The Viking Weekly Newsletter
Week of October 20, 2024
🍕 Election Day Pizza & Snack Sale! 🍕
Come out on Tuesday, Nov. 5th from 4-8 PM to Gaithersburg Middle School for our delicious Election Day Pizza & Snack Sale! Grab a bite while supporting the school and enjoying the fun. All proceeds go to support our PTA, in partnership with the 8th Grade Committee.
Want to help? Volunteer or donate here: Sign Up. Let's make it a great event! 🎉🍕
📚✨ Scholastic Book Fair: Save the Date! ✨📚
Get ready for a week of literary fun! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to GMS from November 18-22. It’s the perfect chance to discover new books, grow your home library, and support our school. Don’t miss out! 📖🎉
Students can preview and purchase books during their English classes, lunch/wellness and before/after school. Sign up to volunteer -https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0844AFAA28ABF9C16-51321696-gmspta#/
Drama Club sign ups are now live!
Do you like acting, art, or just being silly with your friends? Join us for GMS Drama Club, where you'll learn theatrical skills and create your own play! Sign up at https://forms.gle/8tedN8uBkHrPBQJK7!
🎶 Exciting Opportunity for Music Lovers! 🎶
This year’s liquidation sales event will take place November 16–24, 2024, at 105 North Stonestreet Avenue, Rockville, Maryland 20850. Sales will be by appointment only to provide an opportunity for you to purchase these pianos before they are offered for sale to the public. All pianos will carry a 15-year transferable warranty. Each piano will come with a bench and one free in-house tuning. For additional information, you may visit the Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., website at https://www.schaefferspiano.com.
To make an appointment for the sale, between November 16–24, 2024, please call the Schaeffer’s Piano Company appointment desk at 301-424-1147. We are grateful to be working with Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., to support our school music programs and help MCPS keep new and well-maintained instruments in our schools each year. If you have any questions, please contact Schaeffer’s Piano Company, Inc., at 301-424-1144.
National C-SPAN Documentary Video Competition Open to Secondary Students
Students in 6th through 12th grades are invited to participate in C-SPAN’s annual national video documentary StudentCam competition, which encourages them to think critically about issues that affect our communities.
This year, students are being asked to create a five-to-six-minute video documentary on a topic that relates to the competition theme, “Your Message to the President.” Students may compete individually or in groups.
The submission deadline is Inauguration Day, Monday, Jan. 20, 2025. C-SPAN awards cash prizes to the top 150 student documentaries.
Historically, MCPS students perform well in this contest. Last year, a Montgomery Blair High School 9th grader won the High School East Division and in 2023, two Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Middle School 8th graders took home the Grand Prize.
Apply to Be Councilmember for a Day
Montgomery County Councilmember Will Jawando encourages all middle and high school students to participate in the 9th Annual Councilmember for a Day Challenge by sharing their vision for a better community through digital storytelling. Video essay submissions are due Thursday, Nov. 7. The winner will be honored at council with a proclamation and serve as an honorary councilmember for a day. Submit here.
Join Us for Community Engagement Sessions!
Superintendent Thomas Taylor is continuing to meet with as many stakeholders as possible to learn about the Montgomery County community. Save the date for one of his two remaining community engagement sessions:
- Thursday, Nov. 14, Walt Whitman High School, 7100 Whittier Blvd., Bethesda, 7–8 p.m.
Interpretation services will be available in Spanish and American Sign Language.
The sessions allow parents, students, staff and community members to connect with the superintendent and to share input on two key questions regarding the district's operations and academics.
- Regarding operations, what is working well in the district and what needs attention?
- Regarding academics, what should be done differently to improve student academic results?
Attendees will have the opportunity to voice feedback verbally during the session. Those who prefer to submit feedback digitally can do so on this Google form.
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.
Registration Now Open for Saturday School
Registration for the George B. Thomas Sr. Learning Academy, Inc., also known as Saturday School, is open for the 2024–2025 school year. Saturday School provides K–12 academic support programs in math and English/Language Arts.
