CTC Career Talk

Welcome back! The staff and I hope that your summer was a good one. We are in full swing at this time and are glad to be back in school!

To our incoming new students, welcome to what could be one of the best educational decisions a student can make for their high school experience. We welcome you to our school and offer to you all of our support to make your first year here a very special one. To our returning students, we expect nothing less than your best as you prepare for a successful career.

Thanks to all who attended our Back-to-School Night on August 19th—what a great turnout! This year promises to be a rewarding one for all, and students have already begun to focus on their academic studies, career exploration, and extra-curricular activities.

This year, some CTC teachers have chosen to be early adopters and have opted to select and utilize an optional grading method for the 2024-25 school year. Over the past three years, school and central staff at various levels throughout FCPS have been engaging in learning and continuous improvement towards more equitable and consistent grading practices throughout the district, with focus on middle and high schools. As a result, select CTC teachers have chosen to implement Habits of Work and/or the 4-Point Grading scale this year. Habits of Work are non-academic learner behaviors that communicate the degree to which students are actively engaged in the learning process. This is an unweighted grading category. The 4-Point Grading scale utilizes a 4-point grading system instead of a traditional percentage system. Aligned rubrics will be provided so that 4-point rubrics and reporting can occur in the gradebook for all assessments within the term. Teachers will also be able to develop custom rubrics, with guidance from curriculum teams. Feel free to ask your child’s program teacher for more information.

Working closely with our families, as well as business partnerships, is very important to us at the FCPS Career and Technology Center as we continually strive to foster a learning environment where all members of the CTC community have the ability to maximize their potential. As we engage in this partnership, we encourage open communication between school and home to ensure that all of our students are successful learners.

As we continue to strive toward career success for all, our hope is to always keep you informed of what we value at the FCPS Career and Technology Center.

Thank you for entrusting your child’s learning to us.

Sincerely,

Michael Concepcion - Principal

Thank you to Mrs. Stull, one of our fantastic CTC school counselors, for drawing this awesome sidewalk chalk message! We want our students to always feel welcome and enjoy being here.

A CTC Student Ambassador is any student who wishes to represent their program with enthusiasm! Our ambassadors represent and participate in CTC’s Educational Outreach Program. This program enriches and engages elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as community members with information and activities that showcase our CTC programs. Examples of ambassador responsibilities during the school day, include middle school career fairs, elementary school classroom presentations, high school visits, and the CTC shadowing process. CTC Student Ambassadors also have the opportunity to share their experiences at community events, such as STEM Nights and Science Fairs. Ambassadors gain valuable experience as they become the teachers. Public speaking, leadership, lesson & activity planning, and collaboration are just some of the skills that are gained throughout this experience. This experience will no doubt give a sense of pride to those involved.

Frederick County observes National Recovery Month during the month of September by launching Frederick County Goes Purple (FCGP) to bring awareness and understanding of mental health and substance use disorders, to reduce substance-related deaths and overdoses, and to celebrate those living in recovery. CTC brings awareness to FCGP and National Recovery Month by encouraging staff to wear purple every Friday in September.

If your student is going to be absent, please email both your student’s home school and ctc.attendance@fcps.org so the absence may be excused. Your student’s absence will be considered unlawful/unexcused if a note or email is not received. The One Call Now texts will now occur only once a day at 1:30 pm. If you need to pick up your student early from CTC, please email ctc.attendance@fcps.org

In an effort to provide the most positive and purposeful educational environment for our students, during the 2023-24 school year, Dr. Dyson charged FCPS staff with bringing together a group of stakeholders to garner widespread feedback on the use of personal mobile devices (PMDs) in schools. That group included FCPS teachers, administrators, Parent Teachers Association and community members. In addition, they heard feedback from the Frederick County Student Government Association (SGA) and Education Reform Council (ERC). Through these collaborative efforts, FCPS reviewed, combined, and refined FCPS expectations for technology use by students (Regulation 434-01).

Recognizing the developmental and educational differences that exist in students k-12, the expectations for personal mobile devices has been delineated by instructional level.

What is considered a personal mobile device (PMD)?

Any technology not provided by FCPS and brought to school by a student that includes: cell phones, headphones, smartwatches, speakers, cameras, and/or eReaders or the like. However, since FCPS provides students with laptops for instructional use, non-FCPS issued laptops are not permitted. Exceptions will be made under special circumstances, including, but not limited to documented accommodations.

