Sherwood High SchoolDecember 2017 Newsletter

A Message from Mr. Gregory …

The holidays are upon us. This is the time of year to give thanks and celebrate the great things that we do each day at Sherwood. Over the past several months, we have seen so many wonderful accomplishments of students and staff. I am proud of the work we have done as a school community and am grateful to each person for the gifts they have given to one another and to me. As we finish the first semester and get ready for the second semester, I look forward to good things continuing.

This newsletter contains information that will help as we finish the first semester and begin the second semester. As you read through the newsletter, please take note of resources we have to support students and families as well as other pertinent information. The first semester ends on Thursday, January 25 th. January 25th is an Early Release Day for students. School will be closed on Friday, January 26th for a Professional Day for teachers. The second semester will begin on Monday, January 29th.

Winter break begins at the close of school on Friday, December 22nd. Students and staff will return to school on Tuesday, January 2nd. During winter break, the main office and the counseling office will be closed.

On behalf of the Sherwood High School community, I extend our best wishes for peace and happiness this holiday season.

Student and Staff and Family Wellness …

The end of the year, the beginning of the next, the holiday season, the end of a semester, and the stresses of dealing with day-to-day events can be extremely difficult for many of us. Some of us have been dealing with a loss that can be magnified this time of year. Some of us are dealing with life issues that also can seem to be multiplied this season. It is important that we are available to support our loved ones, especially during their difficult times.

We sent information with resources home via ConnectEd on December 8 and posted information on our website. Below is a list of local and national resources that may be helpful in assisting parents and guardians with providing support to your children:

Montgomery County Youth Crisis Hotline: 301-738-9697, provides free, confidential, and anonymous support to youth by trained counselors, 24 hours/day, 7 days/week.

Montgomery County Crisis Textline: 301-738-2255, provides free, confidential, and anonymous text support by trained counselors. Available Monday-Thursday, 4:00 p.m.-9:00 p.m.

The Montgomery County Crisis Center: 240-777-8255, provides crisis services 24 hours/day, 365 days/year. Services provided via telephone or in person. Address is 1301 Piccard Drive, Rockville, MD, no appointment needed.

The Mobile Crisis Outreach will respond anywhere within Montgomery County to provide emergency psychiatric evaluations.

The Crisis Chatline is a service of the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Youth may access support 24 hours a day via chat. www.CrisisChat.org.

The Montgomery County BtheOne suicide awareness and substance use prevention campaign website describes action steps to help oneself and friends and includes links to resources and hotlines. www.BtheOne.org.

As always, our counselors and staff are available to support our students and their families.

Electronic Cigarettes, Vapes and Juuls …

This school year has seen a rise in the use of e-cigarettes, vapes and juuls. People are buying these devices and some of the liquid that goes into them in stores and online. The use of these devices in school is not permitted.

While many feel the use of these devices are safer than smoking conventional cigarettes, this is not necessarily true. The liquids contained in these devices range anywhere from vape juices without chemical additives to juices that have more nicotine than a cigarette to a drug such a marijuana oil or another synthetic drug.

Please discuss these devices and the use of them with your student. There is a lot of information that is available online. As with cigarettes, alcohol and drugs, these devices and their use are not allowed in school and on any Montgomery County Public Schools campus.

Free Microsoft Office Suite for Students …

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) students are eligible to download and install the latest version of the Microsoft Office software suite, Office 365 ProPlus, for free. Office 365 ProPlus includes the full suite of Microsoft applications such as Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, as well as the ability to create, save, and share Microsoft Office files online. Students are able to download and install the Microsoft Office software on up to five PC or Mac computers free of charge. In addition to the computer applications, students can download the Microsoft Office mobile applications to their phones and tablet devices.

To help students and their families take advantage of this opportunity:

Step-by-step directions for downloading and installing the software can be found on the Parents and Students web page and are available in English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Vietnamese, Korean and Amharic.

