The Board of Education of Charles County is holding an executive session phone conference 8:30 a.m., Tuesday, Nov. 26 at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building as permitted by the Maryland Open Meetings Act, Section 10-508(a) and Section 10-503(c) of the State Government Article to discuss personnel matters.
About CCPS
Charles County Public Schools provides 27,521 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland...
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So. Md Education News
News from the local county public and private schools and colleges.
Students gathered earlier this month at Milton M. Somers Middle School aiming to come out on top at the Middle School Archery Tournament.
“Archery kind of relates to life,” said Deshea Mack, father of Matthew Henson Middle School eighth grader, Emmanuel Mack. “You have a goal and you work toward it. Then you hit it.” Mack also appreciates that archery teaches patience and discipline.
For some students, learning new skills are the side benefit of having a good time with a new activity...
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) will launch a dance program at the start of the 2020-21 school year. Housed at Maurice J. McDonough High School, the program is open only to current CCPS eighth graders or eighth-grade students who plan to enroll in CCPS for the 2020-21 school year. Students accepted into the program will attend McDonough as freshmen at the start of the 2020-21 school year with transportation provided by CCPS.
The program will be rooted in ballet, modern and jazz with...
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is increasing the presence of law enforcement at some schools. The Office of School Safety and Security secured a $276,000 grant that is allowing CCPS to enhance it security efforts through additional police coverage.
Jason Stoddard, director of school safety and security, said the grant is limited to increasing police presence at schools and will provide coverage at some elementary schools and the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center. CCPS selected...
Superintendent Kimberly Hill has announced the Fresh Start Academy Advisory Board, which is composed of members representing the community and various organizations.
Dr. Dianna Abney, a Waldorf pediatrician and former director of the Charles County Department of Health, is the advisory board chair. The board will offer input and feedback on the Academy programs, policies and practices.
Other board members include: Catherine Meyers, representing the Center for Children; Linda McLaughlin...
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) are hosting a scholarship fair next month to educate students and parents in paying for college expenses. The fair is 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 17 in the Business and Industry (BI) building of the CSM La Plata campus. The event is geared for high school juniors and seniors interested in learning about college scholarships.
The fair will also include parent workshops. Workshop topics range from college savings...
The Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) ParentVue, StudentVue and TeacherVue systems will be unavailable from 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 15 to 5 a.m. Monday, Nov. 18 while the system completes an update. Beginning Nov. 18, parents, students and teachers will have to use a new web address in order to access the programs.
CCPS is moving its data storage from the student information system, Synergy, to a new cloud-based environment. Effective Nov. 18, the link for ParentVue and StudentVue is...
More than 860 high school students in Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) are enrolled in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) programs. The JROTC program curriculum is accredited through each military branch and teaches students about military history, leadership, wellness and life skills. Instructors from several high schools presented a JROTC program overview to the Board of Education at its Nov. 12 meeting.
Helping to present were Gunny Sgt. Clive Bailey of La Plata High...
The Board of Education at its Nov. 12 meeting honored five Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff members for their contributions to students and the school system. Honored were Renard Barnes, Amanda Nadeau, Christina Trest, Sabryna Valen and Bianca Watson.
Barnes is an instructional assistant in the Emotionally Adjusted (EA) program at the F.B. Gwynn Educational Center. He works hard to establish and support relationships with both students and staff. No matter the type of...
The Board of Education at its Nov. 12 meeting honored four Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students for accomplishments in the areas of academic achievement, career readiness and personal responsibility. Honored were Logan Bivens, Ashani Davis, Brady Freundel and Shirley Luu.
Bivens is a fifth grader at J.P. Ryon Elementary School and was recognized by the Board in the area of career readiness. He is well known by teachers as a role model and hard worker. Bivens aspires to be a...
Superintendent of Schools Kimberly Hill, along with other Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff, is hosting a school safety and security Town Hall at 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 18 at Thomas Stone High School. The Town Hall will be televised live at ccboe.com from the Thomas Stone auditorium.
Staff will address safety and security issues, updates to school safety procedures, building enhancements and See Something, Say Something efforts. Following a brief presentation, staff will answer...
It’s not often that a string quartet or vocalist performance opens a formal business meeting. On Nov. 6, the La Plata Business Association’s (LPBA) monthly meeting began with student performers from La Plata High School showcasing the talents of Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students. For the past six years, the LPBA has partnered with Keith Grasso of Island Music Company to host Rocktoberfest and donate the proceeds to CCPS.
This year’s donation to CCPS was $41,000 – the highest...
Indian Head Elementary School launched a new program this school year to focus on social and emotional needs of students. Called “Move This World,” the program provides students with strategies to express emotions in a positive way. Students learn about and use 10 “emoger” strategies to display their feelings. The emogers focus on breathing, counting to 10, giving someone a smile, hug or fist bump, walking away quietly, drinking a glass of water, meeting in the middle, putting yourself in...
The Board of Education’s next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 12, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week.
Board meetings are streamed live on the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) website, www.ccboe.com. Click on the middle of the main page to start the live streaming. The...
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is expanding the student identification (ID) badge program to all high schools, Matthew Henson and General Smallwood middle schools and Billingsley Elementary School. These schools will begin to implement the program next week. The use of ID badges provides school employees immediate recognition of who belongs in the school. Badges are also part of the CCPS safety and security strategy.
School administrators will issue each student an ID badge featuring...
Staff from the Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Career and Technical Education (CTE) department will attend several Parent-Teacher-Student Organization (PTSO) meetings this month to spread awareness of CTE opportunities for students transitioning to high school.
CTE programs are available at all seven Charles County high schools, as well as the Robert D. Stethem Educational Center. These programs range from Project Lead the Way biomedical and engineering pathways, to the Teacher Academy...
Young golfers hit the links Oct. 30 for the middle school golf tournament held at White Plains Golf Course. While some students are new to the sport, others are familiar with it. Some are super serious about it; others play for the fun of it.
“I like it,” Peyton Lewis, a Matthew Henson Middle School sixth grader, said. “It’s not like it’s super competitive. When you’re playing soccer or football, when you miss a goal or something, you’re like ‘Oh, no! Game’s over,’ and everybody’s mad at...
Louis D’Ambrosio, a longtime Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) educator and principal at Berry Elementary School, was recently selected by Gov. Larry Hogan to serve on the Maryland Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board. He is the first CCPS educator to be chosen to serve a three-year term on the Board.
D’Ambrosio said he applied to serve on the Board to advocate for teachers. “I want to stay involved with the people who are involved in making decisions for education and...
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) held its annual fall chess tournament on Saturday, Oct. 26 at Thomas Stone High School. A total of 150 students participated in the event, which is open to any student in kindergarten through Grade 12.
The tournament follows a Swiss-style format in which each student plays four games. Students compete in eight grade-level divisions and trophies are given to division champions. Students who earn a top finisher award in their respective categories receive...
At the start of this school year, Milton M. Somers Middle School was without a math teacher for some of its eighth graders. Somers had a math vacancy for about 90 students enrolled in grade-level math. Vacancies in certain academic areas such as math and science are common; solutions often include long-term substitutes or pulling other staff to fill vacancies. In this case for Somers, the administrative leadership team worked with Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff to launch a pilot...