RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL WEEKLY NEWSLETTER - December 4, 2020
RONCALLI RISING STARS OF INDIANA
Anne Ameis
Nicolette Balazs
Ashley Flick
Katrina Gangstad
Roncalli is proud to recognize four outstanding members of the class of 2022 as our honorees for the Rising Stars of Indiana. The Indiana Association of School Principals, through its Department of Student Programs, recognizes 1134 juniors from 294 schools this year. Anne Ameis, Nicolette Balazs, Ashley Flick and Katrina Gangstad were nominated based on their selfless dedication to volunteer work; outstanding leadership qualities demonstrated through teams, clubs, and organizations; and academic success in the classroom. We congratulate these young ladies on all they have already achieved, as well as offer support and encouragement as they continue their accomplishments and expand their knowledge, growth, and leadership skills well into the future. A complete list of the Rising Stars of Indiana Class of 2022 is available here.
FOOTBALL STATE CHAMPS!
This past weekend, the football team won its 10th state title with a 49-7 victory over Hobart in the Class 4A state championships game. Roncalli is one of only four high schools statewide to have at least 10 state football titles. Congratulations to head coach John Rodenberg, his staff and the players on persevering through a season of challenges to produce a memorable season that is a source of pride for our school community. Also, congratulations to senior Ryan Henry who was named the Class 4A Mental Attitude Award winner!
SCHOOL UNIFORM/FACE MASKS UPDATE
In August we opened the school year with a number of unknown variables one of which was how long everyone in the school building would be required to wear a face mask. Given that it is most likely the mask requirement will be with us through the end of the school year we are making a few adjustments to our face mask policy for the second semester.
The face mask is seen as a part of the required school uniform. As such our intent is to provide students with options while also having some uniformity. Beginning with the start of the second semester on Monday, January 18, 2021, and until further notice a student’s face mask must comply with one of the following options:
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- A Roncalli facemask
- A solid colored facemask with no other markings on it (this includes one time use facemasks)
A student not in compliance with the face mask rule will be subject to a referral to the Dean’s Office similar to any other type of school uniform infraction.
The school’s main office will continue to supply masks for students who arrive at school without a mask or whose mask breaks during the school day.
Please direct any questions to our Dean of Students, Tim Crissman.
We appreciate everyone’s understanding and support as we move through these unprecedented times.
RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL PLACEMENT TEST
DECEMBER 5, 2020
The December 5 Roncalli High School Placement Test is still on! We will be following guidelines set by the Marion County Health Department, and our test room sizes will be much smaller. We plan to keep it this way unless we are told otherwise, but we are very confident we will host the December 5 test. Please note that students/families need to sign up for this test ahead of time. To do this, email Jane Dias at your earliest convenience.
Due to so many students being quarantined around the time of the November High School Placement Test, we have decided to let the students who take the December test be eligible for the Presidential Scholarship.
RONCALLI HIGH SCHOOL APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Roncalli is excited to welcome the Class of 2025 next fall! As a reminder, the Application for Admission is now available online. You CAN fill out the application before your student takes the High School Placement Test.
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Once the application is complete and the $100 registration fee is received, you may continue the registration process. For those who have not been in a South Deanery Catholic grade school for grades seven and eight, those next steps will include scheduling an admissions interview for Saturday, January 9 (limited space available). For all others, it will be scheduling your appointment to meet with your student's counselor to create their freshman year schedule. Please email Director of Admissions Allie Ross or call (317) 787-8277, ext. 243 with any questions.
COMMUNITY SERVICE
A huge thanks goes out to all of the families and students who donated coats, pants and jackets to the Beggars for the Poor Drive this past week. It was an amazing success, and we filled over 80 trash bags of items that will help countless homeless men this coming winter. Great job Roncalli.
We want to remind you that all service hours must be logged by Monday, December 7 and then verified by Monday, December 14. Please click here for additional ideas to complete service hours right from home.
SCHOOL CALENDAR CHANGES
Final Exam Week
After an extensive discussion involving our administrative leadership team and the chairpersons of our twelve academic departments, a decision has been made not to have comprehensive semester exams for the first semester of this school year. Instead of four half days of exams on December 15-18, we instead will have a full week of classes that week (7:45 AM - 2:30 PM). A student’s first semester grade will be computed by averaging their first and second quarter grades. A decision regarding comprehensive semester exams for the second semester will be made at a later date.
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The schedule to be used for those wishing to give any type of unit/chapter assessment during the final week of the first semester will be as follows:
Thursday, December 17 (Theology, English, Industrial Technology, Communications, Fine Arts, Science)
Friday, December 18 (Mathematics, Social Studies, Health & Physical Education, Business Technology, World Languages)
A department may offer their unit test on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday of that week if they commit to having teacher directed instruction for the remainder of the week.
