School Counselor

Ms. Gant is the School counselor at Bayside Elementary. She received a Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Education from Towson University in 1991, a Master’s degree from Loyola University in 1997, and an Administration I certification from Salisbury University in 2015. She became a Nationally Board Certified School Counselor in 2013. 

Ms. Gant taught grades 1 – 4 for 12 years before becoming a counselor. She joined the Bayside team as our guidance counselor in 2003. She says, “I feel very lucky to be able to work with amazing teachers and students everyday!”

PBIS

Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is a proactive systems approach to establishing the behavioral supports and school culture needed for all students to achieve social, emotional, and academic success. Each school has established school-wide expectations for behavior based on the premise of respect and responsibility. PBIS is a proactive approach to creating an environment where students and staff are recognized and encouraged. This sets the foundation for a safe and effective school. Our goal with PBIS is to bring out the best in all of us.

Bullying & Harassment

Queen Anne’s County Public Schools defines bullying, harassment and intimidation as intentional conduct, including verbal, physical, or written conduct or an intentional electronic communication that is repeated over time, creates a hostile educational environment by substantially interfering with a student’s educational benefits, opportunities, or performance, or with a student’s physical or psychological well being and is:  

1. Motivated by an actual or perceived personal characteristic including race, national origin, marital status, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, religion, ancestry, phsyical attributes, socioeconomic status, familial status, or physical or mental ability or disability; or,
2. Threatening or seriously intimidating; and
3. Occurs on school property, at a school activity or event, or on a school bus; or,
4. Substantially disrupts the orderly operation of school

“Electronic communication” means a communication transmitted by means of an electronic device, including a telephone, cellular phone, computer, or pager.

Any student committing acts of bullying, harassment and intimidation, or engaging in reprisal and retaliation, or any person found to have made false accusations will receive an appropriate consequence and/or intervention. Depending on the nature of the offense, consequences and interventions for the aforementioned behaviors can range from parent/student conference to expulsion from school.

The mission of Character Counts in Queen Anne’s County is to support and embrace character development in all aspects of our lives. The Character Counts Program is a coalition of schools, communities, and non-profit organizations working to advance character education by teaching the Six Pillars of Character: Trustworthiness, Respect, Responsibility, Fairness, Caring and Citizenship.

The Business/Education Committee has joined with the Community Partnership for Children & Families, local communities, and other organizations for these efforts in Queen Anne’s County. Character Counts is made up of a series of activities that involve business, community members, and leaders. 
CommUNITY Mentoring is also a part of the Character Counts family where mentors caringly guide mentees in grades 5-12 in making positive choices for their future success.