Raider Nation Newsletter

Week of October 5, 2020

October is Here!

Dear Atholton Families,

Did someone say October!?! It is hard to believe that we have entered into the fall season.

This week is a busy week for our school. We have senior pictures Tuesday - Friday and a flu clinic on Tuesday. Please see all pertinent information below for both events. It is important to follow the published guidelines to ensure the safety of everyone involved.

Last week we celebrated our seven National Merit Semifinalists. This week, Atholton High School is thrilled to announce that TWENTY-FOUR of its students have been named Commended Students in the 2020 National Merit Scholarship Program.

Although these twenty-four students will not continue in the competition, to be named as a Commended Student, these twenty-four, now seniors, placed among the top 50,000 scorers of more than 1.5 million students who entered the 2020 competition by taking the Preliminary SAT/National Merit Scholarship Qualifying Test (PSAT/NMSQT).

Each student will receive a Letter of Commendation.

Please join me in congratulating:

Aliya Belay

Elanor Chang

Joyce Chou

Maya Classon

Rohan Doma

Daniel Etcheberrigaray

Daniel Fu

Ethan Gelb

Logan Kallini

Aanchal Kasargod

Caleb Kim

Stephanie Kim

Michael Kodsi

Taylor McManus

Anna Munro

Naveed Naqvi

Alexandra Nguyen

Shyam Pillai

Daniela Tran

Sophie Tsai

Samuel Tyson

Angela Voo

Alexander Wood

Michael Zhao

Wishing you all a fantastic week!

Warmest Regards,

Robert A. Motley

Principal

Senior Pictures

Lifetouch Studios has adopted a new scheduling process to help with social distancing and crowd control, per CDC protocol. The students are asked to log onto the PrestigePortraits.com website to "self-schedule" their appointment. If you have a code please enter the number on this page if you do not have a code, please type in Maryland and Columbia where you see state and city. Select Atholton High School. The student will then use their unique ID number to log onto PrestigePortraits.com to select a date/time convenient for them. To help with the "No-Touch" policy, students/parents are asked to pay the sitting fee online when making their appointment, as no monetary exchanges will take place at the school/location site.

Dates: OCTOBER 6-9 & NOVEMBER 9 & 10, 2020 (November dates not released yet)

Start time: 2:00 PM

Ending time: 9:00 PM

Location: Auditorium

GENERAL AND COVID 19 PROCEDURES:

· Our number one priority is to ensure the safety and well-being of every student, staff, and family member.

· Students must wear masks.

· Students must always adhere to social distancing guidelines throughout the process by remaining at least 6 feet apart.

· Parking for senior pictures will take place in the junior lot (auditorium area).

· Entrance to the sitting will take place at the auditorium side doors- closest to the math hallway. The entrance will be marked ENTRANCE TO SENIOR PICTURES.

· Students must arrive at designated sitting time. Any students who arrive early will be asked to wait in their cars.

· No Walk-Ups confirmed appointments only.

· Lifetouch staff will check students in by the auditorium.

· Sanitizing wipes and sprays will be used on all setup materials and equipment.

· During photography, equipment used or touched by staff/students will be sanitized.

· Pre-moistened alcohol wipes will be used on the cameras.

· Hand sanitizer will be frequently used by photographers throughout the day.

· EXIT: Signs will be posted for students to exit the auditorium. Students will exit the auditorium through the doors marked EXIT.

· Students must go to their cars and vacate the parking lot immediately.

Tuxedos and Drapes:

· Lifetouch Studios will provide tuxedos and drapes for yearbook sittings.

· Caps and gowns will be available for upgraded sittings.

· Lifetouch will be following CDC recommendations by having clothing steamed cleaned between sittings to provide sterile clothing.

ATTENTION: On October 7th, Atholton HS will be hosting a flu clinic in the bus loop. Please drive carefully and follow the directions as we will have a large number of people at the school on this day.

Senior Pictures & Flu Clinic Traffic

Senior Pictures Entry/Exit

Athletics Update

New Head Coaches to Raider Nation:

The Atholton HS athletic program is pleased to announce the placement of the following head coaches to their amazing staff.

Golf: Scott Dingman

Boys Soccer: Derek Phillips, assisted by Lincoln Phillips

Football: Eric Woodson

MSDE/MPSSAA Announcement:

On September 24, 2020, Maryland State Superintendent Dr. Karen Salmon joined Governor Larry Hogan at a press conference where they announced two possible options for the start of athletics, including one that allowed school systems to begin fall athletics as early as October 7.

At this point, a decision has not yet been made regarding the return of high school athletics in Howard County. However, in-person practices will not begin on October 7, 2020. HCPSS staff continue to participate in statewide discussions which will be considered before announcing any decisions. Dr. Michael J. Martirano, Superintendent, will provide additional information and this topic will be discussed publicly on October 8, 2020 at the Board of Education meeting.

We will continue to keep you updated as we get more information. If you have any questions and/or concerns please feel free to reach out to Mr. Senisi at Michael_Senisi@hcpss.org

Middle School Memory Books

LKMS' 2019/20 yearbooks have arrived and are available for pickup at LKMS. Parents must call our school prior to picking up the yearbook so that a safe pick-up may be orchestrated.

Lake Elkhorn Middle School’s 2019-2020 yearbooks have arrived! If you placed an order for a yearbook last school year, we will be distributing yearbooks next Wednesday, October 7th, from 10:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m. Parents/guardians should enter the bus loop (the front of the school) to check-in. Follow the traffic pattern indicated by the red arrows on the map.

AHS MEDIA CENTER -- Contactless Book Pick Up / Drop Off

Students will place requests for materials using this form, called I NEED A LIBRARIAN/MEDIA SPECIALIST.
Students will receive an email message to their preferred email address when their holds are ready for pick up on WEDNESDAYS.
Books will be placed on the cart outside the front entrance for student pick up. They will be wrapped in brown paper sleeves with the name of the recipient identified on the spine.
All returned books will sit in quarantine for seven days before circulating back out to households. The latest guidance can be found here (Links to an external site.).
Books can be returned ANY DAY to a cart provided outside. PICKUPS will only be outside on WEDNESDAYS.

HCPSS 2020 Seasonal Flu Vaccine Clinics

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, obtaining a vaccine for seasonal influenza (flu) is even more important this year than ever. HCPSS Health Services is continuing its partnership with the Howard County Health Department (HCHD) and the Maryland Partnership for Prevention (MPP) to offer several regional seasonal flu vaccine clinics for HCPSS students and staff during the month of October. The clinic dates are October 7-14. The clinics will be held at 24 school sites, outdoors, from 4:00-6:00 pm, and ANY HCPSS student or staff may attend any clinic they wish; pre-registration with appointments will be required.

The dates and sites are as follows:

Wednesday, October 7 – AHS, CHS, DLES, SFES

Thursday, October 8 – GHS, WLHS, JHES, ARL

Friday, October 9 – MRHS, HOHS, LWES, HMS

Monday, October 12 – RHS, MHHS, BWES, CRES

Tuesday, October 13 – OMHS, HCMS, LES, DRES

Wednesday, October 14 – RHHS, LRHS, GCES, LES