Good afternoon, Titans.

I hope this message finds you and your families well. On most Sunday evenings this message will be delivered to you at or around 6:00 p.m. However, I want to share it with you now so you have a little more time to look over it before school starts tomorrow. Also, the message below includes much of what was already share with you last week, with a few additions and updates. For our new families, you will note next to each topic (New, Repeat, or Updated), which is included to let you know just that, if the topic has been updated, is being repeated, or is a new addition. This will help you focus or refocus your attention on what is being shared.

As a reminder, MCPS has decided that they would like to visit Einstein High School to kickoff SY24-25 and we could not be more excited. Each major news crew in the area is slated to be here on campus and we are gearing up to highlight Einstein. While traffic can already be someone what hectic to start the school year, please know that we will have additional vehicles and persons on campus tomorrow that might also contribute to this, but have provisioned accordingly.

To get ahead of some of the concerns you might hear from your students tomorrow, the hallways do in fact get congested at the beginning of the school year, particularly on the back hallway, upstairs and downstairs near the elevator. This can easily be avoided if students simply take the other stairwell. They will not be late to class, and both stairwells lead to the same location, just on opposite ends of the hallway, which takes about 20 seconds to walk from one end to the other.

For the first few days of school 9th grade students will be dismissed first so they have a little extra time finding their bus in the bus loop. We do hold the buses for an extra minute or two in the beginning, but buses pull out each day at 2:37 p.m., or seven minutes after dismissal. Please have you student ask the driver if they will also be their driver in the afternoon and if it will be the same but number. Please also ensure that your student knows the cross street to their home. This will help us, help them, find their afternoon buses faster.

This year is going to be a great school year, and I am extremely excited to welcome our new students and families, and look forward to meeting you at Back to School Night and at our various athletic events this season.

All the best, always!

Mark Brown, Jr.

Principal

• August 26 - First day of school
  
• September 2 - NO SCHOOL LABOR DAY HOLIDAY
• September 4 - Senior Unity Day @ Smokey Glen (details to follow)
• September 5 - Back to School Night
• Follow the AEHS Website - Upcoming Events link to see more events that are coming up at AEHS
• MCPS SY23-24 Calendar

Students have already received parking passes and are permitted to begin parking on the first day of school. ONLY students who have been issued parking passes are permitted to park on campus during the school day. Security will be monitoring the parking lot throughout the school day to ensure compliance. Students parking without a parking permit will be towed, and may lose the opportunity to enter the parking lottery for the spring semester and/or for next school year. For questions, please contact Ms. Alyson_L_Gordon@mcpsmd.org, assistant principal.

Vehicles will be given two warnings not to park on campus, and will be towed on the third violation.

• 1st Violation - Vehicles will receive a written notice on the windshield and the vehicle's make and model, and license plate will be recorded internally
• 2nd Violation - Vehicles will receive an orange violation sticker on their rear window. The vehicle's make and model, and license plate will be recorded internally

• 3rd Violation - The vehicle will be towed to Henry's Wrecker Service (see below)
• Misc. Incidents - Vehicles parked in handicap parking without the proper hang tags, vehicles blocking fire hydrants or parked in fire lanes, or blocking other vehicles in, are subject to being towed without warnings

While we do not desire to tow any vehicles, the vehicles that park without authorization prevent AEHS and MCPS staff and visitors who are authorized to park, from parking on campus.

Please Note: Vehicles that are not authorized to park on campus are not registered with AEHS. Therefore, we do not know who these vehicles belong to. As such, we are also unable to contact parents of students who might own these vehicles to warn them about the vehicle being parked without permission. We will, however, make every effort to identify and contact owners prior to receiving a 3rd violation, but this may not be reasonable in most cases.

Please Also Note: Only authorized/registered vehicles may park along the "strip," which is the sidewalk along Newport Mill Park. The sidewalk itself is county property, however, the parking spaces are on campus and this is on campus parking and is reserved for staff.

The AEHS Bell Schedule can be found by clicking the link, which will take you to the AEHS webpage.

Safety and security are our top priorities at Albert Einstein High School. In order to maintain a safe environment, students are required to wear their ID badges at all times while on campus.

Key Points:

• ID Visibility: Your ID must be worn around your neck and visible at all times. A lanyard will be provided for students
• Replacement: If you lose your ID or need a replacement, security will provide a replacement at a cost of $5
• School Events: Students must have their school issued ID in their and on their person at ALL MCPS school sponsored events, home and/or away.
• Students are expected to show their ID if asked to so

Student attendance is key for student success and well-being. We want to engage with your child in school every day. Each day that your child is absent from school may increase the chance of adverse outcomes such as lower grades, disengagement from teachers or peers, and increased stress and mental health challenges. To help visualize the cumulative effect of chronic absenteeism, click to see attendance infographic #1 and attendance infographic #2.