Office 365 Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) can be found on the Parents and Students web page. An e-mail drop box has been created for additional questions that may not be answered by the FAQ

or Microsoft support by addressing inquiries to Office365@mcpsmd.org. OCTO staff will review inquiries and follow up within 24-48 hours.

January - March 2018 Calendar …

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Please mark these events on your calendars.

January 1 New Year’s Day – Holiday – Schools ClosedJanuary 2 Students and Staff return to schoolJanuary 12 1st Semester SSL Forms are dueJanuary 15 Holiday – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day – schools and offices closedJanuary 17 Sophomore Parent Night – Media Center, 7pmJanuary 18 Junior Parent Night – Media Center, 7pmJanuary 18 Winter One Acts – Ertzman Theatre, 7:30 pmJanuary 19 Winter One Acts – Ertzman Theatre, 7:30 pmJanuary 23 Freshman Parent Night – Media Center, 7pmJanuary 25 2nd Marking Period Ends, 1st Semester EndsJanuary 25 Early Release DayJanuary 25 Course Fair for 8th Grade Parents – Ertzman Theatre, 6:00 pmJanuary 26 Professional Day for Teachers, No school for studentsJanuary 30 3rd Marking Period Begins, 2nd Semester BeginsFebruary 1 Registration Presentation for current grade 9 through English ClassesFebruary 2 Registration Presentation for current grade 10 through English ClassesFebruary 5 Warrior Club Meeting – Media Center, 7pmFebruary 5 Chamber Singers Music Recital E150, 7:30 pmFebruary 5 Report Card DistributionFebruary 4 Registration Presentation for current grade 11 through English ClassesFebruary 10 ACT (Not @ SHS)February 12 Last day for on-line registration for classesFebruary 19 President’s Day – Holiday – schools and offices closedFebruary 20 PTSA Meeting – Media Center, 7:15 pmMarch 2 Early Release DayMarch 2 Rock ‘n Roll #45 – Ertzman Theatre, 7:30 pmMarch 3 Rock ‘n Roll #45 – Ertzman Theatre, 7:30 pmMarch 4 Rock ‘n Roll #45 – Ertzman Theatre, 2pmMarch 5 Warrior Club Meeting – Media Center, 7pmMarch 6 PTSA Rock ‘n Roll #45 MatineeMarch 6 Interims (Edline or Mailed Home)March 9 Rock ‘n Roll #45 – Ertzman Theatre, 7:30 pmMarch 10 SAT (Not @ SHS)March 10 Rock ‘n Roll #45 – Ertzman Theatre, 7:30 pmMarch 11 Rock ‘n Roll #45 – Ertzman Theatre, 2pmMarch 12 Winter Athletic Awards Night – Ertzman Theatre, 6:30 pmMarch 13 Spring Meet the Coach Night – Ertzman Theatre, 6:30 pmMarch 20 PTSA Meeting – Media Center, 7:15 pmMarch 22 National Honor Society Induction – Ertzman Theatre, 6:30 pmMarch 23 International Club Dinner – Cafeteria, 6:00 pmMarch 26, 27, 28, & 29 Spring Break – No SchoolMarch 30 & April 2 Holiday – schools and offices closed

End of Semester One/Beginning of Semester Two …

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Important Dates …

When we return to school in January, we have just about four weeks until the end of the marking period. Please work closely with your students, teachers and counselor to make sure that students are prepared to complete all work for the marking period. Classes resume on Tuesday, January 2. There is no school on Monday, January 15, in observance of the Dr. Martin Luther King Junior, Birthday Holiday. The second marking period ends on Thursday, January 25, and the third marking period begins on Monday, January 29.

High School Assessments (those needing a make-up) …

Government HSA make-up testing for students will take place January 10 to February 2. Ms. Gelfand, the Testing Coordinator, will be contacting the students who need to take the Government exam during this time period.

Policy for Retaking Courses …

Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) revised its policy (Regulation IKC-RA) regarding students retaking a course. In the past, if a student retook a course, both grades appeared on the transcript and were included in the student’s overall grade point average (GPA) and weighted grade point average (WGPA).

