It was a packed house as Grandmas, Grandpops, and Grandfriends all were invited to Choptank Elementary School yesterday morning to share some quality time with their little Hummingbird! Children can never have too many caring adults in their lives! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
Today is IT Professionals Day 2024, and we salute the women and men who keep us connected – our IT professionals! Led by supervisor Cindy Houghtaling, they are: Stephanie Adams, Rob Carpenter, Stephanie Conn, Keith Cornish, Jonathan Harris (not pictured), Jakob Hughes, Larry Jones, Cody Kile, Stephen Kinser (not pictured), Martrea Marshall, Mark McGinniss, Oliver McKinney Jr., Kim Peer, Tim Rittersbacher, and Josh Smith. Thank you, all! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
The regular monthly meeting of the Board of Education will be held on Thursday, September 19, 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 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 September 18. The meeting will be livestreamed at https://townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe.
September is Dorchester Goes Purple Month, and the Cambridge-South Dorchester Vikings are going purple to help raise awareness of the ever-increasing problem of addiction throughout the community. There are three scheduled sports fixtures going purple this week: the Varsity Girls’ soccer match against Colonel Richardson High on Wednesday, September 18 at 5:30 pm; The Varsity Boys’ soccer match with Snow Hill on Thursday, September 19 at 4:00 pm; and Friday night’s Varsity Football battle between the Vikings and Parkside High on September 20 at 6:00 pm. Go Vikings and go purple! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
North Dorchester Middle School 8th grade hosted first responder Mr. Taalib Smith, appropriately enough, on September 11, to talk about his career as a Firefighter/EMT and opportunities for young people considering a similar career. Organized by Career Coach Audrey Roberts, Mr. Smith talked about his own work with the fire service in Annapolis, along with more general information about becoming a firefighter. Thank you, Mr. Smith, for your time and patience with the multitude of questions from interested students and thank you for your service to the community! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
Due to heavy fog, Dorchester County Public Schools will be operating on a two-hour delay today, Friday, September 13, 2024. Stay safe!
Dear Ironman Maryland triathletes,
September in Dorchester County means two things: the start of the new school year and Ironman Maryland! In our classes we talk about your courage and resilience and how you come from all over the world to our beautiful county to race, proving to yourself and the world that anything is possible. We want you to know that each of you has someone in your corner who believes in you, who knows you can succeed, and we’ve been busy writing you letters to cheer you on. Welcome to Dorchester County, Maryland! We think you’re awesome!
With love from your friends at Dorchester County Public Schools <3
Photos are of 3rd and 4th graders at Maple Elementary School working on their letters with teacher Mrs. Catherine Morrissette.
Today, September 11, is Patriot Day, a day of reflection and remembrance honoring the nearly 3,000 victims who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. It is a day when we not only honor their memory, but also recognize the courage and sacrifice of the first responders and honor those who continue to serve and protect. Here you see Mrs. Travis’ class of 5th graders at Choptank Elementary School beginning their school day, as they always do, with the Pledge of Allegiance. #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
Books, books, glorious books! Thank you, Hyatt Regency Chesapeake Bay, for your awesome gift to Choptank Elementary School! Visitors to the Hyatt Resort and Convention Alliance meeting held at the hotel were asked to each bring a book for the school, and Principal Gaven Parker and Superintendent of Schools Dr. Jymil Thompson were more than happy to accept the collection. It takes a village, and Dorchester County Public Schools is grateful to have the Hyatt as part of ours! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
From teacher to teaching colleague: Ms. Cherie Robinson, who leads the Teacher Academy of Maryland program at Dorchester Career and Technology Center, has welcomed two 2020 completers of the program back into a Dorchester County Public Schools classroom – this time not as students, but as teaching colleagues! Ms. Kyla Diggs is teaching Reading and Language Arts (RELA) to 8th graders at Mace’s Lane Middle School, while former classmate Ms. Olivia Gisriel is right next door at Choptank Elementary School with her classroom of 1st graders.
How did the TAM program help them reach their goals of becoming teachers? Ms. Diggs said, “When I was in college, I would text Ms. Robinson anytime something came up that I was doing in college that I had already learned with her – especially edTPA!” (edTPA is an assessment system used by college-level teacher preparation programs.) “It (edTPA) mirrored, almost identically, the portfolios we built as seniors in high school . . . I feel I have a unique ‘advantage’, having been a teacher since I was 17-years-old!”
Ms. Gisriel agrees about the advantages of being a TAM graduate: “I felt I was able to begin the program (at Salisbury University) with experiences from TAM both in my internship and throughout my methods courses . . . Ms. Cherie Robinson has been my biggest cheerleader and has supported me in every way she can . . . I am FOREVER grateful for the TAM program and Ms. Robinson . . .”