Start Second Semester
Tuesday, January 5, 2021
Finishing a semester in a synchronous model is not ideal, but it is aided greatly by the fact that the teachers and students know each other since they have been together for the semester. Starting a new semester in a synchronous model is very challenging because nearly a third of our classes start brand new at the semester, so in many of these cases, the students and teachers have not met. This will require additional preparation work for our teachers. So that our teachers can be as prepared as possible to meet their new students in January and provide them with a sound synchronous learning experience, we are going to push back the start of the second semester by one day. The second semester will now begin on Tuesday, January 5, 2021.
Per the health order issued by the Marion County Public Health Department we will remain in our synchronous learning model from January 5 through January 15. We remain optimistic that we will be able to return to in-person instruction on January 18. This day (Monday, January 18, 2021) is Martin Luther King Day and is listed on our school calendar as a make-up day. It would be our intent to have school on this day for two purposes: (1) Make up the missed day of school on January 4 and (2) Use this day to provide a school wide celebration of Martin Luther King Day.
CHRISTMAS CONCERTS
After prayerful consideration, the annual Christmas Band and Choir concerts will be held in a new format following Marion County mandated COVID guidelines.
The Choir concerts will be on December 8 and 9. They are open to parents only. Each choir member will receive 2 tickets to their performance. Tickets, along with additional information will be mailed to the home and are required for admittance. There is no charge for these concerts.
The Band concert will be a virtual event. Please continue to read the newsletter for the link to this concert.
We recently learned the Choir concert cannot be livestreamed. We apologize for this miscommunication. Once all the concerts are performed, a link will be available for everyone to enjoy the concerts at their leisure.
RONCALLI MEDIA NETWORK
Your place to see and hear Roncalli sports action! Check out upcoming broadcasted events on the calendar.
FREE BREAKFAST AND LUNCH MEALS PROGRAM
During the time our students are at home synchronous learning, the Roncalli Cafeteria is offering our students free breakfasts and free lunches for School Days. If you have signed up for the December 7th distribution, you can pick up the meals in the cafeteria from 1:00PM-3:00PM. Please enter the building at Door #10.
If your family is interested in 5 breakfasts and 5 lunches for the week of December 14th, please complete this form and submit to the cafeteria staff by 3:00PM on Thursday, December 10. This is to ensure we have enough food, milk and orange juice for everyone that requests them.
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If you have any questions, please email Food Service Director Jeff Richardson or call (317)788-4099.
Please consider participating in this offering. The Roncalli Cafeteria receives funding for the meals through the US Department of Agriculture.
FALL & SPRING BREAK (2021-2022)
ATTENDANCE POLICY
School policy does not provide for any extension of fall break or spring break. No student will be excused from school for travel the day before or the day after fall or spring break. Any student absence for travel reasons on these days will be considered unexcused. The day preceding and the day immediately following fall and spring break will be marked double unexcused days. A double unexcused day means that four points will be deducted from the student's cumulative grade in each class at the end of that grading period. Teachers are not required to make special provisions for students who are unexcused. Students absent because of illness on the day preceding and/or the day immediately following fall or spring break will be required to bring a doctor’s note to the Attendance Officer upon their return to school. Students are not allowed to take a college day or job shadow day on the day preceding and/or the day immediately following fall or spring break without prior administrative approval.
Virtual Tour
Nothing can replace an in-person campus tour, but these images are the next best thing. See some of the highlights tour guides share on their guided campus tours and check out Roncalli academic facilities.
ABOVE AND BEYOND
PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Congratulations to senior Sofie Carr, Girls Basketball, who was recognized as the Above and Beyond Player of the Week by Coach Tim Gray and Jersey Mike’s Subs!
PRE-ORDER 2020-21 YEARBOOK
The 2020-21 yearbook is now available for pre-order, and what a great Christmas gift it would be for your Roncalli student! Go to roncalli.org/yearbook to order online. Yearbooks are $60 until February 15 when the price goes up to $75. Questions may be directed to Mrs. Julie Albertson.
MY STORY, R FAMILY SERIES
This week's My Story, R Family video comes from Mr. Jeff Traylor, Roncalli's Director of Campus Ministry and St. Mark parishioner. Mr. Traylor embodies spirit here at Roncalli...spirit regarding faith and spirit regarding school spirit. He is such a pillar of faith and fun for everyone in the community.
For more information on the school and all we have to offer, please visit roncalli.org.
CORPORATE SPONSOR OPPORTUNITIES!
Roncalli offers a comprehensive winter season Corporate Sponsor program that supports our students in several exciting ways, including tuition assistance and broadcasting opportunities. There are many benefits in sponsoring and supporting Roncalli. Your company will be exposed to other like-minded businesses that also support Roncalli. Almost 1,100 students, 125 faculty and staff, an alumni base of over 13,500 and thousands of Roncalli parents, relatives and friends will have an opportunity to see your business ad at some point during the school year. Our newest opportunity will include signage opportunities in the Ascension St. Vincent Gymnasium and on our YouTube broadcasts. Space will be limited so if your business is interested in supporting Roncalli through Walkathon, Roncalli Media Network, Rebel 5ive podcast, Rebelation or brand new opportunities in Roncalli’s newest multiple use facility, Ascension St. Vincent Gymnasium, please email Gary Armbruster or call him at 317-525-7046.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES TO HELP
HOW TO TAKE CARE
DURING E-LEARNING
GREETINGS FROM GUIDANCE
HOBY Leadership Conference
Each spring, 10,000 high school sophomores from across the country join one of HOBY’s 70 State Leadership Seminars to hone their leadership talents and apply them to become effective, ethical leaders in their home, school, workplace, and community.
