LHS Weekly Update
March 19, 2020
Good Evening, Leonardtown Raiders!
Extended School Update
I hope everyone has taken this opportunity to rest and reconnect with your families. We have never faced challenges such as these before and we are working very hard to provide you with creative solutions. As always, it is our responsibility to take universal precautions, practice social distancing, and stay informed. With that being said, no decision has been made as to whether we will be returning to school in the near future or if our closure will be extended through Spring Break.
In the meantime, here are instructional resources housed on our SMCPS web page that you can access. You will see a new purple button entitled “Access Online Instruction Resources”. The button links directly to online instructional resources for students and families. Once there, you can access Clever, which serves as a single-sign-on host for many of our online resources. Many of you have already been doing this and should feel quite at home.
While we await answers regarding an extended break, we continue to discuss important issues such as extending the third quarter, graduation announcement distribution, SAT & AP testing, Prom and graduation. As soon as any decisions are made regarding these events, we will let you know.
In the meantime, continue to work on your missing assignments, keep up with your assigned readings, stay healthy and remain Raider Strong! We miss you!
Mulch Delivery Postponed
The Leonardtown High School Athletic Department Mulch sale scheduled for March 20, 21, and 22, has been postponed. LHS staff will communicate the new date once it has been determined. We apologize for this inconvenience.
SAT Update
March and May SAT Administrations
In response to the rapidly evolving situation around the coronavirus (COVID-19), College Board is canceling the May 2, 2020 SAT and SAT Subject Test administration. Makeup exams for the March 14 administration (scheduled for March 28) are also canceled.
Students who already registered for May, whose March test centers were closed, or who do not receive March scores because of any irregularities will receive refunds.
In the coming days, College Board will share additional information and details directly with registered students and test centers.
Future Testing Opportunities
College Board will provide future additional SAT testing opportunities for students as soon as possible in place of canceled administrations. We’ll be as flexible as possible to give students the best chance to show their skills and stay on the path to college.
We have not yet canceled the June 6, 2020 SAT and SAT Subject Test administration and will continue to assess its status, with the health and safety of students and educators as our top priority. We are also exploring the possibility of adding an international SAT administration later this school year.
AP Testing Update
The AP Program is developing resources to help schools support student learning during extended closures, as well as a solution that would allow students to test at home, depending on the situation in May. Additional information will be posted by March 20.
We will announce portfolio submission deadline extensions for AP 2-D Art and Design, 3-D Art and Design, Computer Science Principles, Drawing, Research, and Seminar courses by March 20. Schools do not need to call AP Services for Educators to request these extensions.
From the Counselor's Office...
Please use the links below for resources to assist you as we continue to cope with Covid-19.
Returning Raider Parent Night Presentation Links. On Tuesday,February 11, 2020 we held a parent informational night. The presentations from that evening are below. Topics from the evening included Naviance, AP Courses and our Registration Process. Thank you to all who attended.
Naviance for 9th and 10th with how to log in for parents
Naviance & More for 11th Grade
Literacy Corner
Creating Community Through Books
I hope all of you are safe and healthy. What I am missing most about school being out is the sense of community. Book clubs can help us maintain a sense of connectivity, but if you’re practicing social distancing, it can be a challenge! Below are some resources to find books online and connect with others interested in reading. Meanwhile, if you have any book suggestions or tips for keeping your students engaged in reading and writing, please email me at kjbridges@smcps.org! I’d love to know what our LHS community is doing during this time.
St. Mary’s County Public Libraries: They have made it easier than ever to get a library card online to access digital materials. I enjoy using the Libby app to quickly find books to read on Kindle. Some titles available right now that I can’t wait to get into? The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt, Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi, and Turtles All the Way Down by John Green.
Libro.fm: Right now, small businesses need our support. Libro.fm is offering discounts on audiobooks and 100% of the payments go towards local bookstores. They have recommended titles in many different categories.
Commonlit.org: If you want something a little more structured, Common Lit offers free access to short stories, essays, and more along with guided reading questions. I just re-read “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury on there - it’s as creepy as I remember!
As a family, you can set up a book club - maybe everyone spends some time reading the same book and discussing it at dinner, or you carve out some time in the day to listen to an audiobook. Video conferencing apps like Zoom and Google Hangouts allow for friends to meet virtually if you’re practicing social distancing. Things change so quickly, but I follow some of my favorite authors online and many of them are doing special read-alouds or chats with fans. That’s also a good way to feel connected during this time.
Yearbook Information
Order A Yearbook
If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook, please visit www.jostensyearbooks.com. Yearbook sales will take place through April 30.
Pictures Needed
We are in need of pictures for some of our spreads! Please send all pictures to hmpage@smcps.org. Please do not submit screenshots of pictures, selfies, or pictures with filters. Please make sure all students featured in the pictures are identified with first and last name and grade level.
College Acceptances: Seniors, if you have pictures with your acceptance letter from the university or at the university you will be attending in the fall, please send them to us for our college spread!
MUN: If you attended the MUN conference and have pictures, please send them in!
GIS: If you are in GIS and you have pictures from field trips, activities, or from class, please submit them.
Field Trips or In Class Activities: If you took pictures on a field trip or an interactive activity you completed in class, we’d like to include them.