Rockport High School
Viking News - The Week of 1/02/2024
Happy Friday, RHS Students!
Thank you for making 2023 an amazing year at RHS! It continues to be an honor and privilege to be a part of your journey and to celebrate so many milestones together. A huge thank you to the RES juggernauts for performing at this past week's Assembly. This past Wednesday, the RHS musicians graced us yet again with a phenomenal winter concert, concluding with an entire auditorium sing-along as we gathered to celebrate the season. We then kicked off the vacation with the annual Student Council trivia and Karaoke extravaganza! We appreciate the big and small ways each of you contribute to making RHS the best possible place to be a part of.
We wish you a safe, happy and healthy holiday and look forward to welcoming you back on Tuesday, January 2nd! ❄️☃️
-Ms. Rose & Ms. King
RHS Mid-Term Exam Information - January 16th-January 19th, 2024
For your long-term planning, please note that RHS holds mid-year exams the week of January 16th. It is important for students and families to plan accordingly for the shortened exam days. Students are only expected to come in for their scheduled exams and are free to leave after they complete their obligations. Buses run per usual to accommodate the middle school schedule. If your high school student wishes to take the normally scheduled bus, they may use the library to read or to prepare for upcoming exams. Please click on the link below for a copy of the 2024 Mid-Year Exam Schedule:
RHS 2024 Mid-Term Exam Schedule
*In the event of an official district snow day, the exam schedule will be pushed forward; meaning, the exams scheduled for that day/s will take place the day we return to school and any remaining exams will take place on subsequent days.
COVID-19 symptoms:
Below is the full list of symptoms for which caregivers should monitor their children, and staff should monitor themselves for each day BEFORE coming to school.
Students and staff should NOT come into the school building and should contact their school nurse if they are experiencing the following:
• Fever (100.0° Fahrenheit or higher), chills, or shaking chills
• Difficulty breathing or shortness of breath
• New loss of taste or smell
• Muscle aches or body aches
• Cough (not due to other known cause, such as chronic cough)
• Sore throat, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea when in combination with other symptoms
• Headache when in combination with other symptoms
• Fatigue, when in combination with other symptoms
• Nasal congestion or runny nose (not due to other known causes, such as allergies) when in
combination with other symptoms
If your child is experiencing any of the above symptoms, please notify your school nurse for further guidance
School nurses are here to help and answer questions or any concerns that you may have!
Respect and as much confidentiality as possible will be maintained at all times. Some information, such as positive COVID-19 test results, may need to be shared with the Rockport Board of Health.
* PLEASE reach out to your school nurse if:
- Your child has symptoms
- Your child or household members/close contacts have tested positive for COVID-19.
- You have any questions or need more guidance .
General Guidelines:
Generally speaking, any child with a fever of 100.0 and above or an illness with fever that produces chills, muscle aches, sore throat, or sweating should remain at home until 24 hours after the fever has resolved without using fever reducing medicine (ex: Tylenol/Acetaminophen, Motrin/Ibuprofen, Aleve/Naproxen) . Please do not send any medication into school with your child.
Strep-throat, Conjunctivitis or impetigo (a rash with pustules) requires 24 hours of medication as prescribed by the physician before a student returns to school.
A child with a rash or skin condition that is undiagnosed by a physician should remain at home until all lesions are healed, or the child is seen and cleared by their physician.
Parents whose children have had any of the above conditions should contact the school nurse so that we may ease the transition back to school after an illness and implement communicable disease control in the school or classroom if necessary.
Your child may attend school with a cold however, if your child has copious amounts of nasal drainage or persistent coughing that interferes with the ability to participate in class they should stay home. Children with persistent cold symptoms should see their primary care physician.
The School Nurses do not have cold medicine in the school. If your child requires cold medicine before school, chances are that it will wear off by lunchtime. If you feel that your child will need another dose of over the counter medicine while at school, please call the school nurse, plan to bring the medicine in, and fill out the Medication Authorization form. Children with cold-like symptoms should not attend school, please refer to the above COVID-19 guidelines for more details.
If a mid-day dose of antibiotics is required, no-problem! Call the school nurse and we can accommodate your child's needs. You can print the Medication Authorization Form from the web-page. A responsible adult (age 18 or older) must bring medicine to school.
