Dear Towson High School Community,

I am pleased to share that Towson High School has maintained our 4-star rating on the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) 2023 school report card - please see Towson’s full report card here. This achievement is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of our students, staff, and community.

Our continued success is particularly noteworthy in two key areas: graduation rate and students' readiness for post-secondary success. These accomplishments reflect our commitment to providing supportive and challenging learning environments that prepare our students for the next stage of their academic and professional journeys.

While we celebrate these achievements, it is important to acknowledge areas where we have identified opportunities for improvement. Two critical areas that demand our attention are chronic absenteeism and the progress of English learners in acquiring proficiency in the language.

Addressing chronic absenteeism is vital for ensuring that every student maximizes their learning potential. We will continue to implement strategies to support students in overcoming attendance challenges, recognizing the correlation between regular attendance and academic success.

Similarly, we are committed to enhancing the support and resources available to our English learners. Improving progress toward English language proficiency is a priority, and we will work collaboratively to implement targeted interventions that meet the unique needs of our English learner population.

As we aim to earn our 5th star, I invite the entire Towson High School community to join hands in our pursuit of excellence. Your support, involvement, and commitment are integral to our continued success. Together, we will build on our strengths, address areas for improvement, and ensure that Towson High School remains a beacon of educational excellence.

In partnership,

Dr. Kim Culbertson

Students are recognized for being 5-STAR Towson Generals. Staff and Parents are recognized for demonstrating heart-work that helps our THS learning community to thrive.

• SGA Execs for promoting and passing out flyers for the culture fair in each advisory.
  
• All LPP Student Volunteers who gave of their time to help with Magnet Assessment as escorts, guides, runners and assistants. They are all appreciated.
• Khumari Burgess for being selected to serve as stuednt pages for the 2024 Maryland General Assembly.

• Peter Andrews for serving as an intern in Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger office and sharing highlights of his experience at Towson on Capital Hill.
• Peter & The Starcatchers Cast and Crew for amazing performances of the fall play!
• Daniel Schnieder, Peyton Kerner, Violet Talman, Ray Aoki, Abbey Colwell, Meagan Relano and Cece Peterson for all their hard work supporting the art students at THS.
  
• AHS Leadership Team for all their hard work so far this year!
  
• Ellie Annis for being nominated to the Outstanding Young Women Leaders Program.

• Mr. Allen, Ms. Bissmeyer, Ms. Bowman, Mr. Carter, Ms. Carter, Ms. Cerenzo, Mr. Cheung, Mr. Cooke, Ms. Falatko, Mr. Faya, Ms. Hancock, Ms. Kromsky, Mr. Marx, Ms. C. McCusker, Mr. Miller, Ms. Needer, Mr. Olson, Mr. Skeels, Ms. Swoboda and Ms. Williams for helping administer the Law & Public Policy Magnet Assessment on Saturday 12/2/23.

• Donald Jackson for stepping up at the last moment to help to set up for the magnet assessment.

• All the teachers who were so gracious when asked to cover a class.

• All the teachers who contacted the Front Office to see if they could help with coverage.

• Mr. Worthington for producing his first show at Towson High School, Peter & the Starcatchers.

• Ms. Taddeo for being a wonderful collaborator.

• Ms. L. Smith for organizing a successful round of Fall testing.

• Tehya Shapiro (THS Class of 2023) for being named among the 700 YoungArts award winners for 2024.
• N. Kellenberger and Melisa Uchida for donating snacks for the teachers' lounge.
• PTSA for organizing the Reflections Art Competition this year.
  
• Towson Art Parents Association (TAPA) for all their hard work supporting the art students at THS.
  

Please join us in celebrating Ms. Richmond, World Language teacher and Instructional Coach, who is Towson High School’s Teacher of the Year! Ms. Richmond has over 25 years of experience and exudes passion for teaching and learning, dedication in developing teachers and teacher leaders, and engagement in h<3art work each and every day. The admin team appreciates everything that Ms. Richmond does to help the THS learning community thrive and we look forward to celebrating her throughout the year as she advances in the BCPS Teacher of the Year program. Congratulations, Ms. Richmond!

