VOLUME89,Issue1AUGUST2016

RICHMOND SECONDARY SCHOOL

NEWSLETTER HOMEOFTHECOLTS-ESTABLISHEDIN1927

Principal:Mr.JimAllisonAddress:7171MinoruBlvd,Richmond,BC,CanadaV6Y1Z3VicePrincipals:Mr.GordonFitt&Ms.SandyHuiPhone:604-668-6400Fax:604-278-4734PAC:Ms.L.Braun&Ms.O.FedorenkoEarlyWarning:604-247-2658TrusteeLiaison:Ms.S.NixonTwitter:@richmondcolts

Website:http://rhs.sd38.bc.ca

Principal’s MessageOn behalf of all the staff at RHS, I want to welcome our students and their families to the 2016-2017 school year. I imagine everyone has been enjoying these weeks away from school, spending lots of quality time outdoors with your family and friends. The summer break is a great opportunity to try new things and take a needed break from the routines of school. I also hope students and staff are feeling rejuvenated and looking forward to heading back as we are anticipating another exciting year at Richmond Secondary School! Success in school requires an ongoing and supportive relationship between the student, the home and the school. We will do all we can to support your student in their learning, however, it is important for parents and guardians to stay actively involved in their teen's education during high school. We encourage our students (perhaps with their parents) to sit down in August and set realistic, specific goals and develop an action plan for the upcoming school year to make this your best year of school yet! We hope this August newsletter answers all your questions and helps students get off to a great start to the school year. Please enjoy the rest of your summer and I look forward to seeing you on Tuesday, September 6 and parents at our Meet the Teacher evening on Thursday, September 22. Thank you, Mr. A

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

Welcome Back on Tuesday, September 6 – Homeroom & Grades 8-11 Assemblies AllstudentswillattendschoolonTuesday,September6forabouttwohours.Studentswillattendhomeroomwheretheywillreceivetheirlocker,RSSagendabookletandseveralformstotakehometobecompleted.Studentsarealsourgedtobringapen,andcompleteandbringinanyformsandschoolfeesthatweremailedhomeinAugust.Ourfirstdayschedulewillbe:Grade 8s – attend the gym at 8:45am. Our newest Colts will be met by senior students and then escorted to theirhomerooms.Afterhomeroom,Grade8swillattendanassemblyinthegymwiththeprincipal.Grade8swillbedismissedbyabout11am.Grades9 and10–attend homeroom at 11am. Homeroom listswill be posted on the schoolwindows. After homeroombusinessiscompleted,Grade9sand10swillattendanassemblyinthegym.Grades9and10studentswillbedismissedby1pm.Grades11and12–attendhomeroom at1pm. Homeroom listswill bepostedon the schoolwindows. Afterhomeroombusiness is completed, Grade 11s will attend an assembly in the gym. Note - the Grade 12 assembly will be on Friday,September9.PLEASE NOTE – HOMEROOM LISTS WILL BE POSTED ON THE SCHOOL WINDOWS AFTER 3PM ON FRIDAY,SEPTEMBER2. STUDENTSWILLATTENDHOMEROOMEVERYDAYDURING THEFIRSTWEEK. REGULAR CLASSESBEGINAFTERHOMEROOMONWEDNESDAY,SEPTEMBER7–DAY1–1234.

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RSSStudentAgendaBookletAllstudentswill receivea5X8inchcustomRichmondSecondary agenda booklet in their homeroom on the

firstdayof school.TheRSSagenda contains both dailyandmonthlycalendarsthatinclude all of the RSSeventsandisagreattooltohelp students stayorganized. The first 27-pages contain all of theimportant RichmondSecondary School

expectations, our Code of Conduct as well asdescriptionsofactivities,eventsandopportunities.Weencourageallofourstudentsandparentstoreadtheseopening pages and for students to use the agendabookletdaily.Successfulstudentsarewellorganized!

