MCPS

MLK Students Win Grand Prize in C-SPAN Competition

By MCS Staff

Parim Shah and Nimay Sharma, sixth grade students at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in Germantown, won the grand prize in this year’s C-SPAN 2023 StudentCam documentary competition. They will receive $5,000 for their documentary, “Where’s My Data? Data Privacy and its Real World Impact.” Students were asked to create a documentary on the theme, “If you were a newly elected member of Congress, which issue would be your first priority and why?”

The annual competition was open to middle and high school students across the nation. Students from eight schools—Montgomery Blair, Winston Churchill, Poolesville, Richard Montgomery and Rockville high schools, and Eastern, Martin Luther King and Westland middle schools—placed in the competition. See the full list. The winning documentary will air on C-SPAN at 6:50 a.m. and throughout the day on Friday, April 21. You can also watch it here.

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Nominations Open For Contributions to Special Education

By MCS Staff

Staff, students and parents are encouraged to submit nominations to recognize individuals who have contributed to the success and acceptance of students with special needs. Nominations are open for special education teachers, support staff, paraprofessionals, community members and students.

The recognitions are given by the Special Education Committee of the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA). Nominations are due Monday, March 20. Nominate here. Awards will be presented at the MCCPTA Celebration of Excellence event from 6–9 p.m. on Thursday, May 18.

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Statement from Karla Silvestre, President of the Board of Education on County Executive’s Recommended $6.8B FY 2024 Operating Budget

By MCS Staff

Statement: “Public schools continue to be the foundation of our democracy. They are doing more for our young people today than ever before. Like everything else today, it costs more and more to run them. Schools continue to prepare our future workforce, taxpayers, citizens, and leaders. They continue to offer a path out of poverty for many.  They are places where community exists, gathering families of all backgrounds around the education and well-being of children.

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is at a crossroads after the pandemic. Academic trends are stabilizing, students need support like never before, and our families are asking for our help. We support the County Executive’s proposed budget and his willingness to do whatever is necessary to fully fund the Board of Education’s Operating Budget.

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Free SAT, MCAP Prep Available for High School Students

By MCS Staff

FEV Tutor is offering free virtual tutoring sessions to students to prepare for the June 3 SAT exam. The sessions are personalized to students’ needs, and are available for English language arts, math or both. High school students can sign up for a 10-week course between now and May. Registration is open and will close on Friday, March 17.The prep courses will begin the week of March 20. Register here.

Sessions are available Mondays-Fridays from 7 a.m.-10 p.m.; Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.; and Sundays from 11 a.m.-10 p.m. FEV Tutor is also offering 10-week prep sessions for the Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) tests. Sign up here by March 17. Email FEV Tutor or call 855-763-2607 with questions.FEV Tutor, SAT Prep, June 3, 2023. FEV Tutor, MCAP Prep.

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Board of Education Takes Tentative Action and Adopts the Superintendent’s Recommended Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget; Holds a Work Session on the FY 2024 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2023–2028 Capital Improvements Program, and Received a Biannual ADA Facilities Update; and Discusses and Takes Action on Legislative Items

By MCS Staff

The Montgomery County Board of Education (Board) held a business meeting on Thursday, February 23, 2023. During the meeting, the Board took tentative action to adopt the Superintendent’s Recommended Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Operating Budget; held a work session on the FY 2024 Capital Budget and Amendments to the FY 2023–2028 Capital Improvements Program, and received a Biannual ADA Facilities update; and discussed and took action on legislative items. The agenda for the meeting, with related links, can be viewed on the Board website. Watch the meeting recording.

The Superintendent’s Recommended Fiscal Year 2024 Operating Budget: The Board took tentative action to adopt the Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 Operating Budget. The budget reflects amendments based on BOE feedback to provide focused investments to improve literacy and math across the district. This budget continues to be centered on Montgomery County Public Schools’ (MCPS) core purpose of preparing all students to thrive in their future and graduate with deep academic knowledge and preparation for the complex world and workplace of tomorrow. The request includes a $296 million (10%) increase over the current budget and $272 million above the minimum amount required by the maintenance of effort law. The increase in funding is to provide a high-quality education for our growing student population, continuing our recovery from the impact of lost learning time from the pandemic, the addition of new research-based innovative approaches to teaching and learning in our district, providing competitive salaries for our staff and the rising cost of health care for our employees and retirees, opening of our 211th school in the Clarksburg Cluster, and supporting the increased cost of goods and services in our district. Read the memorandum to the Board. View the PowerPoint Presentation.

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MCSP Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight To Hold Town Hall Discussing Vision for MCPS and Recent Anti-Semitic Incidents in Schools

By MCS Staff

MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight will share her vision for MCPS and discuss the recent spate of anti-Semitic incidents in Montgomery County schools at a town hall sponsored by the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). The town hall will take place on Thursday, March 23 at 6:30pm at the Congregation Har Shalom in Potomac. RSVP here. 

Per JCRC: Dr. Monifa B. McKnight currently serves as the superintendent for MCPS. Prior to this role, she served as MCPS’ deputy superintendent. She also served as the Chief School Management and Instructional Leadership Officer for Howard County Public Schools.

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MCPS Shoe Drive Extended Until March 24

By MCS Staff

MCPS has been hosting a shoe drive for students of all ages. The drive, which collects new and gently used shoes for boys and girls in all sizes, has been extended to Friday, March 24. The donations will support students in the 26 community schools (listed below). Donations can be dropped off between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday–Friday in the Carver Educational Services Center auditorium at 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. For more information, email Amy Beal or call 240-551-6101.

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Maryland State Report Card Shows 92% of MCPS Schools Score 3 or Higher on Star Rating; Schools Receiving 5 Stars Rise By 42%

By MCS Staff

On Thursday, March 9, the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) released its accountability report card—the Maryland Report Card—for every school in the state of Maryland, designed to measure the success of schools and identify areas for improvement. The Maryland Report Card was last released in 2019, prior to the COVID-19 pandemic.

MCPS STAR Ratings for 2022

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Body Found on Blake High School Grounds Early Saturday Morning

By MCS Staff

James Hubert Blake High School principal Robert Sinclair Jr. sent out a message informing the Blake community of a body found on school grounds early Saturday morning. According to the message, a jogger who was using the school track found an unresponsive individual on school grounds and attempted to revive the individual unsuccessfully. Emergency personnel were also unable to revive the individual. Additional information can be found in the full letter to the community, seen below:

“Dear Blake High School Families, Students and Staff

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Churchill Jazz Ensemble Wins Second Place at Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival Competition

By MCS Staff

The Winston Churchill High School Jazz Ensemble won second place at the annual Mid-Atlantic Jazz Festival’s High School Band Competition last month.

Twelve high school bands from across the East Coast competed in the prestigious event, with the top three bands performing in a final round to determine the overall winner. This was the first time the Churchill ensemble has placed in the finals, and they were the only school from the state of Maryland to advance to the final round.

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