Charles County Public Schools School News Where success is measured one student at a time • August 17, 2007 • R-274

Nearly 260 teachers hired; orientation begins Three pay dates in August Superintendent James E. Richmond was an example of the energy students There are three pay dates in delivered opening remarks Aug. 13 to 260 would bring to their classrooms and of the August. This year is the third pay - new teachers, encouraging them to work to many extracurricular activities Charles check is the first check of the new inspire students and to create opportunities County Public Schools offers. Other student contract for 10-month teachers. On for children to succeed. performances included musical selections all third pay dates, the only deduc - Julia Habash, Charles County Public by members of the Maurice J. McDonough tions that come out of the check are Schools 2007 Teacher of the Year, said she is High School Madrigals, the Westlake High taxes and classified retirement. Other proud to be a math teacher who does what is School jazz band and a violin solo by deductions, such as insurance premi - right for her students. While telling a story Sydney Christley of Dr. James Craik ums, are not taken out in a three-pay - of a teacher who was asked what she Elementary School. check month. The first check in “makes,” Habash said teachers “make a dif - John Brooks, the 2007 Agnes Meyer September will have all deductions ference in the lives of children.” Outstanding Teacher recipient, gave new coming out of checks, which will “Be the Difference” is the theme of the teachers “P” principles to successful teach - make the take-home amount less than Charles County Public Schools New ing, including professionalism, possessing a the Aug. 31 check. Teacher Orientation that opened Aug. 13 at sense of humor, providing encouragement Health insurance La Plata High School and continues through and the power of relationships. Aug. 17. The weeklong induction to Charles “The main ingredient to a child’s success New teachers and other new 10- County Public Schools provides newly hired is the magic of interaction between a teacher month employees should make their teachers an opportunity to learn about the and students. You need to create opportuni - selection for health insurance on the county, the school system and to gather ties for students to succeed. In my 42 years Benelogic system by Aug. 31. For classroom management and instruction tips in education, I have never met a child who more information, contact Heather from veteran teachers. did not want to succeed,” Richmond said. Huff, [email protected]. Student performances highlighted the “This morning is about the why,” Welcome back opening ceremony. Following a routine by Cunningham said at the end of the ceremo - the Benjamin Stoddert Middle School step ny. The rest of the week is about the how, Welcome back to teachers and team, Deputy Superintendent Ronald what, when and where, Cunningham said. other 10-month employees. Veteran Cunningham told teachers the performance Veteran teachers return Aug. 20. teachers return Aug. 20. Students begin Aug. 27. Most elementary, middle schools meet AYP; no county schools on state watch list Improvements in reading and math taken by students in grades 3-8 in March. Annual Measurable Objectives (AMO) last scores on the Maryland School Assessments Elementary and middle schools met the stan - year, but fell short this year. Schools not (MSA) resulted in most Charles County dards in 497 of 513 categories. meeting AYP in one or more subgroups in schools meeting state progress targets for If a school is unable to make progress in 2007 are Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary 2007. all areas, including attendance, for two con - School, Gale-Bailey Elementary School, Twenty Charles County elementary and secutive years, it is identified for School T.C. Martin Elementary School, John middle schools met Adequate Yearly Improvement status and faces a variety of Hanson Middle School, Matthew Henson Progress (AYP), according to Maryland state requirements. School systems are noti - Middle School, Piccowaxen Middle School State Department of Education data released fied of any school not making progress in all and General Smallwood Middle School. today. No county schools are on the state areas for one year, but these schools do not The Maryland State Department of school improvement list. Charles County face any state mandates, requirements or Education has not yet released High School Public Schools has never had a school on the intervention. Assessment scores and graduation numbers. state’s watch list. Seven schools missed achieving a target High school scores will be released at the AYP is determined by student results on in one or more subgroups for the first time end of August. AYP information for high the Maryland School Assessments (MSA) this year. These schools achieved their schools will be released in the fall. School News • August 17, 2007 • Page 2

