Welcome Back - August 2024

I hope this letter finds you and your families well and enjoying the final days of summer. The summer season offers a valuable opportunity to relax, recharge, and reflect. As many of you may agree, this summer has gone by quickly, yet I am more enthusiastic about this upcoming school year than ever before. Walt Whitman High School is a special place thanks to our phenomenal students, devoted and dedicated staff, and supportive community. This school year signifies a new chapter in Whitman’s long standing commitment to academic excellence and equity.

Additionally, this school year will hold significance for the Whitman community as we welcome a select group of students from across the school system to participate in The Leadership Academy for Social Justice (LASJ). Recognized as a special program within MCPS, LASJ will continue to enrich the high school experience of all students at Whitman through exposure to different student perspectives from across various communities. I am genuinely excited about the opportunities this presents for our school, as we remain steadfast in our commitment to fostering a safe and inclusive environment.

Lastly, I would also like to thank our building services team who worked diligently over the summer to ensure that our school building and grounds are ready for the school year.

I cannot wait to welcome our new and returning students on Monday, August 26.

On June 25, 2024 I was appointed by the Board of Education to serve as the next principal of Walt Whitman High School, effective July 1, 2024. Here is the welcome letter that was shared with the community. I am hosting my final community Meet and Greet on August 12 from 8:00am to 9:30am at Walt Whitman High School in the Commons. All students and parents/caregivers are welcome to attend.

This summer, the Instructional Leadership Team (ILT) engaged in learning and discussion focused on the theme of Building Blocks for the Future: Collaboration, Innovation, and Equity. This theme highlights the importance of building on our existing strong foundation through enhancing our current practices and structures. As we move towards a promising future, we will prioritize strengthening collaboration throughout our school and cluster, fostering innovation in the content we teach and in our teaching methods, and being the model for equity across the school system. The collaborative efforts of our dedicated staff will concentrate on meeting the individual needs of all our exceptional students. In July, school leaders, students, and parents engaged in a thorough analysis and reflection of our School Improvement Plan after its first year of implementation, resulting in the development of a comprehensive action plan aimed at enhancing student achievement and well-being. We look forward to the progress we will make in the 2024-2025 school year with a renewed focus on student-centered initiatives.

OneWhitman has and continues to be the space where we have discussions that support the physical, psychosocial, and academic well-being for everyone at Whitman. Thanks to the support and commitment of our students, staff, and community members, this school-wide initiative has been recognized within the school system as a model of equity and inclusion. Over the six years of its existence, we have observed an increasing level of student engagement in the creation, development, and facilitation of our lessons. A key achievement of the 2023-2024 school year was nearly all OneWhitman lessons were facilitated by a team of over 120 students. This bi-weekly initiative has resulted in nine impactful lessons during the academic year. Building on a strong foundation we aim to continue to enhance OneWhitman by incorporating more voices from students, staff, and the community to maintain an inclusive environment at Walt Whitman High School.

We are also pleased to announce another school-wide initiative focused on addressing the needs of our students. In alignment with the well-being School Improvement Plan (SIP) goal and Student Well-Being Teams, all MCPS schools are expected to have ongoing, consistent time for Social Emotional Learning (SEL) or wellness within their schedules. As a result, we will be implementing a consistent Wednesday schedule, shown below. On the Wednesdays that are opposite of OneWhitman we will designate that time as Walt Wisdom Time.

Walt Wisdom Time will offer students and staff an opportunity for reteaching and reassessing during the school day. Students will have the chance to meet with specific teachers for additional support. More information will be shared with students during grade level town hall meetings during the first week of school.

Upcoming September Dates:

- Walt Wisdom Time: September 4 and 18

- OneWhitman: September 11 and 25

On Thursday, August 22, we will host our New Student Orientation where we will welcome all of our Grade 9 students and students who are new to Walt Whitman High School in grades 10-12. Orientation will be from 7:45-11:30 am. Students will begin Orientation in the auditorium, welcomed by different members of the school community (SGA, Drumline, Counseling, Cheerleaders, and Poms). Following the welcome, students will have an opportunity to meet each of their teachers in their classrooms (periods 1-8), receive a tour of the building, and participate in three informational rotations to prepare them for their high school experience at Whitman. We look forward to this first opportunity to welcome and meet our new students.

