Sunday, February 28, 2010

Join Us in Support of Education!




Join the Prince George's County Board of Education in Annapolis on March 10, 2010 as we testify in support of Senate Bill 835 "Equity in State Aid to Counties Act of 2010". Passage of this Bill will GREATLY impact the amount of state aid Prince George's County Public Schools can receive.

The Board of Education will be providing roundtrip transportation from the Sasscer Administration Building in Upper Marlboro to Annapolis on March 10 leaving at 10 a.m.
Reserve your seat on the bus by sending an email with your name and the number of seats you are reserving to constituent.services@pgcps.org by March 4th. Join us in support of education!

Univisión, White House team up to push Hispanic education



By LAURA WIDES-MUNOZ Associated Press

Univisión will announce Tuesday, February 23, 2010, a multiyear campaign to boost academic achievement among Hispanics by teaching parents about what it takes to ensure their children finish high school and graduate from college. The campaign, entitled in Spanish "The Moment is Now,'' comes as statistics show Hispanic high school and college graduation rates are far below the national average, and that the Hispanic unemployment rate is among the nation's highest at 12.6 percent.

With Hispanics making up about a fifth of the nation's kindergarten through 12th graders, that's a major concern for the entire nation, said Univisión Networks President Cesar Conde. The nation's largest Spanish-language network is teaming with the U.S. Department of Education, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation and nonprofits nationwide. Conde said Hispanic parents, like most Americans, value education. And many came to the United States to provide better educational opportunities for their children. But once here, they often don't know how to navigate the system.

"We want to raise the standards and the expectations that we in the Hispanic community have for the youth,'' Conde said. "And we want to educate parents who may not think some opportunities are within their children's grasp.''Univisión will use its television and radio networks and its mobile and Internet platforms to provide information to parents about how to encourage high school completion and college readiness, as well as where to turn for college loans and scholarships -- a key component that can be daunting even for those familiar with U.S. financial and academic systems.According to federal data, about 13 percent of Hispanics in the U.S. have a college degree, compared to about a quarter of the population as a whole. Less than half of Hispanics who attend college graduate, compared to a national average of 54 percent.

"When I first arrived in the U.S. 25 years ago, I still remember people saying the worst problem facing the Hispanic community was the dropout rate,'' said Univisión news anchor Jorge Ramos, who will lead the campaign." Twenty-five years later we're talking about exactly the same thing. Something has to be done.

''An exact cost of the program hasn't been determined but is expected to be several million dollars in cash and donations.Among Univisión's first programs will be a March 6 special that brings together children and their families to talk about the obstacles they face in continuing their education. Ramos said at least two of the teen dropouts he featured have since returned to school as a result of their participation in the show.Univisión worked with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to focus its campaign beyond high school graduation to ensuring students have the skills to make it in college, said foundation spokesman Chris Williams. The foundation will help evaluate and make adjustments to the campaign over time.

Juan Sepulveda, head of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanic Americans, said the government will help connect Univisión with experts such as federal officials, educators and grass-roots groups that can provide examples of best practices the company can highlight. Sepulveda said it was important to dispel the notion that Hispanic youths aren't succeeding because they don't speak English, or that such campaigns target those in the country illegally.

"It's really a small population of students with undocumented status,'' he said. "The majority are U.S. citizens.''Sepulveda said the administration chose to work with Univisión because of the success it has had in previous campaigns, including its citizenship and voter-registration efforts in the run-up to the 2008 election.

"No one is saying this is going to be an easy task,'' Conde said of convincing parents to forgo the financial help that a high school graduate can bring to the household if he goes straight into the work force."But we need to ensure our parents and community as a whole understand the long-term benefits of a college degree not just for the individual, but for the family.''

