RBHS September BRIDGE Communication

Mission: Rock Bridge High School is a community in which ALL students and staff inspire each other to become lifelong learners.

Thanks for a great start to our 2026-27 school year!

We are constantly striving to communicate clearly and in a timely manner with all RBHS stakeholders. This year you should expect to receive a monthly BRIDGE Communication near the beginning of each month. BRIDGE Communications will come directly from the office of the principal and include information and explanations for relevant Rock Bridge issues and events. You will also be receiving our daily Info Bruin Announcements. The Info Bruin includes all of our daily announcements.

In this September RBHS BRIDGE Communication, you will find information about the following.

• RBHS Back to School Night
• RBHS Instructional Value: Productive Struggle
• How do I report my student absent?
• RBHS General Information Document
• Grading Updates
• RBHS Performing Arts Calendar
• RBHS Class Meetings Presentation
• Rock Bridge High School Media Center Information
• 2026 RBHS Flashback Earns All-American Status
• RBHS Attendance Goal for 2026-27
• Columbia Public Schools High School AB Year Calendar
• RBHS Summer BRIDGE Communication
• RBHS September and October Calendar

Thank you for your partnership!

Jacob Sirna

Back To School Night is September 8th starting at 5:30. This evening is a chance for parents/guardians to walk their student’s schedule, learn about classes, and begin a relationship with our teachers. Parents/Guardians will follow their student’s schedule (A day then B day). 1A classes will begin at 5:35, and 4B will conclude at 7:06. Each class will have 7 minutes to meet, and there will be 5 minutes to pass to the next class. Yes, students are welcome to attend this evening with their parents/guardians. You should plan to bring your student's schedule, so you know where you are headed for each class. Here is a document for you that includes a place to record your student's schedule and a map of RBHS.

Please head to our Tutoring Center during your student's AUT or Sophomore Support Block to hear about the academic support students can receive in this space.

We look forward to seeing you all at Back to School Night on September 8th at 5:30!

Last school year, I shared our newly identified RBHS Instructional Values with families. As we begin this school year, I want to highlight an instructional value that I hope you will also value and support.

• Productive Struggle: Lessons are designed to include instruction and learning that challenges students, fosters perseverance, necessitates organization, and deepens understanding through critical thinking and/or inquiry.

At Rock Bridge High School, we want our students to be challenged by their coursework as often as possible. We want to normalize the idea that not "getting it" right away is completely appropriate and new learning can be challenging.

If your student is going to miss anytime during the school day at all, please notify their attendance secretary. You can email or call.

• Email or call (571-214-3103) Lynn Dann for students with last names that start with the letters A and S-Z.
• Email or call (573-213-3129) Christy Cunningham for students with last names that start with the letters B, C, E, & N.
• Email or call (573-214-3169) Amanda Sargent for students with last names that start with K, L, M, O, P, Q, and R.
• Email or call (573-214-3102) Leslie Richards for students with last names that start with D, F, G, H, I, J and students in Success Center.

You can find all the information below in our RBHS General Information Document.

• Who is my student's counselor?
• Who is my student's assistant principal?
• Who do I contact when I need to let RBHS know about attendance items for my student?
• What are this year's grade reporting dates?

We hope you have had a chance to look at course syllabi for each of your student's classes. In Columbia Public Schools, we believe all students deserve access to rigorous grade-level learning opportunities, with grading and progress communicated to all stakeholders in ways that best reflect both academic mastery and life-readiness skills. This communication is to inform you about important information regarding grading practices in CPS for the upcoming school year. If you have questions or concerns about your student’s grade, please reach out to their teacher.

Grades reflect learning, not behavior

• A student’s course grade will be determined by the academic evidence available that demonstrates their understanding of the course standards.
• “Success Ready" (middle school) or “Workplace Readiness” (high school) skills are reported separately.

• Each course provides students additional opportunities to show learning. Please see each course syllabus for the details about this process.
• If an extra opportunity results in a higher score, it will fully replace the old score and “grade replaced” will be noted in Campus Parent.

• It is imperative that students adhere to deadlines provided for assignments. However, late work will be accepted for full credit until the last day of each unit.

• Syllabi and other course materials can be accessed in Schoology.

• Grade updates can be found in Campus Parent.

• Gradebook Codes Key for Campus Parent

We look forward to partnering with you this year to ensure your students is able to achieve and perform at the highest levels.

See the attached 2026-27 Schedule for our Rock Bridge High School Performing Arts Department. We hope to see you at a performance soon!

We met with each RBHS Class during our first week of school this year to share some specific information. Here is a link to all the information we shared in those meetings. Please be aware that some of the slides are grade specific.

• RBHS Class Meetings

Congratulations to our 2026 RBHS Flashback (yearbook) Staff for earning All-American status with Five Marks of Distinction from the National Scholastic Press Association!

Last year, we had approximately 83% of students in attendance 90% of the time. This year we want to raise this number by 2% points moving our overall percentage of students who attend 90% or greater to over 85%.

A student would need to miss 25 days of school in single year to have attendance lower than 85%. We are confident that we can achieve our goal!

As you can see from the image below, we increased the percentage of students attending 90% or more by .2% last school year. While we were hoping to show more improvement than this, we are encouraged that our attendance percentages continue to improve since returning from COVID. We need your help. Please talk as a family about the importance of good attendance in school. When students are not in seat, they can fall behind in their learning. Help us keep your student(s) caught up in their classes by sending them to school every day. The start of the year is the best, and easiest, time to begin good attendance habits. Please reach out to your student's administrator or counselor if you have questions or need support for this purpose.

• September 30 is Early Release (schedule linked here)
• October 15 is our Homecoming Assembly
• October 16 is our Homecoming Football Game
• October 16 is a No School Teacher Work Day
• October 17 is our Homecoming Dance
• October 30 is a No School Teacher Work Day