North Point High School's Air Force Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) is hosting the first annual Lance Corporal Terry E. Honeycutt, Jr. Drill Classic at 8 a.m., on Saturday, Dec. 3.

The competition will be held in honor of Terry E. Honeycutt Jr., a four-year North Point JROTC cadet and member of North Point's first graduating class, who while serving in the United States Marine Corps, died on October 27, 2010, from injuries sustained in the Helmund Province of Afghanistan. The program will conclude at 4 p.m. with a performance by the U.S. Air Force Honor Guard demonstration drill team.

Teams are judged in different events, or skill areas. Approximately 15 teams from the local area are expected to compete. Skill areas that teams are judged in include inspection, first-year color guard, regulation color guard, first-year unarmed regulation, unarmed regulation, armed regulation, armed exhibition, unarmed exhibition and unarmed knockout.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

• Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School's PTA sponsored a fall festival earlier in November. Carnival games where students could win prizes and candy included corn box, quarter drop, turkey dinner toss, a cakewalk and more. Money raised at the event went to the teachers that helped create the games to purchase materials for their classrooms.

• The annual Charles County It's Academic competition is 7 p.m., Wednesday, Dec. 7, at Maurice J. McDonough High School. It's Academic is a countywide high school academic quiz competition held each year, with topics that include history, literature, science, math, mythology, sports, general information and current events.

• William A. Diggs Elementary was awarded first place in Charles County and 25th in the state from Box Tops For Education® for the 2010 – 2011 school year. Last year, the money earned from box tops went to various school projects, including the science fair, Destination Imagination, teachers' wish lists and a school program for all grades. During this year's fall drive, students, teachers and staff brought in more than 23,000 box tops and electronic box tops, earning more than $2,300 dollars in October.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

The Board of Education of Charles County is holding a work session at 6 p.m., Monday, Nov. 28, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building in La Plata. The meeting will be aired live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/. The agenda is as follows:

Call to order – 6 p.m.

•  Pledge of Allegiance

Public Forum

Work session discussions

• Student transfers committee update
• Goals

Adjournment

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

School bus locations, pick-up and drop-off times have been readjusted for students affected this school year by the bridge closure on Maryland Route 234/Budds Creek. The changes begin Monday, Nov. 28, when students return to school from the Thanksgiving break.

Bus routes were changed for some students attending Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School, Piccowaxen Middle School and La Plata High School when heavy rains in August and September washed out the bridge over Allens Fresh Run. The State Highway Administration (HAS) announced yesterday that it was reopening Maryland 234/Budds Creek Road today. A steel temporary bridge has been erected and alleviates the need for road more closures of Maryland Route 234 while a permanent structure is being constructed.

Letters with the adjusted bus route information were sent home with students today. Parents can also find the information on the school system's School Locator link found at www.ccboe.com. Bus routes are changing to the pick-up and drop-off times that were established at the beginning of the school year. Students are asked to arrive at the bus stop 10 to 12 minutes early as drivers adjust to the new routes. Some bus stops had to be relocated to temporary locations during the road closure, while others had to be rerouted. Some students could arrive as much as 25 to 30 minutes earlier to the bus stop in the afternoon. Telephone calls and e-mails were also sent to alert parents of students affected by the change.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Army Junior Reserve Officer Training Corps (JROTC) students from Thomas Stone High School competed in the eighth annual General Colin Powell Drill Competition on Saturday, Nov. 10, at Theodore Roosevelt High School.  Stone was the overall champion, placing first out of 15 schools.

The cadets participated in eight out of 10 events. Teams were judged in different events, or skill areas. Skill areas that teams were judged in include inspection, regulation color guard, armed knockout and unarmed knockout.

Stone placed in the following events:

• Regulation color guard: first place;
• Platoon inspection: second place;  
• Unarmed squadron: first place;
• Armed squadron: first place;
• Unarmed platoon: first place; and
• Armed platoon: first place.

The following students placed in the armed and unarmed knockout drill events.

Individual unarmed knockout drill winners were

• James Williams, first place, junior;
• Kenneth Proctor, second place, junior; and
• Nathaniel Riley, third place, senior.

Individual armed knockout drill winners were

• Brandon Black, first place, senior;
• Kenneth Proctor, second place, junior; and
• Nathaniel Riley, third place, senior.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

The Robert D. Stethem Educational Center recently sent seven students to the SkillsUSA Maryland Annual Fall Leadership Conference, Nov. 3 – 4, in Ocean City. At the conference, students interacted with other SkillsUSA Maryland members and attended valuable leadership training sessions.

The conference theme this year was "Skills Speaks." Training sessions included "Tell it Like it is" teaching etiquette, "Tick-Tock" regarding time management and "Skills, Spice and Nice" concerning personality traits.

Four students met the requirements to receive a certificate of achievement SkillsUSA Statesman Award:

• Kelly Dingess, Maurice J. McDonough High School, junior;
• James Graves, McDonough, junior;
• Alyson Hughes, Westlake High School, junior; and
• Theo Rankin, Westlake, junior.

