Author: MCS Staff

Events

Montgomery Parks Virtual Speaker Series Spotlights Brooklyn Bridge Parks’ Teen TIDES Program

By MCS Staff

Montgomery Parks invites the public to the December 2022 session of its Parks Speaker Series on the topic of the TIDES and teen-focused programs. The free session will take place online on December 14, 2022, from 3 – 4 p.m.

During this presentation, Haley McClanahan and Elizabeth Harnett from the Brooklyn Bridge Park Conservancy will speak about the success of the TIDES (Teens Interested and Dedicated in Environmental Stewardship) program.  They will share how the program got started, the goals of the program, and how participants have helped shape the program into what it is today.  They will also speak about the ways they have been able to retain alumni and continue to grow the program through a tiered system.

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Briggs Chaney

Man Armed With Shotgun Robs Restaurant in Briggs Chaney MarketPlace Wednesday Night

By MCS Staff

Montgomery County Police responded to the area of Briggs Chaney Road and Columbia Pike at approximately 7:32 pm on Wednesday night for the report of an attempted commercial armed robbery that occurred at Karen’s Seafood in the Briggs Chaney MarketPlace shopping center.

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Restaurants

New Vietnamese Food Truck, Muoi Tieu, to Debut on Friday, December 9

By MCS Staff

The Muoi Tieu food truck, serving Vietnamese cuisine, is set to debut on Dec. 9 at the Takoma Park Gift(ing) Market and will also participate in the Market at the Bank event on December 18. The official soft opening and grand opening is coming in January 2023. So far, the menu consists of Cuon (Rice Paper Rolls) and Banh Mi (Vietnamese Sandwiches) and will be serving the Takoma Park area.

Per the Muoi Tieu website: “Muoi Tieu, which means “salt” and “pepper” in Vietnamese, is a Vietnamese food truck in Takoma Park, MD. Like our name, our philosophy is simple – we want to bring classic, savory Vietnamese dishes (with some fun twists) to our vibrant community. Muoi Tieu is Vietnamese-owned, woman-owned, and family run. The Muoi Tieu logo is a tribute to the owner’s late grandmother, an amazing cook, mother, and grandmother, who expressed her generosity and love through her cooking. The words “muoi” and “tieu” in our logo were extracted from the personal accounting books she kept when she first came to the U.S. Though she never wrote down a recipe, her dishes always turned out consistent and delicious and never failed to delight us. It is that level of care, meticulousness, and delight that we hope to carry on through Muoi Tieu.”

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Restaurants

Takoma Cocoa Crawl to Take Place on Saturday, December 17th

By MCS Staff

Per Main Street Takoma: Enjoy cocoa at area restaurants and cafes during the Takoma Cocoa Crawl on Saturday, December 17th between 1pm and 4pm. Make one stop or many. Adult versions available too. This year we will continue to forgo the original cocoa crawl reusable Takoma mugs for health reasons and the businesses will provide single use mugs or to-go cups for your safety and enjoyment! Prices and sizes vary by business, participating businesses below:

COCOA Cielo Rojo, 7056 Carroll Avenue: Mexican Hot Chocolate, Mexican Hot Chocolate with Mezcal

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Education

MCPS Expands Communications Leadership Team

By MCS Staff

Additional Staff Members Will Support Districtwide Communication Priorities

Per MCPS: In order to provide more robust system-wide media relations, proactive storytelling, news, crisis communications and marketing services, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) has added several new positions to the Communications Department in the Office of the Chief of Staff.

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Bethesda

Montgomery Parks to Modify Open Parkways Schedule on Beach Drive  

By MCS Staff

The entirety of Beach Drive in Montgomery County will remain open to vehicles on Fridays beginning Friday, December 16, 2022. Portions will continue to remain (closed to cars) and open to pedestrians and cyclists on Saturdays and Sundays. 

Montgomery Parks, part of The Maryland-National Capital Park and Planning Commission, is modifying its open parkways schedule to reopen portions of Beach Drive to vehicles on Fridays. Beach Drive will remain open to pedestrians and cyclists (closed to vehicles) on Saturdays and Sundays. The change will go into effect on Friday, December 16, 2022. The modification is being made in response to analysis of traffic data showing a substantial increase in vehicle traffic on neighborhood streets on Fridays.

