Principal's Message
Dear MHES families and staff,
We are thrilled to kick off another week of learning and engagement here at Meadow Hall Elementary School! As we move into this new week, we look forward to seeing our students continue to grow, explore, and succeed together.
A special reminder to join us for our MHES Dine Out, hosted by our PTA at Hello Vietnam, happening this Tuesday through Thursday from 5:30-8:00 pm each evening. When you stop by, don’t forget to mention you're with Meadow Hall Elementary. Thank you in advance for supporting our school—we can’t wait to see you there!
As always, please take a moment to review the Mustang Weekly for important updates and information regarding the week of October 6, 2024.
Desmond Mackall
Principal
Meadow Hall ES
A Word from Mrs. Jackson: Community School Liaison!
COMMUNITY SCHOOL UPDATES!
REMINDER: CSL Bus Stop Meetup!
On Fridays through December 13, 2025, I will visit MHES school bus stops to say “hello,” and get to know families that I may not get the chance to bump into on campus before or after school. The schedule is as follows:
Scott Avenue and Edmonston Drive - 11/8/24
Edmonston Drive and Gilbert Road - 11/15/24
Denham Road and Gilbert Road - 10/11/24 and 12/6/24
Grandin Avenue and Woodburn Road 10/18/24 and 12/13/24
Jessica Jackson, MSW, LCSW-C
Community School Liaison for Meadow Hall ES
Department of Student Engagement and Behavioral Health
Office of Well-Being and Student Services
Cell/Whatsapp: 227-216-1193
IG: @meadowhalles_CSL
Twitter/X: @MHES_CSL
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PTA!
Thank you Meadow Hall Community for a great turn out at the Ice Cream Social and Book Fair! We are grateful to everyone who participated and especially appreciative of all of the volunteers who made the events possible. Special thanks to Erin Greenlee, Mr. Mizelle and Ms. Burshtyn for leading these events! Keep an eye out for more information on upcoming activities like Dine Outs and our Movie Night!
PTA Meeting Notes
Thanks to all who joined us for the PTA meeting earlier this week. For those who could not attend please check out the meeting notes here.
Dine Out Hello Vietnam - October 8-11
From October 8th-11th Hello Vietnam will be sponsoring a Meadow Hall Dine out! Stop by and support the school and a local business!
Movie Night, October 17th, 6 PM
Join us on October 17th for Movie Night! Students will vote on one of two movies --Inside Out 2 or Despicable Me 4 to determine what we will watch.
Blue Envelope, starts October 14
This is a chance to help support the PTA by donating money to help fund our community events and activities.
Want to get involved in the PTA?
MHES PTA is looking for members to participate on the PTA in various ways. We encourage all families to look at the link below and consider supporting the PTA and getting involved on a committee for the new school year. See the link below:
PTA Committee Volunteer Positions-FY24
Box Tops for Education
Box Tops for Education is a program that gives money to schools for their family’s participation just by purchasing products and scanning the receipt in the Box Tops App. Box Tops earnings are used to fund items for the school and events. If you haven't done so already, Download the Box Tops App on your smartphone using Referral Code WZTM9R7Z. We promise it is a super easy task to get used to. Register and select Meadow Hall as your supporting school. SCAN your receipt with the Box Tops app within 14 days of purchase and EARN cash with every Box Tops product you buy.
Why join the PTA? Among the many, many good reasons, it basically boils down to being a great way to benefit your child, the school, and yourself by being involved in the PTA functions and connecting with other parents and staff. And for those of you who have been members in past years, don’t forget to renew your membership. Memberships are $10 for family and community members (only one membership is needed per family). We are thrilled to get to know everyone and see you all at our meetings and activities!
OTHER MCPS NEWS!
Mental Health Awareness Week Set for Oct. 21–26
MCPS and the Montgomery County School Psychologists’ Association will host Mental Health Awareness Week Oct. 21–26 to give youth and families the opportunity to hear from mental health experts on a variety of issues. A Mental Health Resource Fair and Student Forum will be held on Saturday, Oct. 26, from 10 a.m.–2 p.m. at Seneca Valley High School, 19401 Crystal Rock Drive in Germantown.
The event is open to students, families and staff and will include MCPS and community partners sharing information about mental health and wellness, as well as a student-lead forum focused on issues impacting Montgomery County youth. Students may earn Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for participating in the resource fair. For more information, visit the Mental Health Awareness Week website.
The keynote speaker is Charles A. Barrett, Ph.D., NCSP, a district-level administrator in Virginia, who practiced as a school psychologist for 13 years at the elementary and secondary levels. He serves as an adjunct lecturer at several universities, where he trains future school psychologists. The keynote and student forum are set for 10:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m.
Mental Health Awareness Week 2024
Applications to High School Regional/Countywide Programs Open Oct. 7, Due Nov. 1
MCPS students have a range of opportunities available at their local high school, as well as regional and countywide application programs. Beginning Monday, Oct. 7, Grade 8 students will have the opportunity to apply for the regional/countywide programs using the high school common application found in ParentVUE. Additionally, students in Grades 9-11 may apply for part-time career-readiness programs at various locations throughout the county. Applications for the upper grades will also be open beginning Monday, Oct. 7. Links to interest forms are below:
Grade 9
Grade 10
Grade 11
Information sessions are going on now for students and families. All dates can be found on the special programs webpage.
The deadline to apply is 3 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 1. Learn more about the programs, eligibility and open house dates.
Share Your Feedback on Upcoming School Year Calendars
MCPS is seeking the community’s feedback as it works to finalize the 2025–2026 and 2026–2027 school year calendars. Please complete this survey to share your input.