1. Friday December 22nd is an asynchronous half-day for students. There will be no synchronous (Google Meet) instruction. Here are three things you need to know about December 22nd:

1. Attendance - Attendance will be taken on this date. To be counted as “present” for the day, students must login to Schoology by 9:00 am.
2. Assignments – Assignments will be uploaded to students’ A-day classes. Each assignment should take approximately 30-minutes to complete.
3. Schedule – Students will self-pace themselves throughout the morning. Here is a schedule to assist students with pacing their morning:

• Period 1A - 7:35-8:25 am
• Period 2A - 8:30-9:20 am
• Period 3A - 9:25-10:15 am
• Period 4A - 10:20-11:20 am

For the safety of our students and staff, we do not permit food delivery services (DoorDash, GrubHub, UberEats, etc.) to deliver food to students during the school day. Food that is delivered by a delivery service during the school day will be taken to the Main Office and the student will not be able to retrieve it until the end of the school day. If parents/guardians need to provide their students with items during the school day, they must deliver the items themselves in-person to the Main Office.

As a reminder, all students have access each day to free breakfast and lunch in the cafeteria.

The Towson Terminators VEX Robotics Team 934Z participated in their first competition of the season on Saturday, December 2, 2023. They are off to a great start as they compete for a place in the Maryland State Robotics Champtionships. Their next competition will be at Calvert Hall on January 20, 2024. Go Generals!

In partnership with Mrs. Yelton, the school social worker at THS, students from One Love joined forces to gather coats, gift cards, and stocking stuffers for local families in need. Together, we amassed more than 30 coats, many gift cards, and a variety of items to fill stockings. We extend our heartfelt gratitude to the community for their enthusiastic involvement. For those who are still interested in contributing, please feel free to drop off donations at the THS Main Office. All contributions will directly benefit the Towson community. Thank you for your generosity and support.

Grade 9, 10, and 11 students have started the registration process for their courses for the 2024-2025 school year. This week, students participated in pre-registration lessons in Advisory. From December 4th-December 21st in ELA classes, students will meet with a counselor to select their 2024-2025 course selections.

To assist your student in the registration process for the 2024-2025 school year, please visit our academic planning website. Materials on the academic planning website include:

• A Graduation requirement presentation and 4-year plan template to learn about courses and graduation requirements that students must enroll in each school year.
• Grade-level course planning guides to assist in course selection.
• Department-based presentations, handouts, and videos to acquaint you with our course offerings and course progressions.
• Contact information for our School Counselors and Department Instructional Coaches who are available to answer any academic planning questions that you have.

Students can receive extra support afterschool via Coach Class and Peer Tutoring. Coach Class is offered by each teacher, each week. Free Peer Tutoring is offered throughout the week by students and advisors of our national honor societies. All supports begin next week unless otherwise noted.

We encourage all students to be actively involved in clubs and organizations throughout the year. Please check out the club list below. Students that are interested in starting a new club should contact Ms. Smith at lsmith21@bcps.org.

Our final senior portrait session with Prestige will take place on January 3, 2024 in the auditorium. Students must contact Prestige Portraits for scheduling information as appointments cannot be scheduled through the school. Please visit www.prestigeportraits.com for more information. The deadline for senior portraits taken outside of the school sessions is March 1, 2024. Please visit the yearbook page on the THS website for information about alternate photo submissions.

Claire Fluharty

English &Yearbook

Towson High School

Missed our photo days? Upload a photo here by January 1, 2024

Seniors can schedule senior portraits here until March 1, 2024

We are a fall delivery school. Seniors will receive their yearbooks via mail over the summer. Buy your yearbook or purchase senior ads here.

Research has shown that attendance is a leading predictor of academic achievement and adult success. Students who find attending school important are more likely to attain goals like attending trade school, college, or getting a job. By showing up to school every day, students develop a positive work ethic and prepare for future success by developing healthy and productive habits.

Our attendance goals this year are for students to maintain at least a 94% attendance rate and to reduce chronic absenteeism. A student that misses 10% or more of school days in chronically absent. By missing just 2 days a month, a student will be chronically absent. Use the "Attendance Tracker" and "Parent Tips" below to support your student in maintaining satisfactory attendance. Additionally, we will send parents/guardians a "Weekly Attendance Report" each Friday afternoon so you can track your student's daily and period attendance.

If you are not receiving text messages from the school and would like to, please text “Y” or "Yes" to 67587.

December 19 - Choral Winter Concert, 7:00 pm, Auditorium

December 22 - Asychronous Half-Day (Students do not come to the school building)

December 25 - January 1 - Winter Break

January 2 - Schools Reopen

January 3 - Senior Portraits

January 15 - Schools Closed - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day

January 19 - Marking Period 2 Ends; Schools Close 3 Hours Early

January 29 - Marking Period 2 Report Cards Available on FOCUS

February 9 - Schools Closed for Students - Teacher PD Day

February 19 - Schools Closed - President's Day