Hawk News from the Principal
Week of October 16, 2023
PSAT Testing This Week
Dear River Hill Families,
This coming week is Digital Citizenship Week 2023 (October 16-20). This initiative aims at promoting responsible and safe online behavior among our students. In today's digital age, our students must develop the skills and awareness necessary to navigate the online world confidently. One critical improvement point is balancing screen time and offline activities. Encourage your children to set limits on their screen time, engage in physical activities, and enjoy face-to-face interactions with friends and family. Additionally, explore resources such as Common Sense Media's Family Media Agreement and ConnectSafely.org for valuable tips and guidelines to help create a healthy digital environment at home.
It is hard to believe that the end of fall athletics is fast approaching. Our golf team took home the county title over Marriotts Ridge and then went on to capture its third straight District V title. Congratulations to senior Benjamin Siriboury for taking the boys individual champion title and senior Helen Yeung for placing second in the girls competition. The team is headed off to the State competition where they are the defending champions! We wish the team and Coach Graves the very best! I will keep you updated on the post-season results of our fall athletic teams -- stay tuned!
As you know, last Wednesday was supposed to be the first administration of the new digital PSAT for our 10th grade students. Unfortunately, the College Board was not prepared for the volume of test takers not only from Howard County but across the country. As a result, HCPSS suspended testing to allow the issues to be resolved. This coming Wednesday, October 18, we will attempt to hopefully successfully administer the test to both 10th and 11th grade students. Due to the nature of half our building being tested, our 9th and 12th graders are encouraged to take advantage of HCPSS allocated discretionary days. Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions.
The names of the 2024 Coca-Cola Scholar Semifinalists have been released and River Hill High School is well represented. The 1,514 semifinalists were among the 1.45% selected from over 103,800 applicants from across the country to continue through the selection process based on their academic excellence, leadership, and service demonstrated in school and community activities. River Hill has FOUR senior semifinalists. Congratulations to Gabrielle Demuren, Naomi Ling, Lily Peng, and Aadvik Vashist. We wish them all the best as they continue on this journey!
This weekend will mark the debut of our fall play, She Kills Monsters. There will be four shows, Thursday - Sunday. I hope you have time to come out and support our theater department. More information on the play may be found here.
Advanced Placement (AP) Coordinators sent invoices to families through MySchoolBucks starting on October 13th. Students who are designated as College and Career Ready (CCR) or who qualify for a reduced fee exam will not be invoiced. Due to the large number of CCR students registering for exams in courses that they are not enrolled in, HCPSS will not be covering the cost if a student is not enrolled in the course. The Synergy team is updating the programming in the coming weeks to invoice students for these additional exams. The assessment team with the AP Coordinators, have developed a FAQ that can be shared with families and staff.
Lastly, senior portrait make-ups are this week. Please see the information below on scheduling an appointment.
REMINDER -- No school for students this Friday, October 20.
Have a terrific week!
Warmest regards,
Robert A. Motley
Principal
PSAT TESTING INFORMATION --Fall 2023
RHHS 10th and 11th graders will take the digital PSAT/NMSQT exam THIS WEDNESDAY, October 18. This exam is offered free of charge to students enrolled as either sophomores or juniors in all HCPSS schools. The test is administered in a digital format online through College Board. Testing room assignments will be posted outside the cafeteria starting the day before testing. Please note: ARL students in 10th and 11th grade WILL NOT attend ARL test day; HCC and early release students in 10th-11th will remain at school for testing.
Test Dates:
10th & 11th grade: OCTOBER 18th
What to bring: Students will need to bring their HCPSS issued Chromebook fully charged to school on their test date. They will also need to bring their charger. Students will keep all other personal electronics in their backpacks at the front of each classroom.
How to prepare: Visit the College Board website, get rest the night before, and eat a good breakfast that morning. Arrive on time to school (by 7:45am) and report to your assigned testing room (locations posted outside the cafeteria the day before testing).
What if I miss testing day? There is no make-up for the PSAT. If you miss the testing day, you can test another year (unless you are a junior).
More about the exam: The test is digital. It takes about 3 hours in total (including directions). The test is given to identify students’ skills and strengths when preparing for the SAT. It can also help students be identified for scholarships through the college board.
What if I miss a class while I am testing? The teaching staff has been notified of students who are testing. Students will be marked excused for the day. There will not be graded assignments for any RHHS student on test days.
What do I do if I have questions specific to testing? Contact Amy Weinberg (testing assistant) at amy_weinberg@hcpss.org or Allison Volinsky (testing coordinator) at Allison_Volinsky@hcpss.org
Testing Schedule for October 18
PSAT Testing: 7:50am - 10:55am
Period 4 10:55 – 12:55
A-Lunch 10:55 – 11:25
B-Lunch 11:25 – 11:55
C-Lunch 11:55 – 12:25
D-Lunch 12:25 – 12:55
Period 5 1:00 – 1:45
Period 6 1:50 – 2:35
FLU Clinic at River Hill HS
Each year, the Howard County Public School System partners with the Maryland Partnership for Prevention to bring flu immunizations into our schools for students. This year, they will also be offering the latest MODERNA Covid vaccine. The clinic at River Hill High School will be held on MONDAY OCTOBER 23rd, 2023 during school hours, held in the Auxiliary GYM. If you would like your child to be vaccinated against the flu and/or Covid at this clinic, please register at this unique link for River Hill: https://www.marylandvax.org/appointment/en/reg/4061207692
You are not required to provide your child’s insurance information. Per the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, it is safe to get a flu and COVID vaccine at the same time if you choose.
