Welcome Back Raiders!

Greetings LHS Families,

I hope that everyone is enjoying the last few weeks of summer vacation. With summer coming to a close, I wanted to share some important back-to-school information. Communication is critical to ensuring a successful school experience for students and parents. I want to assure you that I will do my best to keep you informed of important dates, events, and other relevant school information. Throughout the year, we will use several modes of communication including SMORE newsletters, the school webpage, email, and Schoology. Please make sure that all of your contact information is up-to-date.

I am excited to see all of you in a few weeks! Please enjoy the last few weeks of summer, and together, let's make the 2024-25 school year a great year!

See you soon!

Mr. Jamie Copsey

Principal, Leonardtown High School

• Mr. James Copsey -- jhcopsey@smcps.org -- Principal
  
  
• Ms. Kelly Bridges -- kjbridges@smcps.org -- Assistant Principal
  Grade 10, Freshmen Academy, Testing (PSAT, SAT, AP), Science Dept, PE/Health Dept
  
  
• Mrs. Virginia Gretton-- vngretton@smcps.org --Assistant Principal PST/504, Attendance, Special Education
  
  
• Ms. Kelsey Kiehlmeier - klkiehlmeier@smcps.org -- Assistant Principal
  Grade 12, MTSS, Testing (MCAP, MISA), English Dept, Fine Arts Dept
  
  
• Ms. Shannon Morris -- smmorris@smcps.org -- Assistant Principal
  Grade 11, Parking, Math Dept, World Language Dept, Technology Liaison, Title IX
  
  
• Mr. Eric Readyhough -- ecreadyhough@smcps.org -- Assistant Principal
  Grade 9, buses & transportation, Social Studies Dept, CTE Dept
  
  
• Mr. Robert Henderson - rbhenderson@smcps.org - Athletic Director

For this upcoming school year we are re-shifting the alphabet split by counselor. Please carefully review the changes below so you know who your counselor is this year.

Make sure to know your counselor!

• Hensel: A-Cl - jahensel@smcps.org
• Wolcott: Co-Ge / GIS - rrwolcott@smcps.org
• Neitz: Gi-Ki - lkneitz@smcps.org
• Guidry: Kl-N lcguidry@smcps.org
• Barger: O-Sm - cdbarger@smcps.org
• Sawyer: Sn-Z - wnsawyer@smcps.org

Student schedules will go live in HAC on Friday, August 16th at 5:00PM. As a reminder, changes to the master schedule often occur. This may have an impact on your schedule, so be sure to check it again before Open House on August 19th and before the first day of school on August 21st.

Please note, schedules in Clever and Schoology are not final. Official schedules will be available on HAC on August 16.

If parents/students should need to request a change in your schedule, you need to go into the guidance office and fill out a course change form. Please know that we receive many schedule change requests, so there may be a delay in our response as we process them. We cannot accommodate requests for specific teachers.

The school counselors' primary focus at this time is to resolve course conflicts and fix any holes/missing classes/errors in schedules. Counselors cannot accommodate teacher requests. The counselors will be reaching out to students via email regarding concerns with their schedule. Note: Checking your SMCPS school email daily will ensure a quicker resolution to scheduling issues.

Please check out our College and Career Center website for information regarding how to apply to college. Your high school transcript will be updated later in September and it will include your senior courses. After that time, it will be uploaded to Naviance and sent to the colleges you have selected in Naviance.

On August 14th, parents are invited to attend a NEW parent workshop at Leonardtown High School. This workshop is intended for new parents to Leonardtown High School. It will review important people, student schedules, graduation requirements, an overview of the first few weeks of school, how to get involved, communication, and more. Parents should attend this workshop while their student is attending the New Student Orientation session. Please use this registration link to let us know you'll be joining us. There will be two sessions. The first session is 8:30--10am. The second session is 10:30--12pm. Both sessions will take place up stairs in the media center.

Some courses may require different materials. Please speak with each of your teachers during Open House on August 19 (12:30-2pm).

This summer, SMCPS has been focusing on reinforcing the school cell phone policy, which requires that all cell phones be turned off and kept out of sight during the school day. This means no cell phones are permitted in classrooms or in the hallways between classes. We understand that this adjustment may be challenging for some students, but it's an important change that many school districts across the country are adopting.

