August 2023 - Volume 4 - No. 1

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Parents and Students,

We are very excited to welcome our students back for the 2023-2024 school year at BRHS!

While there haven't been significant changes to the building or facilities like last summer, we are excited about some other changes that are coming to BRHS. One of those changes is that we will have our own, dedicated assistant principal. Mrs. Robin Kyser is joining our team as assistant principal and is going to make a tremendous impact on our students and staff. We will also be changing our bell schedule this year in order to help our students have more time for tutoring, enrichment, and clubs.

I'm thrilled to be continuing this monthly newsletter as a way for us to share important dates and information, student learning, student success outside the classroom, and help our parents and students stay informed about what is happening at BRHS. I encourage you to "follow" these newsletters and share them with other parents so that we can reach as many of our BRHS families as possible.

We are looking forward to welcoming all of our students on Thursday, August 10th for the first day of school. We will be continuing our work on building quality relationships with students, holding them accountable, and giving them the skills and experiences necessary to be productive adults. We are going to be encouraging our students to be active participants in their education, the campus, and leadership opportunities.

It is going to be a great year at BRHS!

Mr. Hamilton

As was mentioned above, we believe it is very important to provide dedicated time during the school day for students to receive tutoring/help in their classes. We also want to ensure that students have time for enrichment activities, our Capturing Kids' Hearts character lessons, and club meetings. In order to accomplish these goals in a manner that includes all students at BRHS, we have modified our bell schedule to include a 30-minute "advisory" period each day between 3rd and 4th periods.

Due to the change in our schedule, we are moving to two separate 30-minute lunch periods that are embedded within our 4th period class, rather than the 1-hour block lunch that we have had for several years. This also means that students will no longer have the ability to leave campus during lunch. We know that this will be disappointing to our junior and senior students, but we believe that the addtional time for the advisory period will benefit all students on the campus as well as our clubs and organizations. Students who attend dual credit classes in Farmersville will be able to leave at the start of the lunch period in order to have time to eat and make it to the Collin College campus in time for class. Please see the updated bell schedules below for times.

The 2023-2024 School Year is quickly approaching and we can't wait to see our tigers back on campus! Here is a quick guide of important information for a great start to the school year.

Important Dates

• Meet the Teacher- August 7th
  • BRES: 5:00-6:30
  • BRMS: 5:30-7:00
    • 6th grade only: 5:30-6:00
    • 7th & 8th: 6:00-7:00
  • BRHS: 6:00-7:00
• First day of school: August 10th

Student Registration:

Registration is now open for all new and returning students for the 2023-2024 school year. Parents/Guardians of returning students must complete the registration process as well to confirm or update student information.

Visit https://www.brisd.net/page/student-enrollment-information to begin the registration process today!

School Supply Lists

All BRISD School Supply Lists can be found here:

https://www.brisd.net/o/brisd/page/school-supply-lists

Immunization Information

Is your child up-to-date with their school-required immunizations? Students are unable to enroll in school without appropriate documentation for required vaccines or a valid medical exemption. For a full list of immunization requirements as well as exclusions please visit www.brisd.net/page/immunization If you have any questions, please contact your child's campus principal.

Free and Reduced Lunch Applications:

In order to qualify for free or reduced lunch benefits, each family household must complete a new free and reduced lunch application each year. These applications also provide additional benefits for students including free/reduced meals, SAT exam waivers, college application fee waivers, and more. The applications are easy to complete online and are automatically sent to the school office. Fill yours out today!

Click here for English Free & Reduced Lunch Application

Click here for Spanish Free & Reduced Lunch Application

August 4th - Volleyball Scrimmages at Blue Ridge

August 5th - Volleyball Scrimmages at Van Alstyne

August 7th - Meet the Teacher

August 8th - Volleyball at Tom Bean

August 10th - First Day of School

August 11th - Volleyball at Anna & Football Scrimmage at Pottsboro

August 15th - Volleyball at Caddo Mills

August 17th - Football Scrimmage at Era

August 17-19 - Denison/Sherman Volleyball Tournament - Varsity

August 18th - Volleyball at Tioga - 9th/JV & Cross Country at Carrollton

August 22nd - Volleyball vs Whitewright

August 24th - Football vs Boyd at McKinney & Cross Country at Dallas

August 24-26 - Edgewood Volleyball Tournament - Varsity

August 25th - Volleyball at S&S

August 29th - Volleyball vs Sherman

August 31-September 2 - Caddo Mills Volleyball Tournament - Varsity

September 1st - Football at Collinsville

September 2nd - Cross Country at Fort Worth

September 4th - No School

September 5th - Volleyball at Collinsville

September 7th - Football vs Wills Point at McKinney

September 8th - Volleyball vs Bonham

September 9th - Cross Country at McKinney

Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year! I hope you have had a great summer and are ready to get things started.

I wanted to share a few updates with you as we prepare to start classes this week.

Information for Dual Credit Students:

Collin College's official fall start date is Monday August 21st.

