Raleigh Charter High School

IMPORTANT DATES
THE PRINCIPAL'S CORNER
ALL ABOUT THE PSAT
U.S. NEWS RANKS RCHS
NEWS AND NOTES
A MAGICAL, MUSICAL NIGHT TO REMEMBER
QUIZ BOWL TEAM FINISHES 2008 WITH ANOTHER WIN
COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID SEMINAR
NO PHOENIX NEWS FOR HOLIDAYS
PASTA POT PARTICIPATION NEAR 50%
2,279 AND COUNTING
FIRST RCHS REUNION TO BE JUNE 6, 2009, RCHS CAMPUS
ADMISSIONS INFORMATION FOR 2009-2010
THE SPORTS PAGE
PHOENIX BASKETBALL UPCOMING GAMES
ATHLETIC CALENDAR
LINKS OF INTEREST
PUBLICATION INFORMATION

IMPORTANT DATES
DECEMBER
19 Exam makeup day
End of third grading period
22 Winter break begins

JANUARY
6 Classes resume after winter break
8 PASTA Board of Directors meeting, 8:30 a.m., Room 305
9 First-semester report cards go home with students
12 RCHS Board of Directors meeting, 5:30 p.m., Room 300
14 College Financial Aid Seminar, 7 p.m., Room 309
16 Interdisciplinary Flex Day
19 Martin Luther King holiday
27 First Open House for prospective students (snow date Jan. 29)
29-30 Ex Days

THE PRINCIPAL'S CORNER

ALL ABOUT THE PSAT
The PSAT scores have been given to students who took the test in October, and once again, the students at Raleigh Charter High School have done well. This list shows the mean scores of our school for 2008:

Critical Reading
Grade 9: 52.2
Grade 10: 55.4
Grade 11: 61.4

Mathematics
Grade 9: 54.3
Grade 10: 57.4
Grade 11: 62.8

Writing Skills
Grade 9: 49.5
Grade 10: 53.2
Grade 11: 58.3

A response sheet and the test booklet have been given to students to assess their strengths and areas that require improvement. Now that students have their PSAT scores, they should use these materials and materials at this website:
www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/psat/quickstart.html

Scoring. PSAT scores range from 20 to 80 per test, and a score of 50 is near the mean. Scores come from three sources—Critical Reading, Math, and Writing Skills. A student who scores 50 on the Math part of the PSAT should score in the vicinity of 500 on the Math part of the SAT. Predicted SAT score ranges based on current PSAT results are provided on the test report. The data provided are for college-bound high-school juniors.

NMSQT. For juniors, the PSAT is the National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test. The Selection Index (SI) is the sum of the three scores—Critical Reading, Math, and Writing Skills. National Merit qualifying begins with a student's achieving a certain Selection Index for North Carolina, but the further competitions depend on the student's application.

One measure of success at Raleigh Charter High School is about an individual student's doing as well as she or he can, academically. Becoming familiar with the SAT's content and format will have many benefits. We also know that the profile of a student who will be successful in college includes more—much more—than a simple number based on a test on a single day. We are pleased with our students who have taken the PSAT and encourage them to continue to improve their academic strengths.

U.S. NEWS RANKS RCHS
We are happy that Raleigh Charter High School was included in this year's ranking of high schools in U.S. News & World Report last week. This is the second year that U.S. News has ranked high schools; I learned that our school did not appear in the inaugural because the Department of Public Instruction did not submit our data. The data come from 2006-2007. For more information, see: www.usnews.com/highschools

It is interesting that many highly ranked schools differ from the conventional, comprehensive high schools. Innovative schools, such as early colleges, charters, and magnets, are well represented on this list. Such information speaks well to the results of high-school reformation in our nation, a reformation to which we wish to contribute.

To be ranked #20 in the nation is indeed an accomplishment for our students and our faculty. Congratulations! These external validations will speak to scores of college-admissions offices about the academic work that goes on here daily. But, again, such an indicator shows only a slice of the academic work our students are doing. And the academic work is a portion—albeit a rather large portion—of who our students are becoming: knowledgeable, thoughtful, contributing citizens.
Thomas E. Humble, Principal
thumble@raleighcharterhs.org

NEWS AND NOTES

A MAGICAL, MUSICAL NIGHT TO REMEMBER
Pouring rain outside couldn't extinguish the magic inside at Peace College's Kenan Recital Hall on the evening of Dec. 11. That's when Raleigh Charter High School's Concert Band held its 10th annual winter performance. About 30 young musicians under the direction of Dr. Cynthia Clark Brown played musical selections ranging from the spirited "Highland Legend" by John Moss to Gustav Holst's "In the Bleak Midwinter."

Less traditional band instruments, including a dulcimer and dueling guitars, also were featured. And Dr. Brown proudly introduced the percussion section's latest member—the gong, which made its Raleigh Charter Concert Band debut in the number "Fantasy on a Japanese Folk Song" by Samuel R. Hazo.

