Proud to be a Mustang …Choosing Excellence in all that we do!

 

December 22, 2006

 

Season’s Greetings!  Our students received their interims this week, providing our students and families a good opportunity to see where things stand at the moment and plan for what needs to be done in the upcoming weeks…the end of the quarter will be here before we know it.  As we head towards the end of Second Quarter, January will be a very busy month.  First Semester exams will be given January 17-19 and the quarter ends on the 19th.  We will host Midterm Madness study sessions for our students, especially our ninth graders.  Our Midterm Madness Information Night will be held on Thursday, January 4 at 7 PM…please attend to learn more about test preparation and the actual makeup of the exams themselves. 

 

As we mentioned in our last update, we will begin our Evening Academic Intervention Program on January 2. Our program will be held on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 PM  January - May.  On Tuesday/Thursday evenings, we will offer general academic help and High School Assessment preparation.  Wednesdays will focus on Algebra assistance and preparation for the HSA test in that area.  Families will be invited to help out and the Marriotts Ridge Scholars Program will also be involved as peer tutors.  If you would like to enroll your son or daughter and have not done so already, please contact Ms. Allman, our program coordinator, at bernadette_allman@hcpss.org or 410-313-5568. 

 

As you may have heard, Marriotts Ridge High, as part of a countywide initiative, participated in a Lockdown Drill and Drug Scan this week.  Our students and staff followed the lockdown procedures as described in our school Emergency Procedures manual …we have provided training for the staff over the past year during our professional development workshops.  During this time, county police officers and K-9 drug dogs scanned our parking lots for any possible drugs.  The officers also toured the hallways of the building while students and staff remained in classrooms.  We are happy to announce that no drugs were found during the search.  We also want to commend our students and staff members on their cooperation during this program.

 

Regarding the new state law about student immunizations, we appreciate that almost all of our families have complied with this regulation.  Thank you, thank you …we have been told that we are in much better shape in terms of compliance than many other schools.  However, we still have about 20 students who have not turned in the appropriate paperwork…if you are one of those families who keep forgetting; please submit the necessary information immediately as we are required to exclude students without proper immunizations starting in January.  If you need assistance with this process, please contact our school cluster nurse, Mrs. Patty Saylor, at patty_saylor@hcpss.org or 410-313-5568.

 

On to some more exciting news!  December has been a great month for students’ achievements!  The band, choir, dance, and orchestra concerts were excellent and all of our sports teams have achieved impressive victories, highlighted by varsity wins in boys and girls basketball and wrestling.  In addition, the students listed below were chosen as the 2006-7 Marriotts Ridge High PTA Reflections winners.  Their work will be sent on to the county competition and hopefully to the state level.

 

                   Film                               Elinor Oziel

                   Dance Choreography     Naomi Kromer

                                                          Abbey Marvenko

                   Visual Arts                    Elinor Oziel

                   Photography                  Laura Patzer

                                                          Felicia Kulp

                   Literature                       Molly Malarkey

                                                          Caroline Kessler

                                                          Jayde Chang

                                                          Colleen Quinlan

 

We want to thank all of our students who submitted entries and the staff members who helped in the judging.  A special thanks goes to Ms. Mary Jefferson who is serving as our PTA Reflections Chairperson this year…none of this would have happened without her hard work and efforts.

 

In other student news…Kelly Harrigan was spotlighted for her Cappies review on the countywide A La Carte television show.  John Hain and Stephen Milak were chosen for Junior All State Chorus recognition and Stehanie Lee, Allison Frost, David Todd, Julia Townsend, and Antwoine Johnson were selected for Senior All State Chorus recognition.  As part of the statewide MICCA Contest, Tim D’Amato and Noah Farrell were countywide winners.  Congratulations!!!!

 

As we head into winter vacation, we want to thank you all for a great 2006 and wish you the best for a great 2007!  We commend all students and families who participated in our SGA holiday canned food and coin drive…we collected over 1700 cans for the Maryland Food Bank, holiday dinners for eight Howard County families, and presents for over thirty children and teenagers who are living in foster or group homes.  If you are traveling during the break, please be safe on the roads.  Take care…enjoy some rest and relaxation with family and friends.