Thursday, May 23, 2024

Previous editions of the BCPS Staff Bulletin are archived and available for viewing on the BCPS website.

Best wishes to the Class of 2024!

Beginning this week, more than 7,000 BCPS high school seniors will become high school graduates. The BCPS graduation schedule, along with live stream links, is available on the BCPS website.

As the Class of 2024 prepares for their next journey, we asked them to briefly share some of their favorite memories of their time in our schools or offer advice to younger students. Follow along on Facebook, X/Twitter, and Instagram as we share their messages beginning tomorrow, Friday 24, the final day of classes for graduating seniors.

Some of their submissions include:

"Ask for help when you need it. There’s no shame in asking for help. If you can’t find the answer, don’t hesitate to ask your teachers or parents. They’ll be more than willing to assist you." – Mason Legrand, Parkville High School

"My message to younger students: There will be ups and downs in life. Challenge your 'downs,' and enjoy your 'ups'!" – Brayden Shelly, Sparrows Point High School

"I will leave, but I am going to take the good memories in my heart of the times I spent at school with my friends and of the teachers who always supported me, especially Ms. Santos, Woodlawn’s ESOL department chair." – Gabriela Pérez Brito, Woodlawn High School

A full collection of senior messages is available on the BCPS blog. The post will be updated as more submissions are received.

FEATURED VIDEO:

There's no team like Team BCPS!

Spread the word! We are hiring in a variety of positions as we look ahead to the 2024-2025 school year. A new BCPS-TV video features a cast of incredible BCPS staff who share why they chose to join our team.

If you know someone who is ready to take the next step in their career, tell them why you chose Team BCPS! Online applications are available now.

ALSO IN THIS ISSUE...

• New summer professional learning website is live - register today!

Registration for the BCPS Summer Professional Learning Series: Highly Effective Teachers, Leaders, and Staff will be open from May 20 to June 3. All teachers, administrators, and staff are encouraged to attend and must register using the BCPS registration system. Ten-month employees will be paid their negotiated hourly rate for participation in professional learning. Participating paraeducators will receive their hourly rate. Additional information on this series can be found on the BCPS website.

Participants must register for the session(s) by visiting the Registration System. In the Course Search box, participants can search for the Course number(s) listed below and register for the appropriate course/section. The Registration System does not offer an official conference-style registration, so some groups must register for multiple courses.

• Central office realignment message from Superintendent Dr. Rogers

In a new message to BCPS staff, Superintendent Dr. Myriam Rogers wrote: "Thank you for your commitment to being a vital member of Team BCPS. Together, we will continue to focus our resources of people, time, and funding closer to schools to create experiences that enable all students to achieve improved learning outcomes. We are reimagining our leadership structure to further strengthen the coordination, collaboration, and strategic support for our schools and offices. The Fiscal Year 2025 organizational structure strategically aligns our work and focus on teaching and learning."

For more information, please review the full message on the BCPS website.

• Safe Schools Conference Registration

Registration for the 27th Safe Schools Conference will be open from Thursday, May 23, through Thursday, June 6, for pre-determined school team members. Principals have determined their teams, and team members will receive a personal notice to register.

• Maryland State Board and MSDE Honor 2024-2025 Teachers of the Year

On May 21, the Maryland State Board of Education and Maryland State Department of Education held a special recognition ceremony for the 2024-2025 Teachers of the Year at the Nancy S. Grasmick State Education Building. Each of the state’s 24 school systems selects a Teacher of the Year who exemplifies outstanding work as an educator. Stephanie Gerhold, an ESOL teacher at Woodlawn Middle School, is this year's Team BCPS representative More information is available in an MSDE news release.

• Sollers Point Technical High School to be honored with Cornerstone Award from Dundalk Renaissance

Sollers Point Technical High School has been awarded the prestigious Cornerstone Award by Dundalk Renaissance in recognition of its 75 years of outstanding contributions to career and technology education. This landmark achievement will be celebrated at a special event at 6 p.m. on Thursday, May 30, at Flagship Cinemas Eastpoint, 7938 Eastern Blvd., Dundalk 21224.

