FCPS Connect

Winter is here! I share the same excitement as students, families and staff that Winter Break is almost here. It is a time of year where we all can relax, gather with friends and family and reflect on the successes of the last year.

As a reminder our schools will be closed for students December 23 through January 1. Please review our weather policies at https://www.fcps.org/student-services/closings-and-delays. This year, if inclement weather closes school, we will be utilizing our five built-in snow days.

I thank you all for your hard work and dedication. I look forward to continued success in the new year. Please enjoy the winter break.

Dr. Dyson

The Board of Education of Frederick County elected Rae Gallagher as President and Dean Rose as Vice President.

The Board elections took place ahead of the December 11 Board of Education meeting. Each December, the Board holds elections for leadership positions for the upcoming year. Each Board member has a vote in the election.

This is the first time Gallagher has served as the Board’s president. During the last year, Gallagher served as the Board’s Vice President after being elected to the Board of Education in 2022. She was previously appointed to the Board by then County Executive Jan Gardner in 2020 to fill a vacancy. She completed her tenure later that year.

Gallagher has served in several non-profit leadership positions, collaborating with organizations to shift policy and ensure safe, supportive school environments. Her biography is posted online: https://www.fcps.org/boe/rae-gallagher

This is Rose’s second stint as the Board’s vice president. He previously served as vice president for one year after being elected in December 2022. Rose has lived in Frederick County since 1998 and served as a volunteer with several nonprofit organizations. His biography is posted online: https://www.fcps.org/boe/dean-rose

FCPS posts Board member biographical information for all members via www.fcps.org/boe.

This FCPS Exposure blog highlights the FCPS Fall Sports Season!

Our latest FCPS blog highlights the Cross County Book Club!

Get ready for our FCPS winter concerts! You won't want to miss these opportunities to see our talented students in action!

• The 19th Annual Show Choir Benefit Concert at Tuscarora High: Thursday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m.

• AFA Theatre Presents, The End of the Beginning at TJ High School: Thursday, December 19 at 7:00 p.m.

• AFA Dance presents their Winter Recital at TJ High School: Tuesday January 7 at 7:00 p.m.

• AFA Musical Theatre presents their Winter Showcase at TJ High School: Thursday January 9 at 7:00 p.m.

The Linganore High School feeder system just completed a community service project to collect holiday gifts for students and families.

The project, now in its 25th year, is under the direction of Work-Based Learning teacher Jeremy Brown, who also serves as advisor to the LHS Student Government Association and Key Club.

78 local students from 29 families will receive gifts as a result of this effort. Pictured with some of the donations to local families are Linganore students Casey Kirby, Hannah Zirk and Alex Thomas.

Frederick County Public Schools’ Career & Technical Education (CTE) office is pleased to host the Sixth Annual Youth Apprentice Summit at Frederick Community College on December 19 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.

This event is designed to showcase the opportunities available through the Youth Apprenticeship (YA) Program and inspire current eleventh grade students to explore career paths while gaining hands-on experience.

Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School is excited to invite prospective families to our upcoming school tours for all interested students entering Prek – 11th grade in Fall 2025. You will have the chance to explore our campus and learn about the exceptional program we offer. This is a wonderful opportunity for families considering our school to get a feel for our vibrant community and see firsthand what makes our school so special.

Please join us on:

Wednesday, January 15 10 -11 a.m. or 7-8 p.m.

Location: 64 Thomas Johnson Drive, Frederick, MD 21702

**Please note: for the both morning tours please allow at least 15 minutes to check in. All adults must bring a photo ID in order to tour the building.

RSVPs are very helpful and strongly encouraged, but not required. Please RSVP here.

These tours will include a 30-minute overview of our school and program followed by a 30-minute tour of our beautiful location.

MVMPCS is the only charter school program in the county to expand to include high school. MVMPCS was started over 20 years ago, and any student that resides in Frederick county can apply for open spots through the lottery which will be open through March 11.

More information can be found here.

MVMPCS will provide a quality Montessori program that will include:

• strong academics with both college and career readiness,
• hands-on learning,
• an interdisciplinary approach,
• multi-age groupings,
• opportunities for field studies and travel,
• student-directed learning,
• peace and conflict resolution-oriented philosophy that values diversity and inclusion,
• small school environment.

