November 2016 Volume 9 Dundalk High School Issue 3 Newsletter Hello Dundalk High School Families! We are off to a great start to the 2016-2017 school year. We are pleased with our stu- dents ’ level of work and engagement in the classroom as well as our faculty’s efforts to create rigorous, engaging lessons for them! We wanted to take this opportunity to remind our families of our vision and mission. Our vision at DHS is to In order to prepare our students to be college and career ready, we are committed to the following mission: Promoting a safe, equitable, learner-centered environment Establishing supportive, respectful relationships that encourage responsive behaviors Principal Kristin Anelli Instilling strong values and citizenship within and beyond the school community Assistant Principals We hope you and your child will support our vision and mission. Some of the reminders below directly relate Timothy Arrington back to our vision of preparing college and career ready students, and our mission of promoting a safe learn- ing environment. Please see announcements below: Andrew Deming 1. Students can only ride the bus to which they are assigned. If they are walkers, they cannot ride the bus. No exceptions can be made except with expressed written permission from the administration. This is a Brett Molin safety concern and links back to our mission of creating a safe school for our students. Larissa Santos 2. Study hall with tutoring support starts November 1st for all students from 2:30-3:30 in the library on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays and runs indefinitely. This is a great way to improve upon first PTA President marking period grades and to get help for students who may feel behind! Please take advantage of this free tutoring opportunity with some of our most dedicated staff. Charles Sussan 3. Students need a parking permit to park on campus. The cost of the permit is $10.00. Students may be ticketed by the BCPD if they do not prominently display their permits while parking on campus. 4. Have you logged into your BCPS One account yet to see your child’s grades? If you have not, please 1901 Delvale Ave. go to https://mybcps.bcps.org/ManageProfile.aspx. If you need a parent code, contact Mr. Starr at [email protected]. Dundalk, Maryland 21222 5. Did you know we have SAT tutoring on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, conducted by teachers who are mas- ters in their field? Nationally Board Certified teacher, Ms. Dulin, holds SAT reading/writing tutoring every Wednesday from 2:30-3:30. SAT expert, Mr. Lapides, conducts math tutoring on Tuesdays from 2:30-3:30. This tutoring would cost families hundreds of dollars with private tutors, but it is free for you! Please take advantage and have your child stay after to receive this excellent support! SAT prepara- Check out the DHS tion takes weeks—please do not wait until a week or two before the test to send your child to tutoring. Website: 6. The state satisfactory attendance rating is 94%. This means that all students should not miss more than dundalkhs.bcps.org 12 days of school per year. Attendance is critical for our students, as future employers will look at at- tendance records upon which they will base employment decisions. College admissions counselors also examine attendance records as part of the admissions process. Finally, it is difficult to catch up when School 410-887-7023 missing too much school. If your child has an attendance problem and you need help getting your child to school, please reach out to the school guidance department for assistance. Their number is 410-887- Fax 410-887-7025 7027. Attendance is crucial and critical in meeting graduation requirements and in establishing plans upon graduation! School Counseling 410-887-7027 7. Our vision and mission are in alignment with the new grading policy. If you have questions regarding grading, please do not hesitate to ask your child’s teachers. BCPSOne allows parents to directly email Cafeteria 410-887-7033 their child’s teachers at a any time.. Updated, current information regarding grading and reporting is located at: http://www.bcps.org/academics/grading/. Library 410-887-7033 8. New this year: students cannot fail two marking periods in a row or they will receive a failing grade for Athletics 410-887-7288 their class for the year. Thank you, and enjoy November! NJROTC 410-285-7670 Best, Page 1 Kristin Anelli, Principal TABLE OF CONTENTS Letter from Ms. Anelli 1 Academic/Student Information 3—12 Health/Wellness 13 Athletics 14-19 Substitutes Needed 20 Announcements / General Information 21—23 Calendar November 2016 11/7, 9 Winter Athletic registration with coaches 11/8 Election Day! Schools closed. 