Grade 8 Mini-Camp and Sleep-Over We are looking forward to hosting our Grade 8 Mini-Camp and

Sleep-Over event at the school on Friday, September 23 to Saturday, September 24. The purpose of the camp is to welcome our newest Colts to RHS and help them learn some tips for success in high school, have some fun, make some new friends and get off to a great start at Richmond

Secondary School. All Grade 8 students will arrive at 10am on Friday, September 23 (Pro-D Day) and can be picked up at the school on Saturday, September 24 at 11am. The camp will be led by 30 Grade 11 and 12 student leaders who have met several times with staff organizers to carefully plan every aspect of this event to ensure that it is welcoming, safe and inclusive. All Grade 8 families should have received a registration package in the mail in late June. Please complete the 3 forms in the package and return it to the school with your $40 cheque (payable to Richmond Secondary School). Extra packages are available on the school website (under Students) and at the office. Please contact teachers Ms. Chan or Mr. Winograd at the school if you have any questions. Welcome Grads of 2021!!!

TimetableChangeRequests?CurrentGrades9-12studentshadseveralopportunitiesto confirm their course requests in the spring. Ifstudents believe there is a mistake on their timetable,please continue to attend the class printed on yourschedule for attendance purposes. Request anappointment with a counsellor by completing a formprovided by your homeroom teacher during the firstweek of school. The counsellors will see you byappointment; however, early September is a very busytimeandtheymaybeunable to seeyou immediately–pleasebepatient.Counsellorswillcontactyouwhenanappointment has been arranged. Please note, due to avery full timetable,not all changesarepossibleandwewill not make timetable changes to switch teachers orforthesameclassesinadifferentblockorder;however,if studentshaveasignificantproblemsuchasamissingcourseortheyareplacedinthewronglevelofacourse,changeswillbemade.

Lockers Allstudentswillbeassignedalockerwith a Master brand combinationlockonthefirstdayofschool.Thisispersonalspaceforstudentstostoretheir jacket, lunch, textbooks,binders and school supplies;however, it is not a bank vault andstudents shouldnot leavevaluables(e.g.alaptop)intheirlockers.Itisalwaysagoodideatokeep your lock combination confidential, but write itdownathomeinasafeplace.AhelpfultipforGrade8sis to practice opening a 3-number combination lock afew times in the days before school starts – it is notcomplicated, but it takes some getting used to – ifpossible, practicewith a lock that looks like theone inthephotoabove.

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Email Contact? Address Change? ItisveryimportantthatallRSSfamiliescarefullycompletetheemail contact form enclosed so that the school can contactparentsduringtheyearwith importantremindersandschoolnews.Also,wemusthaveyouraccuratehomeaddress.Ifyouhave moved, please complete the change of address form(withverifyingdocuments)availableinthemainoffice.

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Calendar & Website & Twitter & Facebook We want all students, families and members of ourcommunity to stay connected to Richmond SecondarySchool. A wall calendar willbe provided to every RSSfamily. Please keep thiscalendar in a convenient

school informationaswellasall the key RSS dates such asInterimReportdates, ReportCards,andparent-teacherconferences, etc. Also, all families are urged tobookmark and regularly check the RSS website. Weupdate this site regularly and the calendar on thewebsite will show any changes or added events forstudentsandparents.Ourwebsite:http://rhs.sd38.bc.caStudents and parents are also invited to join over 550others and follow the school on Twitter@RichmondColts and like our page on Facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/RichmondColts

locationas it containshelpful

School Supplies? We recommend that students wait until they

have met with all of their teachers before purchasing any of their school supplies and equipment. Students should bring a pen and a binder with paper for

the first two days of school and students are encouraged to re-use old binders and supplies whenever possible.

