District 208 and
Riverside Brookfield High School
Hallways
February 2016 

A parent and community newsletter. 
District 208 News
Superintendent's Message

Dear RBHS Students, Families, Staff, and Community, 
 
We are at the end of January, into the beginning of the second semester, and thinking ahead to next school year! The next few months will be a busy time for our District with staffing projections, budget development, and our next round of Life Safety work. 
   
Cordially,

Kevin Skinkis, Ed.D.
2016-2017 School Calendar
The school calendar for the 2016-2017 school year was approved by the Board of Education at its January 12 meeting.  A PDF of the calendar can be found on the RBHS website or by clicking here

The Life Safety/Capital Improvement Projects 
On January 12, District 208 filed a motion with the court in the zoning litigation case against the Village of Brookfield requesting that Judge Mikva convene a settlement conference with the parties. The Village did not object to the District's motion and the Court granted it and scheduled the settlement conference to occur in February. The District is making every effort to reach a resolution which would permit the taxpayer dollars being spent on the litigation to be redirected to other important efforts underway at the District and the Village.
 
The District may still have to move all the spring track events to off-site locations due to the "stop work order" issued by the Village on the long jump and triple jump events. It also appears that on-campus tennis courts will not be completed this spring either, leaving the location of the boys' tennis season unknown at this time. The District would like to have this matter resolved as soon as possible so that your students' athletic seasons can run smoothly and so that we can have as many events on campus, as possible.
 
At the February 23 Board of Education meeting, the Board will be reviewing the projected budget and scope of the Life Safety projects scheduled to be completed in the summer of 2016. Those projects include replacing the main gymnasium bleachers and several sections of roofs on the main building. 

State Financial Profile
The Illinois State Board of Education issues a Financial Profile Score each year for all school districts in the State. Each district's profile is in one of the following four designations: Financial Recognition, Financial Review, Financial Early Warning, or Financial Watch. 
 
For fiscal year 2015, Riverside Brookfield's designation was Financial Recognition. This is the fourth year in a row the District has earned this designation. Our profile score was 3.7 out of 4.0. We received a perfect score in all of the categories except for remaining long-term borrowing ability. This is due to the referendum bonds that were issued in 2006 and 2007 for the building construction project.
 
These designations are developed by measuring five financial indicators of the operating funds which include the Education Fund, the Operations Fund, the Transportation Fund, and the Working Cash Fund. The indicators are:
  • The ratio of the operating fund balances to the operating fund revenues
  • The ratio of operating fund expenditure to operating revenues
  • Cash on hand (the number of days a district can meet operating expenditures with no additional revenue)
  • The remaining short-term borrowing ability
  • The remaining long-term borrowing ability
   
School Year
Enrollment
Certified Staff
Composite ACT
Budgeted Surplus/(Deficit)
2010-2011
1433
106
22.7
($2,765,170)
2011-2012
1463
95.5
22.3
($920,079)
2012-2013
1461
85.9
22.6
($282,000)
2013-2014
1514
88.9
22.5
$180,850
2014-2015
1586
94.4
23.3
$25,118
2015-2016
1635
97.3
TBD
$36,146


Weather and School Cancelation
We have been lucky so far with our incredible "Chicago" weather. But we must keep in mind that anything in our area is possible when it comes to climate. Your students should dress appropriately for school and for their method of getting to school. This will help ensure that they will be able to have uninterrupted attendance at RB, which will have a positive impact on their academic journey through the rest of the semester.


Board of Education
We are back on schedule with two Board meetings per month. The next Board meetings will be February 9 and 23. Both beginning at 7:00 pm. Please check the RB website under the Board of Education tab or watch the meetings on www.rbtv.tv.

RBHS News
Principal's Message                                                        
As you will see from this edition of Hallways, students and staff have been very busy. Despite the cold weather finally arriving this winter, students are not hibernating! Students have been actively involved in speech and scholastic bowl competitions, spirit Fridays, and service projects. RB's new Ski Club hit the slopes for a day of skiing adventures at Cascade Mountain. The RBEF, along with RBTV students, have been working hard to put the finishing touches on the annual live telethon to raise scholarship money for students and staff. There are also a number of upcoming opportunities for the students to support their classmates by going to see a band or choir concert, an athletic contest, and the spring musical.   