Your child may attend school if he/she needs short-term inhalers or nebulizers for acute Reactive Airway Disease/Asthma or Cold. Please fill out the Student Asthma Action Plan Form and have your child's physician sign it. More pediatricians are prescribing inhalers for persistent cold symptoms. Ask your pediatrician for an extra inhaler for school or call the school nurse to make arrangements. While you are at the Pediatrician, ask your pediatrician for a spacer (Aerochamber), it makes it easier for your child to inhale the medication and it will be more effective.
Thank you for your cooperation in keeping our school a healthy place to learn.
Thank you,
Jeanne E. Pratt RN BSN NCSN (she/her)
RMS/RHS nurse
tc-(978)-546-1236
fax-(978)-546-3805
Need community service? Have a green thumb and Love flowers?We have the perfect community service opportunity. Reach out to Mrs. Luster for details and contact information if interested.
The Rockport New Years Eve Committee is looking for volunteers. You can sign up on-line for 1 - 2 hour tasks. Email or see Mrs. Luster for details and contact information.
I've invited you to fill out a form:
Your PTO needs your unique talents, whether it's volunteering a few hours a month or a few hours a year, serving on the board, or attending meetings. Find your pet project and join us! All communications from the PTO will be done via link in school newsletter, our email address of ptorockport@gmail.com and our Facebook page under Rockport Parent Teacher Organization. We would love to have you join us!
--Rockport PTO Membership Dues-- $10 per family--
Thank you for your support!
A few Yearbook reminders
As we work diligently on creating a memorable yearbook for this academic year, we want to ensure that every senior is included. If you have already submitted your senior photo, thank you! Your participation is greatly appreciated.
However, we've noticed that some submissions might be missing or lost in email threads, and we want to give everyone the opportunity to contribute to this special keepsake. Whether you've submitted before or not, please take a moment to complete the Senior Photo Submission Form:
[Senior Photo Submission]
Your senior photo is an important part of capturing a key part of the Class of 2024, and we want to make sure everyone is represented. If you have any issues or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Ty Bouchie or Atticus Anderson. The deadline for the Senior Photo Submission Form is December 15, 2023. Everyone must complete the form even if previously emailed.
Thank you for your cooperation and participation.In addition to their Senior Photos, Seniors also have the opportunity to submit Personal Quotes and Personal Candids. This year, Seniors should complete the Senior Half Page Form:
[Senior Half Page Form]
The deadline for the Senior Half Page Submission Form is December 15, 2023. Everyone must complete the form even if you do not wish to participate; simply select you do not wish to participate in the form. Again if you have any issues or concerns, please feel free to reach out to Ty Bouchie or Atticus Anderson.The 2024 Rocks and Pebbles Yearbook is on-sale now. It should be pre-purchased on-line at: https://www.jostens.com/yearbooks/students-and-parents/about-yearbooks
Fundraisers
Upcoming fundraiser - February calendar raffle. We are in the process of getting donations to fill the calendar. If you are able to donate we would appreciate it. Tickets will go on-sale January 8th. Tickets will be $5 for 1 ticket or 5 tickets for $20. Prizes will be drawn daily. All seniors will be expected to sell tickets.
Upcoming events - mark your calendars
Junior Senior Prom May 31
Senior Banquet June 5 (Location TBD)
Graduation June 7th
Contact advisors: Amanda King (aking@rpk12.org) or AnnMarie Luster (aluster@rpk12.org) with questions.
Freshmen, Class of 2027
School Counselors and Student Ambassadors held workshops with freshmen students to support the upcoming midyear exams. Study habits and tips were shared to encourage planning and alleviate stress.
School Counselors will be working with freshmen after break to introduce Naviance and learn about high school transcripts, credits, and GPAs for their four-year college and career planning.
Seniors, Class of 2024
For one day it will be FREE to apply to all of the Massachusetts State Universities! On Thursday, January 12th, 2024 use the fee waiver code REACHFREE to apply. This opportunity is for Bridgewater State, Fitchburg State, Framingham State, Massachusetts College of Art, Massachusetts Maritime Academy, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, Salem State University, Westfield State University, and Worcester State University. The UMASS campuses are not part of this program.
Guidance has been busy! This fall, since October, we have recorded over 1000 unique student visits to our office providing academic, social/emotional, health and wellness, future planning and college and career support. That’s a lot of TLC! Visits from families, teachers, and outside organizations are not included in this number. We look forward to continuing this support in 2024 - Happy New Year from the Guidance Team!
