Raider Nation Staff Newsletter
Week of February 24, 2020
Staffing Meetings This Week
Hello Raider Nation,
This past week was marked by our Black History Month program on Thursday and Friday. The Thursday evening event had Kweisi Mfume as keynote speaker. Mr. Mfume shared how he never “officially” graduated from high school but was forced to take a different route -- via GED. The former congressman and former head of the NAACP encouraged our students to get the most out of their college experience and help to share in the theme of historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) showcased by members of Atholton’s Black Student Union. A huge thank you to Cherise Petty, Robert Thompson, Michelle Howard, and the many other staff members who assisted in helping to make this happen.
The Howard County Wrestling Championships took place this past weekend. Our Raiders represented well taking home two county titles. Congratulations to seniors David Panda and Michael Altamirano for winning their respective weight class. Moreover, David Panda became the 27th wrestler in Howard County history to win three county titles. He defeated River Hill’s Jonah Richardson by decision, 11-9, in overtime. Senior Michael Altimarano won his first county title by taking down the defending county champion Shayan Kassiri, 10-2. Congratulations to Maxime Arbareri and Desmon Craig as well as Pete Frazier for their top 5 finishes as well. Thanks to Coach Lindblad and Coach Billups for helping to create a great weekend for Raider Nation wrestling! You can read about it all here. Please congratulate them if you see them.
This week we will celebrate the academic achievements of our students for the second quarter with our Honor Roll ice cream celebration this coming Friday during 4th period. Please feel free to stop by to assit and get some ice cream.
Meetings are scheduled this week with ITLs to review staffing and begin discussions about next year. As a result of the budget situation, Atholton must cut just over 5 positions for next year. As we work through making these modifications, we will be notifying those individuals who are being surplussed. All decisions will be made by the end of this coming week. Thank you for your patience as we work through these difficult decisions.
Lastly, the administrative team and student services will be visiting Oakland Mills High School to meet and welcome our new students. This will take place during their Scorpion Time on Wednesday. I will be sure to bring greetings on your behalf and let them know how excited we are to welcome them to Raider Nation!
Let's have a FANTASTIC week!
Robert
Important Information
Denial of Credit Information
As we enter the third quarter, the discussion of denial of credit may begin to surface. I want to share the Denial of Credit process that the school system has put in place. This process is intended to afford multiple opportunities for intervention for student attendance in order to avoid any student being in the position of being denied credit for a course. Teachers, counselors, and administrators are asked to take specific steps to document student and parent notification and engagement prior to requesting denial of credit from the principal. The steps in the process are:
- Student/Teacher Conference (one each quarter)
- Parent Notification (one each quarter)
- Denial of Credit Warning Letter sent by teacher (before end of Quarter 3)
- Conference held with student, parent, counselor/administrator documented in the form of a contract
- Denial of Credit Recommendation Form submitted to principal (3 weeks prior to last student day)
Student Support Team Information
If you have concerns about a student, please reach out to the various supports we have in place to assist. See below how to access information to support students in need of assistance:
Link for Tier 1 Interventions Document.
This can be found on the Atholton High School Canvas Page. Click on 'Student Support'. Link located under 'Student Support Team'
THIS WEEK
Meetings
Monday -- SST
Monday -- Department Meetings
Wednesday -- 9th Grade Team
Thursday -- Prof Learning PIP / Admin PIP on Achievement (BSAP / Alt Ed presentations)
Thursday -- ITL (6th period)
Mark Your Calendar
February 28 -- Honor Roll Ice Cream Celebration (during lunch shifts)
Atholton High School
Email: rmotley@hcpss.org
Website: ahs.hcpss.org
Location: 6520 Freetown Road, Columbia, MD, USA
Phone: 4103137065