As parents of a graduating senior, we can honestly say
it is hard to believe another year of school is wrapping
up at Reynolds! Since this is our last PTSA newsletter of
theschool year, we would like to express our deepest
gratitude to those whose involvement each and every
day make our school the fabulous place it is.
First, to our teachers, administration and staff – you truly go above and beyond to help our children achieve their goals AND their dreams. Through early morning tutoring, writing letters of recommendation, counseling, making special accommodations for particular needs, and other tasks, your support allows our students to thrive. We hope you can enjoy some R&R with your families over the summer while reflecting on an outstanding job well done!
Seniors - what a pleasure it was to celebrate your accomplishments at last week’s Class Day event. The Class of 2014 has garnered $13.1 in scholarships and grants to date. This record-breaking number continues to climb as additional awards are released. We wish you the best of luck in your new endeavors next year!
Fellow parents, grandparents and families - thank you for sharing your time and talents with the PTSA! It is quite amazing to be a part of this vibrant school community, one that would not be the same were it not for your involvement. We look forward to working with all returning and new families next year!
Finally, we would like to recognize the invaluable leadership of Lisa and Greg Carter this past year. Their positive spirit and faithful dedication have made being a part of the RJR PTSA a joy. Theirs will be a tough act to follow, but we are honored to move into our new roles. Thank you Lisa and Greg!
Have a safe and happy summer break everyone!
Alan and Kate Ruley
PTSA 2nd Vice President and President
Weekly Newsletter and Communication Team Keep Us Informed
Since this is our last edition of the year, it is about time we thank the AWESOME team that makes our weekly e-newsletter a reality! Brad Fisher maintains our email distribution list, reminds contributors about each edition’s deadline and compiles the articles each week. He also ensures athletic schedules and information are included in each issue. While this may not sound like a big deal, imagine collecting and formatting information from what could be hundreds of sources over the course of a year!
Jennifer Green lends her writing talents to report on our volunteer efforts and events. Jennifer uses these articles to recognize our outstanding volunteers and also to educate our readers about our many volunteer opportunities!
Gina Caudill reads every word of every page every week before the e-newsletter hits the “press”. As our volunteer proofreader for an astounding eight years (that’s dedication!), Gina’s attention to detail ensures we have an accurate, consistent and professional-looking product each week!
Brad and Gina were also instrumental this year in implementing parent suggestions to improve the layout and organization of the newsletter. Hopefully, you noticed the “What’s New” and “In this Issue” index each week, directing readers to important deadlines and information as well as more concise and relevant content.
Although she is not part of the weekly e-newsletter group, we’d like to thank another parent volunteer who is vital to communication at RJR. Robin Woodard is our official PTSA “Webmaster”, responsible for updating the PTSA section of the website. However, consistent with everything she does, Robin goes above and beyond, helping other areas of the school, such as Student Services, improve and update their pages as well. As if that wasn’t enough, she tirelessly volunteers on the Student Services, Buildings & Grounds and ESL Tutors committees! While her daughter Christina is graduating, we are thrilled to say that Robin plans to continue to volunteer as a “parent alum”.
Thanks so much again to Brad, Jennifer, Gina and Robin for a job well done and very much appreciated!
Students Need to Pick Up Items from Student Services
We currently have items that have not been picked up in Student Services. Please make arrangements to send your student or feel free to drop by Student Services to retrieve the following items:
- Crosby Scholars packets from Gala
- Reflectionscertificates/submissions
- Scores from ACT Plan, ACT Practice Tests and/or PSAT taken this year
Thank you for your assistance with this matter!
Final Exam Schedule
The final exam schedule for all classes is included at the end of this newsletter.
Yearbook Distribution Continues
The 2013-2014 Black & Gold is being distributed now. Students who pre-ordered yearbooks can pick them up and students who did not pre-order can purchase a copy for $55 (cash or check to RJR) in Room 210. The yearbook company misprinted nearly half of the 950 books that we ordered this year, including 300 that omitted senior ads. The bad books are being returned; so far, enough extra copies of the book are on hand to ensure that everyone who wants one gets a good copy. If we run out, however, the company will print more. The sooner students come in to get their yearbooks, the sooner we can make sure our numbers are squared away for the final order! Don’t forget that this year’s book comes with a 16-page supplement of activities from Follies to graduation. Supplements will arrive at RJR for pick-up in early July. Please direct questions about the book to .
