|
|
January 14, 2026
|
|
Do You Know an Exceptional School Counselor?
|
|
Completed nomination packets for the MCPS School Counselor of the Year Awards are due Friday, March 13 (nominees must be notified by Feb. 13). These awards—given to a counselor at the elementary, middle and high school levels—honor those who support students, nurture strong relationships with colleagues, students and their families, and show outstanding leadership. To be nominated, counselors must be actively working as a counselor in MCPS and have worked for the system for at least three years.
Completed packets must be submitted on this Google form.
School Counselor of the Year Nomination
|
|
|
|
Are You Eligible for Retirement Credit?
|
|
Find out if you are eligible for service credit toward your MCPS pension for time worked with other organizations. You might be able to increase your retirement benefit or even retire earlier than you expected.
|
|
|
|
|
Board of Education Requests Public Comment on Three Policies
|
The Board of Education is seeking comments on proposed amendments to Policy IGS, Emerging Technologies in Education, to update guiding principles for integrating emerging technologies, such as generative artificial intelligence, into MCPS operations and instruction. The policy has been available for comment since Oct. 27, 2025; comments are due by Monday, Jan. 26.
The Board is also seeking comments on Policy BFA, Policysetting, to update and clarify how policies and regulations are developed and made available to the public, and Policy GCC, Background Screening of MCPS Employees, Candidates for MCPS Employment, Contractors, and Volunteers, to consolidate into an umbrella document the requirements for fingerprint-based checks of national and state crime information databases and additional safety measures. Policies BFA and GCC have been available for comment since Jan. 10, and comments are due by Saturday, Jan. 31.
Review the draft policy language and submit comments.
|
|
|
|
|
Honor the Supporting Staff Who Support You
|
|
The Worksite Support Staff Excellence Award will honor a full-time supporting services employee who exemplifies excellence, commitment and service to their school or office. Every school and worksite is asked to nominate. For nominations, speak with your site coordinator or principal. Deadline: Monday, Feb. 9. |
|
|
|
|
Reminder: Nominations Open for Service to Education
|
|
The Board of Education is accepting nominations for its 2026 Awards for Distinguished Service to Public Education. Awards will be presented for:
-
Business Partner
-
Community Partner
-
School Service Volunteer
-
Student Service Award
Nominations will be accepted through 5 p.m. on Monday, March 9. Nominations may be submitted in English or Spanish.
|
|
|
|
|
Great Staff Doing Great Things
|
|
James Allrich, principal at Argyle Middle School, received the Excellence in Education Award, during Urban Smart’s Illuminate Your Black Brilliance Awards celebration. The award was given in recognition of Allrich’s 2023 Maryland Principal of the Year honor, his dedication to education, work in restorative justice and role as an educational leader in the broader community.
Melissa King, media specialist at Flower Hill Elementary School, has been designated a Certified Sustainable School Librarian through the Sustainable Library Certification Program, which provides librarians with resources and guidelines to shift towards a cleaner, greener and more equitable future. A certified environmental educator, King starts lessons with mindfulness and positive affirmations. Program topics have included salad science, pollinator gardens, water quality testing, campus cleanups, bluebird boxes and a food recovery program. Read more.
Wheaton High School graduate Kara Ball has been selected as a recipient of the Bezos Courage & Civility Award, given by Jeff Bezos and Lauren Sánchez Bezos. Ball donated the $5 million prize to Understood, an organization that shares her vision and commitment to ensuring all students have equitable access to opportunities that ignite curiosity, confidence and belonging. A former teacher at Beverly Farms and Burtonsville elementary schools, and former winner of the Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You for Teaching” award, Ball is a nationally recognized educator in STEM education and inclusive learning. Read more.
