It looks like 2025 is starting with some possible Inclement Weather days. At this time, the forecast is showing a winter storm on Monday, January 6, 2025. DCPS is scheduled to open on time; however, we will monitor the situation closely. Please visit our website at https://www.dcps.k12.md.us/article/1944226 for more information on potential inclement weather days and virtual instruction.
If you’re a home instruction family or would like to learn more about becoming one, here’s a useful way to begin your new year! Dorchester County Public Schools will be hosting two Home Instruction Information Nights in early January to explain the overall process of becoming and remaining a home instruction family including how to prepare for your Portfolio Review. These information sessions will be held from 6:00 to 7:30 pm on January 7, 2025 at Hurlock Elementary School, 301 Charles St. in Hurlock and January 10, 2025 at Dorchester Career and Technology Center, 2465 Cambridge Beltway in Cambridge and refreshments will be available. Questions? Contact Ms. Jovita Adams at homeschool@dcpsmd.org or call her at 410-901-6944, opt 2.
It’s Christmas Day, and since Christmas is very much about tradition, we want to tell you about a simple act of kindness that has developed into a tradition . . . because all traditions must start somewhere.
During the pandemic, South Dorchester School bus driver Amy Werner got to thinking about the activities that were cancelled and people who were more isolated – no school concert, even the Taylor’s Island community caroling would not take place. She knew this would disappoint one important Taylor’s Island resident, Mr. Luther Cornish, a retired long-time school bus driver at South Dorchester School, and an enthusiastic singer himself. Miss Amy had an idea – why not get the children on her bus to learn a Christmas song and on one of the last school days before the winter break, she would stop her bus in front of Mr. Luther’s home so the children could perform for him? They practiced, she stopped, the children sang, and Mr. Luther loved it. From that, a tradition was born.
Last week, just before winter break, this tradition continued. Mr. Luther, now 95 years young, waited in front of his house for Bus No. 7 to come rolling down the road from South Dorchester School, and two dozen or so children serenaded him with this year’s selection, “Up on the Roof Top” while wishing him a merry Christmas. Miss Amy delivered a bag of Christmas cards to him from the children, hopped back on the bus, and No. 7 continued its route, just like an ordinary day. It was a little thing, not taking longer than five or six minutes. But during that five or six minutes, children saw how even they can give a simple but significant gift to another by bringing joy to Mr. Luther, making sure he knows he is remembered and appreciated.
So on this Christmas Day, as everyone is excited with gifts of the newest technology and the newest fashions, also think of Miss Amy, Mr. Luther, the children of Bus No. 7 and the importance of the simple gift of kindness. You can see the children sing and Mr. Luther’s smile (while wearing his festive Santa cap), by hopping on over to the Taylor’s Island page: https://www.facebook.com/100067688397059/videos/1213232919775329.
Merry Christmas from Dorchester County Public Schools! #DCPS23NoMore
There’s another Eagle on the horizon in North Dorchester! That’s John Lankford, a 10th grader at North Dorchester High School and soon to become an Eagle Scout! For his Eagle Scout project, John worked to make the holiday season a little merrier for 40 families at Hurlock Elementary School, his alma mater, by organizing all the provisions for their Christmas dinners.
