THE CASTLE

April 11- Skinny Schedule- Spring Pep Rally

April 17- Regular School Day

April 18- School is closed

April 24- Interim Midpoint

Final Assessment Schedule

Please review the RCPS dress code. We continue to follow-through on the policy expectations. Thank you for your assistance!

For rising 9th-12th grade students requesting a change in course requests for the 2025-2026 school year, please read the information below:

-Prior to requesting a course change for next year, go to StudentVUE or ParentVUE and select the "Course Request" tab to view your courses that you have selected for next year 2025-26. This may not be available on a mobile device so please try on a laptop or PC if you cannot see your Course Request tab.

-Please refer to the 2025-2026 RCPS Registration Guide (https://www.rcps.us/parents-students/course-registration-guide) found on the CSHS Counseling Webpage and the RCPS webpage for course descriptions for each RCPS course. Be sure to look at the prerequisites and corequisites for the class you want to add.

-All students must be enrolled in 5.0 credits to be considered a full-time RCPS student and to be VHSL eligible. Online Academy students must be enrolled in 3.0 credits per semester to be considered VHSL eligible.

-If a student requests a course that the teacher has not recommended, the parent/student must contact the teacher to discuss the recommendation.

-Contact your child’s school counselor to request changes to 2025-26 Course Requests. Requests will be reviewed with parameters such as graduation requirements, staff availability, course offerings, and classroom capacities.

-All course request changes must be completed by Friday, April 11th, 2025. No course request changes will be honored until after the first 2 weeks of the new school year.

-Students that have BCAT Acceptances, if your child accepts the BCAT offer, let your school counselor know that your child will attend BCAT for 2025-26 school year.

-Students that have been offered Governor school for the first time for the 2025-2026 school year need to let the school counselor know if they will attend, so schedule can be adjusted.

Contact School Counselor regarding Schedule Change needs/concerns:

A-F- Penny Williams pwilliams@rcps.us

G-N- Katie Bredenkamp kbredenkamp@rcps.us

O-Z- Lesley Swartz lswartz@rcps.us

Parents of seniors:

School counselors will be visiting senior classes in the week of April 21-25, 2025 to have seniors complete the senior exit survey. This survey allows seniors to provide the school counseling office with their plans for after graduation: employment, college, military, etc.

On this survey, students will be asked to provide information regarding any awards or scholarships that they have received. CSHS would like to recognize our seniors for awards, scholarships, or merit grants at our Senior Awards program on May 15, 2025. Please only list these items that your child will receive from outside sources or from the college of choice. Do not include scholarships offered for colleges that you do not plan to attend. Pell grants and student loans should not be listed.

**Documentation of your award or scholarship (such as forwarding an email notification or picture of award letter) must be provided to Mrs. Swatz by email at lswartz@rcps.us no later than May 2, 2025 to be included for recognition.

RCPSOnline Summer Academy course registration is now open through June 2.

Online courses will run from June 5 through July 17.

Important Information:

• Registering for Classes: Students should see their school counselor to enroll

• Course Limit: Students may take up to two courses. Requests for more than two will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis.

• Course Eligibility: Registration is available for new courses only. Repeat courses will be available during the regular summer school registration period which is May 12-30, 2025.

• Cost: Each course is $400, and payment must be secured before registration.

• Refunds: No refunds will be issued once the course has begun.

• Laptops: Students enrolled in summer online courses will be permitted to keep their school-issued laptop for the duration of the course.

• Final Assessments: All courses require an in-person final assessment or an end-of-course SOL test. If your child cannot attend face-to-face exam or SOL test, do not enroll them for any Academy course.

• Final Assessment Dates: July 15, 16,or 17, 2025 at a location to be determined.

Contact your school counselor for any questions. Use this link for more information: https://www.rcps.us/academy/rcpsonline-academy/rcpsonline-summer-academy

In-person Summer School information:

• Registration opens May 12, 2025, and closes May 30, 2025, at 4:00pm.

• Students register for a repeat summer school course only if they have been previously enrolled in the course for its duration.

• The cost for a repeat summer school course is $200 per course and students may register for two repeat courses.

• Summer school is at Northside HS. Transportation will be provided from the closes elementary school. Health/PE 9 and 10 will be offered as new courses at a cost of $400.

• In person summer school will be Monday-Friday from June 9 to July 8, 2025.

Please contact your school counselor to register in May.

