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Family Link April 2024
April 2024
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National Volunteer Appreciation Month
We Love our Volunteers
It's National Volunteer Month, and we want to send out a big THANK YOU to all of our wonderful volunteers. We appreciate the time you give to strengthen the home and school partnership.
Do you want to volunteer? There are many ways to volunteer - you can go into the school during school hours, bring home tasks to complete for teachers, join the PTA/O or Boosters, help with landscaping, lead clubs, chaperone field trips, #BePresent, Mentor, and so much more!
How can you volunteer? Start by contacting your school to learn about volunteer opportunities. Then head over to https://www.aacps.org/volunteer to get started on your background check and follow the steps needed to become a volunteer.
Do you volunteer outside of school hours? You can log your hours that you volunteer outside of school through our Volunteer Portal. Ask your school's front office staff to create a user for you in Raptor and you can login from any computer to log your hours! Find more information at https://www.aacps.org/volunteer.
Why is it important to log your volunteer hours? Did you know the hours you volunteer don't just benefit you, your school, and your student? These hours are compiled at the county level and used to indicate in-kind support when the county applies for state, federal, and private grants.
Dates to Remember
April 1
Schools & Offices Closed
Last day of Spring Break
April 4 & 5
2-Hour Early Dismissal
End of third marking period
April 10
Schools & Offices Closed
Eid al-Fitr
Community Conversations with Dr. Bedell
Superintendent of Schools Dr. Mark Bedell will host a series of community conversations during which attendees will receive updated information on the performance of Anne Arundel County Public Schools and have the opportunity to speak with key school system leaders.
Remaining conversations:
- Monday, April 22, 2024: Glen Burnie High School, 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, April 24, 2024: South River High School, 6 p.m.
- Monday, May 6, 2024: North County High School, 6 p.m.
- Wednesday, May 8, 2024: Meade Middle School, 6 p.m.
Family Engagement Tip of the Month
April is School Library Month
All elementary school students in AACPL visit their library media center once a week for information literacy lessons and book check out; middle and high school students have scheduled visits in some classes, as well as access to visit the library media center on their own time.
What does my child learn through lessons at the library media center?
Library media specialists teach students to become tech-savvy and independent life-long readers and learners.
They discover a wide range of books, stories, and texts to understand literature and nonfiction, and encourage a love of reading.
They explore print and online resources to find information, build research skills, and learn how to use and share information effectively and responsibly.
How can I support what my student is learning in the library media center?
With your child, read the books they check out from the library. Ask them to tell you about the books and why they chose them.
Encourage your child to choose any books they are interested in. The school library is a special place for children to make their own choices and find something they love and want to read!
Ask them what they are learning about in the library media center. The skills they learn there translate to all areas of life - from learning how to search online, to using higher level thinking skills to categorize genres, to practicing research so that they can always learn more about a topic they are curious about.
Throughout daily life, encourage them to find answers to questions they have. Knowing how to engage with books and the online world will open doors for them to learn throughout their lives.
Family Academy
MackinVIA: Access to Digital Resources
In this School Library Month, use your school library's resources by helping your child navigate MackinVIA to find fiction and nonfiction books, ebooks and audiobooks, use databases, and much more.
Find more videos on Family Academy: Academics & Programs,
Wellbeing & Growth, and Navigating AACPS
International Families
We welcome our international families as volunteers! Whether you are already multilingual, or new to learning English, you are welcome and valued as a partner in our schools! Become a volunteer today.
Reach out to your Bilingual Facilitator for assistance!
Virtual Support, Homework Help, and Tutoring
Middle & High Schoolers
Virtual Homework Help & Tutoring in:
- Core Subjects: Math, English, Science, Social Studies
- World Languages
- AVID
- ESOL
Find the schedule and how to log in at aacps.org/tutoring.
Elementary Math
Virtual Family Support:
- Drop-in for assistance with understanding K-5th grade Math concepts.
- Provides assistance to students and the adults helping them.
