Jefferson Co. will host the ORHS Wildcats Friday night at 7:00 pm.

Attention all Sophomores and Juniors: The PSAT/NMSQT® is an OPTIONAL test that will be offered to 10th and 11th graders at Oak Ridge High School on Tuesday, October 22nd at 7:50 a.m. This date is set by PSAT/CollegeBoard. The test should end by 1:00 p.m. and the food court will be open at that time for students that take the test.

• Online registration and fee payment will be begin on Monday, August 26th through Tuesday, September 10th
• The cost is $20. No refunds are available if you do not take the test.
• A limited number of exams are available. Please sign up by the September 10th deadline.
• Beginning on Monday, August 26th, you can click on the link below to register for the PSAT and pay your $20 fee.

The application window for Seniors who wish to join the National Honors Society is now open through next Friday. To be eligible, you must be a senior with a 3.8 weighted GPA. Please click on the link to apply. If you have any questions, please see Dr. Thomas or Mr. Feuer.

https://forms.gle/XwNnBzkzxhULJkwX9

Below is a list of upcoming dates for our seniors and parents. We have also shared these dates with students on their Class of 2025 Canvas Page and through Parent Square.

We know this is a lot of information and we want to make sure you are always informed. We expect that the meeting on August 27th will answer most of your questions. I know it feels like you are running out of time and the pressure is starting to build on college and scholarships, but we do have some time to help you with this process.

· August 1 – November 1, 2024 – TN Promise Scholarship Application Open. Apply at www.tnpromise.gov

· August 22, 2024 - Senior Seminars for Students – ORHS Amphitheater. Students will be called down by alphabet throughout the day. Topics include applying to college, sending transcripts, and requesting letters of recommendation.

· August 27, 2024, 6:00 pm - Senior Seminar for Parents - ORHS Amphitheater

· September 16, 2024, 6:00 p.m. - College Admissions Evening - ORHS Amphitheater (Representatives from UT Knoxville, private college TBD, and Roane State will discuss the admissions process).

· September 19, 2024 - Community College Day for Students- ORHS Amphitheater. Students will receive assistance applying for the TN Promise Scholarship and applying to a Community College.

· September 23, 2024- 5:00 p.m.-6:30 p.m. - College and Career Fair- Wildcat Arena

· October 18, 2024 - ACT Senior Retake Date - The ACT will be given during the school day to all 12th graders. This test is FREE.

· October 29, 2024, 6:00 p.m. - Financial Aid 101 - ORHS Amphitheater (presentation by TSAC)

· November 1, 2024 - TN Promise Scholarship Application Deadline

· November 7, 2024, 5:00-7:00 Financial aid completion night - ORHS Food Court (for families that need help - repeated on 12/12 and 1/21)

· December 12, 2024, 5:00-7:00 Financial aid completion night - ORHS Food Court (for families that need help - repeated on 1/21)

· January 13, 2025, 3:40 p.m. – Mandatory TN Promise Meeting for Students - ORHS Food Court

· January 21, 2025, 5:00-7:00 Financial aid completion night - ORHS Food Court

Communications between Oak Ridge Schools and families will shift from the Skyward Alert System to Parent Square. Parents should download ParentSquare from your specific App Store (ie Apple Store or Google Play Store). This new tool provides flexibility how families want to receive important information from the district and individual schools. The iNews will be sent via ParentSquare.

Junior and Senior Parking spot painting has been postponed due to weather. The new painting time designated for juniors and seniors who have chosen their spots in Saturday August 24th from 2-8pm. Please reach out to Mrs. Gilliland, Dr. Sparks, or Mrs. Wagner with any questions or concerns.

The first AVID/Wildcat Scholars Family Night will be on Tuesday, September 10 from 6:00-7:30 in the ORHS Amphitheater and Food Court. We will start in the Food Court and then move to the amphitheater. Please come out and see all of the awesome things we are doing in the AVID/Wildcat Scholars program!

Oak Ridge High School has a partnership with the United Way and the Rotary Club of Oak Ridge to help students find jobs. This is an opportunity for students to have a community job coach and learn soft skills that are needed in the workplace.

