THE COUGAR CONNECTION
The Catoctin High School Newsletter • November 15, 2021
CHS Drama Presents "Who Dunit?" November 19 & 20
Come out and see Catoctin students perform the well-known Who Dunit? - one of the most original comedy-mystery plots of all time. It first ran as a short story in Ellery Queen's Mystery Magazine, and was later a hit on "Alfred Hitchcock Presents", and has been translated into a dozen foreign languages and reprinted in several anthologies. What happens when a famous mystery writer is murdered, goes to Heaven and discovers that not even Saint Michael knows who murdered him? There's only one answer: Saint Michael sends him back to earth to relive the past 24 hours of his life in order to solve the murder before it is committed. The writer discovers everybody he knows has a good reason to kill him! And then - is he just going to sit there and let it happen a second time? So the writer must outwit both the murderer and the Archangel Michael.
The play will be held in the CHS auditorium on November 19 & 20 at 7:00 pm. Tickets will be sold at the door only; $8 for adults and $7 for students.
REQUIRED SENIOR MEETING for Class of 2022 Students
November 19th at 7:35 AM
CHS Auditorium
Receive information about ordering cap, gown, and other graduation items.
Discuss senior requirements for graduation.
Receive detailed information regarding dates and times for upcoming senior and graduation events.
do you enjoy government?
Nominations now being accepted for the Maryland General Assembly Student Page Program
The Maryland General Assembly seeks six Frederick County high school seniors to serve as five pages and one alternate page during the upcoming legislative session.
Each selected page serves two nonconsecutive weeks in either the House of Delegates or the State Senate. The session runs from January 12 to April 11, 2022. The 2022 virtual Maryland Page Program is a modified version of the traditional program, fully virtual for the students, with an optional one-day visit to the State House complex. Online activities will include conversations with senators and delegates as well as online participation in legislative sessions and committee hearings.
Interested CHS students should contact Mr. Metzgar for an application. Completed student nomination packets are due from schools to the FCPS secondary social studies curriculum specialist by Thursday, November 18 at 4:00 pm. Each county high school may nominate one student who must attend a virtual selection forum Monday, November 22.
To qualify, a student must be a senior and at least 16 years of age; have or obtain a social security number; exhibit an interest in government and history; have an average or above average scholastic record; have a record of good conduct; be competent, courteous and reliable; wear appropriate dress and exhibit good personal grooming; and be outgoing and like to meet people.
By early December, the Speaker and President of the Maryland General Assembly will notify students selected to participate.
View the flyer at this link: Flyer
Calendar
NOVEMBER
15 Winter Sports Season Begins
19 Required Senior Meeting, 7:35 am, Auditorium
19-20 CHS Drama Presents Who Dunit?, 7 pm, CHS Auditorium
24-26 Schools Closed for Thanksgiving
BUS changes & delays
Due to a shortage of drivers, school bus schedules are frequently delayed or changed.
The most current up-to-date information is available on the Bus Delay Board.
Please check this site early and often!
parking permits
If you plan to drive to school (using any type of motorized vehicle - including mopeds or motorcycles) and park on campus, you will need to obtain a student parking permit from the front office. You must complete a Parking Permit form and you and your parent/guardian must sign the form. Please get your parking permit as soon as possible in order to avoid a fine. Please visit the front office for more information.
If you've purchased a permit already, the cling-on permits have arrived! Stop by the front office and pick up!
Tutoring opportunties available for students
We want to help you succeed! If you need help with your classes, there are multiple resources available to you!
CHS After-School Tutoring: In-Person and Virtual Sessions Offered
Catoctin High School offers an after school tutoring program with teachers and staff from our school. Choose to drop in for face-to-face sessions after school in the Media Center or drop in to virtual Google Meet sessions in the evenings.
The after school face-to-face sessions will take place from 2:30 to 3:30 pm every Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons, whenever school is in session. At this time, transportation for after school tutoring will not be available.
