October 25, 2019
News from the Principal's Desk
Dear THS Families,
Hard to believe, but we have only two weeks remaining in the first term. Please take a good look at those grades and figure out what your student can do during this "final push" time of year.
I’ve had the good fortune to participate in many Senior Nights for fall sports in the past couple of weeks. These are wonderful and sometimes bittersweet moments for students and families, realizing that their career in high school sports, cheer and music is coming to a close. Please join us in the coming weeks as several of these teams make playoff runs, and we continue to applaud the efforts of competitive athletes!
Sincerely, Christopher Berry Principal
Looking Ahead - The Weekly Calendar
Date
Event
Time
Saturday, October 26
ACT at THS
Band to Towson University Competition
Boys Regional Semi-Finals vs. Linganore HS played at Middletown High
3:00 – 11:00 PM
6:00 PM
Sunday, October 27
Band to Hershey Park Competition
7:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Monday, October 28
Field Hockey Regional Semi-Finals at UHS
7:00 PM
Tuesday, October 29
Show Choir / Theater students to Quince Orchard High
5:30 – 9:30 PM
Wednesday, October 30
Board of Education Meeting, Central Office
JV Football Game at Oakdale High
Thursday, October 31
Halloween
Cross Country Regional Meet at TJ High
2:30 PM
Friday, November 1
Varsity Football at Oakdale High
Saturday, November 2
SAT and Subject Tests
See the FCPS calendar. *Dates and times are subject to change .
Keeping You Informed - School News
The Daylight Grow Shorter - Be Alert!
As the days grow shorter and it is darker at drop-off time in the morning, we ask our community to be increasingly mindful of our drop-off zones in the parking lots, and to have an increased alertness for cyclists and pedestrians. Student pedestrians are frequently dressed in dark colors and are not immediately visible as you approach the school. Please leave a few extra minutes in the morning during this time of year, and slow down as you approach the school. Thanks for helping to keep our students safe!
#THS Reads Campaign to Select Next Prize Winner
Next week is the end of October and Tuscarora HS will be selecting the next winner for our Twitter #THSReads campaign. If you haven't posted a picture of the cover of what you are currently reading to Twitter with the #THSReads, you still have a couple days, but not many.
Students and parents please include #THSstudent or #THSParent and then your first and last name in the Tweet so we can identify you for prize purposes.
ProjectLIT Book Club
Congratulations to Tuscarora's ProjectLIT book club for winning a mini-grant with Scholastic books! The book club wrote a villanelle poem and submitted it to the founding students of ProjectLIT, who deemed our club one of five winners. Check out their Twitter and Instagram @THSProjectLIT to see the video as well as get updates on our upcoming visit from author Neal Shusterman.
And speaking of our visit from Neal Shusterman, the ProjectLIT book club is attempting to raise money for books and events. Purchase a KEEPsake during the month of October and we receive 25% of the proceeds. Keep jewelry makes wonderfully personalized gifts for that special person in your life. More information at keepcollective.com/soc/x0jo6
FFA Scrap Booking Crop Fundraiser
The Tuscarora FFA will host a Scrap booking Crop Fundraiser again this year. It will be held Saturday, November 16 from 10 AM - 10 PM at the New Market Grange Hall. Click Here for more information or email Teresa.Stevens@fcps.org.
Young Author’s Contest
Write a poem or short story to enter in the Young Author’s Contest at the school level. Winning entries move on to the county level!
Contest Parameters:
There will be winners for poems and short stories at each grade level. For additional details and guidelines, contact your local reading council Young Authors’ Contest Chairperson.
Digital Entries/cover sheets are due by Friday November 22 by 2:15 PM in Room B209. Submit Entries to lydia.kowalski@fcps.org
Writing Assistance for ALL Students
If any THS student needs help with an essay, research paper, or writing assignment for any class please consider using the THS Online Writing Center! It's Free! Students just need to log on to Classroom.Google.Com and join with the classroom code: dyi9bdq
Then students can submit an essay or research paper on this Google Classroom site. Within 24-48 hours, at least one National English Honor Society student will read over the student essay and provide some recommendations and suggestions for the paper. Take advantage of this amazing resource.
