MASSP MEMO

Check out our conference website for specific hotel information and to register. Registration is still open!

Dr. Carey Wright, the former superintendent of Mississippi public schools who has been lauded for the turnaround in scores in that state, will take the Maryland superintendent's position on an interim basis. Wright has strong ties to Maryland and Maryland education. Screenshot from a 2018 event recorded by C-Span.

EX-MISSISSIPPI SUPER TO TAKE INTERIM MARYLAND POST: The Maryland State Board of Education has voted to appoint Dr. Carey Wright as the interim state superintendent of schools. Wright will replace Superintendent Mohammed Choudhury while the state school board conducts a national search for a permanent replacement. Choudhury plans to resign Friday and transition into a new role as senior advisor to the state school board. Project Baltimore/WBFF-TV News.

· Wright gained national prominence for her role in helping Mississippi students’ scores on national math and reading tests move from among the worst to close to the national average in just a decade. She had previously worked as a teacher, principal and administrator in the Howard, Montgomery and Prince George’s county school systems and as chief academic officer for Washington, D.C., public schools. Liz Bowie/The Baltimore Banner.

· Wright’s time leading the southern state aligns with what some have called the “Mississippi miracle” — the state was ranked in 2013 as the second-worst for fourth-grade reading to 21st in 2022, according to The Associated Press. Dan Belson/The Baltimore Sun.

· Wright is expected to start her new gig Oct. 23 to oversee a public school system with nearly 890,000 students and becoming the leading advocate for the 10-year Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education reform plan. William Ford/Maryland Matters.

· Choudhury withdrew from consideration for a second term last month after a problem-plagued two-year tenure in which he was accused of creating a toxic work environment, driving away veteran staffers and micromanaging the department. Valerie Strauss, Ovetta Wiggins and Nicole Asbury/The Washington Post.

· Here's a 2022 'exit interview' with Carey Wright as she gets ready to leave the state of Mississippi's school superintendency for Maryland. Robert Pondiscio/American Enterprise Institute.

Dear MASSP Members,

Welcome to October! It is National Principals Month and a good time to celebrate you! As we celebrate National Principals Month, I am thankful for the work you all do each day. Over these last four years, I have met so many wonderful school leaders in Maryland, and I am proud to be associated with you. Your dedication and commitment to our students is exceptional. You work tirelessly each day and give so much of yourselves. The executive board of MASSP looks forward to celebrating you next month at the MAESP/MASSP Annual School Leaders Conference. Join us, and we will celebrate together!

I hope you had a smooth opening of school and a good September. You are now in a routine, and I hope you started the year off with good health and success. All school openings are exciting and refreshing as everything you planned over the summer comes to fruition. Hopefully all your plans went well and your students transitioned back to school with ease.

Some of you are in the midst of observations, evaluations, sports, extracurricular activities, and much more. I know you are incredibly busy and do not find it easy to make time for your own learning and support. The principalship can be a lonely job; MASSP and NASSP provide many ways for you to feel connected and supported. Our organization is here to assist you with opportunities for sharing ideas, communicating concerns, asking for advice, and learning from others. After 23 years as a principal and 5 years as an assistant principal, I understand your job and the value of your time. In my own administrative career, I always made it a point to involve myself in professional learning, and I was a member of MASSP/NASSP for my entire career. It was well worth the cost and time spent at conferences and workshops. I made this a priority, and I hope you will too. Invest a little time in yourself! You deserve it!

As your To Do pile grows, please keep your renewal or initial membership at the top of the pile. MASSP is highly dependent on membership dues, and your MASSP payment includes your dues for NASSP; you are paying for two organizations with one payment. While MASSP offers Maryland workshops, conferences, and meetings, NASSP offers a wealth of resources, learning networks, and professional opportunities for leadership growth. At our November meeting of the MASSP Board of Directors, your district representatives will learn how to navigate the NASSP website and share all the newly found resources and opportunities with you.

