The Raider Nation Newsletter

Dear Atholton Community,

Today was our first official day implementing the new cell phone policy and I think our students did a pretty good job. We had a total of 41 students who had devices confiscated throughout the day, which is a little less than 3% of our student population.

It is important to note that students may take home their device at the end of the day for 1st violations, but 2nd and subsequent violations require a parent to pick up the device. Thanks for emphasizing this with your student.

It was amazing to see so many students' faces in the hallways (not staring down at their devices) and increased engagement with one another during lunch and teachers definitely observed more active engagement in classes. We know these positive outcomes will continue throughout the year; we just have to stick with it to establish these new routines.

As I shared last week, parents may call the school if they need to speak with their child and they can email their child using their school address (ends in inst.hcpss.org). Students may use Chromebooks at lunch. I also heard one parent describe using a Google Doc like text messaging. If you have a shared document with your child, they can check it at lunch and see any messages you have for them (Ex-"I can't pick you up today; ride the bus home). We are all adapting to the changes and it's good to know we can problem solve these issues.

Thanks for your continued support. Go Raiders!

Sincerely,

Nick Novak

Principal

I'm sure you saw the information HCPSS shared about adjustments to the school calendar, but just in case you missed it, here are the main points:

• March 31st is now a full day of school for students
• The staff workday that was on 3/31 is now a telework day on 4/14
• The end of the third marking period has been moved from 3/28 to 4/4
• The last day of school (pending additional inclement weather) is 6/18
• The last three days of school (6/16-6/18) are half days

If you are a rising junior or have a rising junior at home, check out the flyer below for more information about the Leadership U program. This is a great opportunity to build leadership skills in a community service context.

Hello Raiders! AHS Drama Recycling collection is now CLOSED. Thank you for all of your donations, and come see Spongebob the Musical March 13,14, 15 @7pm! Tickets are now onsale at https://hcpss.booktix.com/

HCPSS Military Information Night- March 5th from 6-8pm at Howard High School Representatives on-site for the Military Academies, ROTC, and enlistment for all branches. Additionally, there will be a panel discussion from the Academies and ROTC programs as well as an HCPSS Alumni Panel. Students and families in grades 7-12 are invited to attend.

HCPSS HBCU College Fair- March 15th 9am-2pm at Guilford Park High School Students and families in grades 9-12 are invited to attend the countywide HBCU College Fair. They will have activities, workshops, information sessions, on site admissions, and more.

Saturday, March 15, 2024, 10:00 a.m.-2:00 p.m.
Cedar Lane School
11630 Scaggsville Road
Fulton, MD

The HCPSS Special Education Resource Fair provides families with information available from the community and HCPSS to support their students receiving special education and related services (those who have an IEP or IFSP). Get connected to:

• Recreational Activities
• HCPSS Speech, OT, PT, Vision, and Adapted PE
• Camps
• Community Groups
• Service Providers
• Transition to Adulthood Information
• Assistive Technology
• Behavioral Health
• Howard County Government Resources
• And Much More!

Are you ready to mix and mingle with folks from Raider Nation (and raise money for the Athletics & Activities Boosters)? Check out the flier below and get your tickets to the Raider Roast on the Boosters website: https://www.atholtonboosters.org/

3/5 HCPSS Military Info Night

3/8 Raider Roast

3/10 Spring Sports Parent Meeting

3/11 Spring Sports Team Pictures

3/13-3/15 Spongebob: The Musical

Atholton PTSA

Atholton PBSA

Atholton Boosters

Atholton Drama Boosters

Atholton JROTC Boosters

Atholton Music Boosters

Atholton Robotics Boosters