Good Morning River Hawk Families,

I know the start of school can be overwhelming, especially for all of our new students! Yet as I walked around and talked to our River Hawks this week, I was greeted with smiles, excitement, and fantastic questions. I hope your student had a great first week at Rio and if they were struggling Monday and Tuesday with nerves or feelings of uncertainty, I hope our staff was able to help them feel a little better by the end of the week.

This week in PE classes, all Rio Norte students received the annual required presentation on the rules and policies they need to be aware of from our Assistant Principals, Ms. August (8th grade) and Mr. Flores (7th grade). Additionally, they shared the expectations in our SOAR Matrix and talked about how students can earn SOAR Bucks to use at the SOAR store, opening after Labor Day weekend. Toward the end of the week, I enjoyed starting to reward students for their kindness in turning in lost items and helping to keep our campus clean!

Today finished the week with a Fabulous Friday, "Name That Tune" team activity during advisory, put on by RioTV, and an outstanding USA Olympic themed lunch time activity (LTA), where students competed in fun games on our grassy quad. ASB and RioTV did an outstanding job and the students I spoke to loved Fabulous Friday!

Finally, we had our first Fire Drill on Thursday and our River Hawks did GREAT! They listened, followed directions, evacuated quickly and might have had the straightest lines I've ever seen. I am so proud and appreciative of the role modeling our 8th graders displayed and can't wait to see what this year holds!

In this issue learn more about:

• Important Dates

• ID Cards Every Day

• Details for our Back to School Dance

• Sign-up Genius for Dance Chaperones and Donations

Repeated in this issue:

• Direct Donation Fundraiser

• Parent Square
  

• Rio Merchandise Back to School Sale

• PTSA membership and Facebook Page

• Our School Counselors

• Library Information - Now Open

• Importance of Attendance

• Our Care Text (and email)

• Personal Device Policy (devices will be confiscated starting Monday)

• Cafeteria News and Menus

• City Bus Information

Enjoy a beautiful, restful weekend.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bennett

Now through Sept 10th:

• Back to School Rio Merchandise Sale (see flyer below)

August 26th:

• School Fundraiser Assembly (date change from 8/28)

August 27th:

• Students set-up fundraiser account on Pledgestar (in advisory)

August 28th:

• Book Fair Begins - in the library
• Direct Donation Fundraiser Starts

August 29th:

• Back to School Night 6 p.m.

August 30th:

• Back To School Dance 6-8 p.m. (see flyer below)

CLICK HERE for a printable copy of the calendar pictured. Please use this calendar for our holidays, minimum days, and Early Release Schedule to plan as many appointments and trips during non-school times. Please note the testing minimum days in May are critical days for all students to be present. I will talk about why we've scheduled it this way in the future, but please don't plan a vacation during those important test dates.

All students were issued an ID Card at summer check-in. Students need their ID card every day in order to be scanned through our gate, get breakfast/brunch and/or lunch in the cafeteria, to check out books from the library, buy tickets to events and to be issued SOAR Bucks for doing amazing things on campus that fit into our SOAR Motto. Please be sure your student has their ID card each day and that they can easily access it quickly at the gate. Consider a lanyard or see-through case that clips into the backpack for quick access if your student is struggling to find it each day.

Students who missed check-in and still need their ID photo taken can now go to the library to have this done and receive their card. Students who lose their ID card will need to purchase one for $5 in the library.

Our Back to School Dance is scheduled for Friday, August 30th from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are now on sale through the WEBSTORE or at the ASB window for $25. Don't wait because ticket prices increase on Thursday, August 22nd. Students who purchased the Groove Pack still need to RSVP at the ASB window. Admission includes desserts, big pretzels w/ cheese sauce, drinks, face painting, a photo booth and DJ for dancing! We are also in need of parent chaperones and some donations. Please see the Sign-up Genius link below.

Parents we NEED your help! Rising costs are affecting all of us, including Rio Norte, as school budgets are not increasing to meet the demands of rising costs. Things as simple as paper and office supplies are costing up to 30% more on the same budget. Vendors with rising costs are charging more and transportation costs for field trips have skyrocketed. Our Rio Norte ASB wants to continue to provide our students with activities and events that will enhance their school experience. To ensure your money goes to the school and not another company, we are planning our own Direct Donation Fundraiser from August 28th through September 13th.

This means we'll need parent volunteers to help organize, sort and distribute prizes and most importantly we'll need your help in raising funds! We will be using a company called Pledgestar who takes a minimal fee for helping send out informative emails or texts to friends and families asking for donations. The donations from you and your student's supporters help fund so many incredible programs and activities put on by ASB and also helps ASB to support our team activities, events, our clubs and our teachers, to provide enriching activities for our students. The money we bring in will determine funding for field trips, assemblies, lunch time activities, subsidize dances, competitions and so much more. Further details will be coming soon!

Parent Square provides the district's main form of communication. If you do nothing, all communications will go to the email address you have on file with us. However, you can download the app and go into settings to select notifications, text messages or information to come in a daily digest. For more information click here.

Rio Norte uses a webstore (flyer below) as we've found it provides families a large variety of options and ships directly to your house. However this year we're doing a special Rio Norte Spirit Shirt (photo to the right), mimicking the popular Santa Cruz Skate brand. This shirt is being sold direct through ASB at the ASB window, cash or check payable to Rio Norte ASB, or on our ASB Webstore. This special edition is $15.