Yearbook Sales Begin
Want to purchase a yearbook but don't want to pay full price? Good news! We are offering an 'EARLY BIRD' special for folks who want to pre-order the 2020 yearbook. From now until October 31st, the cost of the book is $65.00. Considering we sell extras at the end of the year for $90.00 this is a significant savings. So, don't wait, order your 2020 THS yearbook today by clicking this link:
https://www.yearbookordercenter.com/
One Maryland, One Book Initiative
Each year the Maryland Humanities Organization offers the One Maryland One Book initiative. This year's title, What the Eyes Don't See, is sure to spark a lot of very strong emotions. You won't want to put it down. It is the story of how Dr. Mona Hanna-Attisha discovered that the children of Flint, Michigan were being exposed to lead in their tap water and the epic battle she undertook to protect them.
THS was fortunate enough to get an entire class set of this title for free. If you would like a copy please stop by room B209.
Parents & Students please join us for a casual book discussion of this title on Wednesday, October 30, after school for parents, students and teachers. Then on Sunday, November 3 at 6 PM in Hagerstown at the Maryland, Theatre Dr. Mona will be speaking for free.
Season Passes will be available to purchase for the entire school year as well as for each athletic season as noted below. Make checks out to THS Athletics Passes can also be purchased online and sent to your phone at GoFan. Simply login and add the free App (GoFan) and purchase. No need to bring passes to games anymore - you can just show the pass on your phone at the ticket booth
Click Here to Order!
See FCPS absence procedures.
Congratulations, Commendations and Kudos
Titan Reading Buddies Takes Tuscarora ES By Storm
23 Tuscarora High School took a trip down the road to pay a visit and read to the students at Tuscarora Elementary School. The Titan Reading Buddies program allows students in Grades K-5 to learn about the pleasures of reading from a high school student, and the high school students gain great presentational skills in the process. The program is cooirdinated by THS Literacy Special Lydia Kowalski.
Student of the Week
Jack LeBlanc, 12th grade
Nominated by Mr. Putterman (Physical Education)
"Jack completed a project in which he built (from scratch) a shed for use for tennis/ softball and THS Athletics. He put many hours into this effort, getting donations, plans and of course, building it."
Here is a list of all 26 nominations! If you speak with these student, please take the time to congratulate them.
richard.hartman@fcps.org
Cali Cammarata
10th
Shenalee Fernando
9th
francisco.derose@fcps.org
Lana (Marley) Williamson
teresa.stevens@fcps.org
Kelcey Whipp
12th
Claudia Dixon
krista.rivera@fcps.org
Haithem Alsawalha
11th
lydia.kowalski@fcps.org
Elisha Kabongo
Piper Guzman
andrea.kerslake@fcps.org
Kelman Escobar Carrillo
daniel.wagner@fcps.org
Cailyn Lampty
howard.putterman@fcps.org
Jack LeBlanc
Daniel Nguyen
sophia.hamilton@fcps.org
Angela Fortuno
Jordan Welch
Kevin Goodman
Anura Reid
jody.ratti@fcps.org
Ramont RJ Scott
patricia.crowell@fcps.org
Jianna Rogers
judith.jorgensen@fcps.org
Jamel Stanbeck
Kyle Sanger
Jackson LeBlanc
jennifer.creter@fcps.org
Lauren Roberts
charles.zitrick@fcps.org
Gina Tettah
nayibe.neuland@fcps.org
Ryan Thomas
Angelica Obrique
ellen.mcguinnes@fcps.org
Patrick Jeffers
Staff Members of the Month of September
Congratulations Mrs. McClain (World Language) and Mr. Coates (Special Education) for winning the Staff Members of the Month of September! Keep up that great work!
Mole Day Celebration
Celebrated annually on October 23 from 6:02 a.m. to 6:02 p.m., Mole Day commemorates Avogadro's Number (6.02 x 1023), which is a basic measuring unit in chemistry. Mole Day was created as a way to foster interest in chemistry. In Ms. G’s AP Chem classes, we celebrated by eating Mole cookies, making Mole Thermoplastic keychains, applying temporary Despicamole Me tattoos, listening to the Molenium CD, and performing calculations using the Mole. We found out that if you had one mole of dollar bills on the day the Earth was formed, and you spent one million dollars per second during the entire 4.5 billion years, you would still be unimaginably wealthy. Now… back to work!
Senior Class of 2020 News
TITAN SENIOR NEWS
Listed below are important dates and information for seniors.
Visit the THS Senior Page for up-to-date Senior Information - https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/thsseniors2020/home
Mandatory Graduation Practices:
Graduation: Thursday, June 4, 2020 at 10 am at Mount Saint Mary’s University in Emmitsburg, MD
Twitter Account: @tuscarorahs20
Next Week
Senior Shirts
Seniors shirts will arrive next week. Announcements will be made once they arrive.
