New:

• RNE will hold its annual Red Cross blood drive on November 5. Sixteen-year-olds are now eligible to donate, but only with a signed parent permission slip, available from Ginger Belka, S102. Information:  Mrs. Belka, gbelka@richland2.org
   
• Palmetto Center for the Arts Dance Program will present its original production of The Uncrackables on November 5 and November 7 at 7 p.m. in the District Auditorium. Tickets — $6 for adults and $3 for students, the military, and senior citizens with proper ID — will be available in the box office before the performance or online at www.pcadance.org (there is a $1.21 surcharge for each ticket purchased online). Created by PCA Dance Program Director Anne S. Richardson, the production combines the stories of Al Capone, Elliott Ness, and the Nutcracker. Information:  Dr. Richardson, 699-2800 ext. 79832 or arichard@richland2.org
   
• Rob Mendenhall will present "How to Plan and Pay for College" on November 10, 6 p.m., in the District Auditorium. It is open to all parents and RNE students. Attendees must register so we have enough materials:  cfcsc.com/workshops.html
   
• Hunger Week is November 9 – 13, culminating in the students' presentation at the Crop Walk. Our goal again is to have each student and faculty member contribute at least $1. The third-period classes that raise the most money during the week will have a pizza party (first place) or juice and doughnuts (second and third places). The money raised will be donated to The Children’s Garden in Columbia and Heifer International. Information:  Mary Katherine Newman, manewman@richland2.org
   
• RNE's Annual Educational Opportunities Fair will take place on November 12 in the Gym, 8:30 - 9:30 a.m. for all Juniors, Seniors, and parents. If you are a parent and want to come to the college fair, please check in at the main office. We expect approximately 65 colleges and other educational vendors.
   
• Parents of first-time Freshmen are invited to Coffee and Chat, an informal discussion with the Freshmen guidance counselors on November 12, 5:30 – 6:30 p.m., in the Media Center. Topics include homework, make-up work, grading, re-testing and resources for students.
   
• We have several notaries public among our staff who are happy to notarize school trip permission forms. Parents must bring in the unsigned form and a picture ID, then sign the form in front of the notary. Information:  Cheryl Lausi, clausi@richland2.org
   
• RNE's new Lacrosse Program will hold a pancake breakfast at Applebee's on November 14, 8 – 10 a.m. Tickets, $5 per person for a stack of pancakes, bacon and coffee, tea, or juice, can be purchased from Beth Mayer in Attendance or from a Lacrosse Team member. In addition, Krispy Kreme certificates are available from Mrs. Mayer for $6, redeemable at Krispy Kreme for a dozen donuts and 50% off a second dozen.
   
• Our Orchestra program will hold its Fall Concert on November 14, 7 p.m., in the District Auditorium. The concert will feature classical, Irish, folk, and rock music as well as the debut of RNE's Guitar Ensemble. Our Northeast Current electric string ensemble will perform a tribute to Michael Jackson, featuring his hit songs "Beat it" and "Smooth Criminal." Information: Jose Carrion, jcarrion@richlands2.org
   
• A list of students with school debts is posted, by ID#, outside the Fees Office.
   
• Our 10th Annual HOPE Food Drive has begun. We're collecting nonperishable food (canned or packaged) to donate to the Northeast Columbia emergency food bank, God's Storehouse. Our goal this year: 10,000 cans. According to the Facing the Facts Report from the United Way of the Midlands, food banks in Columbia have seen a 43% increase in need over the past year, and supplies are low. Information:  Kim Sanders, ksanders@richland2org
   
• The third Thursday of the month is RNE Night at CiCi's Pizza on Decker Boulevard. Put your receipt in the white bucket from 6 – 9 p.m.  and CicCi's will donate a portion of your payment to the Richland Northeast Education Foundation. Next RNE Night:  November 19.
   
• The Mr. RNE contest is scheduled for November 19 at 6:30 p.m. in the District Auditorium. Tickets will be available the week of the contest for only $5. Information:  Janet Bush, jbush@richland2.org
   
• Our Varsity Football team is competing in State Farm's Friday Night Feats contest, in which high school football teams upload outstanding plays from their season onto YouTube. The schools judged to have the best plays will receive a check for up to $15,000. To be in the running, the video of our incredible finish against White Knoll needs to get at least 25 ratings on YouTube, so please click on over:  www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cn8WCKgDNDE. Contest deadline is November 22.
   
