Registration for 2013 Chess Tournament begins
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is holding a chess tournament for residents of Charles County in grades K-12 at Thomas Stone High School. The tournament is Saturday, Oct. 26; the first match begins at 9 a.m.
The tournament features a four round Swiss Style format. Students in grades 7-12 will be using chess clocks and allotted 15 minutes per game. Each round takes approximately an hour and the awards ceremony follows the 12 p.m. match. The school system awards trophies, medals, and certificates. The award divisions are as follows:
-- Kindergarten - second grade
-- Third - fourth grade
-- Fifth - sixth grade
-- Seventh - eighth grade
-- Ninth - twelfth grade
Students must be pre-registered; no walk-ins allowed. Pre-registered students must check-in at the registration table between 8-8:30 a.m. to be paired in the first round. Participation in the tournament is free.
Registration must be completed by Oct. 15. Mail registration to Mary Seremet, CCPS, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, MD 20464. The registration form can be found at http://www.ccboe.com/departments/gifted/g5.php. For further questions, contact the gifted education resource teacher at your child's school.
Prudential to honor student volunteers
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is accepting nominations for the 2014 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for middle and high school student volunteers. The awards are given to students for serving their communities through volunteer activities, such as helping the less fortunate, promoting health and safety or protecting the environment. The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards is the largest program in the United States that recognizes young volunteers based solely on community service.
The award is open for students in grades five through twelve. Eligible students will have participated in a volunteer activity that occurred 12 months prior to the date of their submitted application. Applications must be completed by Nov. 5, and submitted to the student's middle or high school principal. The school principal may nominate top local honorees for state-level judging. All state-level honorees will be announced on Feb. 11. Young volunteers can apply online at http://spirit.prudential.com or at http://www.nassp.org/spirit.
The school system will select local honorees in early November and present them with Certificates of Achievement. These local honorees also receive the President's Volunteer Service Award if they have contributed the minimum number of volunteer hours to qualify (50 hours for age 14 and younger, 100 hours for those older). All local honorees will then be reviewed by a state-level judging committee, which will name the top two candidates for the state.
Joseph Perriello, a student at North Point High School, was named as the local honoree for the 2013 Prudential Spirit of Community Awards for his work at Berry Elementary School tutoring younger students in need of academic assistance.
State-level honorees receive $1,000 awards and travel to Washington, D.C. for four days of recognition events. National honorees will be selected in Washington, D.C. from the finalist group and receive an additional $5,000 award. The Prudential Foundation will also award a grant to the charitable organization of each national honoree.
The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards was created by National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP) and Prudential Financial in 1995 to honor middle and high school students for outstanding acts of community service. The NASSP provides research-based professional development and resources, networking and advocacy to build the capacity of middle school and high school leaders to continually improve student performance.
Science, technology, and industry (STI) open houses
North Point High School is hosting two open houses for Charles County students interested in applying for science, technology, and industry (STI) program for the 2014 school year. The open houses will be held Oct. 17, and Nov. 14, both starting at 6:30 p.m.
Parents and students who are residents of Charles County and are interested in applying to one of North Point's 17 STI programs for next year are encouraged to attend.
Seventh graders have new vaccination requirements for 2014
The State Department of Health has implemented new vaccination requirements for the upcoming 2014-2015 school year. Seventh-grade students will be required to have Meningococcal (MCV4) and tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis/whooping cough (Tdap) vaccinations.
The MCV4 vaccination protects students from certain meningococcal bacteria that can lead to meningitis or sepsis. After students are initially vaccinated before seventh grade, an additional booster shot is recommended at age 16. Typically, MCV4 is a required vaccination for college/university students, however the State Department of Health has found it necessary for students age eleven and older to receive these vaccinations.
As for Tdap, the original vaccination received in early childhood for tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis (DTaP) wears of; therefore a supplemental booster shot is suggested at age eleven for continued protection against the bacteria that causes these diseases.
