Dear Parents,

Good afternoon!!!  Today the sophomore class participated in Breaking Barriers Building Bridges Day for the first half of the school day.  The goals for today were to improve communication amongst the sophomore class, recognize relationships (value and cause/effect), recognize how their choices affect others and to help break down barriers.  River Hill’s guidance staff coordinated this day and other staff from our building helped run the neat activities that were planned for our students.  It would be a good topic of discussion at the dinner table tonight.

I will be holding my monthly Principal’s Coffee this Thursday, January 28 at 8:00AM in the guidance office.  With the help of the PTSA, I will broadcast the meeting over a conference call, so that, if you can not join us, at least you can listen in on the conversation. The Conference dial-in number is 218-339-2500 and the Participant Access Code is 303663#.  Please call in at least 5 minutes prior to the start of the conference – 8:00am.  I hope you can join me to discuss all of the happenings at River Hill.

The following information is being provided to help keep you informed.  Have a great week.

Congratulations

Bravo to the Girl’s Indoor Track Team for winning the County meet on Saturday!!! Go Hawks!!

Our Poms also need to be congratulated for a big win two weekends ago – sorry for the late recognition!!  They won 1st place in the Lyrical Category for Division 1, at the MAPDA Invitational at Marriott’s Ridge!!!!!  Go Hawks!!

Congratulations to Lauri Bonacorsi (11th grade) and her partner who placed 6th at the National Ice Dance Competition. (This was the first time they competed at this level.)  In addition Lauri was one of ten skaters in the country to receive the highly competitive US Figure Skating scholar athlete scholarship. Go Hawk!!

Gifted and Talented Intern/Mentorship

Breaking News!  Gifted and Talented Intern/Mentorship Application Due Date has been pushed back to this Friday, January 29, 2010. 

Gifted and Talented Independent Research applications are due February 5, 2010. 

All applications should be turned into room 141 or the front office.  Questions? Concerns?  Contact Ms Mary Jane Sasser at msasser@hcpss.org

Black Student Achievement Program

Howard County’s Black Student Achievement Program (BSAP) is hosting a College Tour to a Historically Black College-Hampton University, located in Hampton, Virginia.

The tour will take place on Friday, February 12th 2010.  The bus will depart from RHHS at 6:00 a.m. and return the same day between 6:30 and 7:00 p.m.

All Howard County High Schools are being invited to participate.  The cost is $50.00 and includes transportation, a continental breakfast, lunch and return trip snack.

Please see Ms. Lisa Beschner in Student Services for a Permission Slip and details.

The final date for payment is Friday, January 29, 2010.

Parent Conferences

A reminder that Pick-a-Time will be available to parents on Monday, 2/1, at noon- through Sunday, 2/7, at 11:59 p.m.

Parent Conferences will be held on:

Wed. 2/10 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 pm

Th.     2/11 from 5:00 p.m. - 8:00 pm

Fri.     2/12 from 7:15 a.m - 2:45 pm

Class Rings

Attention Sophomores!

For the first time in the history of River Hill, Class Rings will be purchased Sophomore year rather than Junior year.  This means that you will be able to show off your ring for two full school years rather than one!  You will receive order forms from your English teacher this week.  Reps from the ring company, National Quality Products, will be here during all lunch shifts February 2nd through the 4th.  If parents would like more information or would like to assist their students with the selection of the ring, reps will also be available on February 3rd and 4th from 4 to 7 PM (by the Student Dining Center).  Don't worry if you don't know your ring size - the reps will assist you with that.

For every ring purchased, a portion of the proceeds goes to the Class of 2012 - help your class raise money for future events such as Prom!

Rings will be delivered to RHHS in the Spring, and will be distributed during an evening Ring Ceremony hosted by the SGA Executive Board and Class of 2012 SGA officers.  Don’t miss out on this important River Hill tradition!

