This May issue is the last issue of the 2023-24 school year. We will resume publication of the Parent Connection newsletter at the start of the 2024-25 school year. We wish you a safe, fun, and relaxing summer with your family and friends!

Mental health, also known as emotional or behavioral health, is a vital part of your child’s medical health and development. It affects how individuals think, feel, and act. All children and teens have periods of anger, frustration, and sadness. For some kids, feelings can reach a tipping point and interfere with everyday life. Find resources to support a child in your community:

When: May 15, 2024, 12:00-1:00 p.m.

Where: Online (Zoom)

Register: http://cookcenter.info/May15Harford

Take advantage of 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!

During this session, we discussed the importance of setting healthy boundaries with your child(ren). We talked about the importance of knowing your ultimate parenting goal, setting your own boundaries, and how to use words that will help our children thrive. Healthy boundaries help your child to feel safe and properly prepare your child for a successful adulthood.

Take time this week to think about your end goal for your child and why that is your goal. Then set aside time to talk with your child and remind them that you are emotionally and physically there for them. Remember to be gentle with yourself and try new strategies because change takes patience and consistent effort.

You can access the recording here: https://cookcenter.info/Apr10HarfordReplay

Ms. Baker uses her experience to model for younger parents and has a unique narrative of the PTA grandma/intergenerational story.

Join us in celebrating Ms. Baker and ALL of this month's nominees! We are so grateful for each of them and everything they do to support students and their child’s school.

The MVP Award recognizes one HCPS parent/guardian a month 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.

All MVP Award winners are archived on the HCPS website here:

https://www.hcps.org/.../parentac.../mostvaluableparent.aspx.

Parent Academy and the HCPS Counseling Office recently partnered to share exciting information with parents/guardians about career exploration, apprenticeship opportunities, and the dual enrollment program. Learn more in the recording below.

We are pleased to partner with Harford Community College to offer orientation sessions in our high schools in an effort to better accommodate more students and parents. These sessions are designed to provide crucial information to students participating in our Dual Enrollment program. Highlighted below are the orientation dates/locations as well as the agenda.

All sessions will be from 4:30 to 6:00 p.m.

Wednesday, May 29, 2024

• Edgewood High School
• C. Milton Wright High School

Monday, June 3

• Joppatowne High School
• Fallston High School

Tuesday, June 4

• Harford Technical High School
• Patterson Mill High School

Wednesday, June 5

• Havre de Grace High School
• North Harford High School

Thursday, June 6

• Bel Air High School
• Aberdeen High School

• 4:30-4:40 p.m.: Welcome
• 4:40-5:05: Need to Know Information (Owlnet, Owlnet email, FERPA, schedule, important dates)
• 5:05-5:40: Student Success (difference between high school and college, organization, time management, and class expectations)
• 5:40-6:00: Q+A

We are thrilled to share the exciting things middle school students experience inside Harford County Public Schools! Success after high school starts in our elementary and middle schools. Take a moment to watch the video below to learn more.

The HCPS Early Childhood Office is partnering with the Harford County Public Library to offer a series of sessions. During each session (10 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.), staff from the Office of Early Childhood/Judy Centers of Harford County will be onsite at the designated library to answer questions and share information related to our early childhood programming in Harford County Public Schools. Information on how to apply to Pre-Kindergarten, Kindergarten, and Learning Together Programs will be shared, as well as available Judy Center supports for eligible families. We hope to see you there!

Harford County Public Schools prekindergarten applications opened Friday, May 3, 2024. Applications can be picked up at your child’s school. If you are unsure what school your child will attend in the 2024-2025 school year, visit https://www.hcps.org/parents/preKRegistration.aspx.

Students applying for prekindergarten at Deerfield, Hall’s Cross Roads, and Magnolia elementary schools must complete an online application as part of a pilot program. PLEASE NOTE: THESE ARE THE ONLY LOCATIONS ACCEPTING ONLINE APPLICATIONS, FOR ALL OTHER LOCATIONS, APPLICATIONS MUST BE PICKED UP IN PERSON AT THE SCHOOL. For questions about the online application, please contact your school or the Office of Early Childhood at 410-588-5252.