Opportunities for learning and growth, as well as new friendships include the annual Ignite conference sponsored by NASSP. Those who attended the Ignite '23 Conference in Denver had a wonderful time filled with professional learning, networking and collaboration. MASSP sponsored a state reception for the 45+ Maryland leaders, and it included axe throwing! IGNITE '24 is in NASHVILLE in July; you may want to put July 14 - 17, 2023 on your calendar now!

Your MASSP board members attending the first meeting on Saturday, September 23, 2023. You will receive the link to the minutes in a week or so. We want to ensure that you see everything that your representatives heard at that meeting.

On another note, the Common Ground conference scheduled for November 16th-18tth has been rescheduled to March 10th-12th, 2024. It will still be held at the Ocean City Conference Center and details will follow. If you were planning to attend Common Ground rather than MASSP, you can now do both! Please consider attending our conference Nov. 2-4, 2023.

I am here to serve you and want to help in any way possible. It is important that we support, advocate for and connect principals in Maryland. Watch your e-mails for programs throughout the year. Our conference is November 2 - 4 at the Roland E Powell Center in Ocean City; it begins on Thursday with sessions on AI from a teacher, student, and business perspective. Your own colleagues will be presenting on Friday and Saturday morning; they have a lot to share with you and look forward to seeing you there.

Stay safe and be well.

Sincerely,

Dr. Addie Kaufman, Executive Director.

Listen to the podcast with our very own Stephanie Farmer, Principal at Vivien T. Thomas High School in Baltimore City: https://omny.fm/shows/2-bmore/vivien-t-thomas-medical-arts-academy Congratulations and thank you Stephanie for also being the MASSP representative on the Professional Standards and Teacher Education Board. This is an appointed position by the Governor.

Promoting Excellence in School Leadership Through Service in the areas of advocacy, communication, and professional development.

Follow us on Instagram: md_massp for current news and updates!

Greetings MASSP Members! I hope you are all off to a positive start of the school year. As we know, there are always challenges that the first few months of the school year bring. If you are like me, you may be struggling to find quality teachers for critical subject areas. Yet, despite our challenges, one constant remains; you are a strong leader! The long, sometimes 14+ hour days do not go unnoticed by MASSP. All the innovative, extra work, being done behind the scenes, to give you students that extra spark and motivation to tackle academic achievement goals is appreciated.

As the president of MASSP, I am focused on our mission to create an environment where we develop, empower, and connect our amazing school leaders in Maryland. We can only do that if each of us commits to professional learning, networking, and advocacy. We have such amazing and talented leaders within our organization, and I now want to build a bridge between board members and organization members so we can share our knowledge and expertise with each other. Through workshops and conferences, we can work together to advocate for our needs and bring attention to our many roles and responsibilities as administrators.

One way for us to network and stay connected is through our MAESP/MASSP Annual School Leaders' Conference on November 2-4 in Ocean City, MD. Just like many of us did this summer at our NASSP Annual Conference in Denver, we can all benefit from this unique opportunity to not only learn from each other, but to also be inspired and uplifted. Whenever I attend one of our conferences I leave a better and more knowledgeable professional than I was before. This year we have worked hard to assure that the time spent will be filled with quality sessions . If you haven’t registered, please do so now, you won’t regret it!

To register and book your hotels, visit our conference website.

Our organization is only as strong as its members. One of my goals is to focus on growing our membership and showing everyone the value and wroth of MASSP/NASSP membership. When you join MASSP, you are also joining NASSP, which provides a wealth of resources to you and your school.

I thank all of you in advance for taking the lead to recruit members and assuring that dues are paid. Your hard work will not go unnoticed; periodically we will do random drawings for members who recruit and refer their colleagues. As we look to grow membership, we all must do our part to speak to non-members about what MASSP can do for them. That will require creating a platform in your individual counties to spread the news about the positive things our organization has done and will do for administrators across the state. You are the voice, and with the energy and commitment that we have already seen, this is going to be the year our membership numbers take a huge leap forward.

Lastly, make a commitment to yourself to be involved throughout the school year. That means encouraging others to read this very newsletter or inviting someone to one of our events. It could mean that you just forward a professional development opportunity that we have worked hard to bring to fruition. Whatever it is, please stay with us as the we move forward. Without your active involvement we can never be a great as we can be. Thank you for your tireless commitment to MASSP, and I look forward to connecting with you all at the conference.

