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September 24, 2025
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Open Enrollment Coming Oct. 6–31
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Employee Benefits Open Enrollment for 2026 is coming! Open Enrollment is your yearly opportunity to review your health plan and make necessary changes. Open Enrollment will be held on MCPS Hub+. Look for the Open Enrollment announcement email in your Outlook inbox on Friday, Oct. 3, 2025. This email will include all of the information you will need for Open Enrollment.
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Reminder to Staff: Be Mindful of What You Post Online
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Social media can be a powerful tool to enhance education and learning and can help MCPS further its mission and core values by engaging students, parents/guardians and the community. As with any other work activity, staff members are expected to interact with students, parents/guardians, colleagues and the community with integrity and professionalism. The Social Media Best Practices for Employees is a valuable online resource to guide staff in using social media and any online engagement.
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Join Us for Information Sessions on the Programs Analysis
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Save the dates and join us for upcoming information sessions on the program analysis.
MCPS is designing a regional model of its academic programs to expand access so more students—in more parts of the county—can participate in strong programs closer to home. Our goal is to achieve excellence and equity. By expanding regionally, we can reduce barriers such as distance and limited space, while maintaining the rigor and strength of existing programs. The Board of Education is expected to take final action in December.
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Boundary Study Options Meetings Begin Oct. 6
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Join us for a boundary study options meeting in October. These public information meetings will offer the refined boundary options for the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School, the opening of Crown High School and the expansion of Damascus High School for the 2027-2028 school year.
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Staff, Students Honored with Professional Development Award, Scholarships
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An MCPS staff member and two students from the Class of 2025 have been awarded scholarships and professional development awards from the Support Education Foundation, a 501(c)(3) established by Educational Systems Federal Credit Union. These awards will help to advance their educational goals and professional growth.
· Dr. Sheri Massey, media specialist at Montgomery Blair High School, received a $1,000 Maurice Erly Professional Development Award.
· Samuel Quintanilla, Wheaton High School, won a $3,000 Rosemary Brinkley Business and Finance Scholarship.
· Niharika Wadehra, Watkins Mill High School, was awarded a $3,000 Dorothy Marvil Scholarship.
To see who else is knocking it out of the park, don’t miss this week’s list of Fire Ribbon winners.
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Bringing Language and Culture to Life: Celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month
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When students walk into Marielsa Soto’s Spanish classroom at Rosa Parks Middle School, they are met with more than verb conjugations and vocabulary lists. They are welcomed into a world where language comes alive through culture, history and pride. For Soto, a native of Puerto Rico, teaching Spanish is more than instruction, it is a calling. Read more.
Don’t miss other great Hispanic Heritage stories, including 30 years of dance, history and community with Titanes Salseros.
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Schedule Set for Future Administrator and Principal Workshop
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The Division of Human Resources and Talent Management is providing a yearlong schedule of information and support sessions for aspiring administrators—those who are interested in the Pre-Qualified Principal (PQP) Pool, Principal Internship, Assistant Principal (AP) Pool and Assistant School Administrator Pool. The PQP window is Nov. 1, 2025–June 30, 2026; the Principal Intern application window is Nov. 1, 2025- Jan. 30, 2026; the AP application window is Nov. 1, 2025–Jul 24, 2026; and the ASA application window is Feb. 1-June 30, 2026. In-person and virtual sessions are available.
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New Higher Ed Partnership to Explore AI in School Settings
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Notre Dame of Maryland University (NDMU) School of Education is offering a new higher education partnership with MCPS. The partnership will offer a graduate certificate in Leadership, Education and Research in Artificial Intelligence for the Next Generation (LEARN-AI). Learn more.
An information session will be held on Zoom at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Sept. 25. Register on PDO, course #143816.
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Montgomery Blair HS Celebrating 100 Years
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Montgomery Blair High School has kicked off a yearlong celebration of its 100th anniversary. The celebration, spearheaded by the Blair Alumni Association, will include Athletic Hall of Fame and Alumni Association Hall of Fame inductions, a tribute to the school’s magnet program and Faculty Appreciation Day.
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InStep with Diabetes Course Starts Oct. 15
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Join Well Aware and Kaiser Permanente for InStep with Diabetes, a course to better understand diabetes and the lifestyle changes needed to support healthy living. Attend for yourself or for a friend or family member. The class starts Wednesday, Oct. 15.
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In Case You Missed It …
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The 2026-2027 calendar survey is closing soon. Take it today!
- Delivering Comfort: More than 50 MCPS staff members volunteered with Comfort Cases, a nonprofit that provides backpacks filled with essentials for children in foster care and those experiencing homelessness.
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Dates to Remember
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Thursday, Oct. 16 – Board of Education work session
Friday, Oct. 17 – Professional development day for staff; no school for students (All Schools)
Friday, Oct. 17 – Payday
Saturday, Oct. 18 – ACT administration
Monday, Oct. 20 – Non-instructional day; no school for students and teachers (All Schools)
Thursday, Oct. 23 – Board of Education’s Facilities and Boundaries Hearing
Tuesday, Oct. 28 – Board of Education’s Facilities and Boundaries Hearing
Thursday, Oct. 30 – Board of Education meeting
Friday, Oct. 31 – Payday
Friday, Oct. 31 – Early release day for students (Arcola Elementary School only)
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