December 2019 ROLLA HIGH SCHOOL Volume 12, Issue 4

Bulldog Bytes

What do a red lipped reindeer, a family of cavemen, and a time-traveling cyborg Santa have in common? Come find out December 12th at 7:00 p.m. at the Rolla Middle School Auditorium! Rolla Public Schools Theatre is gear- ing up for its annual Holiday Show featuring students from grades 4- 12. This year the middle school is presenting The North Pole’s Got Talent, a reality TV show spoof featuring song and dance numbers judged by Santa and his helpers. The junior high play, A Hot Cocoa Factory in Kringle Min- nesota is a modern-day retelling of the classic A Christmas Carol and is written by RHS students Lexi Lugo and Riley Stevenson. Both the middle school and junior high shows are being directed by high school students in Mrs. McNeven’s Introduction to Directing class. Members of the RHS Inter- national Thespian Troupe will round out the evening’s performances with Santa Napped, a comedy that explores what happens when Santa is cap- tured by the CIA. The night will also feature performances from the RHS Chamber Choir, pictures with Santa, and a hot cocoa and cookies snack bar. It’s an evening you won’t want to miss! Admission is $5 for students and senior citizens, and $7 for adults. Tickets are available in advance at www.showtix4u.com/events/rpsdramatix

Upcoming Events

FALL 2019-2020 GPA AVERAGE BAND CONCERT Cross Country 3.62 Wed., Dec. 11 Football 3.11 7 p.m. 3.73 RHS Gym Boys Soccer 3.45 3.76 COCOA & CRAM Wed., Dec. 11 3.94 Thurs., Dec. 12 3.86 3:30-5 p.m. Football Cheer 3.5 RHS Library

CHOIR CONCERT Mon., Dec. 16 7 p.m. First Baptist Church

CHRISTMAS BREAK 1 p.m. Fri., Dec. 20- 8 a.m. Tues., Jan. 7

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www.rhs.rolla31.org Webmasters: Mrs. Nikki Locklear Ms. Charlene Mumma Mrs. Stephanie Grisham From the Principal’s Desk... Merry Christmas and Happy Holi- Recently, Mr. Smith, Mrs. Grisham, were able to attend. Congratula- days. I always enjoy this time of Mrs. Norman, and I had the oppor- tions to all those who achieved this year as the weather cools, snow- tunity to present the RHS School honor. flakes appear, and Christmas and Improvement Plan to the Board of One final thing to mention as we New Year are on the horizon. I’m Education. The school improve- head to second semester. Any probably in the minority on this, ment plan is a set of goals and schedule change for 2nd semester but I love a good snowstorm. Any- objectives our staff formulates needs to be done in writing before st way, as I type this 1 semester is each year to make sure we are Tuesday, December 17th. Students coming to a close and we are just continually growing and moving can pick up a schedule change re- weeks out from semester finals; forward. You can find our school quest form in the counseling cen- always a busy time at RHS. improvement plan on our website. ter and return the signed form be- I often hear students talking about In short it focuses on three key fore the December 17th deadline. areas for student success; aca- the stress and pressure of semes- A few items of interest as I close demic improvement and position- ter exams. I’m quick to remind this letter. them they’ll do great and it’s what ing students to be college and ca- they’ve been preparing for all se- reer ready at their senior year, mester. Much like a big game on technology opportunities and re-  The 2020-2021 school calen- the court, they’ve done the back- sources available to students and dar is out in draft form and ground work and are prepared; classrooms, and building school suggestions and comments are now it’s time to showcase what culture. There is obviously much welcome. You can find it on they can do. It seems like a cliché detail to the plan but as a synopsis the district home page. that covers it. but some ways to encourage your  We will be administering the student during final time are: get- With our school improvement plan ACT to any junior student who ting plenty of rest, eating healthy in place, RHS recently held two wants to take it on February and consistently, and scheduling events to recognize the academic 25th. The district is offering time to study. These seem like no- work of our students. Both events this at no charge to the junior brainers but experience has shown were sponsored by CORE. The first student. If your student is in- that students who do these three was the CORE Reward Card pro- terested and hasn’t already things do well on their exams. A gram. The program is designed to signed up they can sign up good dose of encouragement and recognize students for academic with Mr. Smith in the main a reminder from mom and/or dad achievements at all levels. There office. to “do your best” is also helpful. are two levels of Reward Cards  I know this seems like a long based on a student’s GPA; 2.5- way out but I’ve been asked 3.49, and 3.5 to 4.0. One of the To help with planning you will find by some about graduation. rewards of this program is a CORE included in this edition of the Bull- Graduation will take place on st academic luncheon. The luncheon dog Bytes the complete 1 semes- Sunday, May 17th at 2:00 p.m. ter exam schedule. Also included is is provided for those students who Finally, I want to take this oppor- information about our Cocoa and achieve the 3.5 or above level. tunity to wish you all a Merry Cram study session offered to all The luncheon for this semester Christmas and Happy Holidays. My freshmen. Cocoa and Cram is a was prepared by the Kiwanis Club wish is for you to take time to en- study opportunity hosted by Link of Rolla. A special thank you goes joy family and friends, count your Crew that gives students the op- out to those men and women for blessings, and relax and rest. Have portunity to study alongside our their help with serving over 350 a great December. Link Crew student leaders. This students. year, there are two opportunities The second event held was the for students; Wednesday, Decem- annual CORE Honors Banquet. This ber 11, and Thursday, December banquet is given to honor those Sincerely, 12, from 3:30-5:00 p.m. Students students who achieve a 3.8 or can attend one day or both. higher GPA. It is always a nice Teachers and Link Crew leaders event for those students and their will be on-hand to assist with stud- parents including dinner and an ying and study habits. This is a RHS Alumnus as the keynote great way to prepare for final ex- speaker. This year’s speaker was ams. If you or your student need 1984 RHS Alum Jamie Myers. This Dr. Jim Pritchett more information about this, con- was a fun night for the 425+ stu- tact the office. dents and family members who Principal

Get excited, #RollaBulldog fans! Now you can watch win- ter sports in the RHS main gym LIVE on our YouTube Channel! Click the link below, hit "Subscribe" and turn on notifications, to get an alert each time we go live. Share with friends and family so they can cheer us on remotely. What a great day to be a Bulldog!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCMenV- Q_pdWHxHncaUewNHQ/featured

Social Media is a popular pastime with teens. Instagram, Twitter, Face- book, and Snapchat are all types of current social media. These can be used for positive networking; however, they can be negative as well. Stu- dents can be distracted by these forms of media and it takes time away from other more important things like school and family. It can be addict- ing and cause students to constantly check their phones for the latest up- date. For example, I have heard students say that they work on homework for two hours every evening. However, what happens many times, is they actually work on homework for an hour but are distracted by their phone every ten minutes which adds up to another hour of phone time. Help your teen be aware of the distraction phones can cause.

MySchoolBucks.com is the answer to guessing When? What? and How Much? when it comes to your child’s cafeteria account. With a MySchoolBucks account you can view the current balance and all cafeteria purchases. You will also receive low-balance re- minders via e-mail. These features are FREE just by setting up an account. Should you choose to make an online payment, a $2 con- venience fee will be added to your total. You can make scheduled payments or pay anytime & anywhere using their mobile app. Why not set up your account today at www.MySchoolBucks.com?

Rolla High School Growler Yearbook c/o Mary E. Gillis 900 Bulldog Run Rolla, Missouri 65401 573-458-0140 ext. 14302 [email protected]