This is a regular five-day week.

At Lakelands Park, we strive to be a community of belonging, where every student, staff member, and family feels welcome, safe, and affirmed. A strong sense of belonging is essential for learning, and it takes all of us to create this environment together. We also aim to be a source of strength for our students and community, and when we participate in these activities together, we grow even stronger. This week’s newsletter is full of opportunities to support our school and come together as a school community—whether through participation, celebration, or generosity. We invite you to join us in making Lakelands Park a place where everyone feels valued. Please consider these opportunities this week:

• Buy a Community of Belonging shirt or hoodie.
• Share Your Culture! Sign-up to participate in Heritage Night or plan on attending on April 8th.
• Get Chipotle for Dinner! Come out on Wednesday night and 25% goes to our school.
• Order Spring Pictures! This is a fundraiser for our school. Pictures will be taken this Thursday.
• Play Bingo! This Thursday at 6pm, enjoy Bingo Night with your family. Donations needed.
• Send Pies! Donate pies to show appreciation to our staff on Friday.

This week...

Mon - Fri, March 10th - 14th:

• Signs of Suicide Training in PE and Health classes. See more details below.

Wednesday, March 12th:

• Chipotle Restaurant Night, 5-9pm

Thursday, March 13th:

• 8th Grade Panoramic & Spring Individual Pictures: Spring pictures will be taken only for students who pre-order. See details below.
• 80's Bingo Night, 6:00-7:30 pm. Sign-up to donate items here. This is a PTSA fundraiser for our Media Center furniture replacement project. Don't miss this fun family event. It's our last Bingo night for this school year.

Friday, March 14th:

• It's Pi Day and the PTSA is celebrating the day with sweet and savory pies for our 175 Lakelands Park Middle School Staff members. We need pies! Lots of pies! Store-bought or specialty pies are more than okay! However, the staff especially love homemade pie, so if you have the time and talent to cook one yourself, that would be great! Sign-up to donate items here.

Looking ahead...

Friday, March 28th: End of Marking Period 3

Monday, March 31st: No School, Professional Day

Thursday, April 3rd: Maryland Survey Administration, click here to read a letter with more details.

Tuesday, April 8th: Heritage Night, 6:30 - 8pm

Monday, April 14th to Monday, April 21st: No School, Spring Break

Sincerely,

Rose Alvarez

Principal

Para traducir este boletín, seleccione "español" en "Translate Newsletter" encima.

A couple of years ago our staff shirt featured the words "Community of Belonging" along with a Pride rainbow version of our LPMS logo. These shirts were very popular and we fielded many questions on how students and families could get one. Now, thanks to a fundraiser for our Safe Space club you can! See the flyer below or click here to purchase your t-shirt, long-sleeve, or hoodie today and wear it with pride to support the message that Lakelands is a community of belonging for everyone. Sale ends March 18th.

Picture Day at Lakelands Park Middle School:
Thursday, March 13, 2025
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PLEASE NOTE:

Only students who pre-order online
BEFORE picture day will be photographed

Click here to order: classic-photo.com and enter

Online Code: lakelands25

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Please read this letter for information on our annual Signs of Suicide (SOS) program for students. Counselors will provide the lessons during the month of March via PE and Health classes. We ask that parents, guardians, and caretakers review the information in the presentations linked below and/or watch the video below.

SOS Parent Slide Show

SOS Parent Slide Show in Spanish

Video: https://player.vimeo.com/video/358145629

Join us on April 8th for our Heritage Night, a special evening to celebrate the incredible diversity of our school community! Sponsored by our PTSA and Minority Scholars Program (MSP), this event is an opportunity to share and experience different cultures through food samples, games, short performances (2 minutes max), and informational displays. We also need parent/guardian volunteers to help make the night a success. Sign up here no later than March 26th—we can’t wait to celebrate with you

Amazon Wishlist: We need more of everything! We saw record shopping at our last Falcon Bucks store and this is a testament to our students and staff. We need your help to replenish the store. Thank you to everyone who has already donated! Our inventory is ready for a refresh so if you would like to contribute please see our Amazon Wishlist. Click here: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/NC8EIRQQZGBL?ref_=wl_share

Donate: Additionally if you have leftover party favors or gift bag items in your home that you would like to donate please drop them in the box labeled "Falcon Bucks Store" in the office and we would be happy to repurpose them to the Falcon Bucks Store!

