So. Md Education News

Charles Co. North Point junior helps to beautify former elementary school as part of Eagle Scout project

About a year ago, Anthony Forrest was brainstorming ideas to complete his Eagle Scout rank with the Boy Scouts. Forrest, an honor-roll student and junior engineering major at North Point High School, joined the Scouts program when he was a second grader at William B. Wade Elementary School. “I really wanted to try scouting and knew it was a good program and a lot of fun,” he said. Coupled with his interest to explore scouting, Forrest also was interested in learning about leadership and...

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Charles Co. CCPS offering in-person help with Phase 2 registration process

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is offering on-site assistance Oct. 5-7 for Phase 2 registration. Assistance is available to any Charles County family with a child enrolled in CCPS who is eligible to return to school during Phase 2. Pending Board approval, CCPS plans to begin Phase 2 on Nov. 9. The on-site schedule is below. Appointments are not required. Interpreters of multiple languages will be available to support families. Monday, Oct. 5, 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at John Hanson...

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Charles Co. CCPS program offering additional meals starting Oct. 5

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is adding a dinner meal and snack to its meal bags that already include a breakfast kit and lunch for children 2 to 18. The additional meals will be distributed starting Oct. 5 at the school system’s 17 meal sites. Parents picking up meals without their child present will need to show proof of a child’s age — like a student identification badge or copy of a report card. If the child is not or not yet enrolled in CCPS, and is not present during pickup...

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Charles Co. School system, health department team up to offer free vaccinations

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) and the Charles County Department of Health are collaborating to offer required vaccinations for students at no cost. Maryland law requires students to have up-to-date immunizations, but with some physician’s offices having altered schedules in effect to slow the spread of COVID-19, some students may not have received vaccinations yet. Sites will be set up at four CCPS schools with vaccines offered for measles, mumps and rubella (MMR), chickenpox...

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Charles Co. Students interested in taking AP exams must register and pay by Nov. 6

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students enrolled in Advanced Placement (AP) classes can take the accompanying exam in May. Some colleges and universities provide students with course credit for achieving a score of 4 or higher on AP exams. Any CCPS student enrolled in AP classes this year interested in taking the course exam in 2021 must register and pay the exam fee by Nov. 6. A list of available exams is posted on the College Board website at...

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Charles Co. Students interested in taking PSAT exam must register by Nov. 24; test is Jan. 26 at CCPS high schools

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students interested in taking the PSAT exam must register by Nov. 24. The PSAT exam is voluntary and open to any student in Grades 9-11. CCPS covers the registration fee for all sophomores to encourage students to take the exam as practice for the SAT. Registered students will take the exam at their home school in person on Jan. 26, 2021. Cost of the exam for high school freshmen and juniors is $18 and students can register online. This is the only date...

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Charles Co. Volunteers help CCPS process hotspots, web cameras

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students and teachers are receiving hotspots and web cameras earlier than expected this week with help from members of the Joint Base Andrews Office of Special Investigations (OSI). Five members of the OSI team arrived at the CCPS warehouse Wednesday morning, ready to prepare more than 1,000 hotspots for students and nearly 2,000 web cameras for teachers to use once CCPS begins Phase 2 with in-person learning. The cameras will allow teachers to move...

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Charles Co. CCPS prepares to reintroduce athletics, extracurricular activities

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is making a game plan for the return of athletics and extracurricular activities. Students can engage in virtual athletics and extracurricular activities during the first semester to practice and build skills. In-person activities and sports conditioning will begin Oct. 5 with strict health and safety protocols in place. Participation in first-semester extracurricular programs is voluntary and does not guarantee team membership for the competition season...

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Charles Co. CCPS prepares to reintroduce athletics, extracurricular activities

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is making a game plan for the return of athletics and extracurricular activities. Students can engage in virtual athletics and extracurricular activities during the first semester to practice and build skills. In-person activities and sports conditioning will begin Oct. 5 with strict health and safety protocols in place. Participation in first-semester extracurricular programs is voluntary and does not guarantee team membership for the competition season...

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Charles Co. CCPS planning for Phase 2 of its reopening plan

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is planning for Phase 2 of the school system’s reopening plan. Phase 2 would allow for students in identified special groups to return to in-person instruction at school four days per week. Pending approval by the Board of Education and stability in health metrics, CCPS plans to begin Phase 2 on Nov. 9, 2020. Parents of students eligible to return to school in Phase 2 can opt to either send their child back to school for in-person learning, or choose for...

