Week of February 21

Weekly Schedule:

Announcements

• There is no school on Monday, February 21st in celebration of Presidents' Day.
• All tickets for postseason tournament games/matches are purchased online at https://www.ohsaa.org/tickets.
• Jostens will be here on Thursday, February 24th during both lunches to distribute Senior Graduation Announcement orders.
• Tuesday, March 1st is a testing day for juniors and freshmen. Please note the following schedule:
  - Freshmen: Will take the Math, ELA and Social Studies IOWA tests. Freshmen will dismiss at noon (12:00 pm).
  - Sophomores: No school
  - Juniors: Will take the ACT. Juniors will dismiss at noon (12:00 pm)
  - Seniors: No school
  After school study tables will be available in the cafeteria after testing until 1:00 pm for those awaiting rides. The Fitness Center is closed.
• College Information Night. Mark your calendars for Tuesday, March 1st. The Guidance Office will be hosting College Information Night for all juniors and their parents and guardians. The program will be virtual and information about registering can be found in the Guidance Department section below. There will be presentations on four-year colleges, two-year colleges, and the financial aid process as well as information about Naviance and the Common App. All juniors will receive the College Planning Handbook prior to March 1st.
• The school will be celebrating Ash Wednesday on Wednesday, March 2nd.
• Senior Assisi Scholars and their parents will have a meeting on Thursday, March 3rd at 7:00 pm in the ITC to discuss the upcoming pilgrimage to Italy in April, 2022.
• Shantytown will be held on Friday, March 11th at Roger Bacon for juniors and seniors only. Applications are outside the Spiritual Life Office and are due on Monday, March 7th.
• Registrations for the 2022/23 school year have been mailed. The due date for them to be returned to the Business Office is Friday, March 11th. If you have any questions, please contact Mary Beth Hausfeld at mhausfeld@rogerbacon.org.
  
• The next PTO meeting will be on Tuesday, March 8th at 7:00 pm in the ITC.
• Student Senate will be hosting a Sadie Hawkins dance in the Fogarty Center on March 19th from 8:00 -10:30 pm. All Roger Bacon students are permitted to come. Non-Roger Bacon students are also permitted to come, but must have the proper permission slip. Tickets will go on sale the week before the dance - prices will be determined closer to the date. If you are purchasing a ticket for a non-RB student, you must have their permission slip.
  
• Attention Juniors – All seniors for the 2022/23 school year will need proof of two doses of the Meningococcal (MCV4) vaccine by September, 2022. One dose is acceptable if it was received after age 16. Please have an updated immunization record sent to the nurse. Contact our school nurse, Karin Herold, at kherold@rogerbacon.org with any questions.
• The St. Bernard Aquatic Center is in need of pool attendants and life guards for the upcoming summer season. Applications are available on the Village of St. Bernard website (cityofstbernard.org/recreation) or you can contact Cheryl Abrams at 513-482-7499. You must be 14 years of age to apply. If you are age 14 or 15, you must obtain an Ohio Work Permit. If you are interested, please fill out your application as soon as possible!

Scholarships for Underclassmen

There are several scholarships available for next school year ranging from $1,000 to FULL-TUITION. Each scholarship requires a separate application due by April 4^th. Applications and criteria are listed on the Guidance website or by clicking here.

Available Scholarships

Donald A. Miller Endowed Scholarship (NEW THIS YEAR) – open to current juniors.

Willard “Red” and Mary Stoll Family Endowed Scholarship (NEW THIS YEAR) – open to all students.

Our Lady of Angels Scholarship – open to current freshmen and sophomore female students.

Vincent M. Kathman Alumni Scholarship – open to current juniors.

Spartan Achievement Award Scholarship – open to current juniors.

Class of 1952 Scholarship – open to current freshmen and sophomores.

Class of 1965 – open to all freshmen, sophomores, and juniors.

Class of 1969 – open to all juniors.

Patrick Wolterman Memorial Scholarship – open to current juniors.

Paul and Naomi Thomas Scholarship – open to current sophomores.