Michael Brown, Principal

Winters Mill High School

Carroll County

Listen to Michael's podcast, with Sarah Ruiz, about the highs and lows of the principalship.

https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/mcb54/episodes/Interview-wSarah-Ruiz-Junior-at-WMHS-Ep--7-e29k6ac

Do you still feel the enthusiasm of the new school year? Then this is a good time to encourage colleagues to join MASSP/NASSP. For one small fee of $390, they can enjoy the benefits of both organizations. Tell them that professional development, networking, liability insurance, and much more can be theirs--at the risk of sounding like a TV commercial--for as little as $1.07 a day. What a bargain! The NASSP liability coverage alone is worth the cost of dues! The new dues amounts are:

$390 for Individual or Institutional membership

$160 for Associate Members (aspiring leaders, interns)

If a school has no members, you can encourage them to sign up the entire school admin team for just $370 per person—a nice savings. If you have ANY questions, please contact me.

Ms. Ronnie Bohn, Membership Administrator

410-707-0420

ronniebohn@mdmassp.org

Greetings! I hope everyone had a wonderful summer, and that you are off to a strong start this school year! As State Coordinator, each newsletter I will provide you with the latest updates as they pertain to advocacy and/or ways you can get involved and support MASSP’s and/or NASSP’s advocacy efforts. In addition to what I’ll share in this newsletter, be on the lookout for emails with the subject, “We need you! 30 Seconds to Take Action!” These are “Action Alerts” that come from NASSP, and as a member of MASSP/NASSP, we depend on you to participate. These Action Alerts really only take you about 30 seconds to complete, and your time will help NASSP and MASSP (and our schools, children, staffs and communities) by sending messages to US Senators and Representatives, policymakers and educational stakeholders. It takes all of us working together to make a difference, so please don’t miss these quick opportunities to have an impact!

MASSP recently joined NASSP on a letter to Congress urging them to support full funding for Title I, Title II, Title IV, and all federal K-12 programs in FY 2024 appropriations. Click here to review the letter that was sent to the House/Senate Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittees along with every Representative and Senator’s office. Please feel free to share and promote this letter.

In that interest, NASSP also launched a grassroots action alert to drive additional correspondence from school leaders to congressional offices for this same purpose. This was emailed to you a couple of weeks ago, but if you have not already done so, click here to send a prewritten message to your Representative and Senators now urging them to fully fund Title I, Title II, Title IV, and other critical federal K-12 programs in FY2024. It really takes about 30 seconds to make a difference!

October is National Principals’ Month! On October 18, AFSA, NAESP, and NASSP will host the 2023 National Principals Month policy briefing on Capitol Hill. School leaders and policymakers will discuss the current state of K-12 education and the importance of supporting critical federal programs that help our schools. Click here if you are interested in attending or if you want more information. The deadline to register is October 10.

Finally, the 2023 National Summit on K-12 School Safety and Security will be presented in a virtual format on November 1-2, 2023. Members of the NASSP Principal Recovery Network are presenting at this summit. Click here for more information, including how to register for this free event.

All the best,

Melissa Shindel

On Tuesday, August 22 the Maryland State Board of Education held their regular monthly meeting.

Highlights included presentations and discussion on the following:

• Public Comment
• New Business
• Stakeholder Engagement Session: Public School Superintendents' Association of Maryland (PSSAM); Maryland Chamber of Commerce (MDCC) National Civics Bee
• Superintendent's Update on Blueprint Implementation
• Reports to the State Board for Discussion/Action
• 2023 English Language Arts, Mathematics, and Science Assessment Results
• MSDE's Grantmaking Evolution: Insights, Challenges, and the Path Forward
• Executive Session
• State Board Member Committee Reports/Updates
• Future Board Agenda Topics
• Opinions

Read the Complete Meeting Recap from the August 22 Meeting

Applications Due Next Friday, October 6th!

Are you a female superintendent or central office leader? Or, do you know an outstanding female superintendent or central officer leader?