• Palmetto Health has two free ParenTeen sessions coming up. "Dealing with Divorce: Effects on Adolescents and Coping Strategies for Families" will take place on November 18 at Palmetto Health Baptist, 1501 Sumter Street, classroom A (ground floor). "Computer Love 101: Sexting and Social Networking - The Dangers and Consequences for Adolescents" will take place on November 23 at Palmetto Health Richland, 9 Medical Park, room 130. Both sessions run 11:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m., and lunch will be provided. Registration: 296-CARE (2273)
   
• November 16 – 20 is National Career Awareness Week.
   
• Get information on Bank of America's NCWIT Award for Aspirations in Computing for high-school women here: http://www.ncwit.org/award
   
• Seniors interested in attending Midlands Technical College next year must take a three-hour placement test called Asset. The Asset will be given here on December 1 to students who have completed the online application and paid the application fee of $35 by November 20. This exam will begin promptly at 8:30 a.m. in D201. Seniors who have completed the application online need to see Tina Todd in Guidance to put their name on the sign-up list. Information:  Jan Post, jpost@richland2.org
   
• At Coastal Carolina University's Carolina Comes First Application Review Day, on November 13, all South Carolina Seniors who attend will receive a $45 application fee waiver for submitting a completed application. Students can complete and print an application at www.coastal.edu/admissions/apply.html, then bring it with a sealed copy of their official high school transcript and a copy of their SAT or ACT scores. Attendance is limited. Program registration (required):  Office of Admissions, (843) 349-2027
   
• During November, Richland Northeast will celebrate cultures from around the world. Students from different countries will take part in an international panel discussion comparing their own customs and culture with those in other countries. We'll also screen a different music video each week during the Morning News Show, and students will be asked to guess what country the video represents. We will culminate the month with our annual international bazaar, featuring food and music from around the world. Information:  Wanda Brown, wbrown@richland2.org
   
• Oxford Royale Academy is accepting applications for more than twenty summer academic courses. Its Scholarship Programme, which offers financial aid to students of up to 4,000 USD facilitating their summer academic study in Oxford. General information:  www.oxford-royale.co.uk.  Scholarship information:  www.oxford-royale.co.uk/information.php?info_id=29
   
• Parents of Seniors: Remember to check the Guidance Department's Senior Information Page (www.richland2.org/rnh/guidance/seniors.html) for news about scholarships, deadlines, and more.
   
• Order the 2010 edition of The Archive yearbook now for the first-semester price of $65 at www.yearbookforever.com.
   
• Parents who want to honor a graduating senior, another student, or a group of students with a yearbook ad can order their ad at www.yearbookforever.com.
   
• You can put a birthday announcement on the Morning News Show for $1 with a photo and $.50 without. The MNS staff must have birthday announcements and photo as well as payment no later than 8 a.m. the day of the birthday. You can e-mail us a photo. Information:  Lynn Washington, lwashing@richland2.org
   
• Click over to the Cavplex Photo Gallery (cavplex.richland2.org/gallery.html) and Top Videos of the Week (cavplex.richland2.org/).
   
• Check the RNE calendar and the Cav News page for sports schedules, performances, holidays, and more!
   
• Tune in to R2TV (Time-Warner Cable channel 12) for District highlights. You can watch R2TV online at www.richland2.org. Click R2TV on Demand, then New in Two.
   
