MCPS announced a systemwide closure for Friday, December 23, in alignment with Governor Hogan’s action to close state government agencies and offices. Schools were previously scheduled to be closed on Friday, 12/23, but now the systemwide closure includes schools and offices being closed for staff. Full message from MCPS below:
“Dear MCPS Staff, Families, and Community Members:
Eleven MCPS students have been selected for the 2023 National Association for Music Education’s (NAfME’s) All-Eastern Honors Ensembles. The 11 are:
Richard Montgomery High School
During the Try-Athlon, this fall’s physical activity challenge, nearly 5,000 MCPS employees picked three health goals, set measurable objectives and implemented a plan for reaching them. They took part in a variety of physical activities to compete for prizes, and more importantly, to adopt or maintain healthy lifestyles. Each of the top 15 schools averaged at least 75 minutes of physical activity per employee per day.
Grand prize winners are as follows:
A trifecta of elementary schools has been selected for award prizes for being recognized as the healthiest schools in MCPS—Burtonsville, Glen Haven and S. Christa McAuliffe elementary schools.
The MCPS Districtwide Wellness Committee recently announced the winners of this year’s “MCPS Healthy Schools Award,” an opportunity created with Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools and the Alliance for a Healthier Generation. This program celebrates schools that have implemented remarkable initiatives related to one or more of the following areas: advancing core policies related to equity, diversity and inclusion; increasing family and community engagement; bolstering physical education and activity; strengthening social-emotional health, and cultivating staff well-being.
Per MCPS: Montgomery County Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight presented her Recommended Operating Budget for fiscal year 2024 (FY 2024) to members of the MCPS Board of Education, the school community, and stakeholders on Dec. 19th 2022.
“Our investments are focused on helping our students own the future by being college, career, and community ready, aligned with the Maryland Blueprint and approached through an antiracist lens. We’re looking to invest in accelerating instruction, expanding innovative programs that work, and ensuring that inflation does not stand in the way of delivering the high-quality services that are a hallmark of MCPS ” Dr. McKnight said.
Per MCPS: Students at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School (BCC) took the initiative to organize, over the period of two months, lectures, performances, and panel discussions to unwrap the effects of gaslighting in their school and their communities (video available here).
“It’s important for the school system to address gaslighting because their students, whether we like it or not, are facing gaslighting through parental figures, teachers, even their colleagues, and their peers,” BCC student Jeremy said.
Students at Bethesda Chevy Chase High School took the initiative to organize, over the period of 2 months, lectures, performances and panel discussions to unwrap the effects of gaslighting in their school and their communities at large. A video highlighting the event can be seen below:
Per MCPS: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Superintendent Dr. Monifa B. McKnight has recommended a $3.15 billion Operating Budget for Fiscal Year 2024. It continues the district’s focus on preparing all students to thrive in their futures. The funding provides a high-quality education for growing student enrollment, for continuing recovery from lost learning time due to the pandemic, for new research-based innovative approaches for teaching and learning, for competitive salaries for staff, and for increased costs of goods and services.
Released Monday, Dec. 19, Dr. McKnight’s budget recommendation represents a $235.4 millionincrease—8%—over the current budget (FY 2023) and $267 million above the minimum amount required by the maintenance of effort law. The recommended increase includes more than $40 million realized in savings.
For the past 8 years, the Educational Systems Federal Credit Union (ESFCU) on behalf of their Support Education Foundation, Inc, hosts an annual Warming Hearts and Hands campaign. The foundation works to gather winter clothing items to be donated to the MCPS Homeless Liaison to give to our students in need. On Dec. 14 the foundation dropped off hats, gloves, mittens, scarves and a many toiletry kits including a toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, soap and deodorant.
Per MCPS: “MCPS is grateful to the Educational Systems Federal Credit Union and their Support Education Foundation, Inc. for their efforts each year to support the social and emotional well-being of our most vulnerable students.”
MCPS Superintendent Dr. Monifa McKnight will deliver a presentation on the Recommended Operating Budget for Fiscal year 2024 at 6 p.m. on Monday, Dec. 19. The public will be able to watch live on the MCPS website, MCPS-TV YouTube channel and MCPS-TV channels in English and Spanish.
There will be opening comments from Scott Smith, principal at Northwest and Karla Silvestre, president of the Board of Education. The presentation from Dr. McKnight will outline the goals, priorities and investments planned for the FY 2024 school year.
Just one day after Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda was vandalized with antisemitic graffiti, multiple Whitman staff members received an antisemitic email from a sender outside MCPS , according to a report from the Black & White Whitman student newspaper (tweet available below). According to The Black & White, administrators notified police and are working to block the sender.
Following the vandalism on Saturday mornings Whitman High School principal Robert Dodd wrote the following in a message to the Whitman community: “I want to share information with you regarding an incident that took place today and how it is being addressed. It was reported, this morning, that there was antisemitic graffiti; the words “Jews Not Welcome” written on our school sign. This behavior is abhorrent, extremely hurtful, and will not be tolerated at Walt Whitman High School. We immediately notified the Montgomery County Police. who are actively investigating the incident. In addition, if found to have been committed by an MCPS student, this incident will be addressed as a disciplinary matter in accordance with the Memorandum of Understanding with county police and in alignment with the MCPS Student Code of Conduct.”