Dorchester County Public Schools -

All aboard! Today was the annual Staff Kick-Off when we welcomed back our veteran teachers and other school staff – a Kick-Off that at least one participant, our Teacher of the Year Briana Beulah, seemed to take literally! Hurlock Elementary’s Amazing Shake participants welcomed staff back, student dancers performed, long-term staff were recognized, and everyone had an opportunity to sport their new school shirts and reconnect with friends. The entire Dorchester County Public… See more

Our recently-hired staff were introduced to ALICE yesterday – no, ALICE is not another colleague, but an important protocol used by Dorchester County Public Schools to help keep our schools and their occupants safe. The ALICE program “empowers individuals to participate in their own survival using proactive response strategies in the face of violence,” with the letters standing for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. The program was delivered by Schools Safety and Emergency Preparedness Coordinator Mike Richardson and Student Services Administrative Secretary Kathy Yorton and will be followed up with drills in the schools throughout the year. Learn more about ALICE at alicetraining.com. #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS See less

When the grass is too long and the blind’s hanging wrong and the lights won’t turn on, who do you call? If you’re Dorchester County Public Schools, you call the Maintenance Team, who add the perfect combination of brawn and brains to take care of any problem. They’ve been working hard this summer to ensure everything is in order for the start of the school year – thanks, guys! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS

Introducing the team of mentors responsible for making our new teachers feel ready to not only face but embrace the new school year! Led by New Teacher Coordinator Renee Warfield, this group of experienced educators delivered the DCPS New Teacher Orientation program our newbies have been enjoying this week. But support for new teachers doesn’t end there! Mentors work closely with the new teachers throughout the year through classroom visits, one-to-one meetings, monthly group meetings, professional development sessions, and doing whatever necessary to ensure our new teachers find success in the classroom. Thank you, Ms. Evelyn Renkwitz, Ms. Cheryl Vauls, Dr. Emma Pinkett, Ms. Melissa Dodd, Ms. Warfield, and Ms. Cindee Wong, for all you do to make our new teachers feel at home here in DCPS! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS

Before they are teachers, they need to be students! A big part of our new teacher orientation involves spending time in the classroom getting up to speed on our curriculum, learning about expectations in classroom management, being introduced to resources and supports available, while getting to know new colleagues. Only the best for Dorchester County kiddos! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS

Thank you to the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce and those Chamber members who helped put together ‘welcome’ bags for our new teachers! They were distributed yesterday, and it was like Christmas morning as our new hires enthusiastically dove into the big bags! This was a terrific way to make our new hires feel welcome and raise awareness of the great businesses and other organizations in the county. Big thanks to: Attraction Magazine BesTemps/Blue Hen Staffing Inc. Benson & Mangold Cambridge Lions Club Cambridge Waterfront Development, Inc. Channel Marker Charles C. Powell, Inc. REALTORS Craig's Drug Store Crossroads Community Dorchester Center for the Arts Dorchester Chamber of Commerce Dorchester County Health Department Dorchester County Public Library Dorchester County Tourism For All Seasons, Inc. Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay Resort & Spa Johnson's Cleaning Services Koski Enterprises, Inc. Layton's Chance Vineyard & Winery Marshall Properties Management Merry Maids #462 Mid-Shore Graphics Mid-Shore Meals til Monday Mike Adams General Contractor Pauline F & W David Robbins Family YMCA Rotary Club of Cambridge Shore United Bank State Farm Insurance - Karen Davis, Agent The Baking Mariner Town of Hurlock United Way of the Lower Eastern Shore University of MD Center for Environmental Science Zion United Methodist Church #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS

Today is one of our favorite days, when we welcome our new teachers, school counselors, and school social workers to Dorchester County Public Schools. Some are from out-of-state, some are our own graduates returning, some are experienced, some are newbies, but all are united in their commitment to our young people. They have a full two weeks of orientation in front of them, so stay tuned – you’ll be seeing more of them. Thank you all for choosing to join us in Dorchester County, our own beautiful corner of the world! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS

Our Custodial teams are too busy to get the summertime blues! It’s full speed ahead in our schools to take advantage of the few weeks with no kiddos and fewer staff to make sure the jobs get done that are tricky to do during the academic year. With only three weeks until schools are humming, the clock is ticking! Thank you, Custodians, for ensuring our students and staff will be greeted with a clean and safe place to teach and learn! #AllHandsOnDeckDCPS

The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Thursday, August 17, 2023, at the Dorchester Career and Technology Center, 2465 Cambridge Bypass in Cambridge, with the open session beginning at 6:00 pm. The agenda and related documents will be found online via Board Docs on the Dorchester County Public Schools website at www.dcps.k12.md.us. The public is welcome to attend. If you are unable to attend but would like to submit comments electronically to be included in the minutes, email them to comments@dcpsmd.org by 2:00 pm on the date of the meeting. The meeting will be livestreamed at https://townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe.

June 14 is Flag Day, and we hope you’re celebrating the beautiful Stars-and-Stripes! Here are Mrs. Dechert’s Vienna Elementary kindergarteners during the last week of school, proudly showing how well they can recite the Pledge of Allegiance to our flag before going on to 1st grade, an important ritual learned by all our little ones. Hooray for the Red, White, and Blue! #WeAreOneDCPS