As part of a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month, coaches from the Washington Wizards and Wizards mascot G-Wiz visited Watkins Mill Elementary School in Montgomery Village on Wednesday, October 13th.

The Wizards hosted a basketball clinic for about 50 third graders in the school gym. The students were given Wizards T-shirts, and students and staff received two tickets to a game of their choice. The Wizards launched their season with a win on Wednesday in Indiana and will be playing in their home opener on Friday against the Chicago Bulls.


Awards season is here! Nominations are open for several competitions to honor exceptional teachers, supporting services staff and administrators. The following awards are open for nominations:

The Montgomery County Public Schools Teacher of the Year Award: The Montgomery County Teacher of the Year Award honors a full-time kindergarten through Grade 12 teacher who has a demonstrated record of high academic expectations for all students, engaging students of all backgrounds and abilities, contributing to a positive school culture, and connecting with the school community. Nominees must have a minimum of six years’ experience as an MCPS teacher. The Montgomery County Teacher of the Year goes on to represent MCPS as its nominee for the Maryland State Teacher of the Year award. Submit applications to Maria Lopez-Silvero in the Office of Human Resources and Development. Deadline: midnight on Friday, Dec. 16


Per MCPS: Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) continues to be committed to beginning and successfully completing negotiations to establish new collective bargaining agreements with its three employee associations. This work is underway with two associations – the Service Employees International-Local 500 (SEIU) and the Montgomery County Association of Administrators and Principals (MCAAP), with the basic ground rules in place and negotiations started.

MCPS would very much like to parallel this same work with Montgomery County Education Association (MCEA), or “the teacher’s union,” to agree on the establishment of basic ground rules – rules that are foundational to any successful contract negotiation and ensure a respectful and fair approach for all parties involved.


Niche, a rankings and review resource that provides information on K-12 schools, colleges, cities, neighborhoods, and companies across the United States, recently published its new 2023 Best Schools and Districts rankings. Now in its ninth year, the rankings include updated data for 92,743 public schools, 30,112 private schools, and 11,820 school districts nationwide. According to the rankings, 8 of the top 10 (and 19 of the Top 25) public elementary schools in Maryland are located in Montgomery County, with Stone Mill Elementary School (North Potomac) earning the top spot. All MoCo schools ranked in the top 25 are listed below.

The 2023 Best Public Elementary Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, student-teacher ratio, student diversity, teacher quality, middle school ratings, and the overall quality of the school district. Read more on how this ranking was calculated. 


Half of Hootie and The Blowfish, Mark Bryan and Dean Felber, are graduates of Seneca Valley High School in Germantown. Mark Bryan, lead guitarist of Hootie and The Blowfish, will […]


1. Quince Orchard 7-0 (LW 1): The Cougars are now the lone undefeated team in the county with their victory over Gaithersburg 48-8.  As a team QO rushed for 212 yards and 4 TDs. Up next, the biggest rivalry in the DMV vs a resurgent Northwest, in the MoCoShow Game of the Week.

2. Damascus 6-1 (LW 3): The Swarmin’ Hornets beatdown Rockville 49-6.  A trip to Silver Spring to take on Springbrook is next.  


Students and families are invited to attend an open house at Thomas Edison High School of Technology on Oct. 19 from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Thomas Edison High School of Technology is located at 12501 Dalewood Drive in Silver Spring. Attendees will be able to visit the facility, learn about program offerings and the process to apply, meet instructors and learn about career opportunities, such as industry licensure and work-based learning.

The first-round application window is now OPEN for students who wish to attend the school next year. It will close on Friday, November 4th. Apply today! “If you want to learn more about Edison’s programs, please inquire with your school counseling department about presentation dates, visit us at our Open House on October 19th, or preview program information on out website!”


Niche, a rankings and review resource that provides information on K-12 schools, colleges, cities, neighborhoods, and companies across the United States, recently published its new 2023 Best Schools and Districts rankings. Now in its ninth year, the rankings include updated data for 92,743 public schools, 30,112 private schools, and 11,820 school districts nationwide. According to the rankings, 6 of the top 10 (and 14 of the Top 25) public middle schools in Maryland are located in Montgomery County, with Herbert Hoover Middle School earning the top spot.

The 2023 Best Public Middle Schools ranking is based on rigorous analysis of key statistics and millions of reviews from students and parents using data from the U.S. Department of Education. Ranking factors include state test scores, student-teacher ratio, student diversity, teacher quality, middle school ratings, and the overall quality of the school district. Read more on how this ranking was calculated.


Last Friday we let you know that Kusshi Sushi, a popular sushi and Japanese cuisine restaurant in Pike & Rose that has just opened its second MoCo location in Downtown Silver Spring (8512 Fenton Street), will be feeding the staff members of 48 different Montgomery County schools. The restaurant has now upped it to 65 schools (full list available below), following an outpouring of support.

Kusshi Sushi co-owner Wesley Yao posted a contest to social media offering to feed the staff of one MCPS school that would be randomly selected after participants tagged and MCPS teacher or school. 48 different schools were tagged and Yao was going to start the process of randomly selecting a school. “When I saw how much each of those who entered wanted to win, I couldn’t choose just one…so we’re going to feed every school that was nominated.” Yao told us.


Jake Funk was drafted in the 7th round of the 2021 draft by the Los Angeles and won a Super Bowl with the team in his first year in the NFL. He remained with the team for the first part of the 2022 NFL season, but was released earlier in the week before finding a new home in New Orleans when the Saints signed the running back to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Jake Funk holds the Maryland state record for career touchdowns from when he was a student at Damascus High School. He went on to play at the University of Maryland before getting drafted by the Rams with the 5th pick of the 7th round in 2021. In New Orleans, he joins veteran Jordan Howard who was also signed to the teams practice squad, to prepare begging active roster running backs Alvin Kamara, Mark Ingram, and Dwayne Washington.


“Dear MCPS Community,

Last week, we saw an increase in classroom outbreaks of COVID-19. While the overall Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) COVID-19 Community Risk Level is LOW for Montgomery County, we should remain vigilant about preventing the spread of COVID-19, as well as other respiratory viruses, including influenza and RSV. There are a few things we can do to promote health in our school community:


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