Russellville High School Principal's Report, April 4, 2020
By Ben Bruni, Principal, Russellville High School

Spring Break! ...and beyond 

Happy Spring Break, Panther Nation! The sun is coming back out and the weather is getting warmer and we have those things to be thankful for! Always good to look towards the positive in challenging times like these! We have lots of new information and happenings to share so please take a moment and read through these notes.  

As always, we would like to encourage you to use theRussellville High School NTI Dashboardto find school work, stay connected with the school, get updates both from the school and state, and have access to the many available resources currently in place. 

Everyone keeps saying NTI...what is that again? 

NTI stands for Non-Traditional Instruction. It is a program put in place by KY’s Kentucky Department of Education to allow schools to conduct educational services without students present in the building during times in which it is not in the best interest of student safety to be present in a school building. 

For more information on NTI Days you may click HERE to be linked to the Kentucky Department of Education website’s page regarding these days. 

The Current NTI Calendar for RISD

This is the current school calendar for Russellville Independent Schools from Monday, April 6 through Friday, May 8. Per the Governor’s recommendation, RISD will remain in NTI status through May 1.  

RHS Important Dates

Watch RISD Superintendent Flener’s State of the District from 4/2

CLICK HERE to watch Russellville Independent Superintendent Bart Flener address many happenings and issues in Russellville Schools as well as updates on district and state level next-steps.

RHS Building Hours and Meal Services  

• The RHS Front Office Hours

OPEN: 8:30 - 12:30, Monday, Wednesday, and Friday

(270) 726-8421

CLOSED: Tuesdays and Thursdays all day, M, W, and F after 12:30. 

• For any student/parent needs outside of the above listed days and times, you may contact the RISD Central Office at (270) 726-8405.

• The RISD Food Services Delivery team is providing meals to any student in RISD on Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays. On each day, two days worth of Breakfasts and Lunches will be delivered. For those wishing to receive delivery, you may submit that request HERE. 

• RISD will provide meal services during Spring Break

RHS NTI Days Policies Clarifications

• During Spring Break, there is to be NO WORK assigned by any teacher at RHS. Any long range projects assigned by teachers should not include Friday, April 3 - Sunday, April 12 in the due date/work timeline.

• Teachers are available Monday through Friday on all NTI designated days from 7:30am - 3:30pm for student/parent questions or assistance. Any time outside of those hours is teacher discretion if they wish to communicate.

• Students will not be penalized for any work that they do not complete that requires non-digital materials that were not provided by the school or based on limited digital capabilities. Our goal at RHS is not to adversely affect student grades during this time, but to also maintain a reasonable level of academic rigor. 

• Grades are being assigned weekly to all students working digitally. Please be sure to check Infinite Campus regularly.    

Need a Tutor? There are FREE ones ready to help! 

The Green River Regional Educational Cooperative (GRREC) is offering FREE online tutoring assistance to any student in need of help! To get some help, use this LINK to submit a request!

Graduation, Athletics, and Extracurriculars - Where we are now? 

Graduation - As of now, Graduation for the class of 2020 is still scheduled for Saturday, May 23 at 10 a.m. There is a VERY likely possibility that all in-person Graduation Ceremonies may be canceled state and even nationwide. RHS is aware of this and has begun the planning process for a virtual graduation if needed. With the months of April and May still to go, no final decisions have been made. RHS wants all Seniors and Senior parents to understand that we are going to do all that we can to provide them with the best allowable recognition of the culmination of their High School years.   

Athletics - The Kentucky High School Athletic Association (KHSAA) instituted a stop to all athletic activities for Middle and High Schools in KY. Currently, this stoppage entends until May 1 for all Spring sports. This stoppage includes any organized gathering or scheduled activities. There will be no practices, games, individual lessons, fundraisers or on-campus/ off-campus scheduled activities during this time. You may read the KHSAA rulingHERE. 

Extracurriculars - Per RISD Superintendent Bart Flener, all RISD Extracurriculars will practice the same stoppage guidelines issued by the KHSAA for athletics. 

• Prom - Prom is still scheduled for Saturday, May 16 - That said, students are encouraged to NOT make financial commitments to Prom (dresses, photo shoots, reservations) at this time. There is a realistic possibility that Prom will be canceled for 2020. A decision regarding the having or cancelation of Prom will be made by May 1 to allow time for returns or planning.   
• The Spring Musical - Mr. Brian Brown will be in touch with all Spring Musical participants regarding further details.  

Student Assistance - Family Needs 

For those families that have specific needs, the RISD Family Resource and Youth Services Center will continue to serve those needs. If you have specific needs such as clothing, household essentials, medical and dental care, food beyond those meals provided during the week, or any other child based need, please don’t hesitate to contact RHS YSC Coordinator, 

Mrs. Debbie Browder 

debbie.browder@russellville.kyschools.us 

(270) 726-4799. 

KY Eliminates K-PREP and Accountability Testing for 2019-20

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) has officially removed the requirement for accountability testing for KY Public Schools for the 2019 - ‘20 school year. 

For RHS, this eliminates: 

Sophomore testing in the areas of Math and English.

Junior testing in the areas of Science and On-Demand Writing.  

Student Lockers  

RHS is aware that student lockers are currently still housing many student personal items. While RHS is still holding on to the hope that we will return to school, we understand that there is a possibility that students may not re-enter the building until the 2020 - ‘21 school year. In the event that a student wishes to have their personal items removed from their school locker they may take the following steps:

Step 1 - Fill out THIS LOCKER REQUEST FORM online

Step 2 - The school will remove all personal items from the locker and place them in a plastic bag. Any school items will be kept by the school 

Step 3 - The school will contact you to alert you that your items may be picked up in the RHS lobby. 

Step 4 - You will have one week to pick up items once a call has been placed before those items will be discarded. 

Any student who wishes to have their personal items remain in their locker until the last week of school may do so and those items will NOT be disturbed or discarded unless RHS is otherwise directed by governing officials.  

Keep Up with RHS and RISD on Social Media 

You can keep up with all RHS and RISD Social Media as well school slideshows and student writing HERE.