the college€¦ · share summer reading and math review recom-mendations with parents. suggest day...
TRANSCRIPT
Research shows that stu-
dents lose academic skills
when they don’t partici-
pate in summer educational
activities, and low-income
students experience the
greatest losses. According
to the Johns Hopkins Uni-
versity Center for Summer
Learning, teachers spend
an average of 4 to 6 weeks
re-teaching material that
students forgot over the
summer. How can we sup-
port student learning over
the summer break?
▪Develop activities involv-
ing low-cost local sites
such as the Rural Heritage
Museum, Antietam Battle-
field, Washington County
Museum of Fine Arts,
Hager House, Round House
Museum, or the C&O Canal.
▪Assign creative interdis-
ciplinary projects similar
to the ones developed by
magnet teachers.
▪Offer alternative pro-
jects linking geography or
history research to family
vacations.
▪Encourage students to
attend WCPS summer en-
richment camps and sum-
mer school.
▪Share summer reading
and math review recom-
mendations with parents.
▪Suggest day trips to one
of the eight 4-year col-
leges located less than 50
miles from Hagerstown.
Summer enrichment oppor-
tunities can reduce the
achievement gap and en-
courage all students to
become lifelong learners.
Website of the Month
Students can begin their
college research on eCam-
pusTours.com, which of-
fers 360 degree views of
over 1,200 college cam-
puses and is searchable
by state or college name.
Articles on college plan-
ning, financial aid, career
exploration, and campus
life are also available.
Students can create an
online portfolio to save
their favorite tours and
can link directly to college
websites and admissions
offices. Viewers are re-
quired to create a free
account. Check it out!
Summer Learning
College of the Month University of Maryland,
Baltimore County is an hon-
ors university that com-
bines a strong liberal arts
foundation with the re-
sources of a major re-
search facility. UMBC of-
fers 42 majors and 41 mi-
nors in physical and biologi-
cal sciences, social and
behavioral sciences, engi-
neering, math, information
technology, humanities, and
the arts. U.S. News and World Report recognized
UMBC as the top “Up-and-
Coming National Univer-
sity” for two consecutive
years, while both Princeton Review and Kiplinger’s have
named it a best value pub-
lic university.
The College
Connection May/June 2011
Volume 1, Issue 9
UMBC 2010
Freshman Facts
Enrollment
1,499 freshmen
Average SAT
(M+CR)
1204
GPA
3.6
Male-Female Ratio
60% Male
40% Female
Living On Campus
75%
Source: www.umbc.edu
Office of
Advanced
Programs
Summer Learning 1
Website of the Month 1
College of the Month 1
School Spotlights 2-3
Inside this issue:
Creating a College-Going
Culture in WCPS
School Spotlight: BMS Boonsboro Middle School’s ISS Coordinator, Susan Fisher, created a college bulletin
board that is receiving lots of attention from BMS students. A table with pamphlets
from colleges throughout the tri-state area is also set up as part of the College Cor-
ner. Thanks to Ms. Fisher for submitting the photos below and at left.
The College
Connection
Spotlight: WHS AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determi-
nation) students at Williamsport High
School visited several colleges this year,
including the University of Maryland and
Shepherd University. Students also re-
searched colleges and created their own
pennants for display. All teachers have
classroom signs posted with their educational
histories, and AVID teachers are identified
with the AVID logo on their signs. Thanks to
WHS AVID team member Nicole Ciccarelli
for submitting the photos below.
School Spotlight: Bester Leah Pongratz’s fifth grade class at Bester Elementary School researched colleges
online, selected their first choice school, and picked a major. Students also com-
pleted mock college applications and wrote personal essays explaining why that col-
lege should admit them. Student applications, research, and photos were then dis-
played on a bulletin board. Thanks to Ms. Pongratz for sharing the photo below.
Board of Education
of Washington County
Wayne D. Ridenour, President
W. Edward Forrest, Vice President
Members
Paul W. Bailey
Donna L. Brightman
Jacqueline Fischer
Karen Harshman
Justin M. Hartings, Ph.D.
The Board of Education of Washington County does not
discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, age, na-
tional origin, religion, disability, or sexual orientation in
matters affecting employment or in providing access to
programs to Washington County Public School System
students.
Supervisor of Advanced Programs
Jessica Reinhard
301-766-2922
College Readiness Specialist Lori Parks-Murphy
301-766-8721
www.wcboe.k12.md.us
of Advanced Programs
Providing world class educational
opportunities for all students
Interim Superintendent
Stan Schaub
Deputy Superintendent
Boyd Michael
Assistant Superintendent for
Curriculum, School Administration
and Improvement
Donna Hanlin
Assistant Superintendent for
Student and Staff Support
Michael Markoe, Ed.D.
Director for Curriculum
and Instruction
Clyde Harrell, Ed.D.
Director for Secondary Education
David Reeder, Ed.D.
Director for Elementary Education
Jill Burkhart
The College
Connection
This is the last issue of The College Connection for the 2010-2011 school
year. Thank you to all of the schools
that submitted photographs and ac-
tivities.
Office of
Advanced
Programs