Raider Nation Newsletter

Week of March 13, 2023

AHS Band Rocks!

Dear Atholton families,

What better way to kick off the weekend than to attend a great music concert? Friday afternoon/evening I enjoyed attending the 2023 District XIII High School Band Assessment at Glenelg High School. Words cannot express how impressed I was with Atholton’s Symphonic Band and Wind Ensemble. Our band director, Mr. Posner, did a fantastic job preparing our students for the assessment. I know I am somewhat biased, but our band students were the BEST, hands down!! Congratulations to our students for a job well done!

As spring sports are fully underway, we have one last wrap-up from winter sports – our wrestling team. Atholton sent SIX wrestlers to the state tournament, the most since 2008! Senior Liliana Giraud fought and captured the 5th place in the tournament, and junior Omar Palmer placed 6th in the 182 lb weight class. Additionally, Mollie McCormick, Juliana Oxenberg, Samantha Semprun Salazar, and Jonathan Maslan fought hard and will all return next year! Congratulations to everyone for a fantastic season.

This Friday is the return of our RAIDER ROAST! I look forward to a fun evening filled with music and more 🙂. The silent auction will be something not to miss. The VIP Graduation ticket package alone is worth attending! See the info below.

The spring musical is fast approaching. I am excited about this year’s production – The 25th Annual Putnam County Spelling Bee. It is about six strangers with one thing in common- they love to spell! Surrounded by their high-pressure families, a former Spelling Bee Champion (Syzygy), a jaded assistant principal (they won’t let him be principal), a parolee comfort counselor and various other colorful characters, these six champions duke it out for the title of champion. Join us for some made-up words, tears, laughter, and songs you’ll be humming for weeks. The spring musical is Thursday, March 23 (7 pm), Friday, March 24 (7 pm), and Saturday, March 25 (3 pm & 7 pm). Come out and see a great show. You can purchase tickets at https://hcpss.booktix.com/view/99/71022cc7d6f42daa/

On a more serious note, we are entering the mandatory state testing window next month. The first part of this is a school climate survey. 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.

9th -11th-grade students will take the Maryland School Survey during regular school hours on March 22. The survey will ask students about student engagement, interactions with adults and 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 need their school-issued laptops to take the survey.

The survey is confidential, and school personnel will not have access to the responses of specific students. Your child's responses will be combined with those of other students in the school, and results will be reported for each school and district. If you have any questions about this survey, please contact Allison Volinsky, Assistant Principal, at 410-313-7065.

Our state testing window is as follows. More information will be forthcoming as the dates draw near.

English Language Arts – ELA 10: April 13-April 18

Science MISA: May 1-May 5

American Govt: May 8-May 12

Algebra I and II: May 15-May 22

Lastly, this Wednesday, March 15, is a three-hour early dismissal. It is one of the wellness days built into the school calendar by the Board of Education. I will instruct our teachers to be mindful that this is a mental health day for students and to give them a “break” from assignments. Just a reminder that school will end at 11:10 am.

Have a fantastic week!

Warmest regards,

Robert A. Motley

Principal

AHS RAIDER ROAST INFO

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AHS Raider Roast[61].pdf

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MVA Permit Testing

The next MVA Driver’s Permit Test will be on Monday, April 17th, at 2:15 p.m. in the Media Center. Students must be 15 years old and 9 months by April 17th to complete the driver’s permit test. Students must return a signed parent permission form to the front office or Mrs. Bopst by Tuesday, April 11th. Late forms will not be accepted. Forms can be found on Mrs. Bopst's classroom door (room F182). Students are registered for the MVA Permit Test on a first-come, first-serve basis when the signed permission slip is returned. Spots are limited. If you need accommodations for the test, please visit your local MVA branch for support. Students can get driver's manuals from Mrs. Bopst to help prepare for the test.

*Disclaimer - when you pass the MVA Permit Test at school, YOU MUST make an appointment with the MVA branch to obtain the actual permit and pay the fee. When you pass, the paper given to you is only a piece of paper and DOES NOT SERVE as your learner’s permit.