Parent Connection

May your holiday season be filled with love, joy, and peace...

and best wishes for a very happy new year!

-HCPS Parent Academy

Helping Your Child Succeed - Three Parenting Styles

Parents will learn practical ways they can improve parental warmth, which is one of the key areas of principle-based parenting. Children who experience parental warmth are found to be more creative, experience less depression, and have healthier self esteem.

When: December 18, 2024, 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Where: Online (Zoom)

Register: https://cookcenter.info/Dec18Harford

Did you miss last month's Lunch & Learn? Watch the recording of the event below to learn more about school avoidance and how to ask the right questions and get to the root of the real problem.

REPLAY LINK: https://cookcenter.info/Nov20HarfordReplay

Take a moment hear from Marcus Webster, Administrator of the Harford County Office of Drug Control Policy, about how his office supports parents in keeping their children from abusing substances.

Visit harfordcountymd.gov/2697/HarfordTalks for more information and for helpful conversation starters and tips about talking with your child about substances.

The U.S. Department of Education has announced December 9-13, 2024, as High School Senior Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Week of Action. School counseling offices are working to raise awareness about the FAFSA form, specifically focusing on helping students create their Federal Student Aid (FSA) ID and helping them submit their FAFSA forms. Simplified and streamlined, the FAFSA is providing more aid to more students than ever before to help pay for college.

Resources for students and families:

• 2025-26 FAFSA Pro Tips: Help students and families successfully complete the 2025-26 FAFSA form.
• Creating Your StudentAid.gov Account: Everything you need to know about StudentAid.gov accounts in under 5 minutes.
• Parent Wizard: This standalone tool helps determine which parent(s) should participate in a student’s FAFSA form.
• FSA webinar recordings.
• Harford Community College Financial Aid.

The C5ISR Center Community Outreach Office is pleased to announce the 2025 Real-World Internships in Science & Engineering (RISE) Program.

The RISE Program is a two-week internship program for current high school students who will be 16 years of age on or before July 1, 2025. Program participants will work with professional engineers and scientists to complete result-oriented work. In addition to technical skills, students will develop professional skills through a series of leadership workshops. Over the course of the two-week RISE Program, students will spend between six and seven hours each day working in professional APG labs. Students will be exposed to real-world technology and provide assistance to the engineers and scientists who work at APG to support the Soldier.

The RISE Program schedule:
Dates: July 7-18, 2025
When: Monday through Friday

Time: 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Program Applications are now available on their website. Student applications must be completed and submitted no later than Sunday, February 2, 2025, at 11:55 p.m. for consideration in the RISE Program.

For information about program eligibility, and/or how to access the application, visit:

https://c5isrcenter.devcom.army.mil/rise/.

If you have questions, please reach out to the C5ISR Center Workforce & Community Outreach Office at usarmy.apg.devcom-c5isr.mbx.outreach@army.mil.

Check out the latest issue of the STEM@Home newsletter. It highlights Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) and is intended for students in grades K-12. The newsletter provides engaging information and educational activities that can be done with minimal materials and a whole lot of imagination.

STEM@Home is available on the C5ISR Center Homepage https://c5isr.ccdc.army.mil/.

Readers are also encouraged to follow them on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/DEVCOM.C5ISR/ and to share photos of their young engineers completing the STEM@Home activities using hashtag #C5ISRCenterSTEM.

Mark your calendar to join us online on January 14, 2025, at 5:30 p.m. to hear from Matt Johnstone, HCPS Grant Coordinator of Apprenticeships and Workforce Development, and learn more about apprenticeship opportunities and programs for your high school student. The Microsoft Teams link to join the workshop will be advertised after the holidays. Be sure to follow the HCPS Parent Academy Facebook page!

Registration is open for the Social Emotional Learning and Support Family Workshop!

Parents and caregivers of children ages 2 to 5 are encouraged to take part in this three-session workshop series to learn more about helping their child succeed at home and beyond.

Register here: https://forms.office.com/pages/responsepage.aspx...

Did you register to receive this month's free book for your Little from the Harford County Education Foundation? Visit the HCPS Facebook page on December 18 for a special video message from HCPS Manager of Communications Jillian Lader about "Rita and Ralph's Rotten Day" by Carmen Agra Deedy.

You can watch all Littles University book exploration episodes by clicking here.

Littles University is a book gifting program sponsored by the Harford County Education Foundation that mails monthly books to children ages birth though 5. Providing children with rich home libraries encourages the love of reading and read-together bonding and supports school preparedness.

Early bird registration for rising second and third grade students interested in the virtual and blended programs at Swan Creek School for the 2025-2026 school year is now open. Students who apply before December 20, 2024, will receive preferential consideration. The early bird application is available here.

All applications will be reviewed, and enrollment decisions will be communicated by Swan Creek School staff by mid-April 2024. Please note, the availability of this program will be determined by future budget considerations.

For more information about Swan Creek School, check out the video below. If you have any questions, please contact Swan Creek School at 410-273-5594.

The Maryland Accountability Report Card for the 2023-2024 school year is now available online.

Each school’s report card, compiled by the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE), is available at www.mdreportcard.org. There you can view the overall performance of your student’s school on state tests in the areas of mathematics, English/language arts and science.

