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Good afternoon RHS families,

This is Dr. Woods-Weeks calling with the weekly update. Please join me in congratulating our Beginning Teacher of the Year, Ms. Abby Woods. Good luck to you Ms. Woods as you advance to the next level of the competition. Congratulations!

Shout out to the students in the Music in Schools’ Concert last Friday evening. All students had exceptional performances. Hats off to everyone!

Congratulations to sophomore Gwyneth Bernhardt and freshman Jesse May, who performed in this year's Eastern Region Orchestra last weekend at ECU.

Also, congratulations to Genesis Crawford for being crowned Miss Jabberwock 2024 this past Saturday evening.

Finally, congratulations to the Riverside Baseball, Softball, and Tennis teams for going undefeated this week and setting the stage for spring sports.

Next, the districts Early Release Day is Friday March 8, 2024. School will be dismissed at 2:00 p.m. Govern yourselves accordingly.

PTA
Join us for our next PTA Meeting, Tuesday March 5th at 6:30pm in the Media Center.  All are welcome!

The second SEMESTER benchmark testing window (“MOY”) continues - March 6th.  95% participation and above is our goal.

ACCESS for ELLs
This is the FINAL PUSH for completing ACCESS testing! The window for ACCESS testing closes on March 8, 2024.  All EL students must test.

2024 Spring WorkKeys
The ACT WorkKeys assessment is administered twice a year - once in the fall and once in the spring. All 12th grade CTE concentrators must take the WorkKeys assessment during one of the windows. This year, the window for the SPRING WorkKeys. assessment is February 19th-March 15th. Mark your calendar and govern yourselves accordingly.

COUNSELOR’S CORNER
As a reminder:

Fall registration for the 2024-2025 school year continues through March 11, 2024. Students who have not yet completed the process should continue to check their email and Canvas accounts for messages from their counselor. All students received their registration sheets with core recommendations in their email. The registration sheets contained instructions on the registration process; however, students are not expected to register independently. Students who do not attend their registration meeting will have courses selected for them. Experienced students may choose to complete their registration independently; however, meeting with your counselor is a requirement to review course selections for next year.  Students we have a small window of opportunity to complete registration. Do your part! Own your learning.

COLLEGE ADVISING

IMPORTANT UPDATE!

DPS Foundation Scholarships Application is due Monday, March 4th. The deadline to submit recommendation letters is April 5th. You can access the scholarship here. See other important updates below.

If you have already completed your FAFSA Form:
The US Department of Education recently announced that due to the extensive updates to the FAFSA, schools will not receive FAFSA information until mid-March. Schools expect to begin making financial aid offers for newly admitted students in early April.

If you have NOT already completed your FAFSA Form:

The 2024-2025 FAFSA application is now available. If you need help completing the form, please see Ms. Harris as soon as possible to get started. Students must have an SSN to be eligible for federal student aid, however, there may be other opportunities to receive other forms of financial aid. Parents who do not have an SSN can still create an FSA ID.

To ensure that you are prepared to complete the form, have the following materials accessible when applying:

- Laptop
- SSN
- 2022 Tax Information
- Records of child support received (if applicable)
- Current balances of cash, savings, and checking accounts
- Net worth of investments, businesses, and farm

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Wednesday, March 6th at 10:30 AM-2:30 PM: College Trip to UNC Chapel Hill
      - This opportunity if only for Seniors that have applied to UNC Chapel Hill and Juniors. If you have been approved for the trip by Ms. Harris, please pick up a permission slip from her office. The cost of the trip is $10, and this will cover lunch and transportation. Please turn in your permission slip by Monday, March 4th, 2024.

Monday, March 18th at 11:00 AM-3:00 PM: College Trip to NC State
      - This opportunity if only for Seniors that have applied to NC State and Juniors. If you are interested in attending, please complete the interest form here. Completion of the form does not guarantee a spot on the trip. You must meet the minimum requirements. Please see Ms. Harris with any questions.

Friday, April 5th at 12:00 PM - 1:30 PM: College and Career Fair
•    Riverside High School with be hosting a Spring College and Career Fair. Several NC public and private schools will be present. Stay tuned for more details to come.

SCHOLARSHIP ALERT: The title of each scholarship application is hyperlinked with more information

Durham Promise Scholarship
•    All students who apply for a scholarship through DPS Foundation are automatically entered into consideration for a Durham Promise award. The Durham Promise will be awarded to one graduating senior in each senior high school in the Durham Public Schools System in the amount of $3,000 (non-renewable). Eligible students must be graduating seniors who expect to enroll in a post-secondary institution in the fall. A minimum 2.5 GPA is required.   

