Google, Discovery Education Hosting Free STEM Family Day on Nov. 9

Google and Discovery Education are hosting a free STEM Family Day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Montgomery College, Germantown Campus.

Open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the event will offer interactive and hands-on STEM challenges and activities, and digital learning experiences with real-world applications. There will also be food trucks, games and raffles.

The event will be held in the High Technology and Science Center on the Germantown Campus, 20200 Observation Drive in Germantown. Register.

STEM Family Day 2024

Statement Regarding Recommended FY26 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2025-30 Capital Improvements Program

Earlier this week, MCPS submitted the Superintendent’s Recommended FY 2026 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2025–2030 Capital Improvements Program to the Montgomery County Board of Education. 

In preparing the Capital Budget, MCPS identified an error in its submission for state aid in the Charles E. Woodward High School construction project, creating a revenue shortfall of $39.3 million. Dating back to 2021, MCPS miscalculated prevailing wage and bid awards across the multiple phases of the project. This error was entirely MCPS'. The district is proactively working to close the revenue gap by reallocating unexpended funds from completed capital projects. These reallocations will not affect planned upgrades or infrastructure improvements for those projects.

Read the district release.
Read the statement from the Board of Education. 

Marking Remembrance and Reconciliation Month

This is the third year MCPS has observed Remembrance and Reconciliation Month with mandatory brief K-12 learning on local African American history and support of local Emancipation Day celebrations. The Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation was established by the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights in 2019.

Below are upcoming MCPS events for this year:

Sandy Spring Slave Museum & African Art Gallery’s Maryland Emancipation Day Celebration (18524 Brooke Road, Sandy Spring)
Saturday, Nov. 2, noon-3:20 p.m.
Flyer

Brown vs. Board of Education’s Impact on MCPS
Wednesday, Nov. 6, 7-8 p.m.
Zoom webinar registration, open to the public
Tracy Oliver-Gary, supervisor of pre-K-12 social studies, will lecture on how MCPS responded to the Brown vs. Board of Education’s ruling.

Annual Changemaker Workshop
Thursday, Nov. 14, 6:30-8 p.m.
Students can earn up to 2 SSL hours.
Zoom Webinar Registration Link
Flyer
The keynote speaker is Ilana Trachtman, director of the documentary, Ain’t No Back to a Merry-Go-Round, a film about the desegregation of Glen Echo amusement park.

KID Museum Offering After-School, Native American Heritage Month Programs

The KID Museum has the following after-school programs available at its 3 Bethesda Metro Center and Davis Library locations. Scholarships are available on request. 

Kindergarten-1st grade: Innovative Art Lab
2nd-4th grades: Challenge Accepted!
5th-7th grades: Build Your Fab Lab Skills
More information and registration

Celebrating Native American Heritage Month

Sunday, Nov. 3, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.
Experience a hoop dance, interactive movement workshops, material demonstrations and hands-on fun for the whole family. More information

Winter Coat Drive Underway

The Prekindergarten and Head Start offices are requesting donations of new coats for students in need. Hats, gloves and boots for young children are also welcome. Donations for boys’ and girls’ coats in sizes 5, 6, 7 and 8 are most needed. Items can be dropped off at Rocking Horse Road Center, 4910 Macon Road, Room 141, Rockville, Md., 20852. You may drop off items in person from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday, or you can order online and have items delivered directly to Rocking Horse Road Center.

For questions, contact Lisa Conlon at 240-550-2615.

Sports Lovers: Don’t Miss Out!

The inaugural girls’ flag football county championship tournament will be during the weeks of Oct. 28 and Nov. 4. The state tournament of champions will be held on Friday, Nov. 8. Check out an overview of the playoff schedule.

See the fall playoff and tournament schedules for cheerleading, cross country, field hockey, football, golf, soccer and volleyball here.

Reminders

Mental Health Resource Fair: This free event, open to students, families and staff, will be held from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 26, at Seneca Valley High School, 19401 Crystal Rock Drive in Germantown. Transportation is available. RSVP. This event will be livestreamed and available here (English) and here (en Español). 

Veterans Day volunteer opportunity: Middle and high school students are invited from 9 a.m.- 2 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at A. Mario Loiederman Middle School, 12701 Goodhill Road in Silver Spring. Students will help build garden beds and benches for the first urban farm being built through the REACH (Resilience, Education, Action, Climate, Habitat) Hub at Loiederman. SSL hours and lunch will be provided. Registration

Marching to the Beat of Their Own Drums

Fourteen middle and high school bands participated in this year’s Marching Band Showcase at Einstein High School earlier this month. Enjoy the photo gallery!