The St. Mary’s County Public Schools' new website, www.smcps.org, has a new look starting March 3! Our school's site will also feature a new design to deliver a cohesive look. The new website platform will have the same content, with a fresh look, easier navigation, and additional accessibility features. School website links will forward to the new site; however, the website address (URL) will be different for our school, so users may need to update their bookmarks.

Leonardtown HS Website: lhs.smcps.org

Lunch Tutoring: World Language/ CTE

Rising Freshmen Orientation Night - 6PM

Lunch Tutoring: Science

Lunch Tutoring: Math

Lunch Tutoring: Social Studies

Lunch Tutoring: English

Spring Sports Pictures

If a student will be missing school due to a college visit, they need to submit the “Request to Visit College Campus” form 5 days prior to the visit. The form is available in the guidance office.

Student applications for spring season parking permits may be turned in to Ms. Mushrush in the school bank beginning Monday, February 27, 2023. Students that are approved for a spring parking pass will be notified via email on March 8, 2023. Due to the very limited amount of parking spots available, not all students that apply will be approved. If you are interested in applying for a spring season parking permit, please click on the following link: LHS Seasonal Parking Letter. Questions regarding parking may be sent to Mr. Readyhough at ecreadyhough@smcps.org.

SMCPS will administer the In-School SAT, free of charge, on Wednesday, March 22, 2023 to all Juniors.

To prepare for your exam, all students are encouraged to create a College Board account. If they have not already done so, you can do so here, then link your account to Khan Academy for additional practice.

Once you have logged in to your account, you can view your October 2022 PSAT scores and link them to Khan Academy (Link Below) for SAT Prep.

Why should juniors take the SAT?

• SAT scores may be required for admissions.

• Strong scores may help your admissions chances.

• Studies show students who take SAT a second time score higher than students who take test only once.

• May be required for scholarships, transfers and special programs.

• Scholarships may require scores.
  

Resources

• https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/sat/practice-preparation
• https://satsuite.collegeboard.org/media/pdf/sat-school-day-student-guide.pdf
• You can also prepare via the SAT Prep course through Edgenuity.

Please contact Ms. Kiehlmeier (klkiehlmeier@smcps.org) with any questions.

The Legend of Moll Dyer lives on at Tudor Hall!

The famous Moll Dyer Rock on which Moll Dyer reportedly froze to death on a bitterly cold February night in 1698 can be found at Tudor Hall.

According to legend, Moll Dyer was believed to have been a witch. During the long winter of 1697/98, she was blamed for a plague of influenza that caused many deaths in St. Mary’s County. A mob of villagers set fire to her small hut in woods just south of what is now Leonardtown. She escaped both the fire and the mob and was found several days later laying frozen to a large rock. When her body was removed, on the stone an imprint of her right hand remained. Townspeople saw this as a curse she placed on the area. The legend of Moll Dyer and her alleged curse has persisted for centuries. Touching the rock is rumored to cause misfortune from simple dizziness to illness.

Moll Dyer was a real person. She and her two brothers were indentured servants from Devon, England, who settled first in the West Indies moving later to Maryland. The Dyer family line can be traced in St Mary's County down to today.

The rock, which was moved in 1972 to the Old Jail from where it was found by newspaperman Phillip Love in woods near Moll Dyer Road, has gradually eroded over the years. In order to preserve it for future generations, the Historical Society, along with the Commissioners Town of Leonardtown and St. Mary’s County Commissioners, relocated it to Tudor Hall in 2021.

You can learn more about Moll Dyer's legend from Lynn Buonviri's book "The Legend of Molly Dyer and Other Witch Tales of Southern Maryland" on sale at the Historical Society Bookstore.

As the parent or guardian of a child receiving special education services in Maryland, you should have received a copy of the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey in the mail. By completing the survey, you can tell us how your child’s school partners with you. Your feedback will help guide efforts to improve special education and related services in your local school system.

