Panther Post
Pikesville High School Newsletter |March 2018
From Principal Reid's Desk
Greetings Pikesville High Family,
Happy Pre-Spring! Our faculty and staff continue to hold student achievement at a premium! Daily, we endeavor to build trust, relationships, and student capacity for academic success. We remain purposeful and vigilant in appropriately instituting meaningful programs, approaches, and practices for the betterment of our entire PHS student body.
Thus far, all year, they have been enriching students' existing reading, writing, critical-thinking, organizational, technological, and speaking skills in classes to better prepare for current academic demands, as well as post-secondary pursuits. Our exemplary programming received countless accolades as we hosted non Lighthouse teachers, school leaders, as well as supervisory personnel to witness our highly-effective teaching and learning. Our visitors RAVED about our high-quality academic experiences they witnessed, as well as our exquisite school climate. Needless to say, I was immensely thrilled that our teachers and students received their due validation for their hard work and total commitment to school and student progress.
SCHOOL SAFETY
With the recent and tragic incident in Parkland, Florida, we all continue to be on heightened alert regarding school safety and order. Please know that we regularly are practicing our drills, speaking with students about how they can make themselves and the school safer, and we have purchased and/or ensured the proper functioning of all school-related equipment to promote a safe and orderly environment for our schoolhouse.
As a part of the national show of activation to call for an end to gun violence in the wake of the school shooting in Parkland, Florida, students across the county are planning a walkout on March 14, 2018. In preparation, as some of our students will elect to come together to show their support, we want to be proactive in issuing guidelines so that students can safely participate if they so choose. We are working closely with the Office of School Safety, as well as the local police precincts to allow for a peaceful and structured forum for March 14.
Please rest assured that your child’s safety is our number one priority. Students will be meeting with administrators, counselors, the School Resource Officer, and teachers to reflect, discuss and communicate their thoughts about recent events in Florida. As always, it is our sincere desire to partner with our community stakeholders as we navigate through these times. Please let us know if we can provide you and your children with additional supports or resources. Thank you for your continued support of your child and Baltimore County Public Schools.
PHS enjoyed being the host of the School Safety Community Meeting last month. Please do not hesitate to contact the school with any questions/thoughts/concerns so that we can work together to reduce anxiety and encourage overall emotional and physical wellbeing for all of our valuable constituents.
GRADE REPORTING
Congratulations to the MANY Honor Roll students and their families for the second quarter!! We are so very proud of our student scholars!! Our celebration of academic success is on Friday, March 9th when students receive a certificate and a complimentary California Tortilla coupon from our business partner as a small token of appreciation for their strong academic performance.
Please note that the third quarter ends on Thursday, March 29th, the day before our Spring Break begins. Our Panthers return on Tuesday, April 3rd for important preparations for their high-stakes PARCC assessments later this month. Please don't forget that SAT DAY is on Wednesday, April 10th and we look forward to administering it to all Juniors. On this same day, our underclassmen will be engaged in taking a mock SAT in order to be exposed to this prototype questions related to the SAT while our Seniors will be engaging in a "Day of Service”!
Third quarter report cards will be distributed on Thursday, April 19th and we will honor our students who have exhibited the greatest improvement in their academic standing on Friday, April 20th. More details will follow.
PROUD TO SAY
- It was wonderful seeing you at our recent and well-received Night of Innovation where our students and staff proudly showcased the ingenuity and nuances of the various disciplines offered at our School of Excellence. BCPS TV captured this exciting event and were have never been as thrilled to open up our rigorous and extensive programming to you and the entire Pikesville Community to behold.
PHS is THE FIRST in the state of MD to receive the AVID National Site of Distinction honor.
- It was also phenomenal to see the outpouring of parents who attended our recent Winter Athletic Ceremony to honor all of our coaches and athletes who participated in the winter sports. All those who so wonderfully represented PHS were duly recognized by Larry Ward, our Athletic Director, and the event was preceded by a delicious meal/snacks generously provided by our PAWsome PTSA. All of our teams made us immensely proud and this season PHS experienced a Regional championship in Boys' Indoor Track! Additionally, both our boys' and girls' basketball teams made it to the state playoffs for the first time in recent history. Our Lady Panthers, State Sectional Champions, continue in their quest to win the state championship!
- Our Spring Sports have begun and participation in Panther athletics is at an all-time high!
- Pikesville Players Drama Club is pleased to present NUNSENSE from March 22nd -March 24th. PLEASE come out and support our talented performers. This is a "must see" performance!
- PHS is proud to be among the few schools across the nation whose students received the opportunity to participate in elite Model United Nations competition in New York this month.