We hope to see you at one of the many events this month!

Kristin Smetana

Standardized Testing Information 
School-wide Testing Day for Freshmen, Sophomores, and Juniors  
April 19 (Early Dismissal)
On April 19, students testing with regular testing time will finish around noon. More information regarding this testing date will be shared at a later date.
  • Freshmen will be taking a PLAN test
  • Sophomores will be taking a practice ACT exam
  • Juniors will be taking a State, school-funded ACT exam
  • Seniors will have a non-attendance, college visit day
AP Testing
For those students that will be taking an AP test this spring, the AP Student Bulletins have been distributed in AP classes. If your student did not receive their AP Student Bulletin, please have them see their AP class teacher or they may stop in Student Services for a copy.
 
PARCC
All students enrolled in English 10 and/or Geometry will be taking the PARCC exam at RBHS during the week of March 14. More information will be shared with students in the near future as scheduling of the test is currently being completed.
 
ACT
A national ACT test will be hosted at RBHS on April 9. The registration deadline for this exam date is March 4.  Please note that this is not the ACT exam being funded by RB that all juniors will be taking at RBHS on April 19. 
Students interested in the April 9 ACT exam should register at  www.actstudent.org.
 
PSAT
Information on how to access PSAT scores online was sent via e-mail by the College Board to all students who took the PSAT exam back in October. Please access those scores online.  Paper copies of the scores will also be handed out to students in February.  Students should listen to the announcements for the exact date and time.  
 
SAT
The registration deadline for students interested in taking the March 4 SAT exam is February 5. The test on this date will not be hosted at RBHS and no subject tests will be offered on that date.  Interested students should register at  https://sat.collegeboard.org/home?navid=ap-sat  If you have any testing-related questions please contact  Kevin Baldus at 708-442-7500 x2203 or baldusk@rbhs208.net.

Technology Spotlight
The student-run Technology Help Desk is up and running in the Library.  Students who are part of the 1:1 Technology Initiative can stop in if they have questions or need to have their Chromebook serviced.  Parents and students in the 1:1 Technology Initiative will be receiving an e-mail-survey in the coming weeks in order to collect feedback about the technology rollout at the freshman level.    

RBEF Annual Telethon
Be sure to tune in to the RBEF's annual live Telethon on Saturday, February 20, on RBTV to watch some fine performances from RB staff and students. All donations fund the RBEF education scholarships available to students and staff. The Telethon airs from 1:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. You may view locally on Comcast channel 16; AT&T U-verse on channel 99/Brookfield; online at RBTV.tv  or online on Youtube at Youtube.com/myRBTV.   

RB Day of Service 
The 4th Annual RB Day of Service will be held this year on Saturday, April 23.  We're shaking things up a bit this year with new projects and activities. The theme is Make a Splash. If you have any questions, contact Pam Powers, PTO Co-President at powers@rbhspto.org .


PTO's RB Boutique at Hollywood House on Saturday, February 27
_______________________________________________________________________
The Riverside Brookfield High School PTO is hosting "RB Boutique" on Saturday, February 27, from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. at The Hollywood House in Brookfield at 3435 Hollywood Avenue. We all know how expensive prom can be. The boutique provides high school girls in the western suburbs the opportunity to purchase beautiful designer dresses and accessories for prom without the designer costs. The PTO wants to provide young, smart shoppers with extra money for other things, while also promoting the "green" idea of finding a new and creative life for something that otherwise might sit in a closet.

This is their second annual event where The Hollywood House will be turned into an exclusive boutique with hair and floral demonstrations. A raffle give-away, along with valuable hair, nail, and floral coupons, will be given to those who make a dress purchase. The proceeds will go back to RBHS to benefit students who may not be able to afford or attend prom.

Donations can be dropped off at one of several locations listed below.  Please consider supporting this exciting program for high school girls in the western suburbs. 

