SSL-Give a Little Time…Make a Big Difference
Information regarding SSL, as well as downloadable SSL forms may be found at the MCPS SSL website: www.mcpsssl.org. As always, there are changes from year to year regarding what activities and which organizations are approved for service. Do not assume that because you or a sibling performed a certain service at a particular organization in the past that it is automatically approved. Always check in advance to avoid disappointment.
The MCPS SSL high school graduation requirement is 75 hours, but students may start earning hours the summer prior to sixth grade.
SSL Coordinator:
Lisa Rodriguez
Phone: 301-924-3100
MCPS SSL Specialist:
Pam Meador
Phone: 301‐279‐3454
Deadlines for School Year- 2012-2013
Service performed during the summer, 2012 is due the last Friday in September (September 28, 2012)
Service performed during the first semester is due the Friday before first semester exams begin (January 11, 2013)
Service performed during the second semester is due the Friday before 2nd semester exams begin (June 7, 2013)
Even if you will be continuing your service with a particular organization, you must submit any hours already accrued by the deadline or you will not be granted credit for those hours.
Farquhar adheres to the county wide, MCPS deadlines. Announcements are made every day for two weeks prior to a deadline. In addition, announcements are posted on the FMS website, the PTA newsletter, the PTA list serve, and posters around the school. Students who anticipate difficulty meeting a deadline are asked to see Mrs. Rodriguez BEFORE the deadline.
Click here for form SSL Vertification-560-51. These forms are also available on the MCPS SSL Web site or in the main office or in a mailbox outside of Mrs. Rodriguez’s room-41.
Important Information for the 2012-2013 School Year
Superintendents Student Service Learning Certificate of Merit (SSL)
Given to students who have met the 75-hour service-learning graduation requirement by the first Friday in April (April 5, 2013).
Letter from Mr. Lang
School Sponsored Updates
Summer Pre-Approval due May 29 2012
Pre-Approval for Summer
Important Reminders:
Student Service Learning activities must be performed with MCPS approved non‐profit organizations. Check the list of approved organizations at:
www.montgomeryserves.org. All approved activities have a graduation cap after them. Please look for the cap 
. If the organization is on the list, please fill out MCPS Form . Please make sure it is signed by the supervisor of the activity.
If your organization is not on that list, each individual student needs to obtain pre‐approval from the school or MCPS SSL coordinator at least two weeks PRIOR to the service or credit cannot be awarded. All preapproval requests must be submitted via MCPS Form Individual SSL Request- Form 560-50 . There is no such thing as "group approval" for organizations that are not on the MCPS list of approved organizations.
Denial of Credit:
There are two main reasons students are denied credit for service learning activities. The # 1 reason for denial of credit is failure to obtain pre‐approval for activities that are performed with agencies that are not listed on the MCPS approved organization list.
The # 2 reason for denial of credit is failure to submit hours before the required deadline. Announcements are made every day for two weeks prior to each deadline, reminding students to submit their forms.
Verification of Hours:
After submitting your verification of hours, if you don’t hear back from Mrs. Rodriguez within two weeks, you can assume the hours have been accepted and put into your record. You will see your see your updated SSL hours on your report card.
If there is a question regarding your SSL paperwork, you should hear from Mrs. Rodriguez within one week with an explanation regarding the question and/or issue concerning your paperwork.
Volunteer Center New Website Address:
- In October, 2011 the Montgomery County Volunteer Center (MCVC) moved to a newly designed website www.montgomeryserves.org .
- The attached list suggests that there are links to the old MCVC page on your school or department web pages . Please check out the attached list.
Upcoming SSL Opportunities:
You can find SSL opportunities by visiting the SSL Page: www.montgomeryserves.org. There are also opportunities posted at the SSL bulletin board across from the cafeteria.
Here are some more opportunities:
Other “Long Term” Volunteer Opportunities available:
Nature Center Host/Hostess; Park Police Citizen Patrol; Olney Skate Park Monitor; Urban Tree Stewards; Volunteer Naturalist; Historic Interpretation Docents – more opportunities with all the details are on our website at www.ParksVolunteers.org.
Questions about these opportunities or how to apply?
Opportunities around the community:
Brookside Gardens- Wings of Fancy
Strawberry Festival
Summer Camp
I Promise
Unite to Fight Hunger
Camp Starlight Flyer
Camp Starlight Application
Starlight Counselor Information
Alien Invaders
Giant Food Drive
SSL Hours Approved~
Guidelines for Faith Organizations and Student Service Learning:
There is a difference between volunteering services to a religious or other nonprofit organization and opportunities that qualify for student service learning (SSL). Volunteering is not a Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) graduation requirement governed by State and local guidelines. Religious and other nonprofit organizations provide many opportunities for students to volunteer in the overall mission and programming of the organization; and these same organizations may provide service-learning opportunities which meet the guidelines set by the MSDE and Montgomery County Public Schools. Because State and county guidelines restrict SSL to secular opportunities, not all volunteer opportunities performed in the context of a faith community qualify as service-learning for MCPS students.
MCPS students may choose to participate as volunteers in opportunities that promote the furtherance of religious, but SSL hours cannot be awarded for such involvement. The following are key to faith organizations awarding SSL opportunities:
· Address and/or serve issues and populations beyond their religious community and general membership.
· Serve the wider public (generally an underserved population: poor, elderly, infirm, disabled, at-risk youth, etc)-not just members of a particular faith community or those who are adherents to their denomination.
· Be an activity that is open to the non-denominational public.
· If educational, be in a setting that has a secular curriculum and secular programming.
Examples of key points:
Can SSL hours be earned by camp counselors or activity assistants in denominational summer camps such as Vacation Bible School? Yes, but only when the program is advertised to and attended by the non-denominational public. SSL hours are awarded only for secular curriculum and secular programming or recreation, such as sports, swimming, secular crafts, serving snacks, etc. SSL hours cannot be earned for any activities that involve prayer, liturgy, or the furtherance of religious tradition.
Can SSL hours be earned by acting as a class/teacher aide in a congregationally-based program, including tutoring/teaching a foreign language? Generally not, SSL hours are awarded only in the context of an educational setting whose purpose is secular, not religious or faith-based. Tutoring or classroom assistance does not qualify for SSL in congregational programs whose curriculum focuses on instruction (or language instruction) for the purpose of the furtherance of religious observance.
Does providing childcare while parents attend meetings at the religious organization site qualify? Yes, but only when the meetings address a community need and/or serve a population beyond the faith membership and do not support a for-profit business; eligible activities might include: teaching English classes, offering workshops open to the general public, blood drives, fitness classes, non-denominational music gatherings. SSL hours cannot be earned for meetings for congregation members only, and/or those that are focused on religion or worship.
Does tutoring another in preparation for a religious service, or participation in a religious service qualify? No, all SSL must address a recognized need beyond congregation membership in the greater community.
Does providing clerical or administrative support to a religious organization qualify?Yes, but only when the support addresses a recognized need in the greater community, e.g. managing a food pantry. SSL hours cannot be earned for assistance focused on membership mailings, updating congregation websites, or any other community-building aspect of a faith-based group that does not include the general public.
Can SSL hours be earned while serving an independent community nonprofit as part of a faith-based group opportunity? Yes, but only when a need in the greater community (beyond congregation membership) is addressed. Opportunities such as working in a soup kitchen, clothing center, housing or homeless program, or painting a senior housing facility, even when done with a religiously-affiliated group such as a congregational youth group, qualifies for
SSL.