Raider Nation Staff Newsletter
Week of February 11, 2019
Happy Valentine's Day
Hello Raider Nation --
Will we or won’t we have school tomorrow? – that is the question. A full day off, a delay, or start on-time? The question going through everyone’s mind this Sunday afternoon and evening. Whatever the decision, please be mindful that after school activities may be impacted tomorrow afternoon if we do have school.
Thank you to everyone who inquired about my visit to Capitol Hill and moderating a briefing. The briefing (Student Voice and Youth Engagement) may be viewed here.
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)
This Friday is our Black History Month assembly. An email went out last week from Cherise Petty. The in-school assembly will take place during 5th and 6th periods. Seating arrangements will be sent out from Sam Richman no later than Wednesday. Also, you will receive a list of student names in advance for all who are participating in the Black History Program by Wednesday as well.
As we continue to hold mid-year conferences and review your SLO data and for some your artifacts, I would like for each of you to know that this is a collaborative process. If you find you are overwhelmed and unable to meet deadlines, please have a conversation with your administrator. Each of us is more than willing to work with you and provide all the time you need to get things done. If you remember from my presentation back in August, the purpose of submitting artifacts BEFORE the end of the year was to engage in a dialogue and provide you the feedback to go back and make any necessary changes -- true learning and growth! However, if you feel that this places an undue burden upon you, again, please touch base with your administrator.
Lastly, I strongly believe that we should encourage and support our students who are civically engaged. Junior Mariana Lennon is participating in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Student of the Year Campaign. During these next seven weeks (ending March 9, 2019), she will be raising funds to help pay for research toward a cure for leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma and improve the quality of life for patients and their families who are struggling with these diseases. Here is how you can help:
- Make donations at LLS website: https://events.lls.org/md/MDSoY19/mlennon
- Share her message with your contacts via email or social media
- Donate a silent auction item that can be used for the Grand Finale Gala auction
- Help her secure a corporate sponsorship (Sponsorships start at $2500 and sponsors receive Gala benefits)
See you tomorrow and Happy Valentine's Day!
Robert
THIS WEEK
Meetings
Monday -- SST
Monday -- Staff Meeting
Tuesday -- 9th Grade Team Meeting
Wednesday -- Admin / Student Services Meeting
Thursday -- Nontenured Teacher Meeting
Mark Your Calendar
February 11 -- Staff Meeting
February 15 -- BSU Black History Month Program (Periods 5 & 6)
February 18 -- School Closed -- President's Day
Staff Newsletter
Email: rmotley@hcpss.org
Website: ahs.hcpss.org
Location: Atholton High School, Freetown Road, Columbia, MD, USA
Phone: (410) 313-7065