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 Maryland ranks in the nation's top 7 states based on an education "Chance-for-Success Index." The index highlights factors like whether children get off to a good start, succeed in elementary and secondary school, and hit key educational and income benchmarks as adults, according to Maryland Education News.
Maryland joins Virginia, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey, Massachusetts and New Hampshire at the top of the index.
Other rankings: http://www.edweek.org/media/ew/qc/2007/qc07_supptables.pdf
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 Hayward Cluster electrician Jason Wilson is 2006 Maintenance Employee of the Year. His work keeping central office buildings humming - along with the Career & Technology Center, Monocacy ES and MS, Whittier ES and Yellow Springs ES - has earned Jason this distinction.
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 The new School Report is out - mailed to every county residence, couriered to all schools and posted online for staff who live outside Frederick County and others. Check out the colorful, 4-page report for photos, latest enrollment and staff numbers, demographics, testing results and budget info plus lots more facts and figures and a list of schools scheduled for construction, additions and modernization: http://www.fcps.org/content/publications/FCPSSR06.pdf For more copies, contact Communication Services executive secretary Peggy.Ballew@fcps.org.
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 Exceptional Brunswick ES special ed instructional assistant Kim Cable earned a Governor's Crime Prevention Award for raising over $14,000 for Project Lifesaver to track autistic children. Also at BES, preschool special ed teacher Wendy Campbell raised more than $9,000 to build a barrier-free playground so 3-5 year olds with special needs can play alongside their peers.
Leadership FCPS minority achievement coordinator Maria Whittemore received this year's Maryland State Teachers Association Martin Luther King Education Award:
http://www.fcps.org/content/release.cfm?id=486
Winning Idea Walkersville ES music teacher Truuke Ameigh won 1 of 8 nationwide $1,000 grants in A&E Television Networks' "Ideas from Our Teachers" contest. She used the History Channel's First Invasion: The War of 1812 and Save Our History: Star Spangled Banner programs to enrich study of our national anthem and American patriotism.
First-Class Performance Maintenance Employee of the Month for January is Urbana Cluster supervisor and lead mechanic Rob Johnson.
Partnership Deputy superintendent Dan Cunningham and Business Partnerships coordinator Jim Ferrant recently signed an agreement with Keller Williams Realty agent Jason Bojonny that will provide 10% of commissions from FCPS employee home sales and purchases to the FCPS Endowment "Gifts for Education" Fund. Photo:
http://www.fcps.org/content/firstclassprofile.cfm?RecordID=93
Inspiring The Delaplaine Visual Art Center recently displayed the work of Heather Ridge art teacher Angela Biggus in the Frederick Holiday Art Show. Elementary Curriculum secretary Susan Alexander has had "I Want to Go Home: An Alzheimer's Story" published at http://www.womensweb.ca/k2news.
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Budget The BOE seeks public input on the FY '08 operating budget at its February 14 meeting. For more:
http://www.fcps.org/budgetfy08.pdf
 Calendar The BOE recently approved our 2007-08 calendar. FCPS will post employee work-year calendars online soon and send them to all staff residences with assignment letters in July. Link:
http://www.fcps.org/content/publications/200708forweb.pdf.
CSI Wannabe? Know a high school student who would enjoy hands-on discovery while solving a mystery involving the death of a fictional person? A student who wants to explore topics ranging from bio-informatics to human medicine and infectious diseases? Recommend the course Principles of the Biomedical Sciences, offered exclusively at our Career & Technology Center next fall.
 One Day Left! Until Friday, January 26 at 4 PM, middle school instructional staff and parents of middle school students can complete a survey to help in the re-design of FCPS middle school programs. Staff can access the survey from any FCPS-networked computer: http://insidefcps/default.cfm. The parents-only version is on www.fcps.org.
Tuition FCPS support employees have a new reimbursement benefit. Effective January 1, those intending to take credited college courses may request funds in advance of taking the course: http://www.fcps.org/dept/hr/TuitionReimbursement.htm
Summer Institute If you've considered presenting at the next FCPS Institute, please hold that thought. Our next Summer Institute is in 2008, in conjunction with the FCPS June Leadership Symposium.
Opinions? It's easy for staff to share suggestions for FCPS system-level improvements. Just email: Suggestion.Box@fcps.org from your FCPS email account. Provide enough detail to explain how your idea could work and why it will improve your work life. FCPS staff and FCTA/FASSE representatives will consider the suggestions. If your suggestion is for a school-based procedure, share it with the building-level administrator rather than through the email suggestion box.
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 Success? Likely
First-Class Staff: Thanks to you, public education works in Frederick County
About FCPS
** ACCOLADES **
News to Use
February 5-9: National School Counseling Week
February 6: Report Cards Issued
February 15: Teacher Work Session: 2-Hour Early Dismissal for Students
February 19: Presidents' Day: Schools Closed
February 22: Mid-Term
March 5: Parent-Teacher Conferences: Students Dismissed 3 ½ Hours Early
March 6: Parent-Teacher Conferences: Schools Open 4 Hours Late
CPA Leslie R. Pellegrino is our new Fiscal Services Division assistant director. She has more than a decade's experience working for the Frederick County government, most recently as director of accounting: More Info, photo.
Chelsea Imming is Walkersville MS assistant principal, replacing Leslie Markoe, who retired.
Denise Flora is acting principal at West Frederick MS, replacing Paulette Shockey, who retired.
Gwen Dorsey is New Market MS assistant principal, replacing Denise Flora.
More on upcoming principal/assistant principal changes.
Q: In 1803 two students "fought a duel with pistols, one shot being fired with no injuries," according to Rita Gordon's A Textbook History of Frederick County. Can you guess the disciplinary consequences?
A: The duelers were temporarily suspended from school; their seconds (who stopped the fight) were reprimanded.
Q: How many FCPS elementary students got the free FluMist vaccine at school?
A: A whopping 9,114!
Program Guide:
www.fcps.org/cable18.htm
Bulletin Board items: Dian.Nelson@fcps.org.
Inside FCPS is produced by the FCPS Communication Services Division. Your news, ideas and suggestions are welcome. Please fax 301-696-6958. Call 301-696-6900. Email Dian.Nelson@fcps.org. Or courier to:
Communications Office
115 E. Church Street. |
