Raider Nation Newsletter

Week of October 3, 2022

OCTOBER is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

Dear Atholton Families,

This past week was difficult as our community dealt with a potential social media threat. Words cannot express how thrilled I am by the number of staff, students, and parents who reached out to me to alert me of the threat. Your outreach confirmed for me how great our school community is and how fortunate we all are to belong to such a caring and compassionate community.

I know many of you are seeking closure regarding the consequences and disciplinary actions being taken regarding the threat. However, please understand that these matters fall under strict confidentiality protocols and may not be shared. What I can reiterate is what was shared in my email to the community:

The Howard County Police Department met with the student and the student’s family and determined that the alleged threat was not credible.

Once again, I appreciate all of the messages of support from everyone. Our school year has certainly been impacted by several external factors. What I can confidently say is that internally, we have had such a great start to our school year, and I have been so impressed with the teaching and learning taking place at Atholton.

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. People all over the world show their support for everyone affected by breast cancer. Your network is powerful! Use your voice, passion, and resources to help reach every woman and make sure she has access to the screenings, support, and care she deserves.

Last week we celebrated our three national Merit Semifinalists. This week, Atholton High School is thrilled to announce that FOURTEEN of its students have been named Commended Students in the 2023 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Although these fourteen students will not continue in the competition, to be named as a Commended Student, these fourteen now seniors, placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2020 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Each student will receive a Letter of Commendation.

Please join me in congratulating:

Vihanga Amarasinghe
Kamran Damavandi
Ryen Eley
Harleen Green
Sofie Hogue
Emma Li
Georgia Martin
Jacob Sultan
Rodrigo Thompson
Preston Waldrup
Cindy Wang
Rebecca Wu
Angelina Zhou
Annie Zhou

Congratulations to all of our National Merit Scholarship Commended Students!

Please mark your calendar as picture day is coming! School pictures will take place on October 10 and 11, 2022. All students who sit for a photo will be issued an Atholton High School Student ID card. Student IDs usually arrive between 3-5 weeks after pictures are taken. If you wish to order your photos in advance, please visit www.mylifetouch.com. You will need your child’s student ID (found in Synergy), or you may use our Picture Day ID code: EVT69ZRGK.

Senior Make-Up Pictures will be on October 26-27, 2022. If you have not scheduled a senior picture sitting, students are asked to log onto the PrestigePortraits.com website to "self-schedule" their appointment. If you have a code, please enter the number on this page; if you do not have a code, please type in Maryland and Columbia, where you see state and city. Select Atholton High School. The student will then use their unique ID number to log onto PrestigePortraits.com to select a date/time convenient for them. To help with the "No-Touch" policy, students/parents are asked to pay the sitting fee online when making their appointment, as no monetary exchanges will take place at the school/location site.

I would like to remind everyone that our school-wide PSAT Day is fast approaching on October 12. As I mentioned last week, I would like for my seniors and their families to begin making plans for this day. The PSAT will be administered to all of our 9th, 10th, and 11th-grade students. Our seniors are encouraged to use this as a discretionary day to engage in college and career research opportunities. For those seniors taking advantage of this opportunity, please email our attendance secretary, Ms. Weinberg, at Mona_Weinberg@hcpss.org to inform her of your use of a discretionary day of absence (which is excused).

I am also thrilled to announce that we will offer an opportunity for our seniors during the school day in the senior cafeteria from 7:30 am - 10:30 am:

FINISH YOUR COLLEGE ESSAY, RESUME, and COLLEGE APPLICATION!!
English teachers will be available to help you with your college essay, resume, and application.
A guidance counselor will be available to answer any CommonApp, Naviance, transcript, or application questions.

Lastly, just a reminder that there is NO SCHOOL this coming Wednesday, October 5.

Let's have a fantastic week!

Warmest regards,

Robert A. Motley

Principal

Have You Completed...?

Please be sure you complete the following:

Family File -- we need your current emergency contact information. See directions below.
Breakfast / Lunch -- load student account to purchase breakfast and/or lunch.
Join PTSA!! https://atholtonptsa.memberhub.com

Important Information

Free and Reduced Meals Program: Many HCPSS families have been impacted financially by the pandemic and may be eligible now to receive benefits through the Free and Reduced Price Meals (FARMs) program. Qualifying families can take advantage of a wide range of additional resources and discounts, including testing fees, tuition, internet and more. Click here to learn more here is the link for HCPSS Connector to apply.

Family File now available for the 2022-23 school year: Parents can now access and complete the Family File for the 2022-23 school year. Parents must complete the Family File annually to ensure HCPSS has the most current information for each child. Once logged in, parents/guardians will be asked to verify or update the following information: Student Information, Parent/Guardian Contact, Emergency Contact, Medical Information, Arrival/Dismissal Procedures (for when in-person classes resume), Photo Approval, Data Confidentiality, PTA/PTSA Directory. Here is the link for HCPSS Connect.