First, he procured donations from community-minded organizations throughout the area, including 40 chickens from Mountaire. Then, last Thursday after school he, with help from friends Nick Lowe and Logan Jump from East New Market Boy Scout Troop 754 and fellow NDHS wrestlers Parker Gomez, Donald Windsor, and Landen Andrews, went to Hurlock Elementary School where 40 boxes were assembled with all the trimmings for a festive meal, with a little help from the Hurlock Elementary Cheer Team. John and friends returned on Friday afternoon to load the boxes into cars as the recipients rolled up. We’re so proud of students like John who take the lead in serving their community and thank him for his generous support of Hurlock Elementary families! #DCPS23NoMore
DCTC students have been in the giving spirit this season, working to spread the joy! The Teachers Academy of Maryland and Educators Rising collected hats and gloves for youngsters who may need them in the chillier months to come. SkillsUSA, an extra-curricular organization of DCTC students, had fun creating holiday cards for residents of Autumn Lake at Chesapeake Woods, where students from the Medical Services program do their clinical rotations. They also conducted a food drive for non-perishable goods which are being donated to Meals til Monday. We’re proud of these young people, serving their community! #DCPS23NoMore
As the weekend ends, this is a reminder that schools are now closed for the holidays, reopening on Thursday, January 2, 2025. Central Office will be open on Monday, December 23, Friday, December 27, and Monday, December 30 with a skeleton staff, returning to normal service when schools reopen on January 2. Dorchester County Public Schools wishes students, families, staff, and our community best wishes for a happy holiday season! #DCPS23NoMore
If you ever doubted the phrase “Teaching is a work of heart,” meet Ms. Kaila Lindsay, kindergarten teacher at Sandy Hill Elementary School, and her students. This past week, Ms. Lindsay gifted each of them their own personal ‘pet’ that she had crocheted, each one unique to the child for which it was intended. The pet came with an ‘Adoption Certificate’ upon which the child was asked to draw the pet’s picture and include their ‘signature’ as owner.
There’s also another phrase in the education world: “Children don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.” We are grateful to Ms. Lindsay, and all our teachers who go above and beyond every day to show their students how much they are cared for, and that school is a good place to be. <3 #ThisIsWhoWeAre #DCPS23NoMore
Congratulations to the young artists whose designs were chosen to appear on the front of Superintendent Dr. Thompson’s holiday cards! The winning designs were created by 2nd grader Adalynn Haugh of Vienna Elementary (shown with art teacher Ms. Renee LeMire); Kali Johnson, a 3rd grader at Hurlock Elementary (shown with art teacher Ms. Christina Edwards); Elisabeth Claggett, a North Dorchester Middle School 8th grader (shown with art teacher Mr. Lee Shores); and North Dorchester High School 10th grade student Adrien Sinkeldam (not pictured – art teacher Ms. Jennifer Powell). #DCPS23NoMore
A reminder to DCPS families: Friday, December 20, 2024 is an early dismissal day for students and the beginning of Winter Break for your excited children and our excited (and tired) staff! Schools are closed December 23 through January 1. We look forward to welcoming everyone back, rested and revitalized, on Thursday, January 2, 2025. #DCPS23NoMore
Maple Elementary School’s Mrs. Raven Mills (pictured left) is Coast Country 103.9 and 106.3’s Teacher of the Month! Radio personality April Brilliant visited the school earlier this week to celebrate 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Mills and present her with a $100 gift card from Vernon Powell Shoes along with an Apple Award to display. Congratulations to another DCPS star teacher, always going above and beyond for her students, and thank you to Coast Country and all those who voted for Mrs. Mills for the recognition! #DCPS23NoMore
Rumor has it that Santa is especially generous at homes who leave out cookies for him made by Chef Charlene Zinnel’s culinary elves at DCTC! #DCPS23NoMore
Yes, that's North Dorchester Middle School Assistant Principals Mr. Adam Wilson and Ms. Linda Barnes, along with Principal Mr. Vaughn Evans, celebrating the season by breaking out their matching candy-cane-onesies during Holiday Spirit Week! #DCPS23NoMore
Meet C-SD Senior Isabel Barr, who has been selected as Dorchester County’s student page to the 2025 session of the Maryland General Assembly! As a student page, Isabel will spend two weeks in Annapolis while the General Assembly is in session, providing support to the Delegates and Senators. Her time in Annapolis will provide great experience, as Isabel hopes to attend the University of Maryland at College Park next year, majoring in political science. Her career aspirations are to become a paralegal or legal analyst working for a District Attorney, with the ultimate goal of working for the federal government in D.C. Congratulations, Isabel! #DCPS23NoMore
