Monday, March 20, 2023

Public invited to community forums about the superintendent search

Members of the Baltimore County Public Schools community are invited to participate in public forums regarding the national search for a new superintendent. The meetings will be hosted by McPherson and Jacobson LLC, the executive search firm selected by the Board of Education of Baltimore County. The forums will offer BCPS parents, caregivers, staff, students, and community members an opportunity to identify the educational priorities and leadership qualities they would like to see in the next superintendent.


Tuesday, March 21, from 7-8 p.m.

  • George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, auditorium, 938 York Rd., Towson 21204
  • Western School of Technology, gymnasium, 100 Kenwood Ave., Baltimore 21228


Wednesday, March 22, from 7-8 p.m.

  • New Town High School, auditorium, 4931 New Town Blvd., Owings Mills 21117
  • Perry Hall High School, auditorium, 4601 Ebenezer Rd., Baltimore 21236


Thursday, March 23, from 7-8 p.m.

  • Chesapeake High School, auditorium, 1801 Turkey Point Rd., Baltimore 21221
  • Hereford Middle School, cafeteria, 712 Corbett Rd., Monkton 21111

Meet the winners of the 2023 BCPS Black History Month Writing Contest

Top honors in the 2023 BCPS Black History Month Writing Contest have been earned by students from Hillcrest and Warren elementary schools, Perry Hall Middle School, and Catonsville High School.

 

This year, the contest, coordinated by the BCPS Offices of English Language Arts and Social Studies, had as its prompt a quotation from U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ketanji Brown Jackson: "Our children are telling me that they see now, more than ever, that, here in America, anything is possible." BCPS students in Kindergarten through Grade 12 were challenged to craft entries related to the quotation and inspired by a Black activist, artist, athlete, author, musician, scientist, or other public figure. This year, 238 students from 80 schools participated.

 

The winning entries can be read on the BCPS blog. 

Kindergarten-Grade 2 winner:

Veer Saywack, Grade 2,

Warren Elementary School

Grades 3-5 winner:

Faye Foster, Grade 5,

Hillcrest Elementary School

Grades 6-8 winner:

Josephine Oseromi, Grade 7,

Perry Hall Middle School

Grades 9-12 winner:

Lauryn Blair, Grade 10,

Catonsville High School

Reduced capacity for Virtual Learning Program for 2023-2024 school year

 

The BCPS Virtual Learning Program (VLP) will continue at a reduced capacity for the 2023-2024 school year. Next school year will be the final year during which the program will be funded by the current federal Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER III). In 2023-2024, VLP will serve students in Grades 4-12 only. Current VLP students, who are rising to Grades 4-12, can return to the VLP for the 2023-2024 school year, unless otherwise directed. The program will continue to serve student placement decisions and staffing support partnerships.

BCPS student art exhibit at Baltimore Museum of Art attracts nearly 4,000 visitors

In its five days at the Baltimore Museum of Art, the annual countywide student exhibition, “Art is for Everyone," attracted 3,966 visitors – its largest turnout ever. The previous record was set in 2022 with 2,656 visitors over the course of 10 days.


Exhibit visitors included parents, caregivers, students, and area residents, as well as School Board Chair Jane Lichter, BCPS Superintendent Dr. Darryl L. Williams, and Keith Franz from AFSLS (a law firm that annually hosts an exhibition of BCPS high school art).


Located next to the museum's prized Cone Collection, the show featured 248 artworks by BCPS students from PreK through Grade 12 from 129 schools. The breadth of the BCPS art program was highlighted by a variety of two- and three-dimensional artworks, including sculpture, photography, drawing, painting, and digital art.

Camille Gibson, BCPS visual arts supervisor, and Ryan Twentey, BCPS visual art coordinator

The 248 artworks on display were created by 277 students from 129 schools across Baltimore County

Payton Sergi, Grade 8 student, General John Stricker Middle School

Payton Sergi, a Grade 8 student at General John Stricker Middle School, is described by her homeroom and Spanish teacher Kristel Rabideau as "an excellent example of a well-rounded scholar."

Outside of the classroom, Payton is a hardworking athlete, representing her school in cross country, basketball, and track and field as well as playing on a local travel soccer team.


Looking ahead, Payton has just accepted a spot in the S.P.E.C.I.E.S. (Sparrows Point Educational Center in Environmental Studies) magnet program at Sparrows Point High School. A new blog post tells more of the story.

School counselors help students prepare for the future using 6-Year Plans


All BCPS Grade 7 students work with their school counselors to develop 6-Year Plans to support their career goals. A new BCPS-TV video explores how school counselors at Loch Raven Technical Academy and Parkville High worked with Angelica Fagan, Class of 2023, to create a plan to help her reach her goals. Angelica will attend Johns Hopkins University in the fall.

