Panther Post
Pikesville High Newsletter | December 2018
From Principal Reid's Desk
Greetings Pikesville High Family,
It was a sincere pleasure seeing you at our recent school-sponsored events, including American Education Week, Pastries for Parents, and Pikesville Player’s rendition of Steel Magnolias.
Our caring staff remains a catalyst for collective progress of our 21st century learners, as they prepare to fully embark in the increasingly complex world in which we live. They have a passion to positively transform students’ lives. This is done by investing in students and both energizing and equipping them with lifelong skills that will be to their benefit here at PHS, and beyond. Our high expectations, coupled with more rigorous standards, necessitate learner-centered, engaging, and cognitively-challenging instruction to accomplish our mission of providing an enriching academic experience for ALL of our students.
We are ambitiously focused on deepening the knowledge of students’ skills, interests, and needs. Our teachers are expanding their levels of effectiveness in these areas through their diligence in data analysis. This drives their instructional programs in an attempt to close any discernible achievement gaps and stimulate high-achieving students to new heights. Our staff is also incorporating research-tested “effective practices,” involving themselves in school-improvement committees and professional-learning endeavors, in addition to providing individualized tutoring during pre-scheduled coach class and sponsoring extracurricular opportunities with students.
At this time, it is our hope that all of our parents are using BCPS One to keep abreast of student progress and grades. If you are not, and/or are experiencing difficulties doing so, please contact the school so that we can be of assistance. We strongly encourage you to be vigilant with the monitoring of your child’s work, effort, and academic experience this year. The first quarter ended October 30th. Please note that first quarter report cards were distributed on Monday, November 26th and second-quarter interims will be given to students on December 20th, so please look out for them.
ACTIVITIES ABOUND
Our school master calendar continues to exhibit many exciting events for this year!! Students will have the opportunity to attend the wide array of events that have been designed with them in mind. This is done to further stimulate students’ participation in the school and address their diverse interests. We hope students will feel connected and positively contribute to the vast assortment of clubs/organizations geared at making them well rounded and actively engaged.
Please note the following:
*** Our WINTER FESTIVAL CONCERTS will be held on Wednesday, December 19th. Please come out and support our budding and talented student musicians.
SAFE AND ORDERLY
We are determined to provide a safe teaching and learning environment for staff and students at PHS. We have organized a comprehensive safety plan and are regularly rehearsing varied scenarios, via drills, including severe weather conditions, emergency evacuations, and more appropriate lockdowns.
We must be in possession of updated emergency information and your most current cell/home/work phone numbers so that we can access you in the event of an unforeseen situation.
As always, please ensure that you have your proper identification each time you come to the school, as this is required for our countywide Raptor system. Thanks for your understanding and adherence to these important requests.
SOMETHING TO CHEER ABOUT:
On Friday, November 30th, PHS was recognized in Washington, DC as THE ONLY PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL IN THE STATE OF MD to receive the Breastfeeding Friendly Workplace Award recognition for our attempts to promote our school climate.
Congratulations to our It’s Academic Team that took first place and now qualifies to move onto the second round. The shows airs on January 19, 2019.
Thanks to Nurse Merani and Ms. Higgins, Health Teacher, for organizing our First Annual Turkey Trot/5K. We are excited about our wellness endeavors at PHS.
Kudos to Ms. Lewis, our November Teacher of the Month and Mr. Lambert, our December Teacher of the Month.
We are proud of Hannah Andrin who has had her artwork accepted into the MAEA BWI Fall 2018 Exhibit. She will be representing BCPS in this juried exhibition. The work will remain on view until the spring. Congratulations to Hannah and to her art teacher Emily Hall! Hannah was honored at the reception on December 1st.
STAY IN TOUCH
For more “real-time” communication and to better keep abreast of all that is transpiring at PHS, consider the following:
Facebook: The PHS PTSA Facebook page.
Appropriate feedback may be left via comments and/or messages.
Twitter: PHS on Twitter@PikesvilleHS. can also be a quick way to get information and updates from, and about the school.
PHS Website: Our school website posts general school information, including events. Check us out here: http://pikesvillehs.bcps.org/
Naviance: https://connection.naviance.com/PikesvilleHi
Transcripts can be requested, receive emails from school counselors, access to GPA and class rank, and sign up to meet with college admissions counselors.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." ~Margaret Mead
Wishing you a Happy Holiday Season and a Healthy New Year! See you back on January 2, 2019.
Yours in Education,
Sandra Reid
Important Dates to Remember
December 19 Winter Concert
December 20 Second Interim Reports
January 9 Dr. David Pelcovitz, "Do We Really Know What our Children Know?" Talk on juules and parenting, JCC Park Heights, 7:45 p.m. Flyer
January 10 PTSA Parent-teacher conferences, 2:30-5:00 p.m.
