Rock Ridge High School PTSO

HOST FAMILIES NEEDED!

· Families needed to host students from Austria from 10/26 – 11/5!

· RRHS students earn over 200+ service hours and hosting a student from another country is an enriching experience for all!

· Austrian students will attend school at RRHS daily and have special outings planned for some of that time. On weekends, do your usual thing and allow the student to tag along experiencing life in the US!

· Sign up using QR code – Questions please contact: Herr Reimert, RRHS German Teacher at [email protected]

Whether you're le***an, gay, bisexual, transgender, non-binary, q***r, questioning, asexual, intersex, or Two-Spirit, be proud of who you are!

The PTSO invites your support for LGBTQIA+ equality this National Coming Out Day!

National Coming Out Day was first observed on October 11, 1988, on the anniversary of the National March on Washington for Le***an and Gay Rights as a reminder that one of the most basic tools is the power of coming out.

In honor of National Coming Out Day, the PTSO celebrates all who have come out as LGBTQIA+. Coming out as LGBTQIA+ STILL MATTERS. These stories can be powerful for each other.

When people know someone who is LGBTQIA+, they are far more likely to support equality under the law.

The PTSO invites you to change hearts and minds and create a lasting impact on our community!

+ ***r
🌈

Let us take time to honor our indigenous individuals and communities and celebrate their rich diversity and culture!

The PTSO invites you to help support the volleyball team’s fundraiser by ordering food (lunch, dinner, or late night snack - or all of the above 😋) throughout Tuesday, October 4th, 10:30 AM - 10:00 PM, from Scotto’s Rigatoni Grill & be sure to tell them you are supporting ROCK RIDGE VOLLEYBALL! 🏐🍕🍝🏐

SAT & ACT PREP COURSE – TURBO TUTORING

Is your child looking to take the SAT or ACT this year?

Our award winning PTSO partner Turbo Tutoring is offering several prep options coming up, including 2 class options this month!

· Turbo Tutoring offers private, 1-on-1 prep classes for both the ACT or the SAT.

· Our PTSO gets a percentage back for each RRHS student who attends!

· The course aims to help students feel more prepared to take the SAT/ACT, and have a confidence going into the test to succeed at their highest level of ability.

· Check out their prep class date options here:

https://turbo-tutoring.com/act-sat-class-registration/

Jordan Markwood, Choral Director & Fine Arts Department Chair of Rock Ridge High School & faithful PTSO member, was honored at Nat's Park and on Kelly Clarkson Show (Tune in October 5th!) Up next - dinner at the Governor's mansion September 30th!

Why all the fuss?

- Loudoun County’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

- The Washington Post’s 2022 Teacher of the Year

- 2023 Region 4 Teacher of the Year

(Region 4 encompasses school divisions in the counties of Arlington, Clarke, Culpeper, Fairfax, Fauquier, Frederick, Loudoun, Madison, Orange, Page, Prince William, Rappahanock, Shenandoah and Warren and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, Manassas, Manassas Park and Wi******er.)

- Mr. Markwood is now one of eight finalists for the 2023 Virginia Teacher of the Year Award. The Virginia Teacher of the Year becomes a nominee for the National Teacher of the Year.

In a testament to how beloved Mr. Markwood is, his Teacher of the Year nomination package included input from more than 115 people, including 44 LCPS educators, 25 of whom are music educators; nine choral directors from across the region and state; students; parents; families; and 29 individuals from his church and the community, according to LCPS.

The PTSO salutes Jordan Markwood! KUDOS! ♥️🥳🙌🎉👏🥳♥️

Rock Ridge High School has been selected to receive the 2022 Cognia Schools of Distinction Award.

The PTSO wishes to congratulate Principal Duellman, his administration, teachers, and staff for this amazing honor!

The Cognia award recognizes schools that exemplify excellence in education, as demonstrated in meeting the Cognia Performance Standards, and we are proud to have Rock Ridge recognized!

Rock Ridge is the only school in Virginia to receive this honor.
The award is the result of an outstanding 2021–22 Accreditation Engagement Review with Cognia.

Member institutions in Cognia’s Global Network participate in a rigorous evaluation process that includes a period of self-assessment; an evaluation conducted by trained external, third-party evaluators; and an improvement phase focused on the results of the evaluation. Once an institution is accredited, it engages in a similar engagement review every five years to maintain accreditation.

Cognia is a global, nonprofit improvement organization dedicated to helping institutions and other education providers grow learners, teachers and leaders. Serving 36,000 public and private institutions from early learning through high school in more than 85 countries, Cognia brings a global perspective to advancing teaching and learning.

