The Viking Weekly Newsletter
Week of October 20, 2024
Hello, GMS Family! 🎉
Our new bell schedule continues!
Want to know more about the schedule? Check out the video below! You can also check out our January 24th Community Letter here.
Fix-It Fair
The Environmental Affairs Committee is excited to host the 2025 Fix-It Fairs on Saturdays, February 8 and June 14, from 10 AM to 2 PM at the Casey Community Center! These events invite community members to bring broken personal items—such as toasters, bicycles, lamps, and more - for free repairs by local volunteer “fixers.” In 2022, our volunteers successfully repaired 95% of items brought in, and we look forward to continuing this effort in 2025!
Join us in keeping items out of the landfill and supporting a more sustainable community!
Event Details for Attendees
- Registration opens two weeks before each event.
- Appointments are in 30-minute time slots.
- A complete fix is not guaranteed, though past events achieved a 95% success rate with 34 appointments!
Appointment Sign-Up Now Open
Do you have an item in need of repair? The City’s Fix-It Fair, scheduled for Saturday, February 8, 2025, at the Casey Community Center, is now accepting appointments for repairs! Skilled volunteer fixers will be available to assist with the following types of repairs:
- Textile/Clothing Repairs
- Small Appliances
- Lamps
- Tool & Knife Sharpening
- Bicycle Maintenance (tube patching, alignment, and oiling)
- Computer Diagnostics
Appointments must be scheduled in advance, and details about your item will be shared with the appropriate fixer prior to the event. The deadline to sign up is January 17, 2025. Spots are limited, so register at the link below.
Register here: https://fs30.formsite.com/GBurgMD/p3krofrdxo/index
Commemorating Black History Month
The following event is open to students, staff and community members. Students can earn up to two Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for attending.
The Road to Advocacy: The River Road Community’s Fight to Stop the Erasure of African American History, in collaboration with the Bethesda African Cemetery Coalition
Thursday, Feb. 6, 6-7:30 p.m.
Zoom Webinar registration link
The Road to Advocacy, Feb. 6
Summer RISE 2025 Student Registration
Summer RISE 2025 Student Registration: The Summer RISE program is open to current sophomores and juniors who want to gain real-world experience over the summer. Participating students will be matched with career hosts based on their industry preferences for a minimum of 50 hours in person, virtually or through hybrid opportunities from June 23–July 25. Registration closes on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Choose Respect 2025
Secondary students participating in the video contest have until Sunday, Feb. 16 to submit their entries. Videos must be 60 seconds with a message raising awareness about dating violence/abuse, consent, or how to support a friend facing a difficult situation. Students can earn SSL hours and win up to $1,000. Learn more.
Registration Open Now for Spring Girls With Impact Program
The spring session of Girls With Impact (GWI) is now open for registration. GWI offers a free 10-week entrepreneurship program to high school students at MCPS. This program focuses on building critical business and leadership skills through a hands-on curriculum that covers topics including business planning, marketing and financial literacy. The spring program begins the week of March 3. Learn more and register.
Masks Encouraged in School Health Rooms
With the recent increase in respiratory and viral illnesses (including COVID-19, influenza and RSV) in Montgomery County and the state of Maryland, MCPS has received guidance from the Maryland Department of Health to encourage students, staff and visitors to wear masks when visiting the health room in schools. While wearing a mask is not required, it is encouraged to help prevent the spread of illness. If your child doesn't have a mask during their health room visit, your school will provide one.
Working Together to Create a Safe and Welcoming School Community
As we begin the second half of the school year, we want to remind students and their families of the many resources available to support everyone. These resources also reflect our shared commitment to fostering a safe, respectful and inclusive school community.
Civic Engagement and Civil Discourse
MCPS is committed to fostering civic engagement and civil discourse among our students. These are essential skills and strategies that empower young people to navigate a diverse world with respect and confidence.
The MCPS Civic Engagement and Civil Discourse Google Site provides centralized resources for staff and is easily accessible via the MCPS Resources tab in Google Chrome. The website provides resources to support creating an environment where students can participate productively, engage safely, and experience uniform rule application across the district.
Strategies concerning political engagement, including guidelines for students.
Supporting Our Diverse Community
Our diversity is a huge strength for us, and it’s our duty to ensure every individual feels valued and supported. Please keep the following resources in mind:
Addressing Hate-Bias and Antiracism
MCPS tiered protocols are critical for addressing hate and bias incidents, ensuring we respond thoughtfully and effectively when these situations arise.
BOE Seeks Comment on Workforce Excellence Policy
The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking public comment for Policy GAA, Workforce Excellence, an updated policy, developed to build thoughtful, strategic and continuous professional growth processes for MCPS employees. The policy prioritizes effective onboarding and skill development for an employee's current position, as well as planning for skill development for career growth within MCPS. These strategies draw out and build employees’ skills, retain talent and increase MCPS capacity to respond imaginatively to unfamiliar or challenging situations—all hallmarks of a resilient organization.
The policy has been available for comment since Jan. 10, 2025, and the public comment period will remain open through Monday, Feb. 3.
Review Policy GAA.
Submit comments.
The Board is also seeking public comment on Policy GCB, Investigation of Allegations of Employee Misconduct, a new policy, developed to comply with the recommendations of the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General to establish the Board’s core principles guiding MCPS investigations of employee misconduct, and the purpose and approach MCPS shall take to investigating misconduct. This comment period has been available since Dec. 10, 2024, and is also open through Feb. 3, 2025.
Summer RISE Student Registration Now Open
Student registration for Summer RISE 2025 is open until Feb. 18.
Summer RISE offers a hands-on, career-based learning experience with businesses, government agencies, higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations. The program is open to high school sophomores and juniors who want to gain real-world experience over the summer.
Participating students will be matched with career hosts based on their industry preferences for a minimum of 50 hours of in-person, virtual or hybrid opportunities from June 23 through July 25. This program allows students to:
Explore careers and workplace expectations.
Develop essential professional and technical skills.
Make informed college and career decisions.
Build a network of mentors to guide their career paths.
To learn more, join one of our Student & Parent/Guardian Information Sessions or visit www.MCPS-SummerRISE.org.
Registration closes on Tuesday, Feb. 18.
Fall Parent Academy Schedule Now Available
Families and students can stay engaged throughout the school year with Parent Academy TO GO, a series of free virtual webinars for families. October, November and December webinars are now available on the Parent Academy website. Topics include managing bedtime battles, learning skills for better communication and tools to diffuse power struggles, and handling disappointing grades. Registration is available here.
George B. Thomas Saturday School
Affordable academic tutoring for grades K-12 at Gaithersburg High School, other high schools, and on-line. Saturdays from 8:30 to 11:00 a.m. Program begins September 2024. Click here to register and learn more.
MCPS Parent Academy
Student, Family, and School Services is very excited to provide "Parent Academy TO GO," a series of virtual presentations for families to participate and view at home. Click here to learn more and register.
Gaithersburg Youth Club
Click here to learn more about the GYC, an after-school, supervised, and fun club for our students. The center is right across the street from GMS and the program costs only $20 or $25 per year.
Contacting Us
During the school year, if your question is about your child's class, the first person to contact is always your child's teacher. Use Synergy to quickly email your child's teachers or see our Staff Directory.
Email: Sofia_M_Grant-Dewitt@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/gaithersburgms/
Location: 2 Teachers Way, Gaithersburg, MD 20877
Phone: (240) 740-4950
Instagram: @GMSVikings
Twitter: @GMSVikings