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“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

RSS Bell Schedules 2016-2017 TheregularbellscheduleatRSSwillbe:8:25am Welcomebell8:30—9:49am Period19:56-11:15am Period211:20-12:41pm Period312:41-1:26pm Lunch1:26-2:45pm Period4Onour8CollaborationDays,thebellschedulewillbe:8:30-9:45am CollaborationTime9:50-10:50am Period110:55-11:55am Period211:55-12:40pm Lunch12:40-1:40pm Period31:45-2:45pm Period4School Photographs September 14 A crew of professional photographers from Artona willtakestudentphotosonWednesday,September14.ThisphotowillbeusedonthestudentRSSGoCard I.D.andparentsmaypurchaseadditionalphotopackagesdirectlyfrom thephotography company. PhotoretakedaywillbeOctober12.Findoutmoreat:https://artona.com

Parents – September 14 and 22 & October 6 We urge all parents to stay connected to the school and be sure to attend various opportunities we will host during the year for parents to learn more. Our PAC is open to all parents and we’d love to welcome new members. The first PAC meeting will be on Thursday, September 14 at 6:30pm in the library. We will host Meet the Teacher night on Thursday, September 22 at 6:30pm. This is an excellent opportunity to meet the principal and vice principals, tour the school, meet all of your teen’s teachers and hear more about what they will be learning and doing this year. We will also host a Grade 12 Parent Info Night on Thursday, October 6 at 7pm. Grade 12 is a busy year and this evening will be a chance for parents to learn more about grad requirements, post-secondary and scholarship processes as well as Grad 2017 events planned for the year. Please plan to attend!

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RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue1AUGUST2016

“Home of the Colts” GO SHARKS

Pick-Up and Drop-Off of Students We encourage all students to walk or cycle to

school as often as possible. Not only is this healthy and environmentally friendly as it reduces idling cars, but also decreases the traffic congestion around the

school every morning and afternoon. If you are driving to drop-off or pick-up students, please drive slowly and follow all of the posted signs. Do not park in “staff parking” areas and do not stop on the two busy streets (Moffatt or Minoru) that surround our school – this causes traffic problems, is illegal and very dangerous. If you must drive your teen to school, consider dropping them off at a pre-arranged area near the school and have them walk the rest of the way – they will not melt in the rain and the exercise is good for them! Thank you for driving safely near RSS.

Bike Safety and Security We encourage RSS students to be active by walking, boarding or cycling to school but ask that you wear a helmet and ride safely. Follow the rules of the road, do not zigzag between cars or ride fast along sidewalks designed for pedestrians. Also, if you are riding your bike to school, be sure to use a high quality lock and lock your bike every time. Bike thieves are active all over the City of Richmond and will check out any place where there are a large number of bikes to choose from – be smart and lock it up. Grade 10 Opportunity - Orlando Edventure Richmond Secondary School’s Science Department isplanning another science-oriented field trip to Orlando,Florida,forstudentsinGrade10.Theweeklongexperience

in April 2017 will be an excellent opportunity to gainhands-on experiences in science, math and engineering.Previoustripshave includedspacescienceat theKennedySpace Center at Cape Canaveral, marine science at SeaWorld, zoology at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, physics atMagicKingdom,technology&innovationatEPCOT,motionpictureartsandsciencesatHollywoodStudiosorUniversalStudiosandtechnologyat IslandsofAdventure. Interestedstudents can pick up an information letter & applicationform outside room 230 (Ms. Gramm’s room). The nextparent information nightwill be in Septemberwhere youcan hear how the trip is organized, view pictures, discussthe itinerary and ask questions. For more information,contactMs.Grammmgramm@sd38.bc.caorMs.Turnbulllturnbull@sd38.bc.ca

Student Parking Student parking is only allowed in thedesignated student area that is the firstparking lot on the left as you enter theschool off of Minoru Boulevard. All otherareasarereservedforstaffandvisitors.Safe

andlawfuldrivingisexpectedofallstudentsandall“N”requirementsmustbefollowed–pleasedrivecarefully. Collaboration Days On8daysthisyearallRSSteachersandstaffwillengagein a variety of planning activities to strengthen thelearningandengagementforourstudents.Thisvaluable‘collaboration time’ will occur from 8:30-9:45am.Students are welcome to come to school to work andstudyindividuallyoringroupsorsleepinonthesedaysasfirstclassbeginsat9:50am.ThefirsttwoCollabDayswillbeSeptember 19and20. TheotherCollabDayswillbeOctober18,November23,January25,February21,April25andMay30.

