Good evening RAMFAM! This is your proud Parkside principal, Brian Briggs.
Before I get to this week’s highlights and updates, I just wanted to take the time to share some thanks as this week we will celebrate Thanksgiving. I am extremely thankful and blessed to be your principal here at Parkside CTE, a school that I love. I am also thankful to be able to work with such a great collection of students, wonderful parents and guardians, and amazing staff. I hope that all of you and your families have a great Thanksgiving.
We had another great week here at Parkside and here are just a few highlights:
· Our PHS Stock Market Club got to visit Salisbury University to learn more about the stock market from the SU School of Business.
· Parkside was well represented at the All-County Chorus Concert Friday evening. Parkside consistently shines in the fine arts and our chorus program under the leadership of Toni Daniel is no exception.
· Thank you to Career Coach Reed for putting on our first ever First Responders and Armed Forces Career Day. Students had the chance to learn about the critical roles that first responders and armed forces play in protecting our communities, while also networking with professionals and gaining valuable career advice. A highlight of the event was a special presentation from the Maryland Army National Guard, featuring a live demonstration with a UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter landing on campus.
· Some of our student leaders were able to attend the Junior Achievement Leadership Conference. From their advisor Toni Daniel - Such a rewarding and inspiring event!!! Parkside students displayed pose, kindness, intellect, and pride today. The information shared today has ignited a flame in each of these student leaders to continue working towards ALL their aspirations and dreams!!
· Rotary Club Award Winners from Parkside CTE included Judith Lopez from the CNA program and Noah DeWeerdt from CISCO Networking.
· Our CTE Culinary program, under the leadership of Chef David Wells, provided amazing luncheons for both the Wicomico County Retired Teachers Association and WCPS Secondary Counselors.
· We celebrated all our Parkside CTE educational support professionals. Without these individuals, our school would not be the school that it is.
I am a big believer in communication and making sure that everyone knows what is happening here at Parkside, home of the RAMS. See below for important updates/reminders and dates over the next few months.
Important dates upcoming:
· November 27th-29th – Schools closed for Thanksgiving Break
· December 5th – start of official Winter Sports games/meets
· December 18th – Winter Holiday Concert
· December 23rd – January 3rd – Schools closed for students for Winter Break (Parkside CTE offices will be open 12/23, 12/26-27, 12/30, and 1/2-3)
Updates/Reminders:
· This is a reminder of the WCPS attendance procedure. Students who meet or exceed 5 days of unlawful absence within the marking term must participate in an attendance intervention program or receive failing grades, for all courses, for the entire marking term. To avoid this please make sure that your child attends school when they are healthy and if your student is ill, please turn in a doctor’s note or you may turn in a parent note but you can only use 5 of those per year and they can only be for 5 days total per year. Remember, we need you to Arrive to Thrive in Wicomico County!
· Parkside is starting a new literacy initiative where we look to RAMp IT UP in our classrooms with increased levels of reading and writing. We will be looking for our students to ACE their assignments…they should be Answering the question, Citing evidence from the text, and Explaining their answer. This will assist our students, especially those who have a difficult time writing, so that they can become better prepared for college, career, or the military.
· Our Parkside Step-Up after school program continues this week and will run Monday through Thursday most weeks from 2:45 till 4:45. This program offers tutoring, enrichment activities, and attendance intervention plan make up time. Transportation is provided if needed. See your grade level Google Classroom to sign up and for more information. This week we will only offer Step-Up on Monday and not Tuesday due to the Thanksgiving Break.
· It’s Time to Nominate a Great Educator to Be the Next Wicomico Teacher of the Year!
Celebrate a great teacher with a nomination for Wicomico Teacher of the Year! Nominations are now open and will be taken through Dec. 2 for the next Wicomico Teacher of the Year. Anyone in the community may seek recognition for an educator quickly and easily using the online nomination form. Access the nomination form through the school system’s website (www.wicomicoschools.org) or by using the link or QR code.
Teacher of the Year nomination link
(https://forms.gle/5B4Boj3juBeFZk57A)
Teacher of the Year nomination form in Spanish
(https://forms.gle/ZnMyNWFZhh2UVhxr9)
Teacher of the Year nomination form in Haitian Creole
(https://forms.gle/8HQZrLChEKJ6VYG47)
The Wicomico Teacher of the Year Program provides students, families, colleagues, and others in the community the opportunity to nominate, celebrate and honor top educators from around the school system. Outstanding teachers may be nominated in each Wicomico school as well as in Wicomico’s special programs (Birth to Five program, English Language Support Center, Choices Academy and virtual learning). The online nomination form is available in English, Spanish and Haitian Creole. Paper forms in each language are available on request by contacting any school office or the main office of the school system.
Schools will celebrate their nominees, recognize their top three nominees as quarterfinalists, and announce the school’s Teacher of the Year and semifinalist for Wicomico Teacher of the Year in January. For Special Programs, one educator will be named each program’s Teacher of the Year, and the top-scoring teacher from the Special Programs will be a semifinalist for Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
Semifinalists will participate in the Fishbowl public speaking event in early 2025, and will submit a written prompt and interview with a blue-ribbon judging panel. Scores from these three activities will be tallied to determine the finalists and winner of Wicomico Teacher of the Year. The Wicomico Teacher of the Year Celebration will take place April 10 to celebrate all semifinalists, the Teachers of the Year for the Special Programs, and the finalists for the Rising Star Award for outstanding second-year teachers. The four finalists for Wicomico Teacher of the Year will be named that night, and the evening will end with the announcement of the 2025-2026 Wicomico Teacher of the Year.
“Great teachers affect the lives of students and families in lasting, positive ways. As a former student in our schools, I have many memories of outstanding teachers who supported me in being successful in school and being prepared for college and career,” said Dr. Micah Stauffer, Superintendent of Schools. “We have amazing teachers in Wicomico County Public Schools, and the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Recognition Program is a great way to let those teachers know just how much we appreciate them. We’re excited to find out which of the amazing teachers who is serving students in our schools right now will be named the next Wicomico Teacher of the Year.”
Wicomico Teachers of the Year model teaching excellence. Current Wicomico Teacher of the Year Debbie Reynolds was the very first Rising Star Award winner as the most outstanding new teacher. Many Wicomico Teachers of the Year have been finalists for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Wicomico is proud to have had on its staff three former Maryland Teachers of the Year: Aaron Deal (2004), then a computer education teacher at Salisbury Middle and now the Supervisor of New Teacher Induction and Educational Technology and an important member of the Wicomico Teacher of the Year Committee; April Todd, who was named both Somerset and Maryland Teacher of the Year and is now a middle school Thinking and Doing (TAD) teacher for Wicomico Schools; and Bonnie Walston (1994), then a resource teacher at Parkside High School and the Director of Special Education until her retirement.
Nominate a great teacher for Wicomico Teacher of the Year today!
Thank you again RAMFAM for all you do! I am so proud to work with so many great students, families, and staff.
Thanks,
Brian