Panther Post
Pikesville High School Newsletter | December 2017
From the Principal's Desk
Dear Pikesville Families,
The year is quickly fleeting! I am amazed that this is the last edition of our newsletter for this calendar year! Already at the half-way mark of the second quarter, our elite Lighthouse school continues to thrive with new and successfully-entrenched initiatives, programs, and opportunities designed with our fortunate students.
Thus far, it has been an action-packed year of abundant endeavors and accolades that have been bestowed upon our school. Our calendar continues to showcase the many exciting events our school is hosting this year. Thank you for your support of these functions to enrich our school. Your attendance to Fall Sports Awards Ceremony, American Education Week, our Second Annual Visual Arts Coffeehouse, monthly PTSA meetings, the fall production of "Snow White", POPs and Winter Festival music concerts, as well as our various sporting activities, highlights your regard for our multi-faceted and comprehensive programming.
As a further update, several of our students were involved in a Leadership Summit for Young Women and still others took part in the upcoming BCPS Town Hall meeting with Interim Superintendent White. Our students have been exposed to varied field trips, and several from our Theatre Arts classes trekked to “The Big Apple” this month to see a Broadway show. We are excited that our winter sports teams are all actively practicing and competing with demonstrated skill and sportsmanship. Our girls’ basketball team is considered a "Team to Watch" by the Baltimore Sun due to their impressive season, this far.
This year, our school has been involved in hosting Phase II Lighthouse visits where principals from other non-Lighthouse schools are able to see our rigorous 21st Century instructional programs, with a focus on literacy-based pedagogy that seamlessly infuses technology to engage students and accelerate their skills. Our students have begun the registration process for next year and are utilizing their devices to obtain information that increases their awareness of the wide array of PHS offerings. By so doing, students are better informed and able to create their own educational pathway that enriches their high school experience while advantaging them in their quest on being competitive in obtain post-secondary opportunities. We continue to have "vertical articulation" with our feeder middle and elementary schools to establish educational continuity and celebrate our Pikesville learning community.
We are humbled by your outpouring of warm and encouraging feedback to our faculty and staff. We work diligently to ensure that we are providing every student a quality education so that they can prosper and achieve. Research continues to validate that family and school are the strongest influences on a child. We strive to be more dedicated in cultivating a solidified home-school connection, as well as facilitating literacy and sound decision making in our adolescents. Know that in the midst of the daily hustle and bustle that exists in our lives, remaining involved with your child and their schooling is a tremendous investment that will reap great dividends. During these dynamic high school years, with the associated dramatic changes that take place, connectedness is of vital importance in realizing school success, building positive character traits, and channeling behaviors in ways that enhance their lives.
Students continue to show great support of the variety of charitable undertakings we have that involve assisting underprivileged children and their families in our local community. Today, PHS' Medical Explorer's Club will host their Second Annual "Feed the Hungry" initiative immediately after school.
I am grateful and cognizant of the greatness of our esteemed community as we work in unison to propel our students to their academic success. We duly recognize your dedication to keep our school Panther “PAWsitive,” productive, purposeful, and pupil-centered! Our committed teaching staff, coupled with our involved parents and families, has afforded us a veritable educational environment of which to be proud.
On behalf of the entire Pikesville School faculty and staff, I wish you a festive, gratifying, and safe holiday and New Year. We, the members of Team PHS, will embark upon the second half of our “learning adventure” together on Tuesday, January 2nd. See you in 2018!
Yours in Education,
Sandra Reid
Important Dates to Remember
December 20 Second Annual 'Feed the Hungry' event hosted by the Medical Explorers Club
December 22 Winter Break Begins
January 2 School Re-opens
January 11 PTSA Meeting
January 15 MLKJr. Day, Schools Closed
January 19 Second Marking Period Ends; Schools close three hours early
The PHS Giving Tree
Thanks to our PTSA that thoughtfully embarked on a coat drive. We appreciate the much-appreciated items that you have generously given to help others enjoy a happier holiday.
BCPS Keeps Parents on Track, Too!
Be certain to track your child’s progress regularly via BCPS One where teachers are updating grades and you are actively able to monitor your child's attendance, a major focus of school this year. We want you to feel comfortable speaking with teachers, counselors, our school social worker, and administrators about questions and concerns you may have so that we can properly service your child’s specific needs.
Distinguished Alumni Event
On December 4, 2017, Pikesville High School held a ceremony in the school's auditorium to honor its 23rd and 24th Distinguished Alumni award recipients, State Senators James Brochin ('82) and Bobby Zirkin ('89). The honorees addressed the assembled students and held a question-and-answer session afterwards.
