Talbot County Public Schools

February 20 and 21: EHS Latin Honor Society and Hopeful present "TOGATHON"

February 25: Webinar "What Parents Need to Know About Teen Drinking"

March 2: TCPS presents FY22 Budget to County Council *** Change from 4th***

March 17: Board of Education Meeting

April 2-9: Spring Break

The Board of Ed held the February Meeting via Zoom. Highlights are listed below.To view the meeting agenda, documents and meeting video archive visit: https://talbotschools-md.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?clip_id=196

Tilghman Elementary principal Kelly Murdoch gave the board a school update and presented a video showing how TES teachers are keeping students engaged!

The Board approved the TCPS FY22 Budget and will present it to the Talbot County Council on March 4, 2021. The final budget will be posted Friday 2-19 on the TCPS website www.talbotschools.org

Teachers celebrated 100 days of school via zoom and in-person. "Zero the Hero" visited EES kindergarten classrooms to mark the day, fly around the new building and count to 100 with students (who were dressed up as 100 year-olds!).

Bayside Athletic Conference Released Spectator Guidelines and the following message for the 2021 Fall Sports Season (February 13, 2021 – April 17, 2021).

• Facilities will not be open to the General Public.
• All Fall Athletes will be given the opportunity to have limited spectators at home events based on local guidelines.
• Everyone attending a game must abide by the rules of the host facility to include possible health screenings before entering, wearing a facial covering at all times, and must social distance (6 feet apart) unless living in the same household. Please do not attend if you are having any COVID-19 related symptoms.
• Individual schools will determine if concession stands are able to be open, that information will be shared at the school level.
• No guests or spectators for visiting teams will be permitted to attend.
• Credentialed media and college coaches who are recruiting are still welcome however, they must notify in advance and then sign in at the main gate and be able to provide identification/credentials.

We regret not being able to open our facilities to all of those wishing to attend. However, to be able to continue to run our educationally-based athletic programs, while keeping everyone safe, we have to ask our spectators to continue to follow and support our athletes and we will do our best to keep you up to date with our progress. As always thank you for your continued support!

TCPS Plan for Home Fans for Fall Sports 2021

To protect the athletes, coaches, and game staff TCPS has developed the following plan to allow for the return of home fans for athletic competitions. •

• All practices will be closed to spectators
• Each athlete and coach will be provided two tickets at the team event prior to each competition Only ticket holders will be admitted to the competitions.
• Tickets are not transferable to other competitions or sports
• Tickets will be collected on entry to the event, there will be no reentry
• Normal admissions fees will be collected

Covid-19 specific expectations of fans

• A mask will be worn at all times
• Fans will sit at pre-marked socially distanced spots unless they are from the same household

TCPS is recognizing and celebrating Black History Month in our classrooms across the county.

St Michaels Middle High coordinated the "Black History Fact of the Day"video series. Students, TCPS staff and community members are presenting local and national black history facts each day of February. SMMHS is sharing the videos on their social media channels. Below is the link to today's video and a link to the playlist follows. It is powerful to see our community come together to educate and celebrate black history.

TCPS is very proud of the CTE opportunities that our students are provided everyday through our programs. We will be celebrating our students and teachers throughout the month by highlighting each of our programs.

Mr. Tommy Blades is the instructor and has over 15 years of carpentry experience. Students from both EHS and SMMHS have the opportunity to complete the program. The Construction Trades pathway program is a CTE program based on the National Center for Construction Education and Research (NCCER) standards, which leads to national certification for those students who successfully complete Level I and/or Level II curriculum. The program prepares students for further education and careers in the construction industry, specifically in Carpentry. Pictured below is Phoenix Browning, SMMHS senior, who is completing the Carpentry program this year. Phoenix designed and built an antique door table as an independent project during virtual learning.

Although the NJRTOC program is not new to TCPS, it is a newly added CTE program this school year. OS1 James Gardner and Commander Jon Hammond are the instructors of the program at EHS. OS1 Gardner served in the Navy for over 20 years and has a multitude of military training as well as a Bachelor's degree in business management. Commander Hammond retired from the Coast Guard after 21 years of active duty, including 18 years as a Search and Rescue Helicopter Pilot. He also has a Bachelor’s degree in Natural Resources Management from Colorado State University and AAS in Forestry from Paul Smith College, NY. Students from both Caroline and Talbot county participate in the NJRTOC courses as well as extracurricular drill competitions and community service opportunities. The NJRTOC program is not just for students interested in joining the military. It is a program dedicated to enhancing student leadership skills and citizen development. TCPS is proud to offer the NJRTOC program as a pathway for CTE program completion!

Talbot County Public Schools invites you to a webinar entitled: "What Parents Need To Know About Teen Drinking" on Thursday, February 25, at 3:00 p.m.

Pre-registration is required. Once registration is complete, a zoom link will be sent to your email. Use this link to register: Webinar Registration

Please join us for the opportunity to learn about:

• - Facts and myths about teen drinking
• - Negative impact on teen brain development
• - Dangers of pregaming
• - Risk factors for teens developing a drinking problem
• - Warning signs of a drinking problem
• - Prevention strategies
• - Tips on talking with your teen

Guest Speaker from the Talbot County Health Department:
Beth Williams - Prevention Consultant

If you have any questions, please contact:
Madison Elliott, B.S.W.
Addictions Interventionist
madison.elliott@talbotschools.org
Talbot County Public Schools

Easton High School’s (EHS) Latin Honor Society presents “Togathon” on February 20th and 21. The six-hour-long live-stream event will raise funds for the Hopeful Campaign’s new focus on supplementing mental health services in local schools. To help raise awareness for this cause, a series of on-screen interviews where students, teachers, and parents share their thoughts and hopes around this issue is being produced.

The event will provide online entertainment featuring different performances by local talent, school clubs, and community organizations. Acts will include music, comedy, student-made short films, wrestling, painting and more with online donations being accepted through a GoFundMe platform on Facebook. Various prizes will be distributed to viewers based on viewer watch-time and donation amounts. People who watch longer and donate more will have greater chances at winning prizes, including various gift cards from local businesses, themed baskets and professional services, such as a photoshoot for five people valued at $400.

The EHS Latin Honor Society elected to support mental health services for students since recognizing those in the education system have been greatly affected by the pandemic and the challenges of virtual learning. According to Rob Schmidt, Mental Health Coordinator at Talbot County Public Schools, "COVID-19 has been extremely tough on kids of all ages. The social isolation, loneliness, change in normal routines, endless time with family at home - all of these together have really made a huge impact on the lives of students and families. It’s never been more important than today to support mental health services in our community and we are grateful to our student population for reaching out to support and recognize this important community priority."

The Togathon event is funded in part by the Talbot County Arts Council. It takes place on February 20th and 21st, beginning at 6 p.m. with three hours of streaming content each day.

To donate now go to https://www.gofundme.com/f/togathon2021.

For more information and updates, follow the Facebook page, facebook.com/Togathon2021 or contact: Kathy Bosin, Dock Street Foundation, 314-497-4243

New patients are always welcome! Please call your school to join the Choptank Health Program!

TCPS meal distribution continues this week. Meal pick up is offered at all locations except Easton High School on Tuesdays and Fridays from 4:00 - 5:30 p.m. for all children ages 2-18.