Students in grades 9 through 12, who take a course and then retake it, no matter the final grade, are allowed to exclude the lower of the two grades from their transcript and their GPA/WGPA. The highest of the grades received will be the only grade that appears on the transcript for that course.The mark exclusion applies only to two occurrences of the same exact course with the same exact course code. For example, grades for on-level courses may not be used to exclude grades for honors-level courses. When scheduling students for classes, requests to retake a course will be honored only when there is room in the course. Students taking the course for the first time will always have priority.

Your students’ counselor will be able to provide support to you regarding retaking a course. Please work with the counselor in all instances where a student plans to retake a course. Once the course is complete, the student and the counselor will need to complete the MCPS Form 560-55: Notice of High School Mark Exclusion and submit it to the registrar.

Withdrawal from Courses …

If a student chooses to withdraw from a course, the request to withdraw must be made by the 25 th school day of the semester. If a student withdraws from a course before the end of the fifth week (25 school days), no notation is made on the student’s permanent record or report card or transcript. If the student withdraws after the 25 th school day of the semester in which the class begins, a notation of “W,” or “Withdrew,” the date of the withdrawal, and the average grade at the time of withdrawal will be entered on the permanent record, transcript, and report card. (Withdrawal grades are not used in computing GPA or WGPA. However, they are included to determine student academic eligibility for participation in extracurricular activities.)

Obligation Clearance/Collection Procedures …

Financial obligations must be cleared by students with the Financial Specialist before or after school, or during lunch. Checks should be made payable to "Sherwood High School". If a student has an obligation issued by the Media Center for library materials, the obligation may be cleared at the Media Center or Business Office. If a student has an obligation for lunch money owed to the cafeteria, the obligation must be cleared by the Cafeteria Manager.

Rock ‘N’ Roll …

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Tickets for ROCK ‘N’ ROLL #47 will be available for purchase starting Thursday, February 1, 2018 at www.ShowTix4U.com. This is the fourth year for online ticket sales. Note: there are 2 prices for tickets this year, based on sections of the auditorium. Rows in center, left center and right center are $20 seats.  All rows, far left and far right sections are $10 seats. Click on this link to access the online ticket sales starting at 4 PM on February 1, 2018. http://www.showtix4u.com.

Please direct your questions by email to Jenny_S_Davis@mcpsmd.org.

Course Registration for 2018-2019 School Year …

Registration for current grades 9, 10, 11 will begin during the week of January 8, 2018. Counselors will be working in classrooms with students to assist them with course selections.

Course registration for 2018-2019 will be completed on-line by students using the registration program called PowerSchool. Counselors will present registration instructions to students during the week of January 8 and registration information will be provided for students to take home. Students and parents should make course requests based on teacher recommendations, credits needed, and student performance. Students must complete the on-line registration process by January 19, 2018. After January 19, the portal is locked and any changes must be made through the student’s counselor. Please contact the Sherwood Counseling Office, (301) 924-3210 with any questions.

If your student is out/absent the day of the class presentation, he/she can pick up registration materials from his/her English teacher the next day.

Counseling Department News …

The Counseling Department has had a busy fall, working with all grades of students on different tasks. Many seniors have completed their college application submissions; counselors and Joe Hock, our College and Career Advisor, have been assisting students and are available to assist any seniors still needing college application help. For those students still submitting applications, make sure to turn in your transcript request form to the Registrar’s office at least 3 weeks before your deadline.

During November, as part of a counseling-classroom lesson, 10th graders took a career interest inventory through Naviance. This lesson helped sophomore students identify their strengths and interests, and reacquainted them with Naviance, our on-line college and career database and resource. Students also use the Naviance program to submit their college applications during senior year.

In September, counselors presented a classroom lesson to 9th graders which provided an opportunity for goal setting, and a review of the Naviance program.

Counselors will meet with all 11th graders in January to review credits and course selections, and to plan for senior year.

