The Raider Nation Newsletter

Dear Atholton Families,

The 2-hour delay this morning was a good reminder for us that expected (and unexpected) inclement weather can and will have an impact on our school schedules and event plans for the upcoming months. As inconvenient as a delay or cancellation can be, it's important to remember that the decisions are made with safety in mind. Our young drivers are still developing the skills and comfort level to drive in hazardous conditions and let's be honest, do we want to see our students careening down the street like the picture above (NOTE-this is NOT a picture from HCPSS; just wanted to make that clear)? Here are some important info regarding inclement weather decisions/impacts on our schedule:

• The HCPSS website includes extensive information about how decisions are made about school closures and how the decisions are communicated.
• Please get in the habit of checking for notifications each morning, especially if there has been overnight precipitation. Staff does not report at the regular time, so the building will likely be closed if you drop your student off at the normal time and we have a delay.
• If there is an early closing, please make arrangements to pick your student up as soon as possible. Our staff will wait until all students are picked up, but it is unfair to them to have to wait several hours.
• The school will use social media and Canvas to remind students of communications sent by HCPSS. We will only use School Messenger to communicate info about early closings and event cancellations/reschedules.

Let us know if you have any questions or concerns and be safe out there this Winter! Go Raiders!

Sincerely,

Nick Novak

Principal

Atholton will be hosting the Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (or ASVAB) on Wednesday, 13 December. Students can sign-up using the QR-code on the notice outside Student Services. Sign up will be available through Monday, 11 December. See LTC Reinhart with questions.

Both in-person and live, virtual, eight-hour college prep classes are being offered at many HoCo high schools and are open to students from all high schools.

GET READY FOR THE NEW DIGITAL SAT on March 9, 2024 and beyond!

In-Person Prep for the Digital SAT at Atholton HS: M/W Jan. 8 & 10 from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm OR T/Th Feb. 6 & 8 from 5:30 pm - 9:30 pm

AHS Virtual Prep for the Digital SAT: Sat./Sun. April 27 & 28 from 9 am - 1 pm

Register for your Summer College Essay Writing Workshop Now & Save!

Juniors: Now's the prime time to receive your Personalized College List - Introductory Rate of $199 through 12/31.

Each college prep class is only $149 (through 12/31), or choose a College Prep Combo Package and save up to $75. Visit www.theanswerclass.com to view all the college admissions support offerings and class schedule, and to register your student.

Only the Seniors who have not yet had a photo taken will receive an appointment card and email notification! Any Seniors who previously had a photo taken will have their name removed from the data file. If any Senior wishes to have a retake, they should call the Prestige help number at 1-800-736-4753 so they are not charged any sitting fees.

It is time to make it official! Schedule your 2024 Formal Yearbook picture NOW. Appointments are now available.

CLICK THIS LINK

https://schedule.prestigeportraits.com/schedule/home.html

Appointments are now available for your senior picture dates. We look forward to seeing you at your appointment.​

The students are asked to log onto the website to schedule their appointment using their unique ID number (located on the appt. card) to select a date/time convenient for them. Or they can enter PrestigePortraits.com, click the "Locate My School" link, enter the city and state where the school is located. Once they find the school, they click the school's name, and it will take them to the account to schedule an appointment.

Our next food distribution is December 20th.

No need to register. It is first come, first serve for food.
No need to income qualify.

If you would like to donate, you can buy here and have the items delivered directly to Atholton: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/17IRNMC08ZK81?ref_=wl_share

SGA has planned our Winter Pep Rally for the half day on Wednesday 12/13. Students will go through a modified bell schedule and end the day with a pep rally to celebrate our winter teams and boost school spirit. This is also the kick off of the Winter Spirit Days. It's class color day for Wednesday--Seniors: Senior T-Shirt/Black, Juniors: White, Sophomores: Green, Freshmen: Gray. The themes for the rest of the days can be found in the document below.

Current 8th-11th grade students and their parents/guardians are invited to attend an in-person information session on HCPSS Career Academies on Tuesday, Dec. 12, 2023 at the Applications and Research Laboratory (ARL), 10920 Clarksville Pike, Ellicott City, MD. The evening begins at 6:30pm and will include two 15-minute information sessions and a visit to a third academy. Click here for more detailed info!

Come on down to B120 Tuesday, December 12th, and attend the Once Upon a Mattress Tech Interest Meeting! Learn the many different backstage roles of our spring musical, and get the materials to apply to be apart of the Crew. All returning tech members must attend. If you have any questions, talk to Ms. Adler in B120 or email hadler@hcpss.org. See you there!

If you/your student needs service hours, please contact Friends of Rabbits, Ms. Wendy Woods @ 410.802.3921. This non-profit organization is the largest rabbit rescue organization in the Washington DC/Baltimore region.

12/13 Winter Pep Rally/ 11:35am Dismissal

12/18 Senior Portrait Make-Ups

12/19 Choir Concert

12/23-1/1 Winter Break

1/2 Students return to School

1/9 Course Scheduling Night

It's typically when the Winter athletics season begins that we see an uptick of students staying after school and not always where they are supposed to be. We shared the information below in the Canvas student community and wanted to make sure families so as well so you can reiterate the message with your student and plan accordingly for PM pick-ups. Thanks.

• School dismissal is 2:35pm; buses depart at 2:42pm.
• When the school day ends, students should head home, report to their supervised activity, or wait for their ride in the front lobby.
• Beginning today (12/11), we will be making a daily announcement on the PA at 2:45pm reminding students of after school expectations.
• Following the announcement, Atholton administration and security staff will do a sweep of the building to ensure students are in a supervised activity or waiting in the lobby for their ride.
• Students can lose after school privileges and face other consequences for being "out of area" in the afternoon.

We want to support students staying after for valid reasons, but we also have to avoid potential disruptions to after school activities and maintain a safe and secure environment. Thanks for your assistance in reminding your student of these expectations.

Atholton PTSA

Atholton PBSA-New Website!!!

Atholton Boosters

Atholton Drama Boosters

Atholton JROTC Boosters

Atholton Music Boosters

Atholton Robotics Boosters