Why are the expectations being updated?

Some studies have indicated cell phones and other electronic devices can be detrimental to the intellectual, social, and emotional development of children. It is also recognized that we live in a world where personal mobile devices are tools used in the world of work. The intent of the updates is to be evidence-informed in our approach to cell phone use in our educational environment.

What if I need to communicate with my child during the school day?

In case of emergency, please contact the main office of your child’s school. Staff members will be able to put you in touch with your child.

What are the consequences of violating these expectations?

FCPS will use the first term of the 2024-25 school year to acquaint students, staff, and families with the new expectations. School administrators will review these updated expectations with students during the first few weeks of school. In the first term, we will have a stance of teaching the new expectations. As we move into the second term, these expectations will be normalized and consequences for violation will be in accordance with the FCPS Student Code of Conduct. In some cases, the consequences may include the confiscation of the PMDs by school administrators including the requirement for a parent or guardian to retrieve the device. This is not new. Multiple infractions may lead to more progressive consequences as detailed in the FCPS Student Code of Conduct. FCPS is not responsible for any damaged, lost, or stolen PMDs.

Pictured inside the Marriott Marquis in Atlanta: Left to right, Front row: Varshith Jatia, Mishani De Silva, Dianna Solis, Aiden Petrie, Isabella Rogers, Amanda Rivera Colon, Ariel Tembi, and Shannon Clarkson. Middle row: Michael Umana, Suvanjal Dhungana, Shirsho Bangerjee, Zoe Razunguzwa, and Arwen Flint. Back row: Kaden Aiello, Alejandro Mendoza Janampa, Matthew Gaviria Silva, Benjamin Kimbark, Joshua Onspaugh, Sophia Bernitt, Carly Cairns, Declan Brennan, and Tyler Wilson. Not Pictured: Ryder Dean, Alivia Wachtel, Hayden Williams, and Andrew Winkler.

In June, 9 out of 26 students from the Frederick County Public Schools’ Career and Technology Center (CTC) recently placed in the national top ten at the 60th Annual SkillsUSA National Leadership & Skills Conference (NLSC). The NLSC is the nation’s largest workforce development event for students enrolled in public career and technical education programs. It is considered the largest skill competition in the world.

Michael Umana from the CAD Engineering program, earned a silver medal and placed second nationwide in the Technical Drafting competition. Benjamin Kimbark from the Collision Repair program earned a bronze medal and placed third nationwide in the Collision Repair Technology competition. Isabella Rogers from the AOHP Nurse Assisting program earned a bronze medal and placed third nationwide in the Nurse Assisting competition. Dianna Solis from the AOHP Nurse Assisting and Medical Assisting programs placed fourth nationwide in the Basic Health Care Skills competition. Andrew Winkler from the HVAC-Plumbing program placed fifth nationwide in the Sheet Metal competition. Amanda Rivera Colon from the from the AOHP Nurse Assisting and Medical Assisting programs placed eighth nationwide in the Health Occupations Professional Portfolio competition. The team of Joshua Onspaugh from the Electricity program, Ariel Tembi from the AOHP Nurse Assisting program, and Tyler Wilson from the Electricity program placed ninth nationwide in the Chapter Display competition.

Also recognized for outstanding achievement and representing the state of Maryland, were the team of Kaden Aiello and Varshith Jatla, for Robotics: Urban Search and Rescue, the team of Mishani De Silva, Suvanjal Dhungana, Mathew Garviria Silva, and Alejandro Mendoza Janampa for Entrepreneurship, Shirsho Banerjee for Related Technical Math, Dean Ryder for Plumbing, Shannon Clarkson for First-Aid/CPR, Declan Brenan for HVACR, and the team of Carly Cairns, Arwen Flint, Aiden Petrie, and Zoe Razunguzwa for Health Knowledge Bowl.

Sophia Bernitt will be serving as the 2024-2025 SkillsUSA Maryland State President, Alivia Wachtel will be serving as the 2024-2025 SkillsUSA Maryland Secretary, and Hayden Williams served as a National Delegate all represented the State of Maryland at the NLSC.

