THE CASTLE

Report Cards will be mailed week of May 27.

Please review the RCPS dress code. We continue to follow-through on the policy expectations.

Thank you to our PTSO for an amazing faculty and staff appreciation week!

Let's Celebrate the Class of 2024!

Cave Spring High School

2024 Spring Non-Writing SOLs

Testing Information and Calendar

Parents of Cave Spring High School Students:

The following contains a lot of necessary information regarding the upcoming SOL Testing Schedule at Cave Spring High School. Please review this information very carefully. Please also discuss it with your child to make sure they understand what will be taking place in May.

1. High School Standards of Learning (SOL) Tests will be administered Tuesday, May 7, 2024 through Thursday, May 9, 2024 at Cave Spring High School. SOL tests are not timed, and students do not participate in more than one SOL test each day. SOLs taken in high school are graduation requirements!!

2. Students take these tests on their laptops. Please ensure that your student fully charges his/her laptop each night, during the testing window, and that he/she brings his/her laptop AND charger to school each SOL test day. (Please note that if your student forgets their laptop for their SOL test, they will not be given a loaner laptop. They will have to report to the overflow room and remain there until testing is over, and will not be able to test until the make-up session.)

3. VIRTUAL ACADEMY STUDENTS: Virtual Academy Students are required to come onto campus to take their SOL Tests. SOL Tests CANNOT be taken at home. Please see information for each specific SOL Test on Blackboard. Your Virtual Academy Instructors, as well as Mrs. Gruse, will be providing you with your SOL Testing Schedule within the coming weeks. Please be sure to boot up your school issued computer prior to coming onto campus for your SOL. This will ensure that your computer runs necessary updates so that you will not be delayed in starting your SOL test each day.

4. During the three SOL testing days, students will report directly to their testing locations at 8:20 AM. Content area teachers will inform students about testing locations, prior to the test date. Students will test as follows:

a. from 8:20 AM until approximately 11:20 AM on Tuesday, May 7, 2024 through Thursday, May 9, 2024

b. At 11:20 AM on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, students who have not completed their tests will be escorted to another room, where they will continue testing.

*Once students who are still testing have been moved, all other students will move to their first block class and we will follow a Delayed Bell Schedule for the remainder of the day. At 11:25 AM, we will follow a Delayed Schedule; however, it will be a REGULAR SCHOOL DAY and students are expected to attend their classes. Attendance will be taken as normal!

5. Please remind your student that ABSOLUTELY NO cell phones, iPhone/Android watches, Fitness Trackers, Apple Watches, Air Pods, or ANY other electronic devices are allowed into the testing environment. ALL electronic devices will be placed in bookbags and placed in the Hallway during the entire testing time. Phones are subject to search if they are found on a student during an SOL test.

6. NO phone calls can be made into classrooms during SOL testing in order to check out students. Again, once SOL Testing starts, your students CANNOT be released until after 11:20 AM. Please plan appointments, travel, etc. accordingly.

7. During the three-day testing window (May 7th, 8th, and 9th), students who are not scheduled to participate in SOL testing, may report to school at 11:20 AM.

a. Non-testing students, who elect to report to school at 8:20 AM, will remain in the overflow rooms, with teacher supervision, between the hours of 8:20 AM and 11:20 AM.

b. Once the tardy bell rings at 8:20AM, students cannot leave school and return later.

**Please be aware that school buses will follow their regularly scheduled routes/times, during the SOL testing window.

Student Testing Rules and Expectations

If you have questions or concerns, please contact your School Testing Coordinator, Kristen Gruse, at kgruse@rcps.us or

at 540-562-3900, ext. 20006.

Please click for Final Assessment details.

Important reminders for SOL testing/Final Assessments:

1. Students may NOT be released early for any reason during SOLs/Final Exams. No calls are made into the classrooms regardless of the reason. If you call for your student to be released, you will have to wait until all testing is completed and the students have been dismissed from their designated testing room.
2. Please remember to send a note with your student to be turned into the office before testing starts if they are leaving once testing is completed and the classes have been dismissed. If you do not send a note and call to have your student released, please expect a lengthy wait time. Do not call multiple times and leave multiple messages, this will only delay the process of getting your student out. If you choose to come into the school to check out your student, there will be a wait time as well. Students will be sent back to class if they come to the office after testing is completed and will have to wait until they are called out by the office. Again, please remember to send a note in the morning to avoid these delays.

Parents of Seniors:

School counselors met with seniors thru Government classes for seniors to complete the senior exit survey. This survey allows seniors to provide after high school plans including employment, military enlistments, college, etc.

CSHS would like to recognize our seniors for awards, scholarships, or merit grants in our graduation program and at the Senior Awards Banquet on May 14th. Please only share awards, scholarships, and merit grants that a senior is receiving from outside sources or from the senior’s college of choice. Please do not include scholarships offered from colleges that the senior does not plan to attend.

Pell grants and student loans should not be shared or listed.

Important: Documentation of your scholarship or award (such as forwarding and email notification or picture) must be provided to Mrs. Swartz by email at lswartz@rcps.us no later that Wednesday, May 1, 2024 to be included for recognition. If you received an award or scholarship past this deadline, please email it to Mrs. Swartz.

Summer school Information:

Summer RCPSonline Academy:

• If your child is interested in taking a class or two this summer with the RCPSOnline Academy, have your child speak with their school counselor.

