The La Plata High School a cappella group Unplugged is hosting the International Championship of High School A Cappella (ICHSA) Mid-Atlantic semifinals at 7 p.m. on Saturday, March 7 in La Plata’s auditorium. At the semifinals, Unplugged will compete against nine other high school a cappella groups for the Mid-Atlantic region finalist position. All first-place regional winners advance to the final event scheduled for April 17 in New York City. Tickets for the March 7 semifinals are available for $15 for adults, and $10 per student, and can be purchased online at https://www.freshtix.com/events/ichsa-mid-atlantic-2015. Last school year, Unplugged earned first place Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) graduation rate hit 91.4 percent in 2014, its highest rate since 2010, according to data released by the Maryland State Department of Education this week. As student graduation rates increase, the CCPS dropout rate continues to decline. The CCPS four-year cohort graduation rate jumped from 89.8 percent in 2013 and has improved more than five points since 2010. Additionally, CCPS students also improved across all subgroups. The CCPS average exceeds the state graduation rate of 86.39 by five points. “I can’t tell you how proud we are of the accomplishments of our students,” Superintendent Kimberly Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is preparing to administer a new form of testing beginning in March for students in grades 3 through 11. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers, also known as PARCC, assessments in reading and mathematics will be administered in two different windows this school year – March 2-27 and April 20-May 15. Staring with this school year, PARCC assessments replace the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) exams in reading and math, and the High School Assessments (HSA) in English II and Algebra I. Students in grades 5 through 8 will still take the Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is seeing nominations for the school system’s Maryland 2015-16 Teacher of the Year candidate. The nominated teacher must be a classroom, resource or media teacher who spends the majority of his or her time teaching and has a minimum of five years teaching experience. The selected candidate will also be named the 2015 Charles County Teacher of the Year. There can only be one nominee per school. Nominations are due by Friday, Feb. 27 to Pam Mucciolo in the CCPS office of human resources. Application information is available on the school system website at http://www.ccboe.com/jobs/teacheroftheyear.php. Read more…

The Harlem Wizards event scheduled for tonight, Jan. 27 at Theodore G. Davis Middle School, has been rescheduled to Thursday, March 19, due to inclement weather. The event starts at 7 p.m. and any tickets already purchased for tonight will be honored at the rescheduled event. Proceeds from the game will benefit the Davis Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) program. The Harlem Wizards will also perform their aerobatic stunts and basketball tricks. Tickets are still available for two of the three levels of seating: general admission and reserved seating. Courtside tickets are already sold out. General admission is seating Read more…

Due to inclement weather conditions, all Charles County public schools are closed on Tuesday, Jan. 27, 2015. There is a code two, which is a two-hour delay, for staff who follow the code system. Liberal leave is also in effect for staff. Visit the school system website, www.ccboe.com, or call the 24-hour information hotline at 301-934-7410/301-932-6656 for the latest school closing information.

Due to inclement weather forecasts, all Charles County Public Schools activities starting at 3 p.m. or later on Monday, Jan. 26, 2015, are canceled. The Board of Education work session scheduled to start at 6 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26 will now start at 5 p.m., with Public Forum at 6 p.m. Visit www.ccboe.com or call the 24-hour information line at 301-934-7410/301-932-6656 for the latest weather-related information.

The Board of Education of Charles County is looking for applications from county residents interested in serving on the Charles County Board of Education Ethics Panel. The Board has one opening on its all-volunteer, five-member panel, which interprets ethics regulations and provides advisory opinions to Board Members and employees subject to the regulations. The panel also reviews complaints concerning any alleged ethics violation and receives and maintains all forms required to be filed under the ethics regulation. Ethics panel members meet at least once annually to review disclosure forms and as necessary to respond to inquiries. Members of the Charles Read more…

Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kimberly Hill, along with three other Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) staff members, recently participated in a series of interviews for use in a video series about the implementation of the Common Core State Standards. In 2011, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) developed Maryland’s College and Career-Ready Standards (MDCCRS), which were developed from the Common Core Standards. The standards define the skills and knowledge students need to be successful in the workplace and postsecondary education, ensuring that students receive a high quality education. CCPS began implementing the MDCCRS last school year. The series was Read more…

Theodore G. Davis Middle School is hosting the Harlem Wizards basketball team on Tuesday, Jan. 27 in a staff versus Wizards’ player’s game, beginning at 7 p.m. Proceeds from the game will benefit the Davis Positive Behavioral Interventions and Support (PBIS) program. The Harlem Wizards will also perform their aerobatic stunts and basketball tricks. The game will feature three levels of seating: general admission, reserved seating and courtside plus. General admission is seating in the bleachers; reserved seating is located in the lower-level bleacher areas; and courtside plus seating is floor seats and includes a meet and greet with the Read more…