Riverside High School
Parent Newsletter- January 17th, 2020
GCS Will Move to the 75% Attendance Plan: January 19th, 2021
75% Attendance Plan - Parent FAQ
Parents,
Thank you for submitting your questions regarding the 75% Attendance Plan. Please see the questions and answers below. If you still have a question and your student does not know the answer after attending school this week, please ask your student to talk to their teacher, counselor, or Administrator. You may also view the FAQ using this link.
ACADEMICS:
Q: When the students are home, will the lessons be live-streamed or will it be like eLearning so far?
A: Teachers have the option of live streaming or posting a recorded lesson of themselves for the students that are at home. Students can check with their teachers for their plans.
Q:If my child is the "extra" after 26 are in class, what happens to her?
A:Teachers have been sent instructions to send the “extra” student to our virtual learning lab where they’ll be able to log in to the livestream and continue with class. The same student will not be chosen every time - teachers will go through their roster to ensure that if a student is sent to the virtual lab, it should only be one time this semester. According to our numbers, we only have 5 sections that are affected by being over the capacity for their class.
Q: What about assessments?
A: Teachers have many options to give assessments. For example; project based assessments, student products, google forms in locked mode, Mastery Connect, station model/blended learning. Teachers can create multiple versions of assessments and there are a variety of monitoring options.
Q. Will teachers still have office hours?
A. Teachers have a time that they are available every day. That time is posted on their website. Students must sign up ahead of time. We also have a tutoring program. Please see the graphic below and encourage your student to sign up.
ATTENDANCE:
Q. How does my child take attendance when they are at home?
A. On at-home learning days students need to ensure they complete their attendance form for each class period every day. The form is located at the top of the Classwork tab in their Google Classrooms.
VIRTUAL STUDENTS:
Q.My child is a virtual student, can he attend live stream?
A. Virtual students are more than welcome to reach out to their teachers and inquire about joining in the livestream. Keep in mind, not all teachers teach the same classes virtually and face to face, so this will not work with every class. At this time we cannot change schedules where students have classes stacked because that affects a teacher’s schedule, but we encourage students to work with those teachers to ensure there is a plan in place to access both classes.
SAFETY
Q. Is it safe to come to school?
A.In the COW meeting on January 12th, The Administration provided a Covid-19 update, which includes valuable data, including Covid infection rates, reports of what other Districts are doing, and a public statement from our public health professionals regarding our return to school plan. This report is here:
Q.Who cleans/disinfects the desk area after class?
A. Students will clean their desk when they leave a class and clean it when they enter. Every desk will be cleaned twice between classes.
BREAKFAST AND LUNCH:
Q. Can I still eat breakfast in 1st period?
A. Students will not be able to eat breakfast in the classrooms. They will need to eat before they arrive at school or get to school in time to eat breakfast in the cafeteria.
Q. Where will students eat lunch?
A. We have worked hard to ensure all students can eat in the cafeteria or gymnasium. This gives students more time to unmask rather than staying in their classroom. We will monitor lunch lines and the amount of time they have to get through the line and eat for the first few weeks to determine if we need to adjust our schedule.
Q. Can students socialize during lunch?
A. Students will continue to be socially distanced at lunch but they do have the ability to conversate with those students who are seated near them.
MISC.
Q. What if someone is parked in my parking spot?
A. If someone is parking in your student’s spot, please have them park in an overflow spot and inform Mr. Irvin or Mrs. Phillips in the Counseling Office who will handle the situation.
Student and Parent Pledge
Your student will receive a copy of the GCS COVID Protocols Pledge. We ask that you and your student sign this pledge by the end of the week (1/22/21). Your student will turn in the signed form to their 4th-period teacher. If you have any questions, please contact your student Administrator.
Academic Expectations
We care about you and we want you to be academically successful. 2nd semester is a fresh start. To be successful you need to do the following things:
Complete daily attendance on your eLearning day(s).