January Parent Information Nights providing College and Career planning as well as registration information will be held on the following evenings at 7:00 pm in the Media Center:

11th grade – January 18, 2018 10th grade – January 17, 2018 9th grade – January 11, 2018

Media Center News …

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In October of 2016, MCPS Superintendent Dr. Jack Smith announced a partnership with Common Sense Media Education to provide digital citizenship lessons to our students. The lesson began in middle schools last school year and have expanded to 9th grade this year. Our students are receiving instruction throughout the year in copyright, plagiarism, credible information, and also touching upon internet safety such as oversharing, privacy, and cyberbullying.

Recently students received instruction on plagiarism and proper citation. For more information to support your student, please see this helpful “Family Tip Sheet” from Common Sense Education: https://www.commonsense.org/education/system/files/uploads/classroom-curriculum/9-12-familytip-plagiarism_and_piracy_062915.pdf?x=1. .

PrepTalk Newsletter ...

The PrepTalk newsletter is a Montgomery County Public School and Montgomery College partnership project. The newsletter is full of helpful information for parents and students regarding college preparation and readiness. Topics covered in PrepTalk include, but are not limited to, taking tests, planning academic schedules, improving study skills, paying for college and planning for key deadlines. The most recent issue of PrepTalk is available online at http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/careercenter/resources/preptalk.aspx.

Student Service Learning (SSL) …

Please make sure the activity is pre-approved beforehand. If not, a “special activity form” must be approved by Mr. Sartori and signed before the activity. Students will not receive student service learning hours for activities that have not been pre-approved.

Students can earn student service hours in a number of ways:

Successful completion of courses that have automatic SSL hours attached. These courses are identified in the MCPS Course Bulletin.

Participation in service-learning activities sponsored by school clubs or organizations. The advisor verifies the SSL hours.

Participation in activities with nonprofit organizations that are pre-approved for SSL. MCPS Form 560-51 Student Service Learning Activity Verification is required to verify the service.

Participation in service learning activities sponsored by nonprofit organizations not identified on www.mcpsssl.org as pre-approved for SSL but are approved 2 weeks in advance of the activity by the SSL coordinator with the MCPS Form 560-50, Application for Student Service Learning Special Activity.

SSL first semester hours are due January 12, 2018. Completed Student Service Learning forms should be placed in the SSL box outside the Counseling Office.

For more information about SSL visit www.mcpsssl.org for comprehensive SSL program information.

Sherwood High School PTSA …

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Thank you to everyone who has joined and contributed to the start of the 2017-2018 school year. Unfortunately, membership is down significantly from last year. If you have yet to join, please take a moment to join at www.SherwoodPTSA.org. For those who have joined, the PTSA directory will be published following winter break.

In our general meetings this school year, we have hosted Ms. Elizabeth Giffen, head of the Counseling Department who spoke about college and career preparatory resources at Sherwood and Mr. Gregory who spoke about evolving graduation requirements. We have several programs planned for the second semester, including substance abuse and responsible choices, mental health and resiliency, and tips for parents and teens on driving safe.

The PTSA will continue the traditions of After Prom and a role in scholarships for our high school seniors. As always, additional donations to these respective programs are helpful. After Prom always needs more volunteers. If you are interested in helping provide a safe, fun, and supervised event following prom, please contact Cindy Cacace at cindycacace@yahoo.com. The PTSA will also continue to support various clubs and programs at the school. Please watch the listserv, the website, and On Point for more news and information.

As always, we would love to hear from you. Please feel free to contact any PTSA officer with questions and suggestions. The PTSA President, Randall Macgill, can be reached at rmacgill@verizon.net. The PTSA wishes everyone a warm and happy holiday season.

Athletic Department News …

***Follow SHS Athletics on Twitter - @WarriorResults & Facebook Sherwood Warrior Athletes or www.sherwoodathletics.org***

Fall Sports Wrap Up: Congratulations to Coach Parsons, Coach Decker and Coach Warren and the Warriors Boys Soccer team on their 4A North Regional title and 4A State Semi-Finalist title.