Roncalli is able to nominate ONE SOPHOMORE to attend this summer’s HOBY Leadership conference at the reduced rate of $225. Additional sophomores may attend, but will pay the full $395. These fees include campus housing for the 4 day program (6/3/21 - 6/6/21) at the University of Indianapolis, all meals, educational training materials and supplies, and t-shirts.
Any sophomore interested in attending HOBY must write a brief essay in Google Docs and share it with Mrs. Kuntz by December 11. You may choose from the following prompts:
What does “leadership” mean to you and how have you demonstrated leadership in your own life so far?
Describe the most rewarding and challenging aspects of being a leader in your school and community.
For complete information about the HOBY Leadership Conference visit hoby.org
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Seniors Searching for Scholarships
Any Senior searching for college scholarships is encouraged to visit https://www.goingmerry.com and set up an account!! Another great resource for Indiana based scholarships is cicf.org.
Next Generation Hoosier Educator Scholarship
The application for this scholarship will close on January 31, 2021. Students will be notified of their standing by March 19, 2021. Eligibility details, important requirements, and instructions on how to apply can be found at here. Come see Mrs. Kuntz if you have any questions!
Foot Locker Scholar Athlete Scholarship
The Foot Locker Scholar Athletes program awards $20,000 to 20 high school, college-bound seniors across the nation for being exemplary leaders on their sports teams, in their classrooms, and in their communities. This perfectly describes Roncalli senior athletes! Please see the RHS Guidance Blast for all the details!!
SUBSTITUTE TEACHERS NEEDED
Join the Roncalli Family - Roncalli High School is looking for additional substitute teachers for the 2020-21 school year. We are seeking faith-filled individuals who enjoy being around the future of tomorrow. No educational background is required. Training is provided. If you are interested in being a substitute teacher at Roncalli High school please contact Jeff Small.
END OF THE YEAR
CIRCLE OF FAITH ANNUAL FUND
PLEASE PRAY
- For the repose of the soul of William Grube, grandfather of Jackson Straumins R'22 and Zach Straumins R'19.
- For Rosemary Delph, grandmother and guardian of sophomore Ravyn Bond, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. May God provide her with strength and comfort during this difficult time.
- For the repose of the soul of Jeffrey Spoonamore, brother of Ron Spoonamore, member of our maintenance team, who passed away this week. May God comfort his family during this difficult time.
- For the repose of the soul of Columbus Abbott, uncle of Ron Spoonamore, who passed away this week. May God comfort his family during this difficult time.
- For the repose of the soul of Carole Brown, mother of Rob (Rachel) Brown Hon’16, Sports Information Director, grandmother of Lillian R’20 and Sam R’17, who passed away last week. May God comfort her family during this difficult time.
- For the repose of the soul of Dr. James “Jimbo” Nalley, brother of Kathy Nalley Schembra K’68, who passed away last week. May God comfort his family during this difficult time.
- For retired, long time school secretary, Donna Smith Hon’95, who will be undergoing a battery of serious tests.
- For Ashley Fernandez Cross, wife of the boys lacrosse coach Sean Cross, who suffered a brain aneurysm this week. We pray for her family and God’s gift of strength during this time of recovery and healing.
- For Kara Cissell Roell R‘93 who is fighting aggressive cancer. May God provide her strength and comfort during this trying time.
- For former student Arthur Koehl, who continues to recover from a serious injury in an automobile accident, and for his mother Tamara and brothers Jaylen R’17, senior Theo, during this time of recovery and healing.
- For Ann Strykowski, mother of Chris Strykowski Roncalli History department and varsity assistant football coach, who is battling health issues.
- For Eric Davis R’04 who is battling Stage 4 Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
- For Robin Barna, father of Sarah Rose, Roncalli Science Department, who is battling with cancer.
- For all of our Roncalli family who are experiencing extra stress during this unusual and uncertain time. God please comfort them and provide them Your peace and understanding.
- For God’s blessings and mercy upon Archbishop Charles Thompson and his ministry in shepherding the Archdiocese of Indianapolis.
- For those who struggle to find adequate food, clothing, shelter, and medical services and for those most in need of God’s mercy.
- For healing of body, mind and spirit for all people dealing with depression, addiction or mental health issues.
- For strength and healing for all those fighting off life-threatening illness and for their families and caregivers.
- For the men and women of our armed forces and their families, especially our Roncalli High School alums who are serving in the military.
- For our Roncalli alums preparing for a religious vocation as a priest, religious woman or missionary.
- For vocations to the priesthood, religious life and missionary field, and that Roncalli High School and its families will provide a nurturing environment that fosters and supports these vocations.
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