A New Parent Coffee for parents new to Whitman will be held on Thursday, August 22 from 8:15 to 9:00am, in Whitman’s courtyard, while your students are at school for New Student Orientation.

We invite you to attend our WWHS Community Night on Thursday, August 22. There will be food trucks, games, and informational tables representing our various partner organizations and student groups. Activities will be in the bus loop from 5:00-7:00pm. Grade 9 and New Students can pick up their Chromebook at Community Night! All MCPS students are provided a Chromebook for school use free of charge. Each student will be equipped with a Chromebook and charger. Students and parents can pick up a Chromebook in the bus loop during Community Night. All returning students should ensure they have their Chromebooks and charger from the last school year.

We look forward to welcoming our students back from summer vacation on Monday, August 26. The typical school day is from 7:45am-2:30pm. It is imperative that students arrive on time to school and each class period daily. The regular bell schedule is below. All other bell schedules are accessible via the school website.

Additionally, MCPS policy requires schools to withdraw students who have 10 days in a row of unexcused absences. Please be sure to notify us if your child will have an extended absence for any excused reasons.

In accordance with MCPS safety and security procedures we will be implementing a tiered approach for students and staff to wear their photo ID’s as they enter the building and during the school day. As students obtain their new ID’s during picture day, students should begin to wear their school IDs. By the end of October (MP 1), the expectation is that all students will have their new IDs and will be asked to display their ID at all times during the school day.

As part of an enhancement to our current PMD policy, all students will be required to securely store their phones in designated pouches or "cubbies" located at the front of the classroom during instructional time. Students returning to Whitman should be familiar with this process as this has been a best practice for many of our teachers. This adjustment aims to minimize distractions from technology, while ensuring that students have access to their phones in the event of an emergency. Students will still have the opportunity to use their devices during transition periods and lunch.

A commitment to school attendance is an essential component of a quality learning experience and regular attendance and engagement are required in order to demonstrate mastery of material and receive credit for a course. If your child is absent, then please send a message to wwhsattendancedropbox@mcpsmd.org. If your child will have an anticipated absence, then complete an anticipated absence form and submit to your child’s grade level administrator at least three (3) days prior to the absence. The administrator will review the form and determine if it is an approved absence. For a list of excused absences, visit our Whitman website under the Attendance Information tab.

Remind is the main messaging platform used to communicate among Whitman teachers, students and parents. Remind will be used to communicate in case of an emergency. ParentVue directly links contact information to Remind. Therefore, it is vital that families ensure the contact information we have at school is accurate; we encourage you to confirm your mobile phone as your primary contact number. School staff, MCPS Central Office, students and parents will all have Remind accounts to enable them to send and/or receive messages using a preferred mode of communication, such as text message, email or phone call and in their preferred language. We strongly encourage you to confirm your mobile phone as your primary contact number.

Walt Whitman HS Remind Code is @fb22gh

PARENTS - With the Remind code, you can follow these directions about how to claim your account. After claiming your account, you are strongly encouraged to download the FREE Remind app from your cell phone’s app store and configure the app preferences to whether you want to receive push notifications, text messages, and/or phone calls. The app is available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. Once you have the app, make sure your phone is configured correctly to receive notifications.

On Wednesday, August 21 at 12:00pm, all students will be able to access their tentative schedules through StudentVUE. Schedules will be finalized on the first day of school. Our counseling department is currently working extremely hard to ensure that all students have complete schedules by the first day of school. Please be advised counselors will not be making course changes for students until the first week of school. Counselors will continue to be in contact with students who do not have a complete eight period schedule and all of the new students who are enrolling this year at Whitman.

Schedule change requests will only be honored if they meet the criteria listed in the timeline below.

(Students should report to their counselor during the conflicted period if):

• Monday, August 26 & Tuesday, August 27: They have a missing period, two classes in one period, and/or are not in level appropriate course.

• Wednesday Aug 28 & beyond: They need subject or content changes.

Please refer to the WWHS counseling website for more information in regards to counseling department updates.