It's essential to approach this policy with a positive mindset. By focusing on the benefits, we can make this transition smoother for everyone. We appreciate your cooperation in helping us create a more focused learning environment.

In addition to being able to focus better in the classroom, another positive aspect of the policy is that high school students will have the opportunity to use their cell phones during One-Lunch. If you find it difficult to stay off your phone during class, we encourage you to consider leaving it at home.

As we prepare for a great school year ahead, we wanted to share this information about cell phone restrictions. We will share more specific information in the upcoming update and at our grade level assemblies. Thank you for your support in keeping our school Raider STRONG!

It's about that time to dust off and wake up those laptops! SMCPS will continue to use Schoology as our Learning Management System. Students will be expected to bring laptops to school with every day. Be sure to re-charge your laptop each night so that it will be fully charged for the next day.

If you have not used your computer over the summer, please fully charge and log into your laptop. Make sure you have done the following prior to the first day of school:

• Charge & log in to your laptop (If you forgot your password, please use this link to reset it.)
• Log in to your SMCPS Gmail account
• Run any Windows Updates not installed over the summer
• Check other accounts (Clever, Schoology, etc) as soon as schedules go live on the 16th. If you feel you need to troubleshoot anything on your laptop, you can start here.

Students are responsible for the care and upkeep of all of their SMCPS assigned resources: print and technology. This document outlines all of the policies and procedures in addition to pricing for lost or damaged devices.

During grade level assemblies, administrators will review expectations for the care and upkeep of SMCPS technology. Slides and included links can be accessed HERE.

Additional information pertaining to SMCPS technology and print resource accountability can be found HERE.

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY

Students will need permission to use Google's Additional Services. Please click on the links below.

The AUP is linked here as well as the information Specific to Google.

Additional questions about obtaining a laptop can be directed to Ms. Morris at smmorris@smcps.org

Technology related questions? Need tech help? Click the button below for more information.

Fall tryouts begin on August 14, 2024. All athletes must be registered and approved on Family ID and have a current sports physical. Additional information can be found on the Athletics page of the Leonardtown High School website. If you haven’t already contacted your coach for specific team information, you should email them ASAP. Their emails can also be found on the Athletics page.

Tentative times and locations for Day 1 of tryouts:

• Girls Soccer 7 am – 10am on the Stadium Field
• Cheerleading 5-7pm in the Aux Gym
• Field Hockey 6:30 am – 9:00 am Bermuda Field
• Boys Soccer 5:30 – 7:30 pm on the Stadium Field
• Football 4 pm – 6 pm on the Tabletop Field (field behind the Tech Center)
• Cross Country 6pm – 8 pm Track
• Volleyball 3pm -5 pm Varsity/upperclassmen, 6pm – 8pm JV/underclassmen
• Golf 4:00 pm at Breton Bay

High School Athletes and Parents, please join us for an information session on August 12th at 6:00 PM if you plan to continue playing a sport in college.

We will cover the following topics:

• Benefits of playing sports in college

• What do I need to do in high school to be eligible to play college sports?

• Overview of the NCAA (Divisions, eligibility, high school courses, etc..)

• What does it look like to be a D3 Athlete? insights from a D3 Coach.

Please complete the following form and let us know if you will attend.

All of our home games will be streamed live using the HUDL platform. You can find the link for games and additional information regarding this service on our Athletic page. You will have to purchase this service to stream our games.

Tickets for all SMAC games can be purchased online using GoFan. The Go Fan link can be found on our Athletics page and Leonardtown High School will not accept cash at the gate. Also, spectators are not allowed to bring bags or outside food and beverages into the game.

Senior Portraits

Class of 2025, it is time for senior portraits!

Legacy Studios will be here on the dates below for senior portraits in the auditorium.

September 13 & 27 and October 14 & 15.

Seniors MUST sign up for an appointment by clicking HERE. Information about different portrait sessions available can be found on the Legacy site. Please note that Legacy does provide the tux, drape, and cap and gown for portraits. Seniors, if you wish to be included in the senior section of the yearbook, you must have your picture taken by Legacy in a tux or drape with a blue background and no props. Portraits that do not meet this requirement will not be included in the senior section of the yearbook.

