CHS March Newsletter
A way for families to connect with CHS & The Community
Happy School Social Worker Week!
We want to wish our School Social Worker, Mary Roberts, a very happy School Social Worker Week! Ms. Roberts is a huge support not only to our students but to our families, counseling department and staff. She humbly flies under the radar but her impact is undeniable. She connects families to resources, works the food distribution, does classroom lessons, supports ALC, has individual sessions with kids…the list goes on and on. Her positive energy and dedication are just some of the qualities she possesses that make CHS better place.
After School Help on Tuesdays
RSVP to attend by 10am each Tuesday: https://forms.gle/tqEidTtQQztqfyLZ9
Peer Tutors Mon/Wed/Fri at Lunch
Sign up for Peer tutoring: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSduYHNHJ7j-tU3Z9k5vlnBX_hzecY3dXKNOiFzFRBLoHvQe0w/viewform
Virtual Inclement Weather Day Plan for the 2024-2025 school year.
With the storm in January, BCPS used 2 of the 3 closure days. Only one true closure day remains then we will shift to virtual learning. The Virtual Learning Days will include a two hour delay to allow teachers to prepare for synchronous instruction. The first class will begin at 10:00. Students will access the Google Meet address and code on their teacher's Schoology page. The schedule is outlined below. Please reach out if you have any questions.
Virtual Schedule:
10:00-10:55 - Period 1
11:00-11:55 - Period 2
12:00-12:30 - Lunch
12:35-1:30 - Period 3
1:35-2:30 - Period 4
Students are reminded to bring devices, chargers, and other instructional materials home each day.
March Career Spotlight: Human Resource Services
This cluster relates to meeting human needs through activities such as counseling and mental health services, family and community services, personal care and consumer services. Advances in scientific knowledge and increased public awareness of social problems and issues are contributing to a demand for high-quality social services. Some programs of study would be Fire Science, Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, Childcare / Early Childhood Education, and Teacher Academy of Maryland. Careers in this pathway include social workers, psychologists, childcare workers, and many more.
Careers and Trainings:
- MD Foodbank - Foodworks Program
- Child Care Provider CCBC Continuing Education Workforce Certificate
- CCBC Education Pathways - Associates to transfer in Early Childhood, Elementary, Secondary, and Special Education
- Towson University: Teacher Education Programs (Bachelors)
- Towson Graduate Program in Counseling Psychology
- Loyola Graduate Program in School Counseling
- McDaniel Graduate Program in Mental Health Counseling
Guest Speakers coming to CHS this Month:
- FoodWorks (MD Food Bank) – Adrian Young (Friday, March 7th) FoodWorks is a rigorous, three-month training program that requires your commitment to learn, grow, and finish strong. We’re here for your long-term success—we will help graduates find and sustain work within the culinary field.
- Thrive Behavioral Health – Kelly Dotterweich (Wednesday, March 12th) Thrive Behavioral offers person-centered, trauma-informed care. Our team focuses on using the strengths individuals and their families already have while helping to incorporate new ways to be healthy. Together, we can find a way for you to thrive.
- Towson University – College of Education (Wednesday, March 19th) A leader in education for 150 years, Towson University prepares you to succeed in the rapidly changing, diverse and challenging field of education. Engaging academic courses and clinical experiences allow you to meet and respond creatively to the critical education challenges of the 21st century.
- All Together Learning Center – Marnae Torbit (Monday, March 24th) At All Together Learning Center we strive to make a difference! Here you’ll find a place where children are encouraged to achieve their fullest potential. Safety, learning, and fun are our top priorities, which makes us the #1 choice for parents. Our daycare offers an enriching environment where your child can explore, learn, and thrive with our devoted and experienced teachers.
Mr. Scalice has posted sign ups for these presentations in the CHS Hub on Schoology.
See him with any questions.
If your child misses a day of school the parent can now upload their note directly into FOCUS. Doctor's notes, personal notes, court summons, whatever proof you would normally send in with your child, can now be directly uploaded for verification. Follow the steps below to learn how
(Visual Steps are also provided below in a PDF).
1. Log into the Focus Parent Portal. Navigate to the Alerts section and click on the “Student’s name has X days with unexcused absences/tardies without a note or reason” link. Note: You can also locate your student’s attendance information by navigating to your student’s name on the left menu. Click the down arrow to expand additional menu options. Select Absences.