A-F- Penny Williams pwilliams@rcps.us

G-N- Katie Bredenkamp kbredenkamp@rcps.us

O-Z- Lesley Swartz lswartz@rcps.us

Please see the link on Roanoke County Summer High School for more information.

*10th, 11th and 12th grade students enrolled in AP(not Advanced courses)*

AP EXAMS are May 5 – May 16. Exams will be given at CSHS in the Auxiliary Gym.

• If you are testing at 8:00 AM, you must arrive to the CSHS Café/Aux Gym between 7:30-7:45 AM. Testing time is 3-4 hours.

• If you are testing at 12:00 NOON, you must check in at the Café/Aux Gym by 11:45 AM. Testing time is 3-4 hours.

• TRANSPORTATION IS NOT PROVIDED BEFORE OR AFTER SCHOOL FOR AP EXAMS. The bus may not be early enough for morning exams. Students must be able to provide their own transportation on exam days.

• Some exams are fully digital, some are hybrid(paper/pencil and digital) and others are just paper/pencil. Your AP teacher will prepare you appropriately.

• Tests can no longer be ordered, but if you do not wish to take an exam you have signed up for, let Ms. Bredenkamp know and a refund of $59 will be processed if cancelled before exam day.

Students should bring:

• College Board account sign in credentials.

• Fully charged laptop and charger if taking a digital or hybrid exam.

• Two sharpened No. 2 pencils with erasers, two pens with black or dark blue ink.

• Up to two approved calculators with the necessary capabilities if you are taking an AP Biology, AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Environmental Science, AP Physics, or AP Statistics Exams. Visit apstudents.org/courses to find the calculator policy for your subject. For a list of approved graphing calculators, visit apstudents.org/calculators.

• A ruler or straightedge only if you are taking an AP Physics Exam.

Please review the AP exam information on College Board.

2025 Exam Dates/Tests

AP Exam Overview

What Students Should and Should NOT Bring

If you have any questions, please reach out to Ms. Bredenkamp at kbredenkamp@rcps.us

A few weeks ago, our DECA club competed at the state competition, and everyone went above and beyond—congratulations to all who participated! We want to give a special shoutout to the students who qualified as finalists for the international competition: Tessa Gorby, Isabella Durica, Claire Rickets, Owen Sinozwich, Max Holthouser, and Jackson Steffen.

Additionally, congratulations to our top award winners: Emma Vitolo, Macy Holthouser, Trevor Amos, Samantha Simkins, Cole Schillinger, Nate Lawton, and Dylan Shaver!

Great job representing Cave Spring DECA—we are so proud of you!

Congratulations to our brilliant Debate Team for winning our Regional Tournament on March 15 at Cave Spring High School. We have been Regional Champions four years in a row – an incredible accomplishment! Our individual members also achieved success and deserve recognition:

Lincoln-Douglas: Yehor Belko placed 3rd, Zefania Mebratu placed 2nd, and Jeanne Picard placed 1st.

Public Forum: Sharmila Balaji and Abel Mengistu placed 2nd.

Policy, Hassane Doucoure and Ayush Pinnamaraju placed 1st.

Congress: Jacob Meyer placed 9th, Anish Suryapeta placed 7th, Aman Mengistu placed 5th, Tanya Wander placed 3rd, and Taylor Gruse placed 1st. Taylor was also honored by being named Most Outstanding Senator. He has won this two years in a row.

All of these students will now progress to the Super Regional Tournament held at Tabb High School in Yorktown on April 5. Wish them luck when you see them!

(1) Realize that he/she represents the school just as definitely as does the member of

a team and, therefore, has an obligation to be a true sportsman, encouraging through this

behavior the practice of good sportsmanship by others.

(2) Recognize that good sportsmanship is more important than victory by approving and

applauding good team play, individual skill and outstanding examples of sportsmanship and

fair play exhibited by either team.

(3) Recognize that since the primary purpose of interscholastic athletics is to promote the

physical, mental, moral, social and emotional well-being of the players through the medium

of contests, victory or defeat is in reality of secondary importance.

(4) Treat visiting teams and officials as guests, extending to them every courtesy.

(5) Be modest in victory and gracious in defeat.

(6) Respect the judgment and integrity of officials, realizing that their decisions are based

upon game conditions as they observe them.

The team competed in 5 regular season meets at Roanoke College and Liberty University. The team battled through winter weather, missing over a week of school and a number of practices. Despite interruptions in training by the weather, the season went very well, with 3 school records going down!