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

YOUTH COUNCIL ENTERPRISE

Black History MonthYouth Enterprise Kick-Off Belated Valentine Celebration
Youth Council Mobilization

Saturday February 20
Jr's ages 6-13
11:00a 12:30p

History, Fun & Games

Sr's ages 14-19

1:30p - 3:00p

Program Overview
Reception $25.00

Registration includes
NAACP YOUTH MEMBERSHIP SOME SCHOLARSHIP AVAILABLE
RSVP
Click on link below to register or email: naacp-umarlboro@comcast.net
Ms. Victory Paige 240-619-5418
Mrs. Robinson 301-894-5368

PARENT ALERT!!!


February 17, 18 and 19, 2010 - Prince George’s County Public Schools (PGCPS) will be on a two-hour delay primarily due to the severe snow and ice conditions of sidewalks and bus stops in the surrounding neighborhoods of schools.



All school activities, with the exception of athletics, have been cancelled through the week. Meals for students including breakfast and lunch will be available at schools. View Procedures for Delayed Openings



Bus transportation will be provided for all student riders. However, if a bus stop is inaccessible because of the snow, parents are asked to call the PGCPS Transportation department at 301-952-6570 to receive an alternate bus stop. Information on bus stop changes will also be available on PGCPS TV channel 96 (Verizon) and channel 38 (Comcast).


Members of the Prince George’s County Police Department will have increased presence at heavy traffic areas to assist students and parents to navigate around the snow and ice while walking and driving to school. More information is available in the press release.

Message from Dr. Hite, Superintendent of Schools



Dear PGCPS Parents, Staff and Community,The last two months have presented challenges in regard to severe winter weather which has placed all Prince George’s County citizens in unfamiliar territory. Most importantly, the December and February blizzards have placed our 129,000 students in the unique situation of missing a total of eight (8) days of critical learning. All of this has had a significant impact on the continuity of learning for all of our students this school year.

As a community, we must now collectively work together to get our students safely back in school as soon as possible. While the County and school system’s operations divisions have done a tremendous amount of work over the past week to clear school properties and roads, there is still much to be accomplished. We need your help! Many sidewalks that our students use to get to school remain not cleared, and impassable. In addition, we need the help of our community in clearing paths for our students to safely make it to their bus stops. As we all know from our own experience in recent days, when we are unable to traverse the two to three feet of snow on the sidewalk, we resort to walking in the streets. This is not a viable option for our children, particularly those that must travel along traffic-laden corridors. Also, please work with our school buses as drivers work to safely transport our students to and from schools. In some instances, roads are still one lane and patience with drivers as they negotiate these roads will be important in the days ahead. Finally and perhaps most importantly, we need all parents to assist your children in getting to and from school safely in light of the current road and sidewalk conditions.

Please look at the area surrounding your house and the school nearest to you – from the perspective of a much smaller, elementary student trying to get there – and do what you can to help carve out a safe path. Neighborhood, civic and public service organizations are being called upon to organize teams to clear the approaches to schools. In addition, our high school students can also join these efforts and earn service learning credit in the process.

Thank you for all you do for our students, and please do not hesitate to contact my office by phone at 301-952-6008 or by email at william.hite@pgcps.org to find out how you can support our schools.

Sincerely,

William R. Hite, Jr., Ed.D.Superintendent of Schools

Thursday, February 4, 2010

How do I find out if schools are closed or closing?


We use many outlets to deliver emergency information about Prince George’s County Public Schools. You can log onto the PGCPS Web site (http://www.pgcps.org/) and find the information listed at the top of the homepage and each individual school page.

Sign up for subscription service from http://www.schoolsout.com/ to receive an email or text as soon as the decision is announced. Watch PGCPS TV96/38 in Prince George’s County. Call the PGCPS Weather Line at 301-952-6000; option 1. Tune into local television and radio stations for information. View Emergency Weather Codes and Plans.

Photos of the 2010 Parental Engagement Conference

Your pictures and fotos in a slideshow on MySpace, eBay, Facebook or your website!view all pictures of this slideshow

The Middle School Years

Visits From Engaged Parents and Dedicated Educators