Brunswick Area School News 2-28-21
2 Hour Early Dismissals
As a follow-up to the FCPS systemic message (see below), Monday, March 1st, is a 2-hour early dismissal.
Because in-person students leave our building at 1:00pm, there will be no change in the class times on March 1. However, teachers will not be available for student support in the afternoon. Cohort A will attend-in person on March 1, lunches remain scheduled as normal, and then all students will be dismissed at 1:00.
FCPS Systemic Message:
At its February 24th Board Meeting, the Board of Education of Frederick County approved a calendar change for the elementary 2-hour early dismissal days that remain in this calendar year. Elementary schools and Rock Creek School will implement 2 hour early dismissals on the following days:
Wednesday, March 3
Wednesday, May 19
Schools will communicate their schedules for the virtual day of instruction.
FCPS secondary (middle and high) schools will continue their previously scheduled 2-hour early dismissal days on the following days:
Monday, March 1
Tuesday, May 18
The change to the calendar will help to minimize disruption to schedules and programs system-wide. Visit FCPS.org for more details regarding the 2020-21 school calendar.
A Message from Dr. Terry Alban
t’s hard to believe, but next week marks the beginning of March. We are nearing the one-year anniversary of when the Maryland State Department of Education closed school buildings due to the spread of COVID-19.
The last 12 months have tested us in every conceivable way. But you can see signs of hope throughout the Frederick County Public Schools community.
I am thrilled some of our students have returned back into school buildings with our hybrid learning model completing its second week. Families who chose the all-virtual model are continuing to receive innovative instruction.
It’s also a sign of great progress that high school student athletes completed a shortened winter season. Practices are underway for a planned fall season.
The FCPS Academic Tournament will crown a champion tonight, just like it always has every year for the last four decades. Dedicated tournament organizers found a way to make the tournament work virtually.
There are many reasons to feel hopeful. But we must also acknowledge this global health crisis is still with us, and information tends to change rapidly.
It’s easy for misinformation to spread in this environment. That’s why we are committed to providing frequent updates via FCPS.org on a host of topics that are vital to the community. I wanted to direct you to some useful information available on our website.
Hybrid updates: This is your one-stop resource for information regarding the FCPS hybrid return plan. The full plan is posted here, as is information on the FCPS Return to Play plan, hybrid schedules, and informational videos that share details on everything from mitigation strategies to classroom setups.
Health metrics dashboard: We provide regular updates about health metrics throughout the county. Our health metrics dashboard allows families to track confirmed COVID-19 outbreaks by school and by community. The dashboard is updated weekly on Mondays.
School bus delays: In a perfect world, our buses would run on time every day. But for a variety of reasons, buses can run late from time to time. Did you know we have a webpage dedicated to providing updates on late buses countywide? If a bus will be 10 minutes or later, it is posted here.
Vaccines: All FCPS staff are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine as part of Group 1B in the Maryland Department of Health’s vaccination plan. We regularly post the most updated vaccination information from the Frederick County Health Department and the Maryland Department of Health.
Keep checking back to FCPS.org for regular updates. We will keep them coming as we continuing making progress in this global health crisis.
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Time Sensitive Info – Maryland Promise Community College Scholarship
High school seniors planning to attend Frederick Community College during the 2021-2022 academic year may qualify for the Maryland Promise Community College Scholarship.
Interested students must submit the 2021-2022 Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) by Monday, March 1, 2021.
***Applications will not be processed if the FAFSA is not completed by March 1.
Students should visit the Maryland College Aid Processing System (MDCAPS) website and create a MDCAPS account and comply with any document requests the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC) sends via email.
All application documents must be submitted by June 30, 2021 to be considered for Maryland Promise Community College Scholarship.
If you have questions about the scholarship, please contact the Financial Aid Office at Frederick Community College: 301-846-2620
Important message for those taking Advanced Placement tests
Recently, the College Board released information about the 2021 Advanced Placement Testing Administration in May. FCPS Schools are hard at work to create a plan for each student that adheres to AP testing policies and health and safety policies at FCPS. Your AP Coordinator and teacher(s) will be communicating with you about your testing date(s).
Please note:
Tests will be full length in paper and pencil or digital exam format.
More information about the digital exams will be available in April.
Schools will communicate the date, time and format for each test.
Where possible,* students concerned about the health and safety risks of testing in schools may elect to take the digital exam at home.
* Some exams are not available in a digital format or are strongly recommended to be taken with paper and pencil due to required answer formatting of equations.
FCPS recommends that AP tests be taken in person to ensure students have minimal disruptions and technology support for digital exams.
All students taking an AP course should plan to complete their AP journey and take their AP exams. And this year, AP students have more free support than ever before to help them finish the year strong, prepare for their AP Exams and have a chance to earn college credit!
Visit https://apstudents.collegeboard.org/ for additional information.
