The Renton High School

Happy Friday, RedHawkS,

I hope this finds you well on a rainy day off for our students and staff. Believe it or not, we are approaching the halfway point of the first trimester and while there is still a lot to do, we have also accomplished so much already. Earlier this week, our students in the International Baccalaureate Theory of Knowledge (IB - TOK) class presented their ideas and responses to deep questions about how we know what we know and how context impacts our knowledge development and understanding. The exhibition attracted the attention from our district leaders, community members, families, staff and other RHS students and we all had the opportunity to appreciate the work they have been doing so far this year.

We are excited for the week ahead and hope to see you at a couple of upcoming events. As a reminder, I, along with a number of other RHS staff members, will be at Boon Boona coffee in downtown Renton tomorrow afternoon from 2:00 to 4:00, to meet, talk and continue to build a culture and community of care together in support of the growth and success of our students.

We also look forward to welcoming you on Thursday evening for Parent Conferences where you will be able to discuss your students' academic progress and get questions answered. I want to thank our staff for their effort to personally invite all RHS families and for leaning into the strategies we are using to achieve the goals in our School Improvement Plan. There isn't a better staff in the world!

Please see the important information below and as always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback.

It's a wonderful day to be a RedHawk!

- Drew O'Connell

Proud Interim Principal

SEPTEMBER 15 - OCTOBER 15: National Hispanic Heritage Month (See info below)

OCTOBER: Disability History and Awareness Month (see info below)

OCTOBER 5: RHS Community Cafe @ Boon Boona (see info below)

OCTOBER 10: Parent-Teacher Conferences @ RHS Maion Gym (see info below)

OCTOBER 17: Fall Instrumental Music Concert (see info below)

OCTOBER 25: Picture Retake Day

In an effort to build community with our families and extend the walls of The Renton High School, we will be hosting a series of community cafe events this school year. Our first community cafe will be held at Boon Boona coffee in downtown Renton, tomorrow, Saturday, October 5, from 2-4 PM. Staff from RHS will be there to meet with you, listen to you, talk with you about our amazing school and answer any questions you have. Increasing our engagement with our families, and specifically in the community is one of our goals this year as a school and we'd love to see you and talk about all things RHS!

We hope to see you there.

What: Community Cafe

When: Saturday, October 5, 2024

What time: 2 - 4 PM

Where: Boon Boona Coffee (724 South 3rd St.)

What else: Delicious coffee/tea will be provided

We are excited to welcome all RedHawk families this coming Thursday, October 10 for Parent-Teacher Conferences. From 5:00 to 8:00 pm in our main gym, you will be able to visit with your student's teachers, talk about their academic progress, and learn about our academic and extracurricular programs and opportunities. We will have interpreters available, and we'll also have people ready to help support setting up Skyward Family Access and other digital tools so families can monitor grades and attendance. Light refreshments will be provided. We hope to see everyone there!

October is Disability History and Awareness Month and at Renton High School, we are proud of our inclusive community which recognizes and appreciates the different abilities everyone in our beloved community shares with the world. We believe strongly that everyone belongs at Renton High School, and we are constantly working to be an increasingly inclusive school community where we celebrate the gifts and talents of every individual.

Washington state Law and RSD policy 2337 rightfully require that we recognize and celebrate Disability History and Awareness Month, and we will be infusing content in our advisory classes this month to demonstrate our values. We aim to celebrate those with different abilities and the contributions they have made to our school community and in our world.

Please check out the attachment for a timeline of disability history to see how far we've come in recognizing and celebrating those with difference abilities.

Last week, we welcomed 15 RHS students to Scholar Saturday! All students were productively engaged in completing missing assignments, getting help from RHS teachers and building a culture of continuous growth. Everyone who attended saw improvement in their grades and in their understanding of important academic content. After each completed assignment, students even got to spin the wheel for a prize! Our students loved that part.

I am proud of our students and staff for coming in on a Saturday to support each other and I have set a goal to increase our attendance at our next Scholar Saturday on October 19. This is a great opportunity as we get closer to the end of Tri 1 when grades will go on official transcripts. You can help by encouraging (or requiring 😊) your student(s) to attend.

Next Scholar Saturday: October 19

What time: 9:00 - Noon

Where: RHS

What else: Snacks and lunch will be provided

Check out these quotes from our students. They are taken from their reflection sheet that they complete at the conclusion of Scholar Saturday:

What made you come today?

-"I need to get my grades up."

-"I need to work on some of my assignments so I can play (sports) next week."

-"I want to get better at math."

-"My future made me come today and I like my school, my teachers, subjects, etc."

-"I came because I want to catch up on missing work."

What helped you get things done?

-"A more relaxed environment.

-"Having a teacher next to me."