Coming soon: the DCPS Annual Scholarship Fair, hosted by the Office of Student Services! This event will be held on January 22, 2025, 5:30 to 7:00 pm, at Dorchester Career and Technology Center. Community scholarship providers <3 and Seniors from North Dorchester High School and Cambridge-South Dorchester High School will have an opportunity to meet and consider whether they may be a good match. College-bound Seniors: make a note of this date! Scholarship providers: if you have not yet received your invitation or want to find out more information, contact Mrs. LaSina Branch, Supervisor of School Counseling, at branchl@dcpsmd.org or 410-901-6944 x3638. #DCPS23NoMore
At last night’s Board meeting, members of the Board of Education voted on the school calendar for the 2025-26 school year. Schools will open on Tuesday, September 2, 2025 (with our usual staggered start for different grades) and close on June 10, 2026 with June 11-15 to be used as make-up days if needed. The public is invited to comment on the calendar by sending comments which will be shared with the Board to harringtonn@dcpsmd.org before January 15, 2025. Please note that comments made on this page will not be included – please email them to the address above! #DCPS23NoMore
Santa Claus has nothing on Hertrich Family of Automobile Dealerships! Earlier this week a Hertrich elf (aka Mr. Pat Papineau from Hertrich Chevy GMC in Easton) visited three of our schools with something special in his sack for three winning teachers in Hertrich’s Cash for Class initiative. Principal Mr. Charles Treft accepted a $1000 check on behalf of Ms. Ramona Gullette, 6th grade Computer Science Discoveries teacher at Mace’s Lane Middle School, to be used for a computer science project; North Dorchester Middle School Media Specialist Ms. Jolene South received $1000 to put toward creating an outdoor classroom; and Ms. Jill Creighton, Hurlock Elementary School teacher, was delighted to be awarded $1000 for a Video Game Truck incentive for students. These are just three of 98 Cash for Class awards Hertrich is making this year throughout the Eastern Shore and Delaware. Thank you, Hertrich, for supporting these teacher-led projects in Dorchester County! #DCPS23NoMore
Dorchester County Public Schools are dismissing two hours early today, Wednesday, December 11, 2024, due to the forecast of high winds this afternoon and evening. All after-school activities today have been cancelled. Winter concerts for South Dorchester School and Vienna Elementary School scheduled for this evening have also been cancelled.
It was the Cambridge Christmas Parade over the weekend, and here are a few of our DCPS kiddos enjoying representing their schools on a cold winter’s night! Congratulations to all who took part, and especially those recognized by the judges: North Dorchester Middle School won 1st place among middle school bands, Mace’s Lane Middle School was 2nd, and Choptank Elementary School (whose students aspire to be middle school students soon!) was 3rd. The C-SD Viking Dance Team was recognized as Best School-Sponsored Club. #DCPS23NoMore
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Thursday, December 12, 2024, at Dorchester Career and Technology Center, 2465 Cambridge Bypass in Cambridge, with the open session beginning at 6:00 pm following the conclusion of the closed session. 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 closed session will discuss personnel, an update on legal issues, discussion of a possible land transfer, restructuring Board Meeting agendas, and goals. The public is welcome to attend the open session. 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 Wednesday, December 11. The meeting will be livestreamed at https://townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe.
Won’t you be our new friend? We’re the PreK-3 class at Vienna Elementary School and we still have a few openings for new friends to join us this year! We have so much fun every day! We’re a part of the school, so we are here during school hours, 8:30 to 3:35 and a bus is available to bring us to school. There are lots of toys to play with, we learn rhymes and hear stories, have math activities, and lots of running around during outside play. We rest in the afternoon, and many of us fall asleep for a little while. We have breakfast, lunch, and a snack while we’re here and kind and well-trained grown-ups to keep us safe and help us learn. For more information or to schedule a visit, contact Ms. Julie Lewis at 410-228-4747 x1035 or lewisju@dcpsmd.org.