Andrew Edward Crabtree Scholarship
·             Available for seniors at Riverside High School in the amount of $5,000 (non-renewable). Eligible students should demonstrate a strong and significant interest, proficiency, passion and participation in drama, choral music, history, or creative writing. A minimum 2.75 GPA is required. Deadline is March 4th, 2024.
     

2023-2024 Noz Scholarship
o        This scholarship is in honor and memory of one of Ms. Laura Brady's best friends, Nick. Nick was her biggest supporter throughout high school and college, a constant reminder to resist being average, live in absolutes, and the invaluable importance of persistence. His passing left an indelible mark on the world. This scholarship is awarded to a student who demonstrates leadership inside and outside of the classroom and strong character. Eligible candidates should be driven, curious, and persistent. Deadline is March 4th at 11:59.
Other Scholarship Opportunities
·                DPS Foundation Scholarships - Due March 4th
•    Durham Alumni Chapter of NC A&T Scholarship - Due March 29th
•    Durham Civitan Withrow Scholarship - Due April 26th
•    R. Marjorie Thorpe Scholarship - Due April 8th
•    John Kirkman Honorary CTE Scholarship - Due March 8th
•    LeeAnn Tuttle-Thomas Memorial CTE Scholarship - Due March 8th
•    Buffalo Soldiers Motorcycle Club - Raleigh, NC - Due March 22nd
•    Webb Technology Scholarship - Due April 15th
•    Perry Scholarship Fund - Due April 12th

More Scholarship Search Engines
•    bullcityschools.award.spring.com
•    cfnc.org
•    nccommunityfoundation.org
•    fastweb.com
•    studentscholarships.org
•    trianglecf.org/students/scholarships-awards/

College Acceptances -Week of 2/26/24 (the class of 2024 has currently surpassed more than $7.2 million in scholarships offered!!)

•    Cameron Carlton – UNC Charlotte
•    Cameron Carlton – North Carolina A&T
•    Destiny Heath – Montclair State University - $12,000
•    Tate Gasch – Southern Methodist University – SMU
•    Yadira Martinez – Meredith College - $22,000
•    Elijah Pope – University of South Carolina
•    Francisco Forrester – Virginia Tech
•    Genesis Smith - Winston Salem State University

ATHLETICS UPDATE
Good luck to all the Riverside teams in their upcoming games this week! Let's keep up the winning streak! Go Pirates!

Congratulations to the Riverside Baseball, Softball, and Tennis teams who all went undefeated this week setting the stage for spring sports.  Sophomore Baseball player Ryan Dippolito was named the Athlete of the Week.  Ryan is a pitcher who has helped lead the Pirate Baseball team to 2-0 for the first time since 2016.  Riverside Softball defeated Cary High School 23-8 last week, with a standout performance by Sophomore Grace Arrington who hit an out-of-the-park home run to jumpstart the pirates. 

Monday March 4th - Riverside will host; Topsail High in Men's lacrosse, Softball will host Athens Drive, and Baseball will host Southern Durham All games are to be played at 6:00 pm.

Tuesday, March 5th - Softball will host Southern Durham. 

Wednesday March 6th - Baseball will host Cary JV at 5:00 p.m. and Varsity at 7:00 p.m. Soccer will host Walter Williams High, JV at 5:00 p.m., and Varsity at 6:45 pm. 

Thursday March 7th - Varsity Soccer will host Southern Alamance at 6:00 p.m., and Varsity Baseball will host Cardinal Gibbons at 6:00 p.m.

Friday March 8th - Softball will host Cardinal Gibbons at 6:00 p.m. and JV men's Lacrosse will host East Chapel Hill at 5:00 p.m.
Tickets can be purchased by card or online at TICKETS.  All DPS athletic events observe a "Clear Bag Only" policy in conjunction with no Re-Entry.  For more information about winter sports please visit https://riversideathleticzone.com/

That said, please continue to help us enforce the DPS Code of Conduct by ensuring that your student adheres to the rules, policies and procedures set forth. Students show your school pride by wearing our school colors on Friday. I will see each of you at the River tomorrow. Go forth and make it a great evening! Roll Pirates Roll! Thank you.