The Boys 4x200m Relay team of Dominic Powell, Cam Wilson, Joseph Logan, and Jackson Steffen broke a 32-year-old school record held by future NFL stars Tiki & Ronde Barber. They went onto break that record 2 more times, the last of which at the New Balance Indoor National Championship. The same quartet broke the 4x400m school record twice. Jackson Steffen, the anchor (last) leg of both relay teams broke his own school record in the 300m Dash twice over the course of the season.

At the Regional Championship, the Girls Team scored 15 points to place 8th overall while the Boys team placed 5th overall with a score of 41 points. The boys team claimed 2 event titles with Jackson Steffen in the 300m Dash and the boys 4x400m relay.

The Cave Spring Indoor T&F squad sent 2 individuals (Magnus Harvard & Jackson Steffen), a boys 4x200m relay, a boys 4x400m relay, and a girls 4x400m team to the Class 3 State Championships. All the athletes had their best day at the championship, setting either lifetime or seasonal bests. The boys 4x200m relay, boys 4x400m, and Jackson Steffen (300m Dash) earned All-State honors. Despite only contesting 4 events, the Boys Team earned 14 points to tie with Bassett for 15th place overall.

PROM 2025!

When: April 26

Time: Check-in- 7:00 PM- 8:30 PM, Prom ends at 11:00 PM

Where: Hunting Hills Country Club

Cost: $80 per couple, $40 per student

• Tickets will be sold April 16-23 during lunch

• Guest Forms are available in the front office. Forms are due at the time of ticket purchase.

• Desserts and Drinks will be served. No outside food or drink will be permitted.

• Students will not be allowed to enter venue after check-in time frame and will not be allowed to leave and re-enter.

* Student must be in good standing and must have paid class dues in order to purchase a ticket as well as attend.

*See bookkeeper in the front office to check or pay your dues before tickets go on sale.

The Knight's Closet for formal wear will be open April 7-17 in the Counseling and Career Center.

Open Positions ’25-‘26

The PTSO is looking to fill the following positions for the ’25-’26 school year. Please contact Kristin Matthews (kmathokie@cox.net) if interested.

Staff Appreciation – Purchase gift cards (using PTSO funds) for various appreciation holidays throughout the year.

After Prom – Head up After Prom Committee.

Prom/After Prom News

The Knight’s Closet will be open for shopping from April 7th through April 17th in the Career Center at CSHS. Students may shop for free Prom apparel, accessories and shoes. Knights reduce, reuse, and recycle! Live like a Knight!

We need volunteers to sell Prom/After Prom tickets Wednesday 4/16 – Wednesday 4/23 from 11:15 – 2:30. Please sign up below!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/9040A4FAFA62FA02-55747257-prom

We are looking for parents to volunteer at After Prom (Saturday, April 26th from 11pm – 2am). It’s a late night, but this event helps keep our kids busy and safe after Prom Night! Please sign up if you can!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090C45ADAF23AA8-48861770-cshs#/

Gift Cards for After Prom! We are in need of small gift cards to use as prizes for After Prom! They can be from anywhere you think a rising senior/recent grad may like! Gift Cards can be dropped off in the front office and let them know they are for After Prom! We can also use anything you think may be a good prize! Our Amazon Wish List is still up and going strong! Thank you for supporting the CSHS After Prom!

https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/1M1Y1NMNG6FHB/ref=nav_wishlist_lists_3

PTSO – April Meetings

The April PTSO meeting will be held on Monday, April 14th at 6:00pm in the CSHS Library.

The April After Prom meeting will be held on Monday, April 14th at 6:45pm in the CSHS Library.

Attention anyone with a student attending the CSHS After Prom –

Please be advised that Roanoke County Public Schools’ insurance carrier does not cover any injuries resulting from a person’s using, playing on, or participating in any activities related to the inflatable/bounce house. Accordingly, if you choose to or permit your child to do so, you will be responsible for any costs or expenses related to any injuries caused by using, playing on, or participating in any activities related to the inflatable/bounce house.

Lettuce Taco ‘Bout Dinner Plans!

Guac your calendars for April 8th and make your way to Chipotle on Electric Road!

25% of the proceeds will go to Cave Spring DECA—helping fund scholarships, travel, and district competitions!

It’s a win-win: You get delicious food, and we get to keep chasing our DECA dreams!

@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