Well, we did it! September is behind us and the 2022/2023 school year is off to a great start. We entered the school year fully staffed, ready to welcome the class of 2026 and haven't looked back since. Despite the continued impact of COVID, our attendance continues to be over 90% and participation in extra-curricular activities such as athletics, theater, and clubs are at a all-time high. Because students (and adults) have had a year under their belts post-COVID, the transition into the school year has been noticeably smoother and productive. The class of 2026 has transitioned into high school and are quickly learning that much is expected of them both academically and behaviorally. Our Panther Senior Leaders have made their presence known throughout the building at both in school and out of school events. We are looking forward to their first Mini-Lesson on Pride. Honor. Success on Thursday, October 6th. We are also looking forward to honoring our students demonstrating Success for our Student of the Month celebration on Friday, October 7th. Every teacher is nominating one student of the month this year, to be honored in a morning celebration in which they will receive a PHS pin and certificate. On the AVID front, we had our Induction Ceremony for the Class of 2026 in early September. This group of 50 students join an AVID program that is tops in the State of Maryland and one of only two BCPS schools that is a Demonstration School. This means that schools across the country visit PHS throughout the year to see how AVID can transform their school. We are so proud of our AVID Scholars! We just finished up a very spirited Homecoming Week 2022! All week students dressed in various theme outfits culminating in class color day on Friday and our Fall Pep Rally. The pep rally was a an awesome display of class and school spirit and really showed off what the Pikesville school community is all about. Unfortunately we did not get the football win Friday night, but we still danced the night away on Saturday for our Hollywood Nights Homecoming Dance. As you can see, great things are happening at Pikesville High School. Thank you again for allowing PHS to be involved in your child's education and personal growth.

Please get involved in the school PTSA and the Panther Booster Club if you can. Your presence and input matter! The PTSA informational flyer with meeting dates is in this newsletter.

Panther Boosters meets the last Monday of every month (except in October). Please contact the Boosters President, Alina Rasoulov, @ arasoulov@gmail.com. for more information.

__________________________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

The School to Career Transition program at Pikesville High School is pleased to inform you about Panther Prep Day, which will be held at Pikesville High on Wednesday, October 12, 2022, from 7:30 a.m. until 11:35 a.m. The Senior Mock Interview Project provides an opportunity for graduating seniors at Pikesville High School to participate in a realistic interview experience. This endeavor, a Maryland State graduation requirement, is designed to help prepare students for success in college and the world of work. In addition, seniors will also rotate through six other engaging workshop experiences.

We are still looking for participation from our community members to assist with interviews as we strive to make the Mock Interview Project an effective and meaningful experience for our students, one that prepares them well for life after high school. If you or a representative of your organization will be able to join us on October 12, please accept our invitation by contacting the School to Career Department (David Kreller) by phone at 443-809-1222 or by email at dkreller@bcps.org. An invitation letter is attached.

____________________________________________________________________________________________

September 15th marks the beginning of Hispanic Heritage Month! This recognition will continue through October 15th on the morning announcements and various displays throughout the school. The start of the festive month marks the Independence Day of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Other Hispanic countries celebrating independence in this month include Mexico, on September 16, Chile, on September 18, and Belize, on September 21.

This month-long celebration honors Hispanic cultures and traditions originating in twenty countries on the American continents joined by their shared Spanish language. The United States has recognized this celebration since 1968 when Pres. Lyndon Johnson signed a bill to allow for one week-long celebration. In 1987, Representative Esteban Torres of California tried to expand this one-week celebration into a month-long occasion. Although it did not pass, a similar bill to properly observe ad coordinate events and activities to celebrate Hispanic culture and achievement in the United States was passed in 1988 and signed by Pres. Ronald Reagan.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Key Club will be running a voter registration drive Oct 10-14 during lunch shifts. All students 16 years old can register to vote. Students that turn 18 on or before Nov 4 this year can vote in the upcoming election. Students will need their social security number to be able to register. We will have a booth and volunteers to help students navigate the registration process.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

September has been a busy month in the library! Every student heard from me in either their English or Social Studies class to receive important library updates and reminders. My favorite reminder to share with students is the free online tutoring offered through Brainfuse via their public library account. Click this flier for step-by-step instructions. I tell our students there is no limit to your success with free daily tutoring!

Here’s the library numbers for September:
299 physical books were checked out in September! What are our students reading? Click here for the full report broken down by Dewey categories.
176 eBooks have been checked out
17 audio books have been checked out
25 digital resource views
View the full digital report here.
943 Student visits to the library.
64 class visits from Mrs. Meltzer including Database exploration in AP Seminar, Citing sources for engineering careers in Into to Engineering Design and Library orientations.

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

This teacher was nominated “because he helps everyone in the class no matter how silly the question seems”

A student nominated him because “he was really dedicated towards getting all the devices reimaged. That must have been challenging to accomplish considering how many students there are to go through.”

He has been described as a great coach and role model for our student athletes.

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Dear Parents and Guardians:

Baltimore County Public Schools is committed to providing a safe and supportive environment for all staff, students and spectators participating in athletic events. Athletic programs positively impact the community and it is our expectation that student athlete and spectator behaviors reflect our core values of teamwork and sportsmanship.

To ensure our sporting events remain safe, family-oriented events, we are asking all members of the BCPS community to do their part by:

1. Reviewing expectations about appropriate conduct at sporting events
2. Ensuring that dangerous, prohibited and inappropriate items are not brought to BCPS events
3. Immediately sharing with school officials any information that might compromise the safety of others
4. Arranging timely transportation to and from events for all unaccompanied high school students in attendance

The BCPS Office of Athletics ensures that every school has a site-based athletic plan for every game. The office has provided additional resources and guidance to all secondary school administrators and coaches to help strengthen practices and procedures.

Effective Friday, September 23, 2022, the following changes will go into effect to enhance safety:

• Additional staff will be assigned to all secondary games, including safety assistants and staff from participating schools.
• Elementary and middle school students attending athletic events must be accompanied by an adult (18 years and older) and remain with the adult for the entire event.
• Once spectators have entered a game, there will be no readmittance if they choose to leave before the game has ended.
• Loitering at athletic events or on school grounds after the conclusion of the event will not be permitted.
• Students, staff and members of the community engaging in violent or criminal behavior at a sporting event will be removed from the premises immediately and not be permitted to return to any BCPS campus for athletics or extra-curricular activities for a period of no less than 90 days. Students will be subject to serious school and legal consequences.

____________________________________________________________________________________________