|
Superintendent's Message
Dear RBHS Students, Families, Staff, and Community,
The 2015-16 school year has begun! I would like to welcome back the students, staff, and surrounding communities to what I foresee as an exciting year. Below are some of the news items from our very busy summer.
Cordially,
Kevin Skinkis, Ed.D.
|
The Life Safety/Capital Improvement Projects
|
|
|
The Kennelly Athletic Complex faced some delays due to the rain that plagued the month of June and issues with the original field's stone subbase. However, the months of July and August have had good weather, which allowed the projects to get back on schedule. The field's subbase has been corrected, and the underground vaults to capture storm water run-off have been installed. The remaining work on the field is progressing; the finishing touches are being put on the locker room building; the bleachers are nearing completion; and the roof repairs on parts of the main school building have been completed.
Pictures of the massive storm water detention vault and other parts of the project can be found on the website under the Board of Education tab - Facilities Assessment-Capital Improvement - Facilities Assessment Documents.
|
|
|
Kennelly Athletic Complex Dedication and Homecoming
|
|
|
Our goal is to have a dedication of the Kennelly Athletic Complex on October 2, 2015, which is also Homecoming. We hope that our Bulldogs and their families will join us for this celebration and the first Homecoming football game on the new field.
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
At the July Board of Education meeting, the Board approved $6.4 million in Life Safety bonds. The bonds will assist in addressing some of the costs associated with the current Life Safety items in the athletic complex as well as the remaining Life Safety work required by the State. During the bond process, the District had to get a credit rating from an independent agency. Standard & Poor's conducted its rating of the District and upgraded us to AA+, which is significantly higher from where the District was in 2010 when Moody conducted its rating. The improved rating is a reflection of the hard work and commitment we all have made to being a more fiscally responsible District. This rating will save the District $80,484 in interest over the life of the Life Safety bonds. The District also refinanced a portion of the bonds from the 2006 building referendum. The District's upgraded rating and refinancing will save the taxpayers approximately $142,479.
On September 9, 2015, the Board of Education will review and approve the budget for the fiscal year 2016. The tentative budget is now available on-line under the Business Services tab. The budget for 2015-2016 will be $18,906,093 with a small surplus in the operating funds of approximately $44,959.
|
|
|
Village of Brookfield Litigation
|
|
|
We are in the early stages of litigation with the Village of Brookfield contesting the Village's denial of the District's request to relocate the tennis courts and add a parking lot near the athletic stadium. The District is attempting to reach a resolution with the Village without having to fully litigate this issue in the judicial system.
For more information on Board of Education meetings, please check the RB website under the Board of Education tab or you can watch the meetings on
www.rbtv.tv.
|
|
|
|
|
Principal's Message
On August 17, the building came alive again as members of Student Association, along with other student leaders, welcomed 408 freshmen to RBHS as they arrived for freshman orientation. Freshman students toured the building, learned about the myriad of opportunities to get involved in the RB  community, and acquired technology skills through the use of their Chromebooks. During the first week of school, we held grade level assemblies and met with each class in order to communicate important information regarding attendance and discipline procedures, including the new code of conduct applicable to all students. We also stressed the importance of demonstrating their Bulldog Pride by being a leader at RB through involvement in extracurricular activities and making responsible decisions to ensure academic success. These presentations can be found on our website under student assemblies. We are looking forward to a successful school year, filled with positive changes and boundless learning opportunities.
Kristin Smetana
Principal
|
|
|
|
|
At residency this summer, all freshmen students were given Google Chromebooks as we begin our 1:1 technology initiative at RB. During the second day of school, freshmen received technology training in each of their classes to learn how to effectively use their new technology. As a
|
|
|
Itzell Mancilla, pictured with her mom, received the very first Chromebook from Ms. Smetana, Principal.
|
part of the technology training, English 9 teachers led students in creating color-coded folders within Google Drive. Freshmen students now have an organization system within their Google Drive that is matched to our Executive Functioning curriculum, supporting the development of executive functions in the brain. Research shows a significant link between work on developing executive functions in students and overall academic success. Teachers continue to work on developing new and innovative lessons utilizing the Chromebooks in and out of the classroom.