The concert ended more traditionally when Dr. Brown invited Raleigh Charter graduates and former band members to join her center stage as the sounds of Elliot Del Borgo's "Hatikvah" filled the auditorium. After the last note was played, the audience rewarded the band with thunderous applause and a well-deserved standing ovation.

As parents and friends slowly streamed out of the hall, the rain had ended but the magic of the evening lingered on in the memories of all who attended this special musical event.
Susan Fisher, Band Parent
susanfisher@nc.rr.com

QUIZ BOWL TEAM FINISHES 2008 WITH ANOTHER WIN
The Quiz Bowl team traveled to Roanoke, Va., this past weekend to compete in the Cave Spring Invitational Quiz Bowl tournament. Success was achieved all around. The A team of P. Schultz, J. Vandezande, G. Sanka, and K. Boyina won the tournament, and P. Schultz came in second in individual scores. The B team of D. Hash, C. Diepenbrock, L. Kang, B. Gamble, and R. Self won the finals tournament designed for teams that were not in the top eight.

And in a Coaches Challenge tournament, Mrs. Newmark and Mr. Grunden came in first and second to match the achievements of our students.

Thanks to the parents who got up way before dawn to drive to Virginia.
Betsy Newmark, Quiz Bowl Coach and History Teacher
bnewmark@raleighcharterhs.org
Eric Grunden, Quiz Bowl Coach
egrunden@raleighcharterhs.org

COLLEGE FINANCIAL AID SEMINAR
Confused about FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid), PROFILE and all the financial aid applications for college? Need help figuring out how to pay for college? A financial aid expert will conduct a seminar on Wednesday, Jan. 14, at 7 p.m. in the Drama Room (309) to answer your questions. Come learn more about financial aid opportunities and how to apply for financial aid and assist your family in paying for college.
Kern Hairston, College Counselor
khairston@raleighcharterhs.org

NO PHOENIX NEWS FOR HOLIDAYS
This is the last Phoenix News of 2008. Publication will resume after the winter break on Friday, Jan. 9. The deadline for articles in that edition is Tuesday, Jan. 6.
Robin Morris and Karen Gamble, Phoenix News Co-Editors
phoenixnewseditor@yahoo.com

PASTA POT PARTICIPATION NEAR 50%
Currently, 48% of RCHS families have contributed to the PASTA Pot and we continue to strive for 100% participation. If you have not yet contributed, there is still time to make a tax-deductible donation this year by mailing your check to RCHS by Dec. 31. Tax receipts will be issued in January for your tax records.

As always, we thank you for your support of RCHS!
Nancy Thompson, pullet@msn.com
Lynne Chambers, lynnechambers@nc.rr.com
PASTA Vice-Presidents–Fundraising

2,279 AND COUNTING
The Raleigh Charter Ideas Festival Committee is having a book drive in order to help support the school that we sponsor in Uganda through the Invisible Children organization. Our goal is to raise 10,000 books by the middle of January. So far our efforts, both in our school and in the surrounding community, have led us to collect 2,279 books!

Invisible Children Inc. is a nonprofit organization that works to build schools in Northern Uganda, an area which has been ravaged by civil war for the past 20 years. The school that we sponsor is in desperate need of books, as it currently has only one textbook per 40 students, so the Invisible Children organization is partnering with Better World Books to gather books of all kinds. All of the books that the school in Uganda can use will be sent directly to the school, and the rest of the books will be sold through Better World Books to raise money that will then be sent to the school.

We need books of all kinds! Novels, cookbooks, children's books, biographies, textbooks, etc.: as long as it has an ISBN number on the back, we can use it!

Collection bins have been set up in the 200 hall at school. Thank you for any and all contributions that have been made. If you have not donated books yet and would still like to, there is still time!
M. Khater, Ideas Festival Committee Member

FIRST RCHS REUNION TO BE JUNE 6, 2009, RCHS CAMPUS
A group of 10 alumni gathered just before Thanksgiving to help plan this exciting event. We'll get back to you with more details in the new year!
Carolyn Jackson, RCHS Alumni Office
cjackson@raleighcharterhs.org
Shayne Klein, Academic Dean and History Teacher
sklein@raleighcharterhs.org

ADMISSIONS INFORMATION FOR 2009-2010
Current RCHS parents are reminded that although qualified siblings receive preference in the lottery, applications for siblings must be filled out completely and submitted during the application window. Applications will be available at our Open Houses. They will also be available on the school's website beginning Jan. 27.

Applications to RCHS must be postmarked between Jan. 27 and Feb. 25, 2009. We will hold a public admissions lottery on Saturday, March 14, 2009.

Qualified siblings will be accepted prior to the lottery. To be qualified, siblings must have submitted an on-time, completed application including a math recommendation form indicating readiness for Algebra I or a higher math course.

