Today marks the end of the 1st semester of 2022/2023!!! So many great things have happened at PHS over the last five months. We have had multiple students winning student of the month and other academic awards. Over 330 students were names to the Honor Roll for the 1st quarter. Several student clubs have sponsored food and clothing drives and participated in County wide competitions where hardware was won! Our student-athletes competed hard on the fields and courts and continue to demonstrate Pride, Honor, and Success in and outside the classroom. Spirit Week, the Panther Pep Rally, and the Homecoming Dance were great fun and showcased the excitement and pride our students have in their school. Our musicians have bravely performed in front of large audiences, demonstrating once again that we are are a small school with big talent. As we speak, college acceptance letters are pouring in for our Seniors, with many of them early thousands of dollars in scholarships. And special congratulations go out to Ms. Mackenna Bush, who was named as the Pikesville Teacher of the Year for 2023.

As we start the third quarter, please continue to communicate with your child's teachers regarding any questions or issues you have regarding their grade and overall academic development. Educating children (and young adults) occurs best when both the teacher and parent are working together to both prepare and challenge students for life after high school. Please check Schoology on a regular basis (contact the office if you are having difficulty) and ask your child what they are learning and why it's important. Assist us in getting students into first period on time and in communicating the importance of punctuality. Continue to support our wonderful PTSA and Athletic Boosters in all they do to provide opportunities and resources for our students and teachers. Check the website for ways to donate and times each group meets every month.

Once again, paper copies of report cards for the second quarter will not be provided. Please check Schoology (either the parent or student account) after January 25th at 4:00 PM to review your child's report card. If you need a physical copy of a report card, please contact your child's administrator.

I continue to feel immense gratitude to get an opportunity to work in the Pikesville community. Thank you for sending your child to us everyday and allowing us to be part of their academic and personal development.

Eric

We are entering a very exciting time of year where students select their courses for next year. We saw many families in December for the evening information session and I we are excited to see several students who were interested in our programs. If you have any questions about either of our completer programs (PLTW Engineering or Computer Science), please reach out to wknipscher@bcps.org

Also, February is Engineers Week! We will be going on several field trips during this week. Be on the lookout for field trip permission slips.”

42 physical books checked out
11 eBook and audiobooks checked out
773 Student visits over 14 school days

January marks the beginning of a new calendar year despite its status as a midpoint in the academic year. In an effort to capture the “new year, new me” vibes prevalent, January is National Mentoring Month. Be sure to have your student be on the look out for information to attend the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Forum. While these groups may be more targeted, as their name suggests, all are welcome. These mentoring groups are sponsored by faculty and function in both a peer mentoring capacity, as well as offering support to students experiencing various forms of trauma and how to best navigate the dynamic years of high school.

The social studies department would like to recognize the following students as the students of the month chose by each teacher in the department:

Mr. Smith- Ablanta Fesseha

Mrs. Johnson- Samantha Lubek

Mr. Ohara- Zara Uzoama

Mr. Goodman- Jason Chan

Mr. Lambert- Adelyn Couvillion

Mr. Babcock- Frankie-Chanel Jackson

Ms. Bush- Michelle Joseph

Mrs. Bartkowski- Samantha Layman

We have so many students that meet expectations and work hard here at PHS that it can be hard to choose just one student each month. We thank parents and families that support their students' academic success. You are appreciated. ☺️

As the Second Quarter comes to a close, it is a good time to take stock of your student's performance so far. If your student has any combination of grades that looks like this: DD, EE, DE, ED, this is cause for concern. At this point, there is a chance that your student will not earn their credit for graduation. All social studies courses except for AP Psychology and History Through Films are required for graduation.

Please know that teachers are working hard to meet students' needs in the classroom. Students are asked to read and write on a daily basis to practice and enhance literacy skills. Extra help is available through coach class, which each teacher holds at least once per week. However, if students refuse to work during their assigned class time or do not attend class when they are present for school, the BCPS grading policy does not require teachers to give students additional opportunities to complete missing work. If you find that your student may be in danger of not earning their credit, please reach out to their teacher to schedule a conference to find out exactly what they need to do to be successful. We know that success in school isn't the end all, be all, but doing well in school can make the next steps a lot easier.

Thank you to the parents who came to our academic programs showcase in December! We loved getting to meet so many families and being able to quickly and easily answer your questions about academic planning. We have been spending our time this month in science classes meeting individually with every student to review their course requests for next year. Once we meet with the student, we are “locking” their course requests in focus, but please know that they are not really set in stone until June. Students can work with their school counselor to tweak their requests anytime until the last day of school. After that, then their requests will be truly set for the upcoming year.

Students who have last names that start with G-M were recently notified by Ms. Jones that she is resigning from Baltimore County Public Schools. Until we can find a candidate who can come close to measuring up to her high standards, Ms. James, Mr. Goldman, and Mr. Moody will do our best to address the needs of our students. Additionally, Mr. Goldman will have a school counseling intern to support the efforts as well. We will continue to make every attempt to hold 6-year plan meetings with the middle half of the high school, starting with 11th graders as soon as we wrap up course registration, and 10th graders after that. Families of students whose last names start with G-M who have a pressing concern or issue after January 20, should please reach out to Mr. Goldman at jgoldman@bcps.org, and thank you in advance for your patience while we move forward despite the incomplete school counseling department.

Senior families, you have gotten a second monthly FAFSA update from Mr. Goldman. If you have not successfully completed the FAFSA for the 2023-24 school year, please be sure to do so by March 1, at www.studentaid.gov.

Junior families, please get out and visit some college campuses, so that your students can make informed decisions about where they want to apply. Remember that the school day SAT will be on April 25.

Jeremy Goldman, NCC

School Counseling Department Chair

Pikesville High School

443-809-3052

Congrats goes out to Isaac Garonzik and Jackson Matz, whose team placed 14th out of 239 teams in the fall competition of THE STOCK MARKET GAME. A special congratulations goes out to Isaac, who was recognized for competing in the InvestWrite essay competition. If any students are interested in competing in the spring competition of THE STOCK MARKET GAME (free of charge), they should reach out to Mr. Goodman (egoodman@bcps.org) by January 20th.

January 10th Chorus & Orchestra Concert 7:00 – 9:00pm

January 11th Band Concert 7:00 – 9:00pm

January 12th Dance Recital 7:00 – 9:00pm

January 13th Sit for Lit

January 16th Dr. Matin Luther King, Jr. Day – schools and offices closed

January 17th Second Marking Period Ends – schools close 3 hours early for all students.

January 23rd Systemwide professional Development Day – schools closed for students

January 25th Report cards will be available on Schoology

January 26th Sit for Lit