MCCPTA Hosting Health and Wellness Forum on Jan. 11

The Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA) is holding its third annual Health and Wellness Forum from 1–5 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 11 at Earle B. Wood Middle School.

The event will feature a keynote address, a resource fair and breakout sessions on a variety of topics, including teen depression; stress and anxiety; vaping; the LGBTQ experience in MCPS; mindfulness; trauma; accessing needed care; cross-cultural mental health challenges; and The Landing, an MCPS recovery school. There will be a student talkback session from 4–5 p.m.

There will also be free mental health first aid training from 8 a.m.–4 p.m. (free, advance registration is required); a principals-only workshop, “How to Make School Trauma-Informed;” and a mock teen bedroom trailer, which will help educate parents on the warning signs of drug abuse.

Registration is available here.

Wood Middle School is located at 14615 Bauer Dr. in Rockville.

Science Night Set for January 21

MCPS and the Montgomery County Council of PTAs (MCCPTA) are hosting a Science Night from 6:30–8:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 21, at Gaithersburg High School. (Snow date: January 28)

At the event, parents will hear from MCPS teachers about science standards and what they can expect their children to learn in class. Sessions are targeted to parents with students in elementary and middle school.

Childcare and interpretation services will be available.

Gaithersburg High School is located at 101 Education Blvd. in Gaithersburg.

Register for the event.

See the event flyer

2020 Martin Luther King Jr. Day Tribute Set for Jan. 20

The annual Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Tribute and Celebration will be held from 4–6:30 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 20 at the Music Center at Strathmore.

The event will celebrate Dr. King’s life through presentations, music and theatrical performances. A visual arts exhibit prepared by MCPS students interpreting “Children of the Dream” will be displayed. There will be performances by Dem Raider Boyz Step Squad, the Akhmedova Ballet Academy, Kevin Dukes, and special performance by Ronnie Diamond Hoard – former lead singer of the Ohio Players. The Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School and the Vast Expressions of Song Ensemble will be performing and led by local artist Vohn Higgonbotham.

This family-friendly event is free and open to the public. Tickets are available the day of the celebration only on Monday, Jan. 20 in the Music Center foyer beginning at 3:00 p.m. Seating is general admission and one ticket will be distributed per person. Seating will begin at 3:30 p.m. For more information, visit the Strathmore website or the Montgomery County Office of Human Rights website.

The Music Center at Strathmore is located at 5301 Tuckerman Lane in North Bethesda.

A Message to Subscribers of the Alert MCPS/Alert Montgomery System

MCPS is expanding its use of the Alert MCPS system to send systemwide messages of significant importance to the community. Messages about emergency closings and delays will continue to be sent to subscribers through the Alert MCPS system. In the expansion, subscribers will also receive notices about significant MCPS-sponsored community meetings and events, and announcements about the work of the Board of Education. Alert MCPS messages are in addition to messages users may currently receive from MCPS or your child’s school. Messages and notices will come in the form of Alert MCPS emails and text messages.

Staff and parents are encouraged to visit Alert MCPS/Alert Montgomery to review and update your current subscription selections. Once you have logged in to your account, you may select the schools that your children attend or that you’re interested in, and also indicate if you want alerts for “All School-Wide System Alerts.” Review your selections carefully. If you have selected the top-level choice of Montgomery County Public Schools, you will receive messages intended for specific schools that you may not be interested in.

Check your Alert MCPS status here.

HBCU Fair Set for Jan. 24

The 12th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) Fair will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 24, at the Universities at Shady Grove, Building III, 9640 Gudelsky Dr. in Rockville. On-site admissions will be held from 3:30–8 p.m.

This free event will provide students in grades 8-12 an opportunity to meet representatives from more than 60 Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs). The HBCU representatives will share information and answer questions from students and parents. The event will also feature a college preparation workshop for middle school students and parents, a panel discussion on college life, FAFSA completion assistance, scholarship information and more.

Several HBCU representatives will hold on-site interviews with 12th grade students. During the interviews, students can potentially receive application fee waivers, scholarship awards and on-site admission.

Online registration is required. Information about the fair and registration is located here.

The fair is sponsored by MCPS, the Montgomery County Branch of the NAACP and the Washington Inter-Alumni Council of the United Negro College Fund.

Celebrate Dr. King’s Life by Serving Your Community

On Monday, Jan. 20, join thousands of other Montgomery County students and families in honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s life and teachings by participating in the Montgomery County Volunteer Center’s 2020 MLK Day of Service event at the Bethesda North Marriott and Conference Center, 1-3 pm.

Participants will have the opportunity to help with a wide variety of service projects appropriate for volunteers of all ages, and students can earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. Activities will include packaging food for the hungry, creating scarves for hospice patients, crafting Valentine’s cards for seniors, and donating coats for a coat drive. In addition, the event will feature a volunteer fair where you can learn about ways to serve with dozens of local nonprofits and government agencies throughout the year.

This event is free, but space is limited and advance registration is required. Sign up here.

There will be smaller-scale multi-project service events that day in Gaithersburg, Germantown, Olney, Rockville, Silver Spring and Bethesda. Visit the Volunteer Center’s MLK Day web page for details and registration links.

Keeping it Safe Sponsoring Video Contest Addressing Teen Alcohol Use

The Keeping it SAFE Coalition is sponsoring its annual video contest to create a 30-second public service message addressing the risks and dangers of under 21 alcohol use.

The contest is open to teams of two or more students enrolled in Montgomery County middle and high schools. Cash prizes of $100 to $1,000 are up for grabs to the winning teams. Entries are due February 28 by 4 p.m.

The Keeping it Safe Coalition is a multi-agency, public-private coalition whose main objective is to deter underage alcohol use, reduce youth access to alcohol and to reduce the effects of alcohol use in youth under the age of 21.

Visit this webpage for more information and official contest rules.

Choose Respect Video PSA Contest Accepting Entries

The 11th Annual Choose Respect Montgomery video PSA contest is now accepting entries. This contest challenges middle and high school students to create an original 60-second public service announcement video to promote awareness of dating abuse and domestic violence among teens. The contest is open to students in sixth through 12th grades, and students may enter on their own or as a group. The top three videos win cash prizes (first prize gets $1,000).

The submission deadline is Friday, Feb. 28.

More information can be found here.

Winners will be announced at the Choose Respect healthy teen dating conference from 1–4 p.m. on Sunday, March 29, at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center.

Councilmember Rice to Host Forums on the State of Education in Montgomery County

Montgomery County residents are invited to participate in two upcoming meetings on the state of education in Montgomery County. The forums, hosted by Councilmember Craig Rice, will provide an opportunity for community members to learn about academic readiness, career pathways and work-based learning opportunities that take our students from prekindergarten to jobs. The meetings will be held on January 28 at the Montgomery College Germantown campus and March 4 at Northwood High School. MCPS Superintendent Jack Smith, Montgomery College President Dr. DeRionne Pollard, and Dr. Stewart Edelstein, executive director of the Universities at Shady Grove, will participate in the conversation.

Interested in Running for Student Member of the Board?

The Student Member of the Board of Education election process has begun with the SMOB nomination filing process. Students who are Montgomery County residents, enrolled in an MCPS school, and are current 10th or 11th grade students are eligible to run and may submit their nomination form through January 24, 2020 at 5 p.m.

The nomination form is found on pages 26-27 in the SMOB election protocols. The protocols, the timeline for the potential candidates and the timeline for the entire process is posted on the MCPS SMOB Election webpage