Volunteer: Volunteers needed for February 21. Please sign up to support our Falcon Bucks stores in each grade level area every other Friday morning. This opportunity does not involve the exchange of actual money. Volunteer here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090F4EA5A928AA8-51042751-falcon#/

PTSA believes that together we can make every child’s potential a reality—but we need more believers like YOU. We need YOU. Will you join us?

Click here to Join or Donate to the PTSA

Direct Appeal Donation is our PTSA's primary fundraiser, accounting for about 35% of our PTSA budget. It is, quite simply, a straight-forward request for donations directly to the PTSA in lieu of more traditional fundraisers which involve selling products in exchange for a small portion of the proceeds.

With Direct Appeal, 100% of your contribution goes directly to funding the LPMS PTSA's programs and events. Please make your contribution today.

100% benefits LPMS PTSA

Zero overhead

No selling

Tax deductible

MCPS has clear procedures in place to ensure student safety if immigration officials visit a school. These steps help staff respond appropriately while prioritizing student well-being:

• Verify the visitor's identity and obtain official documentation.
• Notify MCPS legal counsel for guidance.
• Contact the impacted student’s family in their preferred language.
• Follow security protocols to protect all students and staff.

For more information and Frequently Asked Questions, visit the MCPS Immigration Supports page.

Our Spring Session of Esports will began this Tuesday, March 4, 2025 and will continue every Tuesday and Thursday after school until May 1st, with an end of the season tournament on May 10, 2025.

We will be playing Rocket League, with the new Rocket League Season 18 update set to release on Wednesday, March 5, 2025.

Please see the updated permission forms here. Also, hard copies are available in the main office.

Also please see the first day requirements here. Students are required to:

1. Create and/or login to an EPIC Games account.

2. Signup with any PERSONAL account (not MCPS account)

3. Make sure you know your username and password!

4. Turned in your permission slip!

Please contact our eSports League Coach, Antonia Wolff, at Antonia_J_Wolff@mcpsmd.org, with any questions.

Registration is now closed for Soccer. Students who have registered by the deadline will receive information about try-outs, starting March 11th. If you have questions, please reach out to the Lakelands Park Athletic Coordinator, Michelle Cassels at Michelle_D_Cassels@mcpsmd.org. Click here to visit our websites athletics page for the athletics schedule and other important information regarding our athletics program.

Lakelands Park Middle School offers an exciting variety of after-school opportunities from 3:15 to 4:30 pm on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays (excluding half days and unscheduled early release days). Some of our activities are starting this week! Our clubs are open to all students in all grades and no pre-registration is necessary. We encourage our students to show up on the first day and learn more.

On the days we have after-school activities, students will report to the Cafeteria at 3:00 pm. We will serve a hot meal from 3:00 to 3:15 pm, and students will be dismissed at 3:15 pm to their activities.

While participating in after-school activities, students can practice leadership skills, improve their academic, musical, and athletic abilities, and participate in other endeavors that suit their creativity and personal interests. Under the supervision of a supportive, caring, and competent professional staff member or volunteer, a student will often develop an avocation that will remain a lifelong interest and source of enjoyment.

Click here to visit our Activities webpage to learn more about this activities and others! You can also see our activity bus calendar and routes. Activity busses typically run Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

All MCPS students and staff members are invited to participate in the Division of Sustainability and Compliance's 2025 Sustainability Poster Contest. The contest seeks to increase awareness and demonstrate the importance of environmental sustainability, energy conservation, waste reduction, and responsible recycling. All art must be a student or staff member's original work and not contain copyrighted elements. Posters should be no smaller than 8.5 inches by 11 inches and must not exceed 18 inches by 24 inches in size.See Ms. McCaskill, Mr. Lubin, or Ms. Leissa for more information and to enter the contest no later than April 4th.

Friday, March 28th: End of Marking Period 3

Monday, March 31st: No School, Professional Day

Thursday, April 3rd: Student MD State Survey administration for students

Tuesday & Wednesday, April 8th & 9th: MCAP ELA

Tuesday, April 8th: Heritage Night, 6:30 - 8pm

Monday, April 14th to Monday, April 21st: No School, Spring Break

Wednesday, April 23rd: Student Member of the Board (SMOB) Elections in English Classes

Mon-Fri, May 5-9: Staff Appreciation Week

Looking further ahead?

MCPS 2024-2025 Calendar

MCPS 2025-2026 Calendar

Check out the Who's Who to know who to contact. 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: Rose_S_Alvarez@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/lakelandsparkms/
Location: Lakelands Park Middle School, 1200 Main Street, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
Phone: (240)740-6450
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LPMSPTSA/