The Raider Nation Newsletter

Dear Atholton Community,

As we celebrate Valentine's Day this week, I wanted to make sure you knew about some of the outstanding students being celebrated recently (As we continue our year, I will include more student and staff celebrations in the newsletter):

* Naomi McKenna, Ishaan Punnackal, and Livia Zhao were named National Merit Finalists. These three outstanding students are part of a group of approximately 15,000 finalists across the country. It sounds like a lot of people, but this honor puts them in an elite category. Great job!

* Andrew Kim and Jack Pfeffinger were recognized as the Spirit of Soccer recipients from the Maryland Association of Coaches of Soccer (MACS). This award is presented to individuals who exhibit positive sportsmanship behaviors and leadership abilities while participating in the allied sports program. Acting Superintendent Bill Barnes celebrated them at the Board of Education meeting last week.

* Cam Lee, Daniel Ogordi, and Anthony Ngansi all signed National Letters of Intent to continue their football careers at Division 1 schools. They will be playing at Johnson C. Smith University, West Point, and Morgan State University. We wish them well in the next step in their journey and thank their coaches for preparing them for future success.

* Yadi Diaz Cruz, Emily Santrac, Sara Cuomo, and Caia Joseph were all selected to present at the 29th Annual GT Student Learning Conferences. Their research topics are:

Sara Cuomo-Child Marriage Laws in the United States: Falling Behind the Global Community?

Caia Joseph-Implications of Medical Interventions During Labor Based on the Birthing Center

Congratulations to all of these students! Let's keep it going as we continue the 3rd marking period! Go Raiders!

Sincerely,

Nick Novak

Principal

Synergy online enrollment requests for currently enrolled HCPSS students will open Thursday, February 15 at 6 p.m. for the Innovative Pathways High School (math and Science courses only), STARTALK Chinese Language Summer Camp, and Summer Math Scholars programs.

Families can find up-to-date course information and enrollment directions on the Summer Programs web page (https://www.hcpss.org/summer-programs/.)

Celebrate love with Queer Student Union! QSU will be hosting a fundraiser at MOD Pizza all day on Valentine's Day, February 14, and they will be selling Valentine's T-Shirts for the month of February. Students can check out the flyers on the LGBTQ+ bulletin board for more details.

Feeling hungry? SLP is selling chocolate bars for the month of February. Celebrate Black History Month by buying some chocolate and supporting Black scholars at Atholton! Each candy bar costs $1.

HCPSS is equipping all high schools with attendance kiosks to help expedite the check-in/attendance procedure in the morning. Beginning March 5th, all students will need to be prepared to use the attendance kiosks if they are late to school/class first period. Here's what you need to know/do:

• Students should report directly to class before 7:50am.
• Anyone arriving after 7:50am will need to check-in at the attendance kiosks in the front lobby.
• To use the attendance kiosk, students will need to download the Synergy Student Vue app on their phone (available for Apple and Android operating systems).
• Students without phones will be issued a barcode to use for check-in.
• Once students check-in, they will receive a printed pass to take to class.
• Excuse notes can still be emailed to ahsabsence@hcpss.org or sent in with students.

We will be sharing more information with students and using time during Raidertime/class to ensure students are prepared for the March 5th roll-out of the attendance kiosks. Thanks for taking time to help make sure your student uses the file below to download the app.

Digital SAT Prep Boot Camps at Atholton HS

T/Th Feb. 6 & 8 from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm (In Person)

Sat. & Sun., April 27 & 28 from 9 am - 1 pm (Live, Online)

These boot camps affordably prepare students for the new Digital SAT scheduled for March 9, 2024, and include:

· Taking a Practice Digital SAT Under Simulated Conditions

· How to Use the Bluebook App and its Tools to the Student's Advantage

· Understanding the New Test and Its Adaptive Framework

· Strategies for ALL Sections of the Test, including many new strategies unique to this new digital format

· Tips on Guessing, Timing, Scoring, and Confidence-Boosting

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The college admissions process is overwhelming, expensive, and stressful but it doesn’t have to be!

The Answer Class now provides college admissions help for all aspects of the process in our affordable, high-quality signature style -- SAT/ACT prep, college essays, college application support, and creating a balanced college list for your student.

For Juniors & Savvy Sophomores: NEW The Answer Class College Admissions Crash Course puts students in charge of THEIR college process - from creating a college list to planning your visits, from financial aid and test-optional, to how applications are evaluated and how to improve yours, and more! March and April start dates. Crash Courses meet online one hour per week for 8 weeks. A game-changer for your college journey!

Each course is only $199* or choose a College Prep Premium Bundle and save up to $300! A donation of AHS student tuition is donated to AHS PTSA! *when you register at least one week ahead of your course.

Visit www.theanswerclass.com to view the full class schedule and to register your student.

The deadline to order cap and gowns is March 1. We have A LOT of students who have yet to order. The link to order is below. Thank you!

https://www.jostens.com/apps/store/catalogBrowse/1066529/ATHOLTON-HIGH-SCHOOL/Graduation/2086264349/CATALOG_REPOSITORY/

The next date for food distribution is February 21st from 2:45pm to 4pm. Many thanks to folks who have helped stock our shelves. We are consistently helping more than 20 Atholton families, but can definitely help more. Please share with those who you know who may need assistance.

As we near the end of the first semester, I wanted to take a moment to remind families that students are not permitted to have food delivered during the day. Students must pack a lunch or come prepared to buy food from the cafeteria. With about 1500 students on campus, we can't support ongoing delivery services throughout the day. Any deliveries that come in are held for students until the end of the school day. Thanks.

Please see below for a letter addressing some of the seasonal absences we experience during the Winter. Thanks for your support.

2/14 Spring Sports Info Session at Raidertime

2/14 MP 2 Honor Roll Ice Cream During Lunch

2/19 President's Day-Schools & Offices Closed

2/22 Black History Month Assembly

2/26 Vision & Hearing Tests

On Friday February 2nd, Athletics and Activities Manager Mike Senisi was recognized for his leadership in Atholton's Athletics program being selected as one of eight schools in the nation to receive the 2023 Quality Program Assessment Exemplary Award from the National Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association.

As the NIAAA website shares, the Quality Program Assessment "affirms the benefits of an educationally based interscholastic athletic program." With a comprehensive review of ten different aspects of the athletics program, the process and the resulting award recognition showcase the outstanding accomplishments and hard work of our coaches, student-athletes, parent community, and ultimately our Athletics and Activities Manager.

Thanks to Maha Blair for the pictures below,

Atholton PTSA

Atholton PBSA-New Website!!!

Atholton Boosters

Atholton Drama Boosters

Atholton JROTC Boosters

Atholton Music Boosters

Atholton Robotics Boosters