THE COUGAR CONNECTION

The Catoctin High School Newsletter • August 16, 2022

WElcome back to school!

It's going to be a GREAT year!

Thanks to the many students and families who joined us for Back to School Night – it was great to have so many from our community at school, sharing our excitement for the year to come.

It is through collaboration and partnership that we will provide the greatest support for our students’ success. Please take a few minutes to review the information below – this will ensure that we are all starting with common expectations, resources, and messages. Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or any way in which we can support your child. Go Cougars!

Screencast with information for all parents/guardians: Back to School Screencast

Slides and information for incoming 9th graders and other new CHS students: 9th Grade and New Student Slideshow

See you tomorrow! It's going to be a great year at CHS!

welcome CHS staff!

Andrew McWilliams, Assistant Principal

- Catherine Davis, English Teacher
- Steven Kennedy, World Languages Teacher
- Christina Scudiero, Math Teacher
- Sarah Shriner, Career Technology Education Teacher
- DeAnne Statler, Special Education Teacher
- Rachel Stroh, Special Education Teacher
- Melinda Mazenko, Speech Therapist
- Troy Burrier, Custodian
- Sally Clever, Custodian

CLICK HERE!

School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program for 2022-2023

Frederick County Public Schools, Food and Nutrition Services announces participation in the School Breakfast Program and National School Lunch Program for school year 2022-2023. We encourage families who think they qualify (or unsure if they qualify) to complete the free and reduced-price meal benefits application to determine your child’s eligibility. Eligibility for free or reduced-price meal reimbursement is based on annual income eligibility guidelines effective from July 1, 2022 to June 30, 2023. Applications for free and reduced-price school meal benefits for the 2022-2023 school year are available at all FCPS schools or may be completed online at https://www.myschoolapps.com/Application.

Visit the School Meals Frequently Asked Questions and FCPS Nutrition Services pages for more information!

Register Today for SchoolCash Online for School Fees

FCPS offers SchoolCash Online as our preferred method of payment for all school fees, including class fees, athletic fees, field trips, and more. Our SchoolCash Online page can be found here: https://frederickcounty.schoolcashonline.com/.

Benefits to parents and schools

SchoolCash Online helps parents and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. In addition to convenience for yourself, you will help increase efficiency and security at your school by making payments directly into your school's bank account. This allows teachers and secretaries to focus on helping students, and not counting cash. In addition, you are immediately informed about school activities!

Register now!

Registering for your free SchoolCash Online account takes less than two minutes! Visit https://frederickcounty.schoolcashonline.com/ and click Register.

Should you encounter any difficulties, please contact the SchoolCash Online parent help desk by visiting schoolcashonline.com/Home/Support.

How it works

Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the safe and secure management of school fees. This system puts all of the school-related fees for your student online for purchase. Schools post their items and activities and assign the relevant fees to your student, so you can then make purchases online using your credit card. This allows you to stay informed about upcoming school activities while keeping track of the school fees that require your attention.

Get geared up for the 2022-23 School Year!

Check out the official online store for CHS spirit wear! Click on the image below and save 15% with code AUGUST22!

Mark Your Calendar!

August 17 - FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2022-23!

August 23 - Deadline to submit Schedule Change Requests

September 1 - Underclass Picture Day

October 10 & 11 - Senior Portrait Make-up Dates

October 24 - Underclass Picture Make Up Date

Don't Miss a Game!

GO COUGARS!

Up-to-date CHS game schedules for all sports: https://www.frederickcountycmc.org/public/genie/312/school/6/

Watch games via live-streaming on www.nfhsnetwork.com/

Join CHS Sports Boosters!

MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL

Dear Catoctin Community,

Welcome Back Cougars!!!! Fall sports have started, Back to School Night was last week, the building is beautiful, your classrooms are ready, our staff is excited…..it is time to start another year of excellence at Catoctin High School!

We are looking forward to a great school year. Our teachers are prepared to engage and challenge every student and our entire staff is ready to support the needs of our students. We posted a video in Schoology for students and highlighted these keys to high school success:

Attend school – regularly and on time. We want every student to be in school, on time, every day!
Engage – be an active participant in your learning and get connected with positive people and activities at school.
Hold yourself and those around you to high expectations for behavior and learning. Remember the tenets of ROAR:
- - - Respect
    - Ownership
    - Accountability
    - Readiness
We will spend time over the first several days of school reviewing this matrix; students can use this to as a guide to good decision-making.
Advocate – seek support and ask questions when there is something you need.
Commit to being a positive member of Cougar Nation – in your words and actions, in your classes and outside of them. Each member of our school community is a valued presence and voice – let’s ensure that they all provide positive contributions to our school.

2022-23 is going to be a great school year that will become part of Catoctin High’s School rich history. Each and every member of our school and community will be part of that.

Go Cougars!

Jen Clements

Principal

Online Instant Help Tutoring Program: TutorMe

All Frederick County Public Schools middle and high school students now have 24/7 access to virtual tutoring services for help on any subject.

What is TutorMe? TutorMe provides virtual tutoring opportunities for middle and high school students on virtually any topic. Tutors are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for assistance. Watch this video for more information: TutorMe Overview

How do students log in? Students can log in from the Chrome web browser by using Clever. Watch this video for directions: Log-in to TutorMe

How do students get tutoring assistance? Students access TutorMe using the Clever portal and then select a subject for help. Watch this video for details on how to connect with a tutor: Connect with a Tutor

What can students request assistance for? TutorMe connects you with a tutor for every subject! You can even submit documents to the Writing Lab for editing/advice!