Senior Class Fundraiser

The senior class is having a fundraiser for Valentine's Day starting the first week of February.  Flowers and Valentine's Day notes will be on sale during all lunch shifts February 5th - Feb. 9th.  Carnations with a note attached will be sold for $3.00 and a Valentine note will be sold for $1.00.  Items will be delivered on February 10th during 4th period.  Be sure to send a flower or note to let your friend know how special they are to you!

Winter Pep Rally

Want to see your favorite teacher kiss a pig? For teacher-vs.-student basketball, class competitions, team/club skits, and more, come to the first ever WINTER PEP RALLY/Battle of the Classes! It will be Monday, February 8th at 7 pm in the Main Gym, and it is FREE!!  Bring your friends and come support our winter sports! A fundraiser to benefit Haiti will be held, spirit wear will be on sale, and the Concession stand will be open for business as well.

STUDENT SERVICES UPDATE

Junior Interviews volunteers needed: The counseling office is coordinating the Junior Interviews for the class of 2011. We need volunteers to conduct 20 minute interviews for our students. There will be three sessions of interviews that volunteers can sign up for. The first session will take place on Wednesday, March 24 7:10am-11:30am, the second session will take place on Thursday, March 25 8:00am-11:30am and the third session will take place on Thursday, March 25 12noon-2:10pm. If you are interested in volunteering please contact Mr. Danny Ives at dives@hcpss.org or 410-313-7400. Please indicate which day and time you are available.

Attention seniors: Now is the time to bring in your Mid-year Report Forms for colleges with stamped addressed envelopes and give them to Ms. Jezior in the Registrar’s Office.

Graduation Cap and Gown orders: Seniors if you have not yet ordered your cap and gown for graduation you can do so at the following website: www.nationalqp.com .

Coffee with Guidance: On Friday, January 29 at 9am the Student Services office will be hosting a coffee with guidance. This is an opportunity for you to hear about upcoming guidance programs, meet our staff and ask questions. If you are interested in attending please RSVP to Mr. Vangeli at pvangeli@hcpss.org.

Leadership U: Attention 10th grade students. Are you interested in making a difference? Consider joining Leadership U. Leadership U is an exciting leadership development, teambuilding, and community service opportunity for high school students. The four-month program involves: attendance at a week-long summer session of hands-on learning and interactive activities (July 25-July 30); Completion of a team community service project (August-December 2010); Participation in a Shadow day, where students spend an entire day with a business or community leader. 42 10th grade students from Howard County will be selected. Applications are available at www.leadershiphc.org. The deadline is Friday, March 12, 2010. The cost is $750.00. Information sessions will be held February 2nd and 11th at the Faulkner Ridge Center (10598 Marble Faun Lane, Columbia) from 7:00-8:30pm.

Howard County Youth Summit:         Attention 9th and 10th grade students. River Hill High School can select 8 students to participate in the Howard County Youth Summit. The program is sponsored by the Voices of Change a diverse group of youth and adults who empower young people to create positive change in Howard County. The program will take place on Friday, March 19, 2010 from 8:30am-1pm at the Bridgeway Community Church. Lunch and transportation will be provided. The event will count as a field trip for selected students. If you are interested in participating in this event please see Mr. Vangeli in the Counseling Office for an application and additional information.

The 2010 PAVE program at Vanderbilt University, celebrating its 20th anniversary, is a summer pre-college program designed to strengthen the academic skills of students who are planning to enter a college engineering, pre-medical, science, or technology program, and ease the transition from high school to college. PAVE is open to high school students who are in the 11th grade (class of 2011) or 12th grade (class of 2010) during the 2009-2010 school year. More information can be found via the PAVE website at https://pave.vanderbilt.edu. Cost: $4,060 tuition. Need-based financial support is available. Program dates: June 21 through July 30, 2010. Make-up and wrap-up sessions will be provided for students who need to arrive late or leave early. Application deadline: April 20, 2010. Completed applications are evaluated as they are received. Main website: https://pave.vanderbilt.edu

Should you take the SAT or the ACT? By Ned Johnson, 2/21/2007

Some colleges may no longer require standardized test scores, but for most high-school students, test-taking is still a reality. Here's some advice that might help you decide which test is best suited to you.

