Administration

Principal's Bulletin (Principal's Corner)

April 2013

Dear Parent/Guardian,

The spring season is well underway.  This time of year reminds us that the school year is drawing to a close. Your help in keeping students on task is needed, as these last few weeks are important. Many students are facing Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate exams. More than 33% of our students are taking these assessments. Others will be taking the end of course exam in Biology in May. The end of the year is an especially important time for students to finish the academic school year in a positive fashion. Seniors should not resign themselves to complacency.

Our teams are off to a strong start despite the unpredictable weather. Our athletes have garnered several accolades and have broken school records. RBR’s Creative Writers were awarded major medals in a national competition.  Our Technology Student Association members competed on the state level and earned a place at Nationals, to be held later this year. Our FBLA students also qualified for state and national contests.  Red Bank Regional students and faculty continue to be a source of great pride for our community.

Included in this bulletin are both the final exam schedule and the calendar for our Visual and Performing Art Department’s Spring Performances. Do not miss this opportunity to see our talented students and faculty perform.  

I wish each of you a wonderful end to the school year. As always, please feel free to contact me with any questions. Have a restful and relaxing summer.

Sincerely,

Risa Clay
Principal
rclay@rbrhs.org
732-842-8000 ext 210
Follow me on Twitter @PrincipalClay

FINAL EXAM SCHEDULE

Students report to class for Exam One at 7:35am     
Exam One scheduled for 7:35am to 9:30am               

Students report to class for Exam Two at 9:40am
Exam Two scheduled for 9:40am to 11:35am

Parents should note that final exams will be administered over four days.  There will be an 11:35am dismissal on all exam days.  Seniors have a MANDATORY graduation practice on Friday, June 21st at 9:15 am.

Absences and Make-up Exam Procedures
Students are expected to be in attendance at the time and on the date specified for their exams. In the event a student is absent for a valid reason as stated in the student handbook (illness, death in the family, etc) he/she MUST report to the Attendance Office on the next day and submit a note from his/her parent or guardian explaining the reason for the absence. Students will not be permitted to schedule a make-up exam unless they are issued a “Clearance Note” from the Attendance Office.

SENIOR ACTIVITIES
Crash Simulation/Impaired Driving Week
This week begins with a crash simulation including first responders. In addition, there are week-long presentations planned for large and small groups focusing on the prevention of impaired driving and the impact of substances on motor skills.

Senior Prom
This year's prom is Friday, June 7th at the Grand Marquis in Old Bridge. All seniors may leave at 11:30am on that day without being signed out. Underclassmen attending prom may also sign out but if under 18, MUST be signed out by a parent. All students must be present in school a minimum of four hour to attend prom. All students will be subject to a Breathalyzer at prom.

Senior Awards
June 10th is the date for our Senior Awards Program. The program will begin at 6:00pm with light refreshments and music from our VPA students. The ceremony will be held in our auditorium. Tickets are $12.95.

Senior Picnic
Senior Picnic is Friday, June 14th. The picnic will be held on campus.  If there is rain, the picnic will be held inside. Permission slips and $5.00 are due in the main office by Friday, June 7th. All seniors attending the picnic must arrive by 9:15 am.  Seniors attending the picnic will be released at 1:30pm.  It will be a normal day of school for seniors who are not attending the picnic.  Any student not in school because of an unexcused absence on Monday, June 10th will not be able to attend the senior picnic. Seniors must maintain solid attendance for the remainder of the school year.  A day with excessive senior absences or early sign-outs will jeopardize the possibility of a senior picnic. Seniors who have more than 20 school absences and have not obtained an attendance waiver will not be able to attend the picnic.

Graduation
Senior will have graduation practice on Friday, June 21st at 9:15 am. At this time tickets, caps and gowns will be distributed. Students MUST resolve any financial obligations prior to this date to receive these items. Commencement will take place June 21st at 6pm at the football stadium, weather permitting. Seniors must arrive in the field house by 5:00 pm dressed in proper attire. Sneakers are not permitted. Students will be subjected to a Breathalyzer.

PERFORMING ARTS EVENTS
Piano/Harp Concert, May 3, 7pm, Auditorium
Strings Concert, May 8, 7pm, Auditorium
Dance Show, May 16, 7pm and 5/18, 2pm, Auditorium
Choir Concert, May 24, 7pm, Auditorium
Band Concert, May 30, 7 pm, Auditorium
Voices, Creative Writers Performance, June 12, 7pm, Commons

SPRING SPORTS UPDATE
Outdoor Track
Boys’ Outdoor Track won the Rocket Relays on Saturday, April 6th
Girls’ Outdoor Track came in second for the Rocket Relays on Saturday, April 6th
Boys’ 4 x 200 Relay currently ranks 5th in the state of NJ and have qualified for Nationals
Stay tuned for more exciting updates!

FOOD DRIVE
The Second Annual Battle of the Classes Food Drive is underway!  Classes donate food to benefit Lunch Break and the Red Bank Salvation Army.  The class that donates the most food wins $1000 toward their prom and valuable Battle of the Classes points!  Last year, the RBR community donated over 11,500 items - can we beat that total?  Food should be labeled with students' graduation year and brought to the main office, the class advisors' rooms or to Ms. Dorn in room 205.  The contest runs until May 17 - let the games begin!

CREATIVE WRITERS GAIN NATIONAL RECOGNITION
Our creative writing students demonstrated outstanding performance in the National Scholastic competition, which is the longest-running, most prestigious recognition program for creative teens in the United States, Canada, U.S. territories, or a U.S. school abroad. This year’s competition included over 230,000 submissions from 1600 students in 48 categories. RBR won the most awards in the state of New Jersey at 184.  Additionally, RBR took eight medals in the National Competition.

 Our students took 19 Gold Keys, 56 Silver Keys and 109 Honorable mentions in the 2013 Regional competition.  Gold Keys represent the highest level of achievement on a regional level, or approximately 7-10% of regional submissions. Silver Keys represent 10-15% of regional submission and honorable mentions represent the top 10 to 15% of all submissions.  RBR’s eight national winners will be honored with all national award recipients in a special reception, along with their teacher, Dr. Gretna Wilkinson at Carnegie Hall on May 31.

TSA COMPETITION
Over 1400 students throughout New Jersey competed at the New Jersey State Technology Student Association Technology Competitions on April 10th. RBR sent 32 students to the competition and they brought home ten First Place wins and three Second Place wins. We won in Music Technology, Manufacturing Prototype, Technology Quiz Bowl, and Video Game Design (under the guidance of Mr. Milonas). Thirteen students and their advisor Ms. Hawley are now eligible to compete at the National Competition in Orlando Florida, June 28th to July 3rd. They will be competing against students from around the world.

FBLA COMPETITION
Red Bank Regional High School (RBR) technology students had a very strong showing at the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) state competition that was held in East Brunswick in
mid- March. Fifteen RBR students qualified to compete in states because of their high placement in the regional competition. Three students qualified for a national competition to be held in June in California.

RELAY FOR LIFE
On May 17th the American Cancer Society is sponsoring Relay for Life, a community effort to raise money to fund the battle to end cancer. An organized team effort is hosted at RBR that begins on the Friday afternoon and lasts through Saturday morning. Traditionally Relay for Life of the Two Rivers has been extremely well attended and successful in both increasing education about cancer prevention and raising money.  More information is available at www.RelayForLife.org/TwoRiversNJ

SCHOOL CALENDAR
The 2013-2014 school calendar is currently posted on our school website.