The Women in School Leadership awards recognize female educators whose talent, creativity and vision are exemplary.

Two awards are available:

• The Superintendent Award: Awarded to any female superintendent who's been in the position for two or more years.
• The Central Office/Principal Award: Awarded to any female central office or building-level leader (e.g. assistant superintendent, central office administrator, principal, etc.).

LEARN MORE

https://www.aasa.org/about-aasa/awards-grants/women-in-school-leadership-awards

Honorees will be recognized at AASA's National Conference on Education in San Diego, Calif., in February 2024. Applications must be received by October 6, 2023.

APPLY NOW

https://womensleadership.aasa.org/

Questions? Contact awards@aasa.org or call 703-875-0709.

NASSP is excited to invite you to our interactive webinar series, "Principal Leadership Amplified," led by school leaders like you during National Principals Month.

"Principal Leadership Amplified" delves deep into the pressing topics and challenges facing school leaders. The principals leading this series have not only navigated these challenges with innovation and resilience but are also eager to share their insights with you. During each session, attendees will have the opportunity to ask questions, share their own valuable insights, and collaborate with peers in real-time.

Mark your calendar and register now at:

Webinar Registration - Zoom

Sessions begin October 2nd:

1. October 2 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) – Empowering Success: Building a High-Performing Team
2. October 10 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) – The Engagement Equation: Boosting Student and Staff Motivation
3. October 16 at 1:00 p.m (ET) – Catering to the Needs of Every Child
4. October 23 at 1:00 p.m. (ET) – Nurturing School Culture: Building Bridges and Breaking Barriers

Register Here

Each session will be recorded and sent to all registered participants.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us at recognition@nassp.org.

Tami Fitzgerald

Director, Recognition and Engagement

Edutopia announces the launch of their new technology newsletter, The Wired Classroom. It’s the culmination of months and months of planning, writing, and hustling—and I’m giving you the first opportunity to sign up and take it for a test drive.

The initial monthly installment, will arrive in your inbox on Sunday, October 8, featuring stories about how to create ChatGPT ground rules for your classroom and straightforward ways to ensure digital accessibility for all of your students. And as the power and prevalence of edtech grows, an educator explains why kids need plenty of time to disconnect.

Sign up here

The MASSP executive board members heard from Get More Math at our meeting on Saturday, September 23rd. They are offering one free school year of access and training to members of MASSP.

1. Here is a link to a demo recording similar to the presentation Tara Crebs gave on Saturday morning: Get More Math Software and Pilot Opportunity. Feel free to watch this for clarification or share the link with others who may be interested or involved in the decision-making process.
   
2. Invite some teachers to explore the program with a 30-day trial account. You can create those accounts using this link: Create a 30-day trial account in Get More Math
3. Take some time to consider the results achieved by current Get More Math campuses. Here is a link to some of our data studies: Why Use GMM? Evidence and Results

As a reminder, we are currently partnering with campuses that have not yet tried Get More Math through a free school year of access and training. If you would like to discuss this further, let me know!

You can reach Tara Crebs at 570-971-3018, email tcrebs@getmoremath.com or by scheduling a meeting: Schedule a zoom meeting with Tara from Get More Math

Best wishes for the 23/24 school year!

Tara Crebs

Apply NOW for Our 2023-2024 Challenge Grant and Principal Fellowship!

National PTA's Center for Family Engagement offers a variety of grant and fellowship opportunities throughout the year as part of our ongoing effort to help leaders advance transformative family engagement in PTAs across the country. These current challenge grant and fellowship applications close Wednesday, Oct. 4 at 11:59 p.m. PDT.

Have questions about the challenge grant, fellowship and/or application?

Sign-up for a 15-minute meeting with a Center for Family Engagement staff member or email FamilyEngagement@PTA.org.

2023-2024 Advancing Family-School Partnerships Challenge Grant

Ready to raise the bar for how schools and families work together to support student success? National PTA’s Center for Family Engagement, with the generous support of GoGuardian, is excited to support up to eight district/council/region (DCR) PTAs to adopt the updated National Standards for Family-School Partnerships through systems change approaches with this $2,000 grant. Do not miss the opportunity to network with fellow DCR PTAs, build partnerships and mobilize your community to enhance family engagement practices in your locality.