In memoriam Notebook Barbara Ann Johnson Barbara Ann Johnson , a special education instructional assistant at Self-service portal General Smallwood Middle School, passed away August 5, 2007. Mrs. Johnson began her 35-year career in Charles County Public The employee self service portal Schools in August 1972 at Gale-Bailey Elementary School. She worked at can be accessed from any computer Gale-Bailey for more than 34 years and transferred to Smallwood last year. with web access. To access the employ - Mrs. Johnson’s career working with children began in the early 1960’s ee self-service portal: when she was employed at Abel’s Nursery in Marbury. From there, Mrs. • Go to www.ccboe.com. Johnson worked at Physicians Memorial Hospital, now Civista Medical • Click on Staff Services. Barbara Johnson Center, in La Plata, before coming to work for CCPS. • The first item in the middle of the Mrs. Johnson lived in Pisgah with her husband Wesley Johnson, and was the mother of Staff Services page is the Employee Jasper Johnson. Self Service Portal. Click on Employee Services were held Friday, Aug. 10, at Metropolitan United Methodist Church in Indian Self Service to access the portal directly Head. Burial followed at Resurrection Cemetery, Clinton. or click on the underlined words (more information) to find out what informa - tion you can access and how to make Donna Lee DeVitis any changes. Donna Lee DeVitis, a secretary in the transportation office, passed • There is a security alert; click the away on Aug. 2, 2007. Mrs. DeVitis worked in the transportation depart - box marked ‘OK’. ment from January 2001 to the present. She had been employed with • Enter your employee ID number. Charles County Public Schools since May 1981. • Your pin is the last four digits of Previously, Mrs. DeVitis worked at the Pomonkey Annex, Henry E. your Social Security number. Lackey High School, Benjamin Stoddert Middle School and Thomas Direct deposit Stone High School. Charles County Public Schools Mrs. DeVitis lived in Waldorf with her husband, Daniel DeVitis, and Donna DeVitis encourages employees to use direct was the mother of two sons, Dexter and Derek DeVitis. deposit for pay checks. Use of direct Services were held at St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Church, Canonsburg, Pa. Burial fol - deposit eliminates concerns about lowed in Queen of Heaven Cemetery, McMurray, Pa. A memorial gathering was held Aug. 15 receiving checks in a timely manner on at Raymond Funeral Home in La Plata. snow days and during the summer. To sign up for direct deposit, fill out the Board approves six vice principal appointments Authorization Agreement for Automatic Deposits – Credits which is The Board of Education on Aug. 14 guage arts teacher at an Alexandria, VA mid - available at your school office or on the approved six vice principal appointments. dle school. school system’s website. Attach a void - Appointed were: Tammika Little, Douglass Henry is assigned to La Plata High ed or cancelled check to the form and Dolan, Kim Barnes, Danny Henry, Melissa School. He most recently worked as an edu - forward to the payroll office. Allow one Williams and Kimberly Holmes. cational consultant for M and J Charter payroll cycle for information verifica - Little was appointed as a vice principal at School Management in Trenton, MI. He has tion and checks will be deposited on the Benjamin Stoddert Middle School. She previ - served as a principal, teacher and coach since second payroll cycle, pending bank ously served as a gifted education resource beginning his career in 1973. approval of your information. teacher at General Smallwood Middle School Williams is assigned to Malcolm On the cover and has also worked as a language arts Elementary School. She most recently teacher and communications skills teacher. worked as a reading specialist at a Prince Pictured on the front cover are four Dolan was selected as a vice principal for George’s County elementary school and has of Charles County Public Schools Theodore G. Davis Middle School. Dolan is also worked as an elementary teacher and newest teachers. Pictured from left, are new to Charles County Public Schools and summer school principal. Chad Cavendar, English teacher, most recently served as an assistant principal Holmes was selected for Henry E. Lackey Westlake High School; Corinne at Friendly High School in Prince George’s High School. She most recently worked as a Dockery, science teacher, Mattawoman County. He started his career in education in principal designee/English Teacher at Middle School; Amy Rogers, Theodore 1995 as a social studies teacher. Antioch Freshman Academy in Tennessee G. Davis Middle School; and Kenneth Barnes will work at North Point High and has served as an English and language Brown, family and consumer science School for Science, Technology and Industry. arts teacher at schools in both Maryland and teacher, Westlake High School. Barnes is new to Charles County Public Tennessee. Schools and most recently worked as a lan - All appointments take effect immediately. School News • August 17, 2007 • Page 3 CCPS teachers look to the stars and explore space during Space Foundation classes

