Weekly Update

Attendance Matters

Now that we are all settling into the school year, we want to take a minute to remind families and students about attendance basics. We all have our jobs and responsibilities at LHS and we need our students to do their jobs by attending class every day. It makes all our days better when we see all of our students!

• If you have a cold, please come to school. When you have a fever or are vomiting, we want you to stay home, but the sniffles or a headache are not a reason not to come to school.

• If you are absent for an illness lasting more than two days, please send a doctor's note.

• There is an approval process for absences not related to illness. Please talk to your grade-level Assistant Principal and they will give you direction.

Effective communication is critical to the success of St. Mary’s County Public Schools (SMCPS). This will be crucial not only for emergencies but for our ability to communicate with families in general. Online Emergency Information Update Forms are now available through the student’s Home Access Center (HAC). Once logged in, directions to access the online form can be found HERE. A video with instructions is available HERE. It is vital that all information is updated in eSchool. The deadline for the online submission of Emergency Information Update forms is October 31st, 2024. Please click here for the Blank Emergency Form. If you have any questions, please contact The Department of Student Services at 301-475-5511 ext.32150.

LHS is seeking 3 senior students to represent for county level selection.

We also need 1 junior student to serve on the county Selection committee.

All interested juniors and seniors should click HERE for more information.

Need new Raider apparel??? Check out our new school store at www.leonardtownspiritwear.com

Pick your clothing, choose a design, and it will be shipped directly to your house. Check weekly for new sale items!

The Mid-Autumn Festival is one of the most important holidays in Chinese culture. It's a time for family and friends to gather together, and admire the full moon which symbolizes unity and completeness. Our Chinese class celebrated this festival by making paper cuttings, doing calligraphy painting, designing mooncakes and writing poems!

Student enjoyed our MTSS walk and talk on Thursday during 7th and 8th period! Students used Strong Bucks to participate! A big thank you to Dunkin Donuts for bringing the Dunkin Cruiser!

Volleyball had a big win vs. Huntingtown winning 3 straight games!! Football won 12-6 in a slobber knocker over St. Charles! Field Hockey went 2-0 this weekend!

Order a Yearbook

If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook, please visit the Jostens site.

Class of 2025 Senior Portraits

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

Friday, September 27

Monday, October 14

Tuesday, October 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.

If you have any questions regarding portraits or sittings, please contact Legacy at 716-512-6336 or customercare@legacystudios.com or yearbook adviser Heather Page at hmpage@smcps.org.

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, October dates will not open until September dates are booked or until after the September portrait sessions have taken place.

We are aware that prices are high for senior portraits, but Legacy’s prices are comparable to other companies in the area that can handle the size of our school. Please consider the cost of portraits when considering which senior portrait sitting to book. Legacy’s price list is linked here.

Pictures Needed!

We are in need of pictures for the yearbook! Please click here to see specific requests. Please submit your pictures to Photo Share, which links directly to our yearbook account or send them to Mrs. Page. We appreciate your help! Be sure to include the names and the grades of the people in your pictures!

Fall Sports Team Pictures

Athletes will be photographed on Tuesday, September 24. Please see the schedule below. Athletes have the chance to purchase team and/or individual pictures. Please visit the Legacy website and use code 4572E25. Please note that pictures will not be posted until about two weeks following the picture date to allow for editing and uploading. We appreciate your patience!

Congratulations to (from left to right) Meredith Salter, Andrew Salter, Maggie Nichols, Reagan Eisenstatt, & Jakob Kunz (in the lower picture) who have been named Commended Students in the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Attention Class of 2028! It’s time to buy your Freshman class shirt for homecoming week in October. Be sure to order soon so that you can represent your class at the pep rally. Here is the link for online purchase:

https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/prdembd?ref=ZZHAD2XN2Q00TOS_ZZ5SB70ZTUNXIZR.

If you can have any questions, email Mrs. Sutton at cjsutton@smcps.org.

All 10th graders and 11th graders who pre-registered will take the digital PSAT on Wednesday, October 9th. A digital readiness check for 10th graders will be conducted in government classes the week of September 23rd. Juniors who registered will need to attend a digital readiness check in the auditorium on Thursday, September 26th during lunch.