Riverside Brookfield High School
160 Ridgewood Avenue
Riverside, IL 60546
Hauser Junior High School
65 Woodside Road 
Riverside, IL 60546
SE Gross Middle School
3524 Maple Avenue
Brookfield, IL 60513

La Grange Art League and Gallery
122 Calendar Court 
La Grange, IL 60525
Brook Park Elementary School
30th & Raymond
La Grange Park, IL 60526
 


Automotive Class Gets Hands-on Experience
The Automotive class is, once again, offering service appointments for staff vehicles.  Last semester the students in Mr. Weishaar's automotive classes were able to get hands-on experience by servicing 59 cars.

CADC Newsletter
The January issue of the Certified Alcohol & Drug Abuse Counselor Newsletter can be viewed on the   RBHS website.  The focus of this month's issue is mainly on prevention and ways to support teens who are in substance abuse recovery.

Office of Student Affairs Update
_______________________________________________________________________
Winter is Among Us
A reminder for students to dress for the elements and to allow sufficient time to get to school in the morning.
 
New This Semester  
The Dean's Office will be rolling out Hero programming, which will track and scan student tardies. Students who are late to class will have their ID scanned and issued a slip of paper with the assigned consequence. According to the RBHS Handbook, tardies 1 and 2 are warnings. Tardies 3,4, 5, and 6 will have a Dean's Office consequence assigned, which will range from a one-hour detention, a Saturday detention, or an alternate day assignment (ADA). Students who receive a tardy above number 2 will have a consequence assigned on the spot with an automated phone call home to parents and guardians. 
 
Grade Level Assemblies
The Dean's Office completed its second semester handbook review through Grade Level Assemblies on January 7. Points of emphasis were the Code of Conduct, gross misconduct violations, as well as we reviewed attendance and behavior expectations. The presentations can be found on the RBHS website and by clicking here.
 
Attendance
The Average Daily Attendance from last semester was 94.8 percent up from 94.4 percent this time last year. We were just shy of our overall goal of 95 percent. Keep up the good work students and make your attendance matter second semester! 


Student Services Events and Updates

FAFSA Workshop
College Bound Seniors - It's FAFSA Time!
Now is the time to fill out the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). All families of college bound seniors should consider filling out a FAFSA.  For more information please see this U.S. News article, Why You Should Fill Out the FASFA Please keep in mind that this should be completed ASAP as money does run out. 
 
The Student Services Department will be hosting a FAFSA event on Tuesday, February 9, at 7:00 p.m. Attendees can choose to attend a presentation on FAFSA, and/or work on the FAFSA in the computer lab with FAFSA experts.  If you will be filling out the FAFSA during this time, please have the following documents with you:  
  • Your Social Security Number
  • Your Alien Registration Number (if you are not a U.S. citizen)
  • Your most recent federal income tax returns, W-2s, and other records of money earned. (Note: You may be able to transfer your federal tax return information into your FAFSA using the IRS Data Retrieval Tool.)
  • Bank statements and records of investments (if applicable)
  • Records of untaxed income (if applicable)
  • A Federal Student Aid ID to sign electronically.
If you are a dependent student, then you will need most of the above information for your parent(s).
 
The link below is a terrific step-by-step video guide to completing the FAFSA:  https://www.finaid.ucsb.edu/fafsasimplification/
 
College Week at RB - A Yearly Tradition
RB will hold our annual College Week February 22-26. To encourage 2- and 4-year colleges as a post-secondary option, Student Services will organize several activities during the week. More information will be shared via e-mail and on the RB website.
 
Local Scholarship Applications for Seniors
The local scholarship applications will be available on the Student Services website on February 8. You can access the applications by clicking on the following links: Students, Student Affairs, Student Services, College & Career, and Local Scholarships. The deadline for most applications is March 11, although a few scholarships have a different deadline. Please see your counselor with any questions.   


Bulldog Pride Activities Update 
Engagement Wall
This semester in the cafeteria, students will have access to extracurricular activity and athletic information and updates on a daily basis through the Lunch Buzz TV program. We are excited to provide another avenue in which students can see the great things RB has to offer!
 
