Open Announcements
January 24, 2021
Dear Open High Family,
Congratulations to Wilbur, Vilma, and Astrid (Dark Shadows and Up Sky not pictured) for winning Honorable Mentions from the Scholastic Art & Writing Awards in photography!
Congratulations to Carter for winning the first Kahoot! Ultimate Family Battle in Town Meeting! He won 3 points for representing Caroline's Family. Claire (Lucy's Family) and Ilias (Vic's Family) came in second a third and also received points towards the ultimate prize--the 2021 Family Cup!
And special thanks to the Activism Club for their presentation on Police Brutality which you can view here. To echo what Vic said in Town Meeting, the students of Open High give us hope that real change can happen.
Read below for lots of important information and upcoming dates to add to your calendar. If you have any questions don't hesitate to contact me at cwashing@rvaschools.net or at (804) 229-9961.
As always, be well, stay safe, and keep celebrating Open minds!
Clary Carleton
Principal
Mark Your Calendars!
THIS WEEK
- Monday, Jan 25, Teacher Workday, School closed for students
- Wednesday-Friday, 1-4 p.m., Prospective Student Interviews (Thursday will be a shortened schedule.) Student Interviewers should arrive by 12:30 p.m. on their scheduled day(s) It is essential that all students who have signed up to participate arrive on time and come prepared with Questions and Rubric. These will be sent, along with the Zoom links, to individual RPS emails by Tuesday. This process is entirely confidential so do not share documents or any aspect of interviews with anyone except your teacher leader. If you have questions please contact Clary.
- Jan 26-Feb 5, Final Exams/Projects
- Jan 30, Math SOLs for select students
- Feb 3, 1-6 , Textbook Return/Pickup & Chromebook Distribution for Spring Semester
- Feb 5, End of Marking Period and Semester 1 (grades due on Aspen)
- Feb 5, Class Meeting (this is a change of date)
- Feb 6, 10-2, Textbook Return/Pickup & Chromebook Distribution for Spring Semester
- Feb 8, Professional Learning Day, School Closed
- Feb 9, Spring Semester begins ALL NEW CLASSES!
- Feb 13, Science SOLs for select students
- Feb 16, Report Cards distributed
- Feb. 18, Pies & Pints PTSA Fundraiser (see below)
- Feb. 20, Science SOLs for select students
Attendance, Aspen, Spring Semester Schedules
All students are expected to be in class and on time. If you are not in attendance it is expected that we receive a note from a parent or guardian. As some of you know, Ryan is out and will return in early February. As our one and only Office Associate, she does much of the work that makes our school function. During her absence, please send absence/tardy/early dismissal notes or any other administrative concerns to Clary.
All students and parents should have access to the Aspen Student Portal. Here you can access student schedules, grades, and additional information. If you have not received your login credentials, please contact Clary at cwashing@rvaschools.net or 229-9961.
Important Information for Seniors and Senior Parents
- If you haven't already completed, make time TODAY to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Even if you're not sure about next year, completing this will give you more options! The application is available online at www.studentaid.ed.gov. Here is a link from CollegeBoard on how to complete the FAFSA: https://bigfuture.collegeboard.org/pay-for-college/financial-aid-101/how-to-complete-the-fafsa Ms. Dixon (open@grasp4va.org) from GRASP and Ms. Kennedy (hkennedy@rvaschools.net) from the Future Center are also available to assist your families with this process.
- Senior Dues for the Class of 2021 are due by April 16, 2021. The total due is $68.00 and this will pay for your cap/gown/tassel and announcements. Senior dues can be paid online by using this website: https://osp.osmsinc.com/RichmondVA/ which can also be found on our website homepage. If you have any questions or concerns please email Ryan, Caroline, or Clary or call the school at 804-780-4661.
- We've just created a new section of Physics for next semester if anyone would like to shift from APES or AP Biology. Just let Clary or Micah know.
- Check out the scholarships available from the Community Foundation.
- Dominion Energy is awarding $500,000 in scholarships in 2021 to assist African-American and underrepresented students who reside in the company’s service area. The scholarships will be the first made under the Dominion Energy Educational Equity Scholarship Program, a six-year, $10 million initiative. The application closes on January 25.
- The Dream Project Scholarship is awarded to immigrant students who demonstrate academic achievement, leadership, community involvement, and perseverance in the face of adversity. The application closes on February 1.
More scholarships can be found at Micah's Counselor Connection Classroom. Don't hesitate to reach out to Micah (mdavis7@rvaschools.net) with any questions about planning your next steps, regardless of the direction!
IMPORTANT! Edgenuity and Performance Tasks from Spring 2020 Due Feb. 5
Performance Tasks can be found here for Art, Creative Writing, African American Studies, and all CTE courses. Edgenuity can be accessed here. The requirements for Edgenuity modules has also been reduced from 80% to 60% completion! Intensive sessions to complete can be arranged with VCU tutors and/or with Clary.