2.Scroll down the page. Locate the Date column to find the date you wish to submit the note. Locate the Excuse Note column, hoover over the No Files section, and select Scan, Upload, or Take Photo to upload the note for that day’s absence. Select the file to be added.
3.The file name/image will be displayed in the Excuse Note column if the attendance note has been uploaded successfully.
BALTIMORE COUNTY FOOD PANTRY LOCATOR
Baltimore County has a new web tool displaying community partner food distribution sites across the County.
Developed by Baltimore County’s BCSTAT team, the Food Pantry Locator web tool includes detailed information about community food access locations. Residents should enter an address or select "Use my location" and adjust the distance slider to view food pantries near them; selecting a pantry's entry in the list will reveal contact information, hours of operation, and special instructions.
Please read through this article for more information about the program and other food assistance resources: Baltimore County Releases New Food Pantry Locator (baltimorecountymd.gov)
Affordability Connectivity Program
As a result of Baltimore County's participation in the CEP Program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to students, all families are eligible to receive a discount of $30 per month off your internet bill. Please visit GetInternet.Gov to apply and/or ask questions.
By offering Talkspace’s digital modalities, like unlimited messaging therapy, we can extend support that students can access beyond school hours, year-round, at their convenience. Eligible students interested in therapy can sign up, take a brief assessment specific for teens, and get matched with a dedicated, licensed therapist. Once matched, therapy sessions take place on Talkspace’s secure and encrypted platform, accessible from the teens’ smartphones, tablets or computers. Teens can communicate with their therapists at any time with an unlimited number of private messages at no cost.
To be eligible for this program, teens must be enrolled in a BCPS high school and be over the age of 13 at the time of signup. Eligible teens can sign up for unlimited messaging therapy and gain access to Talkspace Go, a comprehensive teen mental health self-guided program.
Students can access this service by registering at talkspace.com/bcps and use the keyword: bcps
Did you know you can get an automated grade report and missing assignments to be sent straight to your email every week so you don't have to remember to go looking for them? It's an amazing way to stay informed about your student's academic performance. If you haven't created an account in Focus, you'll have to do that first. Directions Below.
Join Groups in Schoology to stay up to date on CHS events!
Schoology groups are created to share information outside of courses for specific groupings. AP Students, Graduation Cohorts, CHS Hub (School wide) , and various clubs all have different groups where they share info. To join groups once you have logged into Schoology, click Groups at the top, and then click the My Groups link on the top right corner, on the next page click join group on the right and enter the join code.
The CHS Hub is where all the School wide news, events, and information is posted. To join the CHS HUB on Schoology, use join code WMTMX-CXF6X.
Each Graduating Class also has their own group to discuss class events and class dues and fundraisers, The join codes for those are listed below in bold:
Seniors - Class of 2025: DX56-SDWD-6KQZB
Juniors- Class of 2026: S4HF-SS5W-QF24W
Sophomores - Class of 2027: MWBM-K6TF-HHGZ8
Freshman - Class of 2028: KFN4-4HRS-BVF42
If your child has an issue with their device, such as it is physically broken, won't hold a charge, missing a key...please complete a technology support request by using the student's google log in to be added to the list and our tech liaisons will connect with them as soon as possible. You can also complete the form if your child does not have a device because it is lost or stolen (charges may apply see below for chart).
If your issue is not related to the physical device (like resetting a password or an issue with schoology/microsoft) you must contact the BCPS Help Desk by calling 443-809-4672.
Stay Connected with your child's teachers with Talking Points!
BCPS has purchased a new tool to help connect families and teachers more directly. Teachers can text the primary contact in focus and it will translate to the contact's native language, automatically. We hope this will help increase two way communication with all families and improve student achievement.
Download for Iphone App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/families-talkingpoints/id1320244591
Lockers are not automatically given to students. Any student that would like to be assigned a locker for the school year must request one through this link: Locker Form
The CHS website is a great resource for families. Informational Links about bus stops, the bell schedule, the handbook, monthly engagements calendars, and much more can all be found right on the main page of the website. There is also a tab for department contacts that have email contacts for all teachers and staff.
Check out the Website today: https://chesapeakehs.bcps.org/