View the BCPS Blueprint implementation plan

BCPS has developed an implementation plan for the Blueprint for Maryland's Future. The school system is collaborating with county government and other Maryland school systems to provide students, staff, and families with information about Blueprint implementation.The Blueprint is a multi-billion-dollar investment in Maryland's school systems that seeks to elevate them to the levels of high-performing school systems around the world.

BCPS student leaders to host 5K walk and community fair in honor of former staff advisor

Community invited to participate, support 

Nora Murray Memorial Walk


Saturday, April 15

from 9–11:30 a.m.

 

Hereford High School 17301 York Rd.

Parkton 21120


Online registration is $30 for adults (ages 18+), $15 for students (ages 6–17), and free for children under age 6. Free T-shirts will be provided to all paid participants who register by March 30.


In-person registration on the day of the event will be available by cash or check only.

Baltimore County Student Councils and Baltimore County Junior Councils are co-hosting the Nora Murray Memorial Walk, a 5K walk and community fair to support FINISH Sarcoma. (Sarcoma is a rare cancer.) The event is being held in memory of Catherine “Nora” Murray, the former coordinator of BCPS student leadership programs and a co-founder of FINISH Sarcoma. The community is invited to participate. All proceeds will benefit FINISH Sarcoma to support sarcoma patients and their families, sarcoma research funding, and promoting sarcoma awareness.  

BCPS student leaders spend day at Maryland State House

Twenty-seven members of Baltimore County Student Councils and Baltimore County Junior Councils visited Annapolis on March 14. During the day, they toured the State House, watched legislative House and Senate sessions, and met with Senator Benjamin Brooks and Delegate Eric Ebersole. An unplanned addition to the day was meeting and conversing with Governor Wes Moore and Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller.

The BCSC/BCJC student delegation

Governor Moore speaking with students

for parents
from BCPS Parent University

Helping children think critically and separate fact from fiction

A recent Baltimore's Child article offers from suggestions on ways to help children learn to sort fact from fiction and opinion from truth. Here are some ideas:


  • Ask open-ended questions (questions that cannot be answered with "yes" or "no") and ask children to explain their reasoning.
  • Play games that involve strategy.
  • Ask children to think of as many ways as they can to solve a problem or complete a task.
  • Seek children's books that demonstrate how to evaluate situations and examine beliefs.

Register now for Family College Night


Stephanie Campbell, BCPS college counselor, will present a virtual information session on Wednesday, Mar. 22, at 6:30 p.m. focused on preparing families for the college application process. The session, offered by the BCPS Office of School Counseling, will explore researching colleges, application types and deadlines, essay writing, and testing. Campbell will also discuss how the pandemic has changed the face of the college admissions process. BCPS juniors and seniors, along with their parents/caregivers, are encouraged to register now for the March 22 workshop. Space is limited! This presentation is also being conducted in Spanish on March 23. Register now for the March 23 workshop in Spanish.

Looking for more ideas and information? Please sign up for the Parent University newsletter! It is designed specifically for parents and caregivers and offers ideas, information, resources, and opportunities.

for your viewing pleasure

"Infinite without, Infinite within" by Michael Ebubechukwu Ujuagu, Grade 11, Perry Hall High School, from the "Art is for Everyone" exhibition.

To see more artwork by BCPS students, teachers, and other members of the BCPS community, please visit the Office of Visual Arts gallery webpage.

mission moment

from The Education Foundation of BCPS

Here, there, and everywhere: The Education Foundation supports student, school success in multiple ways

The latest Mission Moment blog post shares three examples of the many ways The Education Foundation supports the success of BCPS students and schools, including by fostering new and stronger relationships with area businesses and organizations, supporting schools with supplies for community-building activities, and enhancing efforts to encourage students to pursue careers in education.

A Word from Dr. Williams, Superintendent

March 20, 2023


Dear Team BCPS,


On Thursday, March 23, middle and high school students across the county will vote for the next Student Member of the Board. The three finalists, all Grade 11 students, are Nick Dimitriades of Towson High School, Kayla Drummond of Parkville High School, and Nathan Harris of George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology.


Over the years, Student Members of the Board have served as strong advocates for BCPS students, offering invaluable perspectives on students' needs, concerns, and interests.


Many students have heard recorded speeches from the three candidates during their English language arts and social studies classes.Before they vote, students will be able to view the candidates answering questions submitted by BCPS students.


I urge all students to participate in this opportunity to select an effective representative for the Board. Whatever the outcome of the election, I am certain that all three of these impressive candidates will continue to make a positive difference in BCPS and in the community.


Sincerely, 


Darryl L. Williams, Ed.D.

Superintendent

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