For our new families, OR began last week. When a student fails to turn in an assignment, the teacher adds that missing assignment to our OR database. This will generate a text message to parents and an email to the student. The student is then expected to attend the next OR session for their grade level OR complete that assignment and submit it. The expectation for students is to do their assignments in a timely fashion AND let the teacher know when it is submitted late. When a student "Skips" OR during lunch, the student is assigned a lunch detention until all assignments are completed. Parents will receive a text message when the assignment is "cleared" from the database.

Two churches provide hot and inexpensive meals for students every week.

“Walk Over Wednesday” lunches at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church start up this Wednesday, August 7th. The cost is still $3. Come join us!

Lunches at First United Methodist Church will begin this Thursday, August 8th. The price will be $4. We look forward to seeing you!

The Free and Reduced meal applications are now available online in the Skyward Family Portal and can only be filled out by Family 1. Because of this, email notifications only to Family 1 via Skyward, rather than ParentSquare. Paper copies are in the Main Office.

Your student’s Free & Reduced Lunch status will be carried over from 2023-24 school year for the first 30 days of school until a new application is submitted and processed.

Any student driving to school are required to register their vehicle and leave the parking tag visibly hanging on their review mirror. Vehicles must be registered every year. The form below must be completed and returned to Student Services to Mrs. Viruet. Parking tags are FREE, but required.

Download the flyer below to review options.

Senior ads can be turned in directly on the Jostens website by going to Jostens.com/yearbookads. All ads must be submitted by Friday, November 1st. For help with this process, please watch the tutorial below:

Attention Parents/Guardians of Wellness A students

During the course of Wellness A, students will participate in a Family Life Education programming called “The Sex Talk” which is presented by the non-profit, “Let’s Talk 101”. This programming follows the State of Tennessee Lifetime Wellness Standards and School Board Policy 4.2.13. Per that policy, the parent/guardian has the right to opt their child out of participating in the program. If you would like to opt your child out, please complete the following form using the QR code or link below.

Parents, every time a student is absent, please send a note the day they return. Failure to send a parent note/doctor's note/court note within three (3) days will result in the day being unexecused. Parents can write 7 parent notes per year. Notes can be dropped in the attendance office, or in the "mailbox" in the Visual Arts hallway. The State of Tennessee considers a student Chronically Absent when they reach 18 absences whether excused or unexcused.

Parents, before scheduling vacations, please consult the school calendar. Be advised, at the high school, final exams counting 15% of the final grade are given the last two days of the semester. Please consult the calendar prior to planning vacations.

All students are encouraged to come out to the Club Fair to find at least one club that interests you! The fair is sponsored by Student Council and Wildcats for Change. The bus riders will be dismissed at 1:35 to go to the fair and then the rest of the school at dismissal.

ART CLUB - Tuesdays in VA 103 after school. You do not have to be in an art class to join.

DIVERSITY CLUB, GSTA – Mondays, after school in the Library

D&D Club, every Friday from 3:15 to 4:30 PM in the grand hall of imagination (AKA Dr. Denisar's room CS329)

HOSA - Current or past health science students: Join HOSA for the year for $50! Bring payment to Mrs. Minarik or Mrs. Pointer before August 30. We will meet in CS200 at 7:15 am on August 14 and August 28...if you think you are interested in joining HOSA, join us to see what HOSA is all about!

SEWING & CROCHETING CLUB - Thursdays after school until 4 in CS328

YOUTH FOR CHRIST - Mondays at 3:15

Parents, all clubs are required to send a permission slip for participation. Please watch for those to come home for each of the clubs your teen wishes to join.

Highlights from the Newsletter

• We just need a few for Build Day this Saturday, so come if you've been invited by Matthew.

• What's Happening - Calendar at a Glance for this week

• Next Booster Meeting - Saturday, August 10th - lower cafeteria 9am

• Join us for Build Day - Saturday, August 10th - stage/shop 10am-4pm

• Voice Lessons with Coke Morgan start this week

• Please see "What's Happening" for individual call times

• Schedule until Fall Break is in the Masquers GroupMe

• Puff's Presale ticket sale starts next week!

• $8 August 15-September 6th

• $10 September 7-15

• Join Masquers GroupMe for club communication

• Season Shows and Show Dates - in the newsletter!

• Become a Masquers Community Sponsor or Season Ticket Holder

• The Sponsor Form is in the newsletter

• Masquers Team Information

• Masquers Important Dates

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Parents, students are NOT allowed to carry medications on their person at school. All medications must be registered with our nurse, Lori Gupton. Registration requirements are in the form below. This includes over the counter medications such as Tylenol, Ibuprofen, Benadryl or any type of allergy medications, etc.

