Welcome students and families. We are off to a great start and students are acclimating to the daily routines of school. We are asking students to make sure they show their Cougar Pride by being Prepared, Respectful, Involved, Diligent and Eco-Friendly.

We need students to monitor their transition time between classes. Students, you only have 4 minutes between classes before you are marked tardy. Starting this week, we implemented our tardy policy in which continued tardies to class will result in student consequences.

Starting next week, students will not be allowed to enter a classroom with backpacks or large bags. Students must use their locker. If you have a locker issue, please be sure to use the QR code, which is posted in numerous locations throughout the building.

Open House will be held Thursday, September 19th from 5:30pm – 7:30pm. This is an opportunity for families to meet their student's teachers and learn about expectations for their courses. Please save the date and mark your calendars. Parents will have a choice to attend the PTSO meeting in the Auditorium or the ESOL Family Night in the Cafeteria starting at 5:30pm, followed by visitations to the classrooms starting at 6pm. We hope to see you all here, supporting your students and Thomas Stone High School!

CCPS is, again this school year, participating in federal and state programs that provide free meals at qualifying schools. Thomas Stone High School is a qualified school. These programs include the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP) and Maryland Meals for Achievement (MMFA). Students who attend Thomas Stone High School can eat breakfast and lunch for free for the entire school year. If your child would like to purchase additional a' la cart items, they can purchase these items by using MySchoolBucks.com.

The CCPS transportation department continues to update student information to integrate into the Where's the Bus app. Staff continues to address transportation help desk tickets related to the app. Additionally, staff is meeting with bus contractors to ensure all bus information needed for the GPS component of the app is current so the bus can accurately be tracked. Download the Where's the Bus app today to follow your child's route.

As a reminder, bus stop information is available in the CCPS School Locator and/or in your ParentVue/StudentVue accounts. Please continue to expect early or delayed bus arrivals during the first few weeks of school. Drivers are still adjusting to routes, which can include a daily addition of new bus stops for additional students.

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) regularly partners with the Maryland State and Charles County boards of elections. Many CCPS facilities, including schools, serve as polling locations during local, state and national elections.

Staff from the Charles County Board of Elections are set to visit the seven CCPS high schools next month to share information with students about how to vote, voter registration and how to serve as an election judge.

These visits will occur during school lunch shifts so student instructional time is not impacted. The visit to Thomas Stone High School will take place on Tuesday, September 17th. Please talk with your student about the opportunity to learn about voting.

Charles County Board of Election staff are State of Maryland employees with the Maryland State Board of Elections and do not represent any party, affiliation or candidate in any election cycle.

CCPS plans to offer this opportunity to high school students annually. To learn more about the Board of Elections, visit Board of Elections | Charles County, MD (charlescountymd.gov)

School portraits, for grades 9 - 11, will be held Wednesday, Sept. 18th and Thursday, Sept. 19th during Social Studies classes. Please save the date and mark your calendars. Your student will be informed of which day to come dressed to impress for the yearbook. We ask that all students sit for pictures regardless of the desire to purchase. Portrait package information will be sent home in the coming days. If you have any questions, please contact Mr. Brown, our Yearbook Advisor, by email at andbrown@ccboe.com

Schedule your Senior Picture Make-Up session today! The Senior Make-Up Picture Day, for the Class of 2025, will be Monday, September 23rd and Thursday, September 26, 2024. If you have not yet been scheduled to take your senior pictures, you must schedule your appointment as soon as possible. Every Senior will need to sit for Senior Pictures so their picture can be used in the Roll Call Slide Show during this years Graduation Commencement, regardless of the desire to purchase. Click the link below to schedule your appointment. Appointments are a MUST and time is ticking!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C084AA4AA2AA3F5C07-50816556-thomas

Thomas Stone High School is now a Community School! You may be wondering, “What is a Community School?” A Community School promotes positive, equitable outcomes by providing students and families with the physical and mental health, academic, and extracurricular support needed to thrive. Community Schools serve as hubs that bring families, communities, and partners together to remove barriers to learning and strengthen connections to generate improved student outcomes. Our Community School Coordinator is Ms. Karen Coles. Ms. Coles will lead a Community School Advisory Committee who will conduct a needs assessment, create, and implement a strategic plan, build, and maintain relationships and partnerships with stakeholders, connect students and families to resources and services, align the community strategy with school goals, collaborate and coordinate with school leadership and staff.

