Hello Hornet!

Last week's events, including the STEM Showcase and Prom, and they were both a great success. Our students looked absolutely stunning and had a fantastic time at prom. It's always a joy to see them dressed up and enjoying themselves together.

This week, we will be continuing with state testing in Biology. Additionally, we will finally be holding our Winter Sports banquet on Thursday, May 2nd, which had been postponed for some time.

With only about 6 weeks of school left, it's important to stay focused and engaged in your classes. We have various resources available to support your learning, such as after school tutoring, Nest Hour tutoring in the TLC (The Learning Center), and teachers' open hours during Nest Hour (One Lunch). Remember, passing the class is essential to receive credit for the year. Our dedicated teachers are here to support you, so please don't hesitate to seek their assistance and guidance and don’t wait until the last minute.

Let's make the most of these remaining weeks and finish the school year strong!

The week will be what you make it, let's make it GREAT!

We Are… GREAT MILLS

#TRUSTTHEPROCESS

¡Saludos! Para leer en español, hay un botón para traducir en la esquina superior derecha de los anuncios de Smore cuando se abre por primera vez. Pueden hacer clic en el botón y después selecciona de la lista de lenguas disponibles

• May 2 - Winter Sports Banquet
• May 3 - Spring Pep Rally
  
• May 14 - Election Day No School for Students
• May 10 - 2-Hour Early Dismissal
• May 11 - Chorus Concert - 4:00 PM
• May 17 - Last day for seniors
• May 23 - Senior Awards
  
• May 31 - Graduation Commencement
• June 6 - 2-Hour Early Dismissal
• June 7 - End of 4th Quarter
• June 7 - 2-Hour Early Dismissal
• June 7 - Last day of school for student
• June 13 - Report Cards available on HAC

Attention 9th graders. Are you interested in exploring career fields? Are you interested in finding out about an exciting ELECTIVE opportunity at the Forrest Center for next year? You are invited to attend an information session to learn about the Forrest Center’s Applied Technology Exploration, or “ATEx” elective. Tuesday, April 30th, 6:00-6:45. There will be one presentation that begins at 6:00 in the Dohrman Rooms at the Forrest Center. Please enter using the doors facing Leonardtown Middle School-NW side of the building. Call 240-885-4798 for more information.

St. Mary’s County Public Schools, in collaboration with Healthy St. Mary’s Partnership, is hosting a Surf the Mental Health & Wellness Wave: A Resource & Education Fair on May 18, 2024, from 10 AM-3 PM, at the James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center. Come interact with and gather information from over 35 Mental Health & Wellness vendors. There will be numerous guest speakers and presentations on several different mental health and wellness topics. Use the QR code in the health fair flyer to view the schedule of events. In addition, there will be food trucks, door prizes, and lots of fun! Please join us!!

SMCPS and SMC R&P have partnered to offer the new Summer Sports Academies. Campers will be instructed by area high school coaches. Camps are held Monday - Thursday. Click below for more information. Registration is open now! Don't miss this opportunity.

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/recreate/camps

• https://www.stmaryscountymd.gov/docs/thescoop.pdf

Come out to see a student directed One Act at the Spring Festival of the Arts on May 11th. It starts with four people wake up in a room with no memory of who they are or how they got there—and no way out. As they’re put through a series of increasingly dangerous trials, they start to realize they’re actually part of a secret interview process.

2024 Yearbooks are on sale for the cheapest price of the year!! Follow this link to purchase yours today!

Congratulations to Johana Navarro for landing a $144,000 Army ROTC scholarship to the University of Richmond. Photo is Chief Mack, Johana and her Mom

The STEM Showcase is a time for students to display their hobbies, interest and share information about their internships, and research projects. It was a great event celebrating all their successes and learning about their future plans. Below are just a few of the amazing students that were on display.

Mark Reineke on Display at the STEM Showcase. He completed an internship with the Next Generation Naval Air Warfare Center Aircraft Division. Mark will be attending Notre Dame of Maryland University in fall where he will also be playing Baseball. Congrats Mark!

Wes Boyers and Anna Redman both completed internships at the St. Mary's River Watershed Association completing Oyster restoration in the St. Mary's River.

Wes will be attending University of Maryland College Park and Anna will be attending Virginia Tech on a full ROTC Scholarship!

Johah Chaillou completed an internship at the United Sates Naval Test Pilot School where he designed the mounting assembly for a portable Aircraft Instrumentation System. Jonah will be attending the University of Alabama in the fall.

Ivan Chiu completed an internship at the Pax River Naval Air Museum where he designed an arcade-style missile simulation video game! Ivan will be attending University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill!

Sheryl Joe completed an internship at the St. mary's County Health Department where she studied vaccine technology and the ethical challenges it imposes. Sheryl will be attending Towson University in the fall.

Lilly Rakes completed a research project on the materials science of knitting. She is undecided on which college she will attend, Towson University, Salisbury University, or Washington College. However, she will definitely be heading to Wyoming where she accepted a summer job at Yellowstone National Park.

Our Great Mills High School NJROTC has been a Distinguished Unit for the past 4 consecutive years. Now we are a Distinguished Unit with Honors! This is largely due to the hard work of Captain Randle and Chief Mack with the support of our staff and community!

This year through their determination and dedication we are sending 8 different students to college on full ROTC scholarships!

We Are... Great Mills

#trusttheprocess

Environmental Field Trip Donation Link- please help Mrs. Estocsin take 30 kids in a National Park! Our trip will be Monday, May 20th. Scan or click to support.

