Raider Nation Newsletter

Week of April 26, 2021

Important AP Exam Information This Week!

Dear Atholton Families,

As we settle into the last quarter of the school year, acclimate to hybrid learning and concurrent teaching, and prepare for senior activities, there is not much new to report this week.

Please be sure to read the very important information regarding Advanced Placement (AP) testing below. You will find information for those students taking AP exams digitally at home as well as information for those students taking AP exams in-person at school. Please read carefully!

We have submitted our numbers for our in-person graduation on June 1. Thank you to my senior parents for completing the survey. We will have just about 90% of our senior class participating in person for graduation! For those families (just a few) who were unable to complete the survey, the HCPSS default is that you will appear in person. A list of senior activities is below. I know the SGA is planning a drive-in movie night on campus (socially distanced of course). Stay tuned for more details. Lastly, the Atholton staff is working on one more surprise for the Class of 2021. I will reveal more details in the next week (smile).

Finally, a note of gratitude and appreciation to our AWESOME PTSA and PBSA (Parents of Black Students Association). For the last three weeks and continuing through the end of the school year, these two parent groups have provided either breakfast or lunch for the staff. It is a welcomed treat on Wednesdays and a mid-week morale booster. Words cannot express how much the staff appreciates the attention and time put into this thoughtful act of appreciation. On behalf of the entire Atholton staff -- THANK YOU!! If you would like to contribute or assist, please do not hesitate to contact our PTSA President, Monica Lewis, at m.mialewis7@gmail.com.

Wishing everyone a fantastic week!

Robert A. Motley

Principal

Advanced Placement Information (Digital (at-home) Exams)

If you have chosen to take your AP exams digitally at home, please read the following important information that you will need to successfully prepare and take your exams digitally. PLEASE read the 4 steps to set up for your exams. The link is at the bottom.

AP Digital Exam Information

HCPSS has prepared a Chromebook-specific instruction sheet for accessing the digital testing app. HCPSS recommends that students use the HCPSS issued Chromebooks for taking their exams digitally. Students planning to take any of their AP exams digitally at home should read and perform the instructions as soon as possible.

Students that do not currently have an HCPSS-issued Chromebook but would like to have one to take the exams, can pick one up in the media center if they are attending school in person. Virtual students must email Adrienne Nasir (adrienne_nasir@hcpss.org) or Jamie Melcher (jamie_melcher@hcpss.org) to arrange to pick up a device.

Personal Windows or Mac Device - Install

The HCPSS recommends using your HCPSS issued Chromebook for testing. If you want to use your personal Windows or Mac computer, you will be responsible for manually installing the application and supporting any installation issues that may occur. Mobile devices (including iPads) and personal Chromebooks do not work with the 2021 AP Digital Testing App.

Visit https://download.app.collegeboard.org/ if you want to install the application on your personal computer.

Advanced Placement Information (In-Person (at school) Exams)

Important Information about In-Person/Paper AP Exams

Location -- In-person exams will be administered at Atholton High School, except for Chinese (arrangements will be made with those students).

Testing Dates -- In-Person Testing occurs 5/3-6/4. Check the AP Student Portal for when your specific exams occur.

Note about Illness -- If you have any symptoms or feel unwell, do not come to in-person testing. You can arrange for an alternative testing time and/or makeup exam. Please call Mrs. Sauers or Ms. Dix at 410-313-7065 to let us know not to expect you for that date and to work on arranging a makeup time. Let’s avoid spreading any illness.

Arrival/Pick-Up Times– All students should arrive no later than 7:30 am for an 8 am exam and 11:30 am for a 12pm exam.

If you need to be picked up, all morning exams should be finished by 11:30 am, and all afternoon exams should be finished by 4:00 pm.

Entrance Protocols-- The exams will occur in the Media Center Labs, the Career Center, the Cafeteria, and the Small Gym. After parking/drop-off, enter the main entrance to Atholton where you will be asked to sign in. You will then be directed where to go for your specific exam.

Be sure to bring the following:

A mask that covers your mouth and nose. You will need to wear this within the building at all times.
Pencils and black or blue ink pens.
Photo ID – government-issued or school ID.
A water-bottle
For AP Biology, Calculus, Chemistry, Environmental Science, Physics, or Statistics, you may bring up to two calculators. Visit the College Board website and click on the link for their course for the specific calculator policy.
For AP Spanish, French, German, Chinese, or Music Theory, bring your fully-charged school-issued Chromebook. You will need this for the speaking/sight-singing portions of the exam.
If you are taking two exams in the same day, bring a lunch.

Prohibited Items:

Phones and Smart Watches are not permitted. Additionally, watches that beep or have alarms are prohibited. If you bring either of these items, they will be bagged, labeled, and kept with Mrs. Sauers or Ms. Dix, AP Coordinators, for the duration of the test.

You are discouraged from bringing backpacks and other personal belongings. If you need to bring something, it will be kept in the front of the testing room.
No food or drink is allowed in the testing area. If you have two tests on the same day, your lunch will be kept in the front of the testing room.

Class of 2021 Information

Atholton will hold its senior awards ceremony on May 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the senior celebration will take the same day (5/7) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Graduation is Tuesday, June 1 at 7 p.m.

A few housekeeping items for the Class of 2021:

Graduation chords

Honor cords for JumpStart Dual Enrollment participants (any student who earned college credit from Howard Community College while they are still in high school) are available to be ordered from Balfour this year. Students will order the cords using this link (https://bab.memberclicks.net/honor-cordsand select the second link, Howard County Dual Enrollment Honor Cords) and the cords will be shipped to the students home. For any questions, please email jumpstart@hcpss.org.
Other chords (NHS and other honor societies) are handled by the teacher sponsor. Please contact them for information on obtaining chords.

Cap and Gown

Cap and Gowns as well as other graduation memorabilia can be ordered directly through Balfour. You can view their brochure or order directly online.

If you wish to purchase ONLY a cap/gown follow these instructions:

Select this link
Select Atholton High School
Enter your email as a guest
Create a password
Then you can purchase a cap/gown for $57.24.

ALL GRADUATION INFORMATION may be found on our website. Click here.

Changing from Virtual to Hybrid or Hybrid to Virtual?

The selection process to return to in-person instruction has officially ended. We are now in the process of reviewing all of the data to determine how many of our students have elected to return to a hybrid model and how many have elected to remain in a fully virtual model. As we prepare for the safe return of students, we will use the data to determine how many students we can accommodate and make any necessary adjustments in our classroom and cafeteria set-up. For this and other logistical reasons, we cannot accommodate any changes that add to our in-person learning model. If for some reason you would like to move from the fully virtual model to the in-person hybrid model, OR you would like to move from the hybrid model to fully virtual, you will need to complete a form. You may access the form here: Atholton High School Hybrid Learning Waitlist.