Rimrock Raider Newsletter
November-December 2023
Principal's Update
Welcome back to school after what I hope was a great Thanksgiving break. It is nearly December, and we are in a sprint to the end of the semester, with an abundance of sports events, activities, testing, and hopefully fun before we wrap up for Christmas Break on December 21st.
Heading into Thanksgiving Break, we had a couple of assemblies hosted by Sources of Strength and Student Body Government. Sources of Strength introduced their peer leaders to the student body and hosted some fun team-building activities to create connections and promote resilience. Student Body Government also led the classes in a series of competitions that culminated with the 9th Graders just beating out the Seniors and 7th graders for the month's Spirit Points. Nevertheless, when the entirety of academics, behavior, attendance, and missing work were scored, the 6th graders earned the top spot for November and took the Raider Spirit Stick over from the Seniors.
Another positive is that our students are on track to earn the vast majority (94%) of their possible credits this semester based on their grades. Academically, the Senior class leads the way with an average 3.55 current GPA, followed by the Juniors (3.29 current GPA) and Freshmen & 6th Graders (both with a 3.26 current GPA). For those classes in which students have less than 60% (or less than 70% for Math), students need to seek out their teachers as soon as possible to talk about how they can improve their grade before the end of the semester.
With the end of semester and final exams rapidly approaching, it is critically important that all students be present in school and put forth their best efforts. Fortunately, overall attendance has significantly improved this year, with the Average Daily Attendance (ADA) calculation (which is used by the state to fund schools) above 97%, which is excellent. Remember, if your student does accumulate 7 or more unexcused absences in any class, District policy states they lose that credit unless they submit a petition documenting extraordinary circumstances as the cause for their unexcused absences. Notices for those who are at risk of losing credit will be mailed home and given to the student in the next couple weeks.
Finally, I want to note that our Seniors are well on their way to planning the next steps in their lives. 93% of our seniors have applied for college through Apply Idaho, with 9 gaining admission already! Nearly all our seniors have also completed applications for Idaho Launch grants that they may use for career or technical training post-graduation. We look forward to seeing what our amazing Seniors plan to do as their options come into focus over the next several months.
The next 4 weeks will be exceptionally busy for everyone. I ask that if you have any concerns with your student's performance or behavior, please reach out to myself or the appropriate teacher as early as possible so we have time to problem solve and help your students succeed!
Winter Sports Underway
Basketball season is underway and we are off to a fast start. Our Junior High girls' team has already played its entire regular season, finishing in a tie for first place in their conference. They will open their playoff tournament on Wednesday, November 29, at Horseshoe Bend. High School girls are well into their season as well, with a busy slate of games in the coming weeks. Finally, our High School boys' team begins at Tri-Valley on Thursday, November 30. Their home opener is scheduled for December 13th. Good luck to all our Raider Basketball teams!
2nd Semester Schedule Changes at Rimrock
The bell and class schedule is going to look a little different next semester! We have been looking for ways to increase the amount of time students have with their teachers so they can get help and finish work during class time. As such, we are going to reduce the number of periods in the day to seven (7) next semester by eliminating WIN time for grades 8 through 12 and dropping the extra Junior High Math or English period for 7th and 6th grade respectively. This step will result in several adjustments that we expect to beneficial to our students' long-term success:
- Increases most class periods to 60 minutes (from 54-56 currently)...more time for instruction & work completion with the teacher
- More efficient use of High School students' academic time (WIN was not productive for the majority of our students)
- Focused High School math intervention time will be built into the schedule
- For grades 9 - 12, missing work will no longer result in a student being placed in mandatory WIN Time Intervention (Grades 6-8, however, will still have WIN Time Intervention for missing work)
- Better alignment of High School classes to give our students more flexibility in choosing their electives.
- Longer lunches for High School (26 minutes) and Junior High (29 minutes)
We acknowledge that these changes will require a few adjustments from students. Most notably, High School students who have missing work will no longer be given a separate opportunity during the school day to complete their work. Incomplete assignments will become homework. This is meant to emphasize to students the importance of using available class time efficiently and taking personal responsibility for completing assignments. Also, class meetings will need to be proactively scheduled by advisors or class officers during breakfast, lunch, or after school. Assemblies and other school-wide events will also need to be scheduled during existing academic periods rather than during WIN time. That said, we believe each of these changes are appropriate and supportive of our mission to deliver a high-quality education to all our students at Rimrock.
Students will have an opportunity to make adjustments to their 2nd Semester schedule beginning the week of December 11th through the 1st week of the 2nd Semester (until January 11th).
Secured Main Entry to Begin in January
Recently Rimrock had a new doorbell camera and remote lock/unlock system installed at our main entry doors at the recommendation of our District Safety Committee and with the approval of the Board of Trustees. This infrastructure investment is the next step in our long-term effort to improve the overall safety and security of our students while they are attending Rimrock. Starting in January (after Christmas break), the main doors at Rimrock will remain locked during the school day. Visitors will have to ring the doorbell for access, and may be asked through the camera and 2-way intercom to provide their name and reason for the visit before entering the building. The doors can then be unlocked remotely by the Secretary or Principal.
Please realize that if you are visiting during the day, it may take a minute or two to receive access depending on what is occurring inside the building. We ask for your patience, especially at the beginning as we implement this change, as we do believe this measure is important to ensuring the safety of our students and staff.
Raider Gear For Sale from Sources of Strength!
The new Sources of Strength club has put together a set of spirit wear to offer to our community. The order form is available at each of the school offices and also attached here. They will place an order on December 5th that will arrive by Christmas and make a great gift! Make sure they color you want in the size box of the order form, and turn in with payment at any of the school offices.
Upcoming Dates to Know
- December 13-14, 19: MAP Mid-Year Testing (in-class)
- December 8: Teacher Professional Development Day
- December 12: Regular Board Meeting
- December 21: Last Day of Semester