Raider Community,
We are halfway through 3rd Quarter and Spring Break is around the corner. Please continue to check in with your students attendance, grades and well-being. As shared before, if you need an opportunity to discuss any of those, please reach out to your students' teacher, Professional School Counselor or Administrator.
Throughout this month, we will celebrate and recognize Women's History Month. A great highlight to kick off the month is recognizing our school's namesake Ms. Eleanor Roosevelt. She was the first First Lady to hold her own press conference, we were destined to be innovative.
Please take a moment to encourage your student to show their appreciation of our awesome school based Social Work team. It is National School Social Worker week, we greatly appreciate Mr. Lawser, Mr. Welter, Ms. Disney and Dr. Henderson-Greene for their tireless work in supporting the social emotional well-being of our students.
In usual fashion, I would like to share some of the "Roosevelt Way"
1). We have four 2023-Recognized Carson Scholars, congratulations to Anna Newman, Princess-Nicole Thomas, Ruhama Negussie adn Urenna Acholonu. They were recognized because of their academic achievements and humanitarian efforts.
2). Several Raiders auditioned to be our "Raider PA" announcement team. These students will support with sharing information with staff and students every morning and afternoon to keep our school in the know. Winners will be informed this week.
3). Staff and students participated in our Black History Month Door Decorating Contest. It was great to see students share and show their artistic expressions in honor of Black History Month, the decorating was amazing.
4). Our Technology Department provided hosted visits from guest speakers, Captain Stevens from the Department Chair of Electrical & Computer Engineering at the United States Naval Academy and Engineering Professor, Mr. Joshua Cooker from the University of Maryland. They shared real world application of their daily work in regards to technology research.
5). Congratulations to 9th grade student Vincent Chen, he received a Certificate of Recognition from the World Languages office for being of one of five students in the nation to win a 5-day trip to South Korea. This was on behalf of The International Korean Education Foundation and and the Ministry of Education in the Republic of Korea. Thanks to Mr. Huh for supporting our Korean studies.
6). Our SMOB (Student Member of the Board), Alvaro Ceron-Ruiz hosted the first very first Renaissance-A Black History Showcase on February 21. The program included high school talent from around the county who shared their creative interpretation of Black History Month. Our very own gospel choir and Lady Raider Steppers participated, it was a very nice affair.
7). Congratulations to Dem Raider Boyz for placing first in the CIAA Step Show "Step Off" on February 25. The team was awarded $700 which was presented by Wells Fargo. They work hard, step hard and win hard.
8). Our Boys Varsity Basketball team ended their season in the Round 2 playoffs and our Girls Varsity Basketball team ended their season in Round 1. We are very proud of them and want to commend the players and coaching staff on a great season.
9). Congratulations to the The Raider Swim team, the boys and girls won the county championship with the girls going on to win regionals and the boys team placing second, awesome sauce.
10). Our grade level teams have hosted "Perfect Attendance" assemblies to take a moment to recognize students who have showed up every day for first semester. It was an opportunity to let them know that their consistency does not go unnoticed.
11). This past Tuesday, we had approximately 180 students sit for the Accuplacer exam. It was great to see students electing to sit for an exam that will allow access to Dual Enrollment. We wish them luck.
12). Approximately 481 juniors sat for the SAT school wide administration on last Wednesday. It was a success due to students diligence, staff suppot and parental encouragement. We wish them luck.
13). We took a moment to recognize our Building Services Team as March 4 was National Maintenance Worker day. They are an integral part to our everyday operations and we appreciate them for all they do.
NOTICES & UPDATES:
- Car Thefts-there have been two car thefts from our rear parking lot over the past two weeks, a student's car and a parent's car. As soon as we became aware, we alerted Greenbelt Police and followed PGCPS policy for thefts on campus. Our security team, as always, is in constant communication with our School Resource Officer, SRO Thomas. We have collaborated on a plan to increase patrolling of the campus. Please, if your student drives to school and they do not have a parking pass yet, have them see SA Cook immediately. They are to park in the front student parking lot.
- Course Requests for SY 24-Professional School Counselors will be meeting with students beginning next week to discuss their course requests for next school year. They will ensure schedules are aligned to graduation requirements, S&T requirements and accommodations as needed.
- Third quarter progress report grades were entered on February 28 and released in SchoolMax on March 3. If you need to discuss your students progress, please reach out to their teacher(s) or the Professional School Counselor.
- If your child has any medical condition that requires attention or medication, please let our nursing staff know. We have had instances of students administering prescribed medication for conditions such as seizures and diabetes on their own in unsupervised areas. The nursing staff is here to support and monitor those conditions so that students remain safe and healthy throughout the day. Nurse Hassan's email is Felicia.Hassan@pgcps.org
- Community meetings on Fentanyl-PGCPS is hosting meetings for parents and students to learn more about the dangers of fentanyl adn other illicit drugs, along with strategies to lower the risk of overdose. The next meeting is March 13.