Attend all required live sessions unless ill or family emergency documented by a medical note
Attend and participate in virtual learning sessions
Complete all assignments to the best of your ability
Turn in all assignments on time
Teachers will have a tutoring session every day. This time will be posted on the teacher's website. Students must sign up to attend.
Attend any assigned or needed tutoring sessions
Communicate with your teachers, school counselor, and assistant principal if needed.
eLearning Expectations
On your eLearning (at home) instructional days you should:
Complete daily attendance via Google Form
Attend all required live sessions unless ill or family emergency documented by a medical note
Attend and participate in virtual learning sessions
Complete all assignments to the best of your ability
Turn in all assignments on time
Communicate with your teachers, school counselor, and assistant principal if needed
Attendance:
- On in-person school days, you will only be counted present if you are physically in class.
- On the days you are at home, attendance will be taken by google forms in Google Classroom.
Grades
Friday, January 15: End of Q2 grading period
Thursday, January 21: Students and Parents may view their report card in Backpack
Information From the Counseling Department
- Bonds Career Center application for 21-22 school year will open on January 18, 2021
Click here https://drive.google.com/file/d/1a_GEYM3aO3-QMK02voJ7k3vO_mw0hAMR/view?usp=sharing for a virtual tour to find out what Bonds students have to say about the programs they are enrolled in. You may also visit the Bonds website at https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/bondscareercenterprograms/home?authuser=0 to learn more about the programs. Rising juniors can apply for any program. Rising sophomores can only apply for Career Exploratory. Returning students should not re-apply.
Timeline
January 18- March 19, 2021: Application Window- Apply through Student Backpack
April 2, 2021: Notification of Student Acceptance (Please check your email)
April 2- 17, 2021: Window for Students to Accept/Decline Initial Offer
How To Apply
Step 1: Complete application on Backpack portal https://gcsbackpack.com/signin.aspx Click on "Programs" once logged into Backpack. Students may select first and second choices of programs. Application must be completed by March 19, 2021, to be considered in the first round of applications.
Step 2: Students need to request the course at the time of registration in PowerSchool.
3.) IGP meetings for students in grades 9-11 will begin in February. Parents will be sent more information in a Backpack Notification email. We invite all parents to attend virtually through Google Meet. More information will be coming soon.
4.) Please visit the School Counseling website at https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/rhsschoolcounseling/home and go to the page for your student’s grade level to learn more information that pertains to each year, 9-12. The Senior Page is especially full of information for 12th-grade students.
5.) Juniors and Seniors – Launch Greenville has some great work based learning opportunities – go to https://www.greenvillechamber.org/internships/ to learn more. Several paid positions. Apply!
6.) Seniors applying to college - have you and your families completed the FAFSA.gov to be considered for financial aid? Go to https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa to complete the FAFSA. Many families can qualify for federal grants, loans, and more.
7.) Seniors – it’s not too late to apply to college – please see your counselor if you have any questions about applying. See the Senior School Counseling site for details on how to apply - https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/rhsschoolcounseling/seniors?authuser=0.
8.) All Parents– please create a Parent Backpack account if you haven’t already done so. We send out emails using the Backpack notification system and want everyone to receive this information. Go to https://parents.gcsbackpack.com/signin.aspx to create an account.
Testing...