Baccalaureate will be held on June 8 at 5 p.m. at ArdmoreBaptistChurch. All are invited to attend.
Demon Shop
The Demon Shop closed May 30th. If you are interested in being a committee member or volunteer in the Demon Shop next year, please contact Melissa Workman at .
Exam Proctors Needed
RJR parents, families and friends over the age of 18 are needed to help proctor and/or monitor hallsduring semester exams the week of June 9th.More help than ever is neededto test our students! Proctors will not be confined to one space,but will float between two to three testing rooms or monitor the hallways. Help is needed on Monday, June 9th through Thursday, June 12th from 8:15 a.m. to approximately 1:00 p.m. Sign up at:
All volunteers must be registeredat WSFCSdata base by going to Your help is GREATLY appreciated! Questions? Email PTSA Proctor Chair, Jeanne Brooker, at or 721-1080.
Algebra II Tutoring Session Offered
A tutoring session is being offered on Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon in room 322 forMrs. Freitag's Algebra II classes. The session is mainly for B-Day students, but all are welcome to attend.
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Start Selecting Senior Ad Photos During the Summer
Summer is a great time to look back at those thousands of photos you have of your son or daughter and start deciding which photos you’d like to include in their Senior Ad in the 2015 Black & Gold yearbook! Many parents this year said choosing photos was the hardest part of the project, so if you have some free time, you might thank yourself later! RJR yearbook students will begin distributing Senior Ad forms in August. The deadline for inclusion in next year’s book will be in mid-October. Please contact adviser Steve Hanf with questions at .
Student of the Week and Educator of the Month
Congratulations to Student of the Week Hannah Semke. She was nominated for her outstanding and daily contributions to a positive and effective learning environment at R.J. Reynolds. Thanks for making RJR great, Hannah!
Congratulations to our May Educator of the Month,Ms. Satterfield. She was nominated by a student for being a great teacher who makes learning fun. Thanks for making RJR great, Ms. Satterfield!
From Student Services
The counseling department wants to congratulate Rachel Lunsford for winning the McNair Scholar award for University of South Carolina worth a total of $130,000
RJR’s outstanding Class of 2014 was celebrated last Friday! Following Class Day, the festivities continued at BoltonPark where students were treated to their Senior Picnic. The Senior Picnic Committee, chaired by Sandy Irvin, made sure the event was a success! Committee members purchased supplies, decorated, purchased desserts, set up, served and cleaned up afterwards. Thanks to Sandy, Francie Bray, Alice DuBose, Kathleen Ghiorsi, Aparna Patel, Lisa Rowell, Corrine Ward and Marlena Westcottfor helping send our seniors off in such a special way!
All graduating seniors and their families are invited to attend the annual Baccalaureate service at 5:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 8th at ArdmoreBaptistChurch. While not technically a school function, many of our students choose to participate in this very meaningful service. As with nearly all RJR events, this special occasion would simply not be possible without our parent volunteers. Baccalaureate Committee ChairsShannon Johnson, Kim Macon, Merritt Orr and Shannon Rainey have been in charge of this event in its entirety — an HUGE job made possible by the assistance of some 50 parent volunteers who help order and address invitations, create the program, organize speakers, musicians and Junior Marshals, provide refreshments, arrange flowers, decorate, set up, serve, and clean up when it’s all over! Thank you to these dedicated and generous volunteers for their involvement in this night of celebration!
Thanks to our Legacy Corporate Sponsors!
R.J. Reynolds is extremely grateful for the generous donations these corporate sponsors gave to this year’s Legacy Campaign. Please show them your support and thank them for supporting RJR!
Sports Physicals
WSFCS will offer sports physicals for rising 9th-12th graders on Saturday, June 7th. Transportation will be provided for those who want to meet at Bryson Gym before hand.
Students and parents need to fill out the physical packet completely before seeing a doctor.
Physical packets can be picked up in the main office or downloaded from the school’s webpage under Athletics.
For more details, refer to the letter from Wake Forest Baptist Health included at the end of this newsletter.
RJR Booster Club Needs Committee Volunteers
The RJR Booster Club helps support our wonderful student
athletes. There are several committees that need your
help to ensure that next year is as successful as this year
has been. Please contact Tim and Jeanne Brooker at for more information.
RJR Women’s Soccer to Support Summer Soccer Camp
RJR Women’s Soccer is partnering with the Fulton YMCA to help run a youth soccer camp for girls ages 5-12 years old the week of June 23-27. The link to get camp information is: