Dr. Sean Bulson will be a featured panelist in the National PTA's "Transforming Family-School Partnerships with PTA's National Standards" webinar series.

This series highlights best practices for building partnerships, the importance in collaborating with district administrators to strengthen partnerships with families, and steering through the changing policy and funding landscape for family engagement through panel discussions with leading practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who are improving family-school partnerships so that all children can reach their full potential.

Dr. Bulson will be featured in the upcoming session, "Leading the Charge: The Superintendent's Role in Championing Family Engagement” on Wednesday, March 19, at 2:00 p.m. once again allowing HCPS to shine in the national spotlight by sharing best practices implemented in our district for moving the needle forward on parent and community engagement.

To register for the ZOOM webinar, CLICK HERE.

How to Motivate Your Child

If your methods for motivating your child are not working, join us to learn more! This session will cover:

• Positive and negative reinforcement
• Results of negative reinforcement
• Tips to keep a child's motivation going
• Developing intrinsic values within your child

When: Wednesday, April 23, 2025

Where: Online (ZOOM)

Register here: https://cookcenter.info/Apr23Harford

Emotional Regulation: Interrupting Negative Emotions

You can watch the last wellness workshop recording if you weren't able to join the live session. We hope this most recent session helped parents understand how to intervene early to interrupt negative emotions and the tools that will help them respond to those emotions better. Access the recording here: https://cookcenter.info/Feb19HarfordReplay.

Recordings of all this year's workshops may be found on the Parent Academy page on hcps.org here: https://www.hcps.org/parents/ParentAcademy/Default.aspx.

Take advantage of additional free resources and on-demand e-courses. You can also receive answers to your questions with the Ask A Therapist feature…check it out at ParentGuidance.org today!

In this month's issue of the ParentGuidace.org newsletter, grandparent guardians will find tips on prioritizing self-care, building a support system, and creating a stable environment. Common hurdles like financial strain and generational gaps are addressed, and opportunities for growth and connection are highlighted.

Click here to access the newsletter.

For additional support, visit ParentGuidance.org, a platform designed to empower you with expert insights, practical tools, and a supportive community as you navigate your caregiving journey.

Parents, luck happens when preparation meets opportunity. Our district is offering FREE coaching sessions to help strengthen your relationships. Take advantage of this resource created by therapists to support you and your loved ones. Click here to register: https://cookcenter.info/coaching.

Achieving True Self is hosting a parent group to teach preventative strategies to limit minor and severe problem behaviors. There are three options to attend this session. Please see the flier below for details.

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

Hey parents of students in grades 1 through 9, have you heard about a new resource that you can use to help you understand how your child is progressing in reading and mathematics?

Our schools are now using i-Ready Diagnostic assessments to help determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth. The assessments also provide data for our teachers that help them support your child.

We are excited that with i-Ready Diagnostic comes a feature called Family Center, where families can access diagnostic score reports for each of their children in the i-Ready platform. Check it out here: https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/. It is important to note that your child will need to log into their Canvas account for you to view their reports.

Should you have any questions, please contact your child’s teacher, or reach out to AskHCPS@hcps.org, and we will be glad to point you in the right direction.

As we work to develop a sustainable and responsible budget for the upcoming fiscal year, adjustments are being made to align resources with available funding. As part of these efforts, all summer school sessions for 2025 have been canceled. This includes elementary and middle summer school sessions, as well as the high school credit recovery summer program.

This does NOT impact Extended School Year (ESY) for students receiving special education services per their Individualized Education Plan (IEP). This program is federally mandated and will continue as planned.

For more information about the FY26 budget, click here.

In March 2024, the Board of Education of Harford County updated the Cell Phone Policy for Harford County Public Schools, in order to better support student success by minimizing distraction. You can view this policy here.

The policy is in place and being enforced at all schools.

We appreciate the support of our entire Harford County Public Schools community in reinforcing these expectations. Please take a moment to watch this short video explaining why this policy is so important.

Thank you for helping us create and foster a focused and productive learning environment!

Harford County Public Schools Counseling Services has gathered a variety of scholarship opportunities for students planning to continue their education after high school. You can explore the available scholarships by clicking here.

For any questions or assistance, please contact your student’s school counseling office.

Harford County Public Schools kindergarten registration and applications for kindergarten early entrance and advanced placement to first grade for the 2025-2026 school year is now open!

• Kindergarten registration can be completed online now.

• Applications for early entrance to kindergarten are available to print online and submit a hard copy. To submit your application, follow the directions on the cover sheet of the printed application.

• Applications for advanced placement to first grade are available to print online and submit a hard copy. To submit your application, follow the directions on the cover sheet of the printed application.
• Printed applications are available at each elementary school.

Note: Prekindergarten applications will be available later this spring. Details will be released as soon as possible.

Due to state law, prekindergarten and kindergarten instruction are not permitted to be virtual. This means prekindergarten and kindergarten registration is not available at Swan Creek School.

Please share this information in your community as we try to ensure families who may not be connected to HCPS are aware that these important applications and registrations are now available.

Additional registration information may be found here.

The next Board of Education of Harford County’s Engage for Education listening session is for HCPS Students ONLY on Thursday, March 27, 2025, 5:30 to 7:30 in the Board Room at Central Office.

**Please share this information with your child, if appropriate.**

Following the student-only session, the next public session is scheduled for Wednesday, April 2, 2025, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. at Havre de Grace 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.

We are happy to celebrate Lori Fawkes, of Havre De Grace Elementary School, as our 2024-25 Second Quarter Most Valuable Parent (MVP) Award recipient!

The MVP Award recognizes one HCPS parent/guardian a quarter during the school year for their efforts to go above and beyond in modeling one or more of the National PTA Standards.

Parents/guardians are nominated by their school's PACE Liaison. All nominations are reviewed by the HCPS External Customer Service Task Force and a winner is selected. Winners receive a certificate and personally engraved plaque from Parent Academy and Superintendent Bulson.

Selecting the second quarter winner from among all the fantastic nominations was not an easy task. We’d like to give a shout out and heartfelt thank you to each of this quarter's nominees. We are so grateful for all you do to support students and your child’s school.

The award presentation took place at Havre de Grace Elementary School with Superintendent Bulson and leaders from the school.

All MVP Award winners will be archived on the HCPS website here: https://www.hcps.org/.../parentac.../mostvaluableparent.aspx

Superintendent Sean Bulson was honored on the national stage this month at the AASA National Conference on Education. He was named one of the top three superintendents in the country to receive the prestigious Family Engagement Changemaker award for his innovative work in family engagement.

This recognition is a testament to the tireless efforts of our Office of Family and Community Partnerships and its continued dedication to advancing family engagement in our district.

The curtain is rising on an incredible season of high school theater in Harford County Public Schools! Our talented students have been working hard to bring these productions to life, and now it’s time to take your seat and enjoy the show.

This year’s lineup includes:

• Charlie and the Chocolate Factory at Bel Air High School
• Firebringer at Edgewood High School
• Matilda at Harford Technical High School
• SIX: Teen Edition at Joppatowne High School and Patterson Mill High School
• The Sound of Music at C. Milton Wright High School
• Anastasia at Fallston High School
• The Addams Family at Havre de Grace High School
• Little Shop of Horrors at North Harford High School

Each production promises a unique and unforgettable experience, showcasing the dedication and talent of our students, staff, and volunteers. Don’t miss your chance to support the arts in our schools.

For show dates, times, and ticket information, click here.

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