- In only its second year of existence, our award-winning DECA students represented PHS beautifully at a recent competition. PHS now has a student who is a DECA state officer and our impressive school will now be the site of an upcoming DECA conference.
- Erin Haroth, our esteemed English Department Chair, is PHS' TEACHER OF THE YEAR! We are fortunate to have her share her skills and undeniable talent as an educator with our students and teachers.
- PHS' Project Lead the Way students did it again....our future engineers did a clean sweep and placed 1st, 2nd, and 3rd at the Shark Tank Competition at the Engineer's Club last month.
Senator Zirkin, a PHS alum, and his staff will be displaying their strong regard for our school on March 26th by taking part in a fun-filled basketball game rematch with our teachers for the benefit of our students. We are grateful for Sen. Zirkin who will also provide greetings at our May 30th Commencement at Towson University.
We encourage you to STAY CONNECTED to our school of excellence. With expanded programs and extra-curricular offerings, we want you to be aware of the many wonderful things transpiring that will augment students’ learning experiences in our comprehensive high school.
Please be sure to purchase your PHS Spirit Wear gear as this is the final chance for this year. Amazing discounts are available for this high-quality Under Armour products that allow you to vividly show your PHS pride while also providing funds to the PTSA that will service our school and students.
As always, please know that HOW MUCH your INVOLVEMENT, care, and support mean to us here at PHS- Home of Panther Pride, Honor, and Success!!
Yours in Education,
Sandra Reid
Important Dates to Remember
March 8 Orders for PHS Spirit Wear are open now! Sales end March 20. See flyer below. PTSA Meeting.
March 20 Free Parenting Seminar: Prevent, Protect, Empower | Addressing Sexual Assault with Teens and Young Adults, JCC in Owings Mills 7:00 p.m. in the Performa REGISTER HERE
March 20 Suicide: The Ripple Effect. Documentary sponsored by BCPS. 7:30 p.m. at Hunt Valley.
March 20 Last day to order PHS Spirit Wear!
March 22-24 Spring Musical Nunsense
March 26 Baseketball Game featuring Senator Bobby Zirkin and PHS Teachers
March 29 Third Quarter Ends
March 30 School Closed
April 3 School Closed
April 10 SATs
April 12 PTSA Meeting
April 19 Third Quarter Report Cards Distributed
News from the English Department
Teachers have been working diligently to engage students in a variety of texts this month including Romeo and Juliet, To Kill a Mockingbird, The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and "Fences". Students have continued to develop their analytical, argument, and narrative writing skills in preparation for unit assessments. All grade levels have been practicing SAT reading and writing skills daily. Erin Haroth, English Department Chair at eharoth@bcps.org.
Class of 2019 News
Please support the Jr. Class by ordering delicious bags of popcorn from Popcornopolis. Our class of 2019 students will be taking orders through March to raise money for our Jr. Prom. HALF OF THE PROFITS GO DIRECTLY TO THE CLASS OF 2019. It's a perfect gift for Mother's Day or Father's Day. Students who collect 75 dollars worth of orders will get half off a Jr. prom ticket. Students who collect 125 dollars worth of orders will get a free prom ticket. If you have any questions, please e-mail one of the class advisors, Mr. Goodman (egoodman@bcps.org) or Mr. Kotula (dkotula@bcps.org)
A representative from Balfour will be back at Pikesville on April 19 and April 20th to collect any outstanding money for class ring purchases. If you have any questions, please e-mail one of the class advisors, Mr. Goodman (egoodman@bcps.org) or Mr. Kotula (dkotula@bcps.org)
Junior Prom will take place on Saturday, April 28th from 7-10pm at Pikesville High School. More details to follow---but put it on your calendar NOW!
Spanish & French Honors Societies
National Spanish Honor Society
Recently Spanish Honor Society held a successful Carnival celebration, shared with French Honor Society’s Mardi Gras festival. The largest event sponsored by the chapter so far, the celebration featured plenty of food and crafts, like the Mardi Gras King Cake in which two lucky participants found the special charm in their slices, rendering them royalty for the day. Aside from the French crowns and beads, all students were able to design creative masks from colorful sequins and feathers as Spanish music played in the background, building the fun energy that defines traditional Carnival celebrations. It was a fantastic first event for our new members, who were inducted just two weeks earlier in a significant ceremony that more than doubled the size of the Spanish Honor Society chapter. This growth in interest fuels anticipation for the expansion of knowledge in the Spanish language and culture among the students. "¡Todos a una!”
