CHS Updates

Festive family fun! CHS WINTER SPECTACULAR

THURSDAY & FRIDAY, DECEMBER 1 & 2, 7 PM -- Auditorium. There's no better way to kick off the December holiday season than seeing the school's annual Winter Spectacular Fine Arts Showcase. Enjoy an evening of holiday magic with dance and musical performances provided by CHS Fine Arts students. Tickets $10 at the door only. Click HERE for flier.

CHS Dance Academy (for middle school students)

Register today!  Winter mini-sessions begin next week

MODERN DANCE session begins MONDAY, DECEMBER 5; Jazz Dance session begins WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7. Click HERE for details, REGISTRATION FORM.

County-wide NCAA* Information Night

WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30, 7 PM -- Mt. Hebron High School, Ellicott City. High school students thinking about playing a sport in college are invited to learn how to prepare for athletic eligibility and get expert advice from college administrators and former college athletes. Parents and coaches also are encouraged to attend.

* National Collegiate Athletic Association

News from HC DrugFree

Click HERE for the latest. (Check out the community event announcement "Killer in the Cabinet: Over-The-Counter Drug Abuse and Addiction" scheduled for NEXT WEDNESDAY NIGHT (DECEMBER 7).

From Student Services

SAT PREP CLASSES:  The Princeton Review and Kaplan Test Prep are two companies which offer support for the SAT test. Kaplan is offering a $100 discount for their SAT prep class (offer ends TODAY, WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 30). Enroll by visiting www.kaptest.com/College/Home/most-personalized.html or call 1-800-KAP-TEST.

ARMED FORCES COMMUNICATIONS & ELECTRONICS ASSOCIATION (AFCEA) FREEDOM SCHOLARSHIP:  Seniors planning to enter a science, engineering , computer science or mathematics field with a 2.0 GPA or higher, please see your School Counselor to be nominated for this scholarship, which offers $2,500 each year for a four- or two-year college.  More information at www.afceacmd.org/. DEADLINE: THURSDAY, DECEMBER 1.

MORE SCHOLARSHIP, SUMMER PROGRAM RESOURCES: Please inquire in Student Services.

Project: Prom Dress donations

Donate prom dresses

SUNDAY, DECEMBER 4, 1 - 5 PM -- Howard County Library, East Columbia Branch, Columbia. The American Red Cross, Howard County District, needs your gently-worn prom dresses to raise funds to help disaster victims.  More information HERE  and/or check out the Project: Prom Dress Facebook page. Questions, send email to  projectpromdresshoward@gmail.com or call 410 624-2035.

PTACHC Policy Review Committee seeks feedback regarding proposed "+/-" grading scaleproposed HCPSS "+ / -" grading scale

HCPSS Policy 8020: Grading and Reporting/High School
                                                 (11.09.11, 11.17. 11, 12.8.11)

THIS PDF (please click HERE to review) displays the school system's current 10-point grading scale and a proposed + / - grading scale. The PTA Council of Howard County (PTACHC) Policy Review Committee is investigating this issue. Each grading scale has its pros and cons, of course. And, Baltimore and Fairfax counties are the only counties  nearby which currently employ the "+ / - grading scale.

Getting accepted by a college of university always has been a competitve business -- even more so these days. HCPSS  and the Board of Education want to prepare their students for higher education and provide students with the best advantages when it comes to being accepted by colleges and universities. Many colleges and universities prefer the + /- grading scale because it can provide a more accurate depiction of  student applicant grades, i.e., is the student's "A" grade a "top" A, a "bottom" A or an "almost-a-B" A grade?

The Howard County Board of Education will vote on the grading scale issue in Spring 2012; the Board has the final decision. The PTACHC Policy Review Committee provides the Board with recommendations. To this end, it is crucial that PTACHC's constituent groups -- parents, teachers and students -- provide the Policy Review Committee with feedback upon which to base its recommendations to the Board.

SO -- PARENTS, TEACHERS, STUDENTS: If you'd like to share your views about this issue with PTACHC Policy Review Committee, please send an email to: highschoolgrading@gmail.com. The Committee has its final meeting on FRIDAY, DECEMBER 9 before it presents its recommendations to the Board of Education.

Thanks to Centennial High School parent Nicole Shah for taking the lead about this issue for our school.

Fall 2011 JV achievements

Every Fall, Spring and Winter, The Howard County Times compiles a overview of achievements of  JV teams and athletes. Click HERE for the article about the recent season.

One week from today: PTSA After-Prom fundraiser at Trattoria Amore Restaurant

WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 7, OPEN TO CLOSE  (11 AM - 10 PM) -- Trattoria Amore Italian Restaurant, Dorsey's Search Shopping Center, Ellicott City. Dine in or carry out (call 410 740-9903) all the live-long day -- for lunch, for dinner, for snacks! So that the PTSA receives fundraising credit, please present THIS TRATTORIA AFTER-PROM FLIER (pdf) at time of payment. Download and print the flier now, and put it in your car!

Download Trattoria Fundraiser Flyer (PDF)

Download Trattoria Fundraiser Flyer (WORD)

Music Department CITRUS SALE

Orders due  FRIDAY, DECEMBER 2

COMBAT THE WINTER 'BLUES' with  "edible sunshine"   by ordering delicious Florida Naval oranges, Red Ruby grapefruit, tangelos and tangerines that are chock-full Vitamin C. Fruit supplied by Golden Harvest Fruit Sales, Inc.; visit their website at www.goldenharvestsales.com.

ORDER FORM: Found on the Centennial Music Program webpage (www.centennialmusic.org), click on "Fund Raising" in the menu bar.