We will hold Open Houses with student and parent information sessions for prospective students on:
Tuesday, Jan. 27 (snow date Jan. 29)
and
Thursday, Feb. 5 (snow date Feb. 10)

OPEN HOUSE SESSIONS
Due to our limited facility here at RCHS (remember we are a school of only 525 students), we have difficulty accommodating simultaneously all of the families who are interested in learning about our school. We have developed a ticketing system that allows all interested families to attend our Open House sessions AND to be guaranteed an opportunity to learn about the school and visit our facility.

When you attend an Open House, you should attend an Information Session AND you should tour our facility and visit with our teachers. When you arrive, you will stop in front of the building and receive a map and a ticket for one of the information sessions. The student will receive a ticket for an information session run by students, and parents will receive a ticket for an information session conducted by school administrators. These color-coded tickets will ensure you a seat in a session at a specific time and will ensure that you and your student(s) will be able to attend different sessions at the same time. Sessions will be held:
5:30 – 5:50
6:00 – 6:20
6:30 – 6:50
7:00 – 7:20
If all of these sessions are filled, we will hold an additional session at 7:30 p.m. We want all interested families to have the opportunity to attend one of these sessions. Before and after your information session, we encourage you to visit with our faculty (located in rooms around the school) and to tour our school.

Tickets for sessions will be distributed beginning at 5:15 p.m. (and no earlier). However, if you arrive later in the evening, you may not have to wait for a ticket and you may get into a session closer to the time when you arrive. Last year there was a line outside the school at 4:45 p.m., BUT we had plenty of room in the 7:30 session. In the past we have also had a smaller crowd at the second Open House night. There is no advantage to coming to the earlier night, and the application can be downloaded to be completed by hand.

We appreciate so much your interest in Raleigh Charter High School. Although our Open House nights are often crowded, we do look forward to meeting you and thank you in advance for your patience during these important events.
Shayne Klein, Academic Dean and History Teacher
sklein@raleighcharterhs.org

THE SPORTS PAGE

PHOENIX BASKETBALL UPCOMING GAMES
The next home games will be on Jan. 2 (Cary Academy), and Jan. 13 (Cary Academy). Keep up the good work. Come on out and cheer for your school!
Steve Efird, Athletic Director and Men's Basketball Coach
sefird@raleighcharterhs.org

ATHLETIC CALENDAR
Friday, 1/2
6:00/7:30 Home Basketball vs. Carrboro (Cary Academy)

Tuesday, 1/6
6:00/7:30 Basketball at Durham School of the Arts

Wednesday, 1/7
7:00 Swimming at Gibbons (Triangle Aquatic Center, 275 Convention Dr., Cary)

Friday, 1/9
6:00/7:30 Basketball at Orange

For directions to events, see https://www.raleighcharterhs.org/athletics/Sports_Directions.pdf

LINKS OF INTEREST
The following are quick links:
The Phoenix News at http://www.raleighcharterhs.org/pasta/news.asp
PASTA Fund-Raising at http://www.raleighcharterhs.org/pasta/simplefund.asp
Join PASTA at http://www.raleighcharterhs.org/pasta/membership.asp
PASTA Alumni at http://www.rchspasta.org/alumni/alumni.php
Lunch Vendors at https://www.raleighcharterhs.org/studentlife/lunch.asp
RCHS College Counseling Naviance at http://connection.naviance.com/fc/signin.php?hsid=raleighcharter
Calendar at http://www.raleighcharterhs.org/pasta
Helpful Hints at https://www.raleighcharterhs.org/Pasta/hints.asp
The Flame at http://flame.raleighcharterhs.org
Helpful hints at http://www.raleighcharterhs.org/pasta/hints.htm
Extracurricular opportunities at http://rchspasta.org/extracurriculars.htm

PUBLICATION INFORMATION
The Raleigh Charter High School newsletter, the Phoenix News, is published each Friday of the school year as a service of Raleigh Charter High School's Parent, Administrator, Student, and Teacher Association (PASTA) and is distributed via an electronic news group. The Phoenix News is also available on the RCHS website at https://www.raleighcharterhs.org/pasta/news.asp

Parents, students and faculty are invited to share school-related news, recognize accomplishments and solicit volunteer needs via the Phoenix News.

**The deadline for submitting articles is every Tuesday at noon for publication the following Friday. Please send articles to phoenixnewseditor@yahoo.com

If you would like to receive the Phoenix News automatically each week, please subscribe to the RCHS Yahoo! news group by sending an email to RaleighCharterHS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

Please indicate your student's name in the subject line so the moderator can verify that you are a member of the RCHS community.
Membership is monitored and available only to RCHS parents, students and personnel.

To unsubscribe from this group, send a blank email to RaleighCharterHS-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com