County Executive Olszewski announces $1 million in scholarships to boost BCPS teacher diversity | |
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Baltimore County Executive Johnny Olszewski and BCPS have announced the award of a $1 million grant to create the new Diverse Teacher Recruitment Scholarship: Growing Our Own for BCPS program.
“Every child deserves to grow up with role models and mentors who look like them,” said Baltimore County Executive Olszewski. “Diversity is our strength in Baltimore County, and the new recruitment scholarship will support students from across the county and make our school system stronger and more vibrant.”
The scholarship program, which will be implemented by The Education Foundation of Baltimore County Public Schools, Inc., will provide eligible applicants with scholarships supporting the costs of tuition, fees, and books.
The program is open to juniors and seniors at local colleges and universities,
current BCPS paraeducators, and individuals changing careers and currently studying education. To qualify, applicants must be Black, Indigenous, or people of color pursuing teaching careers in any field OR women pursuing teaching certificates in science, technology, engineering, or mathematics (STEM).
Scholarship recipients must commit to completing internships in BCPS schools and commit to teaching with BCPS for three years upon graduation from an accredited teacher education program.
Applications are due by 5 p.m. on Tuesday, April 30.
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2024 BCPS Climate Survey launches today
Survey has fewer questions, can be completed in 3 minutes or less
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The annual BCPS Climate Survey has been revised with fewer questions and a focus on school climate and engagement. Students in Grades 3–12, parents/caregivers, community members, and all staff are asked to complete the online survey, which is accessible from the BCPS home page. The survey takes three minutes or less to complete, is anonymous, and is available in multiple languages. The survey window will close on Friday, March 8. | |
BCPS celebrates National School Counseling Week | |
To celebrate National School Counseling Week, Feb. 5-9, BCPS asked a handful of school counselors to answer a few questions about the work they do to support students. See their answers in a new blog post. | |
Milan Amos, Catonsville High School, 2023 Rookie School Counselor of the Year | |
Emily Dewlin, Dundalk High School, 2023 High School Counselor of the Year | |
Donna Murphy, Eastern Technical High School, Veteran school counseling department chair | |
Erin Ruocco, West Towson Elementary School, 2023 Elementary School Counselor of the Year | |
Amy Selby, Deep Creek Magnet Middle School, 2023 Middle School Counselor of the Year | |
Black History Month spotlight on BCPS graduates | |
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Each school day throughout Black History Month, BCPS will honor on social media a graduate from a BCPS high school. Community members and BCPS staff can continue to submit nominations to ensure that each BCPS high school is represented.
The first two graduates highlighted this month are:
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Theodore Colbert III
Milford Mill Academy graduate
CEO, Boeing Defense, Space & Security
| In 2022, The Black Engineer of the Year Awards named Colbert the Black Engineer of the Year, the organization's top honor. Colbert completed the Dual Degree Engineering Program at the George Institute of Technology and Morehouse College. | |
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Monica Ikegwu
George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology graduate
Visual artist
| Ikegwu's work has been shown internationally and was featured in "The Culture: Hip Hop & Contemporary Art in the 21st Century" exhibit at the Baltimore Museum of Art (2023). She has earned a bachelor's degree in painting from the Maryland Institute College of Art and a master's degree in painting from the New York Academy of Art. | |
Dulaney High and Western Tech juniors selected as finalists for Student Member of the Board of Education | |
Ugonma Chike-Kalu, Western School of Technology | |
Kimberly Hernandez, Dulaney High School | |
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Two Baltimore County Public School juniors – Ugonma Chike-Kalu of Western School of Technology and Kimberly Hernandez of Dulaney High School – are the finalists for student member of the Board of Education of Baltimore County for the 2024-2025 school year. The two finalists were selected following application reviews and interviews with a panel of students and staff.
Learn more about the candidates on the SMOB selection webpage and in a recent news release. Middle and high school students will cast online ballots from 7 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on Thursday, April 4, to select their preferred candidate.