Evening virtual sessions will be held on Google Meet. A virtual tutoring schedule with tutors, days, times, and Google meet codes may be found by clicking here: Evening Virtual Tutoring
New 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.
How do students log in? Students can log in from the Chrome web browser by using Clever.
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.
What can students request assistance for? So much! Need help with a math question? Tutors can support. Need essay feedback? Tutors can support. Preparing for an exam? Tutors can support.
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 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
MESSAGE FROM OUR PRINCIPAL
Dear Catoctin Community,
The week of November 15 - 19 is American Education Week and the following week is Thanksgiving. These two celebrations provide us a great opportunity to recognize and be thankful for the work and role of our educators. Teaching is both challenging and rewarding. In my opinion, there is no greater responsibility than nurturing and fostering the growth of our youth. There is also no greater reward than seeing the happiness and/or satisfaction of a child/student/mentee who is learning and thriving. This has always been true, but becomes even more poignant during these challenging times. The role of educators has never been more integral in the lives of our children than now. I would encourage all students and parents/guardians to send an email or message of gratitude to those educators who have positively impacted your learning and your life….a small message of thanks can mean the world to the recipient and can reinforce the purpose and the impact of his/her work.
During this season of American Education Week and the Thanksgiving holiday - I am thankful for our staff and their strong commitment to our school and our students. I am also thankful for our students and our community - together we will continue to support our students’ learning and well-being.
Happy American Education Week and Happy Thanksgiving!
Go Cougars!
Jen Clements
Principal
Winter Sports Registration
Winter sports (girls and boys basketball, indoor track and field, wrestling, and swimming/diving) begin Monday, November 15. All sport physicals must be dated April 1 or after and must be completed prior to Monday, November 15.
Online registration must be completed prior to Monday, November 15.
Please review the directions at the link below before beginning the registration process:
https://fcps.ezcommunicator.net/edu/Frederick/Upload/0/6909.pdf
Once each athletic team is chosen and the roster is finalized, parents will receive an email to let them know when they may go online and pay the participation fee. The fee is $95.
Note to parents: You will not be able to pay online until your student athlete is selected for the team and the roster has been finalized.
Payments will be due no later than Sunday, December 5, by 11:59 pm and may be made via School Cash Online.
Follow @FCPSAthletics on Twitter and visit www.fcps.org/athletics for additional updates.
face covering expectations
All students must wear a properly-fitting face covering (covering nose and mouth) within the school building at all times.
While most students have met these expectations, we have many who are not wearing their masks properly (in most cases, the masks are not pulled up over their noses). We will reach out to the parents of students who are consistently non-compliant with this expectation. We are also asking parents to reiterate the importance of adhering to our requirements regarding face coverings.
Thanks for your assistance and support!
counseling department
College Visits & Events
11/17 Shenandoah University, cafeteria 11:30-12:30 pm
(If this is not your lunch shift and you would still like to talk with the representative, send Kelly Gruber a message in schoology to arrange for a hall pass.)
11/23 Navy during all lunch shifts
FCC Early Foundations Program
Frederick Community College (FCC) Early Foundations Program is seeking current 10th grade students who have an interest in learning more about their career interests and the options available at FCC. Students who sign up to for the Early Foundations Program will meet with FCC Transition Specialist Jose Moreno to review the following topics:
Career Assessment & Exploration
Learn about programs available at FCC
Take a field trip to visit FCC programs that align with your career interests.
The FCC Early Transition program is free of charge and transportation is provided. Please sign up by Friday 11/19/2021. Space is limited.
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.
class of 2022 Safe & Sane Graduation
Cash Bingo - Saturday, November 20th at the Lewistown Firehall - Tickets are Now Available - $25 in Advance and $30 at the Door - Doors open at 4:30 pm, Games begin at 6 pm.
If you would like to find out more about the Class of 2022 Safe and Sane please email us at catoctinsafeandsane2022@gmail.com or follow us on Social Media: