Worcester County must make 'tough decisions' on education spending this year

 

State officials offer grim details on Blueprint funding plan

State officials said the implementation of the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future education plan would require difficult decisions at the local level as officials will have to prioritize spending.

(View news article:)

Worcester County must make 'tough decisions' on education spending this year | News | oceancitytoday.com

Submit virtual learning applications by June 15

Worcester, Somerset, and Wicomico are among the participating counties.  The program is available for grades 6-12 in Worcester County Schools according to this posting on the Worcester Public Schools website: 

 (Crisfield-Somerset County Times)

Somerset County Public Schools again offers virtual learning option for grades 9-12

WESTOVER — For the third year in a row Somerset County Public Schools offers a blended virtual program (BVP) for students entering grades 9-12 this fall.

Applications are now being accepted until June 15.

Online instruction is through Apex Learning, a national digital curriculum. It

is not synchronous with SCPS but there are daily online lessons led by Maryland-certified teachers in core, honors and AP classes.

The BVP was first offered to students in nine counties that makeup the Eastern Shore of Maryland Education Consortium during the 2021-22 school year. It was a post-pandemic opportunity for students unable or unwilling to return to in-person learning.

The first school year fewer than a dozen Somerset County students opted in and this year there were six enrolled — two being seniors.

The application is at www.easternshorevirtual.org where a description of the programs and frequently asked questions are posted. While there is a middle school option for grades 6-8, SCPS does not use it. Enrollment is also not automatic as staff will consider whether applicants would benefit from learning in a virtual classroom.

Students must be enrolled in the public school system in the county where they reside. This is not a program for homeschool students.

The first year this was introduced BVD had a 75% passage rate statewide, with 77% of parents giving positive feedback and wanting their children to continue the program.

Somerset County’s contact for the BVP is Jill Holland, 410-651-1616 ext. 10276 or email jholland@somerset.k12.md.us.

The program is funded through a grant to the ESMEC and the seven counties are participating this year from Queen Anne’s County south to the Virginia line.

Kudos to Pocomoke teacher Christina McQuaid!

 

View article:

https://baysideoc.com/christina-mcquaid-recognized-in-mpt-special-broadcast/

Parents Of Pocomoke Middle School Students Make A Request

Parents of Pocomoke Middle School Students have done a wonderful thing by taking their concerns to the school board. Does the lack of recess have anything to do with educating the student for life or for educating the student so they can pass the required testing that gives the school a higher rating? Is it really about the student?

Pocomoke Middle School parents have a request of the school's administration: Please reinstate recess.

Most adults have some sense that taking a break from routine is a good thing, whether it's a few minutes to walk away from the task, 15 minutes to chat with co-workers or a full-fledged half-hour brisk walk. People who return to work (or the classroom) after a break often find themselves feeling refreshed, focused and ready to tackle the job at hand.

A break is a great stress reliever, too.

In today's public schools, everyone from administrators to teachers and students is feeling the pressure to increase test scores and meet the increasing demands of the federal No Child Left Behind Act. Indeed, Pocomoke Middle School's elimination of recess was part of the effort to improve academic performance and raise test scores. Eliminating recess increases instructional time in the classroom.

But is this productive? Research indicates withholding recess may actually contribute to behavior problems and decreased ability to focus on the part of students, making elimination of recess counter-productive. A recent study on how recess affects academic performance found that in schools without recess, the amount of instructional time lost to fidgeting adds up to the amount of time it takes to have recess; the gain in instructional time may be without benefit. Other studies reach similar conclusions. Teachers who do not get an adult equivalent of recess may also become more irritable as the day wears on.

According to a 1998 study, this need for regular downtime is part of our physiological makeup -- our brains need a break every 90 to 110 minutes to recycle chemicals for long-term memory establishment. Regular physical activity can contribute to both mental and physical well-being.

Perhaps schools should seek to increase the quality -- as opposed to the quantity -- of available instructional time. Experience, tradition, science and observation all point to the same conclusion: Recess effectively contributes to an enhanced ability for students to focus on academics.

Pocomoke Middle School has now tried operating with and without recess. Short of discovering that academic performance improved dramatically without recess, administrators should reinstate recess as parents have requested.

www.delmarvanow.com

Teacher Sought 'Hit' on Student, Cops Say

ATLANTA (Nov. 17) -- A suburban Atlanta high school teacher has been accused of pursuing a "hit" on a 16-year-old student last month, and the case is under investigation by local authorities.

Randolph Forde -- who teaches at Mundy's Mill High School in Clayton County -- has been charged with making terroristic threats and was released on bond.

He is currently on administrative leave from his job with pay and faces an employment hearing in early December, Charles White, a school district spokesman, said Tuesday.



A Clayton County Police report says the incident occurred October 9. The suspect took a student off a school bus and told him he "would pay him to kill the victim," the report says. When the student asked who the target would be, the suspect said he'd write the name on a note, it says.

"The teacher held a piece of paper up with the victim's name on it," said Officer Otis Willis III of the Clayton police.

Attorney Terance Madden, who represents alleged target and his family, issued a statement saying that problems between the boy and the teacher go back to "on or about September 29," when "Forde allegedly called my client outside the class and asked him if he is gay."
Then "on or about September 30," the two had an argument in class and Forde threatened "to hit him in his 'effin' mouth," Madden's statement said.

"Not only did my client report the verbal altercation and verbal threat to the vice principal of Mundy's Mill HS, he also reported that Mr. Forde asked him outside the classroom for the inappropriate question of whether he was gay," the statement said. "Apparently nothing was done by the school administration to either Mr. Forde or my client, because Mr. Forde was back in the classroom on October 1, as was my client."

Madden said the school didn't take any action until after a police report was filed on October 12 about the incident.

Wicomico County Removes "Christmas" from Schools

I am not sure if it is at all schools, but there is talk that a few schools in Wicomico County will not be celebrating Christmas this year in schools.

NO Christmas parties, NO Christmas trees, NO decorations., NO Christmas cards.

What is going on? Is this from the Board of Education or the few principals who running schools like are dictators and not there to serve. They are longer are looking at the best interest of students, but pacifying the very small population of parents who complain about a Christmas tree in the foyer or getting a pencil with Santa Clause on it? We no longer have a Christmas break, but the Holiday break.

Yes, Christmas is celebrated by many Christians as the birth of Jesus Christ in which I firmly believe also, however, most Americans do not relate Christmas and this birth together. They celebrate by giving and being with family. How dare the school systems take away these things from children who look forward to having a Christmas party at school and making Christmas decorations for Christmas trees at home? The tree at my house has numerous ornaments made in school which are keepsakes to me. My children have also brought home gifts for me that were made in school. For many children, this is the only gift they have to give to their parents. Okay, not all teachers make things with their students, but the majority of teachers do with their own money. Sometimes the only gift these kids get are from their teacher. How dare we stop doing the things we have done for hundreds of year just to satisfy the small minority who are offended? I am offended that the majority no longer rules! I am offended that my rights and the rights of my children are being overlooked! I am offended that the Board would allow this! Will they have Christmas decorations in their offices? Next they will be taking the books out of the school libraries that relate to Christmas and any other holiday.

Parents need to take a stand for what WE believe in and quit letting the handful of parents who disagree take control. Stand up and voice your opinion. Look at history and what has happened in our school systems when the voice of a few have been heard. Now it’s Christmas they are taken away.

VIA: SBYNews.com