• Have a child at RNE? Join the RNE Education Foundation! The Foundation board will meet on Monday, December 7, at 6:15 p.m. in the Main Office Conference Room, and we need you – be part of this wonderful group of parents, community members, and administrators. RNE's Foundation helps support the visionary efforts that make RNE such a strong and creative place. It also helps ensure that all our students can take part in a wide variety of educational opportunities. Information:  rne.info@gmail.com or ext. 79742
   
• Attention Sophomore and Junior girls who are interested in Georgia Tech: Come to the on-campus Futures program on February 8, 2010, to learn about different career opportunities for female Georgia Tech grads. Georgia Tech offers degrees in business, architecture, engineering, liberal arts, sciences, and computing. Registration:  admission@gatech.edu/futures or (404)894-2691
   

Current:

• Please remind your child: Students may not wear jeans that are torn or have holes in them, even if they put leggings on underneath the jeans. In addition, students should not have chains attached to their jeans or any other part of their clothing. Students who violate the dress code risk being sent to the ISS room. Information:  Sabrina Suber, ssuber@richland2.org
   
• Clemson University's free Sneak Preview offers top-performing minority Seniors the chance to experience life as Clemson University engineering or science majors. The students are paired with undergraduate hosts who take them to class, to meals, and extracurricular activities. Visitors stay in the dorms with their hosts from Thursday evening, November 12, through noon on November 14. Participants are responsible for their travel to and from Clemson University. Eligible minority seniors must have a 3.O GPA and will be selected on a first-come first-served basis determined by the date and time the applications arrive at Clemson. Only five per school will be accepted. Application:  Counselor.
   
• Students interested in health care can get information about job shadowing at Providence and Palmetto Health Hospitals from Michael Sumter, our Work-based Learning Coordinator, in E109.
   
• Is your child interested in a cross-cultural exchange this summer at Princeton University? The 2010 AIU High School Diplomas Program will accept forty current Sophomores and Juniors to spend ten days (July 28 - August 7) with a Japanese roommate. All eligible students are encouraged to apply. Applications must be postmarked by January 7; interviews will be conducted in March. Information: Kristen Parrott, or www.highschooldiplomats.com or (571) 314-0473
   
• The deadline for submissions to C-SPAN’s 2010 StudentCam is January 20. StudentCam is an annual video documentary competition with up to $50,000 in total prize money. Information: www.studentcam.org or John Cardarelli, jcardarelli@c-span.org  or (202) 626-8797, or Meredith Rapp, mrapp@c-span.org or (202) 626-4861
   
• Pictures of Graduation 2009, including each graduate receiving a diploma, are still available for viewing and purchase at www.Lifetouchevents.com. The password to enter the site is RichlandGrad09. Access to these photos will expire in mid-October. Information:  Nina Brook, nbrook@richland2.org
   
• Students interested in attending the Leadership Enterprise for a Diverse America's Advantage Testing LEDA Scholars Program should contact Jan Post (jpost@richland2.org) for an application. Applicant qualifications and other information: www.ledascholars.org/
   
• Seniors need to have their Senior portrait made by the end of October. Call the school's photographer, Prestige Portraits, at (803) 788-1620 for an appointment.
   

Ongoing:

• Sign up at www.twitter.com to receive tweets from RNE (rne_cavs) and District Two (RichlandTwo).
   
• Please check our list of college rep visits for September: www.richland2.org/rnh/guidance//college_repfall09.pdf
   
• Are you a member of the Class of 1979–1986? The Class of 1984 is sponsoring a reunion for RNE's first eight graduating classes. The Alumni Weekend will take place November 27 – November 28. Interested? Send your contact information to rneclassof84@yahoo.com or contact Primavera Cook-Dicks at pcook-dicks@richlandone.org.

• Would you like to receive information about college, scholarships, admissions rep visits, career lunches, and college trips? Please send your e-mail address, along with your child's name and grade, to Kim Sanders, ksanders@richland2.org
   
• Questions about college or financial aid? Check out Career and College Information’s new blog at www.collegegoto.blogspot.com Have a question? Leave it in a comment or send it to ksanders@richland2.org and we will try and find you the answer.
   
• You can reach Abby Beckley, our school social worker, at abeckley@richland2.org  or ext. 79742. She is at RNE on Monday, every other Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. She can assist with school supplies, food, and clothing as well as personal issues.
   
• As parents of adolescents know, teens run on a unique clock. Please remind your child that the District does its updates from midnight to 4 a.m.—a student who needs to retrieve an assignment from BlackBoard must do so before midnight.
   
• Are you an RNE alum? Find out about upcoming reunions! Do you know an RNE alum? We'd like to know what our graduates are up to. Please encourage any alumni you know to send their news to us here.
   
