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Good afternoon, Pirate families,

This is Dr. Woods-Weeks calling with the first weekly update of the 2024-2025 school year. Wow! It is hard to believe that summer has ended! And what a busy summer it was.

A heartfelt thank you to our PTA, Booster Club, parents, administrators, faculty/staff, students, and everyone who came out to make our Open House/Back to school night an amazing event. None of this would be possible without you.

We are super excited about the beginning of the new school year. The first day of school for students is Monday, August 26, 2024. School begins each day at 9:15 a.m. and ends at 4:15 p.m. Students will not be allowed to enter the building until 8:45 a.m.

Breakfast/Lunch
Breakfast and lunch will be served daily at no cost to students. DPS offers free breakfast and lunch for everyone this year!

New Faculty/Staff Members
Joining the RHS team this year are: Justin Walker (Restorative Practice Coordinator); Kelli Zwickle-Cheek (Data Manager); Nancy Sosa (Front Office); Quincy Ratcliff (Counselor); Christopher Mayshack (CTE/Basketball Coach); Shirley Kelly (English/Yearbook); Raymond Cordova (AVID Coordinator/Teacher)); Felix Lii Bullos (Science); Alvin De Leon (Science); Ben Drugatz (Science); Michelle Famor (Science); Akanke Mason-Hogans (Science); Amy Kingsley ( Math); Brendan Mejos (Math); Karen Pierce (Math); Robert Stocking (Math); Claire Soules (ESL); Alvaro Garzon (ESL); Samala Dawson-Robinson (EC); Elan Locklear (EC); Will Holderfield (EC); Tony Mellon (EC); Sabrina Green (Job Coach); and M.Sgt. Candis McPherson (JROTC).

Schedules 
On Monday, all students will report to their first period class. Schedules will be distributed by teachers in first period. To assist with identifying your first period class, student names and first period teacher names are posted in the main hallway upstairs and the main hallway downstairs.

Bus Routes
Bus route information can be located on your student/parent PowerSchool portal https://www.dpsnc.net/Page/7473 (School code: 365) and Edulog. You can get information about school buses in real-time. The Edulog Parent Portal App allows parents and caregivers to track bus location and arrival times. To download the app, visit the App Store or Google Play on your smartphone and search for Edulog Parent Portal. View more information. Once you have created your account, click add student. Please ensure you have spelled your student’s first and last name as stated in PowerSchool.

If you do not see your student’s route information after Monday, August 26, 2024, please ensure you have requested transportation through your PowerSchool account. Allow up to 10 business days for your student to be routed. If you still do not see your student’s bus information after 10 days post request, fill out the 24-25 Request a bus form. https://forms.gle/kiYMRUN2UNVx5pkr9.
Visit gotriangle.org to get a list of GoDurham bus stops, if you're interested in your student riding a city bus. GoDurham buses are not affiliated with Durham Public Schools.

If you need to appeal your student bus stop, fill out the school bus appeal request form.  https://drive.google.com/file/d/1maefqPq3cXS4vk5CjuUhOBFwQV7XwVDU/view?usp=sharing . Return the form to dpstransportation@dpsnc.net.

Athletics
This week in athletics: Congratulations to the Women's Field Hockey team who won their season opener against Cape Fear. They are now 1-0. Congratulations to the Men's Soccer team as they defeated Orange and A. L. Brown last week.  Also, congratulations to the Football team as they defeated Northwood.
This week we will host Women's Tennis vs Saint Mary's on Tuesday, August 27th. The match is set for 4:30 pm. Wednesday, August 28th the Men's Soccer team will host Sanderson High School, with JV playing at 5:00 pm and Varsity at 6:45 pm. The volleyball team takes on Sanderson with JV playing at 5:00 pm and Varsity at 6:15 pm on August 29th. Women's Field Hockey will host Regan High School at 6:00 pm on August 29th.   Friday, the Varsity Football team will face off against Sanderson High School at 7:00 pm. The theme for Friday's game is RED, WHITE, and BLUE, so show up to support your team!

Volunteers Needed
We need your help! Please sign up to Volunteer at a game. See the direct link below for all sign-ups to volunteer for all contests.
https://riversideathleticzone.com/volunteer-sign-up/

Tickets and Season Pass Information: Please be reminded all DPS schools observe a (Clear Bag Policy).  Elementary and middle school-age children must be accompanied by an adult to attend all Athletic Events.

As a reminder, please complete the Back-to-School form if you have not already done so.

As we embark on this new school year, please know that our doors are always open. If you have any questions, concerns, or simply want to share your thoughts, do not hesitate to reach out. An unvoiced concern is an unheard concern. Let's keep the main thing the main thing.

Here’s to a fantastic year ahead filled with learning, growth, and achievement. Let’s make this school year one of the best yet! Roll Pirates Roll!