Warriors: Students and Parents, Riverside High School will be administering several standardized tests in the next couple of months. Please see the schedule for your calendars. #eWarriors #ReachingHigherStandards
ASVAB
Warriors: Juniors or Seniors that are planning on entering the military, the work-force, have not earned their "college and career readiness" certification yet or just merely wish more test prep, please sign up to take the ASVAB Exam. The ASVAB will be administered on Wednesday, January 27. Please register using the attached Google Form or see Mr. Duty if you have any questions. Please register by Friday, January 22. #eWarriors #ReachingHigherStandards
ASVAB Form: https://forms.gle/Ykz1aBQKQK7zicMf6
Summer Health Careers Academy
Warriors: Please see the attached information regarding the Summer Health Career Academy. Please see your counselor if you have any questions. #eWarriors #ReachingHigherStandards
AHEC Webpage: https://www.scahec.net/students/healthcareers.html
Modules: https://www.scahec.net/docs/SC-AHEC-HCP-Modules-Catalog.pdf
Student Announcements:
- Seniors – SC AHEC Summer Virtual Career Academy is June 7-11, 2021. For seniors who are 18 by June 7, 2021. Create an account and apply at https://www.scahec.net/hcp/Students/Login.aspx?ReturnUrl=%2fhcp%2fstudents%2f. If you have questions, contact Paula Jones, Director of Health Careers Programs at jonespa@musc.edu.
- Bella Muntean Angel Heart of Hope Scholarship - Bella Muntean was a student at RHS her 9th grade year, and she would have graduated with this senior class of 2021. Seniors may apply for the Angel Heart of Hope Scholarship. The application and photo release form are located on the Senior Website: https://sites.google.com/greenvilleschools.us/rhsschoolcounseling/seniors
- Juniors - Princeton University Summer Journalism Program is accepting applications. This program is open to lower income students who are interested in studying journalism. It will be held at Princeton University from mid-June-early August. See this website for details: https://psjp.princeton.edu/. Applications are due by Feb 22, 2021.
- Juniors and Seniors - Bank of America Student Leaders summer program is accepting applications through January 29, 2021. Go to https://about.bankofamerica.com/en-us/what-guides-us/student-leaders.html#fbid=1aIiv_EO75F to learn more and apply. This is a highly selective 8 week summer program that involves working for a local nonprofit and spending one week in Washington DC in the summer. Students must be able to commit to both.
- Former and Current AP Chemistry Students, The local section of the Western Carolina's Chemistry Olympiad offered by the American Chemical Society will be held virtually on Saturday, March 27th from 3:00-4:00 PM. The best students from the Local Section exam will be invited to the National Competition, which will take place in a similar online platform, with proctoring over UNC Asheville Zoom (since there will be a maximum of 10 students on Saturday, April 17th, 3:00pm-4:30pm. The top 200 students from the National competition will be invited to be at a more specialized interactive session on Saturday, April 24 (proctoring for that session will be done by ACS staff). Interested students should fill out the following google form by Friday Jan 22: https://forms.gle/doafdtxFT88rY8Lk9 See Mr. Swindall in L112 or email him at nswindal@greenville.k12.sc.us with questions.
Laurens Electric offers students leadership, scholarship opportunity
Laurens Electric Cooperative will sponsor four rising high school juniors and seniors to attend a statewide Virtual Youth Experience this June.
During the experience, students will learn about cooperatives, hear from public figures, and compete for $5,000 College scholarships.
Apply now for the Virtual Youth Experience at: LaurensElectric.com/Youth
• Meet with state and federal leaders
• Compete for $5,000 scholarships
• Connect with young people from across South Carolina
• Hone your leadership skills
• Add to your resume
• Have fun and win prizes!
The annual contest includes:
Submitting an application found at LaurensElectric.com/Youth and securing a reference and participating in an interview process. After co-op officials judge the entrants, four students will be awarded the opportunity, which will take place June 21-25. Students who reside within the cooperative’s service area who are currently in their sophomore or junior year in high school are eligible to apply. Students’ households do not have to receive power from Laurens Electric Cooperative to qualify.
The deadline for submitting applications is February 5, 2021.
Athletic Announcements
- Tryouts for Spring Sports will begin on Monday, February 1st. If your child intends to tryout they must have all the paperwork on PlanetHS.com submitted and approved.
- Any young man interested in trying out for the Riverside golf team please get in touch with Coach Woody either by email or his classroom (M115).
- Anyone interested in participating in Track & Field for the 2021 season may go to Coach Kelly's school website for the information packet and all other Track & Field information. You may also email him at dekelly@greenville.k12.sc.us for any questions.
