April 4, 2018

With the end of spring break we enter the heart of our final trimester. Students have already completed the first two weeks of the new trimester. In three weeks we will be at the midterm mark and our final Parent Teacher Conferences of the year. Let's all work together to help our students stay focused as we work our way through spring trimester.

Spring is testing season for our students at RHS. Please see the testing icon on the RHS webpage for more information about what tests happen when.

April 3, 2018 will be a busy day for the Pre–ACT and ACT. Students in grades 10 and 11 will report to school as usual. Students should report at 7:25 to assigned rooms for testing. Students should not have cell phones, smart watches or iPads with them during the test. They may bring water and a snack. Students must have #2 pencils, calculator and a photo ID. At the completion of testing, students in grade 10 and 11 have the option to leave the building, stay for lunch, or stay for lunch and have a study hall for the remainder of the day in the IMC. Bus schedules will run as normal. There will only be one lunch shift tomorrow and lunch will be closed down at 12:30.

Students in grade 9 and 12 will not report to RHS tomorrow. Instead students will be doing an online learning day from home. Please be aware that work must be completed and turned in as instructed by teachers. This is not a free day, but a day that will be utilizing the technology that has been given to students to use.

Students in grade 10 will also be taking the Minnesota Comprehensive Assessment (MCA) in Reading and Science. Students in grade 11 will also be taking the MCA test in Mathematics.
– For more details regarding the MCA assessments visit http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/JustParent/TestReq/index.html .
– For more details regarding the Minnesota Academic Standards visit http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/EdExc/StanCurri/K 12AcademicStandards/index.htm.

Any support you can give our students by making them aware of the tests, making sure they have a good sleep the night before, giving them a good breakfast the day of the tests, getting them to school on time on the morning of these tests and encouraging them will be greatly appreciated. On our end, teachers will continue to align their teaching to these standards in required courses.

Over ninety percent of our graduates go on for more school beyond high school. To assist students in grades nine through eleven, as they work towards finalizing their plans beyond high school, the Counseling Department is offering a workshop, titled Going to College - The First Steps. We hope students and parents will be able to attend this workshop together, so that your questions about selecting and applying to a college can be answered. Going to College – The First Steps will be held on Thursday, April 5, in the Performing Arts Center at Rosemount High School. It is scheduled from 7:00 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. The program will feature a panel of current Rosemount High School seniors who will share their knowledge and experiences about selecting and gaining admission to a variety of colleges. Prior to the panel presentation, the Rosemount High School counselors will review relevant topics including a junior/senior planning calendar, admission requirements, standardized tests and additional resources that can be used to research colleges, careers and scholarship opportunities.

The District will conduct a Bus Safety Drill on the morning of Thursday, April 12. The drill will take place with students who ride the bus to school that day, as they arrive. The drill only takes a few minutes. Caution to parents and students who drive to school that day that our front lot will be busier than normal with students participating in the drill. If you are driving to school that day, please use caution.

Looking ahead, parents of seniors should note that graduation will take place at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, June 2. The ceremony will take place at 3M Arena at Mariucci on the University of Minnesota campus, with no limits regarding number of guests. More information regarding graduation will be shared with you via other communications from our school. The last day of school for seniors, as well as graduation practice, is Friday, June 1. Seniors will be dismissed following graduation rehearsal, sometime around 11:00 a.m.

For students in grades 9–11, final exam week follows graduation weekend. Final exams will take place on Wednesday, June 6 and Thursday, June 7. The last day of school for students in grades 9–11 is Thursday, June 7.

Spring is an exciting time here at the school. Many big events, contests, concerts, and productions are still ahead of us. I also look forward to visiting with you at Parent Teacher Conferences on Thursday, April 19 from 4:00 – 8:00 p.m. Conferences will be another great opportunity for us to come together and partner on behalf of our students.