Learn more about the challenge grant to discover more about this opportunity.

Enjoy the most recent MASC Bulletins:

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/e3Oh2ozJl?languageTag=en

https://shoutout.wix.com/so/13OdBy_UB?languageTag=en

• Book Us for 2023-24 - Did you know that incidents involving social media and phone use are the second most reported discipline issue at schools in the United States? Book a call with Kim to learn how we can help!

• Opportunity for School Admin - We are seeking school administrators who would be interested in speaking at our Admin Roundtable, a groundbreaking live webinar series that delves into the heart of the most pressing issues impacting school campuses today. Panelists are needed for the following dates: November 7 2023 @ 1pm PT / February 6 2024 @ 1pm PT / May 7 2024 @ 1pm PT. Please contact admin@icanhelp.net if interested.

• Call for Students4Good Presenters - Help your students develop their public speaking skills! Encourage them to sign up to be panelists at a future event HERE.

• Free Monthly Download - Get fresh ideas for activities that will keep your students engaged and focused on their wellbeing as the school year kicks off HERE!

Thanks for being a part of the Digital4Good family! Jump on a call with me to catch up on how we can support you this year https://tidycal.com/kimkarr/30-minute-meeting

This letter is to inform you that the application for the 2024-2025 State Student Member on the Board of Education (SMOB) is now open. This important public official position requires a nomination by the student’s school, and the student must be regularly enrolled in a public high school, in good standing, and a junior or senior as of July 1, 2024 (meaning they are current sophomores or juniors). The school nomination is due by 5:00 p.m., Monday, November 20, 2023.

Education Article §2-202 of the Maryland General Assembly Statute authorizes the appointment by the Governor of a student member of the Maryland State Board of Education. The responsibilities of this position are extensive, therefore, we highly encourage students to read, research, and talk to the current and former state SMOBs before applying.

Please share the attached packet with your high school principals so they and their student nominees can read the packet that contains the various deadlines and the different components needed to complete the application process. Each public high school can nominate one student. There are no exceptions to deadlines as this is the selection of a public official. The packet can also be accessed from this MASC webpage: https://mdstudentcouncils.org/index.php/student-member-on-the-board-of-education/

In addition, this year, the Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC) is again hosting a virtual SMOB Informational Webinar from 7:00-8:00 p.m., on Thursday, October 12. This webinar is being facilitated by Abisola Ayoola (current state SMOB), Merin Thomas (immediate past SMOB), Kevin Bokoum (state SMOB 2021-2022), and special guest Dr. Joshua Michael (state SMOB 2005-2006 and current Vice President of the state Board of Education). We highly recommend interested students attend this webinar so they fully understand the scope and time commitments of this position. If unable to attend, students may reach out to Ms. Moodie or me for a link to the recording. Interested students may register for this event from the MASC home page post: https://mdstudentcouncils.org/index.php/smob-informational-meeting/

Thank you for your time and we hope to see one student nomination from each of your high schools. Please feel free to reach out with any questions and to find out more about MASC, visit our website, www.mdstudentcouncils.org.

October School Safety News

The MCSS monthly newsletter includes school safety reminders and information about opportunities available to our school safety partners. MCSS curates and shares information received from nonprofit state and national school safety organizations.

Please help expand the Maryland school safety network by sharing this newsletter. Encourage others to subscribe and receive information directly from MCSS. MCSS subscription link.

Maryland children face food insecurities daily. The Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS) has partnered with the Baltimore Hunger Project (BHP) to help address this issue by assisting with the "Weekend Food Packs and Notes of Encouragement" program. During the 2022–2023 school year, BHP distributed over 58,000 bags of food to Maryland children located in 47 schools in their network as well as providing over 30,000 snack bags to teachers for hungry kids in their classrooms. The need continues to grow, and this school year, BHP anticipates serving at least 2,000 children per week.

There are two ways you can help.