- Warriors: Please see the attached links for our track and field and baseball team stores. We want to see our Warrior gear being worn throughout the community! Go, Warriors! #eWarriors #ReachingHigherStandards
Track & Field: https://rhstrack2021.itemorder.com/sale?read_message=true
Baseball: https://riversidebaseball2021.itemorder.com/sale?read_message=true
Inclement Weather and eLearning
- As always, winter weather is a threat in the Upstate of South Carolina, and has the ability to force the unexpected closure of school facilities. In that situation, rather than have a make-up day later in the year, the district would activate eLearning for the duration of the closure.
- Absent a weather event, a school or schools could shift to eLearning temporarily with minimal notice should the number of employee absences due to quarantine, isolation, or other factors exceed the ability of the school and available district personnel to cover all classrooms.
- An individual school or schools could move to eLearning for a single day due to a burst water pipe, power system failure, or countless other reasons associated with the school environment.
- Instructional expectations for 100% eLearning days can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1- Yk6NyuLEqOyQnXdZBf3rhgCtI99pSZPGaMyz5vVHA0/ed
Safety Reminders
- Mask will be worn over the nose and mouth when social distancing is not possible. (on the bus, entering/leaving the building, in the hallway, in the bathroom, working in small groups.)
- Students will need to bring their own mask. If a student is unable to provide their own mask, please contact your child's Administrator.
- Public health officials do not recommend clear face shields without a mask because shields do not seal off respiratory droplets.
- Due to DHEC guidelines, all water fountains will be turned off. RHS has three no-touch water bottle filling stations. Students are encouraged to bring water bottles to school.
- Visitors/volunteers will not have access to the interior of the school. The number of visitors in the office area will be limited and social distancing will be maintained. Mask are required for everyone who enters the building.
- Students/visitors are not to distribute food to others (ex. cupcakes or candy)
Parent - Student Symptom Check
Children with symptoms of COVID-19 should not attend school. Please contact our Attendance Clerk, Mrs. Thompson mathompson@greenville.k12.sc.us or 864-355-7815 to notify the school of a student that has any of these symptoms. Children or staff excluded for these symptoms should not return until they have either tested negative for COVID-19 or a medical evaluation determines that their symptoms were more likely due to another cause (e.g. sore throat due to strep throat). In this later case, the individual can return when they meet criteria for that condition.
Any one (1) of the following
▪ Fever
▪ Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing -
▪ Loss of taste or smell
▪ New or worsening cough
Any two (2) of the following:
▪ Sore throat
▪ Muscle or body aches
▪ Chills
▪ Fatigue
▪ Headache
▪ Congestion or runny nose
▪ Diarrhea
▪ Nausea or vomiting
Note: Parents of a child with any one of these symptoms should consider not allowing their child to attend the child care facility regardless of meeting exclusion criteria. If these symptoms are explainable by an underlying condition (such as shortness of breath or cough for an individual with asthma) exclusion may not be necessary.
Creating a Backpack Account for Parents
Please take the time to create a backpack account for parents. A backpack for parents account provides parents, guardians, or contacts with a central place to sign in to do the following:
- View their student's information including demographics, attendance, classes, grades, lunch balances, and test scores
- Apply or register their student to Special Focus schools and programs (Fine Arts Center, Career Centers, etc.)
- Receive alerts and notifications regarding their students
- View their student's school and contact information
- Manage parent and contact information for their students
To create your parent backpack account follow the attached directions. Please note that parents only need to create a backpack account once. This is not an annual process.
Go Warriors!
Riverside High School
To Instruct, To Inspire, To Prepare
Website: https://www.greenville.k12.sc.us/riverside/
Location: 794 Hammett Bridge Rd, Greer, S.C. 29650, USA
Phone: 864-355-7800
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RiversideHS/
Twitter: @RHSTribeChat