Letters about positive cases that include advice about mask use are sent home as necessary. MCPS is also sending additional take-home rapid tests and masks to impacted schools. Students and staff who are not up-to-date on their COVID-19 vaccinations or boosters may be required to quarantine per guidance from the CDC, Maryland Department of Health and the Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services.
Seneca Valley is located at 19401 Crystal Rock Drive in Germantown.
The Montgomery County Board of Education recently honored 11 individuals and organizations during its annual Distinguished Service Awards ceremony. The Board established the awards to recognize and show appreciation for exemplary contributions to public education and to MCPS by members of the community, businesses, MCPS staff and school volunteers.
Read a little more about this year’s recipients:
The Montgomery County Alliance of Black School Educators honored 28 graduating seniors during its annual Distinguished African-American Scholars and Community Leaders Awards Ceremony on May 13. The program was held virtually.
The seniors are graduating with close to 10,000 Student Service Learning hours and an average GPA of 4.00. Thanks to donations and fundraising, MCABSE raised about $10,000 in scholarship funding for these students.
The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking to fill one vacancy on its five-member Ethics Panel (Panel). The vacancies are for a three-year term beginning on July 1, 2022. Members serve without compensation.
As noted in Board Policy, BBB, Ethics, among the Panel’s responsibilities are: (1) approving financial disclosure forms; (2) interpreting the Board of Education’s Ethics Policy and issuing advisory opinions concerning its application; and (3) conducting hearings on complaints filed regarding an alleged violation.
MCPS is hosting a mental health forum for families and students from 6:15–8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 31 at Seneca Valley High School.
Per MCPS: The event will include a chance for parents to share information with MCPS staff, and to learn about mental health resources and services the school district has available to students.
Marni Olesker, third grade teacher and team leader at Burning Tree Elementary School, has won this year’s Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You for Teaching” Award. A 31-year veteran of MCPS, 21 of them at Burning Tree, Olesker is a game changer for students.
Per MCPS: Each year, she requests the students with the greatest needs and the most difficult IEPs or tough behavioral issues. And each year, she wins them over so skillfully that they make tremendous academic and emotional progress. She has a natural ability to connect with and push each student to reach excellence. She also gets results—during the pandemic, 100 percent of her students met proficiency on two or three Evidence of Learning goals in math, and 85 percent met all three Evidence of Learning goals in reading.
The annual Pride Town Hall will be held from 8:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, May 21 at Walter Johnson High School. Students and their families, staff, youth service providers and community members are welcome to attend. The event will feature workshops and a resource fair.
The keynote speaker is Gavin Grimm, a nationally known advocate for transgender rights. In 2014, he testified to his Virginia school district, explaining that as a transgender teen, being forced to use bathrooms at school besides the one that matched his gender was “alienating” and “humiliating.” In 2021, the U.S. Supreme Court released an order rejecting a petition from the Virginia school board to hear the case after Grimm prevailed in the lower courts. The order leaves in place a federal appeals court decision finding the school board violated his constitutional rights.
Montgomery County Public Schools are preparing for expected severe weather this afternoon. At this time, MCPS will not be dismissing students early, however they could activate a Shelter-in-Place if warranted. This morning Howard County Public Schools announced they would close three hour early today. MCPS sent the following community message on Monday at noon:
The undefeated Northwest Jaguars claimed the Co-Ed Volleyball County Championship title after a hard fought battle against Kennedy on Thursday night. Both teams went into the competition undefeated in matches, having […]
Clarksburg Boys Volleyball recently won back-to-back county championships. The team lost its first match of the year at Churchill High School, 3-2. Since that match the team didn’t lose a single set (42-0) on the way to becoming repeat Champions.
The Coyotes became back-to-back champions after taking the third set against WJ earlier in the week (25-23). Coach Dickinson and the team ended the regular season going 10-1.
Hello Blue Devil Nation! I’m so thankful for the opportunity to take on my new role as the Varsity Boys Basketball Coach at Springbrook High School. I have spent the last 11 years coaching basketball. I originally got my start as a coach at St.Thomas the Apostle in Chicago, IL before transitioning to the JV boys basketball coach at the University of Chicago Woodlawn Charter High School. After 5 years of coaching, I took over the varsity program at UCW and set the record (still standing!) for regular season and playoff wins. In 2017, my husband and I relocated to the DMV and I began working with the varsity program at Springbrook High School. In 2018 I accepted the role of the JV boys basketball coach here at Springbrook while also coaching the boys team at Argyle Middle School, where I previously taught. I’ve been teaching Biology at Springbrook since 2019 and most recently, coaching our JV team which finished the 2021-22 season with an undefeated record!
A little about my personal background. I was born and raised in Columbia, Missouri and played collegiately at the University of Chicago. I began graduate school early and received my bachelors degree in Public Policy with a specialization in Education Reform and masters degree in teaching, both from the University of Chicago.