FCPS Community Bulletin Board

February 20, 2025

Thank you,

Dr. Dyson

Black/African-American History Month LibGuide: Linked in this guide hosted by FCPS is essential information about the study and celebration of Black/African-American History Month.

Black History is Brilliant

[ bril-yuhnt ] adjective - Exceptionally clever or talented

Born in 1942, Reginald F. Lewis was an American businessman. He was one of the wealthiest African-American men in the 1980s, and the first African American to build a billion-dollar company, Beatrice Foods. In 1993, Forbes listed Lewis among the 400 richest Americans, with a net worth estimated at $400 million.

In January 1993, Reginald’s remarkable career was cut short by his untimely death at the age of 50 after a short illness. Even after his death, Lewis’ philanthropic endeavors continue. During his illness, he made known his desire to support a museum of African American culture. In 2002, the Vice President of his foundation read an article in The Baltimore Sun describing a museum of Maryland African American History and Culture slated to be built near Baltimore’s Inner Harbor.The Reginald F. Lewis Museum Is the largest African American museum in Maryland and features more than 11,000 square feet of permanent and temporary exhibition space, a two-story theater, and classrooms.

Lawyer, entrepreneur, philanthropist, Chairman, CEO, husband, father, son, brother, nephew, cousin, friend— Lewis lived his life according to the words he often quoted to audiences around the country: “Keep going, no matter what.”

Linganore High School celebrated Black/African American History Month with an author visit, music, food, and a tribute to the first Buffalo Solider regiment.

Check out the first blog written by our Public Affairs Intern, Kaitlyn Valle, featuring theCommUNITY Night held at Catoctin High School.

Read this blog featuring students from The Academy for the Fine Arts’ theater and musical theater programs performing at the Maryland Thespian Festival. At the festival, three FCPS students received individual Superior ratings, and the AFA Musical Theatre Focus received a Superior rating for their Group Musical Theatre submission as well as receiving $95,000 in college scholarships.

• The BOE recognizes and proclaims that February is Career and Technical Education Month.

• The BOE recognizes 42 FCPS teachers who have achieved National Board Certification, 3 teachers re-certified and FCPS now has 143 National Board Certified Educators.

• The BOE approved the schematic design for Elementary School #41.

• The BOE approved Option 3 for the 2026-2027 Academic Calendar starting August 19th.

• Staff presented recommendations to renew charter agreements for CCMPCS, FCCS, and SES. All three will return to future meetings for action.

• Policy 439, Student Dress Code, was approved for publication.

• Staff presented information aligned to Strategic goal 2- the Annual Hiring Report and Organizational Development Efforts.

• The BOE approved the VES and BES Redistricting Study.

• The BOE approved the Board FY2026 Operating Budget to submit to the Frederick County Executive.

Frederick County Public Schools is accepting nominations for the 2025 Charles E. Tressler Distinguished Teacher Award. Named for a former Hood College faculty member who encouraged students to enter the teaching profession, this award recognizes an FCPS teacher who has had a significant positive impact on young people.

Hood College presents the Tressler award annually to honor distinguished teaching in the Frederick County Public Schools’ system. A gift from the late Samuel Eig of Gaithersburg, MD, established the award. Hood College will recognize the winner during its master’s degree reception in May.

FCPS has posted eligibility and nomination criteria, nomination process and selection guidelines at www.fcps.org/awards. The school system welcomes nominations from current or former students, teachers and support staff, parents, community members, administrators and supervisors. Nomination packets are due to the FCPS Public Affairs Department, 191 S. East Street, Frederick, MD 21701, Friday, March 21, 2025.

During the month of February, FCSCA, Frederick County School Counselor Association, welcomes nominations for Frederick County School Counselor of the Year. Please consider nominating a deserving counselor using this link.

Thank you for supporting and recognizing our amazing Frederick County School Counselors who work tirelessly every day for our students!

The Office of Special Education is excited to announce the opening of the FCPS Special Education Family Resource Center! This is a space for families to come and receive help and resources.

An Open House is being held on Friday, February 21, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. to unveil this resource for families.

We welcome you to share the following invitation about this resource for families of students with disabilities in our community!

Join us on March 18 at Frederick High School for an exciting showcase of talent, creativity, and innovation from Frederick County Public Schools! Students from 6th, 7th, and 8th grades will go head-to-head in a series of thrilling challenges:

• 6th Grade: Energize your marketing taste buds with the Energy Bar Challenge, get creative with Movie Magic Coding, and showcase your skills in the Engineering Design Challenge.
• 7th Grade: Dive into the world of tech with Games and Animation Coding, tackle the Engineering Design Challenge, and put your money skills to the test with the Budget Challenge.
• 8th Grade: Take on the future with Applied Computer Science, speed through the Hovercraft Challenge, and master the world of business in the Business and Finance Competition.