Also, congratulations to the Coach Achten Coach Carver, Coach Brady and the Lady Warriors Volleyball team on their 4A North Regional title and 4A State Semi-finalist title.

Congratulations to the Warriors Boys Soccer team, Football team and Team Handball for earning MCPS Division titles.

Winter Athletic Awards Night: Sherwood High School will hold its Winter Athletic Awards Night on Monday, March 12, 2018 at 6:30 pm in the Ertzman Theatre of Sherwood High School. The program will begin with a short dessert reception in the Ertzman lobby at 6:30pm. Family and friends are invited to share in this wonderful occasion to acknowledge the academic and athletic achievements of our Warriors. We would like to commend our student-athletes accomplishments and successes on this evening. All winter sports are recognized and awards are presented for participation, leadership, scholar and sportsmanship. Student-athletes are expected to attend and be in proper attire for an evening school-sponsored assembly.

Spring Interscholastic Athletics: The spring interscholastic athletic season begins March 1, 2018 for the following programs:

Baseball (Varsity-Coach Sean Davis & JV-Coach Kevin Andre) Gymnastics will begin Monday, March 6, 2016 (Varsity-Gary Peters) Lacrosse (Boys Varsity-Coach Matt Schneider & JV-Coach Ryan Burnsky) Lacrosse (Girls Varsity-Coach Kelly Hughes & JV-Coach (TBA) Softball (Girls Varsity-Coach Ashley Barber-Strunk & JV-Coach Caitlin Thompson) Tennis (Boys Varsity-Coach Tom Maley) Track (Co-ed Varsity-Head Coach Dan Reeks) Volleyball (Boys Varsity-Coach Jake Achten, Co-ed Varsity-Coach Tim Gilchrist)

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Allied Softball will begin Monday, March 6, 2017 (Varsity-Coach Katie Nichols)

Online Sports Registration: The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Athletics launched the online registration program for the winter and upcoming spring sports season through the myMCPS Parent Portal. The portal will feature registration for all high school interscholastic athletic teams. The myMCPS Parent Portal is a secure, user-friendly online registration platform designed to provide a convenient registration process for our students and parents/guardians. Additionally, the portal will help MCPS Athletics become more administratively efficient and environmentally responsible.

Information for Registration: In order to register and access online registration, parents/guardians must confirm their login information to the myMCPS Parent Portal. MyMCPS login information was mailed home for all students. Parents/guardians who need login information for the portal should contact the school. Parents/guardians can find support materials for using the myMCPS Parent Portal at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mymcps.classroom/. More information will be forthcoming as we get closer to the spring registration date.

MCPS Athletics Online Registration Directions: MCPS Athletics Online Registration Directions-Condensed.myMCPSParentPortalAthletics.v1

MCPS Sportsmanship Award: MCPS will present Sportsmanship Awards in each sport to varsity teams whose spectators and team personnel best exhibit sportsmanship over the course of the season. The award will be based on ratings conducted by officials, athletic directors, and school administrators. The school whose teams have won the greatest number of team sportsmanship awards during the course of the year will be recognized as the county “Sportsmanship Champion” for that year and will receive a monetary award.

MCPS Attendance Policy for Student-Athletes Participating in Interscholastic Athletics: Participation in any athletic event or practice requires athletes to attend all their scheduled classes the day of the event or practice. Students who have prescheduled activities, such as a medical appointment, court appearance, driver’s exam, or religious observance, will be permitted to participate in an event or practice on the day of the absence, provided approval for the absence has been granted in advance. Prior approval is not necessary for approved school activities. Students who have an excused absence on Friday are eligible to participate in athletic events on Saturday. If you know your student-athlete will be absent, please email Bonnie Gilchrist (Bonnie_J_Gilchrist@mcpsmd.org) 24 hours in advance of the absence. A student who is absent from any class without obtaining prior approval may not participate in practices or contests on the day he/she is absent.

