September 27, 2016

Dear Rosemount High School Community Members,

As we enter the heart of fall trimester, I recommend we all encourage our students to maintain their academic focus. A good practice is to use SchoolView to monitor student progress throughout the school year. Use information from SchoolView in your conversations with your student(s) about school. If you have concerns about a particular class, urge your student to visit with the teacher. If you don’t have a SchoolView account, visit our SchoolView web site at ( http://www.district196.org/rhs/schoolview/index.cfm ) for information regarding how to start one, email us at Lynn.Heieie@district196.org .

October is a month with several significant academic events.

Students who are interested in entering the military can take the ASVAB military entrance exam at RHS on Wednesday, September 28 at 7:30 a.m. Sign up in the RHS Career Center.

Ninth grade students will participate in a one day “Respect Retreat” on Thursday, September 29. This retreat will focus on creating a positive school community by engaging students in activities that encourage them to respect themselves, respect others, and stand up for the value of respect. Many of our seniors have commented on exit surveys that the 9th grade Respect Retreat was a very valuable experience and a highlight memory of their high school experience. See the email sent out this past week for more details.

Some of our seniors will be taking or retaking the SAT on Saturday, October 1 and/or the ACT on Saturday, October 22. These tests are used for admission decisions by colleges and universities. Contact the Rosemount High School Counseling Office (651-423-7517) if you have questions about these tests.

Many 11th and 12th grade students will attend the Minnesota National College Fair at the Minneapolis Convention Center on Tuesday, October 4. Students do have the option of attending this event during the evening. We encourage this option. Students will find the lines are shorter and the college admissions professionals are more accessible if they attend during the evening. Students choosing to attend during the school day on the 4th need to follow normal school procedures for missing school. These procedures can be found at http://www.district196.org/rhs/generalinfo/absence.cfm . Students who choose to attend during the school day and follow correct absence procedure will be given an “excused absence”.

On Wednesday, October 19, Rosemount High School will administer the PSAT/NMSQT test. Top juniors across the country will take the PSAT/NMSQT test in an attempt to qualify for a National Merit Scholarship. Students interested in taking the PSAT can sign up in the Counseling Office October 3 - 14. The cost of the PSAT is $22. High performing sophomores may also wish to take this exam as practice. Contact the Rosemount High School Counseling Office if you have questions.

Thursday, September 29, we will host our first Irish Flex Day of the year. Ninth Grade Students will not be participating in this first Flex Day, due to our Respect Retreat. See an individual communication from Assistant Administrator Will Finley regarding Retreat details. For students in grades 10-12, the goal is to give students time during the school day to work with a teacher for a class in which they are experiencing difficulty or in an area where they wish to explore beyond the course curriculum. For this first Flex Day we will use the same format from the first four Flex Days last year, and will hold Flex Period at the start of the day. Many students will be invited to work on individual Intervention or Enrichment work with teachers. Students who are invited to work with a teacher should meet with that teacher in their homeroom location at 7:30 a.m. Students not invited to Intervention or Enrichment Time in grades 9-10 are to report to their homeroom locations for quiet study time. Students not invited to Intervention or Enrichment Time in grades 11-12 are to report to the Student Center for quiet study time or they may choose to report to school for period 1 at 8:30 a.m. For students in grades 11-12 who have not been invited to work with a teacher, the quiet study time is optional. Students in grades 11-12 who are not involved directly with Intervention or Enrichment and arrive before 8:30 will be directed to the Student Center until period 1 begins. Counselors will be available in the RHS Career Center to work with seniors on their college applications on a drop-in basis.

Friday, September 30 is Data Day for the District’s High Schools. There is no school for district High School Students. At Rosemount High School teachers will be looking at student data from the 2015-2016 school year and looking for ways we can use it to improve student performance during the 2016-2017 school year. Also, some departments will be working on District Curriculum Projects.

Picture retake day is Monday, October 3 from 7:00 a.m. – 10:00 a.m. in the Student Center. Students who missed pictures in August or who were not satisfied with August pictures should have their picture taken. We need each student to have a picture for school IDs. The only seniors who should have pictures taken on the 3rd are Foreign Exchange Students or those who are new to our school since the August date. Information regarding retake pictures can be picked up in the main office or accessed at http://schoolportraits.lifetouch.com/ .

Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 6 (4:00 – 8:00 p.m.) and Friday, October 7 (7:00 – 10:00 a.m.). Our conferences are located in our Student Center and Library. Teachers visit with parent(s)/guardians(s) on a first come - first served basis. No appointments are needed. There is no school on Friday, October 7 due to Parent Teacher Conferences.

Don’t forget that the State Teacher Conventions come up Thursday, October 20 and Friday, October 21. There is no school on these two days.

It is important that we all continue to work together to maintain and build the positive tone that has been established during the first weeks of school. Let’s keep working together to keep the positive momentum.

Go Irish!

John Wollersheim Principal