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Education

MCPS: Board Approves 2023-2024 School Year Calendar

By MCS Staff

MCPS Press Release: At its Dec. 6 business meeting, the Montgomery County Board of Education approved the school year calendar for 2023-2024. The calendar is responsive to community input by offering limited instructional disruptions and highlights the system’s continued investment in our employees by including six professional development learning days. Highlights for the 2023-2024 school calendar include:

The calendar maintains 182 days of instruction, including 6 built in contingency days within the school year. These dates are in addition to holiday closures required by state law, which are noted on the calendars linked below:

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Arts

Two Montgomery County Schools Named Finalists For Wash-FM’s Christmas Choir Competition

By MCS Staff

97.1 WASH-FM is searching the DMV for the area’s best school choirs to ring in the holiday season! Per WASH-FM: The top choir from each division will win up to $5,000 towards their schools’ music program and be invited to perform at The Washington Ballet’s The Nutcracker at The Warner Theatre 12/17. The Top 3 Choir Finalists for elementary/Middle School have been announced and they include two schools in Montgomery County– North Bethesda Middle School (MCPS, Bethesda), and St. Andrew Apostle Catholic School (Private, Silver Spring). You can listen to each choir at the times listed below and vote for your favorite.

Wed 12/7:  10:00am hour, 6:00pm hour| Thu 12/8: 9:00am hour, 3:00pm hour

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Gaithersburg

Culture of Jiu-Jitsu Academy is Coming to Gaithersburg

By MCS Staff

Per Edge: Culture of Jiu-Jitsu Academy has signed a lease with Finmarc Management, Inc. for 6,000 square feet of space within 220 Girard Street, a two-story building containing approximately 55,000 square of light industrial and flex space, and located within the Gaithersburg section of Montgomery County, Maryland. The Brazilian concept, which combines principles that instill confidence and improves physical fitness among its participants, expects to open in mid-December. Kenneth Fellows and Robert Pugh, both partners with Advisory Services for Edge, represented the landlord in this transaction, who also oversaw the overall leasing strategy which elevated this asset to 100% occupancy. Craig Kates, Director of Tenant Advisory Services for Edge, represented the tenant and Emily Heppen, Senior Director of Leasing for Finmarc, was also involved in negotiations on behalf of the landlord.

Culture of Jiu-Jitsu Academy was co-founded by partners Eric Philcox, a local businessman and Max Gimenis, a Brazil native who first became involved in the martial arts sport at age ten and eventually developed into a jiu-jitsu professional and champion. The sport, which is quickly gaining popularity among individuals ranging from youngsters to senior citizens, emphasizes self-defense training and techniques, while also integrating elements of intense physical training to achieve personal fitness.

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Maryland

Maryland Included in Agreement of Over $434.5 Million with Juul Labs That Resolves Investigation of its Marketing/Sales Practices

By MCS Staff

Maryland Attorney General Brian E. Frosh today announced an agreement of over $434.5 million between JUUL Labs and 33 states and territories that resolves an investigation into the e-cigarette manufacturer’s marketing and sales practices. In addition to the financial terms, the settlement forces JUUL to comply with a series of injunctive terms restricting its marketing and sales practices. Maryland is to receive at least $13 million from the settlement.

“JUUL’s marketing practices were aimed directly at children, setting them up for a lifetime of addiction,” said Attorney General Frosh. “This settlement will prohibit JUUL from using flavors, cartoons and other marketing tactics that target kids.” JUUL was, until recently, the dominant player in the vaping market. The attorneys general contend that JUUL rose to this position by willfully engaging in an advertising campaign that appealed to youth, even though its e-cigarettes are both illegal for them to purchase and are unhealthy for youth to use. The attorneys general allege that JUUL relentlessly marketed to underage users with launch parties, advertisements using young and trendy-looking models, social media posts, and free samples. It sold its product in flavors known to be appealing to underage users. The attorneys general further allege that, to preserve its young customer base, JUUL relied on age verification techniques that it knew were ineffective.

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Education

MCPS 2023-2024 Academic Calendar Approved by Board of Education

By MCS Staff

The Board of Education approved Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight’s recommended 2023-2024 academic calendar at Tuesday’s meeting. Below you’ll see a few images regarding the calendar shared during the meeting (including a screen capture of the calendar itself) with the full video of the Board of Education meeting available to watch.

Per the presentation, there will be 182 instructional days with the first day of school for students being on Monday, August 28th and the last day for students being on Thursday, June 13th. There is a focus on building staff capacity with increased professional development days, a focus on uninterrupted schedules to create more consistent pay, an extended winter break (by one day), and a normal Thanksgiving week and Spring Break.

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