Thank you, Ms. Robinson and TAM, for helping these enthusiastic new teachers realize their dreams of returning to help other Dorchester County youngsters achieve their dreams! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
There’s no tired quite like end-of-first-week-of-school tired. Friends, we hope you're resting up this weekend because the good news is we get to do it all again next week, together! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
It wasn’t just our students and staff who returned to school this week! Meet Shark, Snookie, and GoldieHawn, who live at Warwick Elementary School. After a relaxing vacation this summer hanging out with new friends at the luxurious Villa Albert resort, Warwick staff member Ms. Barbara Albert got them back to their home just in time for opening day. Although Snookie may be feeling a little sad for the end of summer break, they all agree – it’s going to be a great year! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
Say hello to some of the faces of the Classes of 2039, 2038, and 2037, who had their first day of school in PreK-3, PreK-4, and Kindergarten throughout Dorchester County today! Finally, the gang’s all here! <3 It’s going to be a great year! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
And, they’re off! Yes, the Dorchester County school year officially began this morning with students in grades 1 through 5, 6, and 9 leading the way! Here are scenes from two of our schools - the new high school freshmen being welcomed to C-SD by the cheer team, reps from the Student Government Association, and (surprise!) their former 8th grade teachers and 1st through 5th graders being greeted at Maple Elementary School. Tomorrow, it will be the turn of 7th, 8th, 10th, 11th, and 12th grades to join them, and on Thursday PreK and kindergarten will complete the DCPS 2024-2025 student body! It's going to be a great year! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
It isn’t called the Student Benefit Form for nothing! The more DCPS parents who complete this form for their families, the more DCPS students will benefit! Data gathered from this form leads to benefits such as more funding to support instruction, student services, and programs like Community Schools, tutoring, free meals for students, funding for laptops, and scholarship opportunities for our youngsters. The funding is there – let’s bring it home to our kids in Dorchester County! Head on over to the DCPS website at www.dcps.k12.md.us, scroll down to the form and complete it for your family! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
All Dorchester County Public Schools facilities are closed on Monday, September 2, 2024 for the Labor Day holiday! A reminder - we look forward to welcoming students in Grades 1-5, 6, and 9 to school on Tuesday, September 3, to be joined by Grades 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12 on Wednesday, September 4, and Pre-K and Kindergarten on Thursday, September 5. It’s going to be a great year! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
We’re looking at 1,095 years of serving the children and families of Dorchester County! Congratulations and thank you to the Dorchester County Public Schools staff who have recently been recognized for reaching service milestones!
45 years: Susie Price and Peter Singleton
40 years: Donna Warren
30 years: Kathy Robinson, Bonnie Vogel, and Karlene Walker
25 years: Wendy Bowens, Kimberly Castle, Scott Dodson, Jessica Gaull, Cindy Houghtaling, Janelle Koski, Sean Reincke, Karen Ruark, Sherry Todd, and Mary Jane Willey
20 years: Angela Ausmussen, James Bailey, Joyce Berry, Marcellus Dockins, Kristin Guesfierd, Nancy Harrington, Tammie McCarter, Heather Powell, Rachel Pritchett, Patricia Prosser, Tanisha Robinson, Jolene South, Stacey Stanley, Wendy Sylvestri, Mary Windsor, and Charlene Zinnel
15 years: Jason Beauchamp, Vonzella Thomas, and Kaylen Trice
10 years: Crystal Bergling, Emma Brant, LaChoya Brummell, Scott Bunting, Clara Burton, Dr. Michael Collins, Camilla “Goldy” Cooper, Megan Day, Jennifer Filipovic, Valerie Friedel, Monique Giddens, Joetta Green, Donald Grenadier, Charles Johnson, Albert Jones, Katelyn Koch, Christy Miller, Jonathan Miller, Jennifer Parrigin, Abby Pluta, Jennifer Powell, Jordan Robbins, Tiana Robinson, Kathryn Scarpati, Dr. Paula Turner-Coleman, and Adam Wilson
#DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
In her last official event as the Dorchester County Teacher of the Year 2023-2024, Ms. Briana Beulah was part of the Maryland Teachers of the Year group being celebrated by the Baltimore Orioles last weekend. As the Birds have been in a bit of a funk lately, it was rumored that Ms. Beulah was offered a try-out with them, but she declined as she is forever loyal to the Sandy Hill Bees. However, we thank the Orioles for recognizing Ms. Beulah and the importance of the teaching profession! Go O’s! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
It was a combination of reuniting with old friends, being introduced to new ones, and getting a preview of what the school year is going to look like. Yes, yesterday was Back to School Open House in our schools. It’s going to be a great year! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
Before we completely close the books on the 23-24 school year, we need to say a big “wowza!” to this special 2nd grade team at Hurlock Elementary School who won the 2024 Stars of the Banner award in the “Best Teacher” category! Congratulations to Lauren Howell, Valerie Bromwell, Amy Stoops, and Billie Ganong for this cool recognition! #DCPS23NoMore #DCPSTeam15
