PISOTA'S WEEKLY NEWS!

September 7, 2026 - Schools and Offices Closed

September 9, 2026 - SGA interest meeting

September 10, 2026- Picture Day

September 16, 2026- Open House 5pm-7pm

September 18, 2026 - Schools closed for students

September 24, 2026 - 2-hr Early Dismissal

September 28, 2026- Interims are Posted

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The Charles County Department of Health is holding back-to-school immunization clinics for students. The state mandates students have proof of specific immunizations for school attendance — a list of vaccines can be found here.

Upcoming clinics are Aug. 27 and by appointment only on Sept. 3 and 8. To make an appointment, call 301-609-6842 or 301-609-6835. For a complete list of clinics, which run through early October, visit www.ccboe.com.

The health department is at 4545 Crain Highway in White Plains.

9/10: After School NJHS Meeting & Officer Elections (All scholars must be picked up at 4:00pm)

9/17: After School FBLA Meeting ( All scholars must be picked up at 4:00pm )

9/24: 8th Grade Fundraiser at The Greene Turtle La Plata - Good Open to Close, must show/leave flyer with check

9/30: 8th Grade T-Shirt Contest deadline

10/1: After School FBLA Meeting

10/5: 8th Grade Schoolfund Fundraiser Launch

10/10: Walk to End Alzheimer's Chapter Activity (FBLA/NJHS)

10/6: College & Career Readiness Presentation for Families @ 5:30 PM (Presented by the Board)

Only 2 guests per student, kids/siblings are considered guests as well

CCPS has a new mobile app that features push notification alerts, translated content based on the user’s preferred language, and access to the new two-way parent communication tool called Rooms.Use of Rooms is optional for CCPS teachers and staff, but it is the only two-way communication tool that is monitored by CCPS and approved for use by staff with parents/guardians.

All scholars have been given their Am and Pm transportation routes. If there are any questions regarding transportation, please contact Mr. Hill at Bhill@ccboe.com.

All lockers should be locked at all times with the provided locks; no locks should be used outside of the locks that were provided. Please council your scholar at home about the importance about keeping their personal belongings locked away and safe in the lockers at all times. PISOTA staff are not responsible for any lost or stolen items.

We are currently looking for students in 6th, 7th, and 8th grade who are interested in running for SGA officer positions. Ms. Blakeley sent an email this week that included the SGA flyer and QR code for students to complete the SGA Interest Form. Any student who would like to campaign and run for an officer's position must complete the interest form.

We will also hold an SGA Interest Meeting on September 9 at the end of 4th period in Mrs. Washington’s classroom, Room 209. Students who are interested in learning more about the available positions, expectations, and election process are encouraged to attend.

Look out for the SGA flyer and QR code that was sent out and encourage interested students to complete the form?

Ms. Shamia Johnson is our attendance secretary please email her all-attendance letters. Her email is sljohnson@ccboe.com. Please do not send attendance letters to administration.

Parents will now have to submit their request for their child to be off from school, for example, a college visit, educational trip, or unique life experience, to Ms. Shamia Johnson in our attendance office before they can be excused. Please email her (sljohnson@ccboe.com), including the attached form (Parent/Guardian Request for Code 13 Excused Absences).

CODE 13: Other emergency or set of circumstances which, in the judgement of the Superintendent or designee, constitutes a good and sufficient cause for absence from school for up to five school days per school year, including an educational trip or unique life experience. Make-up work will be allowed for approved absences and must be returned to the school three days from the date of return.

An educational trip is one in which either the student is actively receiving instruction through a structured program directly tied to the curriculum, or the student is actively visiting another school, program, or college in preparation for potential future enrollment. Siblings may also be excused.

A unique life experience may include an educational field trip, athletic competitions not sponsored by the school, unique family circumstances (i.e., deployed parent visit), and/or career or alternate work experience.

A “vacation” is not an educational trip or unique life experience.

