Rock County Public Schools

Due to our inability to guarantee that we will be able to hold Prom on Saturday, we have spoken with the Whistle Stop and have decided to cancel all flower orders.

This is Mr. Becker. Tomorrow, Monday, March 16 we will have a ten o'clock late start for a required staff meeting. There will not be morning preschool. I repeat, tomorrow, Monday, March 16 we will have a ten o'clock late start. There will not be morning preschool.

The public speech performance at the Old Feed Store Art Center Sunday, March 15 has been cancelled due to concerns with the health and safety of the students, staff, and public at this time.

For your information: After listening to Governor Ricketts’ news conference this morning Rock County Public Schools will follow the directions provided by the Governor and the Commissioner of Education in regards to our reaction to COVID-19 situations. This means, at this time, we will have school. If and when things change we will keep you informed by information releases through our school app and webpage. We want to remind you that if a student presents to the office with a fever, cough, headache, muscle or joint aches, sore throat, nasal congestion, or shortness of breath they will be given a face mask and will need to wear it until a parent/guardian arrives to pick them up. Parents/guardians will be advised to CALL the families primary care provider and ask for further direction. We ask that you DO NOT GO TO THE CLINIC/ER/URGENT CARE! Should the student need to have testing done by their primary care provider, those arrangements can be made with them via the telephone. Once a student has been cleared of anything contagious, the primary care providers’ office will need to e-mail, fax, or call the school to give the student clearance to return to school. If it is felt that the student may be contagious with anything other than COVID-19, they will need to stay out of school for the recommended amount of time per the discretion of the primary care provider. IF a student is being tested for COVID-19, then the student will remain out of school until the results of such testing are made available. Negative results will warrant a call from the provider to the school to let us know that the student will be able to return to school. Parents, we ask that you speak with your children regarding washing their hands for 20 seconds with soap and warm water and using your elbow or a tissue to cough or sneeze into. Also, frequently cleaning touched surfaces and objects helps to prevent the spread of illness. At the school building level we are constantly cleaning the buildings to provide your children a healthy environment. Thank you, Mr. Becker

Just a reminder that Prom is next Saturday, March 21.

Prom will be held as scheduled on Saturday. Due to the unconventional circumstances we are experiencing this year, the way we handle Grand March will be different. Parents and siblings of our students attending prom will be the ONLY ones allowed in for viewing of the Grand March. These names will be on a list and only these people will be allowed in. The doors will open at 8:15 and Grand March will begin promptly at 8:30. Additional pictures will take place until 9:00 at which time students will enter the dance and all parents will be asked to leave. For others wanting to view the Grand March it will be streamed live on our Facebook page. We apologize for this inconvenience. We are doing this for the health and safety of our students and community members. Thank you. Mr. Becker

This was received from NSAA today: The NSAA is aware of the fluidity of COVID-19 and the potential impact hosting statewide events could have regarding the on-going public health threat. Many of our member schools are making decisions in the best interest of their student participants, coaches and communities. The NSAA is regretfully suspending district and state speech contests until further notice. This is an unprecedented event. The NSAA Board of Directors and staff understand the hardship this has created for our membership. The NSAA will use this time to evaluate potential alternatives and the next steps for moving forward.

For your information - Northeast Scholastic Contest and Quiz Bowl have been cancelled.

For your information, State FFA Convention has now been canceled by the State Leadership Group due to the COVID-19 issues.

The Northeast Community College Scholastic Contest and Quiz Bowl scheduled for Wednesday, March 18, 2020 is CANCELLED. The health and safety of students and employees, as well as campus visitors, is the main priority of Northeast Community College. Due to the concerns related to the COVID-19 (Coronavirus) and its reported spread into our area, College administration has deemed it prudent to cancel the Scholastic Contest and Quiz Bowl on March 18. At this time, no decision to reschedule the event has been made.

The 2020-2021 school year will bring many exciting changes to the Rock County High School gym. Along with the floor and the bleachers you may also notice a new scoreboard. We are giving six local businesses the chance to promote their company by advertising on the scoreboard with three ads going under each scoreboard. The ads will cost $1000 each. This is on a first come first serve basis. Please contact Mrs. Fischer if you are interested in this opportunity.

The Rock County Speech Team will be presenting their speeches on Sunday, March 15th at 2:00 at the Old Feed Store Art Center.

Creighton Prime Time Speech Invitational Results: Hannah Keller - 5th - Informative Suzi Smiley - 5th - Extemporaneous Congratulations!

SPEECH RESULTS: OC Whirlwind Speech Meet Results (February 29): Carson Shaw - 4th Place - Entertainment Hannah Keller - 2nd Place - Informative NVC Speech Results (March 2): Hannah Keller - 4th Place - Informative Suzi Smiley - 2nd Place - Extemporaneous Alex Chavez - 6th Place - Extemporaneous

Junior boys interested in Boys State or the Junior Law Cadet Program see Mr. Dohrman. Applications are due March 1st. Seniors attending a community college in Nebraska are reminded to apply for a Weller Grant. The application has moved online this year and the due date has been moved up to March 1st. A link is posted on our website.

High School Track practice will start on Monday, March 2nd after school for all track athletes except for girls basketball players.

All Junior and Sophomore students planning to enroll in Dual Credit college classes next school year need to come to the English room at the beginning of 7th period on Tuesday, March 3rd. You must have your Social Security Number. See Mr. Dohrman if you have any questions.

Boys Subdistrict Bracket

Bussinger Wins Nebraska Model Bridge Contest The Distance Learning Physics Class, with students from Ainsworth and Rock County high schools, attended the 41st annual Nebraska Model Bridge Contest on Saturday, February 22, 2020 at the Edgerton Explorit Center in Aurora, Nebraska. Bridges were judged for best construction and most unique design prior to being tested to determine their efficiency. Efficiency is determined by dividing the weight the bridge held by the actual weight of the bridge. Sloan Raymond’s bridge held 45.8 pounds for an efficiency of 915, placing eleventh. Victor Carranza’s bridge held 60.5 pounds for an efficiency of 1120, placing eighth. Brendan Bussinger’s bridge held 92.7 pounds for an efficiency of 1812, placing first to win the state contest. He received a trophy, cash prize and an engineering scholarship to UNL. He is eligible to rebuild his bridge to enter it in the International Contest on Saturday, May 9th in Chicago. Team scores were also kept for each participating school. Ainsworth placed fourth and Rock County placed seventh.

Rock County FFA Members please wear official dress to school tomorrow, Monday, February 24th. We will be taking a yearbook photo in the gym at 7:45 a.m.