Early College Academy, SY 2021-2022
Applications are now available for the Early College Academy (ECA) (see attached document). If you are interested in ECA for your junior and senior years, please plan to attend one of the virtual information sessions. Please reach out to Micah at mdavis7@rvaschools.net if you have any questions.
Things to Consider:
Students must complete the application and include the required essay. Students may type their essay or upload an essay to the form. Students should not put their name on their essay. They should use their student identification number. The naming convention for essays is as follows: ECA Essay-0000555
The essay prompt is: Success in college-level work requires certain habits of mind: persisting, thinking flexibly, finding humor, thinking about thinking, striving for accuracy, applying past knowledge to new situations, taking responsible risks. Reflecting back on your school years, in an essay, describe how you have already developed up to three of these habits, and identify at least one habit you will need to develop further as a student in the Early College Academy. Please limit your response to between 250 - 500 words.
The application window will be open from January 22- February 22 at 11:59 p.m.
Students will provide email addresses for their recommenders. Recommenders will receive a separate electronic form to complete for the student. Students have the option of providing an alternate recommender. The alternate recommendation will only be used if their recommender 1 or recommender 2 does not respond to the request. Recommenders are listed as teachers, but can be other educators/school team members who have insight into the student's ability to succeed in a dual enrollment program.
The deadline for completing recommendations is March 3, 2021 at 11:59 p.m.
ECA decisions will be shared with school counselors and letters will be postmarked on March 12.
SOL Testing for Select Students
At this time, SOL testing is only for 9th graders in their first high school math or science class (taken this semester), and 12th graders in need of a verified credit. If you do not plan to take the in-person SOL in January or February, it will be deferred until the spring when 9th graders will also take Algebra I, II, or Geometry. 11th graders will take the English SOL in the spring as well. If you plan to take an SOL, you must have an RPS issued Chromebook. Students can still fill out the attached interest survey for January and February testing, but transportation is no longer available.
Testing for Open students will all take place at Richmond Community High School from 8:30 a.m.- 4:30 pm. on the following dates:
- Algebra I and II (Jan 30)
- Biology & Chemistry & Earth Science (Feb. 13 or Feb 20)
Breakfast and lunch will be provided. If you have any questions about testing, please contact Clary at cwashing@rvaschools.net.
VCU Tutoring Resumes
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursdays 3:45-4:45 https://vcu.zoom.us/j/99199506284 Meeting ID: 991 9950 6284
- Wednesdays 12:45-3:45 https://vcu.zoom.us/j/91390061855 Meeting ID: 913 9006 1855
Student Opportunities!
There are so many wonderful opportunities for our students to develop and explore their interests, even in a virtual environment. We encourage all students to actively pursue experiences outside of school. Your school counselor, principal, and teachers are happy to assist you with applications!
High School Virtual Cinematography Course with the Richmond Performing Arts Alliance. Classes begin Feb. 1.
Current high school students, parents, guardians, and education professionals are invited to register for the 2021 Summer Pre-College Virtual Program Fairs, taking place beginning in January 2021. Attendees will have the opportunity to connect with representatives from leading US colleges and universities to learn more about Summer 2021 academic programs for high school students. Feb. 3 and Feb. 20. Registration is FREE to all attendees for this: https://www.summerstudyintheusa.org/virtualstudentfairs/
The Global Health Leaders Conference at Johns Hopkins University invites students in grades 9-12 to learn about issues in global health, public health, and medicine directly from world leaders in these fields, forge friendships and connections with like-minded exceptional students, and share their own work and ideas on global health-related topics by presenting in our student speaker series. Virtual conference no more than $39, but may be waived upon acceptance if a barrier to participation. Visit https://glohea.org) to apply by Feb 28, 2021.
2021 Elie Wiesel Writing and Visual Arts Competition. The Holocaust Commission invites middle and high school students in grades 6-12 to participate in the competition named in honor of Nobel Laureate and Holocaust Survivor, Elie Wiesel. This year, all writing and multimedia competition entries are due by January 29 at 4 p.m. All Visual arts entries must be uploaded by February 5 at 4 p.m. More information is available from the Holocaust Commission of the United Jewish Federation of Tidewater.
The Virginia PTA is sponsoring the 2020-2021 Essay Contest with the theme "How do we stand together when so far apart?" Due Feb. 1.
Open High School
Email: cwashing@rvaschools.net
Website: https://www.rvaschools.net/OHS
Location: 600 South Pine Street, Richmond, VA, USA
Phone: 8047804661
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/officialopenhighschoolpage/
Twitter: @openhighrva