1. Donate Food Items – The top 8 essential items we are requesting are:
· Canned Tuna (5 oz cans)
· Canned Chicken (5 oz. cans)
· Granola Bars (crunchy or chewy)
· Protein Bars
· Single-Serve Cereal Boxes
· Fruit Snacks (single serving pouches)
· Applesauce Pouches (NO cups, please)
· Juice Boxes

2. Create Notes of Encouragement – An encouraging message is included in each food package.

MCSS will be collecting items through September 29th for delivery on October 3rd during the MCSS packing session.

We can arrange for a MCSS staff member to come to your location and pick up donations, send us an email and we will make it happen! We encourage families to join us in this wonderful activity! Space is limited for help packing though, please contact Jesika McNeil by phone at (410) 281-2335, (443)388-7010, or email Jesika.mcneil@maryland.gov to register to participate or with any questions.

Disclaimer: The sharing of any non-MCSS information does not constitute an endorsement of products or services on the part of the MCSS.

Office: 410-281-2335

Email: admin.mcss@maryland.gov

Web: schoolsafety.maryland.gov

Safe Schools Maryland Anonymous Reporting:

1-833-632-7233 • safeschoolsmd.org

Connect with @safeschoolsmd on Facebook and Twitter!

Subscriber Preferences • Subscriber Help

— A $2 million opportunity. NASSP has officially launched our 2024 NHS Scholarship Program, and we’re awarding a whopping $2 million in scholarships to 600 exemplary high school seniors. Check out our improved application process here and encourage your members’ NHS scholars to apply.

— Give your student councils the national recognition they deserve. Applications for the 2024 National Council of Excellence Awards are open! These awards celebrate and honor middle and high school student councils that exemplify the highest standards of student service, leadership, voice, and engagement. Don't let your members miss this chance to recognize their council's outstanding achievements and challenge their students to go for the gold this year.

Go to www.nassp.org to join any of the Leadership Networks

As I receive dates for various networks, I will place them in the newsletter.

Middle School Leaders' Network

Please make note of the following Middle School Leaders Network meeting dates:

If you are unable to attend this month’s meeting, we hope you will join us in October. Please visit the Padlet best practices, helpful resources, meeting notes, and information from NASSP: NASSP Middle School Leaders Network Padlet.

Looking forward to connecting and collaborating with you soon!

Melissa Lime, Freedom Crossing Academy, St. Johns County, Florida

Darren Ellwein, Harrisburg South Middle School, Harrisburg, South Dakota

Meeting Dates/ Topics

• October 9th — Restorative Practices
• November 13th — Student Voice and Agency
• December 11th — Mental Health & Wellness

New Principals Leadership Network

During these meetings, you can delve into educational leadership topics, gain valuable insights, and navigate the early years successfully.

Chuck Puga, Retired Principal, Smoky Hill High School, Aurora, CO
JoVon Rogers, Principal, Mount Vernon High School, Alexandria, VA

Assistant Principals Network

Please click on the link below to review the meeting minutes from last night’s NASSP AP Network Meeting.

Our next meeting will be on October 11, 2023 at 7pm Central Time.

September 6, 2023 Meeting Minutes

Brad Seamer, Assistant Principal, Harrisburg High School, Harrisburg, SD
Julie Kasper, Principal, Century High School, Hillsboro, OR

Rural School Leaders Network

Please join us on the 3rd Thursday of every month, at 6pm EST.

Our meeting is a place to build and strengthen ties between school leaders in rural communities who often face isolation and lack opportunities for collaboration once they are handed the key to the building.

Ervin Trujillo, Assistant Principal, Piedra Vista High School, Farmington, NM

Jamie Selfridge, Principal, Caribou High School, Caribou, ME

POY Network

The September meeting focused on the topic of The Power of Relationships and they had a special guest speaker Dr. Mark Wilson, NASSP 2009 National POY.

This network is committed to making sure that it's a safe space for us, as school leaders, to share our lived experiences, challenges, successes, failures, observations, concerns, and questions. Feel free to reach out to us at any time.