BES – Open Community Meal Site – Wednesdays & Fridays 11-1pm
Brunswick Elementary is a site that FCPS will utilize to distribute to-go breakfast, lunch and supper meals for FREE from 11am-1pm on Wednesdays and Fridays to ALL children in the community. Children do not need to be present to pick up meals on Wednesdays and Fridays. A parent or other adult can pick these meals up for them.
To access the meal pick-up at Brunswick Elementary, visitors will may park in the Eagles parking lot or the visitor spaces located by the front of the building. Meals will be distributed directly from the cafeteria from the side cafeteria door (follow signage).
In A Minute
Please enjoy the newest FCPS In a Minute video:Â https://youtu.be/_gMq9yJl3g4
- Student artists are needed ASAP for an annual Delaplaine Arts Center contest – the deadline is this coming Monday!
- As Black/African-American History Month comes to a close, we are encouraged to visit the FCPS resource website for all kinds of great information.
- And, hybrid learning is off to a fantastic start in Frederick County public schools.
Know someone who would enjoy FCPS video links to In a Minute? FindOutFirst sends them to subscribers selecting the FCPS Television, YouTube Videos news group at http://www.fcps.org/fof?
Message from BMS for Rising 6th Grade Students
Current 5th Grade/Rising 6th Grade Parents:
Thank you to all of you who attended our Rising 6th Grade Parent Night on Wednesday night. For those of you who would like to see the presentation again or who could not attend due to other obligations, below are links to the slideshow and a recording of the presentation. The recording is in 2 parts because one of our presenters was experiencing lag on the videos so we switched presenters which corrected the problem. We apologize for the quality of the videos in the first part of the presentation.
Here is a link to the slideshow that we presented on Wednesday:Â https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1PY9UT0nfr5gSN6SOnJhBQVUHiYqFnAhXbGifYF4H6E0/edit?usp=sharing
Here is the recording of Wednesday night’s parent presentation:
Part 1Â Â https://drive.google.com/file/d/1qTeW5CElZ9e6SM1Nhu9QszndoTGXxiTw/view?usp=sharing
Part 2Â Â https://drive.google.com/file/d/1yIqOL0keCETujJS1QR7v5CaD6CdzdyYb/view?usp=sharing
Here is also a link to the middle school course guide if you would like to access more information about the middle school courses:
https://www.fcps.org/academics/files/documents/MS_CourseGuide_2021-22.pdf
Please have your child complete and submit the BMS 6th grade elective choices google form by Monday, March 1st. This google form was shared with your child through their 5th grade teacher’s Schoology page. Â
Please contact the BMS 6th grade school counselor, Kelly Mahn, at 240-236-5364 or kelly.mahn@fcps.org if you have any questions.
Out of District Application
The deadline to apply for Out of District status is March 1, 2021.Â
Please print out the attached form, complete it, sign it and either email, preferably in PDF format, tooutofdistrict@fcps.org, fax it to 240-236-2480 or mail it to Department of Student Services, Orchard Grove Elementary School, 5898 Hannover Drive, Frederick, MD 21703
Applications without a signature will not be processed and the form will be returned to the parent for a signature.
Out of District Form – English (https://fcps.ezcommunicator.net/edu/Frederick/GetFile.aspx?DocId=14071)
Out of District Form – Spanish (https://fcps.ezcommunicator.net/edu/Frederick/GetFile.aspx?DocId=14072)
FCPS students celebrate local Black/African-American history
Frederick County Public Schools students have learned so much as they completed research for the Black/African-American History Month Student Showcase!
We are proud to share how students celebrated the contributions of local Black/African-Americans:Â https://www.fcps.org/about/baahm-student-showcase
Meeting Details Posted Online – BOE
The Board of Education of Frederick County has posted details for the following meeting online:
Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee
Monday, March 1, 2021
6:00 PM, Teleconference
Due to the health situation that our community is currently experiencing, the March 1st Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee meeting will take place via teleconference. Should anyone wish to provide public comment, please send an email that includes your full name to: secacinformation@fcps.org prior to the start of the meeting.
For information about the above-listed meeting(s), please see the Board of Education/Agendas and Minutes section at www.fcps.org or use this direct link:
https://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/fcps/Board.nsf/Public
There you will also find minutes from previous meetings and other general information about the Board of Education of Frederick County.
Please feel free to email kathryn.fostik@fcps.org if you need help accessing this information.
Countywide Science & Engineering Fair Deadline Reminder
This is the last week to register for the 2021 Frederick County Secondary Science & Engineering Fair!
Registration closes Sunday, February 28, 2021 at 11:59 PM.
Visit https://sites.google.com/fcps.org/fcsef/home for more information and to register.
Tweet of the Week with Diane Herndon
In this episode of Tweet of the Week, Superintendent Dr. Terry Alban is joined by Diane Herndon, an agriculture teacher at the FCPS Career and Technology Center. They discuss beekeeping opportunities for students, how honey translates into a profitable business and how students were able to donate honey to a nonprofit organization.
Please enjoy the program:Â https://youtu.be/9OS7T5cCHiA