For additional technology information, visit the
RBHS website
.
|
|
|
Advanced Placement (AP) Accomplishments
|
|
|
Last year, 533 students at RB were enrolled in AP courses and 1,246 AP exams were administered to RB students. AP reported that at some point during their 4 years at RB, 55.7% of students take an AP course AND earn a score of 3 or better on the exam for that course. This percentage reflects AP College Board's Equity and Excellence rating. This year's Equity and Excellence rate is up 5.1% from last year, showing that more RB students are not only taking AP courses, but successfully passing the exams for those courses. Additionally, 35% of our 533 AP students earned the distinction of AP Scholar.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Through the Bulldog Pride initiative, students will have immediate access to the
activity website,
which will outline membership and meeting  times.Students will also continue to earn Bulldog Bucks for positive behavior, as well as receive attendance rewards during lunch periods. We encourage all of our students to get involved, ask questions, and sign up for an activity that they have interests in this year. To assist students with their extracurricular choices, an Activity Fair will occur on September 2 through September 4 during all lunch periods.
|
|
|
Visual and Performing Arts
|
|
|
Look for RB musicians in the Von Steuben Day parade on Saturday, September 5, at 11:00 a.m. and join us on Monday, September 21, at 7:00 p.m. in the Little Theater for the Chamber Orchestra Recital.
|
|
|
|
Assistant Principal of Student Affairs' Updates
|
|
|
Welcome back Bulldogs! As the school year is off and running, The Office of Student Affairs has outlined important safety tips and behavior updates for our RB community below.
Bulldog Pride
: Our focus this year will be to increase our daily student attendance and engagement percentages through an enhanced Bulldog Pride initiative. To promote the Bulldog Pride initiative, the Office of Student Affairs is selling Bulldog Pride T-shirts for $12.00 during all lunch periods.
Attendance:
As an additional intervention and to increase student attendance, the Dean's Office has begun tardy scans. For students who arrive late after the first period bell, the Dean will scan their ID and issue the appropriate consequence according to the Tardy Policy within the student handbook.
Loss of Privileges (LOP) and Late Start Detentions
: Loss of Privileges (LOP) and Late Start Detentions have started and will be used on a weekly basis. LOP will be issued when a student receives 12 or more tardies to class. If a student has reached 12 tardies, they will not have lunch and or hallway pass privileges for the week. Late Start Detentions are issued when a student progresses through the tardy policy and when a Dean issues an Administrative Detention. Late Start Detentions will be held in room 136 from 7:45 a.m. - 8:05 a.m. and from 8:10 a.m. - 8:30 a.m. every Thursday.
Drop Offs and Pick Ups
: As you drop off your students in the morning, please utilize the Main Entrance (Door A). We ask families to please pull forward to the Main Entrance and use the turn around after your student exits the vehicle. As a safety precaution, we ask our students and guests to use the appropriate sidewalks and crosswalks. If your student bikes to school, we advise them to secure their bike to the bike racks positioned on the south side of the building on Ridgewood Road. We are also asking students and parents who drive in the morning to watch their speed on Golf Road as we have several students crossing the street at that time.
|
|
|
Upcoming Student Services Events
|
Seniors & Senior Parents - College Information
Please remember that you must allow 10 schools days for transcript requests to be processed. This is particularly important if you are trying to meet an early action, early decision, or priority filing deadline. Most of these deadlines are November 1 or November 15, but we encourage you to check the schools' websites to be sure. We are unable to process any last minute transcripts requests and cannot guarantee that a transcript will make a deadline if you submit a request with less than 10 school days of the deadline date.
Triton College - Future Focus College Fair 2014
Tuesday, September 29, at 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Triton College
Robert M. Collins Center, R Building
2000 Fifth Avenue
River Grove, IL
Representatives from more than 100 colleges and universities nationwide will be present to speak with students and parents. Please contact your student's counselor with any questions. Please visit
www.triton.edu/futurefocus/
for more information.
The NACAC College Fair
Saturday, September 26, from 11:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Navy Pier
Admission representatives from hundreds of colleges and universities will be available to speak with students and parents one-on-one concerning the college admission process and college life opportunities. Forty-four states will be represented and a list of participating colleges and universities is attached. Please visit
www.nacacnet.org for more information.
College Planning Tips for Senior Parents
September 8 at 7:00
Auditorium
Jim Franko will give some helpful tips for parents of seniors on admission, college application, and financial aid.
Freshman Parents:
The Student Services Department invites you to attend Freshman Focus: How to Help Your Child Have a Successful High School Experience on Tuesday, September 15, at 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. in the Auditorium. Counselors and social workers will cover topics such as graduation requirement, 4-year academic planning, preparing for post-secondary education, using Naviance, monitoring homework, and staying connected with your teen during this transitional year.
|
|
|
|
|
PSAT/NMSQT Exam Administration at RB
On Wednesday, October 14, interested sophomores and juniors can take the PSAT/NMSQT exam at RB. This is an optional test that serves as practice for the SAT and qualifies juniors to enter scholarship programs offered through the National Merit Scholarship Corporation. Students can register through
our Total Registration website
athttps://user.totalregistration.net/PSAT/143655
from August 19 until September 18. The cost to register for the exam is $21.
