Highlighted Events This Week And Next Week In Wicomico Schools

Thursday, March 25
Special Registration Day for Kindergarten and Prekindergarten
Wicomico Schools with Primary Grades

The first day to register children for prekindergarten and kindergarten for the 2010-2011 school year in Wicomico County Public Schools will be Thursday, March 25. On that day, Wicomico County elementary schools with primary grades will begin enrolling children who will start prekindergarten or kindergarten next year, and children not in public kindergarten who will be enrolled in the first grade for the 2010-2011 school year.

Parents or guardians will need to bring immunization records (please see a doctor or the health department to ensure that the child's vaccination record is complete), birth certificate and proof of residency for each child. Income verification is needed for prekindergarten registration ONLY.

The flier on prekindergarten/kindergarten registration and the table of state vaccination requirements may be downloaded from the Wicomico County Public Schools Web site at www.wcboe.org, under Quick Links.

Registration takes place at each Wicomico school that serves primary grades (prekindergarten through grade 2), from 9 a.m.-noon and 1-4 p.m. unless otherwise noted. Exceptions are: Beaver Run Elementary, 9 a.m.-noon and 1-3 p.m.; Delmar Elementary, 8:15-11:15 a.m. and 12:15-3:15 p.m.; Willards Elementary, 8:15-11:15 a.m., 12:15-3:15 p.m. and 5-7 p.m.; Fruitland Primary, 9 a.m.-3 p.m.; Westside Primary, 9-11:30 a.m. and 1-3 p.m.; and Prince Street Elementary, 8 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Schools will register children every day after the March 25 opening day.

The next school year will begin Aug. 30, 2010. The approved calendar for the 2010-2011 may be viewed and downloaded from the Board home page at www.wcboe.org, under Quick Links.

Call 410-677-4580 for any additional information, including early entrance into prekindergarten or kindergarten. The Board policy on early admission to kindergarten and prekindergarten is on the web site at www.wcboe.org; Look for Board of Education in Quick Links and click to go to Policies.

Kindergarten is mandatory for all 5-year-old Maryland children unless the parents or guardians have completed a Kindergarten-Level of Maturity Waiver Form. Forms are available at the schools or the Board website. Completed forms should be forwarded to the attention of Mrs. Susan Jones, Director of Elementary Education. Children must be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2010.

Prekindergarten is not mandatory, and is offered to qualified children who will be 4 by Sept. 1, 2010. Maryland and Delmar, Del., neighborhood children who come from low-income or at-risk situations, have prior participation in Head Start or who experience challenges like emergency or health problems, limited English proficiency, homelessness, or other home or family circumstances, will be given priority admission to prekindergarten. Children may also be recommended for the program by government or court referral. Parents or guardians whose child does not meet those criteria can put the child's name on a waiting list, which will be used to fill any remaining slots. Documentation must be submitted prior to a child's acceptance into the program.

Thursday, March 25
3rd annual Technology Media Festival
North Salisbury Elementary

Students and teachers will showcase their best work in technology media at the 3rd annual Technology Media Festival at 6 p.m. Thursday, March 25, at North Salisbury Elementary. Close to 500 students from 13 schools submitted more than 100 entries. At the Technology Media Festival, the entries will be on display for the community to see from 6-7 p.m., and winners will be announced starting at 7 p.m.

Saturday, March 27
Wicomico County Reading Rally
Salisbury Middle

The 9th annual Wicomico County Reading Rally will be held at Salisbury Middle School from 9 a.m.-noon Saturday, March 27. Middle school teams have read and discussed Reading Rally books, and now it's time for the teams to compete for literary bragging rights based on the seven novels they have read this year. For more information contact Ellen Burton at eburton@wcboe.org or 410-677-5171.

Wednesday, March 31-Monday, April 5
Spring Holidays
Schools closed

Wicomico Schools will close at the regular time on Tuesday, March 30, and will be closed for students Wednesday, March 31-Monday, April 5, for the Spring Holidays. The Central Office and schools will be closed Friday, April 2, and Monday, April 5. Schools and Central Office will reopen Tuesday, April 6.

Please note: The approved Spring Holiday dates are not affected by makeup days.