CTC Bucks are awarded by staff members as an incentive to encourage students to improve their academic performance and to participate in various school-based initiatives. When students earn five CTC bucks they may redeem them for a blue ticket at the school store to be entered in drawings for a gift card. The drawings will occur before winter break and near the end of the school year.

Hello CTC! My name is Mrs. Keller. I am the smiling face you see in the CTC school store when you enter the front entrance. The store offers CTC spirit wear and a great selection of snacks and drinks. It is also the place where you turn in your CTC bucks for chances to win gift cards. We are now able to customize t-shirts with your school colors and/or program name.

The Frederick County Public Library has an online tutoring platform called Brainfuse HelpNow. This service can be used with a Frederick County Public Library Card Number. HelpNow is a resource designed for K-12 students and beyond. Live tutoring is available in English and Spanish from 2:00 PM - 11:00 PM to provide homework help for core subjects

MENTAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION

340 Montevue Lane, Frederick MD 21702

Walk-In Crisis Care Center: Available 24/7 without an appointment and at no cost to you.

Mental Health Association

Walk-In Flyer (English)

Walk-In Flyer (Spanish)

• 211 Maryland Health and Human Services
• 301-662-2255 Frederick County Hotline (24hrs/day)
• 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline

Basecamp is an online wellness platform that makes it easy for students to find the help and support they need, ensuring they have immediate access to resources and services to support their mental health.

Basecamp Information Sheet

Basecampfcps.com

Hi! Our names are Mrs. Daly and Mrs. Stull, we are the counselors here at CTC and look forward to working with you! As a school counselor we can do many things to help, including but not limited to, providing behavioral, academic, aptitude and college/career counseling, identifying and addressing issues that may interfere with your education, acting as a bridge between students, administrators, teachers, and parents, and making referrals to outside agencies. We share this because we want you to know that you have many advocates in this building, including us! Our contact information is below, including which counselor works with your program, as well as some numbers in case of an emergency. Welcome Back!

Everyone has the right to feel respected and be treated with dignity. At FCPS and at CTC we believe schools must be safe, provide an optimal environment for acheivement, and be free from violence. It is important to report incidents of bullying because it may not stop without support. To report bullying, use the FCPS Bullying, Harassment, or Intimidation Reporting Form available from the FCPS website, the CTC website, and linked below. For more information and resources to help support your student if an incident of bullying occurs click the links below or contact their CTC School Counselor (Mrs. Daly - kristen.daly@fcps.org and Mrs. Stull - erica.stull@fcps.org).

"We are here to care for and take care of each other... We should respect each other and that is what we expect of our students..." Dr. Cheryl Dyson

Forms:

• Bullying, Harassment or Intimidation Reporting Form (online) - https://fcps-md.formstack.com/forms/bullying_harassment_or_intimidation_reporting_form
• Bullying, Harassment or Intimidation Reporting Form (print) - https://apps.fcps.org/forms/download/165

Resources:

• Community Resources - https://www.fcps.org/student-services/files/documents/bullying/BullyingCommunityResources.pdf
• What To Do - https://www.fcps.org/student-services/files/documents/bullying/BullyingWhatToDo.pdf
• Why Report Bullying - https://www.fcps.org/student-services/files/documents/bullying/BullyingReporting.pdf
• FCPS Regulation 400-48: Bullying-Harassment-Intimidation Complaint Process for Students - https://apps.fcps.org/legal/documents/400-48

The Frederick County Career and Technology Center (CTC) is a Career and Technical Education (CTE) school. Our programs and classes combine academic knowledge with technical skills to prepare students for in-demand and high-skilled jobs. CTC provides students with opportunities to earn industry-recognized certifications and licenses, acquire college credit, and gain valuable work experience. CTC is one of many treasures in Frederick County. It is not only a place of great education and opportunities but also a place of camaraderie and nostalgia.

Want to know more about CTC? Click the links below:

CTC Programs

FAQ's about CTC

What is shadowing?

How do I apply to CTC?

Dual Enrollment Information Sheet

Address: 7922 Opossumtown Pike Frederick, MD 21702

Phone: 227-203-3650

Fax: 227-203-3651

Website: http://education.fcps.org/ctc

Facebook: Frederick County Career & Tech Center

X (formerly Twitter): @FrederickCTC, @CTCPrincipal

Instagram: @fcps_ctc, @ctc_principal