Division of Supporting Services

The Division of Supporting Services is committed to promoting achievement and opportunity through a coordinated effort to provide the highest quality learning environment.

Wesley McGregor, IT Project Coordinator II

Department of Information Technology

SMCPS student turned tireless IT professional, Wes began his career 8 years ago as an intern in the Information Technology department and now, as a Project Coordinator II, solves some of our most difficult technology problems with the utmost skill, forethought and dedication to our staff and students. Though you may not be familiar with his name, you have most definitely used services, technologies, and/or instruction materials Wes had a direct hand in developing for SMCPS. His constant drive and commitment to improving SMCPS technology for all is but one thing that truly makes him worthy of an employee spotlight. Below we will get to know Wes a little more, but before that, a heartfelt thank you for all you have done, continue to do, and will do sir!

What is your favorite part about your job?

“My favorite part about my job is the interactions I get to have with our staff and students. It's an amazing feeling knowing that the work our team puts in every day has a meaningful impact in the wider organization and community really means a lot to me.”

If you were a superhero, who would be your archnemesis?

“Phishing Emails and Viruses! ITS has worked incredibly hard over the past several years to help protect against malicious emails, by automating reporting, and response to using our advanced threat protection systems from malicious actors, but there are always new threats looming over the horizon. Some fun trivia, 91% of all cyber attacks begin with a Phishing email.”

What’s one interesting fact about yourself?

“My wife and I got engaged at Harry Potter World.”

What’s your favorite hobby or pastime?

“I’m really into tabletop games like Dungeons and Dragons!”

What are you most proud of in your career so far?

“During the pandemic, ITS completely re-engineered our IT infrastructure to make 1:1 possible. It involved rebuilding almost every system we had been using previously and building whole new systems to properly manage the new influx of devices. This includes everything from device setup operations/optimizations to every application deployment. It took us over 3 months to complete, and involved more sleepless nights than I can count, but those changes are still having positive impacts throughout our system for our staff and students.”

What is one thing you wish people knew about your job?

“The biggest thing that I would like people to know about our job, is that every configuration change, Company Portal software installation, and instruction document has had many hours of discussion within our infrastructure team, with the previous two requiring hours of engineering and testing to ensure that any change, large or small, has as minimal effect on our staff’s ability to work and teach, and on our students ability to learn and grow.”

Subject: End of School Wrap-Up and Summer Preparations

Good day -

As we near the end of another successful school year, I would like to take a moment to express my deepest gratitude to each and every one of our DSS Staff for your dedication, hard work, and unwavering support in ensuring smooth operations at The Division of Supporting Services.

The upcoming summer promises to be a busy period for DSS as we gear up for several crucial projects aimed at preparing for the opening of school in the Fall of 2024. The Division of Supporting Services' continued commitment and tireless efforts will be instrumental in making these initiatives a success.

I want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all our staff members across various departments (in no particular order) including Transportation, Information Technology, Facility Coordination, PE and Athletics, Design and Construction, Capital Planning, Food and Nutrition Services, Maintenance, and Operations. Each of our departments plays a vital role in the seamless functioning of our Division - and the inner workings of all schools - and your hard work does not go unnoticed.

As SMCPS transitions into the summer months, let's carry forward the same spirit of teamwork, collaboration, and excellence that defines our Division. Together, we will overcome challenges, achieve milestones, and ensure that The Division of Supporting Services is well-prepared to welcome the new school year in 2024 for our staff and students, respectively.

Thank you once again for your outstanding contributions. Here's to a productive and successful summer ahead!

Regards,

Alex

Youth Apprenticeship Week (YAW) is a nationwide celebration that highlights the benefits and value of Registered Apprenticeship program opportunities for youth, ages 16–24. These programs combine technical classroom instruction with paid work experience. The Department of Capital Planning hosted Presley Crossman as an apprentice through the Apprenticeship Maryland and the Patuxent Partnership Apprentice programs this year and she completed her 450 hours with the department this month. She started with a positive attitude, and we watched Presley's confidence grow as she worked in the office. She was always eager to learn new things and added to the thought process of how to analyze data. The Apprenticeship Maryland and the Patuxent Partnership Apprentice programs are a great opportunity for students by providing real-world life experience along with requirements to be met to complete the program.

Presley stated, “My experience in the apprenticeship program at the Department of Capital Planning has provided me with invaluable insights into office dynamics and the intricacies of budget analysis. Through meaningful work and the guidance of mentors, I have acquired essential skills and gained a deeper understanding of the field, enriching my professional journey.”

The Department of Capital Planning wishes Presley all the best in her future endeavors, which include attending the University of New Haven this fall, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Forensic Science.

