Good evening RAMFAM! This is your proud Parkside principal, Brian Briggs, with your last weekly communication of 2024. We had another great week here at Parkside and here are just a few highlights:
· We had a great Winter Holiday Concert put on by our Parkside Music Department!
· Our 2023-2024 Parkside Marching RAMS received their rings for winning the US Bands National Championship last school year.
· Our Parkside CTE CISCO Networking Academy CyberPatriot teams won GOLD status at the state competition!
· We continued to honor and celebrate our Parkside CTE Students of the Month and RAMdom Pride award winners.
· Our RAMFAM staff and students had a blast with our Holiday Spirit Week, Door Decorating contest, Ugly Holiday Sweater contest, Polar Express incentive, and finale of The 12 Days of Parkside CTE.
· Our Parkside Girls Wrestling team and our Parkside Boys Varsity teams both won their respective Pat Briscoe Memorial Holiday Wrestling Tournaments yesterday!
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:
· December 23rd – January 3rd – Schools closed for students for Winter Break (Parkside CTE offices will be open 12/23, 12/26-27, 12/30, and 1/2-3)
· January 6th, 2025 – Schools reopen
· January 20th – ML King Jr. Day – Schools closed
· January 31st – End of 2nd Marking Term AND Early Dismissal (11:45) for students
· February 3rd – Professional Development Day – Schools closed for students
· February 7th – 2nd Marking Term Report Cards Distributed
· February 17th – Presidents Day – Schools closed
Updates/Reminders:
· Please remind your child of the importance of being in class as much as possible. We understand that students need to use the restroom and they are using our e-Hallpass system. However, there are some students who are abusing this and are typically not using the restroom when they are in the restroom. If you, as a parent, want to see how often your student is out of class and missing instruction, feel free to reach out to me and I can let you know how often they are out of the classroom and for how long thanks to our e-Hallpass system. We are here to provide the best possible education for your child and when they are out of the classroom, they are missing that.
· If you are picking up a student early, you must be on the student’s emergency form and you must have a driver's license. No exceptions. We are also asking for parents to be specific when writing a note if you are granting permission for your child to sign themselves out.
· We are still 5 months away from graduation but wanted to start reminding our Parkside High School Class of 2025 which cords they are permitted to wear during the graduation ceremony. They include:
WCPS Permitted Commencement Cords.pdf
Testing updates:
· In order to meet state and federal testing requirements, students who are enrolled in Algebra 1, English 10, Government, and/or Biology, along with any 9th graders in Algebra II or Geometry, will be taking the MCAP tests on January 9-14. Classroom teachers will be sharing more information.
Thank you again RAMFAM for all you do! I am so proud to work with so many great students, families, and staff. This will be the last phone call and email for 2024. I want to wish all the RAMFAM a very Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! 2024 has been a great year, and I look forward to an even better 2025!
Thanks,
Brian