Raider Nation Staff Newsletter
Week of June 15, 2020
Our Year Is Coming to an End
Hello Raider Nation,
Congratulations to the Class of 2020!! Last Monday was Atholton’s Virtual Graduation. I truly enjoyed watching all of the student videos and I was amazed by the level of creativity that went into them. As I said in my graduation speech, it took all of us (the Atholton village) to come together to provide a meaningful experience for our seniors. First, a huge thank you to Jeannette Bonomo-Thomas for her countless hours of working with the production company to get things ‘just right.’ To every staff member who delivered signs, collected textbooks, distributed caps and gowns, helped at our “mock” graduation, read names, and / or made a video for seniors -- THANK YOU! Your contribution to the collective experience of our seniors will never be forgotten. You are the reason I love working at Atholton -- WE ARE ATHOLTON!
Tomorrow morning at 9:00 a.m. Atholton will host a Conversation Circle on Race, the Black Lives Matter Movement, and Your Reflections. It is a non-judgment zone where you can discuss events and how you are processing everything. It is an opportunity to learn, to share, and to come together. Cheryl Grimes will be moderating and using HCPSS guidelines in our circle. All are welcome! We will use our staff meeting code: ahsvirtualstaffmeetings. I hope to see you there!
This Tuesday is a busy day for our school. We have two events occurring simultaneously -- our senior diploma cover distribution AND our 9th be- 11th grader collection (only a select number of students). Both occurring from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. As I mentioned in our staff meeting, not every underclassman will return items. Only those with athletic gear/equipment or those leaving HCPSS. Given the limited number of students, I think we have enough coverage.
All “official” grading ended last week and no new assignments should be assigned for the remainder of the school year. Students must still have an opportunity to make-up any missed assignments. Just a reminder that students will receive either a “P” or “I” for the fourth quarter. Those receiving an incomplete grade (I), will be allowed to make up the work through September 15.
This week students will be engaged in several activities ranging from classroom discussions on current events to completing surveys on their distance learning experiences. If you are uncertain about your lessons this week, please consult your ITL immediately.
Admin and ITLs met to discuss plans and a schedule for the last three days of school. Below is the schedule for each day. You will meet with your class for 30 minutes.
Friday, June 19 (1.5 hrs)
- 9:00 - 9:30 Period 1
- 10:00 - 10:30 Period 2
- 11:00 - 11:30 Period 3
Monday, June 22 (1 hr)
- 9:00 - 9:30 Period 4a
- 10:00 - 10:30 Period 4b
- 10:45 - 11:30 Student Circle Time (Grimes)
Tuesday, June 23 (1 hr)
- 9:00 - 9:30 Period 5
- 10:00 - 10:30 Period 6
- 10:45 - 11:30 Student Circle Time (Grimes)
The 30 min is a time for you to bid farewell to your classes. The last two days we will be hosting student circles around race and the events that have taken place in the country.
As we bid farewell to our seniors, this past week we welcomed two new groups of students to Raider Nation. Last Thursday and Friday we held virtual visitation days for our incoming freshman and our redistricted students. We are so thrilled to welcome them to Atholton. Please help make their transition to our community a smooth transition and let’s show them how welcoming, inclusive, and inviting we are. Thank you to Adrienne Nasir, Brandon Morfoot, Yvonne Rogers, Kim Wade, and Sue Erickson for a great job in putting everything together.
We are finalizing a virtual check-out form for staff to complete. You will be asked to inventory your technology, submit final Incomplete (I) grades, your 14hour work log, your summer address, etc. I will send out the link this week and directions on completing it. This will be your FINAL task for the school year.
Lastly, the pictures are finally in! If you have been waiting for all of the pictures from our June 1 “graduation ceremony” in our junior parking lot, you may find them here. Enjoy!!!
Robert
Important Information
End Of Year Schedule / Grading
June 8 -12
- Last NEW assignment assigned for grading (6/8) and submitted (6/12)
June 15 - 18
- Curriculum Offices providing activities for teachers (surveys, discussions, etc.)
- Consult your ITL for specifics
June 19, 22, 23
- Half days. Schedule / Activities not released yet. TBD
June 23
- LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
From HCPSS
Next Steps:
Due to the change in schedule, it is important to note that the last week to assign new work will be the week of June 8. Assignments will be due on June 12 with the understanding that staff supports the collection and grading of assignments during the week of June 15. The 7-day support and celebration of our students are highly valued, and we encourage schools to generate energy around these days.
THIS WEEK
Meetings
All Meetings are VIRTUAL
Friday -- SST Meeting (1:15 p.m.)
Mark Your Calendar
June 15 -- Support Staff Re-entry
June 16 -- Student Re-entry
June 22 -- LAST VIRTUAL STAFF MEETING
June 23 -- Last Day of School
Atholton High School
Email: rmotley@hcpss.org
Website: ahs.hcpss.org
Location: 6520 Freetown Road, Columbia, MD, USA
Phone: 4103137065