Grant funding from Maryland Consortium to expand access to mental health services for uninsured, underinsured BCPS students | |
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The Maryland Consortium on Coordinated Community Supports has approved nearly $8 million in grant funding for community mental health providers to provide enhanced behavioral health services to uninsured and underinsured BCPS students.
Working with BCPS, eight community mental health providers will provide a range of services to students across all grade levels in more than 100 schools through June 2025. These services will include therapy, workshops, family education, prevention services, mentoring, family support groups, character education, and more.
The approved service providers are Balance Point Wellness, Thrive Behavioral Health, Hope Health System, Life Renewal Services, Lighthouse Inc., Nexus Wellness Group, Tidemark Intervention Services, and Villa Maria.
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Thousands of new middle and high school students participate in Early Entry Day | |
On August 22, across the county, students entering Grades 6 and 9 participated in Early Entry Day, an opportunity to meet teachers and fellow students, explore their new schools, and get a preview of their classes, just days before the start of the new school year. | |
Photos from Early Entry Day at Sudbrook Magnet Middle School. More can be found on Flickr. | |
Photos from Early Entry Day at the newly opened Nottingham Middle School. More can be found on Flickr. | |
New Community Update highlights student expectations, rights, and responsibilities and transportation procedures and handbook
Please read this important information online in English or Spanish.
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Highlights from Superintendent’s back-to-school press conference | |
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On August 20, BCPS Superintendent Myriam Rogers held one of her monthly press conferences with local media. A full summary can be found online in English and Spanish.
Here are a few highlights:
Recruitment and Retention
- BCPS is 99 percent staffed, with just 102.6 vacancies remaining as of August 19. More than 100 of our schools have no vacancies, and 90 percent of the schools with vacancies have two or fewer openings.
Curriculum and Instruction
- Our robust professional learning plan for the 2024-2025 school year provided more than 30 days of systemwide professional development and training in content and pedagogy this summer. We are so excited that 5,497 teachers and paraprofessionals were trained in June. That’s 7.5 out of every 10 teachers who share common knowledge around clarity, high expectations, and routines.
Capital Planning
- Thanks to funding from our state and county partners and with the support of the Board of Education, BCPS is investing in capital projects that improve learning and working environments. The replacement building for Bedford Elementary School and the new Nottingham Middle School are opening for students this week. Barring any unforeseen circumstances, the renovation/addition project at Pine Grove Middle School will also be completed during the 2024-2025 school year.
Safety and Social-Emotional/Mental Health Resources
- This year, our efforts to ensure students social-emotional well-being include providing students with access to expanded mental health resources via a new partnership with Talkspace that is available to BCPS students ages 13 and older. Additionally, students at select BCPS middle schools can access the Cigna School Support Line. This is a no-cost, confidential service for students, families, and staff. The Cigna Support Line provides support when individuals need help 24 hours each day, 365 days per year.
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Catch up on the latest Summer Stories | |
Baltimore Highlands Elementary teacher spends 6 weeks in Peru on fellowship | |
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This summer, Bridget Jordan, an English language development teacher from Baltimore Highlands Elementary School, had the incredible opportunity to be one of 14 teachers selected for the 2024 Fulbright-Hays Fellowship in collaboration with Towson University. During her six-week stay in Peru, she explored cultural landmarks like Machu Picchu and participated in workshops that deepened her understanding of the Peruvian school system. She also had the unique experience of staying with host families, immersing herself in the daily life and traditions of the local communities.
More of her story is included in a Summer Stories blog post.
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Northwest Academy of Health Sciences student connects to her Nigerian culture | | |
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In a new Summer Stories blog post, Precious C. Uguru, a Grade 8 student at Northwest Academy of Health Sciences, writes about her participation in the NANIUSA 2024 Convention. NANIUSA stands for the National Association of Ndí Isuikwuato in USA. The event is held biennially to raise funds for initiatives in the town of Isuikwuato, Abia State, Nigeria, where all the attendees are from. The convention acts as a place for the preservation of Igbo language and culture. | |
2024 Western Tech grad continues her work on student health in India | |
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In a new Summer Stories blog post, Aarti Srinivas, a 2024 Western School of Technology graduate writes about her nonprofit, the Preserving Students Health Foundation. Through the foundation, this summer she offered comprehensive blood testing, free of charge, to public school students in Grades 6-12.
She writes: "Ultimately, this project aimed to further highlight and address barriers that can impede educational success. By providing essential medical services and gathering data, we can support efforts to improve health outcomes for students in underprivileged communities, thereby enhancing their ability to learn and thrive academically. So far, we have been able to help more than 1,500 students."
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Seeking more summer stories
Every summer since 2018, BCPS has invited its students, teachers, and staff to share stories about their summer activities and adventures on the BCPS blog. The invitation to contribute to the Summer Stories series is extended again this year. To submit a blog post or suggest a story idea, please write to communications@bcps.org. We want to know about your summer jobs/internships/externships, vacations, creative projects, competitions, camps, and more!
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for parents
from BCPS Parent University
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for your viewing pleasure | |
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mission moment
from The Education Foundation of BCPS
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Wayfinder grant recipients announced, additional funding available | |
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The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., is pleased to announce the first four recipients of the inaugural Purpose-Centered Social Emotional Learning (SEL) grant in partnership with Wayfinder and to announce that the deadline has been extended.
The first four recipients are:
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Dundalk Middle School, Principal Matthew Wickman, Project Coordinator Jessica Cuozzo
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Lansdowne High School, Principal Allison Seymour, Project Coordinator Tiffany Saylor
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Sparrows Point Middle School, Principal Eric Eiswert, Project Coordinator Robin Taylor-Chadwick
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Woodlawn Middle School, Principal Dr. Rochelle Archelus, Project Coordinator Scott Saffron
A total of 10 schools will have the opportunity to participate in the Purpose-Centered SEL program during school years 2024-2025 and 2025-2026. Therefore, the application deadline has been extended to August 30 at 5 p.m.
More details can be found in a new Mission Moment blog post.
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August 26, 2024
Dear Reader:
Happy new school year! Welcome back!
For all of us, the start of a new school year is always a great opportunity for change. I look forward to working closely with the stakeholders of Team BCPS to make 2024-2025 the best school year ever.
I encourage you to contribute to the success of BCPS in whatever way you can –whether that is joining a parent-teacher-student association; mentoring a child; volunteering at a school; taking a Parent University workshop; applying for a job with BCPS; learning more about the programs and services BCPS offers; becoming a business partner to a school; or speaking up at school board meeting.
The most important thing we can do as parents and community members is to educate our youth. Let's work together to make sure all BCPS students receive the same level of excellent education and support, no matter what school they attend or neighborhood they live in.
In partnership,
Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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