The Raider Nation Newsletter

Dear Atholton Families,

Can you believe that we are already in the 4th week of school? As we begin Homecoming Week and enjoy the festivities each day, we are already looking ahead to October, November, and beyond. Even though we are well into the school year, we still have a HUGE number of families who have not completed their Family File. When you read that statement, your response was either:

• "He's not talking about me. We filled out our Family File."
• "Oh geez, we haven't updated our Family File yet. Honey, what's our Synergy password again?"
• "Family File? What's Family File?

If you haven't completed your Family File for the year (needs to be updated each year), please do so TODAY!!! Having up to date contact information ensures we can reach you in the event of an emergency. When your child is participating in athletics, staying after for activities, attending the Homecoming Dance, even just coming to school every day, we need to be able to open Synergy and have the correct phone numbers to call.

If you already completed your Family File, thank you! Do me a favor--use your influence to make sure your friends complete their Family File for the year. Work it into the conversation at the soccer game..."wow, what a goal! Hey, we should help Atholton reach their goal of 100% Family File completion. We did our part. What about you guys?" Or be more direct..."sure, we can add Johnny to our carpool, but we only drive families who have completed their Family File. You have updated your info, haven't you?"

If you missed the directions, here they are again: When you log in through HCPSS Connect, there will be a link directing you to the Family File section. Family File is where parents will find all of the information historically located on the Emergency Procedure Cards. Data from last year will be present when you log in for the first time. Parents who do not have or have forgotten their log on credentials can request assistance using the help link in the HCPSS Connect page. The quick reference guide is a useful resource to help you navigate the process. We greatly appreciate you taking care of this annual requirement.

Sincerely,

Nick Novak

Principal

As of Monday 9/18, we now have all of our bus routes running. All buses arrived by 8am and all buses were on time for departure yesterday afternoon. HCPSS shared the information last week, so you already know, but the Superintendent is modifying start times to help support a workable bus schedule for all schools. Starting on Wednesday 9/20, the day will begin for students at 7:50am. Changes to students' pick up times can be found on HCPSS Connect Synergy. Select "More Options" and then Homeroom / Transportation / POS to determine bus times. This information also can be found in the HCPSS online bus locator. You can find the new bell schedules below.

Atholton will be hosting a "Career Fair" during the half-day on November 20. This event will be an opportunity for all students to explore various careers they may be interested in. We are in the process of identifying speakers to talk with our students that day. If you would like to participate by sharing your profession with our AHS students, please complete this form. As we get presenters and as we approach November, more information will be shared with families.

Attention senior families! You can begin ordering your caps and gowns! To do so, go to this website, where you will see the various packages that are offered through Jostens. If you do not want to order a package, please scroll down to cap and gown and purchase the cap and gown unit. All cap and gown units include a tassel to be worn on graduation day. If your graduate will be wearing a siblings cap and gown, please order a tassel and complete this form indicating your intentions. If you have any questions, please contact our graduation coordinator: Krista Bopst, Krista_Bopst@hcpss.org

We have made arrangements for a US Army Blackhawk helicopter to conduct a flyover the stadium at the beginning of Saturday's Homecoming football game. The planning of the flyover has addressed the flight path, height over the stadium, and positioning of event attendees to ensure this is a safe, but enjoyable experience. We wanted to make sure you were aware of this scheduled appearance so you knew why the helicopter was over the stadium. Please note that the flyover is weather-dependent. If wind, rain, or fog alters plans, they will likely cancel the flyover.

The pandemic brought to light (and in many cases exacerbated) the food insecurities many of our families face. Atholton HS has always been committed to supporting families in need and we're making sure that we can serve our community right here at school. You'll hear more about when we'll be able to host distribution events and who can get food, but for now our priority is to establish our inventory. There are two ways you can help out: 1) From the comfort of your own home, you can shop online from our Amazon Wishlist and have the items delivered directly to the school or 2) you can drop off non-perishable items in our front office. Suggested items appear below:

You may have noticed that we now have a yellow Planet Aid donation box in the front parking lot. This is another way we are supporting those in need. Your donations of new or gently used clothing will go to people in need AND Atholton HS will get money throughout the year based on how much clothing is donated. The more you donate, the more we get. The funds we receive will go in our Student Support account and will be accessed to help Atholton students and families in need. Check out the flyer below and start dropping off your donations!

Hallway Decorating

All students interested in decorating their class hallways are welcome to come Sunday, September 17 from 10 AM - 3 PM. Our theme this year is Blockbuster Epic Movies (seniors - Marvel Cinematic Universe, juniors - Toy Story, sophomores - Avatar, freshmen - Harry Potter)

Spirit Week

Dress to impress! Students will be meeting Tuesday, 9/12 after school in the Media Center to vote on this year's spirit days; all are welcome to help vote! A schedule will follow via Student Community so that you can plan ahead on what to wear.

Pep Rally

We end the school week with a pep rally for the whole school at the end of the day on Friday 9/22. The theme day for sprit week is color day and each grade level has a specific color: seniors wear black, juniors wear white, sophomores wear green, and freshmen wear grey.

Homecoming Breakfast

Start your Saturday with a hearty breakfast at Atholton HS. You'll need to fuel up for all the fun events planned for Saturday. Get your tickets for $10 at https://www.atholtonboosters.org/packet/39637603

Homecoming Parade

The parade will travel down Freetown Road, Quarterstaff Road, and Fair Oaks. Spectators can come see our student groups and floats—bring a bag to collect candy! Community groups interested in participating in the parade should contact Mr. Stuppy, thomas_stuppy@hcpss.org

Homecoming Game

We are playing the Centennial Eagles for Homecoming. Game time is 1pm and we'll have a fantastic performance by the marching band at halftime as well as the presentation of colors by JROTC and cheering throughout the game led by our cheerleaders! Get your tickets on Go Fan!

Homecoming Dance

The dance will be held from 7:30-10:30 PM on September 23rd. There will be music, dancing, refreshments, and video games including Super Smash Bros. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased online through Wednesday 9/20:

https://osp.osmsinc.com/HowardMD/BVModules/ProductTemplates/Bvc2013/Product.aspx?productid=DA011-164 Guest ticket forms are due no later than 3pm on September 20th:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Rck_7QTp5m2ct4sPY2rKVl8l7oI2wNQ0/view?usp=sharing

9/19 PTSA Meeting-7:30pm

9/22 Homecoming Pep Rally for Students

9/23 Homecoming Events (Breakfast, Parade, Powder Puff Football, Football Game, & Dance)

9/25 Schools & Offices Closed

10/6 ASVAB Opportunity for 11th & 12th Grade Students

10/9 No School for Students

10/11 PSAT for Grade 10 Students

10/18 PSAT for Grade 11 Students

Attendance in 2022-2023

Atholton PTSA

Atholton Boosters

Atholton Drama Boosters

Atholton JROTC Boosters

Atholton Music Boosters

Atholton Robotics Boosters