Parent volunteers are utilized in a different way at junior high, but we still WANT and need your help and our amazing PTSA is instrumental in supporting our school!

We're thrilled to invite you to become a part of our PTSA family! Each student that signs up will also enjoy fantastic monthly incentives, our first being a popsicle party. Simply visit JOIN PTSA and follow the steps to become a member today.

Please click this link to our PTSA Facebook page for updated information throughout the year.

At the junior high level, your child has an academic counselor to help with a variety of issues and support your student in their goals for success. Here is a link to Meet Your Rio Norte Counselors where you can find which counselor supports your student (by last name).

The Rio Norte JHS Library is now OPEN for students to come visit, work on homework, check out books, play chess, and more!

The library is open before and after school and during our students' lunch and brunch breaks.

Our daily schedule is:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday = 7:45am - 3:30pm

Wednesday (early release) = 7:45am - 1:30pm - closed after school on Wednesdays due to staff professional development sessions.

If your student will be absent, please email our attendance tech, Ms. McDaniel at: RNattendance@hartdistrict.org or call the school at 661-295-3700 and press #1. Please note, Ms. McDaniel's email address is always at the bottom of every newsletter by the Rio Norte information.

Post-covid studies are showing the direct correlation attendance has on student success in school and the critical importance of students being a part of their daily in-person instruction. Please do all you can to minimize absences unless your student has a fever, is vomiting, or has diarrhea. We understand there can be unavoidable circumstances, but we appreciate your cooperation in scheduling vacations during school breaks and holidays!

Remember our A/B Block Calendar, pictured above in "Important Dates" shows all of our breaks, holidays, and minimum days for planning purposes. As stated above, please refrain from any vacations or trips on the CAASPP testing minimum days in May, listed as "min test" on that calendar. Thank you again for your support.

Students can use a chromebook at school to send a confidential email to riotip@hartdistrict.org while on-campus, or they can use 661-213-9276 to text confidential information after school hours. Please note that most issues will be addressed during business hours. If a student does not get a response within 24 business hours, their text/email may not have gone through and they should re-send or go to the office for assistance.

NOTE: Life-threatening and critically urgent issues should immediately be directed to the office during business hours or the appropriate agencies after hours, as texts and emails might not be seen until the next business day.

Thank you for your support of our Personal Device Policy and please remember this does include Smart Watches and earbuds/headphones. The first week of school we will give multiple reminders and warnings prior to confiscating devices. As of August 19th, we will start taking devices and documenting it if they are out in class, before school, during passing periods, or at brunch and lunch. Devices are sent to the office until the end of the day. If you have questions, please check our FAQ as it has the answers to the most commonly asked questions. The policy can be found on our website under the parents or students tab or click Personal Device Policy to read through it. If you still have any questions or something comes up, please don't hesitate to reach out to your child's Counselor or Assistant Principal as we are here to help. Students will be reminded if they need to reach you, they can always ask a teacher or come to the office to make a call.

Brenda Bennett, Principal

Shonna August, 8th grade Assistant Principal

Thomas Flores, 7th grade Assistant Principal

ATTENDANCE Needs: Email RNattendance@hartdistrict.org

Email: bjbennett@hartdistrict.org
Website: https://www.rionortejuniorhigh.org/
Location: 28771 Rio Norte Dr, Valencia, CA, USA
Phone: 661-295-3700

Nondiscrimination Statement

The William S. Hart Union High School District prohibits discrimination, intimidation, harassment (including sexual harassment), or bullying based on a person’s actual or perceived race, color, ethnicity, national origin, immigration status, ancestry, religion, age, marital status, pregnancy, parental status, physical or mental disability, medical condition, military or veteran status, political affiliation, sex, gender, gender identity, gender expression, genetic information, sexual orientation, or association with a person or a group with one or more of these actual or perceived characteristics. For questions or complaints, contact Equity Compliance Officer and Section 504 Coordinator Erum Velek, and Title II / Title IX Coordinator, Mark Crawford. Both can be reached at the William S. Hart Union High School District, 21380 Centre Pointe Pkwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, (661) 259-0033, or by email: UCP@hartdistrict.org.

El Distrito de Escuelas Secundarias William S. Hart Union prohíbe la discriminación, la intimidación, acoso (incluido el acoso sexual) o intimidación basada en la realidad o percepción de una persona raza, color, etnia, origen nacional, estado migratorio, ascendencia, religión, edad, estado civil, embarazo, estado parental, discapacidad física o mental, condición médica, estado militar o veterano, afiliación política, sexo, género, identidad de género, expresión de género, información genética, orientación sexual, o asociación con una persona o un grupo con uno o más de estos características percibidas. Para preguntas o quejas, comuníquese con el Oficial de Cumplimiento de Equidad y el coordinador de la Sección 504, Erum Velek, y el coordinador del Título II / Título IX, Mark Crawford. Ambos pueden ser contactado en William S. Hart Union High School District, 21380 Centre Pointe Pkwy, Santa Clarita, CA 91350, (661) 259-0033,​ o por correo electrónico: UCP@hartdistrict.org.