Welcome to this week's edition of our RHS Weekly News! We're excited to share the latest happenings and updates from our school community to keep you informed and engaged. There are so many resources in here - please make sure to check it out!
Principal Message
Dear RHS Families:
Welcome to Trimester 2! We are happy to celebrate that our students did very well in trimester 1, and have eased into trimester 2 with smiling faces! Our attendance rates are the highest they've been in 3 years, and that's making a difference in our academic achievement as well. Keep up the great work!
Please see additional information in this newsletter regarding:
New Student Announcements Quick Link
Family Hub Quick Link
Cans Across the Campus Food Drive
Upcoming Events
Pictures with Santa
Santa's Workshop
Fall Play - The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe
Panther Nation News
Perfect Attendance/No Tardies for November
RSD Thriving Student - Hayden Manchas
Panther Pride Awards, and more!
Please scroll through the whole newsletter for important information!
We now have an active link for our Daily Student Announcements. Check it out to see what's going on everyday at RHS! Click the orange bar below!
Family HUB
This is an outstanding resource for our families, where you find almost anything you need, right on this link! Bell schedules, calendars, technology resources, nutrition services, school safety information, and more!
We are partnering with Hugh Hartman and the transportation department for a Food Drive. The goal is to fill a bus with food for those who need it. We’ll do a human chain on December 17th during mentor period, from each of our schools to the bus barn, and will pass bags of food to the leadership students who will pack the bus. All students and staff will receive a plastic bag on with the hopes of having everyone bring them back with one or more items. Please fill up a bag if you can and please encourage your students to help. Donations will be accepted at the front desk at RHS through December 16th!
It's also a 3rd period class competition!
Upcoming Events
Dec. 7 - Pictures with Santa, 1-5PM (See Flyer below)
Dec. 9 - ASVAB testing, 9:00am, Room A140
Dec. 11, 12 - Fall Play - 7:00pm
Dec. 13 - Fall Play - 2:30, 7:00pm
Dec 15-19 - Winter Spirit Week
Dec. 17 - Cans Across the Campus during mentor period; Santa’s Workshop 3:00-7:00pm
Dec. 22-Jan. 4 - Winter Break
Jan. 5 - Return from Break - Happy New Year!
Upcoming Home Athletic Events
Dec. 6th - Swimming Relays at Cascade Swim Center (12:15)
Dec. 11th - Girls Basketball vs. Central Catholic JV/Frosh 5PM, Varsity 7PM
Toy Drive for Santa's Workshop
We need your help!
We are having a Toy Drive at RHS to help our community members have an awesome Christmas. We need donations of toys for children. Details are below. You can bring your gift donations to the front desk and we will get them to our Redmond families. THANK YOU!
Panther Nation News
Perfect Attendance & No Tardies in November!
We had 185 students who had perfect attendance and no tardies in November! We celebrated them with hot chocolate and candy canes! Keep up the great work!
Thriving Student - Hayden Manchas
Hayden Manchas, a senior and Panther Tech student at Redmond High School, was nominated for our RSD Thriving Students feature after an impressive win at the college-level Gunderson Marine Welding competition. Competing against more than 40 college students, Hayden took first place and earned a $1,000 scholarship—an inspiring example of skill, determination, and the strength of our career-technical programs.
Hayden said, "The competition was about testing my skills against people who are at a higher skill level — adults who are well trained. Being the underdog and taking first place meant a lot."
He added, "This win feels like the culmination of four years of hard work and training. Panther Tech and my instructors gave me opportunities I wouldn't have had otherwise — without these classes I wouldn't be where I am today."
Hayden concluded, "Learning from these teachers is a gift. If you take what you're given and maximize it, you can make a lot out of it — just like some of my friends who are now in the workforce and doing well. Getting offered this chance was really meaningful."
Panther PRIDE Recognition
The following students have been recognized by staff for exemplary demonstration of the core values of Panther PRIDE (Participation, Relationships, Integrity, Determination, Excellence)
Jacob Wilkerson, Kirra White, Jack Casselman, Eduardo Saldana-Alvara, Quinn Kirkpatrick, Cash Satterlee, Zach Taylor
Poetry Out Loud
Redmond High School - Leadership Can and Bottle Drop
Please help RHS by donating today! We will take bottles and cans!
Oregon Health Insurance Marketplace
Open enrollment is from November 1st - January 15th
Absences/Tardies
Per state law, absences can only be excused for the following reasons: illness, educational/occupational interviews, quarantine, bereavement or serious illness in the family, inclement weather, religious instruction or emergencies. Absences will only be excused if the school is notified the day before the absence, the day of the absence, or the day that the student returns to school. You must give a reason for an absence. Note: Vacations are not considered an excused absence.
Checking In and Checking Out- When it is necessary for students to leave campus during the school day, they must present a note from the parent to the Attendance Office requesting the release from classes. These check out requests are to be made before the absence. Failure to check out will be treated as an unexcused absence (skipping school). Calling in after a tardy sweep to say a student had an appointment is not acceptable; please call before the appointment and have the student pick up a pass to leave the building. Checking out to avoid attending school assemblies or to avoid a Tardy Sweep consequence is not allowed. Students must check out AND check in to avoid being marked absent or tardy. If a student has an unexcused absence after a sweep, they will also receive a lunch detention.
Attendance Office Number: 541-923-4805.