Charles County Public Schools teachers in the tri-county area. teachers explored kinesthetic astronomy Participants could also sign up for and earth systems science during two Maryland State Department of Education summer institute sessions offered July credit or for graduate credit through the 30 through Aug. 10 as part of a school Colorado-based Regis University. system partnership with the Space During the second session, “Astronomy Foundation. Principles for the Classroom: Kinesthetic During the first session, “Earth Astronomy,” held Aug. 6-10 at Systems Science: Our Earth Revealed,” McDonough, participants studied mov - held July 30 – Aug. 3 at Maurice J. ing astronomy, such as orbital move - McDonough High School, participants ments and similarities between Earth and studied connections between geology, Mars. natural resources, lunar phases, ecology Foundation participants perform beaker Participants also took a field trip to experiments to observe structural geology and and relationships to the history and Goddard Space Flight Center to experi - sediments. From left, are Jay Temple, educa - composition of planets and moons in the ence the day-to-day operations and to tional consultant for the Space Foundation and solar system. understand the role the center plays in Participants also took a field trip to teacher of the first session, CCPS teachers space exploration. Calvert Cliffs State Park to study rock Patricia Williams, Pat Kennedy, Deborah Gray said participating teachers types, geologic laws and time and ecol - Hayes and Charyn Scrivens. included science teachers, and social ogy of the Chesapeake Bay area. studies, English and resource education teachers. “The sessions The courses offer educators ways to focus and understand how focus on content that can fit into all areas of curriculum. to integrate science, technology, engineering and math into all Participants are a mixed group of tri-county K-12 teachers,” Gray content areas and lesson plans. added. Erica Strass, a science teacher at Berry Elementary School, James Mascia, an English teacher from Westlake High School, chose to participate in both sessions because of the “lure of geol - and Aparna Joshi, a gifted resource teacher at Benjamin Stoddert ogy and astronomy.” She said the earth system’s course was one Middle School, participated in both sessions and enjoyed learning of the better courses she has taken during her 12-year career with aspects of science to incorporate into their lesson plans. CCPS. “I have never seen an activity like kinesthetics. I learned “I teach my students all of these ideas but it is great to learn from the space institute. The more I know, the better I can teach. hands-on activities that are great to incorporate into my lesson We are comparing geology, the layers of earth and how they got plans,” Joshi said. Mascia said he signed up to take the courses to that way. We can compare our geology to the geology of other obtain MSDE credit and to learn cross content information that planets,” Strass added. pull aspects from one subject to another. Thomas Stone High School chemistry teacher Christopher Two county science teachers, Sandra Hamke and Ian Buter, Rooney also participated in both sessions and said the collabora - were selected in July 2006 to participate in Space Foundation tion with teachers from other counties and grade levels was inter - courses in Colorado. Based on their experiences and input, esting. “The sessions provide another avenue of teaching. The Superintendent of Schools James E. Richmond decided to partner whole point is to ‘wow’ students, to show why this is important with the Space Foundation to bring courses to Charles County. and how it applies,” he said. Hamke and Buter both participated in the courses offered this Sue Gray, a CCPS science specialist, said this is the first time year. the school system, along with the Space Foundation, has offered Gray said CCPS and the Space Foundation will attempt to the summer institute to teachers. The sessions were offered to offer up to four courses next summer, including a rocketry course teachers at no cost and were open to all subject and grade-level and a biology and outer space course. Left photo, from left, are: Jay Temple, CCPS teachers Anthony Jones, Brenda Hayes and Margaret McClelland.