Currently, Charles County Public Schools has 10 Community Schools:

• Benjamin Stoddart Middle School

• Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School

• Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary Schoo

• Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School

• Eva Turner Elementary School

• General Smallwood Middle School

• Indian Head Elementary School

• John Hanson Middle Schoo

• J.P. Ryon Elementary School

• Thomas Stone High School

Community Schools are funded through the Concentration of Poverty grant which provides funds to provide wraparound services to our students and families. These wraparound services consist of:

• Extended learning opportunities
• Safe transportation to and from school
• Vision, hearing, and dental care services
• Establishing or expanding school-based health center services
• Additional behavioral health staff (social workers, mentors, counselors, therapists, psychologist)
• Enhancing physical wellness, including providing health food options
• Enhancing behavioral health services, including access to mental health practitioners, and providing professional development to school staff to provide trauma-informed interventions
• providing family and community engagement and supports, including informing parents/guardians of academic course offerings, language classes, workforce development training, opportunities for children, and available social services as well as educating families on how to monitor a child's learning
• Enhancing student enrichment experiences, including educational field trips, partnerships, and programs with museums, arts organization, and cultural institutions
• Improving student attendance
• Improving the learning environment at school
• Any other professional development for teachers and school staff to quickly identify students who need these resources

However, to begin to implement this work, we need your input. Please use the link to complete a brief student and parent/guardian survey. This will assist us with determining your needs, planning, implementing services, programs, support, and resources. In addition, we are seeking student and parents/guardians to participate in our Community School Advisory Committee which helps to formulate and plan these services for the upcoming school year. Pleas scan the QR code below to sign-up or use the link. Also, please preview our Thomas Stone Community School website for resource information and to sign-up for events/activities.

Thomas Stone Community School Website

Link: https://sites.google.com/view/thomasstonehs-communityschool/home

Thomas Stone High School Community School Advisory Committee

Link: https://forms.office.com/r/2brBC63JnB

Community School Parent Survey
Link: https://ccboe.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5q0dw6aWL8V9GIe

Community School Student Survey

Link: https://ccboe.iad1.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_034Gre5lxARl4uG

Congratulations to the following students who participated in the Leadership Initiatives program at Georgetown University. Seniors, Matayah Graves and Elsa Jimenez-Colon participated in the Advanced Medical & Public Health Internship; sophomore Jada Gaines participated in the International Leadership & Business Internship and sophomore Madeline Stanley participated in the Advanced Medical Neuroscience Internship. If you are interested in the program see Ms. Morton, College & Career Advisor for details.

For all game schedules, visit Thomas Stone Cougars - Official Athletic Website – Waldorf, MD (tscougarssports.com)

All tickets, for games and events, can be purchased on GOFan at https://gofan.co/app/school/MD24850 or using credit card at the events gate entrance. There is a fee for all home and away games. Make sure to look at the bottom of the event listed to see if it is in our back yard or theirs! You should purchase your ticket ahead of time, but tickets can also be purchased at the gate. Come and support our athletes and Thomas Stone High School!

Students, if you are interested in class officer positions, please reach out to Ms. Wells for more information. Elections will be held within the first month of the new school year. Please follow our Thomas Stone Instagram page. @tStone_s_g_a for student life information or ask questions and make suggestions.

If you are interested in being a part of Thomas Stone High Schools' PTSO Committee, please contact Rita Osborne at TSHSPTSO@gmail.com. Come be a part of the PTSO Committee and make a difference. Applications are available in the main office and also available during all scheduled meetings. Please complete the application form and return, with payment of $10, to the main office. We hope to see you soon!