Warrior Club: The Sherwood Warrior Club is the official all-sports booster club at Sherwood High School that raises funds and rallies support for the 40+ teams that play across three sports seasons. The Warrior Club, a not-for-profit 501(c) 3 organization is comprised of parents and guardians of Sherwood athletes – and fans of Warrior athletics – who are committed to providing our students with the best possible high school athletic experience. We do this by raising money for equipment, field maintenance and many other team needs that far exceed the county budget line item.

Show your Warrior pride! Watch for the following activities in which to participate in the weeks and months ahead.

December-February I Drive Smart raffle Buy a T-shirt to support the Walt Hardy Foundation Volunteer for indoor concessions

March-April Mulch sale Spring campus clean up Warrior Club Scholarship applications requested from graduating student athletes

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Volunteer for outdoor concessions

May College Signing Day ceremony – recognizing all graduating student athletes who intend to play

sports at the next level

Sign up to join the Warrior Club at www.shswarriorclub.org. Our meetings are usually held the first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the Media Center. Please join us:

February 5, 2018 March 5, 2018 April 9, 2018 May 7, 2018

Contact Warrior Club President Rebecca McMenamin at president@shswarriorsclub.org for additional information.

College Board Recognitions …

Semifinalists in the 2017 National Merit Scholarship CompetitionPeter Feeney

Jared Schwartz

Commended Students in the National Merit ProgramJared Anderson

Jacob AyresSamuel ButlerNicole CliffordKalista Dang

Benjamin GratzJustin Hong

Michelle LevyIsabelle Kim

Natalie MurrayBritney Nguyen

Isabella Pilot

Scholars in the National Hispanic Recognition ProgramNicholas Costa

Student of the Month …

September 2017

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Justin Hale (English)Lucresse Kouamen (English)Cheick Diabate (ESOL)Patricia Nolasco Barraza (ESOL)Shannon Corcoran (Art)Meg Kuchma (Music)Taylor Hilderbrand (French)Victoria Nouvet (Italian)Ashton Labarta (Spanish)

Dakota Knight (ASL)Yohannes Belai (Math)Rachel Best (Math)Stephen Isabell (Math)Bubacarr Cham (PE)Paige Snyder (PE)James Kirk (Social Studies)Fatima Martinez (Special Ed.)

October 2017

Megan Barrett (Early Child Development)Nicholas Weinrich (Academy of Health Prof.)Stasha Galczynski (Video Production)Jessica Williams (College/Car. Res. Dev.)Minseo Boek (Technology Ed.)Collin Lubbers (Hospitatility Mgmt.)Daniel Cunha (Computer Science)Danielle Russell (Child Dev. Intern)Aritsa Geffrard (ESOL)Carlos Ramirez (ESOL)Madeline Cowell (Art)

Gabby Khan (Music)Carly Herman (Spanish)Sydney Dosik (French)Emily Greene (Italian)Isabella Capobianco (ASL)Peter Feeney (Math)Mesai Fulmore (PE)Michelle Liu (PE)Maryam Higozi (Science)Mackenzie Lee (Science)Maria Ramos (Special Ed.)

November 2017

Jackelyn Alfaro (Hospitality Mgmt.)Chisomebi Agwu (Computer Science)Bailey Cahill (Internship)Isabella Cordara (Child Dev. Intern)Victor Ortiz, Jr., (Child Development)Luke Tomlinson (Technology Educ.)Amavi Anoumah (ESOL)Frainy Santos Guareno (ESOL)Sofia Gomez (Art)Elizabeth Schmid (Music)Ben Shapiro (French)Sophia Morales (Spanish)

Jordan Chettiveettil (Math)Rebecca Goldberg (Math)Carlos Ramirez (Math)Emily Rogers (Math)Sam Butler (PE)Savannah Durrer (PE)Natalie Flynn (PE)Tessa Black (Science)Ronan Ferro (Science)Lindsay Goldstein (Social Studies)Max Caponiti (Special Ed)

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