11/10 First quarter report cards distributed in homeroom at end of day 11/14, 16 Senior Picture Make-Up Day 11/15-11/19 American Education Week 11/16 US Army Information Table (Cafeteria) 11/21 Athletic Awards Ceremony (see page 15) 11/24, 25 Thanksgiving holiday. Schools closed. 11/29 “Meet the Team” Rally Night (see page 16) Page 2 SAT Tutoring for College Bound Seniors Students who are taking the SAT in November can get help pre- paring. After school tutoring is available every Tuesday (Math, Rm 3140) and Wednesday (Verbal, Rm 2161) from 2:30— 3:30. Jack Kent Cooke College Scholarship Program The Jack Kent Cooke Foundation’s College Scholar- ship Program is now accepting applications from high school seniors who seek to attend the nation’s best four-year colleges and universities. The scholarship rewards excellence by supporting high-achieving high school seniors with financial need. The full description and application can be found at http://www.jkcf.org/scholarship-programs/college- scholarship/. This opportunity is open to all students. The applica- tion deadline is Wednesday, November 30, 2016, at noon. Page 3 Page 4 SPARC Academy The SPARC Academy is an innovative learning center here at Dundalk High School. The SPARC program is tailored to meet the personal needs and learn- ing style of each student. Computer assisted instruction with one-on-one and small group sessions support the students’ learning. Personal attention is also provided by certified and specially trained teaching staff. When students com- plete their SPARC course, they will receive high school credit and be able to move on to another course if needed. Schedule During the school day from 7:45 to 2:15 After School Session 2:30 to 4:30 Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday After School Program Any student may participate in the after school program to catch up on missing credits or get ahead in class credits. If you have questions or are interested in the program please call 410.887.7298. The following students have completed courses during October 2016: Madison A - Health Fazan R – Biology Raeshawn F- English 11 These students are our first two GRADUATES FOR THE 2016-2017 SCHOOL YEAR: Eugene C - English 12 Fazan R – Biology Page 5 Class of 2018 THIS IS A REMINDER OF SOME IMPORTANT DATES COMING UP FOR THE CLASS OF 2018 The Junior Ring Ceremony will be held on Saturday, De- cember 3, from 4:30 to 5:30 p.m. in the library. Please see Miss Albanese in the front office for a ring packet. The deadline to order rings through Jostens is November 1. Parents are encouraged and welcome to attend the ring cere- mony. The Junior Prom is set for Saturday, May 6. In order to have a successful prom, we need to make sure all dues are paid and everyone participates in fundraising. More Information on the New Grading System As part of the new grading practices in Baltimore County, students are required to pass at least one quarter each semester in order to pass for the year. So, even if a student passes both the first and sec- ond quarter, if he or she were to earn an E third quarter and fourth quarter, the student would earn a failing grade for the entire year. The opposite is also true. If a student fails the first and second quar- ter, but then passes both the third and fourth quarter, he or she may still receive a failing grade for the class. It is important that students work hard every quarter to get the best possible grade they can. Page 6 BCPS One Communication Center Beginning Friday, November 4, 2016, when you log into BCPS One, a Communication Center will appear in the upper right corner of the landing page (see sample below). This will be used to share BCPS One related announcements with parents. 2017 High School Graduation The graduation for Dundalk High School’s seniors is scheduled for Sunday, June 4, at 2:30 p.m. The graduation will be held at Tow- son University. Additional information will be provided as we near the date. Congratula- tions to graduating seniors! The complete high school graduation sched- ule is available at: http://www.bcps.org/ calendars/High-School-Graduation- Schedule.pdf Page 7 Notification of Sexual Offender in the Community The safety of all students and staff in Baltimore County Public Schools is of utmost importance to all of us. Our school, as well as all Baltimore County schools, is utilizing a visitor check-in sys- tem. The system is called V-soft by Raptor, otherwise known as Raptor. The information collect- ed will not be shared outside of the school and is stored on a secure server. Registration of all visitors is neces- sary so that in the event of an emergency in the school, a record of all people currently in the building will be available.