Kerensa Wing, 2019 POY, Educational Consultant

Winston Sakurai, 2016 DPOY, Executive Officer, OCID Instructional Practices & Curriculum Review for the Hawaii State Dept. of Education, Honolulu, HI

Future Meeting Dates in 2023 recurring on the second Tuesday of each month

• October 10 - The Impact You Have, Celebrating National Principals Month
• November 14 - Student Services and Improving Behaviors
• December 12 - Educational Technologies - What is on the Horizon?

LBGTQ+ School Leaders' Network

Please make note of the following LGBTQ+ School Leaders Network meeting dates for the 2023-24 academic year. Also note that we will meet at 4:30 pm (EST). We have tried a variety of times over the last few years and, based on feedback from you, are going to try a bit early this year.

• September 21, 2023 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• October 19, 2023 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• November 16, 2023 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• December 14, 2023 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• January 18, 2024 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• February 15, 2024 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• March 21, 2024 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• April 18, 2024 - 4:30 pm (EST)
• May 16, 2024 - 4:30 pm (EST)

The Zoom link is as follows (same for each meeting):

https://us06web.zoom.us/j/3093930772

Meeting ID: 309 393 0772

The Maryland Department of the Environment (MDE) is charged with regulating those entities defined in Maryland's Environmental Article 9-1724.1 as enacted from the 2021 SB/HB Solid Waste Management - Organics Recycling and Waste Diversion - Food Residuals. While persons defined does not include the aggregate of all school buildings or facilities in a local school system it does identify individual schools as a person. To be compliant with the law and regulation, all persons must identify if they are required to divert by performing an assessment. Within the assessment there is a determination of weight generated. While a school can estimate through industry calculations these are not as accurate as an actual waste audit. MDE is challenging all schools to complete one or more waste audits by the end of calendar year 2024 to determine what additional support is necessary to meet the state and federal goals for organics diversion.

MDE has presented through webinars and met with many of you through the past 2 years on how the law has rolled out and what it means. MDE has listened to the feedback from schools and developed the following documents to support this statewide endeavour.

· A Toolkit for Maryland Schools: Wasted Food Minimization and Related Activities

· Source Reduction Suggestions and Case Studies

· MDE Food Donation Guide

· Within the Toolkit for Schools, there is an Appendix C. This is the stand alone version of this appendix "Waste Audit Template Assessment for Schools - Recover & Divert". Within this 4 page document it provides concise direction on how to execute baseline waste audits in school cafeteria and related food service areas.

There is funding available through the 2022 Public Schools - Grant Program to Reduce and Compost School Waste which is executed through a partnership between the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education (MAEOE). Announcements will be forthcoming as to the application and intended use of the grants.

If you have questions or comments please reach out to myself or Tim Kerr.

Kindly,

Shannon E Donovan McDonald (she/her/hers)

Natural Resource Planner, Waste Diversion Division

Maryland Department of the Environment, Land and Materials Administration

1800 Washington Blvd, Ste 610, Baltimore, MD 21230

410-537-3314(O) 410-537-3143(D)

CHARLES COUNTY JOINS SUIT AGAINST SOCIAL MEDIA: Charles County this month joined nine other Maryland school districts in a lawsuit against the world’s social media giants: Google, Meta, ByteDance and Snap Inc. Other school districts in the state that have joined the court action are Baltimore city and Anne Arundel, Carroll, Cecil, Harford, Howard, Montgomery, Prince George’s and Talbot counties. “Hopefully this lawsuit provides pressure for some action in terms of how to better create products that are geared to children,” said Maria Navarro, superintendent of Charles County Public Schools. Christina Walker of CNS/MarylandReporter.com.

Dr. Addie Kaufman, Executive Director

10031 Old Ocean City Blvd., Suite 209

Berlin, Maryland 21811

443-545-9988

akaufman@mdmassp.org

www.mdmassp.org

Ms. Ronnie Bohn, Membership Coordinator

410-707-0420

ronniebohn@mdmassp.org

Ms. Carol LoSchiavo, Bookkeeper

carol.mdmassp@gmail.com

Below you will find the list of MASSP Officers and school district representatives. We sometimes lose board members to promotions or transfers to elementary; therefore, we have a few vacancies. Some districts choose to have co-representatives, which is just fine! If you would like to represent your county or private/independent schools, individually or with a colleague, please contact me at akaufman@mdmassp.org. We would love to have all school districts and independent schools represented on the MASSP Board of Directors.