• Courses will run June 3rd to July 12th

• These are full credit new courses

• Registration deadline is May 28th

• In-county tuition is $400 per course

• Students may take up to 2 courses in the summer session

• Students enrolled in summer academy courses will be provided a laptop upon request

• All World Language classes are repeat only and carry the requirement of some synchronous online instruction. World Language repeat classes are no cost to the student.

• ALL courses require a face-to-face exam or an End-of -Course SOL test. These exams will take place July 10th, 11th, or 12th at a location to be determined. If your child cannot attend a face-to-face exam or SOL test, do not enroll them for any RCPSOnline Academy courses.

Link for RCPSOnline Academy information: https://www.rcps.us/domain/1638

Registration for in person summer school:

Open May 6th and ends May 24th at 4:00pm. Please contact your school counselor to register. Students may register for a repeat summer school course only if they have been previously enrolled in the course for its duration. Summer school is at Northside HS at no cost for repeat classes. Transportation will be provided to and from your closes elementary school.

AP News:

AP exams will be administered at CSHS from May 6th to May 17th. If your child is enrolled in an AP class this year and has registered in the Fall to take the AP exam, check the 2024 AP Exam Dates- College Board for the exam date and time. An AP Exam Student Reminder has been emailed to parents and posted on the counseling website AP Reminders.

AP exams can be dropped for a partial refund ($58) up until the day before the exam by emailing kbredenkamp@rcps.us. Students can use this resource link to determine if their college of choice accepts their AP exam score: https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/getting-credit-placement/search-policies

MajorClarity:

The school counselors have presented Major Clarity to 9th, 10th, 11th, and 12th graders thru English classes. The students worked on their Academic and Career plan (ACP) and learned to explore career and college information in Major Clarity. As always, the students can find information regarding Major Clarity on our counseling website in the career corner tab. Career Corner

A-F Penny Williams pwilliams@rcps.us

G-N Katie Bredenkamp kbredenkemp@rcps.us

O-Z Lesley Swartz lswartz@rcps.us

Yearbook Ordering: Yearbooks are now at their final price of $70. Please preorder a yearbook by May 4 to guarantee that there is a yearbook available for your child.

To check if you placed an order, visit yearbookordercenter.com and enter code 13900. Scroll down to where it says “Find an Order” to search for your order by entering your email.

See attached flyer for ordering instructions.

Email Laine Brummell (lbrummell@rcps.us) with any questions.

Yearbook Distribution: Yearbook distribution will be on May 17. They will go out to seniors first after their assembly, and then underclassmen will be called down by grade. Students are expected to pick up their books on this date if at all possible.

We will also be distributing on May 20 from 8:20-3 and May 22 and 23 from 8:20-12 as a last call.

RISING Senior Photos: Rising seniors attended a meeting regarding senior photos on April 15. We discussed how they would need to schedule senior photos at the photo studio rather than show up to school to have their photo taken like underclassmen do.

At this point I am waiting on a specific scheduling link which I will send out to you all in a separate email as soon as I have it! Please be patient with this as we are having a lot of changes with photos in the upcoming year; I promise I will let you know as soon as I have more information.

Congratulations to our Cave Spring Debate Team who won third place at the State Championship on April 26-27. Iris Dyer and Prateek Reddy won the State Champion title for Policy. Prateek also won 2nd place Speaker in Policy and Iris won 3rd place Speaker in Policy. Joey Carnes and Nick Rainsbury won 4th place in Public Forum. Taylor Gruse won 2nd Most Outstanding Senator in Congress. Well done, Knights!

This year the CSHS PTSO has been able to bring you some fun events for the kids (Homecoming Dance, After Prom), show the staff we appreciate all we do for them (numerous staff appreciation days) and do some good community service (Trunk or Treat, Knights Closet, PTSO Scholarships and the Blood Drive)! All in all, a fantastic year! We could not do all that we do without the help of you, the parents. Thank you for joining the PTSO, buying things off our Amazon Wish Lists, signing up on our Sign Up Geniuses, participating in our fundraisers and donating gently used items for the Knights Closet. Thank you for all your help making this a great school year.

Please join me in thanking the following women for serving on the ‘23/’24 CSHS PTSO Board. We have had a fantastic year and these women have done an amazing job in their roles.

Kristin Matthews President

Cheri Lankford Treasurer

Julie Manico Secretary

Becca Bishop Membership

Shelley Clemons Membership

Amy Bradley After Prom

Hollie Dulaney Staff Appreciation

Amanda Hamilton Staff Appreciation

Shannon Sweeney Homecoming Dance

Anne Booker Scholarship/Academic Awards

Turning the page to the ’24 – ’25 school year, we hope you will join the PTSO next year. Your membership fee helps us do all the things we do! The more members, the more we can do! Meetings are open to all, and we hope you will attend. More information coming in August!

We have the following positions open for next year:

• Homecoming Dance

• After Prom

• President Elect

Contact Kristin Matthews at kmathokie@cox.net for more information.

@cshs.official

Official page for school information and student activities. Follow for updates on all things CSHS!

Front Office Secretary- Doreen Malcolm- dmalcolm@rcps.us

Attendance Secretary- Jamie Borgman- jborgman@rcps.us

Bookkeeper- Gabriella Weston- gweston@rcps.us

Counseling Secretary- Anna Hollins- ahollins@rcps.us

Website: https://www.rcps.us/CSHS
Location: 3712 Chaparral Drive Roanoke, VA 24018
Phone: 540-772-7550