Wootton High School

August 18, 2021

Dear Wootton Families,

I certainly hope this letter finds you and your family in good health and enjoying the remaining days of summer.    As you can probably imagine, this summer has offered a great deal of anticipation, challenge and excitement  as we prepare for Wootton’s return to in-person instruction for the 2021-22 school year.   The school’s leadership team has worked collaboratively this summer to plan for the safe return of our students, staff, and community.    On behalf of the staff and faculty, I am excited to welcome all of our students and families back for the 2021-2022 school year! 

Wootton’s administrative team is one of the best and works collaboratively with staff, students and families.   We are excited to have engaged, proactive leaders and it is my pleasure to introduce this year’s administrative team.   Mr. Brad Rohner is starting his second year as an administrator.  Mr. Rohner will serve as principal intern this year.  Principal interns are experienced administrators who are selected to begin a year of preparation for the principalship.  Principal interns perform many of the duties of an assistant principal while simultaneously shadowing the principal and preparing for their future role as a school system leader.  An additional component of the training program includes a brief eight-week takeover period, typically prior to the winter break, where the principal intern takes full responsibility for the school while I will leave on a short term assignment.  The opportunity to serve as a trainer is a professional opportunity that I am pleased to accept, and I believe that our school and community will provide an excellent environment to prepare a future principal.   In addition to serving as principal intern, Mr. Rohner will also serve as the 10th grade administrator.   

I am also excited to welcome our newest administrator, Ms. Nicole Walker.   Ms. Walker comes to us most recently from Kingsview Middle School where she served as a principal intern.  Prior to last year, Ms. Walker served as an administrator at Cabin John Middle School.  Ms. Walker will serve as the 9th grade administrator and she has been a welcome addition to our team.  Mr. Nick Hitchens, will serve as the 11th grade administrator while Mr. Joe Mamana will serve as the 12^th grade administrator.  I am appreciative of their leadership and the excellent work they do on behalf of our entire school community.

Here is what’s happening at Wootton: 

The first day of school for students is Monday, August 30, 2021. 

Masks:  Please be reminded that all staff, students, and visitors to any MCPS facility are required to wear a mask.   Students are required to wear masks throughout the school day.  Please see the MCPS website for more information: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/reopening2021/

Schedules:  

Counselors have been working diligently to finalize schedules for the first day of school.    MCPS has shared that students will be able to see their final course schedules in Synergy (student information management system) on Monday, August 23, 2021.

Chromebooks:   All students will continue to have their own Chromebooks, case and headphones. Students will keep these tools throughout their time as MCPS students. Students and their families will use these tools at no cost, unless there is avoidable damage or loss. If avoidable damage or loss occurs, the student and family will work with their school to repair/replace the device. When the repair/replacement cost is assessed and paid, a replacement device or repaired device will be issued. Specific details about the repair/replacement program will be provided to schools for dissemination to families.

Students who do not have access to the internet at home can continue to use the Mi-Fi hotspots provided during the virtual-only learning period. The Chromebooks and Mi-Fi hotspots are Children’s Internet Protection Act (CIPA) compliant, and have filters and controls on them, at all times.

In-Person Students are expected to bring their devices to and from school, as instructed by their teacher(s). The MCPS network has been designed to support all student and staff devices, so instruction and assessment using these devices should be seamless.

Please Note:  Our 9th, 10th and students new to Wootton will be able to pick up their chromebook during orientation on Thursday, August 26th.  All other students will be able to pick up their chromebook when school resumes on Monday, August 30th.

9th and 10th Grade & New Student Orientation:  We are very excited to welcome Wootton’s Class of  2024 (10th graders), Class of 2025 (9th graders),  and all of our new students to Wootton!  We will have our annual 9th and 10th grade orientation and new student orientation on Thursday, August 26th from 7:45 – 11:30 am.  Buses will run on a normal schedule for orientation.  

We are also excited to offer a new student picnic from 6:00 -8:00 pm on Thursday, August 26th as well!  This outdoor event will offer our students and families to learn more about Wootton’s clubs and organizations, meet our faculty and staff, and take tours of the building.  We hope to see our rising 9th, 10th, and new to Wootton students at both events!     You will find all of the information you need on our website.  

Back-to-School-Night:   We have a very talented, dynamic group of educators and support personnel returning and/or joining the Wootton team this year!  Please look forward to meeting our fabulous staff at our Back-To-School Night on Thursday, September 2nd!   This is a great opportunity to meet your child’s teachers and to learn about our instructional program.  More information will be forthcoming regarding our BTSN!

Buses:  Please see the following attachments for bus information.  This information is also posted on our website under school information.  

• Letter to Parents - Bus Routes Fall 2021
• Bus - Regular Arrivals Fall 2021
• Bus - Regular Departures Fall 2021

Also, please note that activity buses will resume on Tuesday, September 14.  Activity buses will be available on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Activity buses will depart from Wootton at 4:30 pm. 

Lunch Information: MCPS will continue to provide breakfast, lunch and dinner meals to all students in schools and at designated food distribution sites, at no cost to families. Masks should remain on unless students are actively eating and drinking. Students will be able to eat breakfast and lunch in cafeterias and other designated areas, including outdoor spaces when feasible.

As we set to launch the school year, we know how important it is to remain connected.  We will begin weekly communication home using connect-ed, through the PTSA, on our website, and other available outlets.  Please click on the 2021-2022 Parent Communication Guide  to view all the ways to keep in touch!  

I thank you in advance for your continued support of Wootton High School.  We look forward to welcoming our families back to school and we look forward to partnering with you for a very successful 2021-22 school year.  

All the best,

Kimberly M. Boldon

Principal

Thomas S. Wootton High School