A Note From the Principal
Hello River Hawk Families,
It's only been a couple of days, but we can all see that May is going to absolutely fly by!
This past week our Rio Staff celebrated our Plant Manger "Bubba" as he retires this Thursday after opening Rio Norte in 2003! To honor him, many staff dressed up in his grey shirt and khaki shorts uniform he has chosen to wear every day with us! Bubba is the Hart of Rio for so many, with people speaking about his impact on former students, staff, and community groups that utilize our school facilities. On my address to students Monday morning, I'll be asking students to work extra hard at keeping our campus super clean to honor Bubba's last week with all of us.
We have a lot going on the next few weeks. Thank you to the families that supported the Mendocino Farms fundraiser. It was a huge success because of so many of you. This Tuesday, Panera is our final restaurant night of the year. Use the app for super easy pick-up (code on flyer below). Thursday brings the final All Junior High event of the year, the annual Track and Field Meet at COC. We're wishing all our River Hawk track athletes the best of luck! We also hope many of you will come out Thursday or Friday night for the incredible Drama Production of Clue - On Stage. Tickets could sell out, so be sure to scroll to the article below with the link to tickets. Our Drama Hawks are sure to amaze you!
Finally, this coming week brings an opportunity to celebrate and appreciate our incredibly hard-working Rio Norte staff during Teacher and Staff Appreciation Week. Please consider having your student write a simple note or card to thank the staff members who have supported them this year. Receiving kind words from our students feeds the souls of educators who work far beyond the hours that school is in session, to ensure our students transition well-prepared for high school! It takes all of us to be a part of your village!
To my staff: THANK YOU for continuously going the extra mile to make Rio a place that our families want to be a part of, even moving to our community to join us! You make Rio EXCEPTIONAL!
In this issue learn more about:
- Important Dates
- All Junior High Track Meet - donations & volunteers needed
- Panera PTSA Restaurant Night - this TUESDAY
- Textbook Collection is coming soon
- Dress Code Reminders for end of year
- From the Hart May Newsletter
- May Menus from Food Service
Repeat of:
- CLUE - Drama Production THIS WEEK!
- PTSA Staff Appreciation Donation and Volunteer Sign-Up Genius
- VHS Color Guard Auditions this week (can include Junior High students)
- Summer School Options
- 8th Grade Universal Trip Information
- Free to Be Me Festival - this Sunday
Have a wonderful weekend,
Mrs. Bennett
Important Dates
May 6th - 10th:
- Teacher Appreciation Week - see Sign-Up Genius below to help (donations and volunteer)
May 7th:
- Panera PTSA Restaurant Night
May 9th:
- All District JH Track Meet @ COC
May 9th & 10th:
- CLUE - a Drama Hawks Production, Rio Norte MPR
- Rio Norte Choir Concert, Rio MPR at 7 p.m.
May 15th:
- NJHS Mandatory rehearsal, after school 1:30-2:30 p.m.
- NJHS Ceremony in the Gym at 5:30 p.m. by invite (went out 4/26)
May 16th:
- 8th grade Universal Studios Trip - leaving school at 3 p.m., must be present at school, must already have purchased ticket to attend
May 17th:
- Rio Band Concert - all bands & guitar, MPR at 7 p.m.
8th graders save the date:
May 28th:
- 8th Grade Block Party (Dance) - details to come in May
CLICK HERE for a printable copy of the calendar pictured.
Textbook Collection Coming Up!
This is a reminder that our students have textbooks and/or books checked out from our Rio Norte JHS Library. Our collection dates for ALL materials due back to the library are during the week of May 20th – May 24th.
With some exceptions, here are the textbooks your student should have checked out at home:
8th grade:
English – Collections 8
History – American Stories
Only Spanish I students: Spanish – Descubre 1
7th grade:
English – Collections 7
History – World History
Science – Life Science
Only Accelerated Math 7 students: Math Accelerated
*See the pictures below to see what the book covers look like.
It is important we receive these titles back at the end of the school year. Failure to return student’s materials during this time can result in loss of privileges at the end of the school year which include attending end of the year activities or events (yes, for 8th graders, too), not receiving the student’s yearbook on time, and this can even impact registering for high school.
