School Officials Invited to Esperanza

Esperanza Middle School's Physical Education Department is inviting The superintendent, school board members, and parents to participate in one of their physical education classes Thursday, May 1st through Wednesday May 7th, to celebrate National Physical Education and Sport Week.

When they come and participate in one of our physical education classes they will help us to earn points in NASPE's "Physical Education Fun for Everyone" contest.  

The five schools with the highest final point totals will each win a Polar starter technology package.

The starter package includes twelve (12) E600 heart rate monitors, one (1) interface, one (1) class management system, one (1) Lessons from the Heart book and one (1) instructional banner.  

We want to be a winning school!  Below is our class schedule:

 8:27 - 9:13    2nd Period      7th grade
 9:16 - 10:02    3rd Period      7th grade
 10:05 - 10:51    4th Period       6th grade
 11:43- 12:29    6th Period        6th grade
 12:32 - 1:18    7th Period        8th grade
1:21 -   2:05    8th Period        8th grade

We look forward to having you join our classes and we promise you will enjoy your time here at Esperanza!

'Promoting Student Success: The First Year and Beyond' Regional Conference

Education is a key component in achieving life-long success.

Providing students with the opportunities they need to engage in the learning process, discover new topics and develop their own methods of academic inquiry are the best means of encouraging a life-long love of learning that can help students reach their full academic and personal potential.

The College of Southern Maryland invites all K-12 and college faculty and administrative staff to share their ideas and best teaching practices at its Mid-Atlantic regional conference focusing on student success. During "Promoting Student Success: The First Year and Beyond," Oct. 19, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m., in the Center for Business and Industry, La Plata Campus, conference organizers will facilitate workshops, lectures and group activities that focus on how educators can increase student preparedness, incorporate and utilize technology in and out of the classroom, nurture life-long learning and much more.

"I am very pleased CSM will be hosting its first regional conference on promoting student success. Bringing educators together to present their ideas will help all of us refine our approaches and enhance student success. I am hopeful that this conference will become an anticipated yearly event for educators in the area," said CSM President Bradley Gottfried.

Conference tracks include teaching approaches and strategies, technology, student preparedness and general interest. The keynote speaker for the conference will be Patrick Thaddeus Jackson, Ph.D., an associate professor of International Relations in the School of International Service at the American University in Washington, D.C. and director of the university's General Education Program.

Jackson will speak on "Generational Images of Learning: Millennials, Media and the 21st-Century Classroom." He is the author of "Civilizing the Enemy: German Reconstruction and the Invention of the West" and is co-editor of "Civilization Identity: The Production and Reproduction of 'Civilizations' in International Relations." Other conference presentations include "Building an Effective Bridge: Training Peer Mentors," "Improving Student Readiness for College and the Workforce," Mission Possible: The Administrator's Role in Fostering a Motivating Environment," "Common Reading Initiatives: Strategies that Work," "Multicultural Education at the Crossroads of the 21st Century" and "Not Another Brick in the Wall, Taking the Pain Out of Business Math."

Registration for the conference is $80 until Oct. 9, $90 thereafter, and includes breakfast, lunch, light refreshments and conference materials. For registration materials visit http://www.itc.csmd.edu/studentsuccess/registration.html. For additional information on CSM's Mid-Atlantic Regional Conference call 301-934-7602 or 301-870-3008, Ext. 7602 for Charles County; 240-725-5499, Ext. 7602 for St. Mary's County or 443-550-6199, Ext. 7602 for Calvert County or visit www.itc.csmd.edu/studentsuccess. The College of Southern Maryland is a regionally accredited community college that provides programs and services with a special focus on local workforce development to maintain and grow a healthy economy and community. CSM is the 2006 recipient of the Maryland Chamber of Commerce Partner in Business Award. For information call 301-934-7766 or 301-870-3008, Ext. 7766 or visit www.csmd.edu.

New Guidelines Announced for Free and Reduced-Price School Meals and Free Milk

The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) announced revised Income Eligibility Guidelines for free and reduced-price School Meals and, if applicable for free milk. The guidelines are set by the federal government and adopted by MSDE. They are used to determine whether children are eligible to eat School Meals free or at a reduced cost of 30 cents for breakfast and 40 cents for lunch.

Household size and income is the most common way to determine eligibility. For example, a child from a family of four is eligible for free school meals if the household’s current income is below $26,845. If the family’s income is between $26,845 and $38,203, the child is eligible for reduced-price meals.

