BCPS Partnership Spotlight Newsletter, December 2023

December 2023

Annual Shop with a Cop event builds relationships, brightens holidays

More than 100 Baltimore County police officers and Baltimore County Public Schools students participated in this year's annual Shop with a Cop event on December 16. The Optimist Club of Baltimore County provides $125 gift cards to each student, which they are able to spend buying gifts for family members and friends as well as for themselves. (Video shared courtesy of Baltimore County Police Department)

Volunteers sought for interactive financial literacy programs

JA Biztown and JA Finance Park offered to BCPS students through partnership with Junior Achievement Maryland

Photos from Windsor Mill Middle School's visit to JA Finance Park on December 14

Volunteers are needed to assist with interactive financial literacy programs offered to BCPS students through a partnership with Junior Achievement Maryland. Those interested can sign up online. Volunteers are needed for several dates in January including January 8-11, 16-18, 23-24, 26, and 29-31. Volunteers are typically needed from 8:30 a.m. - 1:30 p.m., but exact times vary.

On these dates, students will participate in JA Finance Park and/or JA Biztown.

BCPS students in Grades 4 and 5 participate in JA Biztown, which combines classroom lessons with a daylong experience in a simulated town. Students, supported by their teachers and volunteers, operate banks, manage restaurants, and vote for mayor. More than 25 BCPS schools will participate this year and that number will grow next school year.

Beginning this school year, BCPS middle school students are experiencing the new JA Finance Park, where they delve even more deeply into personal finance. “Each student is assigned an avatar who has a particular career, income, credit score, and family situation,” said Michael Crispens, BCPS elementary social studies coordinator. “They then need to navigate this world and make budgeting decisions.” Fourteen BCPS middle schools will participate this school year.

Team BCPS Day is coming! Prepare to wear blue on Thursday, January 11

First Financial Federal Credit Union

Maryland state legislators

Soon after winter break, BCPS will invite the entire community to participate in Team BCPS Day, an annual celebration of its schools, students, teachers, staff, volunteers, and supporters.

On Team BCPS Day 2024, Thursday, January 11, all BCPS partners and community members are encouraged to wear blue and post photos on social media using the hashtag #BCPSblue. Prizes will be awarded for the best photos.

Community service providers share information with families at annual BCPS Special Education Resource Fair

Parents/caregivers of students receiving BCPS special education services participated in the school system's annual Special Education Resource Fair on December 5 at White Oak School. At the free event, participants learned more about BCPS and community resources and networked with other families. Exhibitors included the Abilities Network, Aligned Wellness, Autism Speaks, Baltimore County Department of Recreation and Parks, KEEN (Kids Enjoy Exercise Now), Maryland Center for Developmental Disabilities, Maryland Coalition of Families, Maryland Insurance Administration, The Parents’ Place of Maryland, Pathfinders for Autism, Special Olympics, and We Rock the Spectrum Kid’s Gym.

Help The Education Foundation "Share the Warmth and Joy!"

The Education Foundation of BCPS invites individuals, organizations, and businesses to host Share the Warmth & Joy! collection drives – collecting coats, hoodies, winter accessories, board games and toys, small fleece blankets, toiletries, and health and wellness resources for BCPS students and classrooms.

Pertinent information can be found on the Share the Warmth & Joy! flyer. Collection boxes are located at both Exchangerees – 6929 Golden Ring Rd., Baltimore 21237 and 2034-F Lord Baltimore Dr., Windsor Mill 21244.

Partnership allows visual arts and career and technology education students an opportunity to shine

Through a partnership with Federal Realty Investment Trust, each year, artwork by BCPS students across the county is displayed around the skating rink at THE AVENUE at White Marsh. The work is printed and installed by career and technology education students in Kenwood High School's graphics and printing program.