By prioritizing student comfort, flexibility, and well-being, the Department of Design and Construction is creating spaces that inspire creativity, collaboration, and academic achievement.

By adding flexible seating at Media Centers we are emphasizing on several values:

• Psychological Effects: choice, ownership, and perception of design and color
• Physiological Effects: comfort, movement, oxygen/blood flow core strength, sensory input
• Sociological Effects: collaboration, interpersonal skills, and communication

Building and Grounds Modifications:

Requests to modify buildings and grounds for SY2025 can now be submitted. Policy and regulations, FAQs, and the building modification request form can be found on the Building and Grounds Modification Google Site. Please ensure you review the Building Mod Process. When completing the Building and Grounds Modification Form you MUST include all backup data, drawings, pictures, site map, budget information, timeline, project contact person, and other relevant information. The site administrator is responsible for coordinating the submission & ensuring it has all required information.

SMCPS Athletics has seen much success this school year across all of our schools. As you will see below our spring season is chalked full of SMAC, Region, and State Champions.

The Batting for Cause fundraiser raised over $12,000 for Clements Cuties. This was an outstanding community event. A special thank you to Mr. Ray Sapp, AD at Chopticon High School, for his vision, dedication, and leadership in putting this event together.

Food Services is gearing up for summer programs! We have several summer programs to help out our community when school is out. We already have over 900 children signed up to receive meals!

• 5-Day Meal Pickup Monday's @ LHS, CHS, SRMS, and OES
• Lunch at the Library
• Lunch and Learn at LPES

Our School Nutrition Association Chapter helped out Christmas in April this year! See below for photos!

On Monday, June 3rd, Information Technology (IT) will be adding the Windows 11 upgrade option to the SMCPS Company Portal for all staff members. This upgrade is completely optional for the summer and will not begin unless manually initiated.

This upgrade will automatically update the SMCPS computer to the latest version of Microsoft Windows 11. This process may take up to 2 hours to complete and will cause your device to restart automatically.

You may still use your Computer during this upgrade, but ensure you are frequently saving your work. Additionally, during the upgrade process please leave your device in one location, ensure that it is connected to power, and lastly, ensure that the device does not go into sleep mode, or power off.

Instructions on how to begin the Windows 11 Upgrade can be found at this LINK.

If you receive a “Requirements not met” message while installing Windows 11, please use the instructions found at this LINK to submit a ticket, and an IT technician will investigate the reasoning as soon as possible.

Do you have an upcoming event that requires logistical support?

It is important to note that all logistics support, related to scheduled events, require work orders at least 2 weeks in advance. The Department of Maintenance often receives last-minute work requests, for logistical support, relative to events that have been scheduled for months. As you can imagine, this is incredibly frustrating and taxing on maintenance personnel. Maintenance Foremen and Team Leaders create daily schedules for staff, well in advance, so that they can make adjustments based on each task's urgency, due date, and maintenance staff absences. Submitting last-minute requests makes it extremely difficult to execute our daily tasks as scheduled. We would greatly appreciate it if work requests were immediately submitted when the event is scheduled. Thank you in advance for your support as we are working hard to be as efficient and as effective as we can.

• The Class of 2024 graduation ceremonies is always a showcase event for all involved. Both central staff as well as Building Service staff at each high school within the Department of Operations plays a significant role each year with logistics planning, contractual support, and grad-day event planning and support. A big thank you to all who support these wonderful events!
• You may as well call the month of May "event month" in SMCPS. From school dances to fine arts performances to awards ceremonies to spring festivals to weekend celebrations on campus, it is a time to celebrate. Supporting all of these gatherings, in addition to their daily work, are your hard-working Building Service Staffmembers who go above and beyond for their students!

The month of April started off with the Department of Transportation assisting Special Olympics-St. Mary's County, in transporting students/athletes to and from their spring games held on April 4. They had a great day with good weather! In the second week of April, the Department of Transportation held our final inspections of the school year and this was for all school buses over 12 years of age. Also during the second week, the Department of Transportation held a pre-service training class for all people who would like to become a school bus driver or school bus attendant for St. Mary's County Public Schools. The Department of Transportation typically holds 10 pre-service training sessions each year for new school bus drivers and new bus attendants. Later in April the Director attended the quarterly Motor Vehicle Administration's School Bus Safety Advisory Committee which is made up of representatives from LEAS, School Bus Vendors, Maryland State Police, the Maryland School Bus Contractors Association and the Motor Vehicle Administration.

Website: smcps.org/dss
Phone: (301) 475-4256
Twitter: @smcps_dss