Right photo, from left, are: CCPS teachers Jennifer Davis, Jan Steeger and Erica Strass. School News • August 17, 2007 • Page 4 Personnel

Apply for positions at www.ccboe.com/hur, or General Smallwood Middle School. at county middle schools; Master’s degree in writing to the personnel office. Positions are Apply by August 21. required. open until filled unless otherwise noted. All Culinary Arts Instructional Assistant – Guidance Counselors – Openings at all teaching positions require a bachelor’s degree North Point High School. Apply by August age levels. Master’s degree required. and MSDE certification requirements. 21. NJROTC Instructor – Westlake High Job Openings Building Service Manager – John School; 11-month position. Video Production Technician – Annex Hanson Middle School. Apply by August Special Education Teacher of the 101 Building, Office of Communications; 27. Emotionally Disturbed – Openings at full-time position. Bachelor’s degree in Certified School Psychologists – All age Theodore G. Davis Middle School, video production or related field required. levels. Full-time position. Must be eligible Westlake, North Point and Henry E. Apply by August 23. for MSDE certification. Lackey high schools; 10-month positions. Food Service Worker – Theodore G. Specialist, Library Media – Jesse L. Bachelor’s degree required. Davis Middle Schools; three-hour posi - Starkey Administration Building; Master’s Reading Recovery Teacher Leader – tion. Degree required. Open until filled. Openings at county elementary schools. Food Service, Assistant Manager – La Vice Principals – Master’s degree and cer - Teacher, Three-year-old program – Plata High School. Apply by August 29. tification required. Openings at Title I schools. Kindergarten Reading Instructional Instructional Specialists – Positions open Asst. – Malcolm Elementary School. at elementary and middle school levels; Charles County Public Schools is seek - Apply by August 21. 11-month positions. Open until filled. ing teacher candidates who meet the certi - Environmental Education Assistant – Specialist in Early Childhood Education fication requirements established by the Nanjemoy Creek Environmental Center, – Jesse L. Starkey Administration MSDE for the following areas: full-time position. Bachelor’s degree in Building, Master’s degree required. Open • Mathematics natural science or related field required. until filled. • Family & Consumer Science Media Instructional Asst. – General Title I Instructional Specialist for Early • Business Smallwood Middle School. Apply by Childhood Education – Jesse L. Starkey • Spanish and French August 21. Administration Building; bachelor’s • Science Meeting in the Middle Instructional degree and five years experience required. • Biology and Chemistry Asst. – Mattawoman Middle School. Open until filled. • Music Apply by August 21. Occupational Therapists – All age levels. • Special education Secretary – William A. Diggs and Daniel Bachelor’s degree required. • Computer science of St. Thomas Jenifer elementary schools. Speech Language Pathologists – Apply by August 21 for Diggs; August 29 Openings at all age levels. for Jenifer. Reading Resource Teachers – Openings Instructional Assistant, Secondary – The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Keith Grier, Title IX Coordinator, or Patricia Vaira, Section School News is published by 504 Coordinator (students), or Keith Hettel, Section 504 Coordinator (employees/adults), at Charles County Public Schools, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Maryland 20646. 301-932-6610/870-3814. For special accommodations call 301- Charles County Public Schools 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event. 301-932-6610 301-934-7220 Nonprofit Org. Fax: 301-932-6651 Charles County Public Schools Post Office Box 2770 U.S. Postage Board of Education Members La Plata, Maryland 20646 PAID Donald M. Wade, Chairman (address service requested) Permit No. 66 Roberta S. Wise, Vice Chairman Jennifer S. Abell Collins A. Bailey Charles E. Carrington Maura H. Cook Pamela A. Pedersen

Ashin Shah, Student Member

Superintendent of Schools James E. Richmond The mission of Charles County Public Schools is to provide an opportunity for all school-aged children to receive an academically challenging, Editor/Writers quality education that builds character, equips for leadership, Katie O’Malley-Simpson and prepares for life, in an environment that is safe and conducive to learning. Shelley Buter