The Renton High School

Happy New Year, RedHawkS,

I hope this week's newsletter finds you well as we near the end of winter break. As you know school resumes on Monday, January 6 and we are excited to welcome our scholars and staff back, and to continue learning and growing together. A new year brings with it new opportunities including a chance to reflect on the first part of the year, and the chance to set new goals for 2025. At RHS, we are always here to support our scholars in pursuing their passions and achieving their goals, and we encourage all scholars to attend homework help center on Tues/Thurs in the library, and to come to Scholar Saturday on January 11 to help them meet their goals as well. Read more about these opportunities below.

Coming back from winter break, we have 9 weeks until the end of the 2nd trimester and we want all scholars to stay focused on their academics and to seek support when needed. January and February will be busy with Matter of the Heart, MLK celebrations, 2025/2026 course registration and mid-winter break, and as a result of the many activities, they will go by quickly. The best way to end Tri 2 strong is to start strong and then stay strong throughout. We're here to help all RHS scholars stay strong, so please let us know what we can do.

We are excited to lead into 2025 with you and to continue learning and improving along the way. Please see the important information below and as always, we welcome and appreciate your feedback.

Drew O'Connell

Proud Principal

It's a wonderful day to be a RedHawk!

JANUARY 11 & 25 - SCHOLAR SATURDAY (see info below)

JANUARY 17 - MATTER OF THE HEART (see info below)

JANUARY 17 - MLK Jr. ASSEMBLY

JANUARY 20 - MLK Jr. HOLIDAY - No School

JANUARY 30 - PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES

Matter of the Heart is a RHS tradition where we recognize and celebrate students chosen by our staff. Each staff member is able to nominate one student to receive the Matter of the Heart award, and on Friday, January 17, 2025 from 7:00 to 8:30 AM we will honor each student in the IPAC. This distinguished award honors our students for a variety of reasons and tied to their demonstration of our school values. Each student who is nominated is invited to bring up to 2 guests to celebrate with us. Students who have been selected to receive this award will be notified the first week of January and invitations will be provided for students and their guests to RSVP. We look forward to celebrating our scholars with their guests on January 17, 2025

2025/2026 student course registration will take place in February 2025 for all current 9th, 10th and 11th grade students. The online registration window will be open from February 3 to 21. Students and staff will be receiving guidance for registration in the coming weeks and we will also provide registration information, guidance and resources to families for you to have conversations with your scholar about their 25/26 course selections.

Counselors will also visit our feeder middle schools to complete registration for current 8th graders.

More info and resources coming soon.

Our first Scholar Saturday of the new year will be next Saturday, January 11. From 9:00 AM to Noon, we welcome all RHS students to come get extra help on assignments, make up missing assignments or assessments, or just study. A number of RHS staff will be there to help.

When students come to Scholar Saturday, their learning improves and therefore their grades improve.

Our goal for January 11 is at least 100 RHS students, and we can do with your help.

Please encourage (or require 😊) your student(s) to attend.

Please RSVP using the QR Code below.

What: Scholar Saturday

When: Saturday, January 11

What time: From 9:00 am to Noon

Where: RHS.

What else: Lunch & Snacks are included.

Homework Help Center is offered to all RHS students every Tuesday and Thursday from 2:03 until 3:30. RHS staff are there to help with assignments, work on projects and/or to study for assessments. All RHS students are invited!

If you would like to dispose of unused medication or simple to get medication out of your home, you can take them to a drop box near you. Find one by visiting: TakeBackYourMeds.org You can also pick up a Mail-Back envelope in the Nurse's office. Kids and pets can get into them, even with “child-resistant” lids. Or, someone might take your pills without you knowing. Getting rid of meds is free and easy. Please reach out to our school nurse for more information.

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

To sign up for RedHawkS athletics, you must register through Final Forms. Please follow this link for information and guidance on registering for Winter sports. If you need assistance, please reach out to our Athletics Support Specialist, Ms. Cardenas by emailing adriana.cardenas@rentonschools.us.

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

January is Muslim American Heritage Month, and Poverty in America Awareness Month among others.

January is also host to:

1st - New Year's Day

4th - World Braille Day

16th - Martin Luther King, Jr Day

27th - International Holocaust Remembrance Day

29 - Lunar New Year - 2025: Year of the Snake

Renton School District has partnered with Providence Healthcare and Hazel Health to provide access to quality mental health care services for all students, at no cost to families. The partnership has already made a difference in its first year with more than 2,200 virtual therapy sessions completed!

At Renton High School. our amazing school counselors can initiate a video visit with a Hazel Health licensed therapist while your child is at-school. The personalized virtual therapy sessions with Hazel Health professionals are safe, private, and confidential, and are conducted through phone, text, and at kiosks at schools.

Families can also create a Hazel account for in-home virtual sessions for help with depression, stress, anxiety, bullying and more. Learn more and create your family account at https://my.hazel.co/rentonschools/info

Read more about this free service at our Hazel Health webpage.

RedHawk 12th graders and Families,

It’s time to submit your 12th grade photos and quotes for the 2024-2025 yearbook!

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.

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

Please notify the attendance office via phone, email or written note if your student will be absent for any reason. Absences may be excused up to 48 hours following the absence. Here is the contact information:

Attendance Office Contact

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

Phone: 425.204.3410

Email: renton.attendance@rentonschools.us

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