Raider Nation News

Week of March 2, 2020

Important Health Information

Dear Ahtolton Families,

There has been a lot of attention in the news and on social media related to the 2019 Novel Coronavirus, or COVID-19, a new respiratory virus first identified in Wuhan, Hubei Province, China. This is an evolving situation, and HCPSS will follow the guidance of the Howard County Health Department who will continue to provide updated information and guidance to HCPSS leadership as it becomes available.

The school system has posted information on the website related to the Coronavirus.

Mostly, it is important that we are all doing everything that we can to keep our children and classrooms healthy. The Howard County Health Department officials have shared several recommendations to ensure that we are taking appropriate and effective actions to stay healthy and prevent the spread of all person-to-person viruses. These precautions also have been shared by the CDC, and include:

1. Washing your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer (students ARE permitted to carry hand sanitizer)

2. Avoiding touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands

3. Avoiding close contact with people who are sick

4. Staying home when you are sick

5. Covering your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash

6. Cleaning and disinfecting frequently-touched objects and surfaces

If you have concerns regarding your child’s health, please contact the school nurse. Thank you for all of your efforts to help us maintain a safe and healthy school.

Yesterday evening, it was my pleasure to attend the Asian Student Union’s Lunar New Year Party. From the origami station, to the lovable panda, and of course the awesome food, it was such a pleasure to spend some time with students and their families. I hope this becomes an annual event and I hope to see you there next year!

Our Winter Sports Banquet / Celebration took place last week. Congratulations to all of our winter athletes. As we enter the playoffs, we are wishing all of our Raider athletes the best! Come out and support our Lady Raiders (basketball) tomorrow evening at River Hill. Our boys will play on Tuesday at Oakland Mills. Congratulations to both teams on their first round playoff victories. Lastly, Atholton wrestler David Panda at 126 lbs. won his second consecutive 3A-4A East Wrestling Championship at South River High School on Saturday. He will move on to next weekend's State Championships in Upper Marlboro. David has a 36-0 record this season and is one of only 4 Atholton wrestlers to have won 3 County Championships.

Finally, a message to parents of the Class of 2020 -- just over half of the graduating class has ordered caps and gowns for the commencement ceremony. The remaining orders need to be submitted as soon as possible to ensure that all of these custom-produced items are received in a timely fashion. If cost has prevented placing the order, please call or email your student’s counselor or Mr. Motley (robert_motley@hcpss.org) to discuss financial assistance. For a link to place your order and for additional graduation-related information, please visit https://ahs.hcpss.org/news/2019/12/graduation-news. Additionally, I am beginning to get inquiries regarding graduation dates. As of today, we still only have the graduation window (May 18 - May 28). However, please continue to check the county website for updates. As soon as I learn of our date and time, I will send a message to the community.

Have a terrific week!

Warmly,

Robert A. Motley

Principal