Nov. 11. 2019
Claire’s Gourmet
Orders will need to be picked-up this day from the media center. We cannot store these items because they are frozen.
Nov. 20, 2019
Senior Meeting
Senior meeting during FLEX. The Herff Jones representative will be here to talk about graduation caps and gowns. This is an extremely important meeting.
Dec. 3, 2019
Grad Fair
The Herff Jones representative will be located in the main hallway form 3:00 – 7:00 pm. Caps and gowns can be purchased along with other graduation products.
Dec. 7, 2019
Santa’s Workshop
Santa’s Workshop sponsored by the Class of 2020. Crafts, snacks, story time, music, and a visit from Santa. Cost is $5 per child
10 am – 12 pm in the THS cafeteria
May 1, 2020
Senior Video
Submit photos to tuscarorahs2020@yahoo.com
Internships, Scholarships, Service and Job Opportunities
2020-21 NCI Science Internships at Ft. Detrick
Applications for the Werner H. Kirsten Science Internship Program at Ft. Detrick will open on October 1. Current juniors interested in participating during their senior year should apply. Students must be 17 by start of the internship in June. Interested students can sign up with Ms. Mummert. The application can be found at https://ncifrederick.cancer.gov/careers/student_programs/internships/sip/.
Registration is required.
Attention 9th-11th graders: Carson Scholars Program
The Carson Scholars Program is ready to accept nominations. The student must have an unweighted GPA of 3.75 or higher in the combined academic subjects: English, Math, Science, Social Studies, and World Language. Essay and application should be submitted to guidance by Monday, December 9, 2019. Application is available on Naviance. Only 1 student per school is chosen.
Franklin and Bess Gladhill Fund
Applications are online to apply for 2019-2020 grants from the Franklin and Bess Gladhill Fund for Agricultural Education and the FCPS Gifts for Education Fund. FCPS encourages collaborations to combine and maximize resources, inviting support for student enrichment or enhanced learning through innovative means. Parents, students, community members and employees at schools and central office may apply to fund projects that will benefit students. Only one application may be submitted per school, with typical awards ranging from $100 to a maximum of $1,000. The grants cannot be used to support fundraisers or a one-time event, performance or presentation unless part of a sustained or continuing program and cannot fund the same project for more than two years.
Please see the news release for details: https://www.fcps.org/about/news/1667589/gifts-for-education-and-gladhill-grants-applications-open
The application deadline is Thursday, November 14 at 4 PM.
Counseling Office Updates
FRESHMEN MEETINGS
All Freshmen will meet with THS School Counselors during one FLEX session during the week of October 28th. The School Counselors will be presenting a Naviance lesson. This lesson is to introduce our Freshmen to several career features that will help guide them in developing the foundation for their post high school plans. Each student will be given a packet of materials to take home and share with their parents.
ATTENTION SOPHOMORES-INDIVIDUAL MEETINGS WITH COUNSELORS
The THS Counseling Department invites parents to join their 10th grade student’s for their individual conference with their counselor. This conference will be an opportunity for you and your student to talk with their counselor about their goals and post-secondary plans. Conferences will be held from November 11th through December 19th. Please use the links below to sign up with the appropriate counselor.
Student’s last name A-C: Ms. Moore:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4AACA92AA1FC1-moore1
Student last name D-Hd and all EL Students: Mrs.McDonald:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4AACA92AA1FC1-mcdonald1
Student last name He-Mi: Mrs. Goto:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4AACA92AA1FC1-goto1
Student last name MJ-Sc: Mrs. Wilson:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4AACA92AA1FC1-wilson1
Student last name SD-Z: Mr. Harrison:
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/8050E4AACA92AA1FC1harrison1
If you have questions or would like to schedule via phone please contact Ms. Mejia (240-236-6438) by Monday, November 4, 2019.
THS Counseling Evening Programs
Tuesday, December 10- Freshman and Sophomore Night
Wednesday, January 22- Registration Night
ASVAB Test- Tuesday, December 3rd
The Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery (ASVAB) is the most widely used multiple-aptitude test in the world. The ASVAB measures your strengths, weaknesses, and potential for future success. It also provides you with career information for various civilian and military occupations and is an indicator for success in future endeavors whether you choose to go to college, vocational school, or a military career. The ASVAB will be administered to any interested THS students (grades 10, 11, 12) for free.
The test will be Tuesday, December 3, 2019 at Frederick High School at 8 AM. Students must provide their own transportation. This is a 3 to 4 hour test--cell phones, calculators, iPods, or any other electronic devices are not to be used in the testing area!
