The City of Rockville will be providing Certificates of Recognition to the 2022 Woodley Robotics Team. The 2022 Woodley Robotics team was the one team selected to represent Maryland at the First Lego League Competition at the World Festival in Houston, Texas in April of 2022. The team has been competing in the First Lego League Challenge throughout the 2022 season. There were 108 teams (from 51 countries) competing from all over the world. The team had some issues with their robot; however, they kept going and correcting and trying new things. The team received a score of 520 on their last run, that ranked them at #21 overall in the robot games portion of the competition. The competition also included presentations to a panel of 4 judges on their Innovation Project, Robot Design and Core Values, as well as answering questions asked by the judges in the 40 minutes interview round.

26 trophies were awarded, and many great teams did not go home with one; however, the Woodley Robotics team received the “Breakthrough Award,” which is a special judges’ award based on how the team performed overall in all of the categories (Innovation Project, Robot Design, and Core Values). The Woodley Robotics team put in a lot of hard work, long hours and dedication to their Robotics project. The team consists of Head Coach Phil Johnson, Assistant Coach Karen Folkart, Team Members Charlotte Cornman, Jordyn Folkart, Brynn Johnson, Caroline Murphy, and  Stella Newhouse.


It is important that everyone continue to practice healthy habits, such as good handwashing, covering coughs and sneezes, and staying home when sick. These vital health strategies and vaccination are key prevention measures we use every day to prevent the spread of illness in our schools. For COVID-19, other measures may be temporarily introduced during outbreaks, including screening testing, distancing, and masking to control spread in a specific space where transmission is high. Multiple strategies are used, and students who cannot safely and consistently mask due to young age, a medical condition, or developmental disability are not required to do so.

In school, identifying and responding to outbreaks early is a key step to ensure staff and students are ready to teach and learn.


Updated to include letter sent home to the Travila ES community

Travilah Elementary School, located at 13801 Dufief Mill Rd. in North Potomac, was in a brief lockdown this afternoon following a domestic incident between two people that are not associated with the school community.


1. (LW 1) Quince Orchard: The Cougars shutout South County from Virginia 33-0.  Running Back Iverson Howard ran for 2 Touchdowns in the victory.  Quince Orchard will host Gaithersburg this Friday.

2. (LW 2) Damascus: The Swarmin’ Hornets defeated Einstein 44-12. As a team Damascus rushed for 191 yards and 4 Touchdowns. Damascus will travel to the Black Hole in Germantown to take on Northwest in the MoCoShow Game of the Week!


Per the Office of the Montgomery County State’s Attorney: “Today in the Circuit Court for Montgomery County, MD, the Honorable Michael McAuliffe sentenced defendant, Charles Ewald, 37, of Knoxville, MD, to 15 years in prison suspend all but five years to serve and five years of supervised probation upon release.

Ewald pleaded guilty on May 18th, 2023 to charges of felony theft scheme having a value of over $100,000 and misdemeanor misconduct in office. He stole approximately $324,500 from the Montgomery County Public Schools Department of Transportation between at least 2016 and 2021 while he was working there in the role of Assistant Director.


Montgomery County Public Schools sent out the following community message on Wednesday, September 6:

Community members are encouraged to stay well hydrated, limit outdoor activities if necessary, and review the information below on extreme heat safety. MCPS will continue to monitor conditions and communicate any changes as necessary.


Montgomery Village Middle School (19330 Watkins Mill Rd, Montgomery Village) is partnering with nearby Stedwick Elementary School and Watkins Mill Elementary School to host a Back-to-School Block Party on Thursday, September 14th from 6-8pm. The event will feature a DJ, food, games, free haircuts, free immunizations, and more.

“Our purpose is to bring the community together and create a sense of belonging for all of our stakeholders. Now more than ever, schools should serve as a resource hub for the communities they serve. Our schools created this event to raise awareness of the wealth of resources available to them, right here in The Village. We’re most excited to see our beautifully diverse community come together and celebrate our schools. We can’t wait to see the smiles on the faces of our students, families, and staff as they enjoy all of the free activities and services.”


A letter was sent home by Rosemary Hills Elementary School principal Rebecca Irwin Kennedy informing the school community of a mask requirement for one class at the Silver Spring school. The letter stated that three or more individuals tested positive for COVID-19 In the past 10 days and that the school is taking the steps to keep the school environment as safe as possible, including the requirement of masks for the one class. Per the letter, “Additional KN95 masks have been distributed and students and staff in identified classes or activities will be required to mask while in school for the next 10 days, except while eating or drinking. Masks will become optional again following the 10 day period.”

MCPS spokesperson Christopher Cram that there are four reported cases in one Pre-K class and per CDC guidance for an outbreak there will masking in that one classroom until the end of this week. Cram also sent us the following, from the MCPS Medical Officer:


Per Montgomery County Public Schools: All 25 Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) high schools earned spots on the 2023 Best High Schools list published by U.S. News & World Report. Five ranked in the top 500 nationally, and nine were ranked in the top 30 in Maryland. Poolesville High School was ranked first in Maryland and 140th nationally.

The MCPS schools that made the top 30 list in Maryland are:


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