IMPORTANT NOTE:
Extracurricular Participation and Social Events- Participation in extracurricular school events (e.g. school dances, prom, rooter/fan buses, field trips, clubs, etc.) is a privilege and an important part of the high school experience. In order to attend such events, the following must occur – Students must have 85% attendance each trimester, no more than 10 tardies per trimester and no major behavior incidents. Students may file an appeal with the Dean, should there be extenuating circumstances.
We will be implementing the use of random "Tardy Sweeps" this school year. When we do a sweep," if a student is late to class, teachers will close their doors and students will not be admitted unless they have a pass. Students without a pass will be brought to the auditorium where they will alert you they were caught being tardy, and that they will have a lunch detention the next time we do detentions. We will allow students to get a free meal in the commons, but they will then report to the auditorium for detention and will not be allowed to leave campus. Multiple tardies will result in exclusion from social and extracurricular activities (see above). We value our teachers' classroom time and students must be on time. School STARTS at 7:30 and students should be in their classrooms by 7:30 am. Tardy sweeps can occur any day, any time, including first period!
In accordance with Governor's Executive Order 25-09, Redmond School District (RSD) prohibits the use of personal electronic devices during regular instructional hours. This "bell to bell" policy ensures a focused learning environment while minimizing classroom disruptions.
Educational Purpose
This policy supports our commitment to:
Creating distraction-free learning environments
Promoting face-to-face social interaction
Developing healthy technology habits
Ensuring equal access to learning opportunities
Maintaining school safety and security
Implementation
This policy takes effect at the beginning of the 2025-26 school year. Information will be shared in Student Handbooks, in Parent and Student Vue, and on school websites.
Covered Devices
This policy applies to all personal electronic devices including:
Cell phones and smartphones
Smartwatches and fitness trackers
Smart glasses and AR/VR devices
Bluetooth earbuds and wireless headphones
Tablets and personal iPads
Gaming devices and handheld consoles
Portable music players
Cameras and recording devices
Any other internet-connected personal device
Bell-to-Bell Prohibition
When devices are prohibited: Personal electronic devices may not be used from the start of regular instructional hours until the end of the school day. This includes 7:30-2:20 (M-T-TH-F) and 7:30-1:20 (W). This also includes passing periods and on-campus lunch.
Required storage: All personal electronic devices must be:
Turned off or placed in silent mode.
Stored securely in backpacks, lockers, fanny packs, or designated classroom storage areas.
Cannot be stored on a person, i.e, pockets, etc.
Kept out of sight during instructional hours.
Teachers may require students to leave personal items such as backpacks or fanny packs/purses in a designated spot in the classroom where students can only access with permission once class has started and then at the end of class.
Student Technology Access
Students have access to district-issued Chromebooks for all educational technology needs, including:
Safe internet access for research and learning
Productivity tools and applications
School email for academic communication
Digital learning platforms and resources
Emergency Communication
For parents/guardians: If you need to contact your student during school hours, please call the school's main office. Our staff will ensure urgent messages reach your student promptly.
For students: In case of emergency, students should notify a teacher or staff member who will facilitate necessary communication.
Consequences for Violations
RSD is committed to maintaining instructional time. Consequences for policy violations are designed to be educational rather than punitive and will not result in students losing class time. If a student violates the policy but with another student’s electronic device, the same process and consequences apply to the student.
Student Handbook
Our Student Handbook can be found on this link. This includes all of our school rules, consequences, guidelines, etc. Check it out!
Schedule changes will only be considered if a mistake was made in scheduling. Dropping classes because a student "changed their mind" or "doesn't want a specific teacher" will not be considered. We will consider all extenuating circumstances. Please reach out to your counselor! If you have a mistake on your schedule, use this QR code for a link to a Google Form. Your counselor will review and call you in to discuss.
Parent Square Access
We use Parent Square to communicate to our families. Please make sure you have downloaded the app and signed up for important information from RHS throughout the year!
Here are some technology resources and what they do at RHS:
CANVAS: Students use this every day for their classes. You can find the daily agenda, course syllabus, assignments, grades, and feedback. It shows what work is missing and what has been turned in. To learn more about Canvas and to set up an account, follow these steps: Canvas. Once you have an account, you can log in here: Canvas Parent Login. Note: Canvas will also show student grades, but ParentVue is what we use for athletic eligibility, progress reports and report cards.
ParentVUE and Student VUE: You can use this to see updated grades, daily attendance and tardies. You can check this 24/7, and it has the official grades for the trimester. To have access to official grades, follow these steps: ParentVUE Access. Students have this link in the bookmarks on their computers. You can download the app as well. See directions above.
ParentSquare/StudentSquare: This is our email system for attendance notifications and another other news from the school. Administrators, teachers and coaches all use this to communicate with families. Once you are enrolled at RHS, your enrollment into ParentSquare is automatic and you should be getting email notifications from us.
Call us at 923-4800 if you are having trouble. We can help!
This is an excellent resource for all of you. This app is a resource and tool for any youth needing support for themselves or a friend (includes easy links for Youth Line, Safe Oregon, 988, Lines for Life as well as tons of other useful resources). https://www.firststeporegon.org/
Redmond School District is committed to equal opportunity and non-discrimination in all of its educational and employment activities.
The District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, disability or age in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.
The following individuals have been designated to handle inquiries regarding non-discrimination:
District 504 Contact:
Tami Nakamura, Executive Director of Student Services | Email | (541) 923-8258
District Title VI, Title IX, Age Discrimination & American Disabilities Act Contact:
Kelly Hicks, Director of Human Resources | Email | (541) 923-8922
Heather Petersen, Assistant Director of Human Resources/DEI Specialist | Email | (541) 923-8924
