Summer hours

From June 12 through Aug. 11, Dorchester County Public Schools Central Office will be open Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Individual school hours will vary; if you need to visit a school, call first to confirm hours. All schools and offices will be closed July 4.

DCPS honors retirees

Dorchester County Public Schools honored 2023 retirees at an event during the last week of school. A statement from DCPS said, “Thank you for your years of service to the children of Dorchester County.”

Carol Collins, Teacher, 5 years with DCPS

Brenda Davis, Benefits Specialist, 20-1/2 years with DCPS

Connie Dunnock, Instructional Literacy Coach, 25 years with DCPS

Michelle Gregori, Teacher, 31 years with DCPS

Darra Hansen, Teacher, 15 years with DCPS

Wally Harper, Maintenance, 10 years with DCPS

Dr. Ruthanna Lucas, Instructional Coach, 35-1/2 years with DCPS

Dr. Emma Pinkett, Coordinator of The Judy Center, 28 years with DCPS

Richard Rosetta, Head Custodian, 17 years with DCPS

Barbara Ross, Teacher, 24 years with DCPS

Lynn Sorrells, Career Counseling & Apprenticeship Coordinator, 30 years with DCPS

Robyn Talbott, Special Education Teacher, 8 years with DCPS

Laurie Tawney, Teacher, 31 years with DCPS

Shirley Willey, Instructional Assistant, 17 years with DCPS

Beth Wilson, Interim Supervisor of HR, 12-1/2 years with DCPS

Salisbury University

SU recognized the efforts of faculty and staff on Employee Appreciation Day last week. SU workers enjoyed activities, from yoga and cupcake decorating, to a special luncheon and dinner, to a petting zoo, caricatures, door prizes, ice cream sundaes, photos in "the big chair," SU Bookstore discounts, and more.

SU President Carolyn Ringer Lepre thanked employees for their dedication to making SU the institution it is and encouraged them to take time to pause to celebrate each other and collective achievements.

More on P-EBT cards

Because Dorchester is a Community Eligibility Provision district in which all students are eligible for free school meals, all students who were enrolled through May will receive a payment of $60 on their P-EBT card around mid-month in both July and August.

DCPS will send information to the Maryland State Department of Education regarding students. If a student’s address has changed, proof of address must be taken to the child’s school no later than Thursday.

New P-EBT cards will not automatically be mailed; only students receiving P-EBT benefits for the first time will receive a P-EBT card. All others will have their benefits loaded on to their existing card. If the card has been lost or stolen, the parent guardian may contact the Maryland hotline at 1-800-997-2222 to request a new one.

The only role of DCPS is to submit names and contact information of our students to MSDE. For questions about the P-EBT program, contact DHS/MSDE at 1-800-997-2222.

Summer learning

School may stop for the summer, but math learning doesn’t. i-Ready (kindergarten – 8th grade) and IXL (high school) will be available all summer. To access i-Ready and IXL, go to clever.com, sign in using your DCPS email and password, and click the icon for either i-Ready or IXL. No computer? Devices are available at Dorchester County Public Library branches in Cambridge (303 Gay St., Cambridge, 410-228-7331) and Hurlock (222 S. Main St., Hurlock, 410-943-4331).

Food Service Program

The Dorchester County Public Schools is participating in the 2023 Summer Food Service Program. Meals will be provided to all children without charge. The schools’ plan is to serve breakfast and lunch on Mondays through Thursdays, beginning on July 10, and ending on Aug. 3.

Breakfast will be served from 9-9:20 a.m. and lunch will be served 12:30-1 p.m. at Cambridge South Dorchester High School and North Dorchester High School. The open elementary schools will serve breakfast from 8-8:20 a.m. and lunch from 11:30 a.m.-12 p.m. at the following schools:

Maple Elementary School, 5225 Egypt Road, Cambridge

Hurlock Elementary School, 301 Charles Street, Hurlock

North Dorchester High School, 5875 Cloverland Road, Hurlock

Cambridge-South Dorchester High School, 2475 Cambridge Beltway

Summer career enrichment

A summer career enrichment program will be offered to middle school students this year. Subjects will include animation, app development, aviation, chess, cyber security, drones, media arts, presentation/video design and robotics.

The program runs from July 10 to Aug. 3, in two sessions. Session I, July 10-13 and July 17-20; and Session II on July 24-27 and July 31 to Aug. 3. The program will take place at the Dorchester Career and Technology Center in Cambridge.

Register online at www.pfccoalition.org/SCEP.asp. For information, call 301-772-1552.