The Raider Nation Newsletter

News from Principal Novak: April 23, 2024

Important Numbers

Dear Raider Nation,

These days, it seems like we are focusing on various countdowns and it depends on who you ask, what countdown/number you'll get. In case you're wondering, here are some numbers for you to know:

School Days remaining for Seniors: 20
Total Days until Graduation: 35
School Days remaining for Underclassmen: 36 (5 of which are half days)
Total Days until Fall Sports Tryouts: 112
Total Days until the First Day of School for 24-25: 124

Some other numbers to focus on right now (not just look ahead to):

97.4%- Score earned by Atholton's JROTC program at yesterday's Army Inspection. The cadets performed exceptionally well earning the designation of an "Honor Unit with Distinction," the Army's highest. Kudos to our students and their outstanding instructors: LTC Reinhart, SFC Gordiano, and 1SG Davis.
4/4- Number of events entered and number of awards received at the recent MESA regional competition.

FIRST PLACE - National Engineering Design Competition (NEDC).... students will represent Howard County at the state level. Since this is a national competition students may have a chance to advance to the national level this summer.

FIRST PLACE - Planetary Landing/Expanding Structures..... students will represent Howard County at the state level

SECOND PLACE - Community Cleanup

THIRD PLACE - Wearable Technology

Click here to read about each competitive event. See attached for a complete listing of the MESA Competition Results.

Our students and staff are phenomenal! More accolades to come in future newsletters.

Go Raiders!

Sincerely,

Nick Novak

Principal

Important Information-New

Above and Beyond Awards

As you are thinking of "Staff Appreciation” in the coming weeks (see below for the thank you note link), it is also a good time to think of staff you’d like to nominate for the "Above and Beyond Awards”. See the information below:

Nominate Faculty & Staff Members for Above and Beyond Awards: Parents & Students, every year the PTSA recognizes faculty & staff members who have made a real difference to support students and have gone “Above and Beyond” the normal call of duty this school year. Nominees are recognized in three categories: Academic, Extracurricular, and Student Services/Support (e.g., office staff, Student Services, custodians). You can nominate one staff member in each category.

To submit your nomination(s): Send an e-mail to Michelle Maslan (amaslan@comcast.net) indicating:

-Name of the staff member you are nominating

-The category for the nomination (Academic, Extracurricular or Student Services/Support), and

-A few sentences explaining/supporting your nomination

Nominations will be accepted through Friday, May 10, 2024 and the winners will be announced at the final staff meeting on June 3, 2024.

Atholton vs Reservoir Chik-Fil-A Competition

ALL DAY and ALL WEEK

(starting Monday April 22nd and ending Friday April 26th)

6am - 10pm

Come and dine with your Raiders at the Johns Hopkins Road location!

It's a great week to host a party with your work colleagues, treat your favorite sports team to breakfast, lunch or dinner, or surprise your students, musicians, dancers, actors, etc with some treats!

All money won will be used to replace our school's broken ice machine, which benefits ALL of our students at Atholton!

Use Code: RAIDERS when placing your order, whether it’s in person or on the app.

GO RAIDERS!

Theater Company Auditions

Did you take a Theatre class in middle school? Do you want to skip Theatre Arts 1 and go straight to Theatre Company? Attend AHS Drama's Open Auditions Tuesday, April 30th in room B120 from 2:45-3:45. No preparation needed! Join us!

Food Pantry-Save the Date

The next food distribution will be May 15th at 2:45pm in front of the school.

Important Information-Reposting

Graduation Updates

If you haven't seen the info on the website, we're steering folks to this document to get the most updated graduation information as we approach May 28th.

The senior calendar of events was also shared recently and we have subsequently been required to change the date of the crab feast from May 13th to May 6th. More info will be shared soon with seniors on how to buy tickets for this event.

Mimi's Outreach Initiative

Hello Atholton! Join the Mimi's Outreach Initiative with a community service project helping a charity called MACONA support communities across Africa with educational, medical, and essential resources. Help make a difference by donating books and toys (April 14-26), clothes and essentials like sanitary products (April 29-May 10), and food and money (May 13-24). Donation boxes will be available around the building for two weeks during each time frame. Your contributions are important to uplifting those in need. Together let's bring hope and opportunity to those in need.

Remember from April 14-26, please donate books and toys. Thank you for your support!

Staff Appreciation

Staff Appreciation Week is May 6th-May 10th and we need your help! One of the best "gifts" staff can receive is hearing the gratitude you have for the support they have provided you/your child this year and/or during their high school career. Take some time over the next few weeks to share these words of appreciation here:

Staff Appreciation Form 2024

It can be a teacher, counselor, coach, paraeducator, secretary,...whoever has done something worthy of your thank you message. Maybe they wrote your/your child's letter of recommendation for college? Maybe they stayed after school every week to help you/your child prepare for quizzes or tests? Maybe they believed in you/your child even when they didn't and this staff member helped you be successful?

Thanks for taking the time to make their day!

Bullying vs Peer Conflict

As we gear up to finish the school year strong, it's important to address student interactions that can affect both individual students and/or our school community. Peer conflict is something that most students will experience at some point in their school career. However, it is essential to understand the difference between conflict and bullying, should bullying occur. By understanding the differences, we can better navigate challenging situations and foster a positive school environment where everyone can thrive. We look forward to continuing to work together to end the school year on a strong and positive note. Thank you for your continued support and partnership!

More information can be found on the HCPSS Stop Bullying website. If you have any questions regarding this policy or its implementation, please contact a school administrator. Here is the online link to report an Instance of Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation and a link to the Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Form to fill out and return to your student's school administrator. More information on HCPSS Policy9460 can be found at Bullying, Cyberbullying, Harassment, and Intimidation Involving Students - HCPSS.

HCPSS Hispanic Achievement Program Graduation Sarapes

The HCPSS Hispanic Achievement Program is currently selling sarapes (stoles) to Hispanic and Latino graduating seniors. For these students, wearing the sarape on top of their graduation gown represents their accomplishments, celebration with their families, connection with their cultural roots, and the Hispanic community at large. All students who would like to participate in recognizing their heritage can purchase a sarape through April 26. Purchases can be made by visiting https://osp.osmsinc.com/p/DA601-1 and then selecting the tab “Hispanic Achievement” to initiate the order.