Our Quarter 1 Board of Trustees meeting will be held on Saturday, September 5, 2026.

The Phoenix International School of the Arts Board of Trustees is growing—and we’re looking for passionate family and community members who want to help advance our mission. We are currently recruiting new Board members as well as volunteers who would like to serve on a Board committee without becoming a trustee.

We are especially interested in individuals with experience in legal affairs, real estate, fundraising, and finance, though we welcome interest from anyone committed to supporting PISOTA’s students, families, and long-term success.

Interested in serving? Complete our interest form here: https://forms.gle/TzDDtYEZdBuZoz3t6

LOCKER TIMES FOR SCHOLAR USE:

Before 1st period

During Lunch

Before dismissal

• cell phones must be powered off and stored in your locker
• hoods may not be worn in the school building
• headphones should be removed from your person and stored in your locker
• bookbags must be stored in your locker
• students should not walk through the counselor's hallway without a pass to see the counselor

R.I.S.E. to S.O.A.R.

A call to be Reflective, Innovative, Servant leaders, and Excellent so that our scholars can Serve Others, Create Opportunities for Success, Accomplish Academic Greatness, and Reach their Fullest Potential.

Our Commitment to Excellence

REignite our passion for excellence

REintroduce high standards for academics and behavior

REset our expectations to reflect growth and greatness

REalign our work to ensure scholars remain at the heart of every decision

Our Core Priorities

Staffing- Ensuring every scholar is taught and supported by a high-quality team

School-to-Home Communication- Keeping families informed and engaged consistently

Instructional Excellence- Delivering rigorous, high-impact teaching and learning

Arts Pathway Enhancement- Strengthening our commitment to creative and performing arts

Mental Health & Scholar Supports- Uplifting the whole child, both emotionally and academically

Safe and Orderly Environment- Building a space where all scholars feel safe, seen, and celebrated

Attendance - sljohnson@ccboe.com

Discipline/ bus/ locker concerns - bhill@ccboe.com

504s/Guidance concerns-srroyster@ccboe.com

Special Education Case managers: saajackson@ccboe.com or knorris@ccboe.com

SGA - njwashington@ccboe.com

NJHS- wblakeley@ccboe.com

Reflect

We take time to regularly examine our thoughts, feelings, and actions.

We have to know where we come from in order to know where we’re going. “The one constant factor in all of your endeavors is yourself”; we believe that understanding ourselves is therefore paramount. Our ability to recognize and understand emotions in ourselves and others, and our ability to use this awareness to manage our behavior and relationships will increase our individual and collective leadership capacities.

Innovate

We cultivate a spirit of curiosity, creativity, and innovation.

Our students are confident critical thinkers. They have the skills, character, knowledge and design process to impact the world with their ideas and creativity. By thinking broadly about the world around them and engaging in meaningful and relevant real-world experiences, they learn to address problems at all scales, imagine new ideas, and build authentic solutions

Serve

We do whatever it takes in service of our mission.

For our students, this means becoming true change agents in their community by embracing a spirit of selfless service. We see service as inherent to both scholarship and citizenship, and we commit to helping our community, both in school and out of school. For PISOTA staff, our students are at the heart of everything we do, and we consider our work an act of service to our students, their families, our community, and ourselves. We do not engage in service for personal gain or external accolades; rather, we do so because serving others is the right thing to do.

Excellence

We aim for high-quality and exemplary attention to detail in everything we do.

From students’ schoolwork to school culture and behavior to staff lesson planning and beyond, we hold high expectations of everyone at PISOTA. In turn, we hold ourselves accountable to provide excellent support, care, and view challenges or setbacks as opportunities to grow and learn. We celebrate our own successes and those of others when we achieve lofty goals.

Website: www.pisota.org

Location: 95 Catalpa, Drive, LaPlata MD 20646

Phone: (301) 753-2098

Instagram: @pisota_ccps