Students and parents/guardians should note the following changes in the 2009-10 school calendar:

April 13: End of 3rd marking period (originally scheduled for March 30)
April 14: Beginning of 4th marking period (originally scheduled for April 6)
April 21: Report cards distributed (originally scheduled for April 13)
May 3: School day with dismissal two hours early (originally scheduled as a professional day for teachers)
May 14: Mid-term reports distributed (originally scheduled for May 7)
June 9-11: Regular school days (originally scheduled as early dismissal days)
June 14 and 15: Regular school days (added as makeup days due to inclement weather closings)
June 16, 17 and 18: School days with dismissal two hours early (added as makeup days due to inclement weather closings). June 18 is the last day of school for students.

Thursday, April 1, 4-7 p.m.
College Savings Plan of Maryland Night
Salisbury University

Need help saving for college? The College Savings Plans of Maryland will be at Salisbury University on Thursday, April 1, 4-7 p.m. in Nanticoke Room A of the Guerrieri University Center to help answer questions. Parents, grandparents, and friends can come out anytime during the event to talk with agency staff and get help completing Prepaid College Trust enrollment on the spot. Maryland has two Section 529 plans that offer a Maryland State income deduction. Anyone who visits the College Savings Plans of Maryland at their local event will receive a free gift. For further information or directions to this events please contact Maribel Adia at 443-769-1034 or madia@collegesavingsmd.org.


Opportunities to Support Our Schools
Saturday, March 27
Horizons Arts & Dance Showcase
Wicomico High School Auditorium

The 2010 Horizons Arts & Dance Showcase will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday, March 27, in the Wicomico High School Auditorium. This event benefits Horizons at The Salisbury School (www.salisburyhorizons.org), a program that aims to educate and inspire elementary-aged students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and provides them with a wide array of academic, social and recreational opportunities. Featured Showcase performers include the cast of A Pirate's Life, JMB Rock & Roll Revival, Feet of Fire, Prince Street Pride Steppers, All Shook Up, Dancenter, Eastern Shore Ballet Theatre, and Salisbury Studio of Dance. Chinese auction. Refreshments will be available. Dessert and coffee bar provided by Common Grounds Coffee Shop. Sponsors are the Wicomico County Board of Education, The Salisbury School, Otway & Russo Law, and CFS Retirement & Tax Solutions. Tickets are $10 adults, $5 children. 410-742-4464, ext. 109.

Now Open
A+ Garden Centre
Parkside CTE

The A+ Garden Centre at Parkside High School CTE is now open, with student-grown plants for sale in a garden centre operated by students. It will be open from 8:30-11 a.m. and 12:30-2 p.m. weekdays on regular school days. Check with the garden centre for what's available. 410-341-8746.

Sat. April 10
Wicomico High School Band Boosters Car Show

The Wicomico High School Band Boosters will host an open car show for all antique and special interest cars, trucks, tractors and motorcycles. Registration is $8 in advance or $10 the day of the show. The show will be held from from 9 a.m.-2 p.m. with awards beginning at 2:30 p.m. There will be a Top 20 and a Band's Choice and Director's Choice. For information contact Buck Burton at bburton@wcboe.org.

Friday, April 16
Junior Achievement 24th annual Golf Tournament
Green Hill Yacht & Country Club

The 24th annual Junior Achievement Golf Tournament will be held at Green Hill Yacht & Country Club Friday, April 16, with registration beginning at noon. This is the organization's largest fund-raiser of the year, and money raised by the tournament helps to purchase teaching materials for financial literacy programs that reach more than 5,000 youth across the Eastern Shore. Teams of four may register for $400 through April 1; the cost is $500 after April 1. Single players may also register. The tournament is sponsored by Delmarva Power. Contact Junior Achievement at 410-742-8112 or juniorachievement@comcast.net.