Officers:

President: Michael C. Brown, Winters Mill H.S. (Carroll)

President Elect: Kris Hemstetter, Kent County H.S. (Kent)

Past President: Dr. Afie Mirshah-Nayar, Director of High Schools (Frederick)

Treasurer: Dr. Marc Cohen, Seneca Valley H.S. (Montgomery)

Secretary: Erin O'Hara, North Harford M.S. (Harford)

NASSP State Coordinator: Melissa Shindel, Glenwood M.S. (Howard)

Board Members:

Allegany - Charles Moran, Assistant Principal, Allegany High School

Anne Arundel - Linda Chandler, Principal, Old Mill Middle South

Baltimore City - Stephanie Farmer, Principal, Vivien T. Thomas Medical Arts Academy

Baltimore County - Monica Sample, Principal, Overlea H.S. & Kim Culbertson, Assistant Principal , Towson H.S.

Calvert - Anthony Barone, Principal, Patuxent HS

Caroline - Yolanda Holloway, Principal, Colonel Richardson MS

Carroll - Michael Brown, Principal, Winters Mill HS

Cecil - Gina Pucci, Assistant Principal, Perryville HS

Charles - Doug Dolan, Principal, LaPlata HS

Dorchester - David Stofa, Principal, North Dorchester HS

Frederick - Donna Clabaugh, Principal, Urbana HS

Garrett - Stephanie Wesolowski, Principal, Southern MS

Harford - Lamark Holley, Assistant Principal, South Hampton MS

Howard - Robert Motley, Principal, Atholton HS

Kent - Kris Hemstetter, Principal, Kent County HS

Montgomery - James Allrich, Argyle MS & Ricardo Hernandez, Argyle MS

Prince George's - Robynne Prince, Principal, Martin Luther King MS & Eunice Humphrey, Principal, International HS at Langley Park

Queen Anne - Rob Watkins, Principal, Sudlersville MS

St. Mary's - Debbie Dennie , Principal, Leonardtown MS

Somerset - Tony Bevilaqua, Washington Academy & High School

Talbot - Sherry Spurry, Principal, Easton HS

Washington - Amanda Mulledy, Principal, Hancock Middle Senior HS

Wicomico - Liz Hastings, Principal, Mardela Middle/High School

Worcester - Jenifer Rayne, Principal, Pocomoke HS

Higher Education - Dr. Gina Massella, Professor, Loyola University

Private/Non-Public: Amanda Macomber, MS Director, The Bryn Mawr School

Organizational Representatives:

Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC): Ms. Debbie Dennie, St. Mary's County

Maryland Public Secondary Schools Athletic Association (MPSSAA) Representative: Patrick Saunderson, Director Central Office Administration, Howard County

Maryland State Board of Education: Vacancy

Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Representative: Vacancy

National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) Past Presidents:

Mr. Robert Motley, Atholton HS, Howard County

Dr. Christine Handy, MCAAP / MCBOA President

Mr. William Cecil Short, Charles County & Prince George's County

MASSP thanks all of the MASSP officers, board members, and organizational representatives who volunteer their time to ensure that all members receive current information, quality resources, professional development, networking opportunities, and resources. They also work behind the scenes to advocate for school leaders! Our voices must be heard!

MASSP is fortunate to work with the following partners throughout the year:

MASSP/MAESP Joint Partners:

Platinum - Equitable, Josten's Lifetouch

Bronze - VIRCO

MASSP Partners:

Silver - Achieve 3000/McGraw Hill, EPI, Grand Canyon University & PlayVS

Bronze - ACE, FEV Tutor, & Horace Mann

Maryland Non-Profit Partners:

Arts Education for Maryland Schools (AMES)

Council of Educational, Administrative, Supervisory Organizations of Maryland (CEASOM)

Maryland Association of Student Councils (MASC)

Maryland Center for School Safety (MCSS)