-"No distractions, prizes, food and good amoutn of table space."

-"The teachers around me to support and help."

-"Knowing that I get better grades if I finish."

-"A space to focus and teacher support."

The RHS Bands, Orchestra, and the Redhawk Jazz Band will be having their first concert of the year on Thursday, October 17th @ 6:30pm in the IPAC. We are excited to share the debut of our NEW Symphonic Band & Jazz classes with the school, families, & community!

The concert is free! Please consider coming to support our music students. A full audience is so much more fun for the students to play for. Our band program is growing and we need your support. Come on out for a fun filled evening!

Here's a sneak peak of the program:

Redhawk Jazz Band:

Watermelon Man - Herbie Hancock

April in Paris - Vernon Duke

Summertime (From "Porgy & Bess") - George Gershwin

Channel One Suite - Buddy Rich Big Band

Orchestra:

Allegro Giocoso - Michael Senturia

A Fiddler's Fancy - Richard Meyer

Legend of the Phantom Pirates - Brian Balmages

Concert Band:

Above & Beyond - James Swearingen

As Winds Dance - Samuel Hazo

Skydive - Chris M. Bernotas**

Symphonic Band:

The Stars and Stripes Forever - John Philip Sousa

River of Life - Steven Reineke

The Nightmare Before Christmas - Danny Elfman

We hope to see you there!

RedHawkS athletics are soaring along! Below are the upcoming competitions and please check out the Kingco Conference website for all athletic schedules. We'd love to see you out there, cheering on our athletes!

10/5/24

Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Tyee, 11:00 a.m. @ Glacier Middle School

Twilight XC Meet Girls Varsity Cross Country vs. Marysville (and others), 2:45 p.m. Cedarcrest Golf Course

Twilight XC Meet Boys Varsity Cross Country vs. Marysville (and others), 2:45 p.m. @ Cedarcrest Golf Course

10/7/24

Boys Varsity Golf vs. Bellevue, 3:30 p.m. at Bellevue Golf Course

10/8/24

Boys Varsity Tennis vs. Tyee, 3:30 p.m. at Highline HS -Tennis Courts at Sunnydale

Girls C-Team Volleyball vs. Highline, 5:15 p.m. at Highline High School- Aux Gym

Girls Junior Varsity Volleyball vs. Highline, 5:15 p.m. at Highline High School- Main Gym

Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Highline, 7:00 p.m. at Highline High School- Main Gym

Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Interlake, 7:30 p.m. at Interlake High School

10/9/24

Girls Varsity Swim vs. Bothell, 3:00 p.m. at Juanita High School

10/10/24

Boys Junior Varsity Tennis vs. Hazen, 3:30 p.m. at McKnight Middle School

Boys Varsity Tennis vs. Foster, 3"30 p.m. at Renton High School

Girls C-Team Volleyball vs. Evergreen, 4:00 p.m. at Evergreen High School

Girls Junior Varsity Volleyball vs. Evergreen, 5:15 p.m. at Evergreen High School

Girls Varsity Volleyball vs. Evergreen, 7:00 p.m. at Evergreen High School

Boys Varsity Football vs. Mercer Islan, 6:00 p.m. at Mercer Island High School

Girls Varsity Soccer vs. Evergreen, 7:00 p.m. at Renton Memorial Stadium

10/11/24

Boys Varsity Golf vs. Lindbergh, 3:00 p.m. at Maplewood Golf Course

GO REDHAWKS!!

As a diverse, multicultural, and international school, Renton High School wants to acknowledge as many cultural celebrations in our community as possible. If you would like us to recognize an upcoming cultural celebration, please contact Mr. Collie, our IB Coordinator.

National Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15th. Each week we’ll highlight a different resource for this information about this important celebration of the Latino community. Later this month, 10th and 11th grade students will take the PSAT exam. College Board awards the National Hispanic Recognition Program to Latino students who score in the top 10% for their award program in Washington. RHS students have earned this recognition in the past – let's see if we can do it this year!

October plays host to a broad range of Awareness and Heritage months, including Breast Cancer Awareness Month, Filipino American History Month, LGBT History Month, National Disability Employment Awareness Month, and Polish American Heritage Month.

Hindus celebrate Navratri and Durga Puja starting on 3rd of the month, and Dussehra, marking the triumph of Rama over the 10-headed demon king Ravana coincides with the culmination of these two festivals on 12th.

World Mental Health Day is on 10th October. The World Health Organization has set this year’s theme as Mental Health at Work.

Yom Kippur, the most solemn festival in the Jewish religion, begins on 11th.

11th is National Coming Out Day in support of LGBTQ+ equality.

Thanks to overwhelming voter support in the November 2022 School Construction election measure, the district continues to move forward with plans to provide a more equitable comprehensive high school site for Renton High School students, staff, and families.

