FCPS Community Bulletin Board - April 18, 2024
April 18, 2024
We are thrilled to announce our finalists for Teacher of the Year! Please join us in congratulating the following teachers:
All FCPS TOY nominees receive special, personal recognition by the Superintendent and Board of Education. The Teacher of the Year receives a variety of prizes from the State and FCPS, including professional development opportunities throughout the year, recognition at a state-hosted banquet, and other prizes. The Teacher of the Year’s home school also receives special recognition throughout the year.
Frederick High’s Maggie Arnold, who immigrated to the United States as a youth and found her calling as a mathematics teacher, is a 2024 Milken Educator Award recipient.
Arnold was surprised with the news at a Frederick High assembly attended by Interim State Superintendent Dr. Carey M. Wright, FCPS Superintendent Dr. Cheryl L. Dyson, local elected officials, and FCPS leadership.
After students and staff took their seats in the gymnasium, Milken representative Greg Gallagher announced Arnold as a winner, which comes with a $25,000 unrestricted award.
Clearly surprised and touched, Arnold made her way to the front of the gymnasium while attendees cheered.
“Teaching is what I was meant to do,” Arnold said.
The Milken Educator Awards, created by philanthropist Lowell Milken in 1987, have rewarded and inspired excellence in the world of education by honoring top educators $25,000 in unrestricted awards. The program seeks early-to-mid career education professionals for their impressive achievements already and to support what they will accomplish in the future.
Arnold is the 2,992nd Milken Educator Award recipient and the first from FCPS since Yellow Springs Elementary teacher Maggie Hawk was tabbed – in the same surprise manner – in 2015. Hawk attended the FHS assembly.
“This is such a proud moment for FCPS,” Dr. Dyson said. “She is exactly the kind of teacher we need to support the needs of students.”
Arnold is in her fourth year serving as a mathematics teacher at Frederick High. She also advises the Asian Student Alliance – gatherings that tend to be well attended, in part, due to her passionate leadership. An advocate for all students, Arnold is known for being both demanding and encouraging in the classroom – repeatedly telling her students that anything is possible if you are willing to put in the work.
She is married to a mathematics teacher and has two children, who she cared for before becoming a full-time member of Frederick High’s faculty.
“Ms. Arnold has all of those qualities you see in amazing teachers,” Dr. Wright said following the assembly. “Maryland is blessed to have so many teachers just like her.”
Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) is pleased to announce that Oakdale High School teacher Kate Ehrlich was named the Maryland Council for the Social Studies Teacher of the Year at their annual conference on Saturday, April 6, 2024. Ehrlich was also recognized earlier in March by the Maryland General Assembly and State Senator Bill Folden and Delegate April Miller.
She was recognized by the council for her excellence as a teacher, notably for her development of a number of courses at FCPS, including a new dual enrollment Cultural Identity in America course and her sponsorship of the Rho Kappa social studies honor society.
Ehrlich is dedicated to expanding the historical narrative in Frederick County. She received a grant from the Institute for Common Power to develop a traveling exhibit about local Black & African American history. The exhibit features several notable local figures from Frederick County, and their impact on local history and the Frederick community. The presentation has been traveling to FCPS high schools and will continue to travel through FCPS middle and high schools next year.
The Maryland Council for Social Studies (MDCSS) is dedicated to the promotion and support of social studies education in Maryland and the United States, and to the advancement of cultural understanding, respect for human differences, and an appreciation of diversity. MDCSS provides high quality professional development and instructional resources for Maryland social studies teachers and works to recognize excellence in social studies instruction at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Our latest FCPS Impact Award student recipient is Laura Gunning from Linganore High School. Laura has gone above and beyond supporting Pre-K students in the Little Lancers program. Her impact extends to Green Valley Elementary as well. We were honored to surprise her with an Impact Award and meet some of the young learners she supports every day.
Check out our latest FCPS Impact feature!
The FCPS Impact Award is given to students who have contributed positively to their school communities. More information about the Impact Award is available via FCPS.org.
Now that we are past Spring Break and the weather is warming, we are most likely past potential inclement weather closures for the 2023-24 school year.
Thus, we can announce Friday, June 7 will be the last day of school for students in the 2023-24 school year. Schools will be closing 2-hours early for students on Friday, June 7.
Inclement weather make-up dates
The original last day of school for students in 2023-24 was Wednesday, June 5. But FCPS closed schools for two days this year due to inclement weather:
Friday, January 19
Tuesday, February 13
Those closure dates make Thursday, June 6 and Friday, June 7 inclement weather make-up days to ensure FCPS completes 180 days of instruction as mandated by the Maryland State Department of Education.
In the print calendar handbook sent home to families, it lists Wednesday, June 5, as a 2-hour early dismissal date. With these adjustments to the calendar, there is no longer a 2-hour early dismissal on Wednesday, June 5.
The last day of school for teachers is Monday, June 10. 10-month staff with questions about their last day to report should contact their supervisors.
The week of June 10 will also be the first day of the adjusted summer work schedule for FCPS staff. Offices work on an amended schedule during the summer and are closed on Fridays.
FCPS - FindOutFirst (ezcommunicator.net)
We are excited to share our latest Blueprint Unlocked podcast, which unpacks the work we are doing on the five key pillars of the Blueprint!
In this latest episode, we focus on Pillar 2: high quality teachers and leaders.
FCPS Chief of Staff Dr. Sarah Sirgo is joined by FCPS Director of Elementary Schools Kristen Canning and Senior Manager of Labor Relations Tim Thornburg.
The Blueprint for Maryland's Future was passed by the Maryland General Assembly in 2021 to transform public education in the state into a world-class education system.
Join us for an evening of music at 7 PM Wednesday, May 1, at The Weinberg Center for the Arts in Frederick. Each elementary school is alloted a limited number of honors chorus student positions with 120 total students scheduled to perform.
Tickets for general seating may be purchased at the door of the Weinberg Center for the Arts before the concert. Tickets are $6 for adults and $3 for students. Free admission for children under 4 years old and FCPS staff with a badge.
Shadowing has re-opened at the FCPS Career & Technology Center (CTC) for the 2024-2025 school year for the following programs only:
Agribusiness
Environmental Landscape Design & Management
Carpentry (waitlist only for current 9th and 10th graders)
Digital Design & Printing Methods (waitlist only for current 9th and 10th graders)
~Last day to request a shadow is May 13, 2024~
Shadowing is required in order to apply for the 2024-2025 school year. Please note - students who have already shadowed an open program do not need to re-shadow and can submit an application.
Questions? Contact kristen.daly@fcps.org or erica.stull@fcps.org
The 3rd Annual Career Signing Day will be held May 1, 2024, to celebrate and recognize FCPS high school seniors who will be graduating having completed a CTE program of study and who will directly enter the workforce or some form of post-secondary training that is directly connected to the skills they learned.
Event Details:
When: Wednesday, May 1 from 8:30 - 10 AM Where: JBK Theater at Frederick Community College 7932 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick
©2024 Frederick County Public Schools
191 South East Street, Frederick, Maryland 21701