SAT National Exam Administration at RBHS
The national SAT Exam will be administered at RBHS on Saturday, October 3. Juniors or seniors that want to register for the exam should go to the following link:
https://sat.collegeboard.org/register.
Information about the SAT and the benefits of taking this exam can be found at this site. The deadline for registration is September 3.
Free SAT Practice Resources
The College Board and Khan Academy have teamed up to provide free practice resources for students interested in taking the SAT. These individually personalized resources can be found at
www.practicesat.org.
Good luck and please contact Kevin Baldus, Testing Director, at
[email protected]
or (708) 442-750 x2203 with any questions.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
 Follow Ms. Smetana (@RBHSprincipal) and
Mr. Mannon (@BulldogPrideAP) to stay informed about activities and events at RBHS.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
On September 29, freshman, sophomore, and junior students who did not get their yearbook photo taken at the Residency event, or would like to retake it, should have their photos taken on this day. Senior students wanting to retake their yearbook photo or who have not had it taken, have the opportunity to have their yearbook photo taken on this day as well. For more information, email Ms. Allison Marsh,
[email protected].
|
|
|
Free English Classes for Parents
|
|
|
On September 3, there is an ELL Parent Education Information Session/Sign up for English classes from 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. in the RBHS Library (Room 254). The classes begin on September 10 and meet for 10 weeks on Thursday evenings. For more information, contact Mari Smith,
[email protected].
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
All Fall Sports are in full swing as teams begin preparing for their 2015 seasons. Practice for Football began August 10, while all other sports started August 12. We have had over 500 total athletes sign up this fall so far.
Riverside Brookfield offers the following sports in the fall: Girls Cross Country, Girls Volleyball, Girls Tennis, Girls Swim, Girls Golf, Dance, Cheerleading, Football, Boys Cross Country, Boys Soccer, and Boys Golf.
Girls Tennis Coach Hegner is encouraging any new players to see him as they are still accepting players. Many of the teams will be traveling to off campus sites for practice and games due to the stadium construction project, which is due to be completed by October.
- Girls Tennis team will travel every day to the Oak Brook Tennis Center, which will be their home this fall for practice and matches.
- Boys Soccer will be on the road until construction is complete. They will be at Elhert Park for practice and play away games until the stadium is ready.
New Athletic Website
We have a new website called
8to18.com
, which we launched in early August to communicate Athletic information to the public. This site will have schedules, rosters, playing sites, pictures, and many links to important sites for all our stakeholders. There is also a
link
to buy spirit ware from the Booster Club to support our athletes and show your school spirit.
Wrestling Team Acts of Community Service
RB is proud of the community service given by our Wrestling Team.
|
|
|
Pictured:
Robert Martinez, Joel Gonzalez, Bailey Sandrick, Maxx Reeze, Louise Garcia, Joey Guirini, Andy Jiang, Chris Colvin, and Demar Pearce
|
On June 20, the wrestlers got together and worked the 5th Annual Opportunity Knocks Block Party. This is an event to raise money for the after school program for kids and adults with disabilities. The wrestling team also volunteered their services to set up, clean up, and break down the St. Louise de Marillac Summerfest in La Grange Park on July 17, 18, and 20.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
2015 Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Boston, MA
Jill Lojas
, (Class of 2017) was nominated to attend the Congress of Future Science and Technology Leaders in Boston, MA, on June 28 - June 30, 2015.
The Congress is an honors-only program for high school students who are passionate about science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM). Jill Lojas was nominated by American hero and astronaut Buzz Aldrin, Science Director of the National Academy of Future Scientists and Technologists, to represent Illinois based on her academic achievement, leadership potential, and passion for science and technology. During the three-day Congress, Jill Lojas joined students from across the country and heard Nobel Laureates and National Medal of Science Winners talk about leading scientific research, received advice from deans of the world's top tech universities, and learned about cutting-edge advances and the future of science and technology.
