Raider Nation Newsletter

Week of April 12, 2021

Dear Atholton Families,

I hope you all had a great, albeit short, spring break!

April is National Autism Awareness Month and it marks an important time for individuals, families, and communities to honor and unite for many reasons. It is the perfect opportunity to teach your children about inclusivity, that it is not merely a concept or an accommodation but a lesson in how we treat others. It is a horrible feeling to be excluded and there are gifts of friendship to be found in all of us. Acceptance is not simply to tolerate one another but to value our differences and to recognize the strengths that lie within all people. Please find out more about National Autism Awareness Month here.

Tomorrow will mark the arrival of our final group of students returning to hybrid learning-- our 10th and 11th graders -- Group A. Our Group B students will return on Thursday. We are so thrilled to welcome this final group and excited to have just under a third of our student population back in a hybrid format. A reminder that the earliest students may be dropped off is 7:30 AM.

Just a reminder of our student expectations:

Wear a mask (see photo below on proper wearing of masks)
Maintain social distancing
Follow ALL posted signs (one-way hallways/stairwells, etc.)
DO NOT SHARE materials
Wash hands/use hand sanitizer frequently
Be respectful of others and their personal space and health

As mentioned in the last newsletter, please complete the Digital Education Center (DEC) Student Interest Survey in Synergy no later than 4:00 p.m., Wednesday, April 14. The one-question interest survey will be used to facilitate planning and is not a commitment for the 2021-2022 school year. Additional information is available through the Digital Education Center webpage and DEC FAQs. For questions, please contact robert_cole@hcpss.org.

Congratulations to the Atholton MESA (Mathematics, Engineering, Science Achievement) Team. Atholton MESA placed 2nd in the Mobile App Competition. We took 1st place in the Expanding Structures Competition and 2nd for the National Engineering Design Competition (NEDC). The entire team has worked hard, so please join me in CONGRATULATING them on a job well done! Thank you to their sponsor, Ms. Johnson-Rolle. Please take a moment to view their virtual presentations:

Expanding Structure Competition:

Atholton High School Expanding Structure Presentation YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/a0aGFbEI5kc

Mobile App Competition:

Atholton High School Mobile App Presentation YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/rssyTo8NWdQ

National Engineering Design Competition (NEDC):

Atholton High School NEDC Tech Presentation YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/CMEwPk5FXo4

Atholton High School NEDC Pitch:

YouTube Video Link: https://youtu.be/mAg3E_rOarQ

Lastly, congratulations to four Atholton students for being awarded the Maryland Seal of Biliteracy. These students have demonstrated a high level of proficiency in listening, speaking,

reading, and writing in English and a second language. Please join me in congratulating:

Charvika Minna -- English and Spanish
Kathereen Osse -- English and French
Christian Verastegui -- English and Spanish
Jennifer Chiang -- English and Chinese (Mandarin)

Wishing you all a fantastic week!

Robert A. Motley

Principal

Class of 2021 Information

An email went out to senior parents last week asking for assistance to plan the upcoming senior celebration. HCPSS has authorized each high school to hold a senior awards ceremony and a senior celebration. The events must be held on the same day and take place at least two weeks prior to the graduation window. Therefore, Atholton will hold its senior awards ceremony on May 7 from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. and the senior celebration will take the same day (5/7) from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Just a reminder that the HCPSS graduation window is May 28 - June 4. Dates and time have yet to be determined. Once determined, families will be notified and those wishing to participate virtually will be given instructions on creating a video.

A few housekeeping items for the Class of 2021:

Graduation chords

Honor cords for JumpStart Dual Enrollment participants (any student who earned college credit from Howard Community College while they are still in high school) are available to be ordered from Balfour this year. Students will order the cords using this link (https://bab.memberclicks.net/honor-cordsand select the second link, Howard County Dual Enrollment Honor Cords) and the cords will be shipped to the students home. For any questions, please email jumpstart@hcpss.org.
Other chords (NHS and other honor societies) are handled by the teacher sponsor. Please contact them for information on obtaining chords.

Cap and Gown

Cap and Gowns as well as other graduation memorabilia can be ordered directly through Balfour. You can view their brochure or order directly online.

If you wish to purchase ONLY a cap/gown follow these instructions:

Select this link
Select Atholton High School
Enter your email as a guest
Create a password
Then you can purchase a cap/gown for $57.24.

ALL GRADUATION INFORMATION may be found on our website. Click here.

Changing from Virtual to Hybrid or Hybrid to Virtual?

The selection process to return to in-person instruction has officially ended. We are now in the process of reviewing all of the data to determine how many of our students have elected to return to a hybrid model and how many have elected to remain in a fully virtual model. As we prepare for the safe return of students, we will use the data to determine how many students we can accommodate and make any necessary adjustments in our classroom and cafeteria set-up. For this and other logistical reasons, we cannot accommodate any changes that add to our in-person learning model. If for some reason you would like to move from the fully virtual model to the in-person hybrid model, OR you would like to move from the hybrid model to fully virtual, you will need to complete a form. You may access the form here: Atholton High School Hybrid Learning Waitlist.

Advanced Placement (AP) Exam Registration

AP Exam Registration – The deadline to register for an AP Exam for a semester 2 course in the College Board AP Portal is March 12th. Once you register in the AP Portal at College Board, if you plan to take the AP exam, please complete the AHS AP Registration Form,

College Board will not be charging cancellation fees, however, they will be charging a late fee of $40.00 per exam, for students who register after the deadlines. Invoices will be sent out via email later in March, and payment will be due for all exams by April 16, 2021.

If you have any questions, please contact Nina Dix, Nina_Dix@hcpss.org or Deborah Sauers, Deborah_Sauers@hcpss.org

Student Parking @ AHS for Hybrid Students

Parking on campus at Atholton is a privilege, not a right, that the school provides to students. These policies are in place to help keep the parking lot safe and provide the opportunity for students to drive to school. These policies have been modified for the 2020-2021 school year.

All permitted drivers must possess a valid Maryland driver’s license
Vehicles must be tagged and registered
Vehicles may only be parked in one of the student parking areas
Vehicles may not be parked along curbs, in the grass, reserved or teacher spaces, bus lane, or visitor spaces
Students may not go to the student parking lot or to their cars without administrative permission.

Ability to park on campus may be revoked temporarily or permanently for the following:

Parking in unauthorized areas (see above)
Unsafe driving or violating traffic laws while on school property or entering school property
Having items in a vehicle that violate HCPSS drug, alcohol, and/or weapons policies
Other violations of HCPSS or Atholton regulations

HCPSS Parking Policies:

Howard County Public Schools is not responsible for vehicles or contents of vehicles while parked on school property
Student vehicles parked on school grounds may be subject to search per HCPSS and Howard County Police Department policies and procedures