in CPS high schools are 90 minutes long, so missing even a single class puts a student behind in content acquisition.
You have undoubtedly heard news recently of our district's Annual Performance Report. This is the state's equivalent of a report card for a school district. To receive full points in the APR attendance category, 90 percent of CPS students must be in school 90 percent of the time. Please partner with us by helping ensure our students attend school every day they are able.
Below you will find information about the following.
- 30 Years of Global Village
- Important Testing in April and May
- April 4 is Junior ACT at RBHS
- April IPR
- Academic Support Opportunities at RBHS
- ELA and Math Tutoring
- Meet Walker!
- Rock Bridge Celebrations
- Class of 2023 Information
- RBHS PTSA Needs You!
- February BRIDGE Communication
- April Calendar
Wishing you all a restful Spring Break,
Jacob
2013 Global Village
2014 Global Village
2023 RBHS Global Village - 30 Years of Global Village
Important Testing in April and May
Rock Bridge Families,
We have some very important testing that will impact all 9th, 10th, and 11th graders in the months of April and May. At the high school level in CPS, all 9th graders take the Government End of Course Exam (EOC), all students enrolled in Algebra 1 take the Algebra 1 EOC, all 10th graders take the Biology & English 10 EOCs, all 11th graders take the ACT (see below) and a combination of 9-12th graders take the Algebra 2 EOC. The Algebra 2 EOC is only taken by high school students who have not taken the Algebra 1 EOC by the time they are in Algebra 2.
Our student performance on these exams is factored into the state's Annual Progress Report (APR) score earned by our district. This is the state's equivalent of a report card for a school district. Student performance on these exams are not factored into the grade they receive in the course that aligns with the exam. These exams are high stakes for our school district and should be treated as such.
Below is our current RBHS End of Course Exam schedule.
- English 10: 4/17-4/18
- Government: 4/20-4/21 (1 session test)
- Biology: 4/24-4/27
- Algebra 1 & 2: 5/1-5/5
Consistent student attendance is imperative for success on EOCs. We will be working to minimize student disruptions to the scheduled exams during this class period and ask for your assistance during these tests.
Our hope is that as a community, we can help motivate all our students to perform their absolute best on these exams knowing they are very important for our community as a whole and not high stakes for their current course grades. All Rock Bridge teachers teaching the corresponding courses will be dedicating time in class to help prepare for the test format and discuss the importance that students try their best. Please help us by talking with your student about these courses, EOCs, and the conversations they are having in their classes surrounding this topic.
April 4 is ACT
This is a reminder that on Tuesday, April 4th Rock Bridge will be giving the ACT to all Juniors. Please help out by encouraging your 11th grader to get good rest leading up to the 4th and eat breakfast before coming to school on this day.
ACT Practice Exams
- When: Saturday, April 1, 2023 from 8:00 AM – 12:00 PM
- What: A live online full length practice ACT test. Students will get test results immediately with Revolution Prep’s mobile scoring app and also get a FREE 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare.
- Cost: $15 each practice exam*
- REGISTRATION:
- Step 1: Register here: www.revolutionprep.com/partners/57540/
- Step 2: Schedule a free 30-minute score report review with a Revolution Prep testing expert to help you interpret the results and develop a customized plan to prepare. Please schedule this appointment for the few days after the exam. You can pre-schedule this Score Report Review here: www.revolutionprep.com/jaime-wareham
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*Students who have completed the Free/Reduced Lunch application in the Families Portal and qualify for FRL can get a fee waiver for both of these ACT Prep opportunities. See Mrs. Geyer in the Counseling Office if you need a fee waiver.
Next IPR is April 20
Academic Support Opportunities at RBHS
The faculty at Rock Bridge is committed to helping all our students succeed. We work collaboratively to ensure that our students have all the support programs available to help them at school, and we solicit your support at home to encourage regular study/organization habits, a quiet place to study, time to study throughout the week, as well as monitoring academic progress with your student and teachers. We also have the following support programs to help with homework completion and tutoring:
- Almost every RBHS Student has an AUT, Advisory, and/or Study Hall to complete school work, refresh their understanding of content, or get assistance with work that is challenging.
- Rock Bridge provides our Tutoring Center for all students during each of the 8 blocks. Our Tutoring Center is staffed by Math, Science, and Studies certified teachers and students with interest (and competency) in each of these contents.
- Columbia Public Schools is pleased to share with families an exciting new resource for our scholars. The district is offering free academic tutoring for all scholars in grades K-12. The tutoring support, called Tutor Me, is available 24/7. Your scholar may access TutorMe any time by logging in to the CPS student portal.
Please view the September BRIDGE for greater details regarding these 3 opportunities.
Before and After School Math and ELA Tutoring
As we get further into the spring semester and students are diving into their course work, we want to make sure that everyone has access to the schedule for our new ELA and Math Tutoring signup. This is a district wide program that looks to implement specific intervention for English and math content in small group sessions. Rock Bridge will be offering sessions based on teacher availability before and after school. Rock Bridge will not be providing transportation to or from these sessions. Attached below are the hard links as well as the QR codes to the SignUpGenius for both contents respectively.
Meet Walker!
Rock Bridge Celebrations
Rachel Griffith is 2023 Courtwarming Queen
Rock Bridge City Lights
The competition season for our Rock Bridge Show Choir, City Lights, is officially over. They enjoyed success at each competition they entered. City Lights, we are proud of you!
Bruin Girls at NDA Nationals
Our Bruin Girls returned from Nationals with lots of hardware! Congratulations on a great season!
- 4th Place in Large Varsity Pom
- 4th Place in Large Varsity Game Day
- 4th Place in Medium Varsity Team Performance
McCallister is Missouri State Chaption
Girls Basketball is 2nd Place at State Tournament
Rock Bridge Scholar Bowl Team
Rock Bridge Speech and Debate
Rock Bridge Science Olympiad
Rock Bridge Class of 2023
Rock Bridge PTSA Needs You!
Our RBHS PTSA has a rich tradition of supporting our incredible school community.
- Scholarships for Seniors
- Teacher Appreciation
- Grants for Teachers and Clubs
- Coordination of Concessions
If you are interested in participating in a leadership role next year, please email RBHS PTSA and let them know.
April Calendar
- March 27 to 31 - No School Spring Break
- April 12 is Early Release (Early Release Schedule)
Jacob Sirna
Instagram: rbhsprincipal
Email: jsirna@cpsk12.org
Website: https://www.cpsk12.org/rbhs
Location: Rock Bridge High School, South Providence Road, Columbia, MO, USA
Phone: (573) 214-3100
Twitter: @JacobSirna