FCPS Community Bulletin Board

December 12, 2024

Our latest FCPS Exposure blog highlights the FCPS Fall Sports Season.

Download the pdf below for the list of FCPS students that made the 2025 Maryland All State for Music Ensembles. FCPS has representation in 8 out of the available 9 ensembles.

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. Seventy-eight local students from twenty-nine 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.

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

• Winter Choir and Band Concert at Oakdale High: Thursday, December 12 at 7:00 p.m.
• Winter Chorus and Orchestra Concert at Crestwood Middle: Tuesday, December 17 at 6:00 p.m.
• Winter Band Concert at Crestwood Middle: Wednesday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m.
• 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 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.

• FCPS has been awarded $33,128 in grants from MSDE to support robotics programs at Brunswick High School, Oakdale High School, Tuscarora High School and Urbana High School.

• FCPS has been awarded a $39,969 grant from the Maryland Center for Computing Education to support professional learning activities in the area of computer science.

• FCPS has been awarded two grants from the Maryland Center for School Safety; A $25,000 grant to fund security improvements at Centerville Elementary School and a grant for $421,450 to fund security improvements at 8 additional schools.

• The Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee (SECAC) presented their annual report to the Board of Education.

• Policy 414 Field Trips was presented and will return to a future BOE meeting for final action.

• Staff presented feedback from the community on the draft option for the Valley Elementary School (VES) and Brunswick Elementary School (BES) Redistricting Study that will be presented at a virtual public hearing on January 15, 2025.

Frederick County Public Schools is seeking parents/guardians to serve on a textbook review committee to evaluate instructional resources for the high school Advanced Placement (AP) United States History course, and the Middle School Geography and World Culture course. The Committee, which consists of parents, teachers, and central office leaders reviews multiple textbooks and makes recommendations for adoption by the district. Over the course of three to four meetings, the Committee will receive textbook information and access, review the evaluation rubric, work independently to review each text, then come together as a committee to share findings and recommendations. If interested, please submit this form for (AP) United States History, and this form for Geography and World Culture by December 20, 2024. FCPS staff will contact those interested by January 6, 2025.

Meeting dates are tentatively scheduled for AP United States History:

• February 6, 2025; 4:00-5:30 PM Virtual

• February 20, 2025; 4:00-5:30 PM Virtual

• March 6, 2025; 4:00 - 6:00 PM In Person - 191 S East Street, Frederick (FCPS Central Office)

Meeting dates are tentatively scheduled for Geography and World Culture:

• January 23, 2025; 4:30-5:30 PM Virtual

• February 27, 2025; 4:30-6:00 PM Virtual

• March 13, 2025; 4:00 - 6:00 PM In Person - 191 S East Street, Frederick (FCPS Central Office)

If you have questions, please contact Dr. Colleen Bernard, Curriculum Specialist, Secondary Social Studies, at Colleen.Bernard@fcps.org or 240-586-7774.

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.

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.

Please join us on:

Wednesday, December 18th 10:00 - 11:00 am or 7:00 – 8:00 pm

Wednesday, January 15th 10:00 -11:00 am or 7:00 – 8:00 pm

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: https://forms.gle/p9BMNR1qpuZazNHP7.

Do you know an FCPS support employee who goes 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 at www.fcps.org/awards.

• Administrative Support
• Food Service Support
• Operations Support
• School Support
• Special Education Support
• Systemic Support
• Technical Support
• Transportation Support

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.

The 5-Star Service Award is for community use in recognizing FCPS employees who show excellence in one of the 5 FCPS goals. Community members are welcome to nominate any worthy FCPS employee.

This award is designed to provide recognition by community members to employees for excellence in one of the 5 FCPS goals.

Community members are encouraged to nominate any worthy FCPS employee.

Nominations will be reviewed on the 15th and 30th of each month by staff in the Offices of the Chief of Staff, Human Resources, and Public Affairs.

More information on the selection timeline and next steps can be found on the 5-Star Service Award nomination form.

The public is invited to an in-person community budget listening session. We invite all to share their feedback. Details are below.

Community Budget In-Person Listening Session

When: Monday, December 16 at 6 p.m.

Where: Board Room, 191 S. East St., Frederick

Spanish and ASL interpreting services will be available.

The full FY2026 Operating Budget Calendar is available online, where stakeholders can also view the FY2026 Budget Roadmap with details about the process.

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.