Location: Frederick High School

Doors Open for Students: 4:45 p.m. (Teachers may arrive at 3:30 p.m)

Awards Ceremony: Most competitions will be completed by 7:00 p.m.

Snow Date: Monday, March 20

Don’t miss this opportunity to see our talented students in action as they compete in hands-on, real-world challenges. It’s going to be a night of innovation and inspiration for the entire community!

Frederick County Public Schools is excited to announce the March 2025 Elementary and Secondary Science and Engineering Fairs, and the Elementary Social Studies Fair. This year, the Elementary and Secondary fairs will be held on two different dates but at the same location: Tuscarora High School 5312 Ballenger Creek Pike Frederick, MD 21703.

• Middle and HIgh School Divisions: The Secondary Frederick County Science and Engineering Fair takes place Saturday, March 22, 2025 with judging from 9:00 AM to 12:00 PM and is open to visitors from 3:00-4:00 PM, with an awards ceremony beginning at 4:00 PM. Registration for the Secondary Science Fair closes March 2, 2025 11:59 PM, at this link: https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/fcsef/home
  
  

• The Elementary (PreK-5) Science and Social Studies Fair takes place Saturday, March 29, 2025 from 9:00 AM to 11:30 AM. Registration for the Elementary Science and Social Studies Fair closes March 21, 2025. A STEM Showcase is open for visitors with interactive, hands-on activities and demonstrations.

Linganore High School junior Alex Thomas has been elected as the next Student Member of the Board of Education (SMOB) for Frederick County. Thomas was chosen from a field of five candidates. His one-year term begins July 1, and until then, he will shadow current SMOB Elijah Steele from Gov. Thomas Johnson High School.

Frederick County Public Schools (FCPS) middle and high school students voted online in January for the 2025–26 SMOB. The election was finalized on Wednesday, February 19, after delegates from each middle and high school cast their votes during the Frederick County Association of Student Councils’ General Assembly.

In addition to his upcoming role on the Board, Alex is the president of the Linganore High School Class of 2026, leading the planning of class events and fundraisers. He is also active in the Frederick Association of Student Councils (FCASC), where he currently serves as Legislative Affairs Coordinator after previously holding the Publications Director position. Thomas is also involved with the Maryland Association of Student Councils as the Convention Committee Chair and is a member of the FCPS Citizens Advisory Council.

In the community, Alex has volunteered with Rebuilding Together Frederick, the Libertytown Lions Club, and the Boy Scouts of America.

The SMOB role brings a vital student perspective to the Board of Education. SMOBs are expected to honor the diverse viewpoints of students, improve communication between the student body, staff, and board members, and actively engage students in discussions about board policies and decisions.

The Maryland State Department of Education issued new guidelines that changed the parameters for virtual education during inclement weather, starting in the 2024-25 school year. As a result, 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 used three snow days and has two available as of February 11.

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.

So far this year, FCPS has used four inclement weather days:

Monday, January 6

Tuesday, January 7

Thursday, February 6

Wednesday, February 12

FCPS will make up days closed for inclement weather or other emergencies in the following sequence: June 9, 10, 11, 12, and 13. The June 2-hour early dismissal will occur on the last day of school for students. The school year will provide 180 days for students. Dates are subject to BOE revision.

Twice a year, the FCPS Blueprint Steering Committee produces a milestone report highlighting accomplishments and what is on the horizon.

This report highlights four action areas:

• The Learning Journey

• Employee Support & Development

• Student, School and Community Support and Engagement

• Strategic Oversight, Funding and Resource Allocation.

The report can be found on the FCPS website here: https://www.fcps.org/blueprint/blueprint-milestone

Or by clicking the button below.

Feedback can be shared at BlueprintComments@fcps.org

The Blueprint for Maryland's Future provides the foundation needed to elevate every child to reach their full promise and potential by transforming Maryland's education system into a world-class model. In keeping with our ongoing efforts at stakeholder engagement, the latest issue of the Blueprint Quarterly newsletter can be found by clicking the button below.

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.

A reminder that the main FCPS phone number is 227-203-3277.

If you are trying to contact a school, be sure to check our online schools directory, which includes a direct line for each. If you need to contact a school, you can contact that school directly, rather than using the main FCPS number.