District Home
Select a School...
Select a School
Register

 

Take Action Archive- January 2012


School Activity Funds

Principals, please submit the School Activity Fund semiannual report by Friday Jan. 13 for the period ending Saturday Dec. 31.

All schools (except those with outside operators) must submit a semiannual report. If your school does not have a bank account and does not receive any funds from outside parties, including students, the Principal must complete a form stating that the school does not receive any outside funds. For more information, please contact Michael Heaney in the Office of the Chief Financial Officer at 443-984-2665 or Mheaney@bcps.k12.md.us.
 

CAO Leadership Academy

Principals, please review the following information regarding the December CAO Leadership Academy.

The next CAO Leadership Academy will take place the week of Jan. 9-13. Please review the expectations for the week, including the intended audience, location and registration information. If you have any questions or for location details, please contact Dr. Barbara A. Johnson at bajohnson02@bcps.k12.md.us.

 

Tells Us About Your Plans to Celebrate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday

 

Principals, please take the following survey by Friday, Jan. 13.

 

Every year our schools do innovative and inspiring activities to commemorate Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.  Please take a moment to complete this survey to share your plans for celebrating this important day so we can feature your school on Great Kids Up Close. 
 
 

Board of School Commissioners’ 2012-13 Budget Dialogues 

 

Principals, please identify parents, community and staff to participate in the Board of School Commissioners’ 2012-13 Budget Dialogues.

 

The Board of School Commissioners is beginning the budget process for the 2012-13 school year with two sessions to get input on priorities and values from City Schools’ stakeholders.  These sessions will be held on:

  • January 11th from 5:30-8 p.m. at Baltimore Polytechnic Institute
  • January 18th from 5:30-8 p.m. at Augusta Fells Savage Institute of Visual Arts High School

 Principals are asked to identify a team of people who would be interested in and benefit from a discussion of what values and priorities should guide the district budgeting process.  In thinking about members of these teams, principals are encouraged to involve people who may not have been engaged in district level discussions before. Team members may be members of the School Family Council, but membership on the School Family Council is not required. The school’s team should consist of: 

  • 2 parents
  • 1 community partner
  • 1 staff
  • 1 student (high schools ONLY)

Child care and a light dinner will be provided for all participants. Please register your team by Thursday, Dec. 22. Invitations will be emailed or mailed to participants in early January with more details. This is a valuable opportunity for the Board to hear from stakeholders in your school. 

 
Registration is now full for both dates.
 
 

Identifying Students with Out of County Living Arrangements (OCLA) and Under Informal Kinship Care (IKC)


Principals and enrollee and withdrawal contacts, please read this post and provide the Office of Enrollment, Choice and Transfers with the requested form to identify students in OCLA/IKC.

The Office of Enrollment, Choice and Transfers requests that school-based enrollee and withdrawal contacts provide the documentation needed to verify students placed in City Schools when the parent(s) or legal guardian(s) reside outside of Baltimore City or when the placement agency is outside of Baltimore City. Our district will not get reimbursed the appropriate funds if we are negligent in providing the state with the requested documentation for these students. We are asking that you complete this form, even if you don’t  have any students to report, and return it to Trevor Roberts in the Office of Enrollment, Choice and Transfers (via interoffice mail) on or before the close of business on Friday, Jan. 20.

 Please also see the following documents, which provide more details and information about this process:

  •  memo from the Office of Enrollment, Choice and Transfers about the documentation process

  •  fact sheet from the Maryland State Department of Education about informal kinship care

  •  fact sheet from MSDE about children in state-supervised care and enrollment and education decisions

  •  examples of requested OCLA/IKC documents

 

Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) program

 

Principals, please review the following information regarding the Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) program.

 

The Maryland State Department of Education has launched the fifth annual Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) program. The PIMA program continues to receive a great deal of attention from many national outlets, including the U.S. Department of Education and Education Week, for being the first award program of its kind in the nation.

 

Attached is a copy of the PIMA award nomination form.  Please feel free to make additional copies of the nomination form to share with those you feel appropriate.  Additional information, videos and the PIMA application, are available online at www.MarylandPublicSchools.org/pima. Nomination materials will also be sent to other key stakeholders in parent involvement in education. Completed applications are due Tuesday, Jan. 31. For questions or more information, please contact Barbara Scherr at bscherr@msde.state.md.us.
 
 
Dear City Schools Colleagues and Staff,
 
The Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners approved the appointment of two new cabinet members and two executive directors.
 
Please join me in welcoming to the district office and to their new positions Jennifer Bell-Ellwanger as City Schools' new Achievement and Accountability Officer; Dr. Kimberly Lewis as the district's Chief Human Capital Officer; Karen Webber as Executive Director of Student Support and Safety; and Kimberly Hoffman as interim Executice Director of Special Education. And please read more about them and the expertise they bring to our transformation efforts.
 
Thank you --and thank you for all that you do each day for our students and our schools.
 
AAA
 

Annual Mandatory OSHA Training

Principals, please review and distribute the following Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) mandated training information to appropriate staff.

Annual training is mandated under OSHA regulations for custodial staff, repair & maintenance staff and grounds staff. Those who missed the required training held in October should attend one of the two make-up sessions this month. Staff who attended in October do not need to attend. Topics covered will include the following:

  • Slips, trips and falls
  • Blood borne pathogens
  • Fire safety/Utility related emergencies
  • Hazard communication
  • Asbestos awareness

Your assistance in ensuring the attendance of appropriate staff is greatly appreciated. Please select one of the two make-up days listed below. Each training day will cover all of the material.

Training will be held at Heritage High School 2801 St. Lo Drive,  Room 117,  Baltimore, MD 21213  on Thursday, Jan. 26 from  2:30 – 6:30 p.m.  (registration begins at 2:00 p.m.) and Friday, Jan. 27 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (registration begins at 8:00 a.m.)

 

Internet Safety / Acceptable Use of Technology

Principals, please review and distribute the following information to staff.

Beginning in late January 2012, all users of the City Schools data network will be prompted to acknowledge and agree to policy EGD “Internet Safety / Acceptable Use of Technology,” adopted by the Baltimore City Board of School Commissioners on December 13, 2011. The purpose of this policy is to support and guide the appropriate use of technology by City Schools employees and students. Copies of policy EGD and the related administrative regulations (EGD-RA for employees, and EGD-RB for students) are available via BoardDocs. The acknowledgement prompt will appear for all users on an annual basis. Additionally, new users of the City Schools data network will be prompted at first login. Click here for an overview of what to expect when the acknowledgement prompt is distributed to users.  A copy of the policy will also open automatically for the convenience of the user. The policy will stay open for 3 minutes to allow for printing the document. To gain access to the computer, the user should click “Yes” within 3 minutes of opening the policy to accept and acknowledge it. If the user clicks “Yes,” the response is recorded for documentation purposes. If the user clicks “No” or does not answer the prompt within the 3 minute period, the computer will be logged off. If you have any questions or comments regarding this City Schools technology alert, please contact the ITD Service Desk at 410-396-8182 or helpdesk@bcps.k12.md.us.