• The building opens at 7:00 AM. Students will be expected to vacate the building by 3:20 PM and by 2:10 on Wednesday.
• The tardy bell rings at 7:50.
• The main drop off point for car riders is the loop on the OR Turnpike side of the school.
• The bus loop (Providence Road) should not be used for drop off until after 7:30 in the morning and not until after 3:30 in the afternoon.
• The teacher's parking lot on the east end of campus on Providence Road is not a pick up or drop off area.
• Students who drive, should fill out the form for their parking tag immediately.
• Students can select a locker. Check their email, Skyward or class Canvas for a link.
• Students will be held accountable for wearing badges. If students turned in their badges, they are in the front pocket of their laptop bag OR in Student Services. Approximately 400 students did NOT turn in their badges. New badges should be purchased during the first week of school for $10.00. Due to safety regulations, students are required to wear their badges visible at all times.

Students must register for transportation services via Skyward. The form is located in the Skyward FAMILY ACCESS ACCOUNT not the student access account. Families were sent instructions to email accounts on file throughout the summer. Paper forms will no longer be accepted.

Questions?? Click below to access the Oak Ridge Schools Transportation Website

Parents of the Class of 2028, Mrs. Thompson encourages you to join the Facebook page. The page is used to celebrate the Class of 2028 and provide pertinent reminders impacting this class. Due to security measures, membership is subject to approval. Please answer the questions to join the page. Answers are verified through our student information system before granting access.

Ms. Estep encourages the parents of Juniors to join the Facebook page. Due to security measures protecting the privacy of our families, membership is subject to approval. Please answer the questions to join the page. All answers are verified through Skyward before granting access. Click the link below to access the FB page.

The Driving Center of Oak Ridge has openings for summer driver education classes. Register at Students who participate in the classes receive six driving sessions and will be given the opportunity to take the driving test with the instructors. Upon completion of the program, many families save up to $300 per year on car insurance so the class practically pays for itself in only one year. Call Matt Reedy at 865-719-1816 if you have questions.

In order for a student to take their permit test, a form is required from the school. Mrs. Thacker, our attendance secretary, prepares these forms. Requests are accepted through the link below. When school is in session, a completed form may be picked up in the Attendance Office. However, if school is NOT in session, the form will be mailed home by USPS.

Did you know your teen will have their driver's license suspended due to poor grades and/or poor attendance?

Parents should review this information with their teen drivers!!

Executive Principal - Drayton Hawkins dshawkins@ortn.edu

Seniors - Russ Wise rewise@ortn.edu

Juniors - Beth Estep kestep@ortn.edu

Sophomores - David Foust djfoust@ortn.edu

Freshman - Stephanie Thompson sathompson@ortn.edu

Curriculum Principal - Jennifer Milligan jmmilligan2@ortn.edu

Counselors:

Seniors - Class of 2025 Ashley Bennewitz abennewitz@ortn.edu

Juniors - Class of 2026 Paige Taylor - hptaylor@ortn.edu

Sophomores - Class of 2027 Brianna Ottinger - bottinger@ortn.edu

Freshman - Class of 2028 Heidi Foster - hafoster@ortn.edu

Social Worker: Alison King aking@ortn.edu

Registrar: Rhonda Garrison rsgarrison@ortn.edu

Counseling Administrative Assistant: Amy O'Rourke akorourke@ortn.edu

Link to Website: https://www.ortn.edu/highschool/academics/school-counseling/

Follow our team on Instagram:

Watch for announcements on Twitter: @ORHSCounseling

It is our desire to keep our families informed of all of the activity and awesome news coming from Oak Ridge High School. We have multiple platforms for connection. We encourage you to explore the many ways and provide feedback!

Website - http://www.ortn.edu/highschool/

Daily Bulletin - http://www.ortn.edu/highschool/daily-bulletin/

Channel 1082 at 7:50 AM - Watch the announcements each morning by our Crew! YouTube Streaming: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCL9N_azmWeQByrIW6pWLBlQ

INews - http://www.ortn.edu/highschool/news-events/news-links/

PTSO Newsletter - Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1843791015931073/

Website: http://www.ortn.edu/highschool/
Location: 1450 Oak Ridge Turnpike, Oak Ridge, TN, United States
Phone: 865-425-9600