January 19 It's Academic airs locally
January 21 Closed for MLK Jr. Day
For a full calendar, click here
Give Back to Baltimore: Ways Students Can Give this Season
Casey Cares Pajama Collection: MRAD & Educators Rising
We are collecting pajamas for boys and girls, ages birth to 18. The pajamas will be given to terminally ill children. There will be a box in the front office until December 20th for the collection.
We will also have our Giving Tree displayed in the front office. We would love to fill it up with hats, gloves and scarfs. These donations will be given to a women’s shelter.
Cause for PAWS!
During the season of giving, many tend to make charitable donations to local homeless shelters, soup kitchens, and local charities, but what about our furry four-legged friends? This time of year, is when local animal shelters see major spikes in abandoned animals. The hustle and bustle of work, school and the endless extracurricular activities leave little time for the pets from summer. The initial awe of holiday pets as gifts wear off as the reality of untrained puppies and kittens set in. Additionally, harsh weather conditions leave many abandoned and lost animals fighting for their lives. The local BARCS, Humane Society and ASPCA go above and beyond to rehabilitate and support all of the furry friends that come through their doors, but supplies can be few and far between. This is where Pikesville’s Key Club, students, and school community can come in to lend a helping hand.
Key Club is sponsoring a supply drive for local animal shelters in the Baltimore and Pikesville Areas. When we think about animal shelters we picture the sad dogs, cats, and animals locked in cages hoping to catch a family’s eye, but we often forget the ins and outs to running and caring for these animals on a daily basis. Please consider donating this season to support these PAWsome organizations. Collection boxes are located in the Main Office and Learning Commons, and a list of acceptable donations are below. You may be surprised at what you have that could help these little PAWs out.
Questions please contact a Key Club Member or sponsor Mrs. Thomas.
Shark Tank
Annual CTE “Shark Tank” event dates have been released. All events will be from 4:30-8:00 at the Engineers Club in Mt. Vernon, Baltimore City.
Dates are 11/29/18, 1/30/19, and 4/25/19.
Senior PLTW students will meet with industry professionals to seek feedback on their yearlong design projects.
Senior Class News
Important Dates for the Class of 2019
Senior Sponsored Fundraiser at Chipotle in Woodholme, Tuesday, December 4th
Senior Sponsored Talent Show: Thursday, January 17
Senior Class Picnic: Tuesday, May 21
Senior Prom: Thursday, May 23---Location Martin's in Hunt Valley
Graduation is Thursday, May 30 at Towson University
Graduation rehearsal TBA
For Senior Class questions, contact co-advisors Doug Kotula (dkotula@bcps.org) and Ethan Goodman (egoodman@bcps.org)
From Nurse Merani: The Dangers of E-Cigarettes & JUULs
Dear PHS Families,
Please familiarize yourselves with e-cigarettes and the dangers for teens. Below is information from the CDC. Please contact Nurse Merani if you have questions or concerns.
- The use of e-cigarettes is unsafe for kids, teens, and young adults.
- Most e-cigarettes contain nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and can harm adolescent brain development, which continues into the early to mid-20s.
- E-cigarettes can contain other harmful substances besides nicotine.
- Young people who use e-cigarettes may be more likely to smoke cigarettes in the future.
- What Are E-cigarettes?
- How Do E-cigarettes Work?
- What Is JUUL?
- Why Is Nicotine Unsafe for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?
- What Are the Other Risks of E-cigarettes for Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?
- What Is in E-cigarette Aerosol?
- Can Using E-cigarettes Lead to Future Cigarette Smoking Among Kids, Teens, and Young Adults?
- Aren’t E-cigarettes Safer Than Cigarettes?
- What Can I Do to Prevent My Child from Using E-cigarettes or to Help Them Stop?
- Where Can I Learn More?
- Related Resources
- Sources
What Are E-cigarettes?
- E-cigarettes are electronic devices that heat a liquid and produce an aerosol, or mix of small particles in the air.
- E-cigarettes come in many shapes and sizes. Most have a battery, a heating element, and a place to hold a liquid.
- Some e-cigarettes look like regular cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. Some look like USB flash drives, pens, and other everyday items.
- E-cigarettes are known by many different names. They are sometimes called “e-cigs,” “e-hookahs,” “mods,” “vape pens,” “vapes,” “tank systems,” and “electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS).”
- Using an e-cigarette is sometimes called “vaping” or “JUULing.”
What Is JUUL?
News outlets and social media sites report widespread use of JUUL by students in schools, including classrooms and bathrooms.
- JUUL is a brand of e-cigarette that is shaped like a USB flash drive. Like other e-cigarettes, JUUL is a battery-powered device that heats a nicotine-containing liquid to produce an aerosol that is inhaled.
- All JUUL e-cigarettes have a high level of nicotine. According to the manufacturer, a single JUUL pod contains as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes.2
- News outlets and social media sites report widespread use of JUUL by students in schools, including classrooms and bathrooms.