The celebration is open to the public. Tickets can be reserved through the Dundalk Renaissance website.

• Just FOIA - Maryland Public Information Act Software Target Launch Date - July 1

The Office of Law will be launching JustFOIA, a new Maryland Public Information Act (MPIA) request management software system. The target launch date is July 1.

What is new?

• The public will be able to make requests through the JustFOIA portal.
• Staff members will receive an email directly from JustFOIA, including reminders when action is required.
• Staff will have access to their specific requests and be able to review the request’s details.
• Staff will be able to upload responsive records directly into the JustFOIA software.
• All internal communication for each MPIA request will be found in JustFOIA.

The law office will share more information about the software system and upcoming training opportunities soon.

• Decommissioned Software for the 2024-25 School Year

The digital tools and databases included in a BCPS News Hub post will be decommissioned for the 2024-25 school year. Recommendations for alternative BCPS-approved tools and linked support resources are also included in this document.

• Online Learning Program

As has been shared, eLearning and VLP will be combined into the BCPS Online Learning Program for SY 2024-25 and has accepted applications for a limited number of seats that will be offered based on a random lottery process. Since the lottery is available to any Baltimore County resident in Grades 4-12, it is unlikely that any school will have a significant number of students transfer into the program.

Lottery results will be released to families on Friday, May 24. It has been shared with applicants that students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) or 504, who have been offered a seat, will need to have a team at their home school discuss how the student’s needs can best be met in a full-time virtual environment. A staff member from the Online Learning Program must be invited to participate in the team.

Memorial Day (May 27) - Remember & Honor

In recognition of Memorial Day, we remember and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice while serving our country.

Highlights from the Superintendent's May 23 Media Availability

Dr. Myriam Rogers held a media availability today, May 23, to discuss the 2024 graduation season, FY2025 operating budget, Omnilert weapons detection system, recruitment and staffing, and end-of-school-year reminders for Team BCPS. County Executive Johnny Olszewski joined Dr. Rogers at this event. More information is available in a BCPS community message.

MSDE announces $6.85M philanthropic partnership to increase literacy outcomes

The grant will fund the deployment of high-quality professional development aligned to the Science of Reading for thousands of Maryland educators and administrators, starting Monday, July 1. The funding will provide educators, paraprofessionals, and administrators with free access to microcredential continuing education units from the State University of New York, New Paltz and the AIM Institute for Learning and Research. More information is available in an MSDE news release.

ICYMI: Firearm detection system implemented in all BCPS Schools

BCPS is implementing firearm detection technology in all school buildings through internal and external cameras. This technology allows select BCPS and Baltimore County Police Department personnel to receive an alert when a firearm is displayed.

On several occasions, school staff and BCoPD personnel have received alerts outside of school hours when individuals displayed look-alike firearms on school property in view of cameras.

Because it is impossible to determine from a camera view if an item is real or a look-alike, law enforcement personnel were deployed to the scene. To avoid unintended consequences and as a reminder, firearms, including look-alike firearms, should not be brought onto school property at any time.

2024 BCPS Mental Health Mile set for May 25-27

The third annual BCPS Mental Health Mile is a culminating event promoting mental health awareness during National Mental Health Awareness Month. We encourage everyone to engage in physical activity, for example, walking, running, swimming, or rollerblading on Saturday, May 25, Sunday, May 26, and/or Monday, May 27. You can participate individually, or with family, friends, or colleagues. If you take photos of your participation, please tag @MentalHealth_CB on Twitter and use the hashtag #BCPSCares.

Graduating senior profiles series concludes

We celebrated our 2024 graduating seniors by presenting a profile of one student from each high school, selected by the school principals.Thank you for following along with us!

