Gaithersburg High School Educator Wins MCPS Teacher of the Year 

Melissa Porter Parks, English Language Development resource teacher at Gaithersburg High School, was named the 2024–2025 MCPS Teacher of the Year during a celebration on May 1. She will now compete for Maryland Teacher of the Year. Also during the annual Champions for Children event, Bruno Smith, building service manager at Mill Creek Towne Elementary School, was named Supporting Services Employee of the Year. Read more.

Watch event livestream.

May 6–10 is Teacher Appreciation Week!

MCPS wants to honor the amazing educators who have made an incredible impact on our students' lives. The role of a teacher is one of the most important and challenging jobs out there, and their hard work and dedication should be recognized. Join us next week as we say “Thank You” to our teachers. Watch this video to learn more about this year’s Teacher of the Year winner. 

2024 Graduation Schedule Available Online 

High school commencement ceremonies will be held between Wednesday, May 29, and Wednesday, June 12. Graduation ceremonies will take place on individual high school campuses, at DAR Constitution Hall in Washington, D.C., and on the campuses of Mount St. Mary’s University and the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

Click here for graduation dates, locations and times for every high school.

Join Us At The Special Education Resource Fair 

Don’t miss this year’s Special Education Family Resource Fair on Saturday, May 11 at Montgomery Blair High School. The free event will be held from 10 a.m. until 1 p.m., and is open to MCPS parents, staff and community members. The fair will include valuable resources from a variety of community resources and vendors, and fun children’s activities, including moon bounces, music, arts and crafts, and balloon artists. 

Montgomery Blair is located at 51 University Blvd. East in Silver Spring.

Special Education Family Resource Fair, 2024

Free Out-of-School Time Coed Football Clinic on May 14

Students in grades 1-8 are invited to a free coed football clinic from 10:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 14 when they are off from school. The clinic will be hosted by the 480 Club, in partnership with the MCPS Out-of-School-Time program at Laytonia Turf Field in Gaithersburg. The event will also feature food trucks, a DJ, special guests, autograph sessions and a photo booth. 

Sessions by grade level: 

Grades 1-5: 10:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Grades 6-8: 1:30- 3:30 p.m.

RSVP here for elementary school students.

RSVP here for middle school students. 

Laytonia Turf Field is located at 7300 Airpark Road in Gaithersburg.

Free Summer Coding Camp Available For Middle School Students

Montgomery Can Code’s summer camp is a free, weeklong camp open to MCPS rising 6th, 7th and 8th grade students. Participants in the camp will learn to code with Swift, Apple’s easy-to-understand programming language used by professional developers to create world-class apps. 

Register here or students can contact their school counselor.

School Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week 

During School Nutrition Employee Appreciation week on April 29–May 3, MCPS is recognizing and saying thank you to the more than 800 Division of Food and Nutrition Services (DFNS) staff members who provide more than 90,000 meals daily in 211 schools. Learn more. 

Getting Students College and Career Ready

Albert Einstein High School held its second annual Career Day earlier this spring. It is one of the many ways students can engage and learn from working professionals to become college and career ready. These opportunities not only support the MCPS strategic plan, but also the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future legislation. Visit the Blueprint For Maryland’s website to learn more. 

Spring Parent Academy Schedule Available 

Families can stay engaged throughout the school year with Parent Academy TO GO. Parent Academy is designed to inform and empower families as advocates and partners in their children's education. Read more. 

Upcoming Topics: Active Parenting Now! (Series); Positive Discipline; What’s Narcan? and more.

Visit the Parent Academy website for dates. 

Registration is available here.

Safety Day To Offer Family Fun and Traffic and Pedestrian Safety Information 

All families are invited to Safety Day on Saturday, May 11 in the Carver Educational Services Center (CESC) parking lot at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Safety Day will bring the community together to learn more about traffic safety in a fun and festive environment. Read more. 

Don’t Miss the Gaithersburg Book Festival on May 18

The Gaithersburg Book Festival, a celebration of books, writers and literary excellence, will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday, May 18, at Bohrer Park, 506 S. Frederick Avenue in Gaithersburg. This year's author lineup includes Watkins Mill High School educator Sara Goodman Confino. Read more.

MCPS French Immersion Program Turns 50 

The MCPS French Immersion program celebrated 50 years during an event on April 27 at Walt Whitman High School. The French Immersion program began at the former Four Corners Elementary School, and since then, has grown. There are now two schools in MCPS that have programs at the elementary level—Maryvale and Sligo Creek, and two that have programs at the middle school level—Gaithersburg and Silver Spring International. The MCPS program serves as a model and inspiration for immersion programs across the country. Check out the photo gallery.