National French Honor Society
In January and February of this year the National French Honor Society of PHS has inducted a new group of students and hosted a Mardi Gras celebration in conjunction with the National Spanish Honor Society. We celebrated in the Learning Commons, where we introduced French/Cajun culture to various newcomers. We had two traditional cakes known as King Cake. The person who gets a piece of the cake that contains a bean is crowned king or queen for the day. We crowned two girls, Emily DeLeon and Jaysa Henson-Green. We also ate jambalaya and made Mardi Gras masks. The holiday was lots of fun and everyone had the Mardi-Gras spirit. From Vice Presidents, Kimani Pope and Anna Tuvelman, we are proud to share this insight into our National French Honor society program.
Pikesville Players present Nunsense!
No, it's not Grease, but it is The Little Sisters of Hoboken and they're putting on a show in the Mt. Saint Helen's School Auditorium. The purpose of their benefit show is to raise enough money to bury the last four dead sisters, currently residing in the freezer, who were accidently poisoned by the convent cook, Sister Julia, Child of God.
You can see these nuns in action when the Pikesville Players present Nunsense March 22, 23 and 24 at 7:30pm in the PHS auditorium.
Tickets, on sale first week of March, $7.00 in advance and $10 at the door.
This production is directed and choreographed by Mr. Doug Kotula, with music direction by Mr. Kemal Robinson and tech direction by Mr. Tedd Wilson. English Department Chair, Ms. Erin Haroth, will guest choreograph and make a special appearance in the show.
Paws for a Clause
Key Club collects toys and supplies for local animal shelters
The Key Club is a student run community service organization that meets after school on Wednesdays in room 131 from 2:15-3:00 p.m. Students organize and work together to develop outreach opportunities for students to give back to the local Baltimore community.
Currently the Key Club is asking for pet supply donations for the local Animal Shelters such as the SPCA. The shelters are looking for treats, toys and various supplies that can help support the amazing animal programs they provide for our furry friends.
Donations can be dropped off starting Monday March 5, 2018 in a designated drop box in the front office, cafeteria, learning commons and school counseling office. Donations can also be given to any Key Club member, or the Key Club advisor Mrs. Thomas in room 110.
Recommended supplies include:
· Rope or durable toys
· Water and food bowls
· Leashes and collars
· Brushes and grooming tools
· Pet beds
· Wet or dry dog food unopened
· Scratch pads
· Puppy pads
· Kitty litter and assorted supplies
· Rubber gloves (dishwashing gloves)
· Paper towels and large sponges
· More ideas visit http://www.mdspca.org/give/wish-lists/
Yearbook News
Attention Parents of Seniors
Consider recognizing your graduating senior with a recognition (baby) ad in the 2018 yearbook. Order forms were mailed to all senior households during September. If you did not receive a form in the mail, there is a link to download a form on the parent page of the pikesvillehs.bcps.org website. If you own a local business, consider placing an ad in our yearbook.Order Your 2018 Yearbook Now:
- Order Online at jostensyearbooks.com. Search for Pikesville High School.
- Order by phone: 1-877-767-5217.
- Order by check for $68.90 to Mrs. Leiby in Room 128.
If you would like to purchase or have questions about the 2017 yearbook, please contact Rita Leiby at rleiby@bpcs.org.
Attention Parents of Seniors
Consider recognizing your graduating senior with a recognition (baby) ad in the 2018 yearbook. Order forms were mailed to all senior households during September. If you did not receive a form in the mail, there is a link to download a form on the parent page of the pikesvillehs.bcps.org website. If you own local business, consider placing an ad in our yearbook.
From the Learning Commons
Collection Development
Last month our library was able to add approximately 102 titles to our collection as part of our Collection Development funding for the 2017/18 school year. The focus of this order was to increase the titles of the most highly circulated sections, which include fiction and graphic novels. Additionally, books with an emphasis on diversity were ordered. Our goal is to have a library collection in which students can see themselves in the stories and be able to identify with the characters. Another goal of our collections to allow students to learn how others live by reading about others who may live differently from them due to biological, socio-economic or environmental differences. Twenty percent of the new books ordered were in the digital format and can be accessed by going to Destiny in BCPSOne.bcps.org or by going to the learning commons website, Pikesvillehslibrary.pbworks.com and clicking on “Checkout an eBook”
#BEWELLREAD18
The learning commons would like to congratulate Arielle Datnoff for winning the February #BEWELLREAD18 reading challenge with her entry of Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison. Congrats Arielle! For March, you are encouraged to read a book with a one-word title. Students at PHS can click here to see a list of options from our collection. Just tweet a picture of you and the book, just the book, a quote or a quick review to @PHS_Library with the #BEWELLREAD18.