Scholastic Bowl
RB is very proud of our students in Scholastic Bowl after their performance at the NAQT High School National Championship Tournament at the end of May. Despite playing very difficult competitors, the varsity team finished with a record of 5 wins and 5 losses, finishing 151st in the nation. Only the top 15% of teams in each qualifying conference, plus top finishers at State Qualifiers are invited to compete in this event. RB's top player was Chris Olszewski, who finished 65th in the tournament when ranked individually out of nearly 1400 players in the competition! Other players contributing to our wins were Nick Jepson, Monika Janas, Alec Frank, Marly Santora, Hannah Ranft, and Cynthia Smith. See the website below for more details!
https://www.naqt.com/stats/tournament-teams.jsp?tournament_id=5700
Special Olympics Athletes Compete in State Competition
Special Olympics competed at Illinois State University (ISU) during the weekend of June 12-14, 2015, and we're proud to share our results.
|
|
|
Pictured (L-R): Anthony Comicho, Maggie Rogers, Ms. Jill Musil, Josh Sylvie, and Mr. John Field
|
- Anthony Comicho, a first-time Special Olympics. athlete, took 7th place in the 50M run.
- Maggie Rogers, an RB grad who still participates with RB, took 4th in the Softball Throw.
- Josh Sylvie, who switched from Tennis Ball to Softball this year, took 6th in the Softball Throw.
We are all so proud of the efforts of our athletes and coaches, Ms. Jill Musil and Mr. John Fields.
Wrestling Team Member Accomplishments
In July 2015, Lilly Cortes (Class of 2015) competed in the Women's Freestyle National Championship in Fargo, North Dakota. She finished the tournament with a record of 6-3 and placed 6th out of 32 wrestlers, which earned her ASICS All-American status.
After the Individual Tournament, Lilly competed with Team Illinois in the Freestyle National Duals, in which Team Illinois placed 6th. Lilly went 5-1 and defeated 2 of the 3 girls who beat her previously.
 On June 6, 2015, Tommy Russell (Class of 2018), became the first male RB wrestler to qualify for The Illinois National Team in school history. He won the Regional Second Chance Qualifier at Sycamore HS by going 3-0, with 3 technical falls.
|
|
|
|
Staff Recognition
|
|
|
RB welcomes our new teachers below.
Pictured: Front Row:
Danielle Drumm (LADSE teacher), Madelyn Doyle (Wellness),
Carolyn
Tomecek (English), and Louis Hidalgo (Special Education)
Back Row: Dave Mannon (Assistant Principal), Mark Ori (Special Education), Lanette Niemann (Social Science),
Marc Helgeson (English), and Kyle Boyd (science).
Not pictured: Emma Jarrell (Mathematics).
New staff not pictured: Colleen Corning (Paraprofessional), Mirna Colella (Security), Tom Fitzer (Social Work Maternity Leave), Miguel Garcia (ELL Aide), Katey Groya (School Psychologist 2), Emily Laabs (Social Worker - Intern), Tom McCloskey (Paraprofessional), Keith Miller (Paraprofessional), Sarah Pajkos (Counselor - Intern), Colleen Stahnke (Paraprofessional), Mary Tobolski (Counselor - Intern), Catherine Tomasek (Paraprofessional), and Pushpa Winbush (School Psychologist).
|
|
|
|
|
|
Excellence and Ethics
in Education
|
|
|
|
Important Dates
Please check our website for the dates and locations of all performances and events.
|
|
________________________
|
September 3
ELL Parent Education Information Meeting
6:30-8:30 p.m.
RBHS Library - Room 254
September 7
Labor Day Holiday
Non Attendance Day
September 9
Jostens Assemblies and Student Association Speeches
Extended 2nd Hour
September 12
Von Steuben Day Parade
September 14
P.T.O. meeting
7 p.m.
Lehotsky Room 201
September 16
Jostens Collecting Sophomore Class Ring Orders
Lunch period
Student Cafeteria
September 17 and
September 24
Jostens Collecting Senior Cap/Gown and Graduation Orders
Lunch period
Student Cafeteria
September 26
RB Jazz Orchestra
9:30 a.m.
Brookfield Arts Festival
September 29
Yearbook Photo Retakes
During school hours
Alumni Lounge
October 1
Fall Orchestra Festival Concert
7 p.m.
Auditorium
October 2
Homecoming Pep Rally
7th period
Main Gym
October 2
Varsity Homecoming Football Game
7 p.m.
The New Kennelly Athletic Complex.
October 3
Homecoming Dance
7 p.m. - 10 p.m.
Main Gym
|
|
|
|
|
Contact Us
|
|
|
See our website for individual staff email addresses
|
|
|
|
|
|