For a full list of the titles checked out to your student, along with replacement costs if needed, please visit: bit.ly/destinyRN. Students can log in using their student Google email account to see what titles are outstanding on their account.
If you have any questions, please contact our Teacher Librarian at bgonsalves@hartdistrict.org. Thank you!
Dress Code Reminders
At Rio, we want students to wear clear clothing that is comfortable and expresses their individuality, while also being respectful of all. With the temperature increasing, we want to remind students of key points of our dress code policy and appreciate your support.
- Attire or grooming depicting or advocating violence, images of weapons, criminal activity, use of alcohol or drugs, or hate speech are prohibited.
- Strapless garments are not permitted, and straps must be worn on shoulders.
- Fabric must fully cover breasts, genitals, and buttocks and must be solid/opaque
- Undergarments alone can not be worn in place of a shirt or top.
- All clothing must cover undergarments (waistband and straps are excluded)
- Shirts and dresses must have fabric to cover the front, the back, and the sides.
More students have been pushing the line and we appreciate your help in reinforcing your expectations, so that your student knows how you would respond to them if contacted about too many dress code offenses. We greatly appreciate your partnership with us!
CLUE: On Stage, comes to Rio!
Rio Norte Junior High Drama Hawks proudly presents CLUE: On Stage.
Based on the iconic 1985 Paramount movie which was inspired by the classic Hasbro board game, Clue is a hilarious farce-meets-murder mystery. The tale begins at a remote mansion, where six mysterious guests assemble for an unusual dinner party where murder and blackmail are on the menu. When their host turns up dead, they all become suspects. Led by Wadsworth – the butler, Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum, Mrs. White, Mr. Green, Mrs. Peacock and Colonel Mustard race to find the killer as the body count stacks up. Clue is the comedy whodunit that will leave both cult-fans and newcomers in stitches as they try to figure out…WHO did it, WHERE, and with WHAT!
CLUE: On Stage will run Thursday May 9th and Friday May 10th at 7pm. Rio Norte is located at 2771 Rio Norte Drive, Santa Clarita, CA. 91354
Tickets can be purchased at https://our.show/rioclue
Valencia High School Color Guard Auditions
For all Rio Norte students interested in being part of the award winning Valencia High School Color Guard:
They are holding their workshop dates on Wednesday May 8th and Thursday May 9th at the Valencia High School Band Room, with auditions taking place on Friday, May 10th. Workshops and auditions are all held from 5:30 to 7:30 pm. Color Guard is open to 7th grade through 12th grade students and there is no experience necessary. You must attend the workshops to learn the audition routines.
Valencia High's Color Guard just visited & performed for our PE classes here at Rio this past Tuesday. They performed and current members spoke to interested students about auditions and what it’s like to spin the flags and rifles.
Summer School Opportunities!
Summer School opportunity for current 8th graders. The William S. Hart School District is offering an online Health class to allow students to complete the Health requirement before starting high school. This is a terrific opportunity to get ahead and complete a required course. If you are interested, please fill out this form: Summer School Interest Form for Current 8th Graders
Summer School Opportunity for current 7th graders. The William S. Hart School District is offering summer school for current 7th graders that either need to make up some junior high credits or wish to review some key concepts before their 8th grade year. This is called The Summer Impact Program. It will begin July 1 through July 30 (no school on July 4th or 5th). If you are interested, please fill out the form below.
8th Grade Universal Studios Grad Bash - Important Info.
Please be sure if you purchased a ticket for this event that your student has joined the Universal Google Classroom. They must join through their hartdistrict google classroom account to be accepted. Students can see their advisory teacher or go to the office for help with this, if needed. Information will be constantly added as we get closer to the trip date, May 16th. Have your student regularly show you the information in this google classroom, which includes detailed information on Universal Studio's rules and policies. Remember, students must be present at school on May 16th to attend. Buses are expected to depart the school at approximately 3 p.m.
RIO NORTE JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL
Thomas Flores, 8th grade Assistant Principal
Shonna August, 7th grade Assistant Principal
ATTENDANCE Needs: Email lmcdaniel@hartdistrict.org
Email: bjbennett@hartdistrict.org
Website: https://www.rionortejuniorhigh.org/
Location: 28771 Rio Norte Dr, Valencia, CA, USA
Phone: 661-295-3700