Superintendent of Schools Dr. Kimberly Hill was treated like a military commander on Sept. 18. Joint Base Andrews invited Hill in June to be a part of the 2015 Honorary Commanders program. The Honorary Commander Program is a yearlong opportunity with the maintenance wing to create partnerships between leaders in surrounding communities and encourages an exchange of ideas and experiences. Hill is working to create a partnership with Joint Base Andrews to be able to provide experiences for Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) students to bring awareness to possible career opportunities. Hill spent the day talking with members of the Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is piloting the Maryland College Application Campaign Week next month to assist high-school seniors in applying to college, with the goal of each student submitting at least one application to the college, university or technical school. During the week of Oct. 19-23, seniors at several Charles County high schools will participate in the campaign by working with school staff and volunteers during the school day to submit a complete college application. In 2014, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) piloted the campaign in 21 high schools with more than 1,900 students participating statewide. While Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) serves a variety of breakfast and lunch menu items for students at low costs for parents. For the 2015-16 school year, prices for elementary school students are $1.25 for breakfast and $2.55 for lunch. Middle and high school students can purchase breakfast for $1.40 and lunch for $2.80. Some students may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals and CCPS determines eligibility through income eligibility guidelines established by the federal government. The reduced price for breakfast is $0.30 and $0.40 for lunch. All CCPS students receive an application for free or reduced-price meals either at Read more…

The 18th annual Charles County College Fair, sponsored by Charles County Public Schools (CCPS), was held Wednesday, Sept. 16 at North Point High School. The event offered more than 3,200 parents and students the opportunity to research 137 colleges and universities, and learn about career options available through serving in the Armed Forces. A morning session was held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. for Charles County high school juniors and seniors. More than 1,800 students attended the fair as part of their school day. Each year, high school students are asked to sign up for the fair in advance, Read more…

The Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) Office of Human Resources is continuing its efforts to hire staff for the 2015-16 school year and focus on teacher recruitment and retention. As of Tuesday, a total of 217 teacher vacancies had been filled with openings in areas such as special education and mathematics. Teacher vacancies are covered by long-term substitutes until permanent teachers are hired. Pamela Murphy, executive director of human resources, presented a staffing update to the Board of Education last week during their monthly meeting. According to Murphy, from May 1 to Aug. 26, a total of 1,113 teacher applications Read more…

Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is hosting a free Internet safety program for parents, students and community members next month, Oct. 7-8, at two area high schools. Attendees can learn about Internet safety, including cyberbullying, photo postings, use of Apps, poor social media behavior and responsible use of social media. The Oct. 7 program is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at North Point High School, and the program on Oct. 8 is from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at St. Charles High School. Featured will be Richard Guerry, founder of the non-profit organization the Institute for Responsible Online and Cell-Phone Communication Read more…

The Board of Education of Charles County and the College of Southern Maryland (CSM) Board of Trustees will meet at 5:30 p.m. today, Tuesday, Sept. 15 at the Center for Business Industry in room BI 103/104, located on the CSM La Plata campus. The following is a tentative agenda: Introductions Enhancing education in Charles County College and Career Readiness Act Dual enrollment program Student performance at CSM Financial aid/scholarship information sharing New CSM regional campus in Hughesville CSM enrollment Career planning with students Adjournment Charles County Public Schools provides 26,000 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging Read more…

The Board of Education of Charles County invites the public to attend its first Town Hall meeting on Monday, Sept. 28. The purpose of the Town Hall is to provide parents, students and community members an opportunity to ask questions and discuss items about education and schools. Board members and Charles County Public Schools staff will be available to accept comments and answer questions from the audience. The Town Hall is set for 6:30 p.m., Monday, Sept. 28, at St. Charles High School in the cafeteria. The CCPS communications department will provide live streaming of the Town Hall on www.ccboe.com. Read more…

Charles County’s students’ scores increased on Advanced Placement (AP) exams; decreased on the SAT; and remained flat on the ACT, according to data released this week by the College Board and ACT, Inc. Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) average score on AP exams rose 8.5 percent, up from 2.23 in 2014 to 2.42 in 2015. It is the first significant increase in the past five years. “Taking Advanced Placement classes in high school is one of the best ways to prepare our students for future study and success. AP classes are the most rigorous, and we encourage students to take Read more…

Charles County Public Schools will host more than 150 colleges and universities at its eighteenth annual Charles County College Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 16, at North Point High School. The fair is open to the public from 6 to 8 p.m. High school juniors and seniors attend the event during the school day as part of the school system’s career readiness goal in the five-year plan. Students are transported from school by bus and are able to speak with representatives and gather information from participating colleges. Students wishing to attend the fair during the school day must submit a signed Read more…