Dear Towson High School Community,
Congratulations to our 2023-2024 AP students and teachers for earning the Silver Advanced Placement Honor Roll Award by College Board. Towson High School was recognized with the Silver Award for our college culture (the percent of seniors taking 1 AP course before they graduate), college credit (the percent of seniors who earn a 3 or higher on an AP exam), and college optimization (the percent of seniors that take a total of 5 APs with at least 1 taken in 9th or 10th grade). We will continue to strive to increase access, opportunity, and achievement in all of our academic programs at Towson.
With gratitude and appreciation,
Dr. Kim Culbertson
On December 8th, please check Schoology for your student's Marking Period 2 Interim grades. Once you are logged into the FOCUS Parent Portal, select the link to Schoology to view grades and assignments. Please access these directions to log into and navigate the parent/guardian FOCUS account.
We have several resources available to support your student academically:
- Weekly Coach Class with Individual Teachers: Please access the Coach Class Schedule for each teachers’ Coach Class dates, times, locations, and email addresses.
- Weekly Peer Tutoring: Please access the Peer Tutoring Schedule for free, subject-specific Peer Tutoring dates, times, locations, and teacher advisors.
- School Counselors: Our Counselors can assist students by providing an additional layer of support. Please access the School Counseling website to contact the School Counseling team.
- Communicate with Teachers & Instructional Coaches: If there is a question about a grade or an assignment, please connect with teachers via email or phone. Instructional Coaches (formerly referred to as Department Chairs) also provide subject-specific support. Please access the Coach Class Schedule for teachers’ email addresses. Please reference the list below for Instructional Coaches' email addresses:
- Art Instructional Coach – Ms. Lindsay Miller – lmiller19@bcps.org
- CTE Instructional Coach (College & Career, Engineering, Foods, Teacher Academy) – Mr. Jeffry Brotman – jbrotman@bcps.org
- English Language Arts Instructional Coach – Ms. Kristina Taddeo – ktaddeo@bcps.org
- Math Instructional Coach – Mr. Brian Tregaskis – btregaskis@bcps.org
- Performing Arts Instructional Coach – Mr. Andrew Worthington – aworthington@bcps.org
- Physical Education & Health Instructional Coach – Mr. Bradley Eastham – beastham@bcps.org
- Science Instructional Coach – Mr. Gerard Filosa – efilosa@bcps.org
- School Counseling Coach – Dr. Simon Hobbs – shobbs4@bcps.org
- Social Studies Instructional Coach – Mr. Scott Olson – solson@bcps.org
- Special Education Instructional Coach – Ms. Lauren Anias – lanias@bcps.org
- World Language Instruction Coach – Ms. Debbie Richmond – drichmond3@bcps.org
Grade 9, 10, and 11 students have started the registration process for their courses for the 2024-2025 school year. This week, students participated in pre-registration lessons in Advisory. From December 4th-December 21st in ELA classes, students will meet with a counselor to select their 2024-2025 course selections.
To assist your student in the registration process for the 2024-2025 school year, please visit our academic planning website. Materials on the academic planning website include:
- A Graduation requirement presentation and 4-year plan template to learn about courses and graduation requirements that students must enroll in each school year.
- Grade-level course planning guides to assist in course selection.
- Department-based presentations, handouts, and videos to acquaint you with our course offerings and course progressions.
- Contact information for our School Counselors and Department Instructional Coaches who are available to answer any academic planning questions that you have.
Upcoming Parent University events
This year, BCPS Parent University is presenting a variety of virtual programs. More information is available on the "Parent University schedule" on the Parent U website. Upcoming Lunch & Learn programming includes:
- Eating Healthy on a Budget, Wednesday, December 6, at 12:30 p.m.
- Can You Hear Me Now? When Your Questions to Your Children Go Unanswered and Your Worries Grow Bigger, Friday, December 8, at 12:30 p.m.
- How to Handle the Holidays Without Your Loved Ones, Friday, December 15, at 12:30 p.m.
SAFE & DV Program - GBMC
Led By Lauren Hanley, GBMC Domestic Violence & Advocacy Coordinator, THS One Love Students recently engaged in a compelling and eye-opening experience through the "In Their Shoes" simulation game. Throughout the simulation, students assume the roles of characters, making choices that impact their relationships. The scenarios unfold through interactions with dating partners, family members, friends, counselors, police, and others. This experiential approach allowed participants to navigate the complexities of teen dating violence by actively engaging with the various challenges and decisions faced by the characters. This initiative reinforces our commitment to fostering awareness and understanding among teenagers regarding the importance of cultivating healthy and respectful relationships. Video Link: https://wscadv.org/training-kits/in-their-shoes/
Colophon is Towson High School's award winning literary magazine. Their mission is to promote student creativity through art and writing. No matter the length of students' artistic journies, Colophon is more than glad to accept their submissions.
Use this link to make a submission to this year's Colophon publication.
BCPS is pleased to announce the countywide implementation of BusWhere, a location tracking software that allows subscribers to see bus locations in real time on a mobile phone or computer. Via the BusWhere app, subscribers may opt to receive notification as the bus is approaching a designated bus stop or if there are significant delays.
On or about October 2, 2023, families of bus riders should have received an e-mail invitation directly from BusWhere to create an account. Watch this informational video to learn more about BusWhere!
Research has shown that attendance is a leading predictor of academic achievement and adult success. Students who find attending school important are more likely to attain goals like attending trade school, college, or getting a job. By showing up to school every day, students develop a positive work ethic and prepare for future success by developing healthy and productive habits.
Our attendance goals this year are for students to maintain at least a 94% attendance rate and to reduce chronic absenteeism. A student that misses 10% or more of school days in chronically absent. By missing just 2 days a month, a student will be chronically absent. Use the "Attendance Tracker" and "Parent Tips" below to support your student in maintaining satisfactory attendance. Additionally, we will send parents/guardians a "Weekly Attendance Report" each Friday afternoon so you can track your student's daily and period attendance.