Beginning early in 2021, we worked with property managers and brokers, the City of Renton, and public and private landowners to examine 10 potential properties within district boundaries for a new location for Renton High. All the sites ultimately proved to be a poor fit for a new school campus. In May 2023, we moved our attention to how we might construct a new high school campus on the current Renton High site. While the current location has constraints to major construction—including Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) restrictions based on Renton Airport flight zone—they do not prohibit new construction, but do increase complexity for timelines, scheduling, and costs.

Reviewing current Renton High site

Working with BRIC Architecture, we’ve been engaging students, staff, families, and community in conversations about ideas for the new campus. The district is also continuing to work with local homeowners and businesses to expand the current Renton High School site and the surrounding neighborhood, which includes identifying and purchasing additional adjacent property to construct the new campus.

Our plan is to build a new high school building and athletic fields on the expanded site, while retaining the original 1929 historic Renton High School façade and the IKEA Performing Arts Center.

RHS offers after school academic assistance through our Homework Help Center. Homework Help Center runs from 2:03 to 3:30 in the library, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Our staff will be here and ready to support your student(s) with their classwork, homework, to study, and to deepen or extend their learning. Please encourage your student(s) to come!

College Possible, our in house college access support program is now recruiting current juniors and seniors for the 2024-2025 school year! College Possible is among the largest nonprofit college access and success organizations in the U.S. CP's mission is to make college possible for students from low-income backgrounds through intensive coaching and support. College Possible students are offered monthly 1:1s and group sessions, email newsletters packed with resources, and guidance with all things college. CP works with students for up to six years after high school graduation!

Please encourage students to apply here: students.collegepossible.orgLinks to an external site.

RedHawk Seniors and Families,

It’s time to submit your senior photos and quotes for the 2024-2025 yearbook!

Senior portraits and quotes will be accepted until January 17, 2025. Portraits MUST be submitted through our image upload link (see attachment for link and instructions). Our image upload site is designed to verify name, grade level, and contact information so that we may reach out to you, should there be an issue with your photo submission. PLEASE NOTE: If you do not submit an individual student photo for 2024-2025, your student ID photo will appear in the yearbook by default.

Summer Search is a non-profit organization that offers FREE mentoring, FREE summer experiences, as well as year-round events around financial literacy, career development and experimental learning.

What they are looking for:

- Students who are willing to try something new

- Students who can attend mentoring 2x a month over the phone

- Students that are hardworking, ambitious, and accountable.

When does the recruitment season begin & end:

8/5: Applications to Apply opened

12/8: Applications to Apply close

Healthpoint Health Scholars Announcement: Are you a sophomore, junior, or senior interested in working in the medical field? Would you like to have the opportunity to shadow a doctor or nurse? If so, consider joining our Health Scholars Program! Stop by HealthPoint located in the nurse's office today to grab an application and learn more!

Renton High School is home to the International Baccalaureate-- IB Diploma and IB Career Program (a program started this year). If your student is interested in meeting with Mr. Collie (IB Diploma) or Mr. Bento (IB Career), they can make an appointment to meet with them to learn more information about both programs. Please reach out if you have any questions. Please go to https://rentonhs.rentonschools.us/programs/ib for more information.

Starting next week, we will begin collecting data and assigning students to detention if/when they are tardy to class without a legitimate reason. Student tardies are tracked automatically on a weekly basis through an attendance pull from Skyward. Students who accumulate tardies will receive the following school-based consequences:

• 4 – 6 tardies: 1 day of after school detention
• 7 – 9 tardies: 2 days of after school detention
• 10+ tardies: Wednesday School detention

Please note:

Failure to serve after-school detention will result in you being assigned to Wednesday School Detention (2:15 – 4 p.m.).

If a student fails to serve Wednesday School Detention, they will be assigned to one day of RedHawk Academy (1 day of in – school intervention).

Please help us by encouraging your student(s) to build the healthy habit of getting to class on time, ready to learn.

Completing the Family Income Survey will also help determine if other fees like ASB, Athletics, field trips, and IB/SAT/ACT fees can be waived as well.

English - Family Income Survey
Espanol - Family Income Survey

Daily, on time attendance in all classes is one of the most significant factors in your student’s educational success.

Attendance Office Contact

Attendance Specialist: Heather Ralston - heather.ralston@rentonschools.us

Phone: 425.204.3410

Email: renton.attendance@rentonschools.us

Please notify the attendance office via phone, email or written note if your student will be absent for any reason. Please include your student’s name, grade, guardian name and contact number, and the reason for the absence, within 48 hours of the absence in order for it to be excused.

For more information about attendance including BECCA law and truancy, please visit our Attendance Website.