A. Schwarz and T. Guzeldereli
Pictured: (Front):  Taner Guzeldereli, Rachel Lemont, Hadley DiForti, Elona Selenica, (Back):  Nicole Bajerek, Abigail Schwarz, Derek Johnson, Spencer Williams, Elise Wojack, Ivan Astorga, Nicholas Grigoletti
Congratulations to the RB Speech Team!
The RB Speech Team walked away with two medals during competition at Willowbrook High School on January 16. Congratulations to Taner Guzeldereli (Sophomore), for winning first place in Original Comedy, and Abby Schwarz  and Taner Guzeldereli for winning second place in Improv Duet Acting!
   

French Club
The French Club celebrated the Fête des Rois with the famous cake: La Galette des Rois in which a bean "fève" is hidden. The person whose slice contains the bean becomes the king or queen and has to select the corresponding queen or king. This person also has to bring another Galette the following weekend, which is usually celebrated every Sunday in January with family and friends.

Art Club
The Art Club had 40 students attend their last meeting to create ceramic bowls to donate to the Empty Bowls fundraiser, which raises money for local food banks.

Spirit Friday
Congratulations to the 1st semester Spirit Friday winners, Mrs. Gordon's 5th hour class.  Her class had 100 percent participation three times during 1st semester. They truly showed their school pride and enjoyed a pizza party sponsored by Student Association. 
 
Custodian Appreciation Day
Student Association plans to acknowledge the Custodial Staff with an appreciation luncheon (for the day shift) and  dinner (for the evening shift) on Thursday, January 28. There will be a special banner for students to sign and to write thank you notes to the Custodians. On this day, we acknowledge their tireless efforts to keep RB well maintained and truly appreciate them as a part of the Bulldog community.  
 
Scholastic Bowl
RB's JV Scholastic Bowl team finished 5th overall out of 24 teams competing at the Homewood Flossmoor Tournament on January 9. Team Captain was Erik Robertson.
 
Congratulations to the RB Scholastic Bowl teams for their excellent performance at the Metro Suburban Conference Tournament on December 12. Junior Varsity finished 1st in Conference, with a perfect record of 4-0, and brought home the traveling trophy. The team is captained by Erik Robertson, who was also a Top Ten finisher for the season. Varsity finished 2nd in Conference under Captain Marly Santora, winning all preliminary rounds and only losing the championship game to a strong Wheaton Academy team. The teams are coached by Mr. Gibbons.  
The Addams Family - The Musical
Rehearsals are underway for the Spring Musical, The Addams Family.  Performances are scheduled for Thursday, March 3, at 7:00 p.m., Friday, March 4, at 7:30 p.m., and Saturday, March 5, at 7:30 p.m. in the RBHS Auditorium.  Advanced tickets sales are available for $10.00 from the Business Office starting February 1. Tickets are also available at the door for $12.00. 
Athletic Department Update 
Winter Sports Are Coming to an End!
  • Boys Basketball currently sports an overall record of 13-2, with a record of 6-0 in the MSC Conference. They are currently ranked in the top 15 in the State for Class 4A and are hoping to win their 15th consecutive Conference Championship. They will be playing highly regarded and top 5 team in Class 3A St. Joseph's HS at Batavia HS for the "Night of Hoops" tournament on Saturday, January 30, at 6:15 p.m. They will also be playing top rated Morgan Park at the City/Suburban Showdown held at Lyons Township North HS on Saturday, February 20, at 6:00 p.m. We will also be hosting the IHSA Sectional Boys Basketball games March 8-11.
  • Girls Basketball is currently 14-8 overall and 6-1 in MSC and tied for 1st place. They will play in the Lyons Sectional for the IHSA tournament.
  • Wrestling has continued their winning ways and currently sport an overall dual meet record of 12-2 and finished in 2nd place in the MSC conference. The MSC Individual Conference Championship meet was held on Saturday, January 23. The Wrestlers will be heading to the Downers Grove South HS Regional on Saturday, February 6, at 9:00 a.m.
  • Girls Gymnastics hosted an invitational Saturday, January 23, and competed at the MSC Conference Meet on Saturday, January 30, at Oswego and the IHSA Regional meet on Monday, February 1, at Sandburg HS.
  • Boys Swimming hosted an invite on Saturday, January 16, and had a strong 4th place finish. They will be competing at the Independent Conference Invite on Saturday, February 6, at DeKalb HS at 1:00 p.m. The Boys Swimming Sectional will be held at Lyons Township South HS on Saturday, February 20, at 1:00 p.m.
  • Competitive Dance placed 4th at the MSC Invite and received 8th place in the IHSA Sectional.
  • Competitive Cheerleading earned 4th place in the MSC Conference Invite, and their IHSA Sectional Meet was held at Joliet West HS on Saturday, January 30, at 5:30 p.m.
Spring Sports are Almost Upon Us!  
Make sure you sign-up in the Athletic Office and complete the necessary forms.  All athletic forms are online on our athletic website.
  • Girls and Boys Track are starting indoor training the week of January 18 and will gear up for a short indoor season before taking it outside for the outdoor season at the end of March. Athletes are encouraged to come out early for the indoor season, if they are not in a winter sport, otherwise they can join the outdoor season.
  • Most Spring Sports start February 29. This includes Badminton, Girls Soccer, Softball, Baseball, Boys and Girls Water Polo, Boys Tennis.
  • Boys Volleyball starts March 7.
 
