Good evening RAMFAM! This is your proud Parkside principal, Brian Briggs.
I am thrilled to welcome you to what promises to be a truly special year at Parkside High School, the beginning of our 50th anniversary celebration. As we mark five decades of tradition, pride, and excellence, we are more excited than ever to welcome our students back and begin another incredible school year together.
We’ve had a great week here at Parkside and here are just a few highlights:
· We had a wonderful Back to School Night where we were able to welcome back all the RAMFAM! Thank you to everyone who came out to get their schedules, pick up laptops, meet teachers, and enjoy some fellowship with the RAMFAM! I was so pleased to see so many RAMFAM out that night and with so many smiles!
· Our entire Parkside CTE staff had a great WCPS County Kickoff at the Civic Center where we were inspired by the story of Jeremy Anderson.
· Our staff worked hard to make sure that all our classrooms are ready to go for the first day of school for students...Tuesday for the PHS Class of 2029, and then Wednesday for the PHS Classes of 2026, 2027, and 2028.
· Our sports teams began wrapping up their last few scrimmages. A few more scrimmages next week but we will begin with the first official game/match of the season with PHS Golf traveling to Glen Riddle on Tuesday for the first match of the season.
· Parkside CTE Culinary and Chef Wells cooked up an amazing breakfast as we welcomed back the entire staff back on Wednesday. It was delicious!!!
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 2nd – Freshman Transition Day – Only the Parkside High Class of 2029 will be present this day as we welcome them all officially to the RAMFAM.
· September 3rd – All students return
· September 3rd – 6:30 AM Senior Sunrise on the PHS Track…see social media for more information
· September 4th – Senior Class Meeting during RAM TIME (formerly FLEX)
· September 5th – Junior/Sophomore Class Meeting during RAM TIME
· September 11th – Senior Application Night
· September 25th – Homecoming Football Game
· September 26th – Senior Portraits in Auditorium
· September 27th – Homecoming Dance
· October 17th – MSEA Convention – Schools Closed (school office open)
· October 30th – End of 1st marking term
· October 31st – PD day for staff, schools closed for students
Updates/Reminders:
· Here is our Parkside Bus Serving List for the 25-26 school year. Please see this for our bus numbers, their routes, and their bus drivers (along with contact information). You can also search for bus number by using this search function https://webquery-wicomico-md.etstack.io/#/home
· Senior Application Night - We hope PHS seniors interested in applying to college along with their parents/caregivers will attend Senior Application Night on Thursday, September 11th at Parkside High School (1015 Beaglin Park Drive; Salisbury, Maryland 21804) from 5:30 -8:30 p.m. This opportunity will provide expert advice and help you navigate the college application process!
· Want to stay connected? Here are some easy ways to keep up with the RAMFAM:
Parkside School phone: 410-677-5143
Parkside School email: parkside@mywcps.org
Parkside Web page: https://phs.wicomicoschools.org/
Parkside Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/wcboephs
Parkside Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/parksidehighrams/
Parkside Facebook, Parkside High Sports: https://www.facebook.com/ParksideHighSports
CTE phone: 410-677-5144
CTE email: CTEparkside@mywcps.org
CTE web page: https://cte.wicomicoschools.org/o/cte
CTE SkillsUSA Wicomico Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/cteskillsusawicomico
· If you are a senior and need to have your senior portraits done, Lifetouch will have a session here at Parkside on September 26th. See flyer below for more information.
· There have been changes with regards to dance criteria, with the newest change regarding attendance. Please look over the new dance criteria for high school.
HIGH SCHOOL DANCE CRITERIA
Wicomico County Public Schools
The following criteria apply to all high school students attending school dances:
1. GPA
o Students must have a minimum GPA of 2.0, as required by county policy.
2. Conduct
o Students must not have served any Out-of-School Suspensions (OSS) during the current semester.
o Any student excluded based on cumulative OSS days per county policy will not be eligible to attend.
3. Attendance
o Students must have no more than 2 unexcused absences in the 45 days leading up to the dance.
o For the first dance of the school year, attendance is evaluated from the first day of school.
4. Guests
o Guests must be under the age of 21.
o Guests must be in good standing with their current school or employer.
o A guest form, to be used by all schools, will be required for verification.
· Dress Code reminders for the upcoming school year.
· Looking for some Parkside gear and apparel? Here is a store that stays open all year and allows you to pick your design and from multiple brands. The prices are not cheap (they usually give you 20% as a discount that helps) but if you want to start stocking up on RAMFAM gear, check this out.
https://sideline.bsnsports.com/schools/maryland/salisbury/parkside-high-school
· Our Parkside Girls Soccer team also has a team store open if you would like to purchase Parkside gear from there. Here is the link:
· Parkside CTE believes strongly in the safety and security of its students and staff. Here are some important reminders concerning firearms, weapons, cell phones, and social media.
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