On November 1, 2024, the Student Homelessness Initiative Partnership of Frederick County (SHIP) began collecting hygiene items for students experiencing homelessness. Bins are placed in businesses throughout Frederick County to collect donations.

Community members are encouraged to purchase and donate new full-sized hygiene products by dropping them in any SHIP bin or delivering them to the SHIP office in Downtown Frederick during regular business hours. The hygiene drive will end in the second week of January.

“Not having access to hygiene items like shampoo and laundry detergent is often what keeps students experiencing homelessness from attending school. By providing these items to this vulnerable population, we increase their likelihood of furthering their education and graduating on time.” Melissa Muntz, Executive Director, SHIP of Frederick County

As of summer 2024, there were over 1,000 students experiencing homelessness in Frederick County Public Schools. Nearly 150 of those students were unaccompanied, meaning they had no parent or legal guardian present. SHIP of Frederick County assists to reduce barriers young people experiencing homelessness face in reaching their goals.

For more information about the hygiene drive and a list of collection bin locations, visit https://shipfrederick.com/event/homeless-for-the-holidays/

Has an FCPS support employee gone beyond the call of duty? Have you observed a support staff member excelling in their day-to-day activities? Have they done something particularly noteworthy?

There are so many reasons to nominate someone for the FCPS Support Employee of the Year Award! The Support Employee of the Year Award categories have been updated to make them more balanced. The new categories are listed on the Support Employee of the Year Award page found at the link below, as well as in the nomination packet. Complete eligibility, nomination criteria, process and selection guidelines are located online here.

The deadline for nominations is Friday, January 31. (No nominations will be accepted after this date.) It is important to follow the directions for submissions. Please contact Dorian.Munoz@fcps.org or 240-586-7102 with any questions.

Support Employee Job Categories:

Administrative Support

Food Service Support

Operations Support

School Support

Special Education Support

Systemic Support

Technical Support

Transportation Support

Do You Know an Outstanding FCPS Principal?

The Washington Post Principal of the Year Award is looking for exceptional principals who go above and beyond to create inspiring and supportive educational environments for both their staff and students. This prestigious award celebrates leadership that drives excellence and fosters positive change in schools.

Nominate a principal who makes a difference!

To submit your nomination, follow these instructions found at https://www.fcps.org/public-affairs/wapo-principal.

Let’s honor those who lead with passion and dedication!

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) is soliciting public comment on the draft Maryland Pre-K4 Science Early Learning Standards. Please submit comments by close of business on January 19, 2025, via the linked form below.

Maryland Pre-K4 Science Early Learning Standards Public Comment Form

All comments received will be reviewed by MSDE and considered in the standard finalization process.

If you have any questions regarding this request, please contact Zachary Carey, Director of Science, at zachary.carey@maryland.gov.

FCPS has revised our standards and requirements for field trip procedures and chaperones. Chaperones for overnight field trips will now have to complete an Overnight Field Trip Form and undergo fingerprinting and a criminal background check.

These revised standards are aimed at ensuring compliance with state regulations and enhancing safety procedures across FCPS that align with public school systems across Maryland. FCPS Regulation 414.01 Field Trips has been updated to better align with these standards. The revised requirements for chaperones are essential for maintaining a secure and compliant field trip environment.

Any overnight field trips, taking place prior to December 31, 2024, are exempt from the fingerprinting requirement.

Effective January 1, 2025 any chaperones participating in overnight field trips must undergo the more comprehensive screening process. In addition to completing the standard volunteer screening, all overnight chaperones are required to:

• Complete an Overnight Field Trip Form: This will help verify the chaperone has completed the standard volunteer training and initiate a request for FCPS fingerprinting.

• Undergo Fingerprinting and a Criminal Background Check: This step is essential for maintaining the highest safety standards and confirming the identity of the chaperones. This is at no cost to chaperones.

These new procedures are designed to provide an added layer of security and peace of mind for students, families, and school staff. The safety and well-being of our students is one of our top priorities, and we are committed to maintaining the highest standards in all aspects of school activities.