Click here to register: https://forms.gle/asn81DkjjNvBX7xP8
Click here to learn more about the ASVAB: http://www.asvabprogram.com/
Looking for 10th Grade Leaders!
We are looking for 10th Grade Leaders to represent Tuscarora at the Hugh O’Brian Youth (HOBY) Leadership Conference in May! HOBY Applications will be available in the counseling office beginning Monday, October 21. All applications must be submitted by the end of the school day on Wednesday, November 20. Click here to learn more about this opportunity. Please see Mrs. McDonald in the counseling office if you have questions.
FCPS Academy For the Fine Arts
FCPS 9th, 10th and 11th graders countywide interested in a Fine Arts career pathway!The FCPS Academy for the Fine Arts (AFA) offers focus areas in visual art, dance, music and drama. The AFA hosts Shadow Days monthly, beginning Wednesday, October 16. On a Shadow Day, students visit the AFA the first half of the day to view a student presentation, take a tour, and sit in on a class or two in their focus area.
To register for a Shadow Day, use this link: https://www.fcpsartsacademy.org/visit-the-afa.html.
Learn about applying to the AFA for next school year: https://www.fcpsartsacademy.org/application-information.html
The application deadline is Friday, January 24, 2020. Students from all FCPS high schools are welcome!
FCPS Career and Technology Center Shadowing
CTC shadow requests/applications will be available in the Guidance office beginning Tuesday October 1st. Shadowing begins on Tuesday November 5, continuing through Thursday, February 27. Students interested in CTC programs must complete shadowing for that program before applying.
FAFSA Finish Programs
Registration begins October 1: frederickcountygives.org/FAFSAFinish
These programs will give you the opportunity to work individually with a Financial Aid expert who will help you complete your Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Participants could receive one of eight $1,000-$2,000 scholarships upon completion of a post-event survey.
October 29
Gov. Thomas Johnson High School
7:00-8:30 p.m.
FCC Open House-Main Campus
Saturday, October 26 10 AM- Noon
Student Center
Students will be able to tour campus and talk with faculty and staff at an academic and campus resource fair. RSVP at: https://www.frederick.edu/credit-admissions/open-house.aspx
Frederick County HBCU College Fair
Frederick High School Wednesday, October 30 at 6:00 PM
Register for free today: www.ctohbcu.eventbrite.com
This event will be a great opportunity for students to receive information about Historically Black Colleges and Universities, assistance with college readiness, talk about financial aid applications, and to speak with current HBCU students and graduates.
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church HBCU College Fair
Mt. Calvary Baptist Church
608 North Horners Lane
Rockville, MD 20850
Saurday, November 2, 2019 9 AM - 2 PM
To register visit yourfuture.splashthat.com
Career Exploration Open House and Workshop at FCC’s Monroe Center
Wednesday, November 13 5 PM -7 PM
The Monroe Center
Students will be able to tour the Monroe Center and talk with program managers. There will also be hands-on workshops at 5:30 and 6:30 PM to help explore career options.
RSVP at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/fall-2019-career-exploration-open-house-workshop-registration-68525482563
College Representatives at Tuscarora High School
The School Counseling Department has begun scheduling college representative visits at Tuscarora! Please check your Naviance account by going to "Colleges I'm Thinking About" and then "College Visits." From here, you will see the list of colleges that are visiting THS and this is where you sign up to meet with the college's representative. Register for the college visit by simply clicking on "Register Now."
Counselor Breakdown by Student Last Name: A-C Danielle Moore D-I Jessica McDonald J-N Carla Goto O-Sv Kay Wilson Sw-Z Joshua Harrison
PTSA and Booster Organizations
PTSA Membership
THANK YOU for your continued support to our membership campaign, we are happy to share we are now at 123 MEMBERS! That’s 19 more to reaching our goal of 142—very attainable and we’re even confident we’re going to exceed our target. To keep the momentum going, if you’re not a member yet, our membership form can be found at https://tuscarorahsptsa.org/ in the Forms section. Come join us!
Other PTSA News
Not a member of the PTSA yet? Find out how to Join the PTSA
See names of PTSA Board and Committee Chairs and more
Safe and Sane Graduation Celebration
Get your registration for Safe and Sane along with the $75.00 registration fee on today! Registration forms can be found in the Main Office or click here. Safe and Sane Registration Form
Safe and Sane has a Fine Linens and Pillow Fundraiser through the Sheetslady. Sheets are $40/set any size Twin-California King including Twin XL. You can order from any Safe and Sane Committee member or at: www.sheetslady.com. Email questions to amythesheetslady@gmail.com.
