Countywide Prekindergarten/Head Start Open Enrollment
St. Mary's County Public Schools is pleased to announce open registration for Prekindergarten/Head Start to determine eligibility for school year 2014 - 2015. All schools will hold open registration from Monday, March 31 through Friday, April 11 from 10:00 AM until 2:00 PM. The goal of the Prekindergarten/Head Start program is to provide initial learning experiences to help children develop basic skills and concepts necessary for successful school performance. A child must be four years old on or before September 1, 2014, and come from a family with an economically disadvantaged background. If vacancies remain after children from economically disadvantaged backgrounds have been enrolled, the remaining vacancies will be filled using locally determined at-risk criteria.
Parents of children who will be three years old by September 1, 2014 and are eligible for placement into the Head Start Program should also register at the school assigned to their physical address during the open enrollment period.
The process for registration has been revised for the 2014-2015 school year. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) may go to the school assigned to their legal address on any of the designated registration days to complete the registration paperwork. Children are not required to be present for registration. Required documentation includes evidence of birth, proof of residency, proof of income, a copy of the child's immunization record, any court papers regarding custody of the minor child, and a completed application. Parent(s)/Legal Guardian(s) must also bring photo identification when registering their child.
Proof of income must be provided in order for a child to be registered as an income eligible child. Proof of income documentation includes one of the following:
a. W-2 form
b. copies of the last 3 paycheck stubs, or
c. proof of temporary cash assistance
Families who are interested in a placement in a Prekindergarten/Head Start class, but do not meet the income eligibility criteria should register during open enrollment and will be screened by the local zone school at a later date. The Bridge to Excellence in Public Schools Act requires local school systems to enroll all income eligible four year old students whose parents seek to enroll them.
Each elementary school will conduct open enrollment for the children residing in their zone. Questions regarding which school serves your residential area should be directed to the Department of Capital Planning at 301-475-4256, option 6. You do not need to pre-register for the countywide Prekindergarten/Head Start open enrollment.
Documentation which indicates the current physical address of the child will be accepted as proof of residence. Proof of residence will include, but is not limited to, one of the following:
a. Mortgage/deed/rental agreement with 911 address assignment;
b. Current utility bill with parent/legal guardian name, 911 address of residence, and service address (no post office box is accepted - and wireless telephone bills are not acceptable); and,
c. Patuxent River Naval Base housing form NOW-NATC-1110-1/15, Assignment to Public Quarters, which identifies bona fide residence in St. Mary's County
Questions about the program and registration may be directed to Cynthia Kilcoyne, Coordinating Supervisor of Early Childhood Programs at 301-475-5511, ext. 32218.
February Work Hard and Be Nice Award Recipients Announced
St. Mary's County Public Schools' (SMCPS) Work Hard and Be Nice Award recognizes distinct and extraordinary accomplishments of school system employees in connection with official employment. Dedicated employees contribute to the success of the school system and our students. Award recipients enhance both the success and the reputation of the school system through their extraordinary actions.
Each month, staff members are recognized for going above and beyond the call of duty. Dr. Michael J. Martirano, superintendent of schools, is proud to announce the award recipients for the month of February 2014:
Alyssa Bennett, Lindsay Brenfleck (2), Stephanie Brindle, Cafeteria Staff - GKES, Cafeteria Staff - LPES, Cafeteria Staff - EMS, Cafeteria Staff - LMS, Kathy Carrabine, Kim Collins, Division of Supporting Services (8 depts.), Bridget Dunbar, Sharon Dvorak, Priscilla Dyson, David Edwards, Linda Gatton, , Chris Grace, Jacqueline Grantland, Rhonda Harris, Amanda Hartwig, Brenda Hecker, Stephanie Houseman, Nadine Hughes, Ellen Johnson, Anna Jones, Marissa Kinkaid, Carol Klenk, Emma Knott, Stefanie Langton, Lisa Longworth, Joshua Lynch, Paul Miles, Maureen Montemurro, Matt Newcamp, Greg Nourse, Gary O'Neill, Melaine Otto, Megan Phanthasy, Gary Robinson, Deobrah Samblanet, Zachary Salopek, Sean Sayers, Kim Summers, Wendy Tarr, Rhonda Wathen, Terry Williams, DeEtta Winemiller, Barbara Winters, and Alyssa Xavier.