Saturday, April 24
Scavenger Hunt and Car & Motorcycle Show
Pittsville PTA, at Willards Elementary (new location)

The first Pittsville PTA Scavenger Hunt and Car & Motorcycle Show will be held at the Willards Elementary School (new location) on Saturday, April 24. The schedule includes: 9-10 a.m. registration for bike scavenger hunt, which will be from 10 a.m.-12:30 p.m.; 9-10:30 a.m. registration for vehicle scavenger hunt, which will be from 10:30 a.m.-noon; 9-11 a.m. registration for car and motorcycle show; 1 p.m. last chance to vote for Kiss the Pig Contest plus judging for bike show and live auction; 1:30 p.m. judging for car show; 2 p.m. awards presentation and Kiss the Pigs. Refreshments by the Powellville Fire Co., Pittsville Ladies Auxiliary and Whitey's BBQ will be available for purchase. For more information contact Mindy West at 410-835-2234 or mstwest@hotmail.com.

Coupon Booklets for Local RestaurantsBenefitting Kindness of Strangers Fund LORA (Local Owners Restaurant Association) coupon booklets are now being sold, with proceeds going to the Kindness of Strangers Fund. Kindness of Strangers (KOS) is a fund established to assist families in purchasing therapeutic/adaptive equipment for their children with special needs ages birth-21. The coupon booklets are $25, and $20 of that amount goes into the KOS fund. Five dollars goes to Junior Achievement, which printed the booklet. The booklet is worth more than $200 with locally owned restaurants such as Market Street, Sobo's, Breaktime, Red Roost, Boonies, Adam's and others. Use all the coupons and your name will be entered to win cash prizes which will be drawn at Pork in the Park. This is a great way to help others. Call Lori Thompson at 410-677-5250 or e-mail her at lthompso@wcboe.org to purchase a booklet. Available NowKids of Honor Gift CardsViva Espresso If you eat/drink at Viva Espresso coffee shop on College Avenue, please consider buying a gift card to use for your purchases. Viva Espresso now has a Kids of Honor branded gift card for sale there. You just buy it at face value and use it for your purchases. Nancy Dix, owner of Viva Espresso, donates a portion of all sales to Kids of Honor - a win/win situation! You can re-load the card when it gets low or runs out. The cards also make great gifts for dog/cat sitters, birthdays, holidays, get well gifts, mail-carriers, etc.


Upcoming Events

April 8-10
Children's and Young Adult Literature Festival
Salisbury University

The annual Children?s and Young Adult Literature Festival at Salisbury University will highlight outstanding authors and books and will engage many Wicomico schoolchildren in learning about literature. The festival begins on Thursday, April 8, with the Environmental Literature Festival from 6-9 p.m. with author Michael Buckley (The Sisters Grimm series, NERDS series) presenting at 6 p.m. and signing at 7 p.m., along with winners of the Green Earth Book Awards. At 7 p.m., winners of the 2010 Eastern Shore Young Authors and High School Young Authors contests will be honored, followed by a presentation by author Peter Gould.

On Friday, April 9, from 9-9:50 a.m., author Eileen Spinelli and illustrator Anne Kennedy ("Miss Fox's Class Goes Green") will meet with Pemberton Elementary kindergartners and the public for a Q&A session. From 10-10:50 a.m., author S. Terrill French ("Operation Redwood") will meet with Pinehurst Elementary fourth-graders and the public. From 1-1:50 p.m., author Marfe Ferguson Delano ("Earth in the Hot Seat," "Genius: A Photobiography of Albert Einstein") will meet with Salisbury Middle and Mardela Middle students and the public.

The festival will continue on Saturday, April 10, with a community day at Barnes & Noble with collaboration by the Ward Museum. This event from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. will include book signings by Green Book Award winners, and information provided by environmental organizations. All events are free and open to the public. For the latest information, please call 410-543-6509. http://faculty.salisbury.edu/~elbond/childlitfestival.html.

Friday, April 9
Warriors' Challenge
Mardela Middle and High School

Have any plans yet for April 9? Please make plans to participate or help out with Mardela's Warriors' Challenge sporting competition. Specific details will be forthcoming but for now all you need to know is that the Mardela Middle and High PTA is sponsoring this competition on Friday, April 9, from 6 - 8 p.m. in the gym. Grades 9, 10, 11, and 12, and teachers will compete in fun and zany games to see who walks out of the MMHS gym that evening being able to say that they survived the Warriors' Challenge. 410-677-5142.

