Sandy Hill Elementary

Dear Parent/Guardian/Community Member, Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) has initiated a process to modernize its elementary schools, and we need your input in the first step—the Districtwide Elementary School Prototype Educational Specification. This document will identify what an ideal elementary school in Dorchester County should be: the types of instructional and support spaces it will contain, its educational philosophy, and its community features. It will be used to evaluate the older elementary schools in the system, leading to capital improvement projects that will support your children’s needs. You are invited to a listening session to learn about the process for developing the Districtwide Elementary School Prototype Educational Specification. The first session will be held on February 11, 2025, beginning at 6:00 PM, at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School in the auditorium, and the second session will be held on February 12, 2025, beginning at 6:00 PM, at North Dorchester High School in the auditorium. At these sessions, you will have the opportunity to provide input on the elementary schools. You do not need to attend both sessions as they will both cover the same information. Additional opportunities will be available later this spring to provide comments as the draft educational specification document is developed. The Districtwide Elementary School Prototype Educational Specification is the first step in providing modernized facilities for the elementary school students of Dorchester County. Your concerns and observations are crucial to the success of this process. We look forward to seeing you at one or both sessions. Sincerely, Dr. Jymil Thompson Superintendent of Schools

Congratulations to all of our nominees!

Please RSVP!

Please join us on Thursday, February 13th from 5:30 - 7:00 to hear about the upcoming MCAP assessments and how to help support your child at home. Please use the QR code on the attached flyer to RSVP or email our Community Liaison, Ms. Woolford, at woolfordc@dcpsmd.org.

Sandy Hill Elementary School received a non-credible threat earlier today. Cambridge Police Department is currently investigating and, as a precautionary measure, will be present on our campus while the investigation is conducted. The safety of our students and staff are our number one concern and we will continue to follow our established safety and security protocols.

The stay in place at Sandy Hill has been lifted and we have resumed our normal schedule. Recess will be indoor for the remainder of the day.

Good afternoon parents, As a precautionary measure, we are currently on a stay in place. All students are safe in the building and until further notice, parents and visitors will not be permitted to enter the building.

Quarter 2 report cards will be emailed and sent home today. Students in grades K-5 will also be bringing home their DIBELs and iReady home reports. If your child does not bring those home today, please contact their teacher.

Our quarter 2 Bee Bash will be held during specials today for all students who earned enough bees to participate. Uniforms are still required today and tomorrow.

Please join us!

Due to staff illness, cheer practice will be cancelled today.

NOTICE OF MEETING Board of Education Budget Work Session with Public Comments on the Budget DATE: Thursday, January 23, 2025 TIME: 5:00 p.m. PLACE: The Board Room Central Office of the Board of Education 700 Glasgow Street Cambridge, MD 21613 The Board of Education of Dorchester County will conduct a Budget Work Session with Comments from the Public at the date, time and location indicated above to address business as indicated on the agenda. The agenda and related documents can be accessed online via BoardDocs on the Dorchester County Public Schools website at www.dcps.k12.md.us. Anyone who would like to submit public comments electronically, to be included in the minutes, can email comments@dcpsmd.org by 4:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 22 2025. All Board of Education Meetings will be livestreamed: https://townhallstreams.com/towns/dorchesterboe

Good Afternoon Families, This weekend is a 3-day weekend. Schools will be closed on Monday, January 20th, in observance of Martin Luther King Day. We are closely monitoring the weather forecast, which indicates a possibility of snow on Sunday and very cold temperatures on Monday and Tuesday. We are unsure if this will cause a school closure next week. To prepare, we are sending home devices and chargers with students today in case we have to provide virtual learning next week. Remember, we have used all our inclement weather days and are doing our best to not extend the school year further into June. If there is no significant snow event, students should bring their devices and chargers back to school on Tuesday. Please ensure the devices are safely stored over the weekend. If there are any connectivity issues, students will have the opportunity to make up the work, and it will not count against them. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding.

Unfortunatley, we will need to reschedule our Parent University scheduled for Thursday, January 16th. Information regarding the new date will be shared soon.

January 15, 2025 Dear Parent/Guardian/Community Member, Dorchester County Public Schools (DCPS) has initiated a process to modernize its elementary schools, and we need your input in the first step—the Districtwide Elementary School Prototype Educational Specification. This document will identify what an ideal elementary school in Dorchester County should be: the types of instructional and support spaces it will contain, its educational philosophy, and its community features. It will be used to evaluate the older elementary schools in the system, leading to capital improvement projects that will support your children’s needs. You are invited to a listening session to learn about the process for developing the Districtwide Elementary School Prototype Educational Specification. The first session will be held on February 11, 2025, beginning at 6:00 PM, at Cambridge-South Dorchester High School in the auditorium, and the second session will be held on February 12, 2025, beginning at 6:00 PM, at North Dorchester High School in the auditorium. At these sessions, you will have the opportunity to provide input on the elementary schools. You do not need to attend both sessions as they will both cover the same information. Additional opportunities will be available later this spring to provide comments as the draft educational specification document is developed. The Districtwide Elementary School Prototype Educational Specification is the first step in providing modernized facilities for the elementary school students of Dorchester County. Your concerns and observations are crucial to the success of this process. We look forward to seeing you at one or both sessions. Sincerely, Dr. Jymil Thompson Superintendent of Schools

We apologize for this short notice, but due to staff illness, basketball practice is cancelled today, Tuesday, January 14th. Cheer practice will still be taking place.

Just a reminder, after school Arts and Crafts ended on December 17th. Students who previoulsy participated should no longer stay after school on Tuesdays.

Week of January 13th

Join us this Wednesday!

Good afternoon! Dorchester County Public schools will be opening on a two hour delay Monday, January 13th. Parents please make sure that your child returns their charged laptop tomorrow.