• Deerfield Elementary School Judy Center: 410-612-1535
• Hall’s Cross Roads Elementary School Judy Center: 410-273-5524
• Magnolia Elementary School Judy Center: 410-612-1553

Per state law, prekindergarten instruction may not be virtual, so applications are not available at Swan Creek School.

Please share this information in your community to help spread awareness for families with little ones.

Information on how to apply is available at https://www.hcps.org/Parents/registeringforschool.aspx

Mary Beth Stapleton founded the HCPS Parent Academy and has over 30 years experience working on behalf of children and families. Mary Beth and her family live in northern Harford County.

May is Mental Health Awareness month. When my children were young, I knew the importance of their physical health, taking them to doctors’ visits, making sure all vaccinations and other medications were up to date. I was fully equipped to handle my children’s health, and if I didn’t know where to go, I knew I could ask family members and friends for resources.

As my children grew into their tween and teen years, sometimes experiencing mental health concerns, such as anxiety or depression, I realized that I needed to take these “illnesses” as seriously as I would a virus. Having a child struggling with mental illness is nothing to be embarrassed about, so reach out to the school counselor to let him/her know about the situation to help brainstorm resources to support your family. You can also speak with your children’s primary care doctor, who can provide a list of providers. HCPS parents can also call Care Solace, and they will immediately connect you to a therapist: https://www.caresolace.com/site/harford. When our children begin to struggle with their mental health, we might begin to feel stressed too – don’t panic, they need you healthy and calm so that you can help support them through a challenging time.

To celebrate mental wellness with your family, register to attend the Your Mind Matters Family Wellness night event on Friday, May 31, from 5:00-9:00 p.m. at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. https://harfordmentalhealth.org/your-mind-matters/.

The Harford County Local Behavioral Health Authority, the Klein Family Center, and Harford County Public Schools are hosting the third Your Mind Matters: A Family Wellness Night, on Friday, May 31, from 5:00-9:00 p.m. at Leidos Field at Ripken Stadium. This event will promote mental health and wellness during Mental Health Awareness Month. Families will have an opportunity to engage in a community conversation about mental wellbeing. Join us for crafts, bounce houses, a petting zoo, games on the field, a rock-climbing wall, fireworks and much more for the entire family to enjoy! Last year, more than 5,000 people were in attendance with your support we are looking forward to a more successful event. Register HERE.

It is never too early to start learning about transition planning!! Join SECAC on Thursday, May 16, if you have a middle school student, a high school student, or a high school student graduating!! This meeting is for you.

For more information and to register, click here.

Check out the latest issue of the Partners for Success newsletter: https://secure.smore.com/n/qstmv.

The STEM@Home Newsletter is intended to provide engaging information and educational activities that can be done with minimal materials and a whole lot of imagination. Check out the latest publication: Volume 4, Issue 7.

The C5ISR Center Community Outreach Team encourages readers 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.

Get ready to celebrate the rich heritage and vibrant future of agriculture in Harford County! From Saturday, May 11, to Sunday, May 19, you're invited to take part in a week-long extravaganza honoring our county's farms.

This event is for any students and/or artists who want to sign up for a table to sell their goods or show their work. Parents/guardians should contact the Joppa Grand Market directly to sign up.

Army Research Lab’s high school robotics summer camp sessions still have spaces available. These camps are at no cost to parents. Classes will be hosted at the APG STEM Center, Aberdeen Proving Ground. For more information and to register, please visit https://www.robomasterminds.org/.

Check out the link below for all the awesome summer programs offered at Eden Mill Nature Center! Pre-registration is required for all programs. Online registration is available on their website, www.edenmill.org.

2024 Summer Programs

Questions? Contact edenmillnaturecenter@gmail.com.

• Community Summer Camps 2024 - Harford County
• Community Summer Camps 2024 - Baltimore County
• Community Summer Camps 2024 - Cecil County

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

Emmorton Elementary School!

This is the LAST Family Friendly Award for the 2023-24 school year!

Vote now to help name the May winner from the nominated schools: https://www.hcps.org/parents/parentacademy/familyfriendlyschools.aspx.

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 in May!

• 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