Raider Nation Staff Newsletter
Week of March 2, 2020
Important Health Information
Hello Raider Nation,
Welcome to MARCH! The mild winter has not provided many snow days -- a good thing to remember in June. However, the mild weather made for a long February and we have a long month ahead of us. During this time, we need to lean on each other for encouragement and motivation. I remember saying to one of you that Atholton is my sanctuary -- away from all the politics of budget cuts, staffing, and policy making. Coming through the doors each morning gives me such joy to interact with you, the staff, and our students. Thank you for making our school such a great place to work and let’s continue to support one another when things get tough!
There has been a lot of attention in the news and on social media related to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This is an evolving situation, and HCPSS will follow the guidance of the Howard County Health Department who will continue to provide updated information and guidance to HCPSS leadership as it becomes available.
The school system has posted information on the website related to the Coronavirus.
Mostly, it is important that we are all doing everything that we can to keep our children and classrooms healthy. The Howard County Health Department officials have shared several recommendations to ensure that we are taking appropriate and effective actions to stay healthy and prevent the spread of all person-to-person viruses. These precautions also have been shared by the CDC, and include:
1. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (students ARE permitted to carry hand sanitizer)
2. Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands
3. Avoiding close contact with people who are sick
4. Staying home when you are sick
5. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash
6. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces
If you have concerns regarding your child’s health, please contact Sandy, our school nurse, or an administrator. Thank you for all of your efforts to help us maintain a safe and healthy school.
As we enter the playoffs for our winter sports, we are wishing all of our Raider athletes the best! Come out and support our Lady Raiders (basketball) tomorrow evening at River Hill. Our boys will play on Tuesday at Oakland Mills. Congratulations to both teams on their first round playoff victories. Lastly, Atholton wrestler David Panda at 126 lbs. won his second consecutive 3A-4A East Wrestling Championship at South River High School on Saturday. He will move on to next weekend's State Championships in Upper Marlboro. David has a 36-0 record this season and is one of only 4 Atholton wrestlers to have won 3 County Championships.
It was brought to my attention that staff members are being asked to wear red on Tuesday, March 3 to advocate for greater state funding. If you have questions, please direct them to Mabrooka. Additionally, we would like for you to participate in a picture in front of the building before the school day begins on Tuesday. I hope you are able to participate.
This past Wednesday during Raider Time, the administrative and student services teams visited Oakland Mills High School to “officially” welcome our new students. We met with just over 100 students in the auditorium and explained what it meant to be a part of Raider Nation. We had an opportunity to share our Welcome Video with them. While they seemed a little nervous, I think they are looking forward to the change. They will be visiting Atholton on June 8 from 12:30 - 1:30 -- mark your calendars. We are visiting the few students coming to us from Hammond High School, this Wednesday.
Larry Cohen will grace us with his monthly message this Wednesday during Raider Time.
We shared this information with ITLs, but there are some important dates in April regarding testing:
April 14 and 15 - Student Climate Survey in English classes
Admin PIP moved from April 30 to April 16
April 16 PIP - Staff Climate Survey and MCAP Proctor Training
If you have not had the chance to do so, please get your Student of the Month selection to Nicole Payne or Chris Clark ASAP. We need to finalize. Also, please know that I share this information in the parent newsletter. It would be nice to have EVERY staff listed!
Yesterday evening, it was my pleasure to attend the Asian Student Union’s Lunar New Year Party. From the origami station, to the lovable panda, and of course the awesome food, it was such a pleasure to spend some time with students and their families. I hope this becomes an annual event and I hope to see you there next year! Thank you to Hana Rhee for her work with the ASU and for the staff members that came out to support.
You should have received an email from Robbie regarding our bookkeeper situation. We are so fortunate to have the assistance of Ms. Pat Crowe from Wilde Lake High School for a few hours on Monday afternoons. Please be prepared to have everything ready for her during this time period. I am conducting interviews this coming week for a bookkeeper. I do not anticipate someone starting for another month or so.
Lastly, I want to thank everyone for your patience and understanding as we worked through the surplus process here at Atholton. It is never an easy thing to endure. I want to acknowledge our ITLs for their support of team members during this difficult time as well as your HCEA representative, Mabrooka Chaudhry, who provided staff with important information regarding the process. I will continue to keep you updated as we navigate this budget crisis. I am scheduled to speak at the County Council meeting on March 12. I hope you all will come out to support the superintendent and the Board as we seek to have our budget fully funded.
See you all tomorrow!
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 -- Attendance Team
Wednesday -- PLC
Mark Your Calendar
March 18 -- College Info Night
March 26 - 29 -- Spring Musical -- HAIRSPRAY
Atholton High School
Email: rmotley@hcpss.org
Website: ahs.hcpss.org
Location: 6520 Freetown Road, Columbia, MD, USA
Phone: 4103137065