Make Plans to Join Us!

As part of Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s entry plan, he will be meeting with as many stakeholders as possible to learn more about the Montgomery County community. Part of this includes upcoming listening sessions at four schools. Save the date for one of these sessions:

• Monday, Sept. 16, Poolesville High School, 17501 West Willard Road, Poolesville, 7–8 p.m.
• Wednesday, Sept. 18, (Updated Location) Rockville High School, 2100 Baltimore Road, Rockville, 7–8 p.m.
• Monday, Sept. 23, Montgomery Blair High School, 51 University Blvd. East, Silver Spring, 7–8 p.m.
• Monday, Oct. 21, Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, 7–8 p.m.

Interpretation services will be available in Spanish at each event.

The upcoming community engagement session will allow parents, students, staff, and community members to share their input on two key questions regarding the district's operations and academics.

• Regarding operations, what is working well in the district and what needs attention?
• Regarding academics, what should be done differently to improve student academic results?

Attendees will have the opportunity to voice feedback verbally during the session. Those who prefer to submit feedback digitally can do so on this Google form. 

Summer SSL Hours Due by Sept. 27

Students who completed Student Service Learning (SSL) hours over the summer must submit their Activity Verification forms to their schools SSL coordinator by Friday, Sept. 27.

 All MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school. Students who enroll in MCPS after Grade 6 will receive a waiver that prorates the SSL requirement.

A full list of SSL in-person and virtual opportunities, reminders and updates are available on the SSL website.

School Menus Now Available for All Grades in All Languages

Updated school menus for 2024–2025 are now available for all grades—from PreK/Head Start through high school. The menus, which include student picks and vegetarian options, are available in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese and Amharic.  

In addition, the Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMS) application is available for this school year. Families must reapply every year to determine whether they are eligible for the FARMS program, even if their child qualified the previous year. Students/families can request a paper application at any school, but processing is faster online.

Updated Timeline for Blended Learning Program for Long-Term Medically Impacted Students

MCPS is moving forward with its timeline for establishing a new Blended Learning Program for Long-Term Medically Impacted Students. This program will provide consistent and comprehensive educational services in both synchronous and asynchronous virtual environments to students with medical conditions who, as identified by a licensed medical professional, cannot be served in an in-person school environment for up to one year.

An application for the program will be available online starting Oct. 1, 2024, and the program will officially launch on Nov. 6, 2024. As the development process continues, more detailed information about the program's logistics will be communicated.

Remind App Now Available in All Schools

Remind is a messaging platform that has been implemented in all schools this year for communication among MCPS schools, teachers, students and parents. School staff, central office staff, students and parents all have Remind accounts to enable them to send and/or receive messages using a preferred mode of communication, such as text message, email or phone call in their preferred language.

Parents don’t have to sign up for Remind or download an app to receive messages. Messages will be sent to the email and phone number registered with the school, and parents will automatically receive messages when they are sent. If parents wish to respond to a message, they will need to download the app or create an account on the website. See below for information on how to download the app.

YouTube video on how to use Remind

Parent Quick Guides

English, Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Amharic

Job Fair for Bus Drivers Set for Sept. 17

 MCPS is hosting a job fair for bus drivers from 10 a.m. to noon on Tuesday, Sept. 17. The fair will be held at the Shady Grove Transportation Depot, 16651 Crabbs Branch Way in Rockville.

To become a bus driver, the minimum qualifications are:

• Must be at least 21 years old.
• Have a clean driving history; no more than one point on driver’s license.
• Have at least three years of driving experience, with at least one year driving in the U.S.
• Meet all pre-service training and testing requirements.

Interested candidates are asked to create a profile on the MCPS Careers portal. They can also receive help with this during the event. For more information, call 240-740-6080.

Student Leadership and SSL Opportunities

The following leadership and extracurricular opportunities are available to students. Some also provide Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. All MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school.

For middle and high school students: The Association for Safe International Road Travel and the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association are hosting a competition centered on road safety and how to keep students and others safe on the roads. Participants who submit a public service announcement (PSA) that meets contest requirements will earn 10 SSL hours and have a chance to win Amazon gift cards. Entries are due Sunday, Oct. 6. Learn more.

Open to high school girls: Girls With Impact is offering a free, 10-week course on business and leadership. This program offers online courses with trained coaches who hold MBAs. Learn more and register by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4.

In Case You Missed It …

Earlier this week, three Title I schools in MCPS participated in the district's first Reading & Robes initiative, where Maryland state judges read aloud culturally diverse books with themes of justice and fairness to students. Check it out.