How do students get assistance with writing reports and essays? The TutorMe Writing Lab is accessible to students 24/7. More details about how to upload documents to the lab are available online. Spanish directions are available here.

Does TutorMe help with Advanced Placement and/or Dual Enrollment courses at the high school level? Yes! TutorMe actually began as a tutoring service for college students. Tutors are available to support students in most subjects and at any level.

For detailed information and links visit: TutorMe Q&A

counseling department

resources for families in need

Catoctin High School Pantry

Families in need of school supplies or other items should email kelly.gruber@fcps.org.

Local Food Banks

- Thurmont Food Bank, 10 Frederick Road, Thurmont. For more information call 240-288-1865
- Emmitsburg Food Bank, 130 S. Seton Avenue, Emmitsburg. For more information call 717-642-6963

FCPS Meal Benefits

All FCPS students can apply for free or reduced-price meal benefits by online at: Meal Benefits. Paper copies are available in the front office. You must reapply every year for benefits.

NEED HELP?

Child Protective Services (CPS): 301-600-2464

- To get help for physical, sexual, emotional abuse or neglect.

Crisis Services: Dial 211

- To get help when you feel really anxious or really depressed and need someone to talk with so that you can stay safe.

Maryland Anonymous Tip Line: 1-833-632-7233

- To report threats or situations that put your safety or others’ safety at risk.

Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-8255

- To get help if you are thinking about suicide.

CHS Schedule Change Process

Schedule change requests will be open until August 23rd. A schedule change request form* MUST be completed and shared with the student's assigned counselor AND signed by a parent/guardian by Wednesday, August 23rd at 3:00 pm. (Please note that a schedule will be adjusted only after the counselor receives the form; emails and/or phone calls will not suffice.) Please follow all of the directions on the form.

FCC, AP coursework, Work Study, Internships, and Student Service Learning (SSL) courses require a different level of approval and will not be addressed via the regular schedule change process. Please sign up for an appointment time to meet with your counselor to review these options.

If you wish to meet with your counselor to discuss options prior to filling out the form, please sign up for a 15-minute meeting slot using the Calendly links below:

Christy Wahl, Last Names A-G; http://www.calendly.com/catoctincwahl

Cameo Lawlor, Last Names H-O; http://www.calendly.com/catoctinclawlor

Shannon Byrnes, Last Names P-Z; http://www.calendly.com/catoctinsbyrnes

If you have specific questions regarding Work Study/Internships, SSL, AP or FCC classes, please contact the appropriate person noted below:

Work Study/Internships: David.Gadra@fcps.org
Student Service Learning (SSL): Amy.Bellarmino@fcps.org
AP Classes and FCC: Mary.Jacques@fcps.org

IMPORTANT NOTE: Due to limited scheduling options & preservation of appropriate class sizes, ONLY schedule change requests that meet one of the criteria listed below will be considered. Elective courses, teacher changes, lunch shift changes, etc. will not be considered.

Schedule is incomplete (lists fewer than 4 credits per semester)
Student must repeat a failed course
SENIORS who need a course to meet graduation requirements
Courses are scheduled in improper sequence (e.g. Spanish 2 prior to Spanish 1)
Change in instructional level (e.g. English 10 to English 10 Honors)

*Completion of a schedule change form does not guarantee a schedule change can be completed. We will do our best to honor your request; however, class size and seat availability will impact this process. We appreciate your patience and understanding.

ptsa news

CHS PTSA – A PARTNERSHIP IN EDUCATION

We need your help! The CHS Parent Teacher Student Association exists to help support all of our kids and the professional staff that works so hard on their behalf. We want to continue that level of support and we are looking for volunteers. If you are interested in volunteering you can send an email to CatoctinPTSA@gmail.com.

Catoctin PTSA supports its efforts from the money earned during Colorfest parking cars. Please consider donating a few hours to helping. We are asking our CHS families to financially support the work of the PTSA in two ways: your $7.00 membership and a donation of at least $10 in the name of each child you have in our school. If $10 is too much at this time, anything you can give is welcome and appreciated. Gifts honoring graduates are also welcome!

Your donation to the CHS PTSA is 100% tax deductible! With just $20 per child, our PTSA can continue enrich and support the following:

❖ Distinguished Graduate program that recognizes past graduates each year

❖ Staff Appreciation events from parents

❖ End of year gifts for each Senior

❖ “You’ve Made Your Mark” PTSA Scholarships for graduating seniors

❖ Last year we purchased earbuds for every student.

Here is another way you can help support the CHS PTSA:

➢ We have an Amazon Smile account. Amazon will donate 0.5%, so please use the following link

https://smile.amazon.com/ch/52-1667652 and support us every time you shop.

DONATIONS CAN BE DROPPED OFF IN THE SCHOOL OFFICE OR MAILED TO:

CHS PTSA, 14745 SABILLASVILLE RD, THURMONT, MD 21788

THANKING YOU IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR CONTINUED SUPPORT!!

** PLEASE NOTE: Students must be a member of the CHS PTSA by January 31, 2023 to be eligible for the 2022 CHS PTSA Senior Scholarships.

PTSA General Meetings - Come Join the Fun!

CHS PTSA meetings will be held at 7 p.m. via Zoom Meeting from your home. All are welcome to attend! For more information, please send an email to CatoctinPTSA@gmail.com or by contacting:

Traci Tatum (President) / tracitatum41@gmail.com

Vacant (Vice President) / WE NEED YOU!

Peggy Davis (Secretary) / cowgirlproud@aol.com

Vacant (Treasurer) / WE NEED YOU!

Page updated

Report abuse