To help keep the Bulldog Community connected, sign up and follow us on TWITTER, @rbhsathletics.
 
The Riverside Athletic Boosters are always appreciative of help. They can be reached at  rbboosterclub@aol.com or visit them online at: www.rbhs208athletics.org/boosters
 
Our new website is called 8to18.com, which we launched in early August to communicate Athletic information to the public. It continues to grow and has many links and school forms for parents and the community. Please check it out at http://il.8to18.com/RBHS and sign up now for e-mail alerts from the Athletic Department regarding important information about our athletic contests. RB "Athletes of the Week" are highlighted on this site. The latest winners are  Daniko Jackson, BBK; Mark Smith, BBK; Jalen Clanton, BBK; Skyler Nash, BBK; Tommy Russell, Wres tling; Henry Trelenberg, BBK; Lyndsey Hoyd, GBK; and Ryan Cicenas, BBK.

Staff Recognition 
Teacher Selected to be an Advanced Placement (AP) Test Reader
Laurence Forberg, French teacher, has had the distinct honor of being selected by the College Board's Advanced Placement (AP) program as an AP reader for the AP French Language and Culture Exam this summer, when approximately 14,700 college faculty and AP teachers from around the world will evaluate and score about 21 million free-response answers.
 
RB supports and is proud of Laurence's participation in this year's AP Reading, which will offer her a rare and enriching professional development experience by providing her with the opportunity to develop teaching approaches and ideas through close interactions with a diverse group of professional colleagues.

ESL Registration
Triton College's Adult Education Department will be coming to RB to hold English as a Second Language (ESL) registration for students who want free classes to learn the English language. Registration will be held on Tuesday, February 23, 2016, at 6 p.m. in room 200.

Excellence and Ethics
in Education

 
Important Dates
Please check our website for the dates and locations of all performances and events.
________________________

Thursday, February 10
Winter Choir Concert
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
 
Friday, February 12
I nstitute Day
Non-attendance day for students
 
Monday, February 15
Presidents' Day Holiday
Non-attendance Day
 
Thursday, February 18
Winter Band Orchestra
7:00 p.m. 
Auditorium
 
Saturday, February 20
RBEF Telethon - RBTV
1:00 p.m. - 9:00  p.m.
Live in RBTV Studios
Airs live on RBTV
 
Wednesday, February 24
Blood Drive sponsored by the Student Association
8:00 a.m. - 3:05 p.m.
Alumni Lounge
 
Friday, February 26
Jostens Delivery of Graduation Announcements
Lunch period s
Commons
 
Saturday, February 27
P.T.O.'s RB Boutique
11:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.
Hollywood House  
3435 Hollywood Avenue, Brookfield
 
Thursday, March 3
Spring Musical, The Addams Family
7:00 p.m.
Auditorium
 
Friday & Saturday
March 4 & 5
Spring Musical, The Addams Family
7:30 p.m.
Auditorium
 



Contact Us
(708) 442-7500
newsletter@rbhs208.net
See our website for individual staff email addresses
Event Schedules
Check the website for:

Athletic Event Schedules/Updates