Back to School Welcome and Information from Principal Patu

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Welcome to the new school year! 

I hope you enjoyed your summer break! There is lots of excitement for this year as we will be launching our new instructional vision I shared with you in my previous letter and preparing to move into our beautiful new building in the Spring of 2025. As the new leader of RBHS, I want you to know that I count it a privilege to be entrusted with the care of your scholar and to ensure they have a safe, welcoming, inclusive, equitable, world-class educational experience at Beach! 

Please read the information in this letter as it provides key information for the first week of school and key initiatives we will focus on for this school year.   The RBHS Student and Family Handbook will also be made available during the first week of school that provides more detail and I will be sure to update you if there are any changes. 

9th grade Orientation, Parent Coffee Hour, and Course Schedules 

Tuesday, September 3rd 

• 9th grade Orientation from 8:30am – 12pm (additional letter will be sent to 9th grade parents with orientation details) 
• Parent Coffee Hour at 9:30 am in the library for 9th grade families and those new to RBHS.    
• Course schedules will go live on the Source for all students.  Please contact your student’s counselor if your scholar does not have a schedule. 

Alternate schedule for first week of school and Invite to our Family BBQ! 

Day 1 (9/4) – 9th grade students will start school in Advisory without the other grade levels for the first day of school. This will give them time to find their classes and acclimate themselves to the spaces in the building. 10th-12th grades will begin school at 10:55am in Advisory. The day’s schedule will be shared in advisory, and staff will be present to support you throughout the day. 

Day 2 (9/5) – All grade levels will begin school at 8:50am in Advisory.  The schedule for the day will be shared out in advisory and staff will be present to support you throughout the day. 

Day 3 (9/6) – All grade levels follow the regular bell schedule. This is also picture day for all scholars who will rotate through a schedule.  

You are invited to our RB Family BBQ from 4pm-6pm. All students, staff and families are invited! 

Laptop Distribution 

Laptops will be distributed on the following dates:  9th graders – Tuesday, September 3rd (after orientation, 1pm-3pm), 10th-12th graders – Monday, September 9th (will be done through classes). 

Closed Campus 

RBHS will be a closed campus beginning this school year. This policy is in alignment with SPS Board Policy 3242, “It is the policy of the Seattle School Board that all students are to remain on campus during school hours.”  However, Principals can determine rules for leaving campus during mealtimes. 9th and 10th graders will remain on campus during the lunch period.  11th and 12th graders can go off-campus during lunch with a signed parent consent form outlining all expectations, including returning to class on time. Privileges will be revoked if expectations are not met.  A copy of our Off Campus Lunch Permission form has been sent to families of Juniors and Seniors via Talking Points and is also available in the main office.

I understand this is a huge shift for our scholars and the concerns about the availability of tasty food options and having outdoor spaces available. I have made this decision with careful thought, reviewing incident data during lunch times from previous years, and collecting feedback from scholars, families, staff, and community members. As many of you may know, crime and violence in our own surrounding community has escalated exponentially over the last few years, which unfortunately impacts our students. Many of the incidents reported in the last few years occurred off campus during the lunch period and in many cases, involved non-RBHS students and/or adults. My primary goal is to keep our scholars safe while on campus as we do not have the resources or capacity to provide supervision off-campus. Please know that we are working closely with District Administration, Security, SE Network, Safe Passage, SPD and our local businesses to address these issues to the best of our ability. 

In addition, Culinary Services will be providing tasty meal options this year that include a new self-serve salad bar, special of the day entrée, hamburgers/chicken burgers w/fries, pizza, and chicken tenders will be served every day in the cafeteria and out of our concession stand located in our newly created “Beach Café” near the gym foyer.  Both areas will also provide grab-and-go sandwiches along with a variety of chips and beverages. The best deal is that All meals are free for every student enrolled at Beach, regardless of your income status.  In spite of the stigma around school lunches, our Culinary Services have made significant changes in food choices and ensuring they provide culturally responsive meals that have received great feedback from our students and staff.   

We have scheduled lunch period activities supported by our community partners that include gym activities, open mic, karaoke, smash club (video games), arts/crafts, or a quiet “zen” space to relax and decompress. We also have supervised outdoor spaces available near gym foyer, area surrounding parking lot, the garden, and the courtyard outside the cafeteria. 

I know that was a lot of information, but I want to make sure you are well informed of our plan and if you have any questions, please feel free to email me at alpatu@seattleschools.org.  Thank you and I look forward to an amazing year! 

Blessings, 

Annie L. Patu 
Principal 
alpatu@seattleschools.org 
206-252-6350

“If you want to go fast, go alone… If you want to go far, go together”