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SUNDAY LETTER - DECEMBER 6, 2015
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MESSAGE FROM HEAD OF SCHOOL
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The Trimester System is Part of the Soul of Our Schools
With just two weeks to go before the end of the trimester, the pressure is on. The 8th grade is putting on their play at the end of this week, and Upper School students take exams at the end of next week. Seniors are putting the finishing touches to their remaining college applications. Paradoxically, being on the trimester system is one of our net stress-reducers, part of the "soul" of the campus. We want our students to have a real break and get some genuine down time over the holidays. While students at other schools are spending holiday time fretting over January's semester exams or forgetting much of what they have learned in the first few months of the school year (or both!), our children are able to enjoy a proper rest with family and friends. We have employed the trimester system for more than two decades, and it is never more important than at this time of the year. The trimester schedule complements our weekly academic schedule, known in the trade as a "block schedule," within which each class meets just three times per week but for a longer class period: compared to the traditional 7x45min period day, the block schedule reduces fragmentation (aren't our lives fragmented enough?), wastes much less time moving from place to place during the school day, encourages creative, engaging teaching, and allows homework to be much more focused.
So . . . let's crank for the next two weeks and then enjoy our rest when it comes!
Peter
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USE OUR AMAZON LINK FOR YOUR HOLIDAY SHOPPING
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FINALS FOR WORLD LANGUAGE AND ELL DEPARTMENTS NEXT WEEK
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This is a reminder that finals for classes in World Languages and ELL are next week and attendance is MANDATORY! Please make sure that students are present for these exams.
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SCHEDULES FOR FINALS WEEK
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Show your Husky spirit and participate in Spirit Week starting tomorrow!
Monday - PJ Day
Tuesday - Twin Day
Wednesday - Movie Day
Thursday - Holiday/Ugly Sweater Day
Friday - Class Color Day
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8TH GRADE PLAY: THE GREAT ALL-AMERICAN MUSICAL DISASTER
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WELLNESS PROGRAM FITNESS ASSESSMENT
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Dear Parents of Grades 5-10 Huskies,
I would like to inform you that your son/daughter will be participating in the Wellness Program assessment during physical education class beginning Monday, December 7 through Thursday, December 10. Our Wellness Program is a health-related fitness assessment developed by The Cooper Institute for Aerobic Research and is a research-based criterion referenced test.
The Wellness Program is a quality assessment for three reasons:
- The Wellness Program establishes a baseline of a healthy fitness zone from which students can set goals and check their progress (non-competitive) to plan for lifelong physical activity, maintain and improve their fitness level. Health-related fitness assessment measures students' cardiovascular, muscular strength/endurance, flexibility and body composition.
- The Wellness Program provides recommended activity program options that will help students reach healthy fitness zones in those areas where they need to improve.
- The Wellness Program does not place an emphasis on skill or sports-related fitness time. It does not compare students to other students.
The Wellness Program tests all students regardless of age, gender, or ability. Students are encouraged to be self-aware of health-related fitness and take responsibility by setting personal fitness goals. When students focus on the process of doing their personal best, a more positive lifelong impact is achieved.
On test days please make sure that your child eats a balanced meal and gets enough sleep the night before.
We believe by providing you and your child with this health-related fitness information, you can lead your child toward a healthy lifestyle. A healthy student is better prepared to learn and perform in all aspects of life.
Thank you.
Sincerely,
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HOLIDAY GIFT SCRIP DUE DEC. 11
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The time has come to think about all those people in our lives who have made a difference. If you are planning on purchasing gifts for those people - why not choose Scrip? Scrip is an easy way for you to do your Christmas shopping while raising funds for the school - at no added expense to you!
1. Purchasing for Teachers/Staff: Purchasing Christmas gifts for these unsung heroes in our kids' lives couldn't be easier with Scrip! Simply print the attached spreadsheet and fill in the amounts you would like to give to each teacher or staff member and return the form with a check made out to RHP. The teachers/staff then get to pick out what gift cards they would most like! There is also a flyer attached that explains the process in more detail.
2. Purchasing for others (or yourself!): Planning on purchasing gift cards for those people who are hard to shop for or are far away? Or you can purchase gift cards to use at the stores that you know you will be shopping at this holiday season. It's simple! Go to www.shopwithscrip.com and set up an account. RHP enrollment code is: A52E794C9128. You can pay online or with a check. If you choose to pay with a check, simply drop that check off in the school office. Your cards will be ordered and back to you before the holiday break. When you see the rebate percent - that is the amount that is given to the school for that purchase! There is more info on the Scrip site or you can contact Cassi Hammond at hamfamof5@yahoo.com if you have any questions.
THE DEADLINE FOR ALL DECEMBER ORDERS IS FRIDAY, DEC 11TH.
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HANDBOOK/DIRECTORIES SENT HOME WITH ADVISEES
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Handbook/Directories were sent home this week with your student. Additional copies are also available in the office. Please note that there is an online student/parent directory in MyBackpack which will always have the most updated information for each family. To update your contact information, log into MyBackpack and edit your profile.
