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Parkville High School
Administration

School Principal
Stephen Edgar

Class of 2010
Ms. Linda Govignon

Class of 2011
Mrs. Maria McClung

Class of 2012
Mr. Russell Valentine

Class of 2013
Mrs. Michele Patras

A Message From Our Principal, Stephen Edgar

Dear Parents and Friends of Parkville High School,

Greetings! As you probably know, your son or daughter recently completed information that starts the registration process for classes that will be taken next year. Registration was done in all English classes. For students who are doing well academically and who are eligible, Advanced Placement courses are always a desirable option.  Please know, however, that if a student takes an Advance Placement course, the school’s expectation is that the students will take the AP exam related to the course at the end of the school year. If a student does well in the course and on the exam, they attain college credit for that course. This can enable a young person to take higher level courses or more electives while in college or even save money by graduating from that college early. Parkville High School offers a wide array of Advance Placement courses including AP Calculus, AP Chemistry, AP Economics, AP Spanish, AP Psychology, AP Studio Art and AP English Literature & Composition just to name a few. Additionally, you should know that many of our AP students last year have gone on to prestigious universities including Bucknell University, Johns Hopkins University, Maryland Institute College of Art, Brown University, Columbia University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Harvard University and the University of Pennsylvania. The Advance Placement program certainly can open plenty of doors for a student.

I also wanted to make sure that parents were made aware of the SAT test coming up on Saturday, March 13th. The registration deadline for the test is February 4th with late registration up until February 18th. However, students can also take the test Saturday, May 1st but will need to meet the registration deadline of March 25th. It is especially important for juniors to take the test in the spring because this gives our students the flexibility to take the test a second time as a way to boost their scores. As you know, SAT scores are a major factor in determining a young person’s ability to attend college. Many colleges and universities won’t even consider a student with a low SAT score even if they have a strong grade point average. Our students have a “home field advantage” by being able to take the test at our school which gives them an edge over students that come to take the test from another high school. Simply put, research clearly shows that students do better when the testing environment is one that is comfortable to the test taker. So make it a point to take advantage of this golden opportunity for your son or daughter.

Finally, I wanted to remind parents once again of the importance of having our students do well on the High School Assessments. As you have heard me say before, they have become a graduation requirement starting lat year. Once a young person passes the HSA with a combined test score of 1602 they no longer need to worry about this graduation requirement. We will be taking the HSA’s on the week of May 17th through May 21st.   This will be a very important event for all of our students. Thank you for your continued support of our school, and I look forward to seeing you at any of the many upcoming school events…

Go Knights!

Stephen A. Edgar, Principal

Academic Resources and Links

Planning: Your Life After PHS

Scholarship & Financial Aid Information

Contact Your Counselor

Are You Ready for the SAT?

College Info & Resources

Counselors’ Corner

The counselors will hold the third "Breakfast with the Counselors" on Thursday,
February 4th from 8:00 - 9:00. Our main topic will be "Job Opportunities for
High School Students", and we have arranged to have a few student representatives
on hand to talk about their experiences with summer and after school jobs.
Applications for the 2010-2011 academic year are now being accepted by the
Clare and Robert Moore Scholarship Fund. The Fund awards an annual $1,000
scholarship to an incoming first-year student at the College of Notre Dame of
Maryland who is interested in majoring in English or Drama (or to a current NDM
student who is an English or Drama major).

The award can be applied to tuition, books or other school-related expenses. The application and requirements are available at http://crmoorescholarship.org. The application deadline is March 15, 2010.

Senior Meetings

Seniors: as you know, your counselors are currently meeting with each of you individually as a follow-up to our group senior meetings. Watch for your senior meeting pass to arrive and come prepared with any questions and requests to help you to prepare for after graduation.

College Application Requests

Seniors, stay on top of your college application deadlines! Remember to allow TWO WEEKS notice on transcripts, report forms and recommendation letter requests.

The CEEB code for Parkville High School is "210-155".

Service Learning Hours

All PHS students: remember that you need to complete 75 service learning hours in order to graduate. See Mrs. Gast in the School Counseling Office with any questions and to drop off your completed service paperwork.

Parallel Enrollment at CCBC

There’s another way to get a leg up on college credits… Thanks to a CCBC partnership, starting the summer after 10th grade students may take community college courses for 50% off. During senior year, students meeting program criteria can even apply for a half-day at PHS to leave and take CCBC classes in the afternoon. It’s another great way to save on a college education! Listen and watch for announcements regarding informational meetings this coming spring.

Juniors – Get Ready for College!   Spotlight on College Admissions Tests

Juniors – it’s time to get into “high gear” for college planning. On the School Counseling section of the PHS webpage (http://parkvillehs.bcps.org/), go to School Counseling then “Planning for Life after High School” and review the Junior Year Timeline for tips. Check out the upcoming College Fair (details in Dates/Events section) and Spring Break is a great time to visit prospective colleges! Also, here are some important details about taking college admissions tests.