The mentoring and tutoring program in Montgomery County will begin classes on Sept. 28 in nine locations, and also will provide a virtual option. The curriculum is aligned with MCPS and is taught by certified teachers. The locations are: Montgomery Blair, Albert Einstein, Paint Branch, Springbrook, Wheaton, Gaithersburg, Clarksburg, Rockville and Northwest high schools. The annual cost is $85; $40 for families eligible for Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMs).
Registration for Saturday School, Grades 1–12 is here (English) and here (en Español). Kindergarten registration is here (English) and here (en Español). For an additional cost of $150 for a five-week session, Saturday School also offers classes in Coding and Robotics (English) and here (en Español).
Call 301-287-8980 for general information.
Updated Timeline for Blended Learning Program for Long-Term Medically Impacted Students
MCPS is moving forward with its timeline for establishing a new Blended Learning Program for Long-Term Medically Impacted Students. This program will provide consistent and comprehensive educational services in both synchronous and asynchronous virtual environments to students with medical conditions who, as identified by a licensed medical professional, cannot be served in an in-person school environment for up to one year.
An application for the program will be available online starting Oct. 1, 2024, and the program will officially launch on Nov. 6, 2024. As the development process continues, more detailed information about the program's logistics will be communicated.
Google, Discovery Education Hosting Free STEM Family Day on Nov. 9
Google and Discovery Education are hosting a free STEM Family Day from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 9 at the Montgomery College, Germantown Campus.
Open to students in kindergarten through 12th grade, the event will offer interactive and hands-on STEM challenges and activities, and digital learning experiences with real-world applications. There will also be food trucks, games and raffles.
The event will be held in the High Technology and Science Center on the Germantown Campus, 20200 Observation Drive in Germantown. Register.
NAACP Parents' Council Meeting
You are invited to attend the upcoming NAACP-MC Parents’ Council meetings! These events are a fantastic opportunity for new and returning Parents’ Council representatives to connect, engage, and learn more about our shared mission.
Event Details:
Date: November 20, 2024
Time: 6:30 PM Via Zoom
Focus: SIP; CCR Pathway, Navigating a Changing College Application Landscape
Please Register in advance for the meeting. Registration is required for each meeting, and you can save and use this link:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZ0qdeGoqD4pE9aLT2sFRTAFIwGguj02g0q1. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
Don’t miss this chance to get involved and make a positive impact in our community. Here are the foci of future meetings:
- December 18, 2024: Anti-Racist School District Plan; Student Well-Being;
- January 15, 2025: The MSDE Blueprint and How it Impacts Students and Families; Planning for Summer
- February 19, 2025: Conversation with the Superintendent
- March 19, 2025: Special Education Advocacy and Support; Mid-Year EOL Data Update
- April 16, 2025: Meet the Board of Education
- May 14, 2025: Recognition of Exemplary Leaders, Teachers, and Staff : Best and Brightest Celebration
- June 11, 2025 : Progress Assessment & Planning for the Upcoming School Year
Costa Rica & Panama Trip - June 2025
Thank you again to those of you who were able to attend our informational meeting. HERE are the slides in case you missed it! To the travelers who have already taken advantage of the $100 discount and enrolled on the trip … welcome aboard!! We are so excited to have you 😊
For those not yet enrolled, the sooner you are able to enroll ($95 Enrollment Fee on the Automatic Payment Plan), the higher the chance there will still be room on the trip. With EF’s risk-free enrollment period – you will also have the chance to cancel with a full refund, should your plans change!
You can enroll now at www.eftours.com/2663008EV or by calling EF’s Traveler Support Line at 800-665-5364.
The official deadline for enrollment to receive the discount is coming up September 20th, and we cannot guarantee there will still be space should you wait to enroll. We want you there!
Have a great day!
Ms. O'Neal
Please note this is a non-school sponsored trip.
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