In addition, at its Jan. 8 business meeting, the Board of Education approved the following administrative appointments:
-
Dale L. Graddon, Lead Negotiator, Department of Labor Relations, Division of Human Resources and Talent Management
-
Ingrid G. Higgins, Supervisor, Business Program Management and Support, Division of Facilities Management
-
Peter M. Ostrander, Supervisor, Department of Academic Programs, Division of Teaching and Learning
- Manoj K. Panda, Supervisor, Business Program Management and Support, Division of Technology Services
|
|
|
|
|
Clarksburg Flag Football Coach Up for National Award
|
|
Kyle “KC” Landefeld, girls’ flag football coach at Clarksburg High School, has been nominated for the 2025 Don Shula High School Coach of the Year. The winner will be selected ahead of the Pro Bowl and Super Bowl games.
|
|
|
|
|
MLK Celebration to Feature Free Concert
|
|
Make plans to join Montgomery County’s 31st annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Observance and Birthday Celebration starting at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 18. The Music Center at Strathmore, 5301 Tuckerman Lane, North Bethesda. The event is free; reserve tickets
|
|
|
|
|
History Day Competition Looking for Judges
|
|
Calling community members and would-be historians: middle and high school students need your help! The 2026 Montgomery County History Day competition is coming up on Saturday, March 7.
If you are at least 18 years old, please consider volunteering as a judge to evaluate student work. Students will present research in one of five categories: exhibits, performances, documentaries, websites or papers. Judges evaluate entries based on historical quality and effectiveness of presentation. Evaluations use a national rubric and judges are trained on a Zoom session before the event. Prior experience is not necessary.
The event is from 8 a.m.–2 p.m. on March 7 at Sligo Middle School, 1401 Dennis Avenue in Silver Spring.
For questions, email Kelli Champagne and Abbie Lamb.
|
|
|
|
|
NAACP Awarding Scholarships to Graduating Seniors
|
|
The Montgomery County branch of the NAACP is awarding $1,000 scholarships to MCPS graduating seniors. The deadline to submit applications is Friday, March 6. Applicants must have a GPA of 3.0 or above, participate in extracurricular activities, participate in faith-based, religious-based or volunteer activities, and submit a 300-word essay addressing the theme, “Unfinished Business: Reclaiming Our Rights Restoring Our Power.”
More information
Apply.
Scholarships will be presented during the annual Freedom Fund Dinner on Sunday, May 17.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Who Made This Week’s List?
|
Your colleagues do things every single day to make MCPS shine. Which of your colleagues deserves the spotlight? Who’s knocking it out of the park? See the latest winners of the Unleashing Potential Award.
|
|
|
|
|
IRS Increases 2026 Mileage Rate to 72.5 Cents
|
|
The Internal Revenue Service announced that beginning Jan. 1, 2026, the standard mileage rate for the business use of an automobile will be 72.5 cents a mile, an increase of 2.5 cents per mile from the 2025 rate of 70 cents. All mileage reimbursement requests from MCPS employees for mileage incurred on or after Jan. 1, 2026, will be processed using the 72.5-cent rate.
|
|
|
|
|
Caring for Yourself While Leading Others
|
|
Are you an MCPS supervisor, administrator or in another leadership role? Join the MCPS Employee Assistance Program (EAP) for supervisory training on Caring for Yourself While Leading Others:
-
Cultivating Psychological Safety, noon on Monday, Jan. 26. Register on PDO course #92917, section #143006.
- Non-Defensive Communication with Employees, noon on Friday, March 20. Register on PDO course #92918, section #143007.
|
|
|
|
|
Councilmember to Hold Listening Sessions on MCPS Operating Budget
|
|
Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando will hold listening sessions on the MCPS operating budget. Jawando is chair of the council’s Education and Culture Committee.
Save the dates: Tuesday, Feb. 3 (on Zoom); Wednesday, March 4 and Wednesday, March 11.
More information, including times and locations, will be announced soon.
|
|
|
|
|
Ready to Quit Smoking?
|
|
Join Well Aware and Kaiser Permanente for the three-week tobacco cessation class, Quit for Good. The next class begins on Wednesday, Jan. 21.
|
|
|
|
|
Summer RISE Student Registration Now Open
|
|
Student registration for Summer RISE 2026 is open until Tuesday, Feb. 17.
Summer RISE offers a hands-on, career-based learning experience with businesses, government agencies, higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations. The program is open to high school sophomores and juniors who want to gain real-world experience over the summer.
Participating students will be matched with career hosts based on their industry preferences for a minimum of 50 hours of in-person, virtual or hybrid opportunities from June 22–July 24.
To learn more, join a Student & Parent/Guardian Information Session or visit the Summer RISE webpage. Host registration is also open until Friday, March 13.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
