NHS Parent Connection

Dear Trojan Families,

I hope everyone had an opportunity to reset and refocus during Thanksgiving Break. There are 15 days left in the second nine weeks and we'd like for everyone to finish strong. Here are a few suggestions to team up for the success of your student:

• Promote regular attendance as attendance is vital for academic progress and overall success.
• Weekly monitoring of PowerSchool-Ex: Set a reminder to check the account on a consistent day each week.
• Engage in academic discussions: dedicate time to discuss your child's academics, including assignments, tests, and projects.
• Encourage your child to take advantage of WIN time: during win time, students should be using PowerSchool to check their grades, communicate with their teachers about their progress, and completing assignments.
• Reach out: check in with your child's teachers and guidance counselor for support.
• Celebrate every achievement: Studies show when children are praised for doing well, it makes them feel good and encourages them to do well.
• Prep for EOC (End of Course) & Final Exams: familiarize yourself with the EOC (End of Course) testing & final exam schedule. Ensure that your child is studying and also getting proper rest.

Thank you for your ongoing commitment and support. Together, we can make these last few weeks of the semester rewarding for our students.

In partnership,

Michael Abraham

Principal

Hope of Rock Hill https://www.hopeofrockhill.com/can use our help! If every student at NHS provides an item, we can provide over 1,500 goods for families in need. Students are welcome to bring the items to school or to the Upper State Championship Game on Friday night where we face off with Gaffney at 7:30pm. GO TROJANS!!!

Encouraging young people to give back, whether by volunteering at a local food pantry, organizing collection drives, or helping those in need, instills a sense of gratitude, compassion, and community. Please check out Do Good Now, a new non-profit dedicated to connecting York County with volunteer opportunities for individuals, families, and groups of all ages.

IDENTIFICATION CARDS

For the purpose of campus safety, students are required to have their ID card at all times. Replacement cards are $5; however, students may purchase a temporary card for $1 before the first bell in the attendance office.

NO PHONE ZONE

Cell phones are not to be used during the school day. If your student texts you during the day, please remind them of the rules. We appreciate your support in this matter. By having cell phones away, our students can focus on learning and interacting with others.

ATHLETICS

All students MUST go home afterschool and return for athletic events as they are not allowed to wait after school for an athletic event to start. The only exception to this rule applies to students who have after school practices/games and are supervised by their coach. Students in violation of this rule may face disciplinary action.

COLD/FLU SEASON

Students must be fever free for 24 hours without the aid of medication before they return to school after illness. This helps decrease the spread of germs to the general school population. Remind your child that good/frequent hand washing is our best defense against germs.

On Wednesday, December 4, our first EOC will take place for English 2-TDW. We are very thankful for our Oracle students who organized review sessions for their peers this past week during all three lunches. This is a true example of Leader in Me at work. Thank you for carrying the torch.

Students should mark their calendars to begin studying and preparing for final exams and end-of-course (EOC) exams as they are right around the corner. It is essential for students to be present and on time on their scheduled testing days. Please refer to the schedule below. Let's work together to ensure a smooth and successful testing period for our Trojans!

Students enrolled in an online Virtual SC course in the Fall Semester will take final exams on 12/9, 12/10, or 12/11. Students may choose either testing date to report to the A113 (located on the guidance hallway in A building) at 3:50 to begin exam(s). Please bring your laptop and your charger as they will not be provided. Please contact your school counselor if you plan to take more than one exam on the testing day or if you have any questions!

Students have been notified via their canvas messages and have also been provided a sign-up link for makeup school if they owe hours due to excessive absences. For questions or concerns, please contact Ms. Gravley at sgravley@rhmail.org or (803) 981-1928 to check on their make-up status.

Parent/guardian input and feedback is always important. We are thrilled with the amount of participation from our community members, teachers, students, parents & guardians who are showing up to our School Improvement Council Meetings. This month we discussed initiatives for mental health, anti-bullying, student recognition/rewards, and student events. In the future, look for action items from this committee to be launched via email and on our school website.

All meetings are held in person and all parents are welcome to attend. Meetings are held on the third Tuesday of the month in the media center at 6:30pm. We will not meet in December, but we hope to see you in January.

Junior IGP's

Parents of the Class of 2026, please check with your student to ensure they have scheduled their IGP (Individual Graduation Plan) meeting as they are underway and we have a lot of information to share. Please visit https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/Page/9524 to view our IGP video (English and Spanish versions available), course information and much more!

Summer Opportunities

Students and Parents! Are you looking for something exciting to do this summer? Enrichment opportunities for Summer 2025 are already available. View the Summer Programs Newsletter and check back monthly for updates!

ENROLL, ENLIST, EMPLOY

The fall semester seems to go by quickly with all of the deadlines, activities, and school breaks. Seniors should be considering what they are planning to do after graduation in just a few short months. It's ok to not have a definitive plan right now, but they should be thinking about all of the available options-tech or trade school, college, military, or career opportunities. Students may speak with their school counselor or our career counselor for assistance.

Visit School Counseling / Career Planning for career counseling opportunities.

Visit School Counseling / SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES to access opportunities.

Visit School Counseling / Transcript/Records Request to request your transcript.

Senior yearbook ads are on sale until 12/21. Full Page $275; Half Page $175; Quarter Page $100

All ads are ordered, and info is submitted online at yearbookforever.com. Please contact Ms. Silva with questions at mlsilva@rhmail.org

GRADUATION

Spring Graduation (Tuesday, May 27 at 1pm-Winthrop Coliseum)

Who should complete the FAFSA form?