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SUGARPLUM TREE GIFTS DUE MONDAY MORNING
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 Gifts from the Sandpipers' Sugarplum Tree for foster children are due tomorrow morning! You can drop your gifts off in the office.
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Once again, a HUGE thanks to all of you who gave back on #GivingTuesday by donating to the Annual Fund. Our total amount raised in 24 hours was $102,125.00! Due to this unprecedented generosity, the school is well on its way to reaching our Annual Fund of $350,000. If you did not have a chance to give on #GivingTuesday, it is not too late to make a gift to the school. All gifts are tax deductible.
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| | What is the Hour of Code? |
The Hour of Code is a global movement reaching tens of millions of students in 180+ countries. Every student should have the opportunity to learn computer science. It helps nurture problem-solving skills, logic and creativity. By starting early, students will have a foundation for success in any 21st-century career path.
The goal of this movement is for all students to try an Hour of Code during December 7-13.
All middle school students will code during their math classes next week and the upper school students will have the opportunity to code as an extra credit assignment due to final exams coming up.
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| | Why Our Kids Must Learn to Code |
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UCODE CLASS NEXT TRIMESTER
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 As we will announce on Monday during Morning Meeting, RHP & REN is beginning a partnership with UCODE, a STEM-based school located in the South Bay, to provide a coding class for interested students. The class is being offered during Y Block as a pilot program during the second trimester. Any interested middle or upper school students without previous Y Block commitments should e-mail Mr. Maher next week to be put on the roster.
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MS. KAINI GU IS ACCEPTED INTO UCLA MTLI
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Ms. Kaini Gu was recently accepted into the 2015-16 UCLA Mandarin Language Teacher Institute (MTLI). She also received a scholarship from UCLA Confucius Institute to cover all of the fees to attend the trainings. As part of the program, Ms. Gu will attend several trainings from December 2015 to April 2016 to learn more about teaching Mandarin and to get to know other professionals in the field. The goal of this program is to help build strong Mandarin programs in our state by developing a cohort of K-12 teachers who can teach to the Common Core standards, demonstrate appropriate teaching methodology in the classroom utilizing authentic materials, and who can share this expertise with colleagues in the field.
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SENIOR SPEECH: RYAN TILLES
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 Decisions decisions. Palos Verdes or Rolling Hills Prep? Pros and cons for both. Palos Verdes High School was where all my friends from Miraleste were going. At Rolling Hills Prep I didn't really know anyone. I had to choose. At PV you are just a number but at Rolling Hills Prep your teacher knows you. At Rolling Hills Prep you have closer friends. At PV you have a big group and a lot of friends but not the close friends I experienced at Miraleste. I finally made up my mind where I wanted to go. I chose Rolling Hills Prep... |
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SENIOR SPEECH: JULIANA TRICARICO
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Hello, my name is Juliana and you probably know me as one of the softball players, or that girl who is always with that other girl Izzy. Those observations are both very true, considering softball has been my identity and Izzy is my best friend, but I'm going to tell you about a time, just a few months ago, when I was close to losing one of these parts of my life: softball.
The first weekend back with my travel-ball team, fresh off of RHP's CIF championship win, I was pumped for the summer. The next few weeks were going to be crucial in determining my recruiting fate and I had a visit lined up to one of my top schools on the East Coast. It was Saturday, June 6th, when I began competing with my team again. I came out with a bang that day, playing really well and I couldn't wait for the schools that I was interested in to come and watch me. However, I was disappointed when I looked in the stands all three games, only to see schools that I had never even heard of, including one called Weber State...
Click here to read the rest of Juliana's speech.
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Make sure to follow us on our social media for all the fun! Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat: @RHPandREN |
| Dr. Cheong of UCLA Health speaking during PE about basic first aid.
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| Our Husky wants to play ball.
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| Lily, Charlotte, Ms. Ramirez, and Fiona with Torrance Mayor Pat Furey at the Torrance Chamber of Commerce Women In Business event.
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SCHOOL EVENTS
| ATHLETICS
| COLLEGE COUNSELING
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December 8, 11am
Voice Class Recital
December 10, 7pm
8th Grade Play Performance
December 12, 3:30pm
8th Grade Play Performance
December 14 & 15
Special Schedule for Upper School Review
December 16-18
Upper School Final Exams
December 18
Final Day of Trimester 1
December 21-January 3
Winter Break
January 4
Teacher Professionals Day (No Classes)
January 5
First Day of Trimester 2
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December 8, 6pm
Varsity Girls' Basketball vs. Central Central City Value @ Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
December 11, pm
Varsity Girls' Basketball @ Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
December 11, 3:15pm
Varsity Boys' Soccer @ Chadwick
December 12, pm
Varsity Girls' Basketball @ Vaughn Next Century Learning Center
| The College Counseling office is located in Room 6C (in between Mrs. Hagee's and Mr. Williamson's classrooms).
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