Be sure to put in any help desk tickets HERE if your school-issued laptop is not working prior to the readiness check.

Interested in joining the Wellness Club? Keep an eye out for information about meeting days, times, and room number! The Wellness Club will include activities like yoga and walking and provide helpful nutrition information. More information to be released soon!

MTSS stands for Multi-tiered Systems of Support which promotes school improvement through engaging, research based academic and behavioral strategies/practices. LHS is a Tier I and II school. We are focused on positive behavior and community engagement. Our acronym to teach and exhibit positive behaviors is STRONG.

Please fill out the parent survey below help us improve MTSS at LHS. Make sure to include your child's name and ID # so they can receive STRONG Bucks.

Need help finding out where to go for lunch? Click the button above to see open classrooms and club offerings for each day of the week.

Use this document to plan where you will go for lunch each day!

24-25 Weekly Tutoring Schedule

Monday - World Languages/PE/CTE

Tuesday - English

Wednesday - Science

Thursday - Math/Visual Arts/Theatre

Friday - Social Studies/Music

Need to study during lunch? Sign up for the media center for A Or B lunch By clicking on this link. Save it to your computer to sign up each day for a scholarly opportunity to get work done. You can always visit https://elibrary.smcps.org for resources.

We welcome you to incorporate physical activity into your day and join us in the gym for lunch. Completion of this form is a requirement for gym entry. Students are permitted to sign up for only one lunch block (either A or B). Students are expected to enter the gym through the side door adjacent to the girls locker room and be in the gym before the 10 minute bell. Students unlawfully tardy will be redirected to the cafeteria. Students are expected to remain in the gym, omit food or drink and have tennis shoes to be on the gym surface. Click the button below to sign up for the gym.

Parents who are dropping students off at school in the morning should use the parking lot lane closest to the building. Please do not park in in a space and wait to drop your student off. Unfortunately, parking is very limited for both students and staff. Utilizing extra parking spaces for this purpose can create an issue where there is nowhere for staff or student drivers to park. Additionally, please do not drive down the middle parking lot lane in order to drop a student at school. We appreciate your help!

ACCEPTABLE USE POLICY 24-25

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.

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

Students, please make sure your laptop is charged each day. Bring your charger to school in case your battery runs out.

Need to purchase a laptop charger?

You can do one of two things:

1. Go the the Media Center in your School. They can assess you a fine so that you can pay using My School Bucks.
2. Go directly to the DELL store. You can purchase directly from their website and have it shipped to your home.

Ensure one of these links are being used:

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps (click Shop Recommended Solutions to get to the discounted power cords)

www.dell.com/mpp/smcps-chargers (leads directly to the purchasing portal)

More helpful links for technology can be found at the bottom of the newsletter!

Parents, if your student is new to LHS and you still do not have access to Schoology, please contact Ms. Smith (krsmith@smcps.org).

As you know, 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 or bluetooth headphones/earbuds are permitted to be used (they cannot be visible) in classrooms or in the hallways/bathrooms between classes.

On the very first day of school, our Assistant Principals conducted grade level assemblies in the Auditorium to review this policy with students.

We want to make sure students and parents/guardians have a clear understanding of cell phone expectations.

1. At the start of 1st period, all cell phones are required to be turned off and stored away, out of sight. This includes bluetooth headphones/earbuds.

2. Cell phones & headphones will need to remain turned off and stored away, out of sight, until the start of lunch. This includes between classes, in hallways, and bathrooms.

3. During lunch, students will be permitted to use their cell phones in accordance with the SMCPS student handbook.

4. At the end of lunch and the start of 7th period, all cell phones are required to be turned off and stored away, out of sight. This includes bluetooth headphones/earbuds.

5. Cell phones & headphones will need to remain turned off and stored away, out of sight until the 2:45 (the dismissal bell). This includes between classes, in hallways, and bathrooms.

Watch the video message (below) from Dr. Scott Smith, Superintendent of Schools.

Due to safety concerns and the demands on the main office, we do not accept food deliveries of any kind. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

• Here Comes the bus
• Bus Routes
• Bus Stop change-request form
• Transportation Forms

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.

Website: https://schools.smcps.org/lhs/
Location: 23995 Point Lookout Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650, USA
Phone: 301-475-0200
Twitter: @LHS_SMCPS