Weekly Update
August 28-September 1
Week of September 1
Upcoming Dates to Remember:
Come cheer on your fellow Raiders!!
Click here for the LHS SMAC Schedule
Click here to buy tickets for athletic events
Click here for the Fine Arts Performance Schedule
Schoology Update
Please reach out to your student’s first period teacher for the parent code if you are not yet registered for a parent account on Schoology. Follow these instructions to register.
9th Grade Laptop Refresh
All 9th-grade students who attended an SMCPS middle school last year will trade in their old laptops and chargers for new ones during their English class on either Wednesday, September 4, or Thursday, September 5. Old computers must be charged and powered on and students should bring their chargers. Students will incur a fine if equipment has been damaged, chargers are missing or laptops have been lost.
The Principal's Student Leadership Council serves as a student liaison to Principal Copsey and discuss matters through a youth perspective. Focusing on civic engagement and community initiatives to better LHS, SLC is dedicated towards creating positive change in the school through activities such as facilitating student-led projects, holding community conversations with St. Mary's County leaders, discussing school improvement, and educating student advocates on ways to get involved. Members will participate in monthly meetings to engage in workshops, civic-related projects, and gain leadership skills. Interested students are encouraged to fill out the application form below: submissions are due 9/21. Please reach out to: jhcopsey3@smcps.org or lhsstudentleadershipcouncil@gmail.com for any questions!
Latin
Latin students started the year choosing Roman names and making bullas, the necklace traditionally worn by Roman children from birth until 15 or 16 as protective amulets. They’ll have their bullas available to use as good luck charms during quizzes!
NEW Raider Gear and Apparel!!
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!
ROSE Players Present Fall Play: The Curious Savage
The LHS ROSE Players is proud to announce its Fall theatrical performance for the 2024-2025 school year! The fall play will be The Curious Savage by John Patrick. Auditions will be held after school - from 3-5pm - on Friday, September 6th. Students should meet in the auditorium.
If you would like to review the script, please contact Mr. Barbato at gjbarbato@smcps.org. He will assist you in scheduling a time during normal school hours (8:00 am - 3:15 pm) to come in and read the script. After reading the script, if you have any thoughts or comments, you will be able to complete the community feedback form. Please note that, due to copyright restrictions, we cannot allow scripts to be removed from our school building. The script and feedback form for the play will be available through September 13.
Yearbook
Order a Yearbook
If you are interested in purchasing a yearbook, please visit the Jostens site. Receive 4 free icons with the purchase of personalization through September 20. This is the lowest tier of our pricing! The next tier of pricing starts on September 21.
Class of 2025 Senior Portraits
Legacy Studios will be here on the dates below for senior portraits in the auditorium.
Friday, September 13
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 from the summer. Did you do something fun or attend a camp over the summer? Send a picture of you (and maybe even some other Leonardtown students) of something you did or a place you visited over the summer. Please make sure the picture is from this past summer. Please send pictures directly to Mrs. Page. Be sure to include the names and the grades of the people in your picture!
Class of 2028
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.
MTSS UPDATES
Parents/Guardians can earn your students STRONG bucks!
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.
Counseling Corner
For this upcoming school year we are re-shifting the alphabet split by counselor. Please carefully review the changes below so you know who your counselor is this year.
Make sure to know your counselor!
Hensel: A-Cl - jahensel@smcps.org
Wolcott: Co-Ge / GIS - rrwolcott@smcps.org
Neitz: Gi-Ki - lkneitz@smcps.org
Guidry: Kl-N lcguidry@smcps.org
Barger: O-Sm - cdbarger@smcps.org
Sawyer: Sn-Z - wnsawyer@smcps.org
SCHEDULE INFORMATION
If parents/students should need to request a change in your schedule, you need to go into the guidance office and fill out a course change form. Please know that we receive many schedule change requests, so there may be a delay in our response as we process them. We cannot accommodate requests for specific teachers or change of period for specific classes.
Students who want to drop an AP course, now need approval from their grade level administrator in addition to completing the course change request form.
Please check out our College and Career Center website for information regarding how to apply to college. Your high school transcript will be updated later in September and it will include your senior courses. After that time, it will be uploaded to Naviance and sent to the colleges you have selected in Naviance. If you need to request a Letter of Recommendation from your counselor please stop by guidance and obtain a Recommendation Request Form.
Career Center Updates
The Common Application is open!
2024-2025 Common App Essay Prompts
Make sure to use a personal email (not your school issued account). You will need to waive your FERPA and link your Common App to your Naviance account.
See reference guides below:
Letters of Recommendation Quick Guide
Common Application Matching Quick Guide
The College Application Process Guide
Please make sure to request your initial transcripts and letters of recommendation through your Naviance account. (Always ask a teacher in person for a letter of recommendation before requesting in Naviance).
ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)
The fall ASVAB is scheduled for October 23rd at 8 AM in the cafeteria for Juniors and Seniors.
New Scholarship Added to Naviance (Senior Females)
The 77th St. Mary's County Queen of Tolerance, Deadline 9/6/2024
To view all scholarships, login to Naviance via Clever. Click Colleges >> Scholarship Search.
September College Visits (Grades 11 & 12)
This is a great opportunity for students to meet with a representative from the college in the Career Center.
*Please note, classwork is the priority so it is at the teacher's discretion whether or not to send a student for the college visit. Students will not be pulled from the Tech Center to attend.*
September 11, 2024- Salisbury University @ 10:30 AM
September 16, 2024 - Pennsylvania College of Technology @ 8:55 AM
September 17, 2024- Christopher Newport University @ 8:55 AM
September 17, 2024 - Hood College @ 1:15 PM
September 23, 2024 - The University of Tennessee @ 8:55 AM
September 26, 2024 - Johnson & Wales University @ 10:30 AM
College Essay Writing Workshop for Seniors
Need help with your college essay?
Ms. John will be leading two essay writing workshops in the Career Center. Register Here
September 25th during A lunch or October 2nd during B lunch.
PSAT October 9
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.
Reminder for Parents/Guardians - Student Drop Off
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.
Reminder: Students, make sure your laptop is charged each day!
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:
- Go the the Media Center in your School. They can assess you a fine so that you can pay using My School Bucks.
- 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!
IMPORTANT: Cell Phone Policy Updates
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.
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.
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.
During lunch, students will be permitted to use their cell phones in accordance with the SMCPS student handbook.
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.
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.
Breakfast costs $1.75; lunch costs $3.00.
Your student may qualify for free or reduced-price meals.
Please complete the meal benefit application.
No Food Delivery
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.
Helpful Links!
Bus Information
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.
SMCPS Mental Health Website
Teen Mental Health & Wellness
Parent/Guardian Mental Health & Wellnesses
SMCPS Help Desk Ticket
LHS Tech Help
SMCPS Resources & Accountability
Leonardtown High School
Website: https://schools.smcps.org/lhs/
Location: 23995 Point Lookout Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650, USA
Phone: 301-475-0200
Twitter: @LHS_SMCPS