Congratulations to Yug Kolla, Rock Ridge Cross Country Varsity runner, for finishing 3rd in the Asha Jyothi 5K & 2nd in Best Runners 5K. 🙌🔥🙌

Thank you to those who came out in support of this fundraiser event! And a special thank you to Asha Jyothi for their generous support of Rock Ridge and to Sarath Kolla, Co-VP of Fundraising for RRHS PTSO, for making our participation possible! 🙏🏼

Sign up now for the 1K & 5K thru Asha Jyothi this Sunday, 9/18 at 8 AM! Be sure to select Rock Ridge High School under schools option as Rock Ridge receives 100% of all registrations on behalf of the school! This is an amazingly generous offer so sign up everyone you know!!! 🏃🏾‍♀️ 🏃🏽‍♂️ 🏃🏽

Thank you to Amarendar Athikam, PTSO VP of Fundraising, for inviting Rock Ridge to partake in the Best Runners USA Run for Charity event & for the work you do as a member of their board!

What an amazing organization doing tremendous work for those in need!

Thank you as well to Sarath Kolla, our other VP of Fundraising, who also helped promote this event & came out with his entire family to run (although one son missed our photo getting prepped for the race)! It was a fun day!

Let us all honor this day of remembrance and celebrate the ongoing dedication of our first responders!

Sign up NOW for the 5K run / walk this Saturday!!! 100% of proceeds earned with ROCKRIDGE code is being donated back to Rock Ridge PTSO!

Join us for the 1st PTSO meeting of the new school year! Learn about the WINGS mentoring program, what the PTSO has planned, and how you might get involved!

Meeting in person on Thursday, 9/1 at 7 PM in RRHS library or via Zoom (link found within the PTSO newsletter from Principal Duellman).

Time to tailgate at today’s Tropical Out! Gather for fun, friends, and then football! 🏈🌺🌴🦩🌺🏈

Freshman Scoop Day was a fabulous success with many new faces and families gracing the halls of Rock Ridge and even Rocky made an appearance!

Kudos to Assistant Principal Dawn Dickerson for arranging a fun and informative session and to the myriad group of student volunteers helping out including SCA, WINGS mentors, & yearbook staff!

Thanks to the student volunteers, all of whom are students at Independence High School, who came out today as part of Rock Ridge’s Freshman Scoop Day on behalf of Best Runners to recruit freshman students & families to participate in the upcoming 5K & even helped pass out PTSO flyers and wristbands! Such a great group of students!!!

Welcome Back!!! 🥳
Let’s get this year started! 🙌
The PTSO is excited to welcome students, teachers & staff, as well as families to the start of the 2022 - 2023 school year! Let’s ROCK STRONG as the PHOENIX is RISING! 🔥🔥🔥

Sign up now to support RRHS PTSO!

Sign up now to support RRHS PTSO!

Looking for ways your student can become more involved next year?! Studies prove belonging to even one club, sport or activity boosts mental health by increasing a feeling of connection, belonging and balance, thereby reducing stress, social anxiety, learning soft skills and more! RRHS has over 75 clubs that you & your student will hear more about in the coming weeks. In the meantime, listen to Justin Ratcliffe, Band Director tell about the amazing opportunities in Band, colorguard and anyone interested in learning an instrument. No experience necessary!

https://vimeo.com/705893637/fbe6bd47d6

And, check out and click on "photos" to get glimpse of the wonderful opportunity and community of students who participate in Band provides:)

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Volunteers needed this weekend to help with 6 RRPA Lion King Jr shows! Students welcome to help but we also need more parents to work the registers/ iPad devices.

Great way for new families to meet others! Super FUN and easy. Grab a friend and sign up now! Thanks in advance!

https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10c0f4eabaf29a1f5c70-rrpa3

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ACT NOW only 9 more spots for Aug 23rd class. Taking the SAT's in August & you're not sure how to fit in some prep time? This 2 1/2 hour class PACKS A LOT IN especially how to identify what the question is asking and how to quickly narrow the choices! Students rave about how this one short class boosted their confidence for this often dreaded test. Read testimonials from dozens of students on their site!

Want a more comprehensive class to boost your knowledge and scores?

Check out their small group class starting on 8/8 @ SBHS

http://turbo-tutoring.com/act-sat-class-registration/

You heard it here!

Come Join the RRHS Color Guards and award-winning marching band! No experience is required, Tryouts are on August 1st at 9am, pre-register by emailing [email protected]. Please reach out if you have any questions.

PSA for those families who pre-ordered graduation flowers. Please remember to pick up your flowers BEFORE ENTRY into the stadium.

Senior Signs that were preordered and not picked up will also be there to pick up.

Thank you for your support of our Senior class and the PTSO:)