Happy November

November is an eventful month. Not only do we have the opportunity to welcome parents into the building for American Education Week, we also host the annual Culture Fest the week of Thanksgiving break. Students have the opportunity to submit an interest application to Ms. Aguila indicating how they would like to celebrate of their culture and heritage. There will be tables in the Commons and around the outside of the theater and students will perform in the Black Box. This long-standing Carver tradition is a wonderful way to celebrate the rich and diverse heritages of our student body.

Monday, 11/4

There are no after school activities Monday. The school closes at 4:00 p.m. to allow for Election Day set up.

Post Election School Days

The Presidential election is always a source of conversation across our nation and our students are more in tune with information whether from their families or social media and the news. Our students are brilliant young people who often hold strong and sometimes opposing beliefs that they share with one another. This, of course, is natural given they are young people on the cusp of their own adulthood and given that people across the nation hold varying beliefs. For that reason, it is prudent to consider the days following the election.

As a system and a school, we are giving teachers guidance about the days following the election because we have learned that the outcomes of elections impact students and some come to school feeling upset, anxious, or stressed. As you know, teachers do not to share their political positions with students. For most classes, there is no reason it should surface. Our social studies classes do teach about the political process and the structure and purpose of government but social studies teachers are well-versed in refraining from sharing their political beliefs and remaining unbiased in their presentation of material.

While we hope that the election goes smoothly and there is no cause for concern in the days following, we do encourage families to discuss the election with their children to gauge how they are feeling and to give guidance around how to manage those feelings. Please monitor and discuss their social media use. Please let us know if your child would benefit from some type of support in the coming days. Please ask your child:

• to refrain from any negative conversations with peers about the outcomes
• to send us a message or report to the office if they are upset
• to report any concerning behaviors to administration (name calling, harassment, and so on).

We will not tolerate any form of hate speech or harassment. Any violations and/or consequences will be managed using the BCPS Student Handbook. We are committed to receiving our students Wednesday and we will be ready to support them. Regardless of the outcome, we are a school community here to support the success of each one of your precious children.

Quarter 1 Closure

With quarter 1 behind us, the administrative and counseling teams are reviewing grades, meeting with select students, and sending appropriate letters to ensure that students and families are fully informed of any concerns and plans for quarter 2

Attendance

We are finding that the ability to add attendance notes to FOCUS is a great tool. The notes are available to parents and school staff and are making is simpler for all of us to ensure that information is recorded correctly.

American Education Week--November 18-22

This week please look for a link to sign up for the day you plan to visit during American Education Week. Completing the form will allow us to have a visitors' pass ready so you will not have to wait in line.

This year's American Education Week theme is "Together for Safe, Just, & Equitable Schools." As part of American Education Week, parents and guardians are invited to visit the school. Visits are scheduled blocks 1 and 2 or from 7:45-10:00 a.m. A grade-level visitation schedule is in place to stagger the number of visitors and ensure as much on-campus parking for families as possible.

• Grade 9--Tuesday, November 19 (A Day)--1st and 2nd period
• Grade 10--Wednesday, November 20 (B Day)--1st and 2nd period
• Grade 11 and 12--Thursday, November 21 (A Day)--1st and 2nd period

This message is repeated from last week for those who may have missed the information.

Attention students interested in playing a Winter sport. The registration for winter sports is open and must be completed in FOCUS through the parent account. Instructions for creating a parent account and completing the registration are attached (see Schoology). A valid physical and health insurance card must be uploaded into the registration. Students interested in managing a team must complete the registration, upload the health insurance card and note at the bottom of the registration, Manager and Sport. A physical is not required for managers. Students who have registered for a previous sport season MUST complete a registration form and upload all documents. Registrations and document DO NOT transfer. Tryouts begin November 15, 2024. Registrations submitted after November 8th MAY NOT be processed in time for the November 15th start date. All documents must be uploaded before submitting the application. Submitting an incomplete application will delay processing. Please contact Ms. Brewer, lbrewer@bcps.org, with any questions.

• Monday, November 4: Red Cross Blood Drive
• Tuesday, November 5: Election Day, Schools Closed
• Thursday, November 14: Report Cards Distributed
• November 18-22: American Education Week
• November 21-23: Fall Play
• November 26: Culture Fest
• November 27: Schools and Offices Close Three Hours Early
• November 28-29: Schools Closed for Thanksgiving Holiday

Students use the AllTimely App to sign up for Wildcat Time sessions. Please remember that we dedicated 10:30-11:00 a.m. each day to Wildcat Time Sessions. It is important that students leverage this time to seek any assistance or academic support they need. Encourage your child to use Wildcat Time for this purpose. Please reach out to teachers, as needed, if you believe your child needs support in a particular class.

We are thankful for the members of our student support team. This list is available in every newsletter to facilitate contact at times you have questions or concerns.

School Counselors - (443) 809-2753

• Alastair Palmer, DC (apalmer2@bcps.org)--Last names A to F
• Leslie Aguila (laguila@bcps.org)--Last names G to N
• Stephanie Kousouris (skousouris@bcps.org)--Last names O to Z
• Kristen Pettit (kpettit2@bcps.org)--College and Career Counselor

School Social Worker - 443-809-4713

• Wendy Pitts (wpitts@bcps.org)

School Psychologist - 443-809-6722

• Karl Fleischer (kfleischer@bcps.org)

Pupil Personnel Worker - 443-809-6856

• Lisa Mazzilli (lmizzilli@bcps.org)

School Nurse - 443-809-4577

• Ruth Arenas (rarenas@bcps.org)