Montgomery County Public Schools

“Now I see my future!” says a student. “The program is amazing,” says a parent. Students and parents sing the praises of the Fire Science and EMT programs, where students get real-world training from professional firefighters and EMTs. Credits can be used toward an associate degree at Montgomery College.

For the sixth consecutive year, The Music Center at Strathmore has opened its doors to all second grade students. Special performances by the National Philharmonic, conducted by Maestro Piotr Gajewski, feature an interactive, educational program. The concerts, pre-concert educational materials, transportation, and other supports are the result of a unique partnership among MCPS, the National Philharmonic and Strathmore.

The Board of Education's boundary and facility decisions meeting will be webcast live starting at 7 p.m.,  Thursday, November 19. You need the free Windows MediaPlayer on your computer to view the meeting and you can watch on TV on Cable channels 34 (Comcast), 36 (Verizon), and 89 (RCN).

What organelle carries out cellular respiration in human cells? That was just one of the questions the Takoma Park Middle School Science Bowl team fielded from First Lady Michelle Obama and Secretary of Energy Steven Chu on November 5 at the Department of Energy headquarters in Washington, D.C. The event was an unofficial Science Bowl competition with a team from Prince George’s County. (The answer to the question: mitochondria.)

Students from Parkland Magnet MS for Aerospace Technology took a very long distance call on Nov. 5. The students talked about life and work in space with astronauts from four parts of the world (U.S., Canada, Russia, and Europe) as they circled the Earth in the International Space Station.  The students were hosted by NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan.

Everywhere you turn at Quince Orchard High School, you see or hear a message about the “Cougar Keys” and college readiness. Administrators, teachers, parents, and students have embraced the Seven Keys to College Readiness and are making them their own. Thanks to students in communications and design classes, posters, print materials, and more convey the message in every medium.

Monday, August 30, 2010, will be the first day of school for students for the 2010–2011 school year, according to the calendar adopted by the Board of Education on Tuesday, Nov. 10. The last day of school is scheduled for Thursday, June 16, 2011. The calendar is available in English; translations in Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese will be posted in December. 

The first report card of the school year is being distributed on Wednesday, Nov. 11. Teachers in grades kindergarten to eight will hold conferences with parents to discuss student progress on Wednesday, Nov. 11, and Thursday, Nov. 12. The parent–teacher conference is an important opportunity to learn how students, parents, and teachers can work together to improve student learning.