• Any student considering application to a four-year college should complete one or more college entrance tests – the SAT or ACT – in the spring of junior year and the fall of senior year. Side note, such test scores are generally not required for admission to community colleges or when a student is transferring to a four-year college after at least two years of credit from a community college.
• Keep in mind that students should be finished (or nearly finished) with at least Algebra I, II and Geometry and English 9, 10 and 11 if they hope to be successful on these college entrance tests. Students who have also completed additional math and English courses and the half-credit Verbal and/or Math SAT Review Prep courses will be even better prepared.
• The difference between the ACT ($46 with writing, $31 without) and the SAT Reasoning Test ($45) is generally described this way: the ACT is curriculum-based (what you have learned), while the SAT is aimed more at general reasoning and problem-solving skills (how you solve problems). Also, unlike the SAT, the ACT includes science and gives you the option to NOT do the writing portion (though students should generally opt to do it). These days, many colleges are accepting either test score and will consider the best out of all attempts, but students should check their potential colleges of choice to confirm. **Students should also check the websites of their prospective colleges (in particular, many Ivy League colleges) to see if any SAT Subject Test ($20) scores are requested.**
• ACT registration and resources: www.actstudent.org. SAT registration and resources: www.collegeboard.com (lots of other cool/helpful goodies here, too, such as “My College QuickStart” to help students plan; a college search feature; personalized PSAT score breakdowns).
• SAT and ACT registration deadlines for remainder of this school year:
• TBA
• TBA
• TBA

The Counseling Office has registration info, prep booklets, and info about the FREE online SAT course and both in-school and after-school prep classes. Students are encouraged to come and pick up materials and ask their questions. As usual, the best time is before or after school so that they do not miss class, or they should submit a Counselor Request slip and we’ll send a pass..

Any students who have qualified for free or reduced lunch should ask their counselors for a fee waiver – we have a limited number for both the SAT and the ACT. Qualifying students may receive up to two waivers for both the SAT Reasoning Test (regular one) and ACT, plus two waivers for the SAT Subject Tests. If they’ve used even one SAT waiver, we can also then provide them with waivers for up to four of their college application fees – a great bonus!

Parkville High School
PTSA
2009-2010
Sign Up for the PTSA!

Dear Parents, Teachers and Students,

The end of second quarter has officially taken place…. So I guess that we are half way through the 2009-2010 school year!  I wish I could say that we have done better this year as a PTSA , than last year with fund raising and memberships.  I am sad to say that we only sold half as many memberships this year as we did last year and the fund raising efforts are not much better. 

I know that we are all upon hard economic times. The down turn of the economy has affected all of us in different ways.  I hope that I can ask each of you to think about giving of your time to our students and school.  Time is something that we can all give some of…. We are not asking for much, 3 hours total for the rest of the school to help us with our PTA initiatives.

Parent involvement spans a broad range, from the parent who makes sure that their child is dressed and fed, to the parent who comes into school to volunteer, to the parent who takes it upon himself to learn all of the school system’s initiatives and programs. Research has shown that when parents are involved in their children’s schools their child is more successful in school. Schools benefit by partnering with parents to have needed support for all children. It is a win-win situation for all.

Parkville’s PTSA encourages and supports all parents in volunteer efforts for children in their school communities each and every day.  Parent involvement encourages children to be more engaged in their school communities as well as to support the academic success of children.

We are in desperate need of offices for the 2010-2011 school year.  If you are willing to step up and help, please contact me as soon as possible.  I took the position of President 3 years ago with NO EXPERIENCE and have learned and grown in many ways. 

Please join our efforts to make Parkville High School the best of the best!  As always, I can be reached via email at Sgordon0210@yahoo.com

Best Regards,

Suzette Gordon, President PTSA

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Who we are and how to reach us:

President: 
Suzette Gordon
410-913-6336
sgordon0210@yahoo.com
              
Vice-President:
Rick Baier
RBaier@HarkinsBuilders.com

Secretary:
Lois Busky
410-661-3709
lbusky@comcast.net

Treasurer:
Staci Bondura

The PTSA Mission:  To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in schools, in the community and before government bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; to assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and protect their children; to encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of our nation.
Please support your PTSA through membership!!  Be involved!! 

Meeting dates for the 2009-2010 school year are as follows:

PTSA Meetings (the 4th Monday of each month, unless otherwise indicated)
Held in the Guidance Conference Room across from the Main Office at 7:00 p.m.

**September 24, 2009 (Thursday)

October 26, 2009

November 23, 2009

December 21, 2009

January 25, 2010

February 22, 2010

March 22, 2010

April 26, 2010

May 24, 2010

Summer Planning Meeting to be announced.

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The PTSA will be giving out scholarships to qualifiying senior class graduates.  One part of the qualification is that the student be a member of the PTSA.  It is not too late to join, the membership fee is $7 and you can stop in the main office and ask for a PTSA membership form. Complete the form and turn it back in to the office!

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Check out the new After Prom Party Committee for great fundraisers and events!

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