Good evening RAMFAM! This is your proud Parkside principal, Brian Briggs. We had a wonderful week here at Parkside and here are just a few highlights:
· We had an amazing Parkside 2024 Homecoming Week! Our students brought it all week with their outfits for HOCO Spirit Week! The entire student body got to enjoy and celebrate all things RAMFAM during our HOCO Pep Rally on Friday afternoon. It might have been raining Friday night at our HOCO Football game, but I could not have been more proud to see so many of our students show up and stay for the ENTIRE GAME! They could have left and dried out but knew that it would be more fun to stick around and celebrate a big win by our football team over Kent County. We even got to crown our Greek Emperor and Empress, Pascal Louise-Jacques and Raniya Corbin. Then, Saturday evening, Parkside was transformed into Ancient Greece for a stunning HOCO dance. Huge shout-out to our SGA advisors, Mrs. Daniel and Cornish, and our building service manager, Mr. Shrieves for working tirelessly this entire week to make the transformation complete. Parkside only succeeds when everyone plays their part, and this week was a perfect example of that!
· As if this week didn’t have enough great things happen, on Friday, Kaitlyn Tyler, Parkside Class of 2025, planted 3,515 plants in less than 50 minutes breaking a Guiness World Record. Parkside CTE Horticulture used to hold the record till about 10 years ago when someone from England broke the world record. Well, Kaitlyn brought that world record back to the USA and Parkside Horticulture. She was supported and cheered on by family, friends, Horticulture students, media, and of course Mr. Kelley and Ms. Burke. We are so proud of you Kaitlyn and thank you to all who came out to support her!
I am a big believer in communication and making sure that everyone knows what is happening here at Parkside, home of the RAMS. See below for important updates/reminders and dates over the next few months.
Important dates upcoming:
· September 30th – School Picture Day
· October 3rd – 1st marking period Mid-Term progress reports
· October 16th – CTE PAC Dinner
· October 17th – Early Dismissal Day for students (11:45 dismissal)
· October 18th – Schools closed for students
· October 23rd – PSAT for 10th graders (and 9th and 11th graders who sign up and pay for it)…this will be an asynchronous day for all students not taking the PSAT.
· October 28th 4-6 PM – Class visitation
· November 8th – 1st marking period ends, also Early Dismissal Day (11:45)
Updates/Reminders:
· Picture Day is Monday, September 30th. All students need to have their photos taken so they can get a school photo ID.
· We hope seniors and their parents/caregivers will join us for Senior Application Night on Wednesday, October 9th at the Perdue Henson Junior Achievement Center (301 Tilghman Road; Salisbury, MD 21804) to get expert help with the college application process!
Here's the schedule:
5:30 p.m.: Sign-in and Welcome
5:50 p.m.: Overview of the College Application Process & Finding a Best Fit College
6:50 - 8:30 p.m.: Workshop and Drop-in Work Sessions
Workshops (offered at 6:50 and 7:40; For Senior Students and Parents/Caregivers):
-Writing a Winning College Essay
-Paying for College
- Scholarships
- Study Skills & Time Management in College
- Earning an Associate’s Degree before a 4-Year Degree
Drop-in Work Sessions (For Senior Students Only):
Bring your laptop and get help on college essays, SchooLinks, and Common/Coalition applications.
Don’t miss this chance to get personalized support for your college journey! To reserve your spot, please register (one registration from per family): https://bit.ly/srnitereg. Please Register by Monday, October 7th.
If you have any questions, please contact your school counselor or Mrs. Beth Sheller at msheller@mywcps.org . We look forward to seeing you on Wednesday, October 9th.
· Parkside is gearing up to meet with college admission’s representatives from all over the country! College Rep Visits are open to all juniors and seniors. Attendance is excused for students who participate. Students are responsible for any work missed or assigned during the visit. Please see the attached instructions regarding how to sign-up, as well as the current list of visits already scheduled.
· Friday, October 11th – JOSTENS will be at Parkside to meet with seniors at 10:35 am. Information will be shared regarding ordering cap& gown, senior class ring, senior apparel, graduation announcements, etc. Students should report to FLEX and wait for the announcement to be called. Information will be made available for pick up after 4th period for any student who is unable to attend the meeting.
· Wednesday, October 16th – JOSTENS will visit Parkside during all 4 lunch shifts. Students will be able to place orders for their cap & gown and any other items they would like to have to commemorate their senior year. Students may visit JOSTENS’ website at any time to explore what they have to offer. Details have been posted in their Google Classroom. Students will have the opportunity to place orders throughout the school year and will be reminded of deadlines.
Jostens Senior Meeting and Order Dates
Testing Updates:
· Students have completed our local diagnostics (MAP testing) to help us target instruction around strengths and needs. Please be sure to ask your student about their results which were sent home in a family report at the end of last week. Below is information about how to understand those reports.
Map Parent Resource family-guide-to-map-growth_NWEA_onesheet.pdf - Google Drive (MATH grades 6-8 & Algebra I and ELA grades 9-10)
· On Wednesday, October 23rd, we will be administering the PSAT to all 10th graders and any 9th or 11th grade students who signed up and paid to take the PSAT. All other 9th, 11th and 12th grade students will not attend school that day, but will instead complete asynchronous work at home through their Google Classrooms. Teachers will assign work for them to complete at home for that day. If your student has difficulty accessing the internet please have them request a paper copy of the assignment from their teacher. Students taking the PSAT test that day will be exempt from asynchronous assignments. More information will be forthcoming regarding pick up times for test takers on October 23rd and bus departure times for those students who need to ride a bus home.
· The College Board SAT will be given on Saturday, October 5th at Schumaker Complex (Wicomico Evening High School). A number of your students have registered. Please include the following reminder in your announcements to bring the following with them:
Government-issued ID: School ID, driver's license, or passport
Laptop: FULLY CHARGED
Admission Ticket - paper copy
Pencils
Bluebook already installed on their laptops (your tech person can help with this)
EHS does NOT have extra laptops or power chargers. Students CANNOT be admitted without proper ID (per College Board).
Reminders about Wicomico County Public Schools policies on several items:
· Firearms and Weapons
Possession of any firearm, other weapon, or look-like weapons (e.g., pellet guns, BB guns, water guns, water pellet guns) by a student on school property, including in vehicles parked on school property, is strictly forbidden.
The school system’s prohibition on carrying or possessing a weapon on school property applies to loaded and unloaded weapons. This prohibition applies to weapons contained within automobiles.
It is a serious offense for students to possess any rifle, gun, knife, or deadly weapon of any kind on any school property in Maryland. Offenders face criminal penalties and severe consequences up to and including expulsion. The Code of Conduct will be applied in all situations involving violations.
· Cell Phones and Social Media
Students may not use their cell phone during class without teacher permission. Phones shall be turned off during class time unless the student is given specific permission to use it by the teacher of the class of which it is being used.
Restrictions on cell phone usage: Students are prohibited from using their cell phone to cheat or plagiarize, to bully or haze others, to disrupt the learning environment, the view pornographic, vulgar, or inappropriate content, to post derogatory content on social media sites, to make video recordings at school, without teacher permission or school authorization; or take unsolicited or unwelcome photographs of students, staff, or facilities.
Students who inappropriately use their cell phone at school will be subject to discipline as stipulated in the Student Code of Conduct. Additionally, students may lose their privilege of using their cell phone at school for a length of time to be determined by the school administrators.
Thank you again RAMFAM for all you do! I am so proud to work with so many great students, families, and staff.
Thanks,
Brian