Community Outreach

2022 Shantytown

Shantytown will be held on Friday, March 11th until the early morning hours on Saturday, March 12th. The schedule of events is as follows:

Friday, March 11th

6:00 pm: Welcome and Introduction to the Shantytown - Cafeteria
6:10 pm: Small Groups Discussion (20 mins) - Cafeteria
6:30 pm: Introduction of Simulation (15 mins) - Cafeteria
6:45 pm: Poverty Simulation (60 mins) - 1st and 2nd Floors
7:45 pm: End Simulation and Break (20 mins)
8:20 pm: Testimony from Cincinnati Homeless Coalition (30 mins)
8:50 pm: Small Groups (60 mins) - East wing classrooms
9:50 pm: Dinner (35 mins) – Cafeteria
10:30 pm: Small Group Activities (75 mins) - East wing classrooms
11:45 pm: Break - Cafeteria

Saturday, March 12th
12:00 am: Creation for Education and Advocacy (45 mins) - East wing classrooms
12:55 am: Final Reflection - Fine Arts Center
1:10 am: Prayer Service - Blessed Sacrament Chapel
1:30 am: Closing Remarks and Departure

Service Opportunities

Upcoming Community Outreach projects and dates are as follows:
- Wednesday, February 23rd: Writing Hope / Salvation Sandwiches
- Thursday, February 24th: Sow Love
- Sunday, February 27th: Trash OTR
- Monday, February 28th: Bacon Buddies / Food Pantry @ St. Clement
- Tuesday, March 1st: Archbishop Leibold Home
- Monday, March 7th: Care Pax
- Wednesday, March 9th: Sow Love
- Sunday, March 13th: Trash OTR
- Monday, March 14th: Food Pantry @ St. Clement

For a comprehensive guide to Roger Bacon’s Community Service program click here. You can email our department with any questions at: Outreach@RogerBacon.org.

Sophomore Service Day

The Sophomore Service Day will mirror the freshmen, since they were not able to have their service day last year. We will divide the current sophomore class into quarters with their days in the second semester. Your child will be participating on an assigned service day in Over-the-Rhine that are:

March 4th: Allen – Farmer
March 7th: Fasbender – Lanser
March 11th: Lee – Rohling
April 1st: Rolfert - Zestermann

Director of Academics

February Testing Update

The IOWA tests allow students to fulfill the testing portion of the Ohio Department of Education’s graduation requirements. Students who are retesting will receive an email from Ms. Vehorn with more details. Retesting will begin in Flex. Students should make arrangements to stay until 3:00 pm on testing days. Students who get extended time should plan to stay until 3:20 pm. For any questions related to testing, please contact Julie Vehorn, Director of Academics, at jvehorn@rogerbacon.org.

February 22 & 23: ELA IOWA retesting for students in grades 10-11

March 1st: Grade 9 - Math, ELA, and Social Studies IOWA testing / Grade 11 - ACT

Guidance Department

College Information Night

Attention Juniors! On March 1st at 7:00 pm, we invite you to attend a virtual College Planning Night. We will have an introduction by the counselors, followed by 3 breakout room sessions:
• Session 1: Four Year Colleges presented by Michael Garcia (Xavier University)
• Session 2: Two Year Colleges presented by Kevin Wesselman (Cincinnati State)
• Session 3: Financial Aid presented by Diana Irving (University of Cincinnati)

You will have an opportunity to attend all 3 breakout sessions. Register at https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUtdO2qqz0sEtLySnyMqrqltK2NKyj9g_0w. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting. Please reach out to your student’s counselor with any questions.

ACT for Juniors

On March 1st, juniors will take the ACT. This is an official test and can be used for college applications. Students will take the test at Roger Bacon, and will dismiss when it is completed at noon.

Senior Scholarship and Award Reporting

We know that many of our seniors have starting hearing back from the colleges they have applied to and either have or will soon have scholarship offers! It is our expectation that students report ALL of the awarded scholarships, whether they plan to use the awarded scholarship or not. This includes scholarships to all institutions, private scholarships, essay contests, etc. We are using the following form to collect this information: Senior Scholarship and Award Reporting. Dollar amounts are used only for internal reporting purposes. We will not share dollar amounts, but we will share the names of scholarships awarded in the graduation program. If you need to add additional scholarships beyond the five provided spaces, please submit the first five and then return to the form to enter a new batch of awards.

Spring College Fairs

Cincinnati Spring College Fair is back in person! It will be held on Monday, March 28th from 6:00 - 8:00 pm at St. Xavier High School, Ellis Gymnasium.

If you would rather attend a virtual college fair, here is the Spring Virtual College Fair schedule – click on the link to register!

• Thursday, Feb. 24 (STEM Fair)
  
• Sunday, Apr. 3
• Tuesday, Apr. 12 (6:00 pm ET)
• Tuesday, Apr. 26 (6:00 pm ET)

Fernside Grief Counseling

We have invited the Fernside Center for Grieving Families to conduct an in-school grief support group for students who have experienced a death of someone in their life. The group will meet every week starting Tuesday, March 8th for six weeks from 2:08 – 2:50 pm. Each week focuses on a different theme. The group sessions are confidential and meet in a private area of the school. The representatives from Fernside will be wearing face coverings and are requiring all students who participate in the group to wear coverings as well. If you are interested in participating in this support group or would like more information about it, please email your counselor or stop by the Guidance Office!