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RSSNEWSLETTERVOLUME89,Issue1AUGUST2016

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Student Information & Responsible Use of Technology Forms Please complete the blue student informationverification and the Use of PersonalInformation/Responsible Use of Technology (SA-53)forms in this package. Please ensure you complete theforms in full and return it to your Homeroom teacher onSeptember6th.Ifyourchildhasaseriousallergyormedicalcondition,pleasecontacttheappropriateRSScounsellortoconfidentiallydiscussthesituation.

Full Cafeteria Service RSS students are encouraged to pack a healthy lunch andlearnmoreabouteatingnutritiously.Oneof the many benefits of RichmondSecondary School is that we do offer afull-servicecafeteriawithawiderangeofdelicious food items prepared daily bythe students in our Cafeteria, CulinaryArts and Professional Cook TrainingPrograms. The prices are very reasonable and themenuincludes sandwiches, wraps, soups, salads, desserts andfreshdailyentréesandmaindishes.InterestedstudentsinGrades11and12canchoosetoenrollincafeteriacoursesor the ACE IT professional cook-training program. Pleasetreat our kitchen staff with courtesy and respect andalwayscleanupandrecycleaftereating.Thankyou!

RSS Student Fees All high schools in Richmond charge the same General School Fee. There may also be optional charges for field trips, teams, clubs and graduation events that vary from school to school. Enrichment fees may apply in a course in which a student wishes to undertake an optional project or use better materials that are beyond the core requirements of the course and which s/he will retain. Special Programs are offered as an optional alternative to regular courses and may charge fees. Examples at RSS include the International Baccalaureate program, Global Perspectives, PE Fit for Life, etc.

General School Fee: $28.00

All secondary schools in Richmond have standardized the costs of school fees. This fee offsets the cost of the student agenda, student activities, assemblies, athletics and events and communication/postage fee for mail-outs to all students. Yearbook (Optional): $38.00 Students may elect to purchase a school yearbook, which will be published in June 2017. Students must order and pay now so that we know how many yearbooks to produce. Please note, the vast majority of students enjoy and appreciate their yearbooks and we encourage all students to purchase one.

Total: $66.00 or $28.00 without a yearbook

All students are asked to pay fees to their homeroom teacher by the first week of school. Please make cheques payable to Richmond Secondary School and put your teen's full name and student number on the memo line.

Grade 12 Grad 2017 Fees: In addition to the General and Yearbook fees, we will offer several special Grade 12 events including the Boat Cruise, the Winter Formal, the Valedictory Ceremony, the Dinner & Dance Prom and the Dry After Grad. These are optional events, but are designed to be celebrations for all members of our graduating class each year. The exact costs will depend on how many grads attend, the venues, menus and activities selected, but all events will cost approximately $355. Grade 12s will get a special invoice and are asked to pay as early as possible so that excellent events can be planned for our grads!

Note: If possible, no student will be excluded from an opportunity to participate in most activities due to financial hardship. Please contact your child’s teacher, your child’s counsellor or a vice principal if you require further information. If you have any questions regarding your fee statement, please contact our Business Assistant Ms. Sara Campos.

Upcoming RSS Dates: September 6 First Day Homerooms & Assemblies September 6-9 Homerooms first all week September 7 First regular day – Day 1 – 1234 September 8 Day 2 – 1234 September 9 Grade 12 Assembly & Barbecue September 14 Photo Day September 14 PAC at 6:30pm in the library September 19 Collaboration Day September 20 Collaboration Day September 22 Meet the Teacher 6:30pm September 23 Pro-D Day September 23/24 Grade 8 Mini-Camp & Sleep-Over September 28 IB Graduation Celebration 6pm September 29 Terry Fox Run September 30 Clubs Day at lunch September 30 Grad Boat Cruise October 6 Grade 12 Parent Info 7pm