Based on recent legislation, the Maryland State Department of Education has issued new guidelines that changed the parameters for virtual education during inclement weather, starting in the 2024-25 school year. As a result, Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) does not intend to use virtual education days in place of traditional “snow days” or to respond to other emergency weather events in the 2024-25 school year. As background, the changes now in place include:

1. Use of Virtual Days: School systems in Maryland can only use virtual education days if they have exhausted all the regular snow days incorporated into the school calendar. FCPS has five snow days built into the school calendar.

2. Instructional Requirements: Any plan for virtual education days must include at least four hours of live, virtual instruction. Before these changes, schools could use fully asynchronous virtual education days, in which students could work at their own pace without live lessons.

3. Device and Wi-Fi Access: Schools must ensure all students and staff have the necessary devices and Wi-Fi for live instruction at home. Right now, younger students (Grades K-2) do not have one device each, and Wi-Fi access is inconsistent throughout the county.

Because of these new requirements, FCPS will not move forward with the option of virtual education days during inclement weather in 2024-25. Instead, FCPS will use the snow days already incorporated into the school calendar. If FCPS needs to use more than the five allocated snow days, we will revert to the traditional approach of adjusting the school year calendar to make up any school days as needed.

For more information about FCPS’s plans for inclement weather, please visit: FCPS Closings and Delays.

Like many school districts across the country, FCPS is facing a shortage of bus drivers. This shortage means that about 20 or more bus routes are being covered by a small number of substitute drivers, Transportation office staff, or other drivers who are filling in. While we have managed to cover these routes, it has affected pickup and drop-off times for students.

Using substitutes and office staff can cause delays, in addition to usual factors like traffic. To keep you informed about any delays, our Transportation department updates a bus status board, which you can find at this LINK and on the “Transportation” page of our website, www.fcps.org. This board shows the most current information on bus times. If a bus route is canceled due to staff shortages, we will send notifications, and you can also check the status board for updates.

We are actively looking for more bus drivers. If you or someone you know is interested, please apply online at https://www.applitrack.com/fcps/OnlineApp/. Your help in spreading the word is greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Frederick County Public Schools uses SchoolMessenger for email, text messages and automated phone calls. Community members can sign up to receive SchoolMessenger updates. This step-by-step guide will show you how to quickly sign up to get messages!

Who can sign up:

Anyone interested in receiving FCPS and/or school updates. This can include family members not already signed up for messages and community members.

Who does not need to sign up:

All FCPS employees automatically receive messages to their work email address and contact information they have entered in via PeopleSoft. All FCPS family members who are listed as a primary contact in our Student Information System do not need to sign up.

As we look forward to the new year, we wanted to update our community on our plans for our FCPS Community Bulletin Boards.

Beginning in January 2024, we will be sharing these updates with our community twice a month, just as we always have. We will be sunsetting our community e-newsletter.

Why the change?

There was a repetition of information in both the e-newsletter and weekly Community Bulletin Board. We want to make sure we are keeping our community informed while not clogging email boxes unnecessarily.

Our Community Bulletin Board will continue featuring the same information it always has:

Systemic updates and celebrations
Important calendar reminders
News our FCPS community can use!

Of course, we will also share SchoolMessenger emails and texts when the need arises – in cases of urgent news and inclement weather.

The first FCPS Community Bulletin Board of 2025 will be shared on Thursday, January 9.

FCPS employees benefit from market-competitive salaries and outstanding benefits. We provide a supportive working environment, professional development training and mentoring. Most importantly, we offer the opportunity to make a difference in our students’ lives!

We recognize that educating our county's students requires a team effort. This involves contributions made by team members, both inside and outside of the classroom.

Did you know FCPS has a Facebook page for Spanish speaking community members? FCPS Informando has important updates for families. We encourage our community to check it out!

¿Sabía que FCPS tiene una página de Facebook para miembros de la comunidad de habla hispana? FCPS Informando tiene actualizaciones importantes para las familias. ¡Animamos a nuestra comunidad a comprobarlo!

Email: communications@fcps.org

Website: www.fcps.org
Location: 191 South East Street, Frederick, MD, USA
Phone: (301)644-5000
Facebook: www.facebook.com/fcpsmaryland
Twitter: @FCPSMaryland