Any college bound student, regardless of income, who wants to be considered for federal, state, and school financial aid programs. This includes grants, scholarships, work-study funds, and loans.

Head on over to fafsa.gov to start your form today as the form is now live.

What do I need?

• Verified account username and password (FSA ID)
• Parent or spouse contributor name, date of birth, Social Security number, and email address
• Income and asset information (if required)

How long will it take?

It takes most people less than one hour to fill out the FAFSA form, including gathering any personal documents and financial information needed to complete it.

Do you need help?

Please join our School Counseling Department for FAFSA Night on Monday, December 9, at 6pm in the Media Center. Please CLICK HERE to register.

We are in need of donations for monthly recognition efforts to reward our students for behavior, academics, attendance, and more. If you are willing and able to donate, we can use full size candy bars, gift cards ($5-$10), individually wrapped treats (debbie cakes, chips, cookies, granola bars), or send items directly from Amazon. Stay tuned for our online wish list of items selected by students that can be shipped directly to the school. Please label items (NHS SIC) and have your student deliver to "A office" or the "Welcome Center." Thank you in advance for your support!

NHS would like to highlight our Trojans making a difference in the community, extracurricular activities, performing arts, athletics, on their jobs, or in the classroom. We want to hear about all of the amazing things our students are doing and we need your help. Please complete the form below to nominate students to help us shine a spotlight on our "Trojans making a difference." These students will be honored for going the extra mile in our weekly newsletter.

Each month, we celebrate and honor a "Teacher of the Month" & a "Difference Maker." Please consider donating gift cards ($5-$10) to help us provide our teachers with a small token of appreciation. Please label the cards Teacher Appreciation and send them with your student to "A Office" or the "Welcome Center."

Fall Athletes honored the teacher/staff member who had the biggest impact on their NHS time and education. Football seniors also gifted their jerseys to faculty to wear to their playoff game. We love recognizing the hardworking staff and their love for our students.

NHS Dance Department presents Dancing in Color on Friday, December 6 at 7pm.

Doors open at 6:30pm.

Click the picture to purchase your tickets.

Visions Literary Magazine is hosting their first Open Mic Night on Wednesday, December 11 from 6-8pm. SIGN UP BELOW TO PARTICIPATE!!!.

Monday, December 2nd

WR vs Gaffney @ NHS-Boys & Girls-6:00pm

Tuesday, December 3rd

BB @ South Pointe-GJV-5:00pm,Boys9th-5:00pm,BJV-6:15pm,GV-6:15pm,BV-7:45pm

Thursday, December 5th

BB vs. Lancaster @ NHS-GJV-5pm, BJV 5pm, Boys 9th-6:15pm, GV-6:15pm, BV-7:45pm

Friday, December 6th

FB vs Gaffney-7:30pm-District Three (5A-D2 Upper State Championship)

Saturday, December 7th

WR @ Jim Hayes Invitational @ East Meck High School-Varsity Girls and Boys

WR @ Dan Davis Brawl @ Rock Hill High School-JV Boys Only

Club/Organization opportunities for your students to attend during WIN Time Tuesday-Friday.

NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, is the nation's largest grassroots mental health organization dedicated to building better lives for the millions of Americans affected by mental illness. Visit NAMI Piedmont Tri-County - Support for Mental Health for more information.

COMMUNITY RESOURCE GUIDE

Rock Hill Schools has compiled a resource guide listing a variety of community resources for our families. Please visit https://www.rock-hill.k12.sc.us/Page/3383 for more information.

Parents and guardians should be sure to log in to PowerSchool to keep up with students' academic progress and attendance. PowerSchool is the system used to keep up with students' grades and attendance. The system is live, so as teachers are updating grades and attendance, you can see it immediately. As a parent or guardian, you can also set up notifications for Parent Portal to contact you about your child's progress on a weekly basis, daily basis, or anytime a new grade or attendance code has been entered.

• Students must be present for at least 60 minutes to get credit for attending class.
• Parents may submit up to three parent notes per semester or a total of 6 per school year. If your student is absent, please submit an excuse to nwabsencedocumentation@rhmail.org within three days of the absence.

DEC 20: Early Dismissal @ 12:15pm (Last day of the semester)

DEC 23: Winter Break (December 23-January 3)

JAN 6: Students return to school

JAN 9: Law Enforcement Appreciation Day

JAN 20: No School (MLK Day)

JAN 30: Winter Graduation @ 6pm (South Pointe High School)

JAN 31: Early Dismissal @ 12:15pm

FEB 3-7: National School Counseling Week

FEB 14: No School (Teacher Workday)

FEB 17: No School (President's Day)

FEB 28: Early Dismissal @ 12:15pm

MAR 7: Maintenance Worker Appreciation Day

MAR 12: End of Quarter 3

MAR 14: No School (Staff Holiday)

MAR 17: No School (Teacher Workday)

MAR 28: Early Dismissal @ 12:15pm

APR 4: School Librarian Appreciation Day

APR 7-11: National Asst. Principal Appreciation Week

APR 21-25: Spring Break

MAY 1: School Principal Day

MAY 2: School Lunch Hero Day

MAY 5-9: Teacher Appreciation Week

MAY 7: School Nurse Day

MAY 18: Speech Language Pathologist Day

MAY 22: Early Dismissal @ 12:15pm

MAY 23: Early Dismissal @ 12:15pm (Last Day of School)

MAY 26: Potential Weather Make Up Day

MAY 27: Graduation @ 1pm (Winthrop Coliseum)