• New to RNE? See www.richland2.org/content.aspx?id=12458 for enrollment information. Then call Judy Gray at ext. 79827 to make an appointment to register your child. Please be sure to give Ms. Gray your e-mail address so you can access Parent Portal.
   
• Does your child do Facebook? MySpace? Then take a look at www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/pubs/consumer/tech/tec13.shtm, the Federal Trade Commission's parent guide to online social networking.
   
• Detention hours and location have changed: Monday – Thursday detention is from 3:35 – 5:35 p.m. in S108. Friday detention, also in S108, is now from 3:35 – 6:35 p.m. We have eliminated Saturday detentions, but are trying out early-morning detention (7:10 – 8:10 a.m.) on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Students who are serving detention must arrive on time. Students may exchange tutoring hours for detention hours. One hour of tutoring equals one hour of detention.
   
• Organizers of the Terry A. McCoy Leadership Scholarship (www.richland2.org/content.aspx?id=16338) have raised thousands of dollars in honor of our long-time administrator and director of student activities.
   
• If you are paying for a student trip or yearbook with a credit or debit card, please have your child bring your card (or his) to the Bookkeeper’s Office. We’re sorry but we cannot take card numbers by telephone. Information: Renae Coles, rcoles@richland2.org or ext. 79830, or Dianne Dillard, ddillard@richland2.org
   
• Find out about Schools That Work (pdf)
   
• Parents of Seniors: please make our Senior Information page one of your regular online stops. You'll find news about scholarships, upcoming deadlines, college open houses, and more.
   
• Mark Whetstone's class is available to stuff and label envelopes, sort materials, and do simple office tasks here at the high school—and they have a folding machine. If you need help with a small project, please contact Mr. Whetstone at mwhetsto@richland2.org or ext. 79778
   
• Has your home phone number changed? If so, please send an e-mail with your new number to Beth Mayer at bmayer@richland2.org — she'll enter it in Connect-Ed, our school notification and emergency communication system. Your number will be kept private.
   
• When you shop at Amazon through the link on our homepage(www.richland2.org/rnh), a percentage of your Amazon purchase goes to fund programs that benefit our students here at RNE.
   
• Check www.collegeboard.com/testing/ for information and 2009–10 schedules for the SAT and PSAT.
  
  
• RNE follows the District cell phone policy:
   
  • The first time a student's cell phone is confiscated, it will be returned only to the student's parent or legal guardian. If the phone is taken on Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, the parent or legal guardian may retrieve the phone on Friday of the same week. Phones taken on a Thursday or Friday may be retrieved by the parent or legal guardian on the following Friday. Pick up time is in C201 from 1 – 4 p.m. The parent/legal guardian first must check in at the Lobby Guard in the Main Office and have a photo ID.
  • Should the student's phone be confiscated a second time, it will be returned only on the last day of the school year, again from 1 – 4 p.m. in C201. A parent does not need to come—the student may pick up the phone but needs to have a current school ID.
   
•  The South Carolina Commission on Higher Education's college information hotline has a specialist is available on (Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, 5:30–8:30 p.m., at (877) 349-7183 (toll free). Get reliable, up-to-date information on general admissions requirements for South Carolina colleges and universities, merit-based scholarships available in South Carolina, grants available to South Carolina residents who want to change careers or improve their job-marketability, and more.
   
• When you shop at Publix, please use an RNE Publix card. It brings cash into our school—$269.65 in the last six months. This money goes into the general school fund, which pays for classroom and program extras that benefit our students. You'll find cards by the Main Office reception desk.
  
  
• The No Child Left Behind law requires high schools to give military recruiters the same access to students' names, phone numbers, and addresses that they provide to post-secondary institutions or prospective employers—unless students or their parents choose to opt out. To opt-out of releasing this information to third parties, see Tina Todd in Guidance or send her an e-mail at ttodd@richland2.org.
   
• Richland School District Two does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, disability, age, or other protected characteristics in its programs and activities. Inquiries regarding the District’s nondiscrimination policies should be made to Chief Human Resources Officer, 6831 Brookfield Road, Columbia, South Carolina 29206  or (803) 787-1910.
  
  

RNE