Meal benefit applications will be sent home from school at the beginning of the school year. U.S. citizenship is not required to be eligible for free or reduced-price meals. Parents/Guardians should fill out the application completely and send it back to the school. Schools cannot approve applications that are not complete.

The school will let parents/guardians know whether their children qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Households may talk to school officials if they do not agree with the school’s decision or they may appeal the decision and request a fair hearing. School officials may ask parents/guardians to verify their income or other information from the application.

Children certified as homeless or migrant and children who live in households receiving Food Stamps or Temporary Cash Assistance (TCA) are eligible for free meals and do not need to fill out an application. Some Food Stamp and TCA households will receive a letter from the school telling them that their children are eligible for free meals. Food Stamp and TCA households that do not receive a letter by September 8, 2007, should fill out an application.

Other children that may be eligible for free or reduced-price meals include: most foster children, runaways, and children in households participating in WIC.  Parents/Guardians of these children should complete an application.

Parents/guardians may reapply at any time during the school year and are encouraged to do so if their household size goes up, they lose their job, their income goes down, or their household qualifies for Food Stamps or TCA.

School Meals include the National School Lunch Program with the After-School Care Snack component, the School Breakfast Program, and the Special Milk Program.  Participating agencies in the School Meals Programs include:  public schools, nonpublic private schools, and residential child care institutions. Meals served must meet nutrition requirements set by the federal government.  The School Meals programs are administered in Maryland by MSDE and, on a federal level, by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The guidelines included here are effective July 1, 2007, through June 30, 2008.

Individuals who want more information concerning schools or facilities that participate in one of the Child Nutrition Programs should call 410-767-0199.

CSM Board Elects First Chair from Outside Charles

The College of Southern Maryland reached a watershed in its nearly 50-year history when the Board of Trustees at its June meeting elected James K. Raley Jr. of Hollywood and MacArthur Jones of Calvert County as chair and vice-chair respectively. In addition to signally being the first time a representative from other than Charles County has been appointed to the board’s top leadership position, outgoing Chair Joseph Shannon said, “While the board has been served by a vice chair from either Calvert or St. Mary’s County for four years, this is the first time in our history to have both a chair and vice chair from counties other than Charles.”

CSM’s Board of Trustees is the governing body providing leadership and oversight of the college’s mission and policies. Members are appointed by the governor for five-year terms, and by 2010 the board will consist of nine members, with Calvert, Charles and St. Mary’s counties to be equally represented.

The college was established in 1958 in Charles County and became the College of Southern Maryland in July 2000 with the formation of the regional college that brought together the college’s four campuses in La Plata, Leonardtown, Prince Frederick and Waldorf.

“When we moved towards becoming a regional community college in 2000, this is exactly what we had hoped to accomplish. This shows the institutional maturation of the board and the school. It’s a really proud moment,” said Trustee Robert Healy, who has served on the board since 1995.

“It’s an honor to be a graduate of this institution and be able to come back and help the college in this manner. I appreciate and am honored by this,” Raley told his fellow board members in accepting the position, which is elected annually by the board.

A member of the board since 2000, Raley earned an associate's degree from CSM, a bachelor's degree in economics from St. Mary's College of Maryland and a master's degree in management from the University of Maryland University College. He is self-employed in a family farming operation and is an experienced professional manager.

Previously at the St. Mary's County Office of the Sheriff he served four years as the chief executive officer and for seven years as a shift commander. Raley is also currently a member of the governing board of trustees of the St. Mary’s Nursing Center in Leonardtown. He is active with a number of civic organizations, including the Masons as well as the Optimist Club of Hollywood for which he served as president.

Serving his first term as vice chair for the board and a member of the board since 2003, Jones is the vice president and chief operating officer of the National Institute of Security Education Corporation.
Previously he was with the Calvert County Public School System for 31 years, where he served as a teacher for eight years; vice principal at the elementary level for 11 years and two years at the middle school level; and principal at the elementary level for eight years. He recently completed a six-year term on the board of education for the Calvert County Public Schools.

Other CSM trustees are Charles R. Bailey Jr. and Mary Maddox Krug of Calvert County, Sarah “Sally” Barley and Dorothea Holt Smith of Charles County, and Janice T. Walthour of St. Mary’s County. Effective July 1, Michael L. Middleton of Charles County will join the board.
Serving as secretary/treasurer to the board is CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried. For information on CSM, visit www.csmd.edu.