Students who are taking online classes during the day at Blue Ridge High School will have a mandatory orientation during third period on Wednesday, August 16th.

For those taking classes in Farmersville you will notice, there are no classes in Farmersville on Mondays, so the first official day there will be on Tuesday, August 22nd.

Dual credit classes are scheduled as shown below:

3) For seniors only: There will be a mandatory meeting in the library with Mrs. Ingersoll on Tuesday, August 15th at 12:05 p.m. to discuss things for this year.

4) For juniors and seniors: There will be a mandatory dual credit orientation session AT THE FARMERSVILLE CAMPUS on Wednesday, August 16th at 12:45 p.m. The bus to take you there will be outside waiting for you at 12:10.

5) How do I get there this year? Bus transportation will be provided to and from Farmersville each day classes meet. If you are riding the bus, it will leave each day from the front of BRHS at 12:05 p.m. This will be the case for your orientation session as well. The bus will drop you off at the front of the Collin campus building. Once classes conclude each day, the bus will be waiting for you to return to BRHS. For those with a 7th period class, that class starts at 2:19, so you must go directly to the bus once your dual credit class concludes for the day in order to get back to BRHS on time.

6) What if I am driving myself? You MUST complete a transportation permission form with Mrs. Sikes in the front office. It MUST be signed by your parents. You are expected to be in Farmersville on time for your class each day. Once class concludes, you are free for the day if that is your last class, or if you have to be back by 7th period, make sure you are back in time for it to start.

7) What do I do on Mondays? Since classes don't meet in Farmersville on Mondays, you are free to leave if those are your last classes for the day. You may also stay in the library and utilize the time to study/work on your classes. If you are a school organization officer, you are also welcome to work with those teachers during that time period for any responsibilities that you may need to take care of with them. Just be sure you are back by 7th period for those of you who have a class starting at that time.

CAMPUS DRESS CODE

All Blue Ridge ISD Campuses

The responsibility for the dress and grooming of a student rests primarily with the student and their parents or guardians. Any clothing, personal appearance, or personal standard, which in the judgment of administrators disrupts the education environment or poses a safety concern, shall not be permitted.

Allowable Dress & Grooming

• Students must wear clothing including both a top and a bottom, or the equivalent, appropriate underclothes and undergarments, and shoes.

• Clothing must cover undergarments and any portion of the body where undergarments should be.

• Tops must cover the front, back, and sides of the torso at all times and should extend past the waistline sufficiently to be able to be tucked in. (Crop tops are not an allowable clothing item)

• Sleeveless shirts, blouses, and dresses are acceptable as long as they contain material or straps that go over the shoulder that have finished edges. (Strapless tops are not an allowable clothing item)

• Fabric covering undergarments, private areas, and the torso must be opaque.

• Hair/facial hair must be neatly groomed and should not impede learning or cause distractions.

• Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including physical education, science labs, and other activities where unique hazards exist.

• Specialized courses may require specialized attire, such as sports uniforms or safety gear.

Non-Allowable Dress & Grooming

• Clothing and accessories may not depict, advertise, or advocate the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other controlled substances.

• Clothing may not depict any explicit or obscene pictures or words.

• Clothing may not use or depict hate speech targeting groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other protected groups.

• Clothing must not threaten the health or safety of any other student or staff, including the portrayal of weapons and violence.

• Caps, hats, or hoods may not be worn inside the building during the school day.

• Piercings may not be worn in any area other than the ear or the nostril of the nose (septum, eyebrow, and lip piercings are not allowed) and gauged piercings are not permitted.

• Sunglasses may not be worn in the building during the school day.

This code is the minimum standard of dress and grooming for students. It does not prevent a higher standard of dress from being required in certain elective subjects such as band, organized sports, or voluntary student organizations which are called upon from time to time to represent their school in public events. Teachers and sponsors of these courses and organizations will continue to require those standards of dress and appearance that they deem appropriate and which have served in the past to mark those school representatives with honor and distinction.

All students who plan to drive themselves to school must purchase a parking permit from the BRHS office. Student parking will be in the main parking lot to the west of the high school. Students are not allowed to park in the CTE building lot (old middle school lot) or next to the ag shop in the coaches' parking area.

Please see the attachment below for more information.

For those of you who are new to the BRHS campus, please note the traffic patterns around the high school for pick-up and drop-off. Buses will drop off students at the front of BRHS in the morning and pick them up along the west side, near the gym, in the afternoon. Car drop-off and pick-up will still occur in front of BRHS.

Please pay special attention to the fact that traffic moving behind BRHS, along the old middle school flow, will be reserved for elementary cars only in the morning and afternoon.

Blue Ridge High School is a 3A public school located in the northeast corner of Collin County in North Texas.

Email: trent.hamilton@brisd.net
Website: https://www.brisd.net/Page/9
Location: 11020 County Road 504, Blue Ridge, TX, USA
Phone: (972) 752-5554
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/blueridgehighschool
Twitter: @brhs_tigers