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Six BCPS students named candidates in the U.S. Presidential Scholars Program | |
Oluwatoyosi Dada and Rose E. Deguet Delury, Towson High School | |
Mingni L. Dong, Dulaney High School | |
Kai L. Haavik, George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology | |
Enyu Ling, Western School of Technology and Environmental Science | |
Aisha A. Olufayo, Western School of Technology and Environmental Science | |
Semifinalists will be announced in mid-April, and the final list of the 2024 U.S. Presidential Scholars will be revealed in early May. Students chosen as U.S. Presidential Scholars receive Presidential medallions. | |
Summit Park Elementary School celebrates official ribbon cutting for its new school building | |
Team BCPS leaders, members of the Board of Education, and state and county officials gathered on February 1 to celebrate the new replacement building for Summit Park Elementary School. The new building opened to students in January. The $63 million project features more than double the capacity (684 seats) and square footage (100,441 square feet) of the former school building. Photos from the event are available in a BCPS Flickr album. | |
Entries for BCPS Black History Month Writing Contest due this Friday | | |
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BCPS Black History Month Writing Contest entries are due by 11:59 p.m. on Friday, February 9. The contest is accepting up to three entries per school. Students interested in participating should speak to their English language arts or social studies teacher. The annual contest, open to all students in Grades K-12, is sponsored by the Office of English Language Arts and the Office of Social Studies. | |
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Watch the 2024 Student Choreography Showcase
Student choreographers and dancers participated in the annual BCPS Student Choreography Showcase at Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts on February 1 and 2. They participated in a movement workshop class, receiving valuable feedback on their choreographic works from Clancyworks Dance Company artists, and then offered a public showcase performance. The February 1 performance featured students from George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology, Lansdowne High School, Lansdowne Middle School, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, Perry Hall High School, and Windsor Mill Middle School. The Friday showcase featured students from Franklin Middle School, Middle River Middle School, Milford Mill Academy, New Town High School, Overlea High School, Owings Mills High School, Patapsco High School and Center for the Arts, and Pikesville Middle School.
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for parents
from BCPS Parent University
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Register now for upcoming Parent University Lunch and Learn Workshops | |
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“Eating Healthy on a Budget”
Wednesday, February 7, from 12:30-1:30 p.m.
In this free online event, Priority Partners will share tips and tricks on how to make nutritious meals on a budget, shop smartly for groceries, and discover affordable alternatives to expensive ingredients. Please register online.
“Forging Relationships: Best Practices for Communicating with Culturally and Linguistically Diverse Families”
Friday, February 16, at 12:30 p.m.
This virtual workshop will be presented by the Center for Family Success Center for Family Success. Please register online.
“This is Hard! How to Help Your Child Do Hard Things and Persevere in the Face of Challenges”
Friday, February 16, at 12:30 p.m.
Presented by Mariposa Education, this virtual workshop will offer support to parents as they encourage their children to do difficult things. Presenters will share the language to use to help children build self-motivation. Please register online.
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for your viewing pleasure | |
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mission moment
from The Education Foundation of BCPS
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The inaugural Designer Bag BINGO was a trendsetting success! | |
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The Education Foundation of BCPS, Inc. held its inaugural Designer Bag BINGO fundraising event on January 25 at Tall Cedars of Lebanon North America in Parkville. The event was sold out, and the evening was a resounding success!
Nearly 500 Champions of Education and Friends of The Foundation/Team BCPS joined in the fun and played BINGO to win designer handbags, raffle baskets, door prizes, and the 50/50 raffle.
More than $20,000 was raised and will go directly to supporting the students, teachers, and schools of BCPS by ensuring the foundation has the funds to keep the Exchangeree centers stocked with school supplies, classroom resources, and other items.
More about the event and its generous sponsors can be found in a new Mission Moment blog post.
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February 5, 2024
Dear Reader:
Last Tuesday, I held my monthly session with members of the local media. You can view the media availability on YouTube and read highlights of my remarks in a community message.
Among other topics, I spoke with reporters about our work to address absenteeism as part of our work to ensure all students excel and reach their highest potential.
Recognizing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on student attendance, we launched a comprehensive plan to combat chronic absenteeism, empower students and families, and reduce barriers to school attendance. Our “Here for It” campaign is leveraging creative strategies to promote a culture of attendance and to support efforts to decrease the percentage of chronically absent students.
Following the implementation of the campaign and with reinvigorated efforts from school communities, we are starting to see promising results. The percentage of students attending school consistently has increased significantly, while the percentage of students who are chronically absent has decreased.
We look forward to providing additional updates on our efforts to combat chronic absenteeism in the near future.
Regards,
Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.
Superintendent
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Calendar reminder
Friday, February 9, is a systemwide professional development day.
Schools will be closed for students.
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Upcoming Board and advisory group meetings
All are welcome to attend
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Joint meeting of the Southwest and Northwest Area Education Advisory Councils
Monday, February 12, at 6:30 p.m.
Meeting details
Topic: “Equity”
Board of Education meeting
Tuesday, February 13, at 6:30 p.m.
BCPS headquarters/Greenwood – Building E, 6901 N. Charles St., Towson 21204
Information about attending and making public comments at meetings can be found on the Board’s website.
Southeast Area Education Advisory Council meeting
Monday, February 26, at 7 p.m.
Chesapeake High School library, 1801 Turkey Point Rd., Baltimore 21221
Topic: “Artificial Intelligence”
Board of Education meeting
Tuesday, February 27, at 6:30 p.m.
BCPS headquarters/Greenwood – Building E, 6901 N. Charles St., Towson 21204
Information about attending and making public comments at meetings can be found on the Board’s website.
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