Communications Office

One of the primary roles of the Communications Office is to encourage and facilitate communication between the school system and the community. The office serves as a resource for parents/guardians, community members, businesses, and other individuals interested in the school system by providing information, answering questions, and addressing concerns.

The office is involved in numerous other activities, including SchoolMessenger, the school system website, social media, publications, and the Teacher of the Year Program. In addition, Carroll Educational Television Channel 21 is part of the Communications Office. The office also is responsible for inclement weather and emergency notifications and providing special accommodations to community members.

If you have questions about the school system or need additional information, please use the contact information provided.

            Employee Recognition Program - April 30, 2025

Informational Calendar/Handbook

Annual Report

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The Carroll County Public School System uses SchoolMessenger to provide parents with information from their child’s school and the school system. This service enhances the ability of the schools to communicate with parents and members of the school community. It delivers both e-mail and phone alerts at no charge to parents. Parents may also opt in to receive text messages.

There is no need to sign up for this service. All information is taken from the emergency procedure cards. Parents/guardians are automatically enrolled in the system. If at any time you need to update your contact information, please call your child’s school office.

Messages and announcements sent through SchoolMessenger may include: 

• closings due to inclement weather or other emergencies
• information from the Superintendent and Board of Education
• school newsletters
• attendance calls
• report card reminders
• parent organization updates
• notices of upcoming events
• cancellation notices
• calendar reminders

SchoolMessenger Guardian Guide

SchoolMessenger Text Notifications

SchoolMessenger Info

The Communications Office manages Carroll County Public Schools social media channels and monitors all school system-affiliated accounts.Please review our social media guidelines if you manage or are considering creating a social media account to represent your school, program, or classroom.

The goal of Carroll County Public Schools social media sites (Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube) is to share news, photos, and videos about our school system, students, schools, staff, and upcoming events and to engage with our community in an open and respectful dialogue. We invite staff, students, families, and the community to join the conversation by liking and sharing the CCPS news and photos on any of our pages.

The Community Advisory Council was established May 13, 2009 under Board Policy BDF: Advisory Committees to the Board of Education of Carroll County.

MEETING DATES - 2024-25 SCHOOL YEAR:

Monday, September 23, 2024
Tuesday, November 19, 2024
Wednesday, February 19, 2025
Wednesday, March 5, 2025 - CANCELED - New Date TBD
Monday, May 5, 2025

All meetings will be held in the Board Room at the Board of Education offices at 7:00 p.m.

Pictured (left to right): Todd Hartshorn, Kristy Groomes, Jennifer Goffena, Leslie Bollinger, Jami Robinson, Amy Glascock, Jerome Georgiana, and Margaret Mayberry.

MEET OUR TEACHER OF THE YEAR FINALISTS
 

Leslie Bollinger, Mentor Teacher
Cranberry Station Elementary School
In her role as a mentor teacher, Leslie provides high quality instruction and mentorship so that students in CCPS continue to learn from the best. She believes that student learning and success must start with a highly qualified teacher who has a passion and desire for lifelong learning that they can pass along to their students each day. Leslie has developed curriculum and planned and implemented trainings in science education for new and veteran fourth grade teachers. She also participated in the Teacher Induction Program developed for CCPS and Cranberry Station K-5 and special area teachers.

Jerome Georgiana, Physical Education Teacher
Crossroads Middle School
Jerry believes that the most important thing in engaging students in learning is to gain their trust. He accomplishes this in part by adapting each activity to their talent levels. He says that teachers must open the door, listen with open minds, and create an honest and sincere understanding of each student’s challenges. Jerry provides a school store incentive and develops individual attendance and behavior charts to improve students’ behaviors. He also plays a significant role in planning and organizing the “Penny Carnival”, an all-school activity to raise money for “Pennies for Patients.”

Amy Glascock, 5th Grade Humanities Teacher
Winfield Elementary School
Amy ensures students meet expectations by delivering varied instructional activities to meet the needs of all students in her classroom. She collaborates with colleagues who provide support services to her students and plans engaging lessons with a variety of instructional approaches. Amy provides enrichment through activities that require students to use their background knowledge on a given topic and then apply new knowledge learned through research to create a product of their choosing to share with their peers. She has provided professional development for school staff on the importance of self-assessment and Performance Matters.

Jennifer Goffena, Mathematics Resource Teacher
Shiloh Middle School
Jennifer strives to create an environment where all students know and are confident that she believes in them. As a math specialist, she co-teaches and designs lessons with the classroom teacher that have entry points for each student in the classroom. Knowing her students both mathematically and as “people” aids in planning different learning styles and incorporating student interests into lessons. Jennifer has provided training on the online math program IXL, is a member of the math curriculum writing team, and mentors candidates for National Board Certification.

Kristy Groomes, Science Teacher
North Carroll Middle School
Kristy creates an engaging, effective, and inclusive learning environment for her students and integrates differentiated instruction to effectively convey the curricular content. One way she engages students is with a 5-10 question warm-up game that she creates online. Reviewing student performance on the warm-ups allows her to quickly see who may need intervention or enrichment. Kristy feels that instruction cannot be successful without first gaining student trust and respect. Getting to know her students’ strengths and weaknesses allows her to meet them where they are to ensure that each student finds success in her classroom despite the variety of learning styles and needs.

Todd Hartshorn, Social Studies Teacher
Manchester Valley High School
Over the course of his teaching career, Todd has developed a much broader approach to ensuring that his students meet the expectations of the CCPS curriculum. He has designed project-based assessments that give students the flexibility to demonstrate their learning by designing products they are most comfortable with, such as poems, songs, illustrations, comic strips, murals, board games, and numerous digital products. Todd has always been a strong proponent of second chance learning opportunities for students and believes that giving them opportunities to correct their mistakes promotes self-growth and buy-in instructionally. 

Margaret Mayberry, Social Studies Teacher
Winters Mill High School
Maggie’s primary goal is to help students achieve an enduring understanding within each unit of study. She often takes the provided lessons and adapts them based on special education needs, class numbers, and student dynamics. She also incorporates a variety of assessment methods that help different learners capitalize on their strengths, enabling them to better demonstrate their understanding. Maggie has served as a School Improvement Team leader and a member of the CCPS seventh grade Curriculum Writing Team and the MSDE 7th Grade Curriculum Development Team.

Jami Robinson, 3rd Grade Humanities Teacher
Runnymede Elementary School
Thoughtful, targeted instruction is the foundation of Jami’s teaching. During reading, she maintains engagement through interactive learning. She often asks students to sketch the key details or complete graphic organizers and incorporates total participation techniques. After reading, students are asked to demonstrate understanding. Throughout the Humanities block, she reinforces this objective during guided reading or writing instruction by presenting students with texts at their reading levels. Jami has served as a new teacher mentor and presented professional development for all 5th grade STEM teachers on writing in 5th grade STEM.
 

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2024 CARROLL COUNTY TEACHER OF THE YEAR
BRIAN THOMPSON

Carroll County has always been my home, and it has been an honor to give back to my home as a CCPS teacher for 19 years. Through my roles at Westminster Elementary School as the voice on the morning announcements, DJ at our Play Day and Fun Run, MC at many of our assemblies, or my actual job as a music teacher, it is a privilege to do what I do every day. – Brian Thompson