Also included in the Maryland Accountability Report Card are non-academic measures such as climate survey data for students and educators and overall attendance information.

Further information about the measures is available on www.mdreportcard.org under the “Help Guides” section.

Mary Beth Stapleton founded the HCPS Parent Academy and has over 30 years experience working on behalf of children and families.

The Maryland State Department of Education provides a School Report Card website that offers valuable insights into your school’s performance and progress. As a parent, this tool can help you better understand how the school is doing and identify areas for improvement. Regardless of the score your child’s school receives, every school has opportunities to grow, and your involvement can make a real difference.

We encourage you to explore the Report Card website at https://reportcard.msde.maryland.gov/ and use the information to start conversations with other parents and your child’s school leaders. Together, you can identify strategies to support the school’s progress. Effective parent engagement is key to improving school performance, and your collaboration with the school’s leadership plays a vital role in driving positive change.

If you have questions about parent engagement or would just like more information, please feel free to reach out to Mary Beth Stapleton directly at marybeth.stapleton@hcps.org.

Harford County Government this week announced its financial commitment to enhancing security measures in Harford County Public Schools. This collaboration includes funding for advanced weapon detection systems and other physical and electronic security upgrades. Additionally, the County will be allocating resources to bring on three new School Resource Officers, who will be dedicated exclusively to the security and safety of local schools.

Harford County Executive Bob Cassilly expressed his support for the initiative stating, “The safety of our students, educators, and school communities is paramount. This partnership with the Board of Education of Harford County is a testament to our shared commitment to protecting our schools and ensuring a safe learning environment.”

Board of Education of Harford County President Dr. Aaron Poynton extended his gratitude to the County for their ongoing support saying, “We thank the County government for their dedication and financial support in securing our schools. Their assistance throughout this process has been invaluable, helping us address one of the Board’s top priorities – the safety and security of our students and staff."

Superintendent Dr. Sean Bulson added, “The administration will closely monitor the effectiveness of these initial enhancements and will continue to seek community feedback to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our students, parents, and staff in maintaining a safe school environment.”

Most of these new security measures are set to be implemented before the end of the calendar year. For security purposes, specific operational and deployment details have not been disclosed.

The voting window to help name the Second Quarter Family Friendly School Award Winner for this school year is NOW OPEN!

Click here to cast your vote for one of the nominated schools. The voting window closes at midnight next Tuesday, December 17.

We look forward to announcing the second quarter winner in late January!

Nominate your favorite Harford County Public Schools employee from this year or years past for the 2025 Celebration of Excellence in Education (CEE)!

Once again, this year we will celebrate all aspects of education in Harford County Public Schools, in addition to the Teacher of the Year! At the 2025 CEE, we will honor a principal, assistant principal, custodian, facilities employee, food services staff member, support professional and technology employee.

Visit hcps.org and click on “learn more” in the banner on the main page to share a few sentences on why you are nominating a deserving HCPS staff member!

Local businesses and community members continue to play an integral part in showing our appreciation for our educators. We look forward to celebrating with everyone again this year! If you know of a business that would like to support the program this year, please reach out to joyce.jablecki@hcps.org for more information.

Nominations are due by January 3, 2025. Don't delay; submit your nomination here as soon as possible.

The next Board of Education of Harford County’s Engage for Education listening session is Wednesday, January 8, 2025, 5:30-7:30 p.m. at North Harford High School in the auditorium.

Following the January 8 session, the next public session is scheduled for Wednesday, February 5, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Joppatowne High School.

No pre-registration is required to attend or speak at these Board listening sessions. For more information, or to provide feedback directly to the Board if you are unable to attend one of the sessions, please visit the Engage for Education page on hcps.org.

Did you know the Board of Education of Harford County asks for public feedback when new policies or revisions to existing policies are presented and discussed at Board Business Meetings? Provide your feedback on the policy by the deadline listed on the webpage! https://hcps.org/boe/hottopics/default.aspx

Harford County Public Schools students, staff, and families looking for help with mental health or substance use are reminded they can call Care Solace at 888-515-0595 for 24/7/365 personalized and confidential help finding a therapist. Or, they can search on their own at www.caresolace.com/harford.

The Harford County Public Library offers so many educational, fun, and FREE events at each of its branches year-round. Be sure to visit the events page of their website to see what's happening this month!

• Harford County Public Library
• Harford County Parks and Recreation
• Boys and Girls Clubs of Harford & Cecil Counties

Additional resources may be found in the Harford County Community Services Resource Guide.

Be sure you are following the Parent Academy page on Facebook for announcements, updates, resources, and more shared regularly throughout the school year.

Also, bookmark the Parent Academy webpage on hcps.org where all workshops and Real Talks are archived, and where you can find information on other Parent Academy sponsored programs, like Family Friendly Schools.

Looking for an earlier issue of Parent Connection? Visit the newsletter archive on hcps.org by clicking here.

HCPS parents are students’ first and best teachers.

Editors: Mary Beth Stapleton, Manager of Family and Community Partnerships & Lindsay Bilodeau, Innovation Specialist

Email: ParentAcademy@hcps.org
Website: https://www.hcps.org/parents/ParentAcademy/Default.aspx
Location: 102 South Hickory Avenue, Bel Air, MD, USA
Phone: 410-588-5263
Facebook: facebook.com/HCPSParentAcademy