This week's Scoop!

📸: Celebrating school nutrition at Furley Elementary.

       IN THIS ISSUE

• Coming up...
• Employee Transfer Process Opens
• Now Available: Professional Development Catalog
• Heart of the Schools Announces 2024 Winners
• Learn More About National Board Certification
• Input Needed: Police Chief Search Survey Reopens
• Important Year-End Dates for Finance 
• In case you missed it...
• For families, please share... 
• Good News from City Schools!

Coming up...

March 8, 5-8 p.m.

Let's Get HYPED College and Career Expo

at The REACH! Partnership School

March 11, 6-8 p.m.

SECAC Meeting

March 12, 5:30 p.m.

Board Meeting

March 15

Professional Learning Day

Schools Closed for Students

March 19, 10:30 a.m.

Operations Committee Meeting

March 19, 4 p.m.

Policy Committee Meeting

This year’s transfer process is now open!  Transfer-eligible employees may begin submitting internal applications through the Applicant Tracking System (ATS) for positions in which they are interested and eligible. 

If seeking a voluntary transfer, you must submit an internal application by April 19 and identify a new assignment by May 10.  After May 10, any remaining surplus employees may continue seeking new positions through mutual consent until centralized placements are made by the Human Capital Office in June. Read more about this year’s employee transfer process and key dates for this staffing season here.

*Window of Mutual Consent: Mutual consent is the term used when the hiring manager and employee both agree that an assignment is in their best interests. City Schools believes in staffing by mutual consent whenever possible, and in providing hiring managers and transfer-eligible staff members (i.e., voluntary transfers, surplus employees, and employees from closing school locations) with the opportunity to identify placements that are a good fit. 

The catalog and registration for March 15 Systemic Professional Development Day is now live on City Schools' Professional Learning website. Teachers in grades K-3 should continue to prioritize the 'Science of Reading' sessions for March and May Systemic PD Days. Registration reports will be shared with principals and ILEDs by Tuesday, March 12.

For questions, please contact Dr. Katya Denisova, Director of Professional Learning, EDDenisova@bcps.k12.md.us.

Curious about National Board Certification (NBC)? Learn more at an upcoming information session!

- March 15, 12:30 - 3 p.m. (Systemic PD Session)

National Board Certification is a designation that is earned when teachers demonstrate standards-based evidence of positive impact on student learning. Learn more about NBC.

There is still time to provide input on the School Police Chief search. Please complete this survey, which will be open until Friday, March 15. The information you provide will be used to develop a candidate profile and focus recruitment and screening efforts. 

All purchase requisitions must be entered by Tuesday, April 30, 2024. Please take time with your teams to consider any purchases that you will need to make before the end of the school year and have them entered as requisitions before the deadline. This deadline applies to all schools and offices, and all funds. Please review this notice for additional deadlines related to non-PO AP invoices and expense reimbursements for the 2023-24 school year, as well as information about applying for an exception.

In case you missed it...

DonorsChoose Funding Remains Available

Our teachers know our students best. That's why City Schools is committed to funding DonorsChoose projects created by City Schools teachers.
The district will fund up to $300 of the total cost of your project (including shipping and fee costs), while funding lasts.

Read the full instructions on the DonorsChoose site here.

Important Notice from OIT: New Blackboard Navigation in July

By the end of July, City Schools’ will upgrade Blackboard, which will feature a new navigation/ home page. The new interface is easily navigable and fully responsive, with improved accessibility and usability – even on mobile devices!

Update: Timeclock Installation for Digital Timekeeping

City Schools is currently installing UKG timeclocks in schools and district offices as part of the new UKG Ready timekeeping system. While most employees will not use these timeclocks (or the accompanying mobile app) until late 2024, timeclocks are being installed now to perform testing, configuration, and training. Training will be provided closer to the anticipated go-live date in Winter 2024. If you have any questions, please contact ampcommunications@bcps.k12.md.us.

Connect Students with Paid Opportunities This Summer through YouthWorks: Applications Open Through March 22

YouthWorks 2024 applications are now open! The summer will be here before we know it, and now's the time to start preparing for summer jobs. For information on important dates, worksites, and more, visit the YouthWorks website.

2023-24 National School Bus Safety Week Poster Contest

Calling all student artists! Every year, thousands of school districts in over 40 states participate in local and state-level competitions to select artwork that depicts school bus safety-related themes and promotes school bus safety. The winning posters are used to promote safer school transportation for everyone. State winners advance to the national poster contest. Contest submissions must be received by the Maryland State Department of Education’s (MSDE) Office of Pupil Transportation/Emergency Management by March 15, 2024. For questions, please contact MSDE's Director Gabriel Rose at gabriel.rose1@maryland.gov or 410-767-0209. Learn more.

What will it take for us all to be free?

In honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., the Lyric is asking students this question as part of their Dream Big contest. Students in grades 5-12 can participate with an essay, poem, video, or artwork. Finalists get to showcase their work on the Lyric's historic stage and win great prizes! The deadline for contest submissions is March 22.

Click here for more information.

Good News from City Schools!

To share the district's good news stories amongst our students, staff, families, and partnering organizations, please visit the City Schools website and watch our brief video.

Have some good news from your school or office you'd like to share in this week's Winning Wednesday?

Did you find this information helpful?

Baltimore City Public Schools does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, marital status, pregnancy/parenting status, disability, veteran status, genetic information, age, or other legally or constitutionally protected attributes or affiliations, as outlined in Board Policies JBA, JBB, JICK, ACA, ACB, and ACD. Read the full nondiscrimination notice.