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Charles Co. On-site technology, device help available next week for families

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is offering on-site virtual learning and device support help to families Sept. 21-22 at John Hanson Middle and J.C. Parks Elementary schools. Appointments are required. Help is open to any Charles County family with a child enrolled in CCPS. Starting tomorrow, families can call 301-934-7213 to make an appointment. Families who speak Spanish can call 301-934-7404 to make an appointment. The deadline to make appointments is Monday, Sept. 21 at 4 p.m...

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Charles Co. NewsBreak welcomes new anchors for the 2020-21 season

New school year, new news team — NewsBreak, a program that highlights the achievements of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff, students and system, welcomes back veteran anchor Brynna Bode, a Henry E. Lackey High School senior. Bode is joined this year by rookie newsreaders Emily Belson, a senior at Maurice J. McDonough High School; Chase Drewery, a North Point High School senior; Terrell McSears, a junior at St. Charles High School; Yachi Madaan, a Thomas Stone High School senior...

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Charles Co. James “Jimmy” Ball named Maryland Teacher of the Year finalist

James Ball, a longtime art teacher, mentor and coach with Charles County Public Schools (CCPS), is one of seven finalists in the 2020 Maryland Teacher of the Year award program. A veteran teacher with 26 years of teaching experience with CCPS, Ball is Charles County’s first state award finalist in more than a decade. The designation of Charles County Public Schools 2020 Teacher of the Year, and now as a state finalist, is fitting for Ball who grew up in the community in which he teaches. It...

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Charles Co. The 23rd annual Charles County College Fair is virtual Sept. 16

The Charles County College Fair is traditionally the first field trip of the school year for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) high school juniors and seniors. They visit the convocation center at North Point High School to talk to representatives of colleges and universities, the military and trade schools about “life after high school plans.” Like so much this year, things are going to work a little differently this go around. The 23rd annual Charles County College Fair is Wednesday...

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Charles Co. CCPS offers free meals to children ages 2-18

As it did over summer and throughout the school closure last spring, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is providing free meals to children ages 2 to 18 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Summer Food Service Program (SFSP). In anticipation of the waiver, students’ accounts have not been charged. The SFSP will be used through Dec. 31. A cold breakfast and lunch will be provided to children each school day, including Wednesdays with no contact service available at all...

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Charles Co. Food on the move — mobile meals travel to select areas

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is offering a meal program for Charles County children that delivers free, grab-and-go meals by school bus to select neighborhoods starting Wednesday, Sept. 9. Meals will be available from 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m. at the Wakefield Community Center at 2002 Nantucket Drive in Waldorf; Arthur Middleton Elementary School at 1109 Copley Ave. in Waldorf from noon to 12:30 p.m.; and from 12:20 to 12:50 p.m. at Smallwood Village Shopping Center, near Safeway, at...

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Charles Co. Important StudentVue, Zoom updates effective Sept. 3

New Zoom log-in step Starting Thursday, Sept. 3, Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students will have to log in to Zoom when joining their first scheduled class. In StudentVue, students can join a class under their scheduled meetings or by clicking the Calendar tab and selecting the Join Now button next to the meeting. When they click the Join Now button for their first meeting, a Zoom log-in page will appear. Students will need to follow the steps below to verify their Zoom account...

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Charles Co. Parents can request an opt out for their child for virtual instruction

Parents of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students can request to opt their child out of virtual instruction. Parents must complete the application linked below. The application closes at midnight on Friday, Sept. 4. Click here to complete the application. Requests will be considered on a case-by-case basis. Parents cannot request a mix of online learning and recorded instruction. The application also was provided to parents by email last month. School principals will receive a list...

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Charles Co. Students must have up-to-date immunizations

Classes might be starting out as virtual this year, but state law still requires students to have minimum immunization levels to attend school. Vaccine requirements vary depending on the age and grade of a student, and include DPT, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chickenpox, hepatitis B, Hib, Prevnar, Tdap and meningococcal. To see a chart of required vaccines, click here. Students can attend school without completed immunizations, but parents have to show proof of a doctor’s or clinic...

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Charles Co. Board to meet Sept. 8 for regular meeting

The Board of Education’s next regular meeting is 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Sept. 8. The Board will meet in person at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. In order to maintain social distancing and safety guidelines in place, there is no public access to the Starkey Building for this meeting. The meeting will stream live on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) website, www.ccboe.com and air on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12. CCPS will rebroadcast the meeting...

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