Please note that appointments for future sessions will not open up until the appointments for the current session are booked OR until after the session takes place. For example, September dates will not open until July dates are booked or until after the July portrait sessions have taken place.

Please contact Ms. Kiehlmeier or Ms. Page with questions.

School Year Meal Benefit forms for SY 24-25 are now available online! Easily fill out your new meal benefit form by visiting https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application on the www.smcps.org website.

Families are able to request more information by contacting SMCPS' Food and Nutrition Services Office at 301.475.4256, Option 5, or via email at foodservice@smcps.org.

We will be continuing our one hour lunch this year! During the first week of school we will be having grade-level assemblies to review the one hour lunch program with all students. As a reminder, this is not an open-campus program; students are not permitted to leave the building.

To assist you with planning for one hour lunch, please see this form. Think about which lunch period you would like eat and what you will do with your time the other 30 minutes. You will be provided with a list of clubs and dates that you may wish to participate. This is also a great opportunity to find a quite place and complete your homework or upcoming assignments.

Please note, the first three days of school will be a three lunch schedule in which you will eat either A, B, or C lunch based on your 5th period class. One lunch will begin the second week of school. In addition, for the first two weeks of school, 9th grade students will attend Freshmen Advisory during A-Lunch. More information will be shared with students.

Need your bus information: CLICK HERE to visit the SMCPS Bus Stop and Locator.

Bus passes should only be requested when students have a change in physical address or when there is an emergency situation and a student needs to ride a different bus or get off at a different stop. Bus passes will not be granted for students simply wanting to go visit with a friend.

Need to obtain a bus pass?

Visit this site to submit a request electronically, or parents can write a note or send an email to Ms. Revis at btrevis@smcps.org. All relevant information must be included in the written request. Bus Information includes: Student name, address, parent phone number, existing bus stop to be used, bus #, date, medical concerns, destination address, destination phone # and reason for the pass.

Parents, please be sure to fill out a dual custody bus pass request form for any student that has a custody arrangement that requires the student to alternate between addresses on a daily or weekly basis. This form must be completed each school year and can found at https://resources.finalsite.net/images/v1665413075/smcpsorg/z7oy5zgxev72zkrk73qc/DualCustodyBusTransportationRequestForm1.pdf Completed forms can be emailed to btrevis@smcps.org or dropped off in the main office.

Please review the following documents in regard to student accident insurance.

Informative Letter to Parents

Fact Sheet

Enrollment Information

Spanish versions available:

Informative Letter to Parents - Span.

Fact Sheet - Span.

Enrollment Information -- Span.

Please note that attendance at school is mandatory. Absences from school due to family vacations, oversleeping, or missing the bus are not excused or acceptable. Our current attendance percentage for our students is almost 95%. Although this percentage is above the state requirement of 94%, we need all parents and students to make a commitment to be at school every day. If a student is absent, he/she is not here to learn and that will have a direct impact on grades and achievement.

If a student is going to be absent for a legitimate reason, it is essential that a parent or guardian report the absence. The easiest way to do this is to go to the LHS website and report the absence electronically via our school website. Please note that this function is not for late or tardy students returning from an appointment. Failure to report an absence will automatically create an unexcused absence for your student. If a student has an unexcused absence, the teachers are not required to provide make-up work, which will impact grades and achievement.

Please note the Dress Code for Leonardtown High School students. It is located on our website (click here). This is to help you plan as you begin preparing your child to return to school. All students are required to adhere to our school’s dress code. I ask that you take the time to review this policy carefully with your student prior to the start of school to avoid any issues.

August 14: Student2Student Orienation for 9th grade students & any student new to LHS

August 19: Open House for all LHS Students and Parents/Guardians

August 21: FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL! & Senior Sunrise (Info. below)

We can't wait to see you!

There are several ways to keep on top of what’s happening at Leonardtown High School. Please use any of the following:

• School Telephone # 301-475-0200
• Email- Addresses can be found on the LHS Website
• Parent Link- Weekly Update via email with upcoming events

Harris Teeter’s Together In Education program gives schools a chance to earn funds when you link your VIC card and shop Harris Teeter brands.

Harris Teeter has donated over $32.4 million to Together In Education schools since 1998! When you shop Harris Teeter brands, a percentage of your purchase is donated to the school that your VIC card is linked to.