Saturday, April 10
Destination ImagiNation (DI) State Tournament
University of Maryland, Baltimore County

The 2010 Maryland DI State Tournament will be held Saturday, April 10, at University of Maryland, Baltimore County in Catonsville, and 17 teams from Wicomico County Public Schools have qualified to participate. Teams will be competing to win a spot at the Global Finals in Tennessee. Last year Wicomico County sent 5 qualifying teams to this international event.

Destination ImagiNation (DI) is a student centered, technology friendly, international organization for kindergarten through college students. It teaches life skills and expands imaginations through team-based creative problem solving. Destination ImagiNation emphasizes creativity, teamwork and problem solving.

The DI Program has two components revolving around a central theme each year. The first component is Instant Challenge (IC). These challenges spark and quickly capture the team members' wild imaginations as they attempt to solve a challenge on the spot. Students practice improv techniques using materials and verbal responses which will enable them to handle spontaneous problem solving. Students learn creativity skills, divergent and convergent thinking skills, risk taking, time awareness, cooperation, and how to have fun with their team members along the way.

The second component is the Central Challenge (CC). Teams use art, technology, performance, and real world relevance as they tackle one of five different challenges each year. The team solution takes weeks and months to complete. Each challenge contains scoring elements that will be carefully judged by trained appraisers.

Saturday, April 10
Eastern Shore Reading Council Literacy Fair
The Centre at Salisbury

The Eastern Shore Reading Council will hold its annual Literacy Fair at the Centre at Salisbury Saturday, April 10, 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Schools, organizations and others will have booths highlighting literacy. To sign up as an exhibitor, contact Otto Jester at ojester@wcboe.org or call 410-422-3577 and leave a message.

Saturday, April 10
Parkside Concert Choir Competes at Annapolis Heritage Festival
Annapolis

The Concert Choir of Parkside High School will perform at some very exciting venues this spring. On Saturday, April 10, the group will compete against 13 other choral groups at the Annapolis Heritage Festival at Annapolis Area Christian School. The Concert Choir will perform three adjudicated selections (the same pieces that will be used for the Eastern Shore Choral Directors Association District Festival on March 25.) The choir will also have lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe in the Inner Harbor of Baltimore and the evening will be completed with a dinner, show, and awards ceremony at Medieval Times in Annapolis. Choir director Sarah McCabe, 410-677-5143.

Saturday, April 10
STEM Saturday
Learning Science Through Research at Horn Point Learning Science Through Research (a trip to Horn Point Environmental Research Lab in Cambridge: Middle-school participants become lab scientists for a day using ocean science to explore basic scientific principles), 9 a.m.-2 p.m. April 10, students depart from and return to Salisbury Middle. To register contact Gretchen Boggs at gboggs@wcboe.org or at 410-677-5149.

Tuesday, April 13, 1:30 p.m.
Board of Education Monthly Meeting
Board of Education Office

The monthly meeting of the Wicomico County Board of Education will be held at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, April 13, in the Board of Education Office. 410-677-4561.

Wednesday, April 14
Parkside Concert Choir Sings National Anthem
Oriole Park at Camden Yards

The Concert Choir of Parkside High School submitted an audition CD to the Baltimore Orioles and has been chosen to sing the National Anthem at the start of the game at 1:45 p.m. Wednesday, April 14. Many parents and other family members will be joining the choir at Oriole Park at Camden Yards for this incredible experience. Choir director Sarah McCabe, 410-677-5143.

Tuesday, April 20Board of Education Awards & Recognitions NightWicomico Middle School The next Wicomico County Board of Education Awards & Recognitions Night of the 2009-10 school year will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 20, at Wicomico Middle School to honor outstanding students, teachers, administrators, schools, programs and community partners.

April 21-May 11
MSA Science Testing for Grades 5 and 8

The testing window for Maryland School Assessment (MSA) Science will begin April 21 and run until May 11. The MSA Science test is taken by students in grades 5 and 8.

Thursday, May 27
Wicomico County Math 24 Game Tournament
Salisbury University Commons

The annual Math 24 Game Tournament for Wicomico elementary and middle students will begin at 6 p.m. Thursday, May 27, in the Commons at Salisbury University. (This event was originally scheduled for May 20.)