Raider Nation Staff Newsletter
Mid-Week News -- June 17, 2020
Very Important Information
Hello Raider Nation,
It is rare for me to send a mid-week newsletter, however the amount of information that is coming in requires me to keep you informed. First and foremost, due to the schedule on Monday, we will need to have our final staff meeting at 8:00 AM. Please make note of this change. I will send another reminder on Sunday night but I wanted you to have the new time for planning purposes.
We will have administrative staff in the building on Monday and Tuesday from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM. If you need a final visit to the building, please contact Sam Richman. We are asking EVERYONE to turn in their keys if they have not done so during one of these days.
I am thrilled to have Cheryl Grimes lead out student virtual circles on Monday and Tuesday. Several staff members have asked for the codes. We are trying to keep this a student-closed environment with the future option of engaging students and staff in circles together. Additionally, we want students to feel free to express themselves and possibly talk about their experiences free from the pressures of having their teachers present. Thank you for understanding.
Believe it or not, we have created a VIRTUAL END OF YEAR CHECKOUT. You can access it here and you will receive an email with the link. Please complete this form by June 25, 2020. Thank you to Natalie and Carolyn for their valuable feedback on this form.You will need to enter a list of students with an "I" for your classes so please have this ready.
It is no secret that our school system is in the midst of a budget crisis. There have been re-negotiated agreements with bargaining units to help close the gap. I am saddened to report that there are additional cuts that have made as well:
Every high school has to cut 0.6 from their staffing. This means that we will surplus more individuals and schedules will need to change as sections will have to be eliminated. I will be contacting those teachers impacted by the end of the day tomorrow. Impacted ITLs will be notified and will work with Adrienne to make the necessary changes to adjust section allocations.
Every high school will lose their media paraeducator position. It goes without saying how devastating this is as we all know and value Kathy’s immense contributions to the Atholton community. We will all work with Carolyn and Natalie to make sure our students are not impacted by this decision.
Lastly, yesterday evening at the Board meeting, there was discussion regarding next school year (2020 - 2021). I would encourage you to view the report made which included an all virtual model for the secondary level. This would include a 4x4 semester schedule. Four classes every day for the first semester and then another four classes every day the second semester. Students would earn eight credits for the year. I will keep you posted.
Once again, I feel like a broken record in apologizing for the large amount of information. I have included HCPSS Grading Guidelines below. Please note that students need only complete THREE assignments to earn “P” for the fourth quarter.
Robert
Important Information
HCPSS Grading and Eligibility Guidelines
High School Level:
During quarter 4, there will be two potential grades - Pass (P) or Incomplete (I). If a student participates by completing 50% or more of the posted assignments, they will receive a pass. Completion will be defined as evidence of work on all components/sections of an assignment. A Pass will be calculated as an A for the quarter 4 grade. Otherwise, they will receive an incomplete.
For all courses: Pass - student completed 3 or more of the 7 weekly assignments
All parts of the assignment must be done to be complete.
Assignments do not need to be correct to be complete.
Any student currently in grades 9-11 who did not meet the above criteria for a Pass receives an "I" (Incomplete) and has until September 15, 2020 to complete the work to convert their grade to a Pass; otherwise the "I" will become an "N/A." Any 12th grader who did not meet the above criteria received an "N/A." If the missing work is completed by September 15, 2020, it will convert to a pass. Otherwise it automatically will become an N/A and not be calculated into final grade and GPA. These students will have GPA and final grade calculated based on quarters 1-3 and mid-term. There will not be a final exam provided to students if students and staff do not return to the school buildings. The final grade calculation will be reconfigured and final course grades will be calculated without a final exam grade.
A comment explaining grading practices in Quarter 4 will be printed directly on the front of the report card. This comment will be similar to the comment that appeared on the senior report card. These comments will also appear on transcripts.
Fall Athletic Eligibility:
Students with more than one Incomplete as of August 12, 2020 will not be eligible to participate in fall athletics. These students also cannot become eligible by turning in work to have their grade changed to a pass between August 12 and September 15th. Students with incomplete grade codes for 4th quarter due to extenuating circumstances related to the COVID-19 closure may use 3rd quarter grades to determine fall eligibility. This would be determined by the principal and the Coordinator of Athletics. However, these cases should be very few in number. If you have any questions, please contact John Davis, Coordinator of Athletics.
Mark Your Calendar
June 22 -- LAST VIRTUAL STAFF MEETING (8 a.m.)
June 23 -- Last Day of School
Atholton High School
Email: rmotley@hcpss.org
Website: ahs.hcpss.org
Location: 6520 Freetown Road, Columbia, MD, USA
Phone: 4103137065