Montgomery County Public Schools

It will soon be that time of year when winter weather may cause schools to close, dismiss early, or delay opening. Be the first to know about changes in school operations by subscribing to the MCPS QuickNotes e-mail news service. Information about weather decisions and emergency procedures also is available on the emergency information page on the MCPS website.

The Board of Education's  boundaries and facility alternatives meeting will be webcast live starting at 6 p.m.,  Thursday, November 6. You need the free Windows MediaPlayer on your computer to view the meeting.

Parent-teacher conferences will be held Nov. 11 and 12. The conferences are an opportunity for parents to spend some one-on-one time with their child’s teachers and to discuss how they are doing in school. Conferences also can help parents and teachers find ways to work together to support the child’s interests and needs.

As part of “Capital for a Day” activities in Gaithersburg on Nov. 6, Governor Martin O’Malley spoke with students at a Town Hall Meeting at Gaithersburg High School. Student leaders from seven Gaithersburg-area middle and high schools had an opportunity to exchange ideas with the governor,  Board of Education President Nancy Navarro, Superintendent Jerry Weast, Gaithersburg Mayor Sidney Katz, Assistant State Superintendent for Instruction Colleen Seremet and other officials.

The Board of Education's business meeting will be webcast live starting at 10 a.m., Tuesday, November 11. You need the free Windows MediaPlayer on your computer to view the meeting.

Martin Luther King, Jr., Middle School students had an opportunity to vote—not for actual candidates but for positions on issues that most closely resemble what they believe—in world studies resource teacher Jack Wooden’s class. Here, student Ipek Sarp writes in the names of candidates showing their support of a particular issue students have just voted on.

A group of 26 parents are learning about motivating children to achieve in school, improving parent–teacher communication and supporting learning at home. They are participants in the Conquista tus Sueños (Realize Your Dreams) program offered at Roberto Clement MS by the MCPS Department of Family and Community Partnerships. The free three-session training, presented in Spanish, aims to empower parents as advocates and partners in their children’s education.

More than 125 fathers and other male mentors ate lunch with students and joined them for recess at a first-ever Dine with Dads event at Woodlin ES. Principal Sarah Sirgo credits Karen Mapp, a national expert on family engagement who has been working with MCPS since last December, with inspiring her and the school’s Parent Network Committee to take family outreach to the next level.