The SAT may be a better test for you if:

1. You did great on the PSAT. The devil you know may be better than the devil you don't.

2. You have a killer vocabulary. You know "didactic," "sedulous" and other esoteric words (including esoteric) and want to use that comparative advantage.

3. You can ace grammar. In addition to the essay section, the Writing section of the SAT tests the deviation between standard written English and the way we actually speak the language. You know that "everyone has their own idea" is wrong, and you are comfortable with "On the table, there ARE a pencil and some paper."

4. You find it easier to write essays that use illustrative examples rather than argument. For example, if a topic such as "Should the rights of the individual be secondary to the good of the community?" seems like an easier topic to write on than "Should students be required to participate in extracurricular activities?" then the SAT essay may be more your speed. In the former example, you can use anything from the Civil Rights Movement to The Scarlet Letter as evidence, while the latter likely begs more for examples from personal experience or abstract arguments.

5. Whether or not you're academic, you consider yourself quick-thinking. At some level, the math section of the SAT is based on reasoning. The reading section is about seeing things the same way as the test-makers. The official name is, after all, the "SAT Reasoning Test." The hardest math questions on the SAT are not about advanced content or formulas that you may have forgotten.

6. You are high-energy or impulsive to the point of being impatient. Comprised of nine sections and an essay, the SAT is 20 minutes longer than the ACT, which is comprised of four long sections followed by an essay. But there are more starts and stops on the SAT — which makes it feel as though it's moving along faster than the ACT.

7. All of your friends are doing it. For many folks, the SAT is a rite of passage and is the common yardstick people use, for better or worse, in comparing their scores to the scores of their friends, parents and siblings. The whole drama of high school wouldn't be complete without it.

The ACT may be a better test for you if:

1. You did great on the PLAN (the "PSAT" for the ACT) or had a PSAT or SAT score inconsistent with your academic performance in school.

2. Your vocabulary is not as strong as your reading. You read well and relatively quickly. Arguably, the ACT is a test that is three parts verbal — English, Reading and Science (the latter section requires no knowledge outside of what the test presents).

3. You are great at writing papers but haven't had formal grammar instruction. The English portion of the ACT is more a test of punctuation and sentence and paragraph structure. Many students find the English to be common sense, much like proof-reading a paper.

4. You prefer to write essays that are argumentative, persuading with ideas even if you lack perfect recall of facts and figures. Or you prefer to answer questions that ask about everyday issues in your life or school.

5. You fear you will choke under pressure. The ACT effectively has "score choice." If, when you register, you do not indicate schools you want to receive your scores, you can wait until you have taken the ACT several times and then select the best scores to send. On the SAT, all scores (SAT and SAT Subject Tests) will be part of your score report. You cannot "hide" a low score on the SAT as you can on the ACT.

6. You are more academic than "test savvy." The ACT seems to most people to be more curriculum-based and thus more straightforward. There is more advanced math content (logarithms, trigonometry, conic sections, etc.), but it seems more like a regular test you might encounter in school.

7. All of your friends aren't doing it. You dread telling people what your scores are, imaging that they are immediately making judgments about how you "stack up." Tell your friends you have a 580-620-590 on the SAT, and the ranking begins. Tell them you got a 27 on the ACT, and they'll ask "is that good?"

Ned Johnson runs Prep Matters, a standardized-test tutoring firm in Washington, D.C.

CALENDAR OF EVENTS

You can find a calendar of all our events at:

http://web02.hcpss.org/school_calendars/FAV1-000974A7

Hope to see you out supporting the Hawks!!  Go Hawks!!