CHS January Newsletter
A way for families to connect with CHS & The Community
December Food Drive
Thank you to everyone that donated to our December Food Drive! We were able to collect 237 items for our local community. A huge thank you to Tara Wrightson and Tara Funkhouser for all their help as well as our FALS students for collecting items each A day.
Winning 1A Class:
Ms. Wrightson's class
Runner Up:
Ms. Colona's class
Addams Family Open Auditions (all roles): Wednesday, January 15th from 2:45 – 4:30
All students are welcome to come try-out for any role they are interested in. We have not assigned any roles yet, so all characters are open for auditions! If you need the audition music, stop by Ms. Stack’s office in the English hallway for audition pieces. We look forward to seeing and hearing you next week!!!
After School Help on Tuesdays
RSVP to attend by 10am each Tuesday: https://forms.gle/tqEidTtQQztqfyLZ9
Peer Tutors Monday/Wednesday/Fridays at Lunch
Virtual Inclement Weather Day Plan for the 2024-2025 school year.
With the recent winter storm, it is timely to highlight the BCPS Inclement Weather Day Plan.
The first three days are traditional inclement weather days - schools are closed. Starting on day four and moving forward, students will transition to Virtual Learning.
The Virtual Learning Days will include a two hour delay to allow teachers to prepare for synchronous instruction. The first class will begin at 10:00. Students will access the Google Meet address and code on their teacher's Schoology page. The schedule is outlined below.
Please reach out if you have any questions.
Class Time
10:00-10:55 - Period 1
11:00-11:55 - Period 2
12:00-12:30 - Lunch
12:35-1:30 - Period 3
1:35-2:30 - Period 4
Students are reminded to bring devices, chargers, and other instructional materials home each day.
Full Senior Class Meeting - January 23rd
All seniors will be called to the Auditorium on January 23rd at 8:30am to discuss upcoming events, fundraisers and important senior "to dos". With the end of Quarter 2 near, please do everything possible to stay on track for graduation. Show up, do your work and make this your best year yet! Review the calendar above so you know all the upcoming events leading up to graduation.
January Career Spotlight: Environmental, Agricultural, and Natural Resources
The focus for this month will be Environmental, Agricultural, and Natural Resources. Some programs of study would be natural resources, horticultural, as well as animals. Careers in this pathway include engineers, farm labor contractors, forest conservation technicians, scientists, animal caretakers, and so much more. This career cluster focuses on the production, processing, marketing, distribution, financing, and development of agricultural commodities / resources.
Careers and Trainings in the Environmental, Agricultural, and Natural Resources:
- Maryland Conservation Corps
- Biology Associates Degree CCBC (transfer to 4 year)
- Environmental Science Degree CCBC (transfer to 4 year)
- List of Environmental, Agricultural and Natural Resources linked Professions
Guest Speakers coming to CHS this Month:
- Marshy Point – John Lehman (Thursday, January 30th) Marshy Point strives to be the premier education center on the Chesapeake Bay through the efforts of staff and volunteers to provide innovative programs, inclusive park features, interactive exhibits, and quality park management to engage residents of Baltimore County and surrounding areas in meaningful and educational outdoor experiences.
- MD Department of Natural Resources – Kevin Kelly (Monday, January 13th) The Maryland Department of Natural Resources leads the state toward a resilient future by using data, partnerships, and an innovative spirit to improve ecological, social, and economic outcomes for all communities.
- MD Environmental Services – Todd Boulden (Wednesday, January 22nd) MES was established by the General Assembly in 1970 to assist with the preservation, improvement, and management of the quality of air, land, water, and natural resources, and to promote the health and welfare of the citizens of the State. Today, MES employs over 800 teammates and operates more than 1,000 environmental projects across Maryland and the Mid-Atlantic Region. As a not-for-profit business unit of the state of Maryland, MES provides multi-disciplinary environmental compliance services to enhance and protect the environment through innovative solutions to the region’s most complex environmental challenges.
- Maryland Zoo - John Flanders (Friday, January 31st) will talk about the various career options at the Maryland zoo. If you love nature, animals and science...this is the presentation for you. From keepers to vet techs and even conservationists there is something for everyone.
Mr. Scalice has posted sign ups for these presentations in the CHS Hub on Schoology.
See him with any questions.
If your child misses a day of school the parent can now upload their note directly into FOCUS. Doctor's notes, personal notes, court summons, whatever proof you would normally send in with your child, can now be directly uploaded for verification. Follow the steps below to learn how
(Visual Steps are also provided below in a PDF).
1. Log into the Focus Parent Portal. Navigate to the Alerts section and click on the “Student’s name has X days with unexcused absences/tardies without a note or reason” link. Note: You can also locate your student’s attendance information by navigating to your student’s name on the left menu. Click the down arrow to expand additional menu options. Select Absences.
2.Scroll down the page. Locate the Date column to find the date you wish to submit the note. Locate the Excuse Note column, hoover over the No Files section, and select Scan, Upload, or Take Photo to upload the note for that day’s absence. Select the file to be added.
3.The file name/image will be displayed in the Excuse Note column if the attendance note has been uploaded successfully.
WJZ Black History Oratory Competition 2025
For over 30 years, WJZ-TV has given High School Students across Maryland the chance to speak up and speak out about the issues that matter, in the WJZ Black History Oratory Competition.
