Nov. 6- Nov. 10

Dear Walkersville Community,

The weather sure turned colder quickly, and we are into November! The weeks prior to the holidays always seem to fly by, so make sure you are staying up-to-date on information so that we can help support your students. If term 1 grades were not what you hoped they would be, please consider utilizing TutorMe with your student. Many of our fall athletic teams have finished up their seasons, but football begins playoffs tonight at home. Reminder that during playoffs, all tickets are $6 cash at the gate. Enjoy the extra hour this weekend as you 'fall back' on your clocks Sunday morning.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Sincerely,

Dr. Stephanie Ware

Principal

In honor of Veteran’s Day, we would like to recognize family members and relatives of our Walkersville High School Family that have served in the military, either past or present. Although not required, if possible, have your student bring in a printed picture of the service member in your family. We will proudly honor and display these pictures in the Social Studies hallway with a flag for each branch of service. If interested please use this link for the form: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1WafrjYlNt6QApWZ_WBMD2MH0VjvCPYZr10bXCxF51Z4/edit?usp=sharing

The Career and Technology Center (CTC) is part of the Frederick County Public Schools system. With more than 24 programs to choose from, students have the opportunity to gain college and career experience in a variety of areas. They can earn college credits as well as valuable industry certifications and licenses through a CTC program. CTC programs are taught in half-day blocks, and students attend their high school for the other half of the school day. Shadowing a CTC program is the first step in the application process and is open to students in grades 9-11. Students may shadow and apply to up to two programs.

Interested students can request a shadow from the CTC website https://edu.fcps.org/ctc/

Shadowing is open November 2, 2023 – February 29, 2024.

Last day to request a shadow is February 20, 2024

Application deadline: March 8, 2024

For additional information about the Career & Technology Center visit https://edu.fcps.org/ctc/.

Tickets for upcoming games are $6 and only MPSSAA passes work.

With Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) playoffs beginning this week, FCPS would like to remind everyone of our sportsmanship expectations whether attending a competition in Frederick Country or at another school or venue throughout Maryland.

As FCPS and our 11 high schools have continued to promote, the MPSSAA released a Sportsmanship Plan of Action illustrating the need to improve sportsmanship and respect for all in attendance at athletic events and detailing the collaborative actions all 24 school systems are taking in response. The MPSSAA Sportsmanship Action Plan includes three pillars as the basis for statewide expectations to provide a standard of sportsmanship. The three pillars are Creating Welcoming Environments, Respect, and Accountability for Actions. Under these three pillars, school-based athletic administrators can focus efforts on embracing a positive culture for the management of contests and the conduct of their school's athletic community.

In reference to Accountability for Actions, the state has issued increased consequences for egregious behaviors during regional and state athletic contests. Egregious behavior is being defined as:

• Fighting;
• Physical or verbal personal attacks directed towards an official, coach, student-athlete, spectator, or school personnel;
• Use of racial, ethnic, homophobic or other derogatory or discriminatory language, slurs or practices.

Any ejections under this category have been elevated to a minimum of a two contest disqualification from the current state tournament, next sport season or the succeeding year's tournament based on the circumstances of the situation. As recommended in the plan of action, FCPS has adopted these same consequences for all regular season contests.

We don't pretend to hide our competitiveness in FCPS and strive to win championships on the field and court each year. However, win or lose, we want to leave that contest assured that our school, community and FCPS were represented with pride and class. Whether it is on the field or in the stands, let's hold each other accountable in creating welcoming environments, being respectful guests and always demonstrating good sportsmanship.

Attention high school students: The Maryland Junior Science and Humanities Symposium will be held on February 24, 2024 at St. Mary's College of Maryland. Registration and abstracts are due November 17, 2023. More information can be found here.

