CHS April Newsletter
A way for families to connect with CHS & The Community
10th and 11th Graders go to CCBC Dundalk
Our 10th and 11th graders got an opportunity to tour CCBC Dundalk and explore their Practical Nursing Lab, Dental Hygiene Facility and Horticulture Program. Students also got the chance to talk to admissions about the Early College Access Program and all of its benefits during high school.
Animal Behavior Gets Training Tips from Chesapeake Dog Training
Linda Stallings is an animal trainer with work experience at the Maryland Zoo, Disney's Animal Kingdom and now an owner of her own business, Chesapeake Dog Training. She showed Ms. Lynagh's Animal Behavior students the skills and mindsets needed to train (any) animal by using our adorable live model, Gambito.
Please Vote for Us!
We are in the running for $1000! Z104.3 is running it's annual Baltimore School Battle and Chesapeake has made it to the final four! Please vote for us on April 1st by going to @z1043 instagram story. If we win on 4/1, we will need your vote again on 4/2 for the finals! This money will go directly to celebrate students. There is so much good happening at the 'peake, we are definitely contenders for Baltimore's Best!
Vote for the Bayhawk Teacher of the Quarter
This month's Bayhawk Teacher of the Quarter voting is a little more interactive. Students will be voting bracket style in their Math Classes thanks to Mr. Chapman's Desmos skills! Top 8 will be displayed in the commons and the winner will take possession of the CHS Bling for Q3.
The Chesapeake Festival of the Arts was a beautiful display of Art & Community. The 7 schools in our feeder pattern came together under 1 roof to share their hard work in performing & visual arts. Vocal and instrumental performances brought joy to our ears while the art and interactive creation stations brought smiles to our faces! So proud of all the teachers and students for a incredible job well done.
New Monthly Event: Pop Up Thrift!
On 3/26, we debuted a new event here at Chesapeake thanks to our partners, Uptown Cheapskate White Marsh located on 43. Uptown donates clothes to CHS (and numerous other schools) weekly and because of their generosity, we are now holding monthly Free Pop Up Thrifts during lunches the 2nd Wednesday so our students can reap the benefits of those donations. We have mens and womens clothing, shoes, and accessories. New items each month! Our fist Pop Up this month was a HUGE success and we are looking forward to more. Next Pop Up Date is April 9th.
We were so glad to invite over 50 community members into our building on Friday for our annual College & Career Fair. Students from all grade levels (including 2 of our feeder middle schools - Deep Creek & Middle River) got to interact with local employers, college recruiters, training programs, military and law enforcement, trade programs and more. A full list of attendees is below. This opportunity highlights so many of the options our students have post high school and is giving them direct access ton apply jobs and programs. Shout out to our Career Navigator, Mr. Scalice, for organizing this awesome event for our community.
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
April Career Spotlight: Information Technology
This cluster encompasses careers focused on designing, developing, supporting, and managing hardware, software, multimedia, and systems integration services, preparing individuals for roles in various sectors of the economy. Some programs of study are computer-related professions, including software development, network administration, information security, and systems administration. Careers in this pathway include computer network support specialists, database administrators, information security analysts, and web developers.
Guest Speakers coming to CHS this Month:
- BCPS (Department of Information Technology) – Jim Holden (Tuesday, April 1st) DOIT helps create a safe, effective, supported technology environment to augment the instructional and business services of BCPS to support and advance student learning. The Department of Information Technology is divided into two main offices, Applications & Network Security Support Services and Enterprise Resource Planning and Information Technology Operations.
- Social Security Administration (Technical Infrastructure Design) – Jimmy Conrad (Wednesday, April 9th) The Social Security Administration (SSA) is actively modernizing its technical infrastructure, focusing on areas like infrastructure, data, and code modernization, with a goal of improving service delivery and customer experience through user-centered design and cloud adoption.
- Mariner Finance (Software Developer) – Paul Binder (Tuesday, April 22nd) Throughout my career, I have designed, developed and implemented sophisticated applications using Microsoft Technologies, C#, Java, Python and more. I possess a rich mix of strategies needed for the aggressive attainment of IT management and product development goals.
- Big Huge Games / E-Line Media – Matt Heuston (Monday, April 28th) Right now I’m a full-time contractor who works for various companies. My responsibilities include producing concept art, illustrations and UI art for video games.
Careers and Trainings
- CCBC Cyber Security
- CCBC Digital Forensics
- Cisco Certification
- CCBC Health Informatics and Information Technology
- O*Net online job list for Information Technology
Mr. Scalice has posted sign ups for these presentations in the CHS Hub on Schoology.
See him with any questions.
April 18, 2025 10am-12pm: Oriole Garden Maintenance at Camden Yards
Spend a few hours at Oriole Park at Camden Yards helping to care for a native wildlife garden. Join the National Aquarium and National Wildlife Federation as we maintain the Oriole Garden—a wildlife garden located in Oriole Park at Camden Yards. Volunteers will remove weeds and invasive species. Gloves, tools and other materials will be provided. Please wear closed-toe shoes and clothing that can get a little dirty.
The Oriole Garden, which features native plants to attract orioles, butterflies and other birds and pollinators, was created in May 2016 by the National Wildlife Federation, the Baltimore Orioles and the Maryland Stadium Authority in partnership with the National Aquarium and Blue Water Baltimore. With bird populations in decline due to fragmented landscapes and urbanization, this native plant garden provides orioles and other species with food and shelter they need to survive.
Volunteers can park in Lot A (access from W Lee St). Parking will be complimentary during the duration of the event. Volunteers should pull a ticket when entering the garage and will receive a QR code via email to use upon exiting.
Participants must be at least 10 years old. All volunteers under 18 must be supervised by an adult. Register here. Please contact conserve@aqua.org or 410-659-4249 if you have questions or would like additional details.
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/