We want to hear from you.

• OPTION 1: Complete the hard copy survey that was recently sent to you and return it in the postage-paid envelope by May 19, 2023, or
• OPTION 2: Complete the survey online at www.mdparentsurvey.com.

Questions? Please contact Kenneth Hudock, MSDE, at 410-767-7770 or Kenneth.Hudock@maryland.gov.

Active Minds Club is hosting an affirmations work shop. Art supplies will be provided and students are welcome to join and make a list of affirmations for themselves or a friend! On the graphic, there are some examples of what your potential list can look like. Admission is free and everyone is welcome! The event will be held in Ms. Angel's room, 2F12, on Thursday March 9th, during A lunch! Active Minds is excited to see you there!

State law requires that all public schools in Maryland survey students about school climate. The purpose of the survey is to gain valuable information about the quality and character of each school’s learning environment so that schools can promote a climate that supports student learning. All students, grades 9 through 11, will take the Maryland School Survey per MSDE. The survey will ask students about topics such as student engagement, interactions with adults and with other students in the school, the school environment, bullying, and safety. The survey will not ask about a student’s personal experiences, and students will not be asked to provide any information that might violate their privacy.

Students will complete the survey during regular school hours during the testing window (February 21 through April 21) in their Science class. If a student does not have a science class in their schedule, they will be contacted by Ms. Kiehlmeier about another time to complete the survey.

Please read this letter for more information.

Ms. Peter's Biology classes were looking at cell mitosis in a leaf and in onion root tips.

On Thursday, March 2nd, our Freshman Academy students celebrated Dr. Seuss's Birthday and National Read Across America Day by virtually visiting Evergreen, Leonardtown, and Piney Point Elementary Schools during their English class. Throughout the day, students read books to students in grades Kindergarten to Fifth grade virtually during their Media Center class time. Current Raiders were excited to give back to the local elementary schools they attended and read to our future Raiders. Elementary students were engaged the entire day and our Freshman Academy students had a great time reading some Dr. Seuss classics as well as some of their other favorite childhood books.

The next order for Varsity Letter Jackets is planned for March 10, 2023. Jackets are $195. Students will pay for their jackets at the school bank and complete their order forms in Mr. Henderson's office. The price of the jacket includes:

1. The varsity "L" sewn on the jacket

2. Leather sleeves

3. Right Chest Embroidery 3 lines (name, sport(s), weight class, etc..)

4. Shipping and handling

Orders should arrive 6-8 weeks after the order is placed.

Winter Team Pictures

Winter athletes who were photographed have the chance to purchase team and/or individual pictures. Please visit the Legacy website and use code 4572E23.

Interested in Becoming a Yearbook Staff Member for the 2023-2024 School Year?

Click HERE to apply!

Order A Yearbook!

If you are interested in purchasing a 2022-2023 yearbook, please visit the Jostens site. This offer will be available until February 24. After that, sales will close. Yearbooks will be distributed in the spring.

Pictures Needed!

We are in need of pictures for some of our spreads! Click here for specifics regarding what pictures we still need. The list has been updated! Please upload pictures directly to our Yearbook website using ReplayIt. Please do not submit screenshots of pictures or pictures with filters. Please make sure all students featured in the pictures are identified with first and last name and grade level. Please make sure that the pictures are from this summer and this school year!

REGISTRATION - SCHOOL YEAR 2024

Currently teachers are talking with students about course options and their recommendations for the school year 2024. Counselors will meet with students for registration starting with Freshman on March 15th, 16th and 17th, and then we will continue with 10th and 11th graders during the weeks that follow. If your student is absent on the assigned registration day, we will meet with him/her after spring break.

If you need a letter of recommendation from your school counselor, please use this link, Student Recommendation Request, make a copy of this google document and then share it with your counselor once you have completed it. Please include a resume as well to your counselor. Counselors are not included in your teacher recommendations for common applications, our letters are considered “Counselor Evaluations.”