This year, WHS will host two separate events for financial aid due to this year's changes and delayed release of the FAFSA:

1. December 12th: Financial Aid Information Session & FSA ID Workshop

• 6-7 PM - Financial Aid Information will be presented to families by a college financial aid advisor
• 7-8 PM - Parents/students can receive help with creation of the FSA ID by signing up at this link: https://www.frederickcountygives.org/fafsa-fsa-id-workshop-registration/

1. February 12th: FAFSA Finish Event

• 5-7 PM - Parents/students can sign up for help with completing the FAFSA - financial aid advisors will be present to assist parents through the process. There will be a sign-up when the date of the event approaches.

Below is some information about the FSA ID to help families decide if they want to sign up for assistance with this on December 12th:

The FSA ID is the username needed to complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).

All contributors (ex: student, student's biological parent and step-parent as applicable if the student is dependent, student's spouse as applicable if student is independent, etc.) are required to create a FSA ID. Please note that parent or spouse contributors are not responsible for paying the student's invoice. Instead, contributors are required to include their FAFSA on a student's FAFSA to determine the student's eligibility for financial aid, which includes federal aid, state aid, and scholarships. Learn more about contributors by watching this short video.

Creation of the FSA ID and password is a fairly straightforward process, so contributors are encouraged to create their FSA ID and password at home before the 2024-2025 FAFSA becomes available in December 2023. Please only sign up for the FSA ID workshop if the student and/or parents need assistance creating the FSA ID and password.

Students and parents can create an FSA ID here. Please have your Social Security card available. You will need to have access to your mobile phone and/or email address in order to complete this process. Please keep your FSA ID in safe place because you will need to access this information every year for the FAFSA! More information about the FSA ID is available here.

High School winter sports begin Wednesday, November 15.

All sport physicals must be dated April 1, 2023 or after and must be completed prior to Wednesday, November 15.

Online registration must be completed prior to Wednesday, 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 via School Cash Online.

The fee is $95.

This is a reminder that while we love to see our whole community supporting our Lions, children are not permitted to be unsupervised during events. We want our events to be safe, orderly, and allow everyone to focus on cheering our students on. Please ensure that younger children are with adults at all times when visiting WHS. Thank you.

Senior year is busy – let us help you stay on track!

• Senior class reminders will be posted on Schoology in the WHS Senior Class of 2024 group. Students in the senior class have been automatically added to this group. Parents who want to join can follow these instructions:

• Click Groups at the top of Schoology.
• Select My Groups.
• Click Join Group on the right.
• Enter the Group Access Code: F48P-4VV6-QWSQS
• Click JOIN

• Please review the Senior Timeline for all important dates throughout the year
• Students: please let us know how to correctly pronounce your name for senior events (Awards & Graduation, etc.): Senior Name Survey
• Cap & Gown Orders Due 12/22 – order at: https://hub.jostens.com/ls/7ed522a8-6ef6-433e-a669-a571dd80545b/qTeVAWD9ipALv9LC#/

Counseling Department Information – 2023-24

• Schoology: General reminders for students in all grades will be posted on Schoology in the WHS Counseling Office group. Students and parents who want to join can follow these instructions:

• Click Groups at the top of Schoology.
• Select My Groups.
• Click Join Group on the right.
• Enter the Group Access Code: KCCM-CPHP-HGP93
• Click JOIN

• Please review the Counseling Office Newsletter for updates

FCC Night for High School Seniors

Tuesday, November 14, 2023

6:00- 7:30 pm

Student Center

Register here.

This event is specifically for high school seniors. There will be a presentation that features Admissions, Career & Academic Planning Services, and Financial Aid. Students can talk with faculty and staff at a campus resource fair, apply to the College, and visit the Bookstore for a free giveaway.

FCC Career Fair & Training Open House

Tuesday, November 28, 2023

5:30- 7:00 pm

Monroe Center

Register here.

Discover a variety of flexible and affordable career training programs designed to prepare you for employment in high demand industries, including Business & Careers, Computers & Technology, Healthcare Careers, Hospitality, Culinary, & Tourism, Trades & Vocational Training, and more. Meet program staff, tour the Monroe Center facility, and review upcoming course options.