THS Class of 2020 Safe and Sane T-Shirts and Tumblers are available to order. Order forms can be found in the Main Office or by clicking here. ORDER FORM
Dollar Donut Days every Friday. Safe and Sane will be selling Krispy Kreme donuts Friday mornings on Main Street $1/donut. If you would like a dozen or more donuts, you can pre-order them by emailing merearick@gmail.com by Wednesday evenings for that Friday. Please include your name and phone/extension number.
Puravida Bracelets will again be for sale on Dollar Donut Fridays! $10/bracelet.
Safe and Sane needs volunteers (adults and students) to sell concessions at the last home football game against Middletown on Friday Oct 18th. We need your help! They bring the whole town with them. This is an opportunity for Safe and Sane to make money for our event. Please consider volunteering! Click on the Sign Up Genius link below to claim your spot.
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080B4AA9A92FA57-football
The next Safe and Sane Planning Meeting will be Tuesday, October 29 6:30 - 8:00 PM at Roy Rogers 301 Ballenger Center Drive Frederick, MD 21703. We need more volunteers to help make this a wonderful event for our seniors!
Safe and Sane needs donations of holiday wrapping paper (Christmas and Hanukkah). In December we will have several dates where people can come and get their holiday gifts wrapped for a donation. Please send in donations marked Safe and Sane. Details will be forthcoming.
Barnes & Noble Holiday Wrap Fundraiser. On Friday December 20, 2019 Safe and Sane will be at Barnes & Noble wrapping purchased gifts for donations. A Sign-Up Genius will be forthcoming for volunteer wrappers to sign up for 2-hr time slots. This is a great opportunity for those who need volunteer hours.
Candle and Soap Fundraiser - In November Safe and Sane will host a Candle and Soap Fundraiser. Seniors will be able to earn extra tickets for the night of our event to use for prizes. Details to come.
Like the THS Class of 2020 Safe and Sane Facebook page to get up to date information.
Email ths2020safeandsane@gmail.com with questions.
Future Starvin Marvin Days - Mark your calendar! Tuesday, November 5, 2019, Tuesday, January 7, 2020, Tuesday, March 3, 2020
Learn More
Media Center Updates
Media Center Hours and Contact
Monday – Friday: 7:20 am – 2:40 pm
Media Center Website: https://education.fcps.org/ths/mediacenter
Media Center Twitter: @mediacenterTHS
Reading Challenge
Go to the media center page on the THS website to login or to Beanstack (our reading challenge website) or just click on the link https://fcpstuscarorahs.beanstack.org/reader365
Select the “Fall into Reading” challenge and get started recording your books read. Students who read and record can come to the media center to claim their prizes.
Digital Citizenship Week
Last week was digital citizenship week. This is an extremely important topic in today’s digital world. Check out this site for some short videos and questions to discuss with your children. https://www.commonsense.org/node/4544906
Daily Announcements
Daily recorded Tuscarora High School student announcements can be found on the homepage of the THS website: https://education.fcps.org/ths/
Visit Our Online Resources
Titan Health and Wellness
Frederick Community Health Fair
12th Annual Frederick Community Health Fair Saturday, October 26 8 AM-3 PM Great Frederick Fairgrounds 797 E. Patrick St., Frederick
FREE Health and Wellness Services and Activities Include: Flu shots (for adults and children)
Screenings for hearing, vision, bone density, blood pressure, glucose, cholesterol, diabetes, Hepatitis B and C, HIV testing
Oral health education and referrals
Mental health evaluations
Access to interpreters in 13 languages
Access to 1-on-1 sessions with doctors
Tobacco education
Fitness challenges
FREE grocery distribution by Maryland Food Bank
Over 70 community service providers See details online now: https://aacfmd.org/community-health-fair
Health Room Technician: Bruce Thompson School Nurse: Tae Ju, RN Health Room: 240-236-6400, option 4
PRINCIPAL Christopher Berry TUSCARORA HIGH 5312 Ballenger Creek Pike Frederick, MD 21703 240-236-6400 Phone 240-236-6401 Fax
Follow Us on Twitter @THSTitanPride Visit Our Website
ASSISTANT PRINCIPALS Helen Golibart Cynthia Hanlon Jody Ratti Tanisha Smith Helpful Links: School Cash Online Menus & Meals Grades Online www.fcps.org
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