Welcome back! Looking forward to a wonderful 2025!

January 15th – Report Cards Sent Home

January 20th – Schools Closed

January 30- Sophomore Class Ring Assembly in the Auditorium during school hours for students

February 6- Class ring orders- more information to come

Happy New Year from the CS School Counselors. January is a busy month for the school counselors with registration for next year’s classes.

Reminder to seniors to continue to check Senior Canvas for scholarship information.

A-F Penny Williams pwilliams@rcps.us

G-N Katie Bredenkamp kbredenkamp@rcps.us

O-Z Lesley Swartz lswartz@rcps.us

If you are interested in applying to programs at the Burton Center for Arts and Technology next school year, the application deadline is Monday, January 15. All applications submitted after the deadline are automatically placed on the wait list.

To apply use the following link https://tinyurl.com/BCATApp2526

The English (Reading) End of Course SOL Test is scheduled to take place Thursday, January 30, 2025 at CSHS.

All students currently enrolled in English 11 are scheduled to participate in testing. This SOL test is a graduation requirement and satisfies the students Reading Verified Credit.

SOL tests are untimed tests; testing will begin at 8:20 A.M., and students may have as much time as needed to complete the test. Students are REQUIRED to bring their school-issued laptop, as well as their charger, with them to the testing location, as the test is given online.

Please note that students will not be called out of class for early dismissal, appointments, etc. Please plan accordingly!

Additional information will be given to the students from their English teachers as we move closer to the testing date. Also, an email will be sent to all parents of English 11 students the week of testing with more specific details. If you have any questions in the meantime, please feel free to contact Mrs. Kristen Gruse, the School Testing Coordinator, at 540-562-3900, ext. 20006, or by email at kgruse@rcps.us.

The CSHS SCA is collecting items for the Local Office on Aging for their annual food drive, Soup for Seniors. The list of items that have been requested are soup, peanut butter, canned meats, canned fruits, canned vegetables, crackers, oatmeal, Boost, and Ensure. Please have items at the school by January 31. The items are to be turned into Mrs. Taylor in room 212. It is requested that none of the items be in glass containers. Please check the expiration dates. Thanks in advance.

Starting with the new year, Roanoke County Public Schools will begin taking extra steps to collect funds for lost library books. This will allow the replacement of materials without using taxpayer resources. Starting in January, all guardians registered through SchoolCash Online will see a new item available to pay named “Lost/Damaged Library Book.” Please pay using this item only if you receive notice from the school librarian that your student owes a lost book fee. Of course, if the book is found intact, it can be returned without the fee.

Robotics Team Places Third at Virginia Western

The Cave Spring Cyber Knights robotics team took part in Virginia Western's 16th Annual Autonomous Robot Competition on Saturday, December 7th. A true test of engineering, programming, and teamwork, the event serves as the final exam for the college and dual enrollment robotics class and typically attracts competition from various high schools and technical centers.

Our students began preparing for this challenge during the first week of school, dedicating countless hours to perfecting their designs, programming, and presentation.

A Multifaceted Challenge

The competition required students to:

• Build a practice "arena" to meet specific standards.

• Design, construct, and program an automous robot in Python to complete five fishing-themed trials. These included tasks like identifying and signaling good “fishing” spots, navigating a course and picking up and then moving fish.

• Design a custom part for their robot using CAD software.

• Write and submit a comprehensive 10–12-page report documenting their design and engineering process.

• Create a science-fair-style poster board showcasing their work.

• Participate in three rounds of interviews with both competition judges as well as the general public.

• Finally, compete in the arena-based trials against other teams.

Representing Our School

Two teams represented our school:

• The Autonomous Anglers: Jacob Baker and Evan Wright

• Team Charley: Liam Phillips and Sarah Schallon

Both teams showcased their hard work, ingenuity, and determination throughout the competition, with Team Charley placing third overall among the high school and dual enrollment teams.

Congratulations to Elijah Bills and Katelyn Hinchy for auditioning and making District-6 All District Bands.

Elijah placed 4th chair Symphonic and Katelyn placed 1st chair Concert.

The concert event will be in Martinsville on January 31st and February 1st.

The 17th Annual Jazz Café is now accepting ticket purchases. This event is a fund-raiser for our band programs and brings amazing educators/performers in to not only work alongside our students but perform with them as well.

https://givebutter.com/JazzCafe2024

Our event begins at 7pm on Friday, February 28th at St. John Lutheran Church.

Our guest artists this year are trumpeter, Jim Ketch from UNC- Chapel Hill, retired, and trombonist, Rick Simerly from Milligan College, retired.

After the high school band completes their performance, these amazing musicians will also perform with several Roanoke musicians for a private concert for our patrons.

Tickets include- dessert and coffee or water for your leisure, a silent auction and a great performance event for our kids and our community!

One can also find information on the Cave Spring Band Website https://www.cavespringhsband.com/jazz-cafe.html

The mission of Knights AIDE is to reduce drug abuse and promote safe driving in our community through media and volunteer campaigns. Knights AIDE is the perfect place to use your passion of making a difference and helping your peers make smart and thoughtful decisions in their lives.

Thank you to the students and Officers who joined in the Project Sticker Shock- a community awareness campaign to combat under aged drinking.

The CSHS PTSO Scholarship is now live on Senior Canvas. Seniors must be a member of PTSO to be considered. Application deadline is March 15th.

Please use the following link to become a member of the PTSO!

https://my.cheddarup.com/c/cshs-ptso-membership-and-greenbacks/items?cart&mrId

The PTSO is beginning to plan for our After Prom! This is the biggest event we host all year and we need all hands on deck! Our first planning meeting will be on Monday, January 13th at 6:45 in the CSHS Library. Please join us! Contact Kristin Matthews (kmathokie@cox.net) with any questions.

Our next PTSO meeting will be on Monday, January 13th at 6:00 in the CSHS Library. We are always looking for new faces! Please consider joining us at a meeting and see what it is all about!

February 27

More information to come!

@cshs.official

Official page for school information and student activities. Follow for updates on all things CSHS!

Front Office Secretary- Doreen Malcolm- dmalcolm@rcps.us

Attendance Secretary- Jamie Borgman- jborgman@rcps.us

Bookkeeper- Gabriella Weston- gweston@rcps.us

Counseling Secretary- Anna Hollins- ahollins@rcps.us

Career and Student Services-Brandi Carson- bcarson@rcps.us

Website: https://www.rcps.us/CSHS
Location: 3712 Chaparral Drive Roanoke, VA 24018
Phone: 540-772-7550