Vaccinations are available and students enrolled in Charles County Public Schools before the first day of the 2014-15 school year, must provide verification prior to receiving their seventh-grade class assignment. An updated shot record will be needed from the child's physician to validate that the student received the vaccination. Those enrolling as of the first day of the 2014-15 school year have 20 calendar days to provide an updated shot record. Students entering grades 8-12 will not need to be vaccinated, although this may benefit them medically.
The following vaccinations are required for seventh-grade students:
-- Meningococcal (MCV4)
-- Tetanus, diphtheria, pertussis/whooping cough (Tdap)
Students can receive these vaccines from a primary care physician. Vaccinations are also available at the following locations:
-- Baden Clinic, 7450 Albert Rd. 3rd Floor, Brandywine
-- Charles County Health Department, 4545 Crain Hwy, White Plains
Nominate an outstanding principal for Post's award
Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) is accepting nominations for its 2014 Principal of the Year and the Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leadership Award (DELA). The annual award honors exemplary principals and recognizes those who go beyond the day-to-day demands of their position to create an exceptional educational environment.
Teachers, students, former students, parents, administrators, or community members may submit nominations. Nominees must have a minimum of five year's experience as a principal and three of those years must have been with Charles County Public Schools. Principals may not nominate themselves.
Nomination materials must include a minimum of four statements of support, one of which a professional educator must submit; a brief career summary; two color photographs submitted both on a disc and printed out; and a description of contributions in each of the nomination criteria categories.
The nomination criteria are:
-- manage effectively;
-- demonstrate and encourage creativity and innovation;
-- foster cooperation between the school and the community;
-- maintain a continuing dialogue with students and parents as well as faculty and staff;
-- keep abreast of developments in the field of education;
-- encourage team spirit;
-- demonstrate leadership and exemplify commitment;
-- continue to play an active role in the classroom;
-- maintain their position as principal throughout the 2014-15 school year; and
-- nominee must participate in the four day 2014 DELA Seminar held July 16-18.
Charles County's 2014 Principal of the Year will be one of 21 recognized by the Post from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia. Award recipients will be announced later this school year.
Nominations are due Friday, Jan. 10, no later than 4:30 p.m. Materials should be sent to: Charles County Public Schools, Office of Human Resources, Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Md., 20646. Nominations must include the cover page, as well as all required materials listed on the cover page, which is linked to the CCPS website at http://www.ccboe.com/jobs/emprec.php.
Nominate an outstanding teacher for Post's Agnes Meyer award
Nominations are being accepted by Charles County Public Schools (CCPS) for the Washington Post's 2014 Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award. Each year the award honors exemplary teachers who demonstrate excellence in teaching and outstanding leadership, encourage creative and quality instruction, and contribute in a substantive way to the improvement of education.
Nominees must be full-time teachers in grades prekindergarten through 12 and have a minimum of five years teaching experience. Three of those years must have been with Charles County Public Schools. Teachers, students, former students, administrators or community members may submit nominations. Teachers may not nominate themselves.
Nomination materials must include a minimum of four statements of support, one of which must be from a professional educator; a career summary; a description of contributions in each of the nomination criteria categories, and two color photographs submitted both on a disc and printed out, and must include a headshot of the nominee and a photo of the nominee in the classroom.
Nominees must be teachers who:
-- instill a desire in students to learn and achieve;
-- understand the individual needs of students, encourage their talents and foster their self-esteem;
-- demonstrate a thorough knowledge of subject matter and the ability to share it effectively with students;
-- foster cooperative relationships with their colleagues and the community;
-- demonstrate outstanding leadership; and
-- maintain their teaching position throughout the 2013-14 school year.
Charles County's Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award recipient will be one of 21 recognized by the Post from the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia.
All nominations are due to the Charles County Public Schools Office of Human Resources located in the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building, P.O. Box 2770, La Plata, Md., 20646. Nominations are due by 4:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 10. Nominations must include the cover page, as well as all required materials listed on the cover page, which is linked to the CCPS website at http://www.ccboe.com/jobs/emprec.php.
Award recipients will be recognized and awarded $3,000 at a ceremony in May.
The Post established the Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Awards in honor of Agnes Meyer, a supporter of public education and wife of Eugene Meyer, who purchased the Post in 1933.