For more information about the SMCPS Work Hard and Be Nice Award program, or to nominate a school system employee, visit http://www.smcps.org/super/work-hard-and-be-nice-awards.
Annual Forrest Center Mulch Sale Fundraiser Underway
The Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center is conducting its Annual Mulch Sale. You may purchase mulch now through Wednesday, March 19. The fundraiser, known at the school as "Mulch Madness," benefits the Forrest Center's SkillsUSA chapter and individual programs.
All orders will be available for pick-up on Friday, March 28 from 4:00 p.m. until dark and on Saturday, March 29 from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. The Forrest Center is offering free delivery on orders of 100 bags or more.
Three different types of mulch are being sold. Brown, double shredded hardwood mulch comes in in giant 3 cubic foot bags. Red and black cedar mulch is available in 2 cubic foot bags. All bags cost $4.50, tax included. You may also be able to claim a tax deduction of $1.55 for each bag purchased.
The Forrest Center's SkillsUSA chapter is among the most successful in the state and annually must fundraise over $25,000 to cover the cost of leadership training, chapter activities and regional, state & national competitions. For more information, contact Mrs. M.J. Selph at 301-475-0242, x28131 or Mrs. Ann Johnson at 301-475-0242, x28137. You may also reach Mrs. Selph or Mrs. Johnson by e-mail at mjselph(at)smcps.org or asjohnson(at)smcps.org.
Forrest Center Hosting Annual Talent Show, Costume Contest and Karaoke
The Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center is hosting its annual Talent Show on Friday, March 28, at 6:00 p.m. in the school. The show is open to the public and tickets cost $5.00. A wide variety of performances by Forrest Center students will be offered.
All proceeds from the event will benefit the Ronald McDonald House in Baltimore. Over the years, a number of local families have benefited from the services offered by the Ronald McDonald House. In recognition of that fact, SkillsUSA students wanted to donate the proceeds from this event as a community service.
In addition to the talent show, this year's event will also feature a comic book character costume contest and Karaoke. The event will be presented in three acts starting with the Talent Show, followed by the Costume Contest and concluding with Karaoke. The public is invited to participate in the comic book character costume contest and the Karaoke. All costumes must be "school appropriate." All who want to participate in Karaoke must sign up when they pay their admission fee.
Due to the Forrest Center's Mulch Sale, all parking for the event will be in the bus loop between the Forrest Center and Leonardtown High School. For more information, call the school at 301.475.0242.
Forrest Center SkillsUSA Chapter Hosting Ford Drive 4 UR School Event
The SkillsUSA Chapter at the Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center is working with Leonardtown Ford to host a Ford Drive 4 UR School Event on Saturday, March 29, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. The event takes place in the parking lot at the Forrest Center, which is located at 24005 Point Lookout Road in Leonardtown, across from the St. Mary's County Fairgrounds.
The chapter is in need of licensed and insured drivers who are 18 or older to test-drive a Ford vehicle. Ford makes a donation to the school's SkillsUSA chapter for each drive. The chapter's goal is to get 300 people to test drive, the maximum allowed for this event, to help raise funds to send students to state and national competitions.
The Forrest Center's SkillsUSA chapter is among the most successful in the state and annually must fundraise over $25,000 to cover the cost of leadership training, chapter activities and regional, state & national competitions. For more information, contact Mrs. Bonnie Skinner at 301-475-0242, x28201 or at bjskinner(at)smcps.org or contact Mr. Eric Millham at 301-475-0242, x28224 or at epmillham(at)smcps.org.
Forrest Center Hosting Annual Yard Sale and Plant Sale
The Dr. James A. Forrest Career & Technology Center is hosting two major events on Saturday, April 26.
The Criminal Justice Yard Sale, which benefits the SMCPS Shoe Fund, takes place from 7:00 to 11:00 a.m. Donations of items to be sold at the yard sale are being accepted at the school site. For more information, contact SGT Mickey Bailey, Criminal Justice instructor, at 301-475-0242, x28209 or at mmbailey(at)smcps.org.
The annual Horticulture/FFA Plant Sale takes place from 8:00 a.m. to noon. A variety of plants will be for sale. For more information, contact Mr. Ed Carney, Horticulture instructor and FFA advisor, at 301-475-0242, x28217 or at elcarney(at)smcps.org.