MCPS has transitioned to an online payment system called School Cash Online as the preferred method of payment for all school-related fees. SchoolCash Online helps parents/guardians and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. SchoolCash Online helps increase efficiency and security at schools by making payments directly into schools’ bank accounts.

This system puts all of the fundraising, club, Field Trip, Testing Fees, etc. online so users can make purchases using a credit card or e-check. If you haven’t already, Parents/guardians can register at - https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/. Parent login information is the same as your ParentVue account.

For school lunch payments, you can check your student’s balance using www.myschoolbucks.com. New users can click the “Sign up today!” link and create an account. MySchoolBucks allows you to monitor your child’s cafeteria account and add money using a credit or debit card. You can also add money to your account by sending a check or cash to Whitman’s cafeteria manager.

Below you will find a list of our administrators and staff that you can contact if you have any questions or need assistance:

• Principal’s Administrative Secretary: Ms. Stephanie Mathis

• Grade 9 Administrator: Mr. George Lavelle

• Grade 10 Administrator: Ms. Jena Mejia

• Grade 11 Administrator: Ms. Kristin Rudolph

• Grade 12 Administrator: Ms. Kristi McAleese

• School Business Administrator: Miss Danielle Fus

• Special Education Acting Resource Teacher (LAD, LFI, SCB, FC): Mr. Craig Fontenot

• Social Emotional Special Education Support Services: Mr. Noah Tryninewski

• Clinical Social Worker: Mr. Julian Smith

• Bridge to Wellness Team

• Case Manager: Eve Kim

• Youth Development Specialist: Anna Burton

• Registrar: Ms. Blenda Legrande

Athletic Specialist: Mr. William Toth

As we embark on the 2024-2025 school year, there have been a few changes to the counseling department. We are excited to have new members to the department.

• Resource Counselor: Anne Fletcher

In addition to our new members, there have been minor changes to the counseling assignments for the coming school year (please see below).

As stated in MCPS Policy ECG-RA, student parking is a privilege. Students can apply for a first semester parking permit if they are academically eligible and have no financial obligations.

The Fall 2024 Parking Permit Letter, which will be sent on August 15, will include a Google Form application. Once complete, you will receive an automated email notifying you that your application was received, along with a copy of your application. The linked cover sheet must be printed, signed and turned into the main office, along with a copy of the student’s driver’s license, vehicle registration, and an insurance card listing the student as an insured driver on the policy. We will start accepting applications on Thursday, August 15. The final deadline to submit an application will be Friday, August 30th at 3:00pm.

Students will be notified via email by Wednesday, September 4 that they were selected for a Fall 2024 parking permit and will receive further payment and pick up instructions. Payments will be made using the School Cash Online system and will only be available to students once their application is approved. Parking enforcement will begin Tuesday, September 10.

All email notifications will include detailed instructions. If you have any questions, please contact School Business Administrator, Miss Danielle Fus at Danielle_R_Fus@mcpsmd.org.

As you and your families start planning for the return to school, please save the dates for a few upcoming events:

• Tryouts/practices for Fall sports begin on August 14. More information can be found here.

• Meet the Coaches Night for all parents who have a student athlete in a fall sport, August 2 at 6:00pm.
• New Parent Coffee is Thursday, August 22 from 8:15-9:00am.
• Freshman and New Student Orientation is Thursday, August 22 from 7:45-11:30am. Regular school bus transportation will be provided.
• Community Night and Chromebook Distribution is Thursday, August 22 from 5:00-7:00pm in the Bus Loop.
• Underclass photos are scheduled for Wednesday-Friday the first week of school.
• Back to School Night is Thursday, September 12 at 7:00pm.
• Clubs Night is Tuesday, September 17 at 7:00 pm.
• Homecoming Football Game vs. Albert Einstein High School on Friday, October 4 at 6:30pm.

We look forward to working with parents and community members to ensure that we provide the most welcoming return to school possible for our students. Thank you for your ongoing support of our efforts to ensure that Walt Whitman High School continues its long legacy of excellence.

Enjoy the rest of the summer!

Sincerely,

Mr. Gregory Miller

Principal

Go Vikes!