Students write an original essay (500 words or less) based on one of these quotations:
“Service to your people is the rent you pay for living on this earth.”
- Dr. Lillie May Carroll Jackson
“We are all bound up together in one great bundle of humanity, and society cannot trample on the weakest and feeblest of its members without receiving the curse on its own soul.”
- Frances Ellen Watkins Harper
"A life is not important except in the impact it has on other lives."
- Jackie Robinson
The Top 20 Students with the highest-scoring essays will be invited to perform their Speeches in person, in front of an audience of family, friends and judges, to compete for scholarship prize money. The Speech Event will be streamed LIVE on CBS News Baltimore at WJZ.com
WJZ will announce the Winners on the air, during the WJZ Black History Oratory Competition Awards Special, where the Top Speeches will be broadcast on TV!
All essays and signed application forms must be emailed to Oratory@wjz.com by 11:59pm on Monday, January 20th. Note, essays are due early this year!
Essay Prompt, Application Form, and Official Rules are Available for Download Online: https://www.cbsnews.com/baltimore/news/wjz-black-history-oratory-competition-2025/
Questions? Email: Oratory@wjz.com
CHS Care Closet
Chesapeake High School opened the Care Closet this year to support CHS students.
The following items are available:
- Food (non perishable items from MD food bank)
- School Supplies
- Clothing
- Hygiene Products
To schedule an appointment please contact:
Ms Roberts, our School Social Worker, at 443-809-0315 or via email,mroberts10@bcps.org
BALTIMORE COUNTY FOOD PANTRY LOCATOR
Baltimore County has a new web tool displaying community partner food distribution sites across the County.
Developed by Baltimore County’s BCSTAT team, the Food Pantry Locator web tool includes detailed information about community food access locations. Residents should enter an address or select "Use my location" and adjust the distance slider to view food pantries near them; selecting a pantry's entry in the list will reveal contact information, hours of operation, and special instructions.
Please read through this article for more information about the program and other food assistance resources: Baltimore County Releases New Food Pantry Locator (baltimorecountymd.gov)
Affordability Connectivity Program
As a result of Baltimore County's participation in the CEP Program, which provides free breakfast and lunch to students, all families are eligible to receive a discount of $30 per month off your internet bill. Please visit GetInternet.Gov to apply and/or ask questions.
By offering Talkspace’s digital modalities, like unlimited messaging therapy, we can extend support that students can access beyond school hours, year-round, at their convenience. Eligible students interested in therapy can sign up, take a brief assessment specific for teens, and get matched with a dedicated, licensed therapist. Once matched, therapy sessions take place on Talkspace’s secure and encrypted platform, accessible from the teens’ smartphones, tablets or computers. Teens can communicate with their therapists at any time with an unlimited number of private messages at no cost.
To be eligible for this program, teens must be enrolled in a BCPS high school and be over the age of 13 at the time of signup. Eligible teens can sign up for unlimited messaging therapy and gain access to Talkspace Go, a comprehensive teen mental health self-guided program.
Students can access this service by registering at talkspace.com/bcps and use the keyword: bcps
Did you know you can get an automated grade report and missing assignments to be sent straight to your email every week so you don't have to remember to go looking for them? It's an amazing way to stay informed about your student's academic performance. If you haven't created an account in Focus, you'll have to do that first. Directions Below.
Join Groups in Schoology to stay up to date on CHS events!
Schoology groups are created to share information outside of courses for specific groupings. AP Students, Graduation Cohorts, CHS Hub (School wide) , and various clubs all have different groups where they share info. To join groups once you have logged into Schoology, click Groups at the top, and then click the My Groups link on the top right corner, on the next page click join group on the right and enter the join code.
The CHS Hub is where all the School wide news, events, and information is posted. To join the CHS HUB on Schoology, use join code WMTMX-CXF6X.
Each Graduating Class also has their own group to discuss class events and class dues and fundraisers, The join codes for those are listed below in bold:
Seniors - Class of 2025: DX56-SDWD-6KQZB
Juniors- Class of 2026: S4HF-SS5W-QF24W
Sophomores - Class of 2027: MWBM-K6TF-HHGZ8
Freshman - Class of 2028: KFN4-4HRS-BVF42
If your child has an issue with their device, such as it is physically broken, won't hold a charge, missing a key...please complete a technology support request by using the student's google log in to be added to the list and our tech liaisons will connect with them as soon as possible. You can also complete the form if your child does not have a device because it is lost or stolen (charges may apply see below for chart).
If your issue is not related to the physical device (like resetting a password or an issue with schoology/microsoft) you must contact the BCPS Help Desk by calling 443-809-4672.
Stay Connected with your child's teachers with Talking Points!
BCPS has purchased a new tool to help connect families and teachers more directly. Teachers can text the primary contact in focus and it will translate to the contact's native language, automatically. We hope this will help increase two way communication with all families and improve student achievement.
Download for Iphone App Store here: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/families-talkingpoints/id1320244591
Lockers are not automatically given to students. Any student that would like to be assigned a locker for the school year must request one through this link: Locker Form
The CHS website is a great resource for families. Informational Links about bus stops, the bell schedule, the handbook, monthly engagements calendars, and much more can all be found right on the main page of the website. There is also a tab for department contacts that have email contacts for all teachers and staff.
Check out the Website today: https://chesapeakehs.bcps.org/