ATTENTION SENIORS! Any senior who is in need of a mid-year transcript sent to a college, must make the request in Naviance. Mid-year information will not be sent until grades are finalized and a GPA calculation update is completed. Our goal is to have this updated so we can begin sending information on or about February 10th.

Make sure to know your counselor!

• Hensel: A-C - jahensel@smcps.org
• Wolcott: D-Go & GIS - rrwolcott@smcps.org
• Neitz: Gr-L - lkneitz@smcps.org
• Guidry: M-R - lcguidry@smcps.org
• Marino: S-Z - cmmarino@smcps.org
• Sawyer: Freshmen Academy - wnsawyer@smcps.org

Need an appointment? Please e-mail Guidance Secretary, Ms. Williams (jkwilliams@smcps.org).

Reminder of Test Change Fee

If you want to cancel or add an AP test to your order, there is a $40 late fee. Please contact Ms. Bridges, the AP Testing Coordinator, (kjbridges@smcps.org) if you have questions about or need to make changes to your test order.

New Scholarships Added to Naviance

2023 Environmental Scholarship

Delegate Matt Morgan Scholarship-District 29A

Maryland Farm Bureau Scholarship

Morgan State University Southern MD Alumni Chapter- George F. DeFord Scholarship

SECU Scholarship Program

To view all scholarships, login to Naviance via Clever. Click Colleges >> Scholarship Search.

Upcoming Events:

CSM's Night of Engineering

March 23rd at 6:30 PM

Leonardtown Campus, Building A, Auditorium and Online via Zoom

Please register to attend: Link

MDCAPS Account-Seniors

If you have completed the FAFSA and qualify for state financial aid, you may be receiving emails from the Maryland Higher Education Commission asking you to make an MDCAPS account. Documents for MDCAPS need to be uploaded by the March 15, 2023 deadline. Please visit the Career Center if you need assistance or have any questions. Click the link provided to make an MDCAPS account: Link

ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery)

LHS will be hosting a spring ASVAB test on March 15th at 8 AM in the cafeteria. Grades 10-12 are welcome to sign up to take the ASVAB. Register Here

The Student Leadership Council is working towards making LHS a better learning environment. We would like all of LHS' input and ask that you list any ideas to improve certain aspects of our school. These ideas could be tangible or more abstract depending on what you feel needs enhancement. We may ask a few of you to come to one of our meetings and discuss these concerns. Please contact Mr. Copsey or Harsha Manivannan with any questions. Please complete this form to contribute your idea(s).

Want to use the gym during lunch? Daily completion of the form above is a requirement for entry. Submissions are accepted from 8 to 11 am. You have to use your SMCPS login to access the form. After your initial submission, save the link for quick and easy access. Only fifty students are permitted to sign up for a lunch block (either A or B). Students are expected to enter the gym through the side door adjacent to the girls locker room and be in the gym before the 10 minute bell. Students unlawfully tardy will be redirected to the cafeteria. Students are expected to remain in the gym, no food or drink is allowed and you must have tennis shoes to be on the gym surface.

Bus Passes:

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?

Parents can write a note or send an email to Ms. Revis at btrevis@smcps.org in order to request a bus pass. 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

Learn how to create a MySchoolBucks account: click here.

MySchoolBucks & the Media Center

New for 2022, families have the option to pay for lost or damaged resources in My School Bucks. A resource can include: library books, laptops, chargers, textbooks, consumables, etc.

When a media specialist marks anything as lost or damaged in Destiny, that fee AUTOMATICALLY shows up as a "real time fee" in My School Bucks.

Please refer to this information on My School Bucks and your school library.

We are Raider Strong!

Website: http://lhs.smcps.org
Location: 23995 Point Lookout Rd, Leonardtown, MD 20650, USA
Phone: 301-475-0200
Twitter: @LHS_SMCPS