Weekly Update

Are you struggling to fall asleep at night and are late to school at least once a week? Here are a few ways to help you fall asleep at night:

1) Take a hot shower/bath about an hour before you go to bed. The temperature change from the hot water of the shower to the room temperature helps the body relax.

2) Decide a realistic time that you want to go to sleep and base your nightly routine on your chosen time. Try to keep that routine as consistent as you can throughout the month.

3) Turn off all those screens. We all know we need to do it, but sometimes it's really hard to turn them off. Remember those screens stunt your melatonin production, so the longer they are in front of you, the harder it's going to be to fall asleep (sleepfoundation.org, 2024).

4) Avoid energy drinks, coffee, pre-workout mixes, etc. later in the day.

You all have heard this before, but sometimes we just need a friendly reminder. You know it, so do it! Sleep well Raiders.

Free Tutoring is available to LHS students from LHS teachers in the areas of MATH, ELA, SCIENCE, and SPANISH. There is tutoring available on site before school, during lunch, and after school. There is also virtual tutoring available. Contact your child’s teacher, guidance counselor, or Theresa Smith at tmsmith@smcps.org for information.

This year’s celebration will be Friday, February 9th at 6pm. Here’s a sneak peek at some of our Chinese students as they practice their performances!

A packed International Club learned about winter holidays in Russia from Natalia Ipatova, a Russian exchange student here at LHS. International Club is an extension of the World Languages department that is devoted in part to languages and cultures not offered at LHS. Next month’s meeting on Wednesday, February 14, will feature a presentation from UMD about their Arabic and Persian language and culture department.

Karaoke Sign-up Form! Karaoke will be during A and B lunch on Tuesday, January 23rd, but you can start signing up now!

There are so many fantastic things happening in our efforts to support SMCPS students with disabilities. Please use this survey to share your praise of a LHS SPED teacher or support person.

The Class of 2024 will be hosting a Teacher/Administrator-for-a-Day Auction. The auction will be help during A and B lunches on Wednesday, January 31. Students can bid on teachers and administrators to “take over” as them for the Friday, February 9. Students will meet with the teacher or administrator before February 9 to plan and assist with preparing for the teacher day takeover.

Do you have what it takes to be Mr. Copsey for a Day or Ms. Harding?

LHS “Got Talent”
The LHS talent show is right around the corner. Do you have a talent to share with the world? Do you need money? Do you want to be famous? If this is you then you should audition! Fill out this form by scanning the QR code or click the link

Audition_Form

The Creative Writing Club would like to publish a literary magazine this Spring! Our theme is Daybreak through the Looking Glass. We are looking for creative writing pieces and artwork from ALL students! Please submit your writing here.

If your work is accepted for publication, you will receive an email from Mrs. Sutton. The Creative Writing Club meets every Wednesday during A Lunch in Trailer E3. All are welcome!

Seniors, if you are interested in ordering the panoramic picture taken during spirit week, please visit the Legacy website and use code 4572E24.and/or individual pictures. Please visit the Legacy website and use code 4572E24.

• Evening Counseling: SMCPS is once again offering School-Based Counseling Support in the evening for SMCPS students. Counseling support focuses on the following areas: Healthy Relationships, Social Skills, Self-Esteem, Stress Management, Worry, Sadness, and Emotional Regulation. Services will be located at Margaret Brent Middle School and Greenview Knolls Elementary School on Tuesday evenings from 4-7:30 p.m. Please complete the Parent Contact Form for Evening Counseling to request services.

ATTENTION Seniors: the Common Application is now open!

Common Application

The Common Application, which is accepted by more than 900 schools, helps streamline an essential part of the admissions process for students. Through the platform, first-time applicants can apply to multiple colleges at once. Students will only have to fill out details that most schools require, including name, address and extracurricular activities, one time. Click here for the Common Application Link

If you are applying to colleges via Common App, please do not request any documents from your teachers/counselors via Common App. All document requests must go through Naviance.

New Scholarships Added to Naviance

Abott & Fenner Business Scholarship

Charlotte Hall Military School Scholarship Application for 2024

Delegate Brian Crosby Academic Scholarship 2024

Elks Trade School Scholarship 2024

*Coming Soon* The St. Mary's County BECA Scholarship Application will open on January 15th!

Dinah K. Somerville Scholarship Deadline is Jan. 26th

Delegate Todd Morgan Academic Scholarship 2024

To view all scholarships, login to Naviance via Clever. Click Colleges >> Scholarship Search.

Upcoming events:

SAT Prep Class Begins Next Week

Monday, Jan. 22nd - Afternoon Class Starts

Tuesday, Jan. 23rd - Lunch Class -Students will be sent passes to attend on Tuesday.

Air Force Presentation

Wednesday, January 31st

The presentation will be at 11:23 (5th Period) in the Career Center. All students interested must fill out the sign-up questionnaire. Please contact Mr. Cox with any questions. Air Force Presentation Sign Up

FAFSA Night, Tuesday, Feb. 6th at the Tech Center at 6 PM (For parents and students)

A CSM Financial Aid Representative will guide you through the FAFSA application process. Students, please make sure to bring your laptops.

Please RSVP here.

Noche FAFSA, Wednesday, Feb. 7th at the Lexington Park Library at 6 PM

La ayuda financiera es esencial para la mayoría de los estudiantes que

planean asistir a la universidad o a una escuela vocacional. Te mostramos

cómo funciona la ayuda financiera, los recursos para pagar la universidad y

las opciones de pago de préstamos.

2024 St. Mary's County BECA In-person Scholarship Fair

Wednesday, February 7th from 4:30- 6:30 PM

The scholarship fair will be held at the USMSM (Former Higher Education Center). This is a great opportunity to meet with the scholarship providers.

ASVAB

Monday, March 18th at 8 AM in the cafeteria for grades 10-12.

All students interested must fill out the sign-up questionnaire. Please contact Mr. Cox with any questions. ASVAB Sign Up

Remember the end of marking period 2 is January 26, 2024. Use this checklist to review your Schoology courses prior to January 25.

If your student took an MCAP assessment in Spring 2023 (ELA 10, Algebra or Geometry, or LS-MISA), they will be receiving their score reports within the next week or so. If you have questions on how to interpret the scores, please utilize the resources below.

• ELA and Math Score Interpretation Guide for Parents
• Spanish version
• Science Score Interpretation Guide for Parents
• Spanish version

The 2023-2024 Winter Athletic Season is underway and we just want to remind everyone of the SMAC athletic policies in place.

1. All tickets are on-line through GoFan . NO Cash sales. Free admission for children 8 and under.
2. NO outside food or drinks allowed including water bottles.
3. NO bags or purses allowed. Only small handheld purses allowed.
4. Our concessions will accept cash and cards during most events.
5. Lastly, be mindful of comments as fans of the game and spectators to the student athletes.

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.

Click here for the one-lunch information presentation that was present to all 9th graders last week. You can find club information and much for!

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

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.

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!

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!

Spirit items are available on MySchoolBucks. Please make sure that your student is added into your profile and click on the School Store link. You will want to Browse all Items.

Items can be purchased and then picked up in the School Bank or during Open House. Items will also be available for purchase, in person, during open house.

Check out www.MySchoolBucks.com Go to "My School Store" and hit "Browse".

Learn how to create a MySchoolBucks account: click here.

• 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