Teen participants will spend approximately two weeks with a host family in France or Spain at the end of June 2018 and, upon return to the U.S., host a French or Spanish student for two weeks. We are accepting sophomores, juniors and seniors in Level III and above of Spanish and French (and native speakers).  

The program fee is $700 for CA residents and $850 for non-CA residents, excluding airline tickets. Airline tickets in 2018 will range from $1,100 to $1,400 per participant. There are excellent scholarships available for Columbia residents who qualify.

The application deadline is Friday, Feb. 16. The application packet will be online at ColumbiaAssociation.org/teenexchange by early November. For more information, contact Laura Smit at 410-715-3162 or  [email protected].

Dear HCPSS families,

As we look ahead at this school year, I know that many families are already speculating the number of inclement weather days we might have. While my personal and professional preference would be to not have any inclement weather dates this winter, we know that weather can be unpredictable.  I wanted to remind families that certain days during spring break in April 2018 may need to be used to makeup inclement weather days.

Based on State rules, the school calendar must have several days within the school year that can be used as weather make-up days.  In the calendar adopted by the Board of Education, these days were identified as: Monday, February 19, Wednesday, April 4, Thursday, April 5, Friday April 6, and Friday, June, 15. The potential inclement weather makeup days of Wednesday, April 4 through Friday, April 6 take place during spring break. I recognize spring break is an important time for families to spend time together and so I encourage you to consider flexibility when making your spring break plans in the event one or more of those days are needed for make-up days. For example, you may want to wait to make non-refundable bookings or purchase travel insurance.

We are one of five school systems in Maryland to preserve spring break with the new State rules on the school calendar, however, we were unable to avoid scheduling potential inclement weather make-up days during the break. Please note these days will be used as a last resort to make up for lost instructional time. If at all possible, we will use Presidents' Day, on Monday, February 19, and Friday, June 15 as the first two inclement weather make-up days. However, the timing of inclement weather may make it impossible to use February 19. Under any circumstances, if we have more than two closings for inclement weather, the days over spring break will be needed to make up school. To see our current SY17-18 calendar, please visit the  HCPSS school calendar page.

The safety of our students and staff is my top priority, and all inclement weather decisions will be based on safety, not calendar impact. When a weather event is predicted, I work collaboratively with the HCPSS Director of Pupil Transportation, the Grounds Department, the state and county road departments, transportation staff in surrounding school districts, the Howard County and State Police Departments and others to determine if schools should close for inclement weather. To learn more about the inclement weather decision process, visit our  emergency closing page.

Thank you for your understanding and should you have any questions, please contact Mr. James LeMon, Director of Community, Parent and School Outreach ( [email protected] or 410-313-6607).

Michael J. Martirano
Interim Superintendent

FALL MAINTENANCE CHORES

While lawn care and leaf removal is important for curb appeal, don't forget there are other exterior maintenance chores that need your attention before the winter weather sets in.

Maintain your gutters. 

Remove debris from your gutters so water can properly drain. Clogged gutters can cause damage to existing landscaping, lawn and shrubbery; walls, foundations, basements, crawl spaces and existing gutter systems damage.

Trim your bushes, trees and remove dead branches. 

Inclement weather can cause even healthy tree branches to break which can damage your home, car, or someone just walking by. Keep an eye out for large dead branches, detached branches dangling, cavities, or rotten wood along trunks or major branches, etc. If you see any signs of hazards, call a professional tree service.

Maintain your steps, walkways and handrails. 

Assess your steps, walkways and handrails for needed maintenance to prevent falls and injury.

Drain garden hoses and check valves in advance of winterization. 

Garden hoses will freeze and thaw making them brittle and ineffective if water is left inside. Water valves should be leak-free to prevent them from the freeze-thaw cycle.

Inspect your home's exterior walls. 

Look for possible weather-related damage, like cracks and loose or crumbling mortar. Wood trim and siding can suffer from deteriorating paint or become loose. Windowsills may be cracked, split or decayed.

Now is the time to make the necessary repairs before the weather turns cold. Delayed repairs often become more costly due to additional damage over time or with extended periods of bad weather.