Fine Arts Department

Drama Guild’s “Newsies”

Follow Us - rogerbaconfinearts.com
Facebook – Roger Bacon High School Fine Arts
Instagram – @RBFineArts; @RBDramaGuild
Twitter – @RBFineArts; @RBDramaGuild; @rb3official
YouTube Channel – CLICK HERE!

Inclement Weather Instructions

Below is a reminder of how we handle inclement weather notifications and either a school cancellation or delay.

• The goal is to make the decision no later than 6:00 am on the day of the event so that families and/or students on the roads needlessly. While this may not always be possible, that is the objective.
• Students/families will be notified three different ways:
  • Using the Springmyer Communications Network, the following news stations will be notified: WLW/TV Ch. 5; WCPO/TV Ch. 9; WKRC/TV Ch. 12; WXIX/TV Ch. 19; WSTR/TV Ch. 64; and Cinci.com.
  • A phone call home using our normal phone messaging system will be made for all of our families.
  • Students will receive an email from either the Principal or Assistant Principal.
• Our inclement weather options are either cancellation or a 2-hour delay. On a 2-hour delay, students will be fed lunch while at school.

Alumni/ae News

First Friday Mass. Mass is at 8:15 am in the Carol Dauwe Fine Arts Center. Pastries and coffee are served after Mass. We usually have 40-50 OLA and RB alums, friends and relatives on a regular basis. Contact a fellow alum and enjoy a morning of prayer and fellowship. Reservations are not necessary. The next First Friday Mass will be on Friday, March 4th.

Alumni Association Meetings. All alums are welcome to come and help support the students at RB. The next meeting is Thursday, March 10th at 6:30 pm in the ITC.

Bron Bacevich Memorial Engraved Bricks. Support the Roger Bacon/OLA Alumni Association by purchasing a brick which can be designated for placement in the new stadium. For more information, contact Rick Sollmann at 641-1313 or rsollmann@rogerbacon.org.

School Nurse

An important part of our safety plan is ensuring that students who are sick are not permitted to come to school. If you are sick, please stay home. Check the temperature of students before leaving home. Students with a temperature of 100.4 degrees of higher should stay at home.

Primary symptoms of COVID-19 are fever, cough, shortness of breath and/or loss of taste/smell. If you have multiple symptoms or symptoms persist, please consult your family health provider.

Immunization Requirement for Senior Year. Senior students, if you have not received your meningococcal vaccine yet, please make an appointment with your physician. These can also be given at Kroger’s or Walgreens’ clinics. Proof of this vaccine or an updated immunization record should be turned in to the nurse’s office by the end of September. Thank you! If you have any questions, please contact our school nurse, Karin Herold, via email or leave a voice message 513-641-1300, ext 1140.

Cafeteria Information

We want to ensure that our lunch program meets our students’ expectations. To do this, we need to have your feedback as to what is working and what can be improved. A couple things to remember:

• Feedback, both good and bad is appreciated. If something is particularly good, please let WG Grinders know so it can be continued. If something needs improvement, please let them know as well so it can be addressed. They are very receptive to constructive recommendations and feedback.
• Be professional in your correspondence. If you want your voice to be heard, do it in a courteous and professional manner.
• Understand you have many options when it comes to eating lunch – including bringing your own (in part or in total). Pay attention to the menu and realize, that due to a variety of issues with the supply channels, there may be last-minute changes. Our focus is on quality.
• Points of contact at WG Grinders are as follows:
  • Daniel Ehler, Director of Kitchen Operations: Ehler.dan@gmail.com
  • Randy Duff, Director of Operations: rtduff45429@aol.com

COVID-19 Policies and Protocols

Vaccinations. Roger Bacon does not require students or staff to be vaccinated to attend school or participate in school activities and extracurriculars. However, Roger Bacon recommends that all students and staff be vaccinated. Guidance from the State emphasizes that “vaccination is the leading public health prevention strategy to the end the COVID-19 pandemic.”

Positive Test. Individuals who test positive should self-quarantine for 5 days from the day symptoms first appear or the date of the COVID test if the individual is asymptomatic. If after 5 days the individual is asymptomatic (no symptoms), no further quarantine is required. The wearing of a face covering for an additional 5 days is recommended. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) indicate that “the virus is most infectious in the two or three days after symptoms arise.” As usual, the individual needs to be symptom-free before attending in-person classes or participating in extracurriculars.

Exposure. Per the CDC: There is a “growing body of national experience…that points toward a low number of individuals with direct contact to a COVID-19 positive individual within a school setting who convert to positive cases.” Our experience at school substantiates this finding. Over the past two years of dealing with COVID, there have been very few instances where students have passed the virus to one another in a school setting.