If you have any concerns about the new Covid vaccine, you are advised to speak with your child’s pediatrician. All in-school clinics will be closed to registration about one week before the clinic date to allow our health room staff time to review and prepare the consents and make sure enough vaccine is ordered. For RIVER HILL HIGH SCHOOL, registration will CLOSE on TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17th, 2023. If you have any questions, please call your school’s health room directly at 410-313-8601 and ask to speak with the Nurse.
Winter Athletics Registration Information
Instructions for Sports Registration (additional attachment provided with instructions as well): DUE BY: Friday, November 11 (DO NOT SEND DOCUMENTS VIA EMAIL; FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS)
Go to https://www.hcpss.org/connect/Links to an external site. *Do NOT use your Mobile Phone
Login to your HCPSS Connect Portal (Parents & Guardian MUST use the parental login. Using your students log in info. will not allow you to register); Once logged in, go to the menu on the left and click the bottom option More Options (Family File, Reports Cards, etc.). If you have more than one student make sure you have selected the student from the drop down menu at the top of the page.)
Click on Athletic Registration on the right hand side Menu, select the correct season Fall/Winter/Spring;
Complete all of the forms: Parent Authorization Form, Sudden Cardiac Arrest Form, Concussion, please complete all additional documents…Do not skip or leave any boxes blank.
Physical Examination Form: Verification of an examination within 12 months of the tryout date for the particular sport must be submitted in each academic year of participation. Upload ALL pages of the Physical Examination Form. Older physicals will not be accepted. https://www.hcpss.org/athletics/forms-and-guidelines/Links to an external site. (Physical Forms can be found here to bring to doctor’s office) If you are having trouble getting a doctor’s appointment try this: https://riverhill.membershiptoolkit.com/physicalsLinks to an external site.
Upload a RECENT Utility bill (Dated September 1, 2023 OR later), it must be the actual bill. Older Utility bills will NOT be accepted. Utility examples: BGE, Water OR Cable Bill ONLY (Must match address the school has on file for enrollment). **No Cell Phone Bills will be accepted**
Common Errors:
File size may be too big on downloads. Make sure document is under 4MB
Just because forms have been submitted, that does not necessarily mean they have been accepted
AAM will go through to ensure proper dates, signatures, boxes checked off, address matches Synergy address.
**Reminder Physicals for Athletics are different from those used to register to attend school. The Athletic Physical includes a Clearance without restrictions by Medical Staff.
Please, make sure physicals have all signatures (Parent/Guardian, Athlete, and Physician) before scanning and uploading.
**Returning Athletes-If a Student Athlete is returning from Fall to play Winter and/or Spring season and wants to use the fall physical, parent/guardian will need to click the checkbox (option to use physical on file dated) and save. Otherwise, it’ll wait for a new one to be uploaded. Reminder, returning athletes will still need to complete permission information and upload a new utility bill.
Academic Eligibility for Athletics
For high school, a full-time student earns academic eligibility to participate in extracurricular activities by maintaining a 2.0 grade-point average (GPA), calculated using credit or non-credit courses, with no more than one failing grade for the marking period which governs eligibility for that activity.
*All Students: 1st Quarter Grades are used for winter athletic eligibility
River Hill H.S. Winter Athletics Coaches Contacts: For sport-specific information
Allied Bowling: Kelley_Pfeffekorn@hcpss.org (Kelley Pfefferkorn): Reach out to Coach Pfefferkorn for details
Boys Basketball: Matthew_Graves@hcpss.org (Matt Graves)
Girls Basketball: Teresa_Waters@hcpss.org (Teresa Waters)
Cheerleading: Jessica_Garry@hcpss.org (Jess Garry)
Indoor Track & Field: sprinterace1984@gmail.com & ammschmidt@gmail.com (Donnie Richmond & Ammera Schmidt)
Wrestling: Remy2747@gmail.com & tperkins5186@yahoo.com (Jeff Rermgosakul & Thomas Perkins)
*What to Bring: Water bottle (large size), sneakers (basketball/cheer/track), wrestling shoes/headgear (wrestling), athletic clothing for all; be prepared for outdoors for track. Please contact your sport specific coaches for questions about equipment and scheduling.
*Anyone who is planning to try out for a team should be sure to check with sport specific coaches on schedules/details; once tryouts are completed, all teams will begin official team practices, scrimmages and then games. Winter sports participants should be prepared to potentially play during holiday breaks as well. Refer to your coaches for scheduling details.
River Hill High School
Email: Robert_Motley@hcpss.org
Website: www.rhhs.hcpss.org
Location: 12101 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, MD, USA
Phone: (410) 313-7120