If you have exciting information about a distinguished Pikesville alum and believes he or she would be a worthy nominee, please contact committee member Mr. Ethan Goodman (egoodman@bcps.org).
Project Lead the Way
Project Lead The Way provides transformative learning experiences for K-12 students and teachers across the U.S. We create an engaging, hands-on classroom environment and empower students to develop in-demand knowledge and skills they need to thrive. We also provide teachers with the training, resources, and support they need to engage students in real-world learning.
This past week, many of the PLTW programs, Hereford HS, and Eastern Technical HS, participated in the MSHSEP/BCPS Shark Tank event. The partnership, with Executive Director, Ralph Olson, is highlighted below:
If you were unable to participate, please do encourage your students and teachers to attend our next two events. Ralph and I will be following up this week, with more details.
News from the English Department
The English Department is excited to continue our exploration of The Odyssey, Things Fall Apart, Great Gatsby, Canterbury Tales, and Pride and Prejudice. Students are working hard to improve their informational, argument, and narrative writing skills. This month, we are teaming up with the Social Studies department in order to create cross-curricular lessons that support reading informational texts. We are also focusing on SAT grammar skills this quarter in preparation for the SAT administration in April. If you would like to read the unit text at home along with your child, please feel free to contact Erin Haroth, English Department Chair, at eharoth@bcps.org.
Social Studies
In Mr. Goodman's Economics and Public Issues classes his students have been learning about many aspects of financial literacy. One of those concepts has been investing. In order to encourage the students to see the impact that investing can have on their lives, he has signed up the students for the "Stock Market Game." Teams of four are competing amongst each other to have the most money by the end of the semester.
Mr. Goodman's Juvenile Justice classes has been examining the many elements of the justice system. Activities have included jury selection and plea-bargaining simulations, discussions about punishment philosophies, and designing fair and equitable prisons for juveniles.
Yearbook News
Order Your 2018 Yearbook Now:
- Order Online at jostensyearbooks.com. Search for Pikesville High School.
- Order by phone: 1-877-767-5217.
- Order by Mail: forms available in Room 128.
If you would like to purchase or have questions about the 2017 yearbook, please contact Rita Leiby at rleiby@bpcs.org.
Attention Parents of Seniors
Consider recognizing your graduating senior with a recognition (baby) ad in the 2018 yearbook. Order forms were mailed to all senior households during September. If you did not receive a form in the mail, there is a link to download a form on the parent page of the pikesvillehs.bcps.org website. If you own local business, consider placing an ad in our yearbook.
Senior Portraits
If your child is a senior and did not have a senior portrait taken at school, you must make an appointment at Lifetouch Photography Studios if you want a picture in the yearbook. To make an appointment, call 410-644-7700. Pictures must be submitted by December 31 to be included in the yearbook.
Mental Health Resources at PHS
An important part of helping students meet their goals at Pikesville High School is connecting them with the best professionals on every step of their high school journey. While only a small percentage of our students receive social work services for school-related concerns, many of our students can benefit from outside counseling.
Outside providers focus on helping students to cope with the stressors of adolescence, so that adolescents can achieve their goals and learn various coping strategies. We are pleased to partner with three local Community Mental Health Providers: Main Street Mental Health, Thrive Behavioral Health, and now Innovative Therapeutic Services.
Each of these providers offers mental health counseling within and outside of the school setting. Students with medical assistance, as well as most private insurance plans, have access to a variety of therapists who are specialists in the field of adolescent mental health.
Students who are seen by any one of our community partners allows our school staff to have a unique team approach to help your child, both in and outside of school. Providers can continue sessions throughout summer months, help with medication management, and also provide family therapy, if necessary. All of these services are offered without the added stress of driving your child to their appointments.
Please contact Ms. Chase, Pikesville’s School Social Worker, to find out which of these providers is the right choice for your child.
Pikesville High School Vision
Pikesville High, the heartbeat of our culturally-diverse community, is where pride in our work, and honor for ourselves and others, combine to ensure success in cultivating our globally-competitive students.
About Us
Assistant Principals
Grade 10 and P-Z grade 9 Mr. Robinson, probinson@bcps.org
Grade 11 and A-F grade 9, Mrs. Seymour ashinners@bcps.org
Grade 12 and G-O grade 9, Mr. Carney acarney@bcps.org
Other Important Numbers
Main Number: 410-887-1217
Guidance: 410-887-1219
Nurse: 410-484-4795
Athletic Director: 410-887-1257
Email: pmichalski@bcps.org
Website: http://pikesvillehs.bcps.org/
Location: 7621 Labyrinth Road, Pikesville, MD 21208, United States
Phone: 410-887-1217
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pikesvillehighschool/
Twitter: @PikesvilleHS