- Although JUUL is currently the top-selling e-cigarette brand in the United States, other companies sell e-cigarettes that look like USB flash drives. Examples include the MarkTen Elite, a nicotine delivery device, and the PAX Era, a marijuana delivery device that looks like JUUL.
Wellness Corner: Inner Strength
As parents, we all want our kids to be strong and be able to deal with the ups and downs of life with a sense of inner strength. As the school social worker, I see many youth struggling to find a balance. Some think being tough will meet their needs, others think avoiding issues will do it. In reality, “Mental strength isn’t about acting tough, it is about being strong,” according to Amy Morin, LCSW. We have an almost epidemic size problem in this country of adolescents being diagnosed with anxiety. To read more about reasons why this may be true and to consider solutions, please click the following article in Psychology Today. At the end, there is a link to a video with Amy Morin talking about bad habits that “strong people don’t do”. If we help our teens cope with feelings instead of avoid and identify what is/ isn’t important in life, they will be better equipped to manage the world they will enter after Pikesville High. Wishing our families and students mental strength as we enter the holidays and new year!
Transparency by Hannah Andrin
Join the PTSA Today!
PTSA – Building the Pikesville High community from the inside out!
JOIN TODAY! #purplepassion
Meetings are the second Thursday of each month at 7:00p.m.
We have great plans for the coming year and to make them a reality, we need your help!
When you join the PTSA, your membership dues help strengthen the community for your children and there will be more opportunities than ever before to volunteer to help the PTSA help Pikesville High!
Register for membership online HERE
Download the Membership Form
Connect with us on Facebook!
Sincerely, Sherri Flaks
PTSA President
Visual and Performing Arts News & Calendar
Visual and Performing Arts Department News
Music Department Info
Our winter concert is almost upon us. Please join us in the auditorium as our performing ensembles present their latest concert. Please remember if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact Mr. Wilson at rwilson2@bcps.org.
Music Department Calendar
12/08 Fruit Delivery and Pickup Noon – 4:00PM
12/13 Winter Concert at 7:30PM (All Groups will perform this night)
(Note that students have received a more complete performance calendar at the start of school, the above information is provided for planning purpose only.)
MUSIC DEPARTMENT FUNDRAISER
Anyone who ordered from our annual Fruit and Cheesecake fundraiser can pick-up their items at school on Saturday, Dec. 8 from 12:00PM to 4:00PM. You can come to the loading dock behind the school near the gym entrance.
Thank you for your support
(Note that students have received a more complete performance calendar at the start of school, the above information is provided for planning purpose only.)
Yearbook News
Portraits
The second round of senior portraits will be taken on December 10 and 11 from 2:30-9:00pm. Students who have not had a portrait taken will receive an appointment card from Lifetouch Photographers approximately 2 weeks before the portrait dates. If you wish to have your portrait taken at the Lifetouch studio instead, call 410-644-7700 for an appointment. All portraits must be taken by December 31 to be included in the yearbook.
Underclass portraits retakes will be done on December 4 from 8:30-12:00.
Yearbooks
All 2018 yearbooks have not been picked up yet. If you ordered a 2018 yearbook please have your child stop by room 128 to pick it up. If you did not order one, we still have a few available for $70.
It’s time to order your 2019 yearbook. You can click on the yearbook icon on the pikesvillehs.bcps.org website or go straight to jostensyearbooks.com and search for Pikesville High School. This year’s book is looking amazing and you don’t want to miss out on it. Because we include every event up to and including graduation, books are mailed to seniors in July and distributed to underclassmen the first week of school in 2019.
Yearbook Ads
Parents of seniors, consider recognizing your graduate with a baby ad in the yearbook. Forms were mailed home in September, but you can download one from the parent page of the school website. You can also email rleiby@bcps.org and she will email you a form.
Do you own a business in the community or provide a service to the community. Consider purchasing a business ad in the yearbook. The book is seen by many people for decades to come. You can download the business ad form from the parent page of the school website.
Pikesville High School Vision
Pikesville High, the heartbeat of our culturally-diverse community, is where pride in our work, and honor for ourselves and others, combine to ensure success in cultivating our globally-competitive students.
About Us
Important Numbers
Main Number: 410- 443-809-1217
Guidance: 410- 443-809-1219
Nurse: 410- 443-809-3003
Athletic Director: 410- 443-809-1257
Principal
Mrs. Sandra Reid sreid@bcps.org
Assistant Principals
Grade 10 and A-F grade 9, Mrs. Seymour ashinners@bcps.org
Grade 11 and P-Z grade 9, Mr. Robinson, probinson@bcps.org
Grade 12 and G-O grade 9, Mr. Carney acarney@bcps.org
Email: pmichalski@bcps.org
Website: http://pikesvillehs.bcps.org/
Location: 7621 Labyrinth Road, Pikesville, MD 21208, United States
Phone: 4438091217
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pikesvillehighschool/
Twitter: @PikesvilleHS