Blake High School PTSA

The November 29, 2009 Metro section of the Washington Post carried a story about Calvert County high schools that are adopting a one-hour lunch model, based on its success at Blake: Calvert high school turns them loose at lunch. Mrs. Goodman is interviewed in the article.

Student Assistance is a school-based substance use and violence intervention program that is part of Safe and Drug-Free Schools of Montgomery County Public Schools. Student Assistance is focused on prevention through intervention. Student Assistance does not provide information for criminal prosecution or school discipline.

Most substance use and/or violent behavior takes place off school grounds out of the jurisdiction of school officials, yet many of the effects of this are reflected in students’ performance in school. The goal of Student Assistance is to identify and help adolescents whose behavior, attendance, or grades indicate that they may have problems related to alcohol and/or other drug use or violence. Through the different steps that comprise the Student Assistance process, these-at-risk adolescents are referred for a professional assessment and directed to appropriate services.

For more information, see the Blake Student Assistance web page.

Minutes from the October 2009 PTSA General Meeting (which were approved at the last meeting, on Nov. 17th) are now available on this web site, on the PTSA Minutes page. Final drafts of all PTSA meetings will be available on the PTSA Minutes page as they become available.

As many of you know, The Blake Beat is currently ranked as the best high school newspaper in Maryland (by the journalism department at Towson State University) and as the best high school newspaper in America (by the Association of Educational Publishers and Weekly Reader). However, if we were being ranked on our financial well being—at least so far this school year–we would be rated quite a bit lower, especially since we are hemorrhaging money at an alarming rate and lost about $1,500 in publishing our most recent issue last week.

As a stopgap measure, we are setting up a page in our December issue that will wish holiday greetings to the Blake community. We’d love to add your family’s name to that page for a mere $5 donation (note for the record: we’ll accept a donation of any amount, but we would be grateful for your support of us for $5).

To donate your $5 to The Beat (check payable to James Hubert Blake High School) on or before December 1, please send your family name as you would like it to appear (The Thracklebush family, for example, or The family of Horatio Thracklebush) to Journalism teacher Kevin Keegan, James Hubert Blake HS, 300 Norwood Road, Silver Spring, Maryland 20905. Thanks in advance for your support of my students’ efforts.

Do you have gently used AP Workbooks that your student no longer uses?   If your Blake student or graduate is no longer using their AP workbooks, why not donate them to Blake?  There are never enough to go around. Send them into the main office and they will be given to the Media Center to make available for students.

The PTSA has been asked to start a library of AP workbooks, which will be shelved in the Media Center. Books can be brought to the main office. They can be by any publisher.

A list of AP courses taught at Blake follow:

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The championship game was described in the Washington Post’s Sports section on Nov. 15: Blake’s bid falls short.

OLD SLR CAMERAS NEEDED

Do you have an old SLR camera, (35mm SLR cameras are film cameras that have a removable lens on the front), that you do not need anymore? They must be in working order. The Art Department is in immediate need of these. The lack of cameras is really impacting student performance.  Right now, there are several students whose cameras are broken that do not have access to other cameras. Old digital cameras are needed too.

Please drop them off in the Main Office or in E163.  If you have questions, please contact the front office, at 301-879-1300, or write to Ms. Hartenstine, Sara_Hartenstine@mcpsmd.org. Your donation will be greatly appreciated. Thank you for supporting the students at Blake.

The Washington Post printed a letter from Blake Principal Carole Goodman Nov. 12, regarding an opinion piece the paper published which suggested that high school seniors take a “gap year” before college. Mrs. Goodman said she “could not disagree more” with the writer. The letter is on the Post web site at: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/11/11/AR2009111125845.html.

Receive $50 cash for a 2-hour
discussion about driving practice

Westat, a social science research organization, is looking for teens (and parents of teens) who have a learner’s permit, plan to get one soon, or recently passed the road test. Teens and parents can participate in separate discussion groups about driving practice. Either a parent, a teen, or both may participate. Sessions are available in Rockville on November 23, December 2, December 17, & January 4.

Teens will receive $50 cash and parents will receive $75 cash.

For more information or to sign up, contact Westat toll free at 888-740-3266 or email: teendriving@westat.com.

“Building Bridges with Ecuador” 11th Annual Humanitarian Trip
June 18th -  June 27, 2010

Would you or your family like to experience another culture other than our own? Have you ever considered joining a humanitarian/ service trip to help others less fortunate than ourselves?

Interested in joining a community service team alone, with a significant other or with family? Now’s your chance to hear about a special type of humanitarian trip
that welcomes individuals, couples and/or families from all spiritual orientations to serve indigenous communities high in the South American Andes of Otavalo, Ecuador.

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