The next SAT is scheduled for October 5, 2024. Registration Deadline September 20 ,2024- Late Registration Deadline - September 24, 2024

Register at www.collegeboard.org

College Board - SAT, AP, College Search and Admission Tools

College Board is a non-profit organization that clears a path for all students to own their future through the AP Program, SAT Suite, BigFuture, and more.

www.collegeboard.org

The upcoming ACT examination date is scheduled for October 26, 2024 -

Registration Deadline is September 20, 2024 - Late Registration Deadline October 7, 2024

Register at www.act.org

ACT Registration | ACT Testing Dates | The ACT Test

To take the PSAT this year, students must sign up and pay the test fee. Visit Mrs. Lush, the Testing Coordinator, in the media center to register. The test costs $18, and only exact cash payments, checks, or money orders are accepted. Remember, the deadline to register and pay for the PSAT is Thursday, September 12th. Late orders will not be accepted.

Did you know.... students can receive additional benefits from the Free and Reduced Meal application, such as fee waivers for ACT, SAT, and College Application fees. Upperclassman will need to complete a Free and Reduced Meals Application online, to receive these benefits. The online application can be found on the CCBOE homepage. https://www.myschoolapps.com/

Did you know that CCPS has partnered with Hazel Health, a tele-mental health service for CCPS students in middle and high school . During in-school appointments, students can visit virtually with a mental health specialist in a designated location in the school that provides privacy. Trained school staff will accompany students to and from the appointment. Parents and families can learn more about Hazel Health here.

Laptop distribution will begin this week. Students without a laptop will receive their laptop through their Science class starting Tuesday. Students, please note that devices need regular updating to ensure that all software continues to work and to receive the latest security patches from Microsoft. Please check for Windows updates every Tuesday evening (or as soon after as possible). This can prevent many problems, especially during testing sessions.

If you have any issues with your laptop, please submit a ticket to Mr. Richardson by clicking the link provided https://askccps.ccboe.com/open.php.

If your student will be leaving TSHS, you will need to return your CCPS issued laptop and charger to Thomas Stone High School prior to being withdrawn.

September 2 - Labor Day, Schools/Offices closed

September 3 - First day of school for Pre-K students

September 8 - Grandparents Day

September 10 - Board Meeting 1pm, Public forum 6pm

September 10 - National Suicide Prevention Day

September 11 - Patriot Day

September 12-15 - Charles County Fair

September 13 - Schools Closed for Students

September 17 - National IT Professionals Day

September 17 - Constitution Day

September 22 - First Day of Autumn

September 23 - TSHS Senior Picture Make-up Session Day

September 25 - 2-hour Early Dismissal for Students

September 26 - TSHS Senior Picture Make-up Session Day

September 26 - Hispanic Parent Advocacy Night

September 30 - Interim Reports Posted to ParentVue/StudentVue

From left to right: Mrs.Jarmon(12th grade), Mrs. Salopek (9th grade), Ms. Ransom (10th grade), Mrs. Prado (11th grade)

9th - Mr. Snow bsnow@ccboe.com

10th - Mrs. Savage jsavagespriggs@ccboe.com

11th - Mrs. Loyd kloyd@ccboe.com

12th - Mr. Werkheiser cwerkheiser@ccboe.com

Instructional AP - Dr. Bateman jbateman@ccboe.com

To learn more about our Admin team, click the link below:

Administrative Team - Thomas Stone High School (ccboe.com)

With the winter months approaching, school delays or cancellations may arise. If you would like to get TEXT ALERTS from CCPS, you must OPT IN to get the alerts, before you can start receiving them. To do this, from your cell phone, text YES to 67587. You should then receive a notification that you are now registered. This is a good way to get information regarding school delays, early dismissals, cancellations, school issues, transportation issues, and sometimes community issues that may involve a school or surrounding areas, etc. Stay informed via text.

Website: https://stone.ccboe.com/
Location: 3785 Leonardtown Road, Waldorf, MD, USA
Phone: (301)753-1756
Twitter: @CougarsTSHS