- Spring Athletic programs-Practices and tryouts have begun and we thank parents for your undying support and being your student athletes greatest cheeleader. As spring sports schedules are finalized, they will be shared with players and families.
Immunization Compliance is a state requirement. Students who remain non-compliant cannot return to school until becoming compliant. Our health services team can provide parents updates on status and advise on resources to become compliant. Any absences from school due to immunization non-compliance is an excused absence.
Reminders are below:
1). Student Driver Parking Permits-Administration and security have been checking cars for parking passes and some student drivers/cars are still not registered. Parents/guardians will be contacted as well. Next steps will be to begin attendance accountability for morning arrival. Please check in with your student drivers to be sure they have registered their cars. Students must park in the rear front parking lot.
2). Hall Sweeps-hall sweeps continue and have helped to manage student truancy and tardiness. Please continue to speak with students in regards to the expectation to attend every class and arrive on time. We will continue hall sweeps indefinitely.
3). Absences-please proactively communicate with your students' teachers and administrators when you student is going to be absent. An absence note should be submitted within thee days of a students return to school. "Parent(s)/guardian(s) must notify the school in writing when their child is absent no later than three (3) days after return to school. This also applies to dual enrollment students who attend classes on college campuses. The explanation must indicate the dates and reason for the absence(s)" from AP 5113. Please be advised that absences due to trips that are not for an excused absence are not excused.
4). Early departures-when picking up your student for early departure, parents have to enter the school to get their student, show ID and sign their student out. Students who are drivers or walkers, a note has to be submitted by parent for reason of early departure with a number to call and verify. Please be advised that excused early departures follow the same criteria as absences. Notes or proof of reason for early departure needs to be submitted the next day if not provided the same day. Early departures with no proof or note of reason are unexcused and will be coded accordingly. Early departures should occur before 2:45 pm.
5). Traffic - Cones have been placed to block entry into staff parking lots by students and parents/guardians. Please let us work together to keep all safe. Please do not make U-turns to exit out of the one way entrance. Lastly, drivers who continue to drop students on Route 193 will receive a warning from our School Resource Officer. Officer Thomas will also be supporting traffic at the exit light to allow for a more smooth and steady exit out of the school campus.
6). Please check in with your students daily and share with us any concerns of bullying, intimidation or inappropriate behavior. Encourage students to share with staff, security or administration any behavior in and out classrooms that hinders a positive culture and climate. Bullying and/or intimidation can be reported using the PGCPS Bullying or Intimidation Form.
7). If your student tests positive for COVID, please inform our nursing staff, Nurse Hassan (Felicia.Hassan@pgcps.org) and our attendance secretary, Ms. Powell (Francine.Powell@pgcps.org). Below are the guidelines for management.
Students who test positive are to remain home to quarantine 5 days with the Day 1 being the first day after testing positive
- Students return on Day 6 if the following have been met:
- Symptoms have resolved and
- No fever for 24 hours, without medication use
- Able and willing to wear a well-fitting ask an additional 5 days at all times except when eating
- If symptoms continue, beyond Day 5 remain home until the above is met or 10 days.
- Students do not have to show proof of negative test
8). Code of Conduct for Families, Volunteers and Visitors- Please know that it is important to us as a school community that we create a welcoming environment that keeps our student needs primary and allow for stakeholders to communicate in a positive manner. The overarching expectation is that we work constructively together to address any issues. The Code of Conduct for Families, Volunteers and Visitors was created to support this partnership.
9). Hazel Health is now functioning as a service of our Health Suite. Students are able to participate in telehealth during the school day and at home after school into evenings. If you have any questions, please reach out to our school nurse, Nurse Felicia.Hassan@pgcps
10). TutorMe-the district is now offering online tutoring program to all PGCPS students that allows for them to connect with an online tutor in less than 30 seconds, 24/7. Students can get help with a single problem or participate in a 2-hour session. Please have your students take advantage of this opportunity. Please access the link here.
11). SchoolMax Family Portal Issues-please if you are having challenges with SchoolMax or receiving SchoolMessenger messages, complete this form here and Ms. Goslee, our Technology Lead will follow up with you.
12). Immunization Compliance is a state requirement. Students who remain non-compliant cannot return to school until becoming compliant. Our health services team can provide parents updates on status and advise on resources to become compliant. Any absences from school due to immunization non-compliance is an excused absence.
We open our doors to receive students at 8:00 am. The expectation is that students are in their seats ready for instruction at 8:45 am. All students who are not in class at that time are considered late. (We know transportation is causing students to be late and with that it is EXCUSED tardy). School ends at 3:25 pm.
Your Homegrown Principal,
Dr. Barnes
1). Positive School Culture and Climate
2). Accelerating Achievement in Mathematics
3). Social Emotional Learning and Mental Health