Find the schedule and Google Meet link at aacps.org/tutoring.
Discover programs, events, and resources
for all ages in the Spring edition of
Celebrate Arab American Heritage Month with a performance by Malikat Al Dabke (Queens of Dabke) and experience the vibrant and rhythmic traditional dance form known as dabke! Malikat Al Dabke is the first all-female dabke troupe in the DC, Maryland and Virginia (DMV) area, specializing in unique Arab-American and traditional dabke. Visit the Events calendar for details about performances at 4 library branches.
Birding Kits
Are you hearing the chirps of early spring birds? Available at Maryland City Library, these Birding Kits come with a pair of adult binoculars, a pair of child binoculars, a local birding guide, a tip sheet, an optic cleaning cloth, and a drawstring bag.
Memory Lab
Do you want to save your old memories stored on outdated equipment? The Memory Lab at Odenton Library provides equipment for digitizing home movies, phonograph records, and scanning photographs, negatives, slides and audio cassettes.
Brainfuse HelpNow
Is your child struggling with a homework concept? Brainfuse offers live tutoring, skills building, foreign language lab, writing lab with live writing assistance, a test center offering practice quizzes for standardized tests, and much more.
Connected Devices Chromebook Giveaway
As part of AACPL's commitment to help close the digital divide, through a grant provided by Anne Arundel County and the State of Maryland, they are participating in a free Chromebook giveaway for eligible Anne Arundel County residents.
To determine if you are eligible to receive a Chromebook, find a date to receive a Chromebook, and to register, visit the Connected Devices Chromebook Giveaway site.
Spring & Summer Program Guide
Find all the sports, concerts, classes, programs,
and special events happening around the county, both in the Spring and for Summer Camps in the
Recreation & Parks Job Fair
Explore the exciting seasonal roles available in Recreation and Parks! Visit on Saturday, April 6, from 10:00am to 12:00pm at Kinder Farm Park's Harvest Hall to learn more about our employment opportunities.
Healthy Anne Arundel Day
Anne Arundel Recreation and Parks will be waiving park entrance fees on Healthy Anne Arundel Day to encourage residents to enjoy time in nature as a key component of healthy living.
Sunday, April 7
Anne Arundel County Department of Health
The Health Department has many programs, services, and resources to keep you and your family in good physical and mental health.
View all of their services to find programs for you and your family!
Department of Health Installs Lifesaving Vending Machines to Prevent Overdoses
The Anne Arundel County Department of Health installed seven vending machines stocked with the free lifesaving medication naloxone, brand name Narcan. When given in time, it can potentially reverse an overdose from opioids including heroin, fentanyl, and prescription opioid medications. Naloxone is easy to use and small to carry. The machines will also offer other free lifesaving tools, such as fentanyl test strips, xylazine test strips, masks, and COVID-19 tests. View the press release to find the locations around the county.
Volunteers
Volunteer of the Month
March 2024 Volunteer of the Month
Danielle Argo, Seven Oaks Elementary School
"In every corner of the school, Ms. Argo embraces every opportunity to support our students, staff, and families."
Become a Volunteer
Volunteers are an important part of the AACPS school community. By offering your time and talent, you enrich the education of our students, support our staff, and serve families in our community.
Virtual Volunteer Portal
Record the hours you volunteer outside of school!
Your accurate data not only helps us thank you, it also serves as an in-kind contribution when the school system applies for grants.
Ask at your school's office if you don't have a login.
Youth Experiencing Homelessness
The federal McKinney-Vento Act ensures all children who live in any of the following situations have a right to enroll in school and receive transportation by request.
- in a shelter
- in a motel or campground due to lack of adequate accommodation
- in a car, park, abandoned building, or bus or train station
- doubled up with other people due to loss of housing or economic hardship
If you believe your children may be eligible, contact your local school and ask to speak to the Pupil Personnel Worker. All school phone numbers and additional information can be found on the Homeless Students section of the AACPS website.
To make a referral as a community member, service provider, or as a self-referral, please complete the referral form.