Owings Mills and Dundalk high school students participate in "Women Making a Difference in Manufacturing" event

Young women in the P-Tech programs at Dundalk and Owings Mills high schools were among the 150 students from Baltimore City and Baltimore and Howard counties to participate in the "Women Making a Difference in Manufacturing" event at Martin's West on November 30.

Hosted by the Regional Manufacturing Institute, the event was a unique opportunity for students to engage with a distinguished group of 400 industry professionals, sparking conversations about diverse career paths. The agenda featured inspiring keynote speakers, including attorney April Richardson, founder of Baked in Baltimore, and an enlightening discussion with Maryland Lieutenant Governor Aruna Miller, who shared her journey to success and the challenges she overcame along the way.

Maryland Book Bank's Baltimore Ravens Bookmobile visited New Town Elementary

The Baltimore Ravens Maryland Book Bank Bookmobile, staffed by volunteers from AmeriCorps, visited New Town Elementary School on November 30. Each student in PreKindergarten through Grade 2 was excited to select three books that they can keep forever. Students immediately sat down and started looking at their books and sharing them with their classmates. Conversations erupted around why books were chosen, characters featured, and information learned. Teachers shared the same delight when they also were able to go on the bookmobile and select books to add to their classroom libraries. New Town Elementary administrators and staff hope to work with the Maryland Book Bank on future events.

Career and technical education programs seek partners and professionals

Across the county, schools at every level are looking for businesses and professionals to support their career and technical education programs. They are looking for career day speakers, competition judges, robotics volunteers, internship mentors, mock interviewers, and more.

A list of what individual schools seek can be found online. To participate, please contact the person listed or contact Alicia Fales, career and technical education supervisor, at afales@bcps.org or 443-809-8921.

Apprenticeship Profile: A Chesapeake High School student apprentices at Maryland Auto Insurance

A message from Dr. Rogers (Yarbrough)

Dear Reader:

At the Board of Education of Baltimore County's first meeting in December, I was pleased to share some of the feedback we have received regarding Fiscal Year 2025 budget priorities.

My administration has employed multiple strategies to engage the community in the budget development process including surveys, community forums, area council meetings, public hearings, and the new Budget 101 website.

All that I have heard from educators and other stakeholders is helping to inform my budget proposal for FY 2025, which I will present on Monday, January 8, 2024, at 9 a.m. at George Washington Carver Center for Arts and Technology. The presentation will be live-streamed on the BCPS YouTube channel.

My sincerest thanks to all BCPS stakeholders who have participated in this year's budget development process. Your voices have been heard, and your input and involvement are invaluable. Funding is limited as always, and our needs are great, so we must devote maximum effort to ensuring that our resources are invested wisely to yield significant benefits for our students.

A key component of this work is to effectively leverage our partnerships with area businesses, organizations, and nonprofits. Our partnerships are invaluable in connecting our teachers, staff, and students to unique, real-world learning experiences, nurturing our students and families, and elevating our students' visions of their future.

We enter the new year grateful for our partners and excited for what we can achieve as we continue working together.

Wishing you all the best in 2024!

In partnership,

Myriam Rogers, Ed.D.

Superintendent

PTA Council of Baltimore County

Dear Reader:

PTA Council is excited to announce that National PTA has recently released its updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships. The six key tenets of the standards, which support family engagement and student success/well-being, are:

Welcome All Families
Communicate Effectively
Support Student Success
Speak Up for Every Child
Share Power
Collaborate with Community

The updated standards feature an increased focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion, and expand the approach to student success to include whole-child development.

National PTA urges that the standards be used by:

School board members to set the vision and imagine what effective family-school partnerships should look like in their community.
State education agencies, superintendents, and other district officials to create policies and practices for family-school partnerships in their schools.
Principals to set expectations; disseminate tools, templates and resources; and support educators in fostering meaningful relationships with families.
Educators to build bridges between children’s home lives and school lives.
Parent leaders to collaborate and advocate for change.

For more information and tools to implement the standards, visit PTA.org/Standards.

Leslie Weber

President