The series concluded with:

• Janiyah Sutton, Milford Mill Academy

• Sofia Makarashvili, Owings Mills High School

• Emely Alejandra Rivas, Patapsco High School & Center for the Arts

• Chau'Nyia Ellison, Pikesville High School

BCPS Salute - May 31

Each school year, on the last Friday in May, we take a moment to say an extra special thank you to some of the many unsung heroes in Team BCPS.

Things to Know About the May 21 Board of Education Meeting

1) The Board approved changes to the BCPS organization chart for 2024-2025.

2) The Board received a report on graduation which included graduation requirements, highlights for the Class of 2023, and an update on the Class of 2024.

3) The Board received an update on alternative education programs in BCPS.

4) The Board received an update on secondary literacy and the curriculum pilot.

5) The Board approved 12 administrative appointments.

May is National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! Please join us in recognizing our amazing

Team BCPS speech-language pathologists and audiologists.

Share your partnership highlights with us!

Teachers: BCPS wants to hear your thoughts on how student cell phone misuse impacts classroom instruction and learning. Please take a moment to complete this short survey before Wednesday, May 29.

The AVID Summer Academy is an opportunity for BCPS educators to attend up to three AVID Professional Learning Workshops (APLWs) with colleagues from around the county. Several APLWs will be offered throughout the day on Thursday, June 20, at Ridgely Middle School and are listed in the Online Registration Catalog in the “AVID Professional Learning Workshops (APLW)” course. Teachers in AVID schools are encouraged to collaborate with their school’s AVID site coordinator to determine APLWs that best align with schoolwide goals, their instructional practice, and how to become certified as “AVID-Trained” and earn an MSDE CPD credit after completion of six APLWs.

End-of-year guidance documents have been created to assist supervisors and employees with the end-of-year evaluation process. Learn more in a BCPS News Hub post.

The Department of Employee Training and Development is partnering with the Department of Staff Relations to offer Employee Evaluation Training for Central Office supervisors. Participants will review the evaluation process and timelines specified in the respective master agreements, as well as review requirements and best practices for evaluating employees. Additionally, participants will engage in an interactive overview of the Evaluation System (Perform) to utilize the system meaningfully and effectively. More information is available in a BCPS News Hub Post.

Upcoming Board and advisory group meetings

All are welcome to attend

Southeast Area Education Advisory Council meeting

Monday, June 3, at 7 p.m.

Meeting details

Topic: Planning for 2024-2025

Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee meeting

Monday, June 5, at 7 p.m.

Meeting details

Topic: Educational options and digital resources

Southwest Area Education Advisory Council meeting

Monday, June 10

Meeting details

Topic: Planning for 2024-2025

PTA Council of Baltimore County general meeting

Monday, June 12

Meeting details

Topic: Officer training, general meeting, and awards

Board of Education meeting

Tuesday, June 13, at 6:30 p.m.

TEAM BCPS SHOUTOUT

Jaime Hetzler, director of BCPS Food and Nutrition Services, and her team were recognized with a Cornerstone Award from University of Maryland's College of Agriculture and Natural Resources' Health Food System, Global Food, and Nutritional Security Committee. The award was presented at a May 8 ceremony and was awarded for the BCPS team's success in improving student nutrition through access, quality improvement, and partnership.

Hetzler was hired in late 2021, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. School food service operators were experiencing challenges due to labor and product shortages. In spite of the challenges, Jaime brought a vision to BCPS nutrition programs that included improving meal quality, expanding access, and reducing waste. Since then, Hetzler's impact has continued to grow.

You may submit a shoutout for a variety of reasons. For example, you may want to offer a pat on the back to a colleague for helping out, recognize a staff member or student achievement, or welcome a new employee. When your shoutout appears in The Staff Bulletin, your name and school/location will be included.

UPCOMING RECOGNITIONS

Memorial Day - May 27

BCPS Salute to Custodians, Groundskeepers, Maintenance Personnel & Logistics Personnel - May 31

BALTIMORE COUNTY PUBLIC SCHOOLS

Engage. Empower. Excel.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT:

Dept. of Communications/Community Outreach

443.809.5908 | communications@bcps.org