Your feedback represents an important component of the development process. MCPS will consider educational interests, operational needs, mandated school closures by state law, compliance with minimum instructional days and credit hour requirements, contingencies for inclement weather and other emergencies, staff professional days and early release days, alignment with assessment schedules and more.
Both draft calendars for 2025–2026 include the following:
A new Student Transition Day will be introduced for the 2025-2026 School Year Calendar. This Student Transition Day, on Monday, Aug. 25, 2025, will be a re-imagined student orientation day to welcome students in kindergarten, third grade, sixth grade and ninth grade; students in any grade who are new to MCPS or new to a school; those who enroll through International Admissions; and students who receive special education services, language development supports or who are Emergent Multilingual Learners.
First official day of school for all students: Tuesday, Aug. 26, 2026.
Spring break: Monday, March 30, 2026, through Monday, April 6, 2026.
The primary difference between the two draft calendars for 2025–2026 is the length of winter break—one has an eight-day break and the second has a 10-day break.
The committee is in the early stages of planning for the 2026–2027 calendar and would like feedback on:
The first week of school.
Winter break.
Thanksgiving break.
Survey in Other Languages
Comentarios sobre el calendario escolar de MCPS (2025-2026 y 2026-2027)
MCPS 校历反馈（2025-2026 和 2026-2027）
MCPS 학교 달력 피드백(2025-2026 및 2026-2027)
Commentaires sur le calendrier scolaire du MCPS (2025-2026 et 2026-2027)
Phản hồi về Lịch học của Trường MCPS (2025-2026 và 2026-2027)
የMCPS ትምህርት ቤት የቀን መቁጠሪያ ግብረመልስ (2025-2026 እና 2026-2027
Teacher and Coach Steffany Lizama: Inspiring Latinas in STEM and Sports
As part of Hispanic Heritage Month—celebrated from Sept. 15 through Oct. 15—MCPS is highlighting the contributions and diversity of the many Hispanic cultures across Montgomery County. Steffany Lizama, a STEM educator and girls' flag football coach at Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School, empowers students to challenge stereotypes. Read more about her story.
Applications Due Oct. 4 for Youth Climate Institute
Applications are due Friday, Oct. 4, for high school students interested in applying for the inaugural chapter of the Youth Climate Institute. This extracurricular program will teach student leaders about climate science, impacts and solutions. Students will receive an introduction to a variety of climate topics, including environmental justice, food waste and fast fashion, as well as attend panel discussions and webinars. They will also work with climate experts to complete action projects in their communities. Meetings will be held on Tuesday evenings beginning on Oct. 15 in person at Brookside Gardens in Wheaton or the Lathrop E. Smith Environmental Center in Rockville.
The application is available here.
For questions, email Lee Derby or Liz Bullock.
In Case You Missed It …
MCPS issued updated guidance for student and staff speech and expression. You can read it here. Also, remember to register to attend the social studies curriculum nights to learn more about how social studies is taught.
VISIT the MCPS homepage.
CALL 240-740-3000. Staff take calls from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, in English and Spanish (240-740-2845)
READ news and information sent via email and text message and on the MCPS News page.
FOLLOW the MCPS social media pages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in English and Spanish.
http://twitter.com/mcps
https://www.facebook.com/mcpsmd
https://www.instagram.com/mcps_mdhttps://www.facebook.com/mcpsespanol
https://twitter.com/MCPSEspanol
https://www.instagram.com/mcpsenespanol/SIGN UP for emails and text alerts and make sure your ParentVue information is up to date.
WATCH the MCPS cable channels Comcast 34 (1071 HD), Verizon 36 or RCN 89
Open Registrations
More From MCPS
ParentVUE and other Important Online Resources
Sign Up For ParentVUE to Stay in Touch With Your School
Families new to MCPS are encouraged to sign up for a ParentVUE account at the beginning of the school year. ParentVUE is the online parent portal that serves as the primary communication vehicle for schools to share information regarding grades, attendance, scheduling, access to myMCPS Classroom, and more.
ParentVUE provides a way to view school-related information and data for students. Register for athletics, and special programs, communicate with teachers, and verify your student information annually.
ParentVUE also allows access to Canvas/MyMCPSClassroom, a digital learning platform. Parents and guardians can view instructional information and resources, and get alerts about assignments and grades.Sign up for Alert MCPS
Alert MCPS provides emergency information about school closures or emergencies via text or email messages to devices you register. Sign up here.Know These Important System Resources A. GoFan: This online digital ticketing platform offers fast and easy access to tickets for high school events, and allows fans to enter games quickly and safely. For ticketed sports, tickets are no longer sold at the gate and must be purchased online. B. SchoolCash Online: https://www.schoolcashonline.com MCPS has transitioned to this online payment system as its preferred method of payment for all school-related fees. Schools and offices will now use SchoolCash Online for fundraising, field trips, course fees and extracurricular activities. This new payment system is not related to school cafeteria accounts.
MySchoolBucks:Use MySchoolBucks to add school meal money to your child’s account. This will eliminate the need for your child to bring money to school every day. This year, meals (lunch and breakfast) will not be universally free. If your student wants to buy lunch in school, they will need a MySchoolBucks account. Families who believe they qualify for free and reduced-price meals can apply here.
Meadow Hall Principal
Email: Desmond_Mackall2@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/meadowhalles/
Location: 951 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-5260
Twitter: @MHES_Principal
Meadow Hall Assistant Principal
Email: Ilana_N_Simhon@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/meadowhalles/
Location: 951 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-5260
Twitter: @MeadowHallAP