School Attendance. Those individuals who have direct exposure to a positive individual may remain in school per the following:

• Wear a face covering at school for 5 days after the last exposure. The wearing of a face covering can be stopped after 5 days if no symptoms develop.
• Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
• Self-quarantine if symptoms develop. Stay home from school if you are sick!

Extracurricular/Sports Participation. A student who has direct exposure to a positive individual may participate in extracurriculars and athletics per the following:

• Self-quarantine and refrain for participation in extracurriculars/sports for 5 days from the date of exposure. Participation may resume if the student is asymptomatic after 5 days.
• Self-monitor for symptoms of COVID-19.
• Wear a face covering when able for 5 days after the last exposure. This includes transportation, locker rooms, sitting/standing on the sidelines and anytime the face covering will not interfere with breathing, the activity, or create a safety hazard. (Note: See the above for information to attend school. A student can still attend school in-person during the extracurricular/sports self-quarantine period.)
• Do not participate if you are sick!

Face Coverings

• The wearing of face coverings is not mandated. Roger Bacon recommends that all students and staff not vaccinated wear a face covering while at school or participating in activities.
• Parents have the option to have their children wear masks while in school or participating in school activities.
• Students must wear face coverings when attending school after a direct exposure (see above) and on all public transportation - including school busses.
• Mask use is not necessary when outdoors, including participating in outdoor play and physical education activities.
• Disposable masks will be available at all primary entrances to school facilities.

Hand Washing and Sanitizing. Roger Bacon will provide adequate hand-washing supplies and hand-sanitizing opportunities in classrooms and high-traffic areas throughout school facilities.

Remote Learning. Roger Bacon does not offer full-time remote learning. This option is only available to those students while in a quarantine status.

Sports. The use of face coverings will not be required to attend sporting events. There will not be capacity limits at sporting events. The State does indicate that “the use of masking and social distancing to the extent possible is recommended during indoor sports and other higher-risk activities to protect students who are not fully vaccinated.”

Symptoms. Families are reminded of the importance of keeping students out of the classroom if they are sick. Anyone with symptoms or a temperature above 100 degrees Fahrenheit should stay home. COVID-19 symptoms include:

• Fever or chills
• Cough
• Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
• Fatigue
• Muscle or body aches
• Headache
• Loss of taste or smell
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea
• Repeated shaking with chills

Important Upcoming Dates:

Feb 28: Dress Down Day (New Orleans Mission Trip)
Mar 01: Early Dismissal for Juniors (ACT) and Freshmen (IOWA
Testing); No School for Sophomores and Seniors / College
Planning Night
Mar 03: Senior Assisi Scholar Pilgrimage Meeting (7:00 pm in ITC)
Mar 08: PTO Meeting (7:00 pm in ITC)
Mar 09: 8th Grade Course Selection Night
Mar 10: Joe Kneip Awards Ceremony (Flex) / Alumni Association Meeting
Mar 11: Shantytown
Mar 14: Women's Hall of Fame Dinner (FAC)
Mar 16-17: Assisi Scholar Capstone Presentations
Mar 17-18: J.O.Y. Retreat
Mar 18: End of 3rd Quarter; Dress Down Day (Magnified Giving)
Mar 19: Sadie Hawkins Dance
Mar 21: No School (Professional Development)
Mar 23: Career Day
Mar 25: Blood Drive
Apr 01: Dress Down Day (PTO); First Friday Mass (8:15 am in the FAC)
Apr 02: Senior/Parent Dance
Apr 07-10: Spring Musical - Newsies
Apr 11: PTO Meeting
Apr 14: Alumni Association Meeting
Apr 14-24: No School - Easter Break
Apr 18-26: Assisi Scholar Pilgrimage to Italy
Apr 27: Board of Directors Meeting
Apr 29: No School - Prom
Apr 30: Evening for Excellence
May 02-12: AP Testing
May 06: Dress Down Day (Fernside)
May 09: PTO Meeting
May 12: Alumni Association Meeting
May 13: Go Local
May 15: Assisi Scholar Banquet
May 19: Senior Lock-in
May 20: Senior's Last Day; Senior Assembly
May 23-24: Senior Exams
May 25: Early Dismissal - Underclass Last Day of School
May 26-27: Underclass Exams
May 30: No School - Memorial Day
Jun 01: Graduation Mass and Awards Ceremony
Jun 02: Graduation
Jun 03: First Friday Mass (8:15 am in the FAC)
Jun 07-09: Kairos
Jun 15: Board of Directors Meeting