Renaissance High School

The Renaissance High School Health and Safety Plan has been posted on the school's website and can be viewed at https://www.westada.org/domain/11045

The West Ada School District approved a Fall Reopening Plan. Team assignments can be viewed in PowerSchool beginning Tuesday, September 1st.

Students are taking only A day classes during the first quarter (9 weeks) and B day classes during the second quarter (9 weeks). Students are enrolled in no more than 4 courses each quarter. More information can be found in the Fall Reopening Plan on page 7.

The West Ada School Board will meet Tuesday, August 25th to decide the school opening category (yellow or red).

The 2020/2021 Bell Schedule has changed slightly. Daily start and end times are as follows:

Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri: School begins at 7:44 am and ends at 2:18 pm.

Wed: School begins at 7:59 am and ends at 2:15 pm.

To view the complete RHS Bell Schedule, including CTE Courses, please click on the link below:

2020/2021 Bell Schedule

• Tuesday, August 25th - Election Day

• Tuesday, August 25th - West Ada School Board meets to decide school opening category (yellow or red)

• Wednesday, August 26th - Virtual School House enrollment closes

• Tuesday, September 1st - Team Designation for alternating schedule available in PowerSchool for grades 9-12

• Tuesday, September 8th - First Day of School (full day)
  

• Welcome Back Open House - Date and time to be announced

As the new school year begins, there is a new traffic pattern for entering the Renaissance High School campus:

• The new two-lane entrance is just west of the old entrance, marked by a new sign.
• The entrance driveway includes a roundabout that will need to be navigated.
• If you are following a school bus, USE CAUTION!! The bus may need to use parts of BOTH lanes in order to navigate the roundabout.
• ALL drivers will need to remain in the LEFT lane at the roundabout in order to enter the high school campus.
• We are asking parents to turn LEFT into the Staff Parking Lot (see diagram below) after navigating the roundabout when dropping off and picking up their students to avoid congestion in front of the high school.
• Student drivers will turn RIGHT into the Student Parking Lot after negotiating the roundabout.
• All drivers will leave campus using the Main Exit.

We appreciate your patience and cooperation with the new traffic pattern.

New staff members at Renaissance High School for the 2020/2021 school year:

Ms. Nicki Thompson, Secretary

Dr. Michelle Farrell, IB Coordinator

Mr. John Gaalaas, Mathematics Teacher

Mrs. Lori Pew, Library Assistant

To Be Announced, Assistant Secretary/AAP

To Be Announced, Music Teacher

To Be Announced, Security

Later this month we will make optional items available for purchase. Items may include student activity cards, parking permits, and Spirit Wear masks and gaiters.

There will be two ways to pay:

• Credit Card - Log in to your MySchoolFees.com account. Visa, Mastercard and Discover are accepted with a 4% web fee. Please print your receipt for your records.

• Cash or Check – Payable to RHS and accepted by the bookkeeper at the school.

Stay tuned for more details as West Ada determines the Fall Reopening Plan.

We will communicate which items are available for purchase and bookkeeper office hours after the August 25th board meeting.

2020 marks the 21st year of the Esto Perpetua Awards, hosted by the Idaho State Historical Society. The Esto Perpetua awards will be presented to fourteen individuals, and one organization for outstanding accomplishments in preserving and promoting Idaho’s cultural and historic heritage.

Janelle Gilson has made a significant contribution to the preservation of Idaho history though her accomplishments as a research and writing teacher participating in National History Day (NHD) in Idaho. Janelle is a creative and innovative teacher at Renaissance High School in Meridian, Idaho. As a teacher participating in NHD for many years, she has sent countless students through the regional, state, and national contests. Her students emerge from her courses with skills that are key to success in college, career, and citizenship. Janelle’s students describe her class as a life-changing experience!

• She was recognized twice as the NHD in Idaho Teacher of the Year
• In 2016 she was selected by NHD for Normandy, Sacrifice for Freedom, Albert H. Small Student and Teacher Institute
• In 2019 she was selected for NHD Legacies of World War I program

Source: Idaho State Museum Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/IdahoStateMuseum/

We appreciate all that the Renaissance High School (RHS) Boosters do for our students and school.

Booster Officers for the 2020/2021 school year:

• Kelsey Robbins / President
• Joanna Gabler / Vice President
• Connie Barnes / Treasurer
• Lori Halverson / Secretary

The RHS Boosters is a parent led organization that coordinates staff appreciation events, funds teacher wish lists, assists student classes in saving money toward their graduation events and occasionally calls on parents for material donations and volunteers.

Our Booster calendar will look different than last year. Monthly meetings may take place outdoors or virtually. Some of our favorite events may be put on hiatus. We will always keep you informed about upcoming events through emails from RHS and on our Facebook page, https://www.facebook.com/IdahoRHSboosters

New Board Members:

We are so excited to welcome Joanna Gabler (Vice President) and Connie Barnes (Treasurer) to our Booster Club leadership committee. We are grateful for the tireless and talented women who have retired from their positions - Shannon Baldrey (Treasurer) and Tami McMurtrey (President). Joanna and Connie join Kelsey Robbins (Current President) and Lori Halverson (Secretary) in serving RHS through Boosters.

"No Nonsense" Fundraiser:

This is the most valuable and important request the Booster Club makes for funding. Money collected through this program goes directly to students and funds teacher requests. Donating generously to the No Nonsense fundraiser ensures that we will never have to ask students to sell products to family and friends. You'll be receiving information on how to give as we get closer to the first day of school.

Spirit Wear:

Yes, we have RHS t-shirts and hoodies! We will be planning how best to receive payment and distribute orders based on how students will be attending school next month. We will let you know when we are ready to fill orders.

R.I.P Party:

Unfortunately, this beloved event must be postponed this year. The amount of planning required to execute a successful R.I.P. combined with distancing and sanitation requirements makes it impossible to operate a safe and fun event. We would be happy to create something similar in the spring if circumstances change.

Upcoming Meeting and Events:

Our first meeting is Tuesday, October 13th at 7:00 pm (location TBD or virtual). Booster meetings are always planned for the second Tuesday of every month. Due to the change in school start date to September 8th, our meetings will begin in October. We may need donations or parent assistance for Back to School events or teacher appreciation treats on the first day of school. Keep an eye on your email for more information.

This year we will face many obstacles but we will handle each one with creativity and a positive attitude. Serving our educators, counselors, administrators, custodians, nutrition employees and students at this time is critical. Thank you for your support. Please feel free to reach out to us directly at rhsboosters@gmail.com.