The Night of Innovation was a lot of fun!
We are thankful for our close partners at the Pikesville branch of BCPL who came out to show our students how to have some creative fun with button making and drone flying. While this fun was happening, parents were able to circulate through several stations highlighting the library program including eBooks and databases, the Black Eyed Susan Book Club, Award winning program with a literacy focus, the monthly reading challenge and digital citizenship lessons.
Book Club
The next book club meeting will be held on Wednesday, March 14th directly after school in the learning commons. We will be discussing The Sun is Also a Star and selecting our next title. All are welcome!
Mental Health Resources at PHS
An important part of helping students meet their goals at Pikesville High School is connecting them with the best professionals on every step of their high school journey. While only a small percentage of our students receive social work services for school-related concerns, many of our students can benefit from outside counseling.
Outside providers focus on helping students to cope with the stressors of adolescence, so that adolescents can achieve their goals and learn various coping strategies. We are pleased to partner with three local Community Mental Health Providers: Main Street Mental Health, Thrive Behavioral Health, and now Innovative Therapeutic Services.
Each of these providers offers mental health counseling within and outside of the school setting. Students with medical assistance, as well as most private insurance plans, have access to a variety of therapists who are specialists in the field of adolescent mental health.
Students who are seen by any one of our community partners allows our school staff to have a unique team approach to help your child, both in and outside of school. Providers can continue sessions throughout summer months, help with medication management, and also provide family therapy, if necessary. All of these services are offered without the added stress of driving your child to their appointments.
Please contact Ms. Chase, Pikesville’s School Social Worker, to find out which of these providers is the right choice for your child.
Community Partners & Programs
Prevent, Protect, Empower: Addressing Sexual Assault with Teens
A free seminar for families sponosered by CHANA, together with Kennedy Krieger Institute Center for Child and Family Traumatic Stress
Speakers
Casey Anderson, LCPC, RPT, and Betsy Offermann, LSCW-C
* Explore ways to create a dialog with your teens and young adults around sexual assault.
* Collaborate with your young adult children on how to prevent unsafe situations as much as they can.
* Discuss how to respond if your young adult shares an incident of sexual assault that happened to them or a peer.
* Empower yourself and your young adult children to advocate for themselves and build self-care practices.
This is a FREE event. Register HERE.
4Front: Leadership Programs for Jewish Teens
4Front connects Baltimore’s Jewish teens with opportunities to make a real difference – not just for themselves – but for the community at large.
That requires collaboration. Teaming up with community leaders who offer support and guidance and uniting with other teens to accomplish that which you can’t do alone. It requires education.
Just like everything does. Learning how to lead, challenging yourself to try new things, pursuing new goals, and instructing and informing others at the same time. It requires innovation. Offering the fresh, out-of-the-box thinking that comes naturally to teens. Finding new, better ways to accomplish meaningful, substantial, aspirational goals.
Upcoming Info Sessions:
Thursday, March 15 | 7:00pm
George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology
938 York Rd, Baltimore, MD 21204
Sunday, March 25 | 1:00pm
Rosenbloom Owings Mills JCC
3506 Gwynnbrook Ave, Owings Mills, MD 21117
Tuesday, April 3 | 7:00pm
Roland Park Country School
5204 Roland Ave, Baltimore, MD 21210
Sunday, April 8 | 3:00pm
Weinberg Park Heights JCC
5700 Park Heights Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215
Baltimore Shakespeare Factory | Summer Programs for Teens
Students will participate in acting activities that will cover a wide variety of skill development and will also rehearse a one-hour version of a Shakespearian play (play depends on session) that they will perform for parents on the last day of camp. Take a whole session on stage combat! Or sign up for As You Like It, Hamlet, and/or The Comedy of Errors.
https://www.baltimoreshakespearefactory.org/summer-with-shakespeare
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
Assistant Principals
Grade 10 and P-Z grade 9 Mr. Robinson, probinson@bcps.org
Grade 11 and A-F grade 9, Mrs. Seymour ashinners@bcps.org
Grade 12 and G-O grade 9, Mr. Carney acarney@bcps.org
Other Important Numbers
Main Number: 410-887-1217
Guidance: 410-887-1219
Nurse: 410-484-4795
Athletic Director: 410-887-1257
Email: pmichalski@bcps.org
Website: http://pikesvillehs.bcps.org/
Location: 7621 Labyrinth Road, Pikesville, MD 21208, United States
Phone: 410-887-1217
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pikesvillehighschool/
Twitter: @PikesvilleHS