SkillsUSA provides experiences for students in leadership, teamwork, citizenship and character development. The philosophy of the competition is to reward students for excellence, to involve industry in directly evaluating student performance and to train students for employer needs. The organization focuses on quality at work, high ethical standards, superior work skills, lifelong education and pride in the dignity of work. SkillsUSA Maryland currently has 30 local chapters representing 21 of 24 state school systems. For more information, visit the SkillsUSA Maryland Web site at http://www.mdskillsusa.org/index.html.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 13, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m. and student and staff recognition starts at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS 12 and is rebroadcast throughout the week. All televised Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/boe/live/.  

Executive session - 12 p.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, Westlake High School JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/board/committees

• Correspondence/Board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student Board member update
• Deputy Superintendent update
• CIP update
• Student transfers report
• F.B. Gwynn Center renovations
• Autism program
• Human Resources update
• Legislative update

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Staff
• War of 1812 DVD project, La Plata High School
• Maurice J. McDonough High School, 1A/2A state golf champions

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Three student athletes from Thomas Stone High School recently signed National Letters of Intent (NLI) for college sports.

Alexis Albert signed a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division I softball scholarship with Liberty University. Ella Callahan signed with NCAA Division II institution Millersville University of Pennsylvania to play lacrosse. Emily (Gracie) Herbert signed to play lacrosse with Division II institution Pheiffer University. Callahan and Herbert are Stone's first lacrosse players to sign letters of intent.

The NLI is a binding agreement between a prospective student athlete and an NLI member institution. The prospective student athlete agrees to attend the institution full – time for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters), and the institution agrees to provide athletics financial aid for one academic year (two semesters or three quarters).

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

The Charles County Public Schools food services department is changing the way it handles checks written to student meal accounts, and delivered to the school by the parent or student.

The change only involves returned checks, and does not affect payments made on MealpayPlus, the secure, Internet-based system parents can use to deposit money electronically on their child's cafeteria account.

Beginning Jan. 2, the food services department is sending all returned checks to a collections agency.  The food services department will no longer handle checks written to the school cafeterias that do not clear the bank. Returned checks will be sent directly to Envision Payments, the collection agency secured by the school system. The collections agency will work to collect the face amount of the check and a $35 fee, which is allowed by Maryland law.

Already this school year, 43 checks valued at $1,090, have been returned for non-payment. Last school year, 272 checks valued at $7,104.25 were returned; in the 2009-10 school year, 379 checks, with a value of $9,050.86, were returned.

For more information, call the Charles County Public Schools Food Services Department at 301-392-5570 or contact your child's school.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,700 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.

Elementary and middle school boundaries for three Waldorf schools will change next year as Charles County Public Schools prepares to balance enrollments. Superintendent James E. Richmond informed the Board of Education on Nov. 8 that a review of enrollments shows that Theodore G. Davis Middle School, William A. Diggs Elementary School and Mary B. Neal Elementary School are at or above capacity and redistricting is needed.

A redistricting committee is being formed to develop proposals to create new attendance zones for the three schools that will reduce the student enrollment, make room for growth and alleviate the need to immediately place portable classrooms at Neal. "These three schools are full and enrollments continue to climb due to the growth in surrounding areas. We have available seats at nearby schools, so we feel it is necessary to redistrict at this time," Richmond said.

Students affected by the redistricting will change schools in August 2012.

The school system is developing a redistricting committee, which includes six parents, three community members at large, three principals representing the three levels of schooling, a representative from the county's Department of Planning, a consulting specialist in redistricting and key central office staff to serve on the committee. Parents' names are selected at random from submissions made by school principals. Parents from schools impacted are excluded to avoid the appearance of self-interests or conflict of interest. Any resident who would like to be considered as one of the three community members on the committee should submit their name to redistrict@ccboe.com by Nov. 22.

The committee will develop two rezoning alternatives to submit to the Superintendent by January, and the Superintendent will present the alternatives to the Board of Education in February. A public hearing will follow, and in March, the Superintendent will present his recommendation to the Board. A second public hearing on the Superintendent's recommendation will be scheduled. The Board will make a decision at its April 10 meeting and may make modifications to the Superintendent's recommendation based on public input.

Information about the redistricting will be available throughout the process. All information will be posted on the school system's Web site, www.ccboe.com, and information flyers will be sent home with elementary students and mailed to middle school parents.

Community input is essential to a successful redistricting. The Superintendent welcomes comments from the public. Comments and suggestions may be shared at public hearings, through e-mail or by letter. E-mails should be sent to redistrict@ccboe.com. Mail letters to Charles County Public Schools, Redistricting, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20646.

The Charles County public school system does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age or disability in its programs, activities or employment practices. For inquiries, please contact Dr. Patricia Vaira, Title IX Coordinator and Section 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) 934-7230 or TDD 1-800-735-2258 two weeks prior to the event.