Naval Horizons is an essay contest introducing students to cutting-edge STEM topics impacting the U.S. Navy and Marine Corps. The STEM topics in the video series include space, weather, aerospace, optometry, epidemiology, machine learning and more! Watch the videos to begin, then write an essay explaining how the research and the STEM professionals in the video inspired you and share your thoughts on the future of the STEM topic. Up to 5,000 winners will earn a $200 cash prize! Open to college and high school students until June 10, 2024, at 11:59 pm ET. Please visit: https://www.navalhorizons.us/

Safety for everyone is a top priority! I want to remind everyone that under no circumstance should we open an exterior door to allow entry to anyone. Even if you think they are student do not open doors and direct them to the main office doors for entry. Everyone, including students, should enter through the main office.

Schoology New Parent/Guardian Provisioning: New Schoology parent/guardian accounts will be created in the coming weeks. We hope to have accounts created and parents/guardians connected to their students in Schoology by Friday, September 2nd. Continue to use Schoology for your updates along with your SMOREs/School Messenger. Please share this specific message with your school community through School Messenger. Parents that have difficulty accessing their pre-existing accounts should contact schoology@smcps.org and include the student name and ID number for troubleshooting.

For more help with Schoology, visit the SMCPS Schoology Parent Dashboard.

Need to register for the SAT? We have fee waivers available for qualifying students in the counseling office. Follow this link to log in and sign up.

We hope to see you in The Learning Center on Wednesday!

How did your grades look in the first marking period? Looking to recover those grades to a passing grade?

The Learning Center (TLC) will be available during One Lunch. TLC will support students who need additional help in their graduation-required courses. Any students who are interested in the TLC need to report to Room F12 during One Lunch. If you have any questions about TLC, please contact Katie Sushinsky, GMHS Literacy Coach, at kesushinsky@smcps.org or Hattie Webb, GMHS Math Coach, at hswebb@smcps.org.

This week in Sports

Monday, April 29

• Softball vs North Point - JV 4:30
  
• Baseball vs Patuxent - JV 4:30
• Girls Lacrosse vs Lackey - Varsity 5:30

Tuesday, April 30

• Softball vs Southern - JV 4:30

Wednesday, May 1

• Baseball vs North Point - JV 4:30
  
• Softball vs North Point - JV 4:30
• Girls Lacrosse vs Mc Donough - Varsity 5:30

Friday, May 3

• Boys and Girls Tennis vs Leonardtown - 4:00
  
• Softball vs La Plata - Varsity 4:30
  
• Baseball vs La Plata - Varsity 4:30

Come out and support!!

All SMAC regular season and playoff tickets will be sold online using Go Fan. I do recommend creating a free account to make purchasing tickets throughout the school year quicker. We will have card readers at the door, but NO CASH will be accepted at the door.

St. Mary's County Public Schools Athletics

SEASONAL TRYOUT INFORMATION (linked)

School Year 2024-2025​

• Anyone wishing to compete for a place on a team is expected to be at all tryouts.

• First Day of Fall Sports Tryouts - August 14, 2024

• First Day of Winter Sports Tryouts - November 15, 2024

• First Day of Spring Sports Tryouts - March 1, 2025

FamilyID

• All interested athletes are expected to be present from day one and have all required documentation fully completed if they wish to compete for a place on the team. For online registration go to www.familyid.com and use "Find a program" to select your high school. Failure to submit all required electronic data entry/forms/cards by the deadline set by the high school will necessitate the exclusion of the student.

Preparticipation Physical Evaluation

• Sports physicals are valid for 12 months. It is recommended you attain your sports physical during the months of June or July annually.

• History Form - To be filled out prior to examination by the patient or parent/guardian and provided to the Physician.

• Physical Examination Form - To be completed by the Physician and kept in their office in the patient’s medical file.

• Medical Eligibility Form - This is the ONLY form that should be submitted to the school.

Corollary Sports Program

• The Corollary Sports program is offered as an alternative program to the mainstream high school athletics program, with team rosters composed of both students with or without disabilities. For more information please visit the Corollary Sports Page.

• Fall Season - Cycling

• Winter Season - Bowling

• Spring Season - Bocce

Assistance and Contacts

• Please contact your child’s school or the appropriate individual on this list if you have questions or concerns.

Please email Mrs. Cunningham, accunningham@smcps.org, if you need assistance in completing FAFSA and/or MDCAPS

IMPORTANT REMINDER Class of 2024! If you have not placed an order for your Graduation announcements, senior apparel, keepsakes and most importantly, your Cap and Gown unit, the time to do so is NOW. If you have any questions please contact Mrs. Toney in room 1203 or by email tntoney@smcps.org.

Are you aware that your child could qualify for a free Associate Degree or free professional certifications from CSM or a trade school in Maryland? What exactly is the Maryland Promise Scholarship?

2024 Yearbooks are on sale for the cheapest price of the year!! Follow this link to purchase yours today!

SMCPS is committed to the mental health and wellness of students and parents. Check out each of the available sites for valuable resources.

ARE YOU INTERESTED IN HEALTH INSURANCE OR SUPPLAMENTAL HEALTH INSURANCE FOR YOUR STUDENT? FIND MORE INFORMATION BELOW.

Follow us on Twitter or check the school website for updates.

Email: bjdothard@smcps.org
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/gmhs/
Location: 21130 Great Mills Road, Great Mills, MD, USA
Phone: (301) 863-4001
Twitter: @GMHS_SMCPS