When students are absent, they must submit an excused note from a parent, guardian, or caretaker within three days of the absence so the absence can be excused. Please note that the excused note is for the absence, and does not excuse students from completing work missed. Notes should be submitted to Ms. Debra_L_Gedling@mcpsmd.org or electronically at Student Absence/ Early Dismissal Form.

Notes for early dismissal must be presented to the Attendance Office prior to the start of the school day. Students must sign in and out of the main office when arriving late and/or leaving early. We respectfully request that, when possible, doctor appointments are made for the after-school hours and on days when there is not school. Likewise, please pay careful attention to the enclosed school calendar and schedule vacations and college visits for the times that school is not in session. Students will remain responsible for the content missed as a result of an absence.

Student Rights and Responsibilities and Student Code of Conduct:

The MCPS Code of Conduct and A Student's Guide to Rights & Responsibilities will be distributed to all students in September. They can also be accessed using this link.

Students are not permitted to use their own laptops or mobile devices (e.g. cell phones, iPods, earbuds, etc.) In addition, students will not be permitted to use their cell phones and other mobile devices during class for non-instructional purposes. Failure to abide by this policy may result in confiscation of the device, parent contact and/or other disciplinary actions. (HINT): Students use the restroom during instructional time, which means electronics should be off and out of sight.

Effective beginning Thursday, August 1, 2024, high school students will be unable to access Twitter (X), Facebook, and Instagram while connected to the Montgomery County Public School (MCPS) network

Cell phones, Chromebooks, Laptops, etc.

Students will be responsible for bringing their MCPS-issued Chromebook to and from school daily. There will be opportunities for new students to receive Chromebooks on orientation day and throughout the first week of school.

Senior Portraits:

Legacy is scheduling Senior Portraits here at Albert Einstein High School on October 16 (3:00 pm-8:00 pm), October 21 (3:00 pm-8:00 pm), and November 1 (3:00 pm-8:00 pm). Students will receive communications directly from the vendor about how to sign-up for portrait dates. Please contact christine.rocca@legacystudios.com if you have any further questions about senior portraits.

Underclassman Portraits:

Students in grades 9-11 will take yearbook photos Sept. 4th & 5th, 2024, and will be scheduled to take photos through their English classes. The make-up test date for underclassman portraits is Oct. 14th, 2024. Additional correspondences will be shared with students and families regarding the cost of underclassman portraits.

Lockers:

We have reserved lockers for all of our grade 9 Emerging Language Development levels 1 and 2, and our Alternate Learning Outcomes (ALO) special education students. Students in grades 10-12 who would like a locker should speak with our school business administrator, Ms.Tasha Kelly (Tasha_E_Kelly@mcpsmd.org), to request a locker.

Student Emergency Information should be updated through ParentVUE. Each year parents/guardians are required to complete the Annual Verification of Information through the Online Registration portal (in the right corner of your ParentVUE home screen). We highly recommend that you complete this as soon as possible. It is critically important that we have accurate parent contact information on file with the school and system as soon as possible.

Dear Parents, Guardians, & Caretakers,

Last school year, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) covered the cost of Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) exam costs, aligning with the Maryland Blueprint and the MCPS strategic plan. We are pleased to inform you that MCPS will continue to cover these exam costs for the 2024–2025 school year, provided students enroll in an AP or IB course and complete their registration by November 15, 2024.

AP Exam Registration

Students will register for their AP exams through MyAP Classroom during the first two weeks of school. To further support this process, AEHS will hold three AP exam registration support sessions throughout the school year. These sessions are designed to assist students and families with any questions or issues they may have about AP exam registration. Specific dates and times for these sessions will be posted on the school website and communicated via email in the coming days.

IB Exam Registration

All IB students will be automatically registered for the exams corresponding to the IB course(s) in which they are enrolled. If a student decides not to take an exam or chooses to disenroll from a course, they must notify the AP/IB coordinator before January 15 to avoid a cancellation fee. Failure to provide notice by this deadline may result in the student being responsible for the entire cost of the IB exam.

Please note the following important points:

• Students enrolled in an AP or IB course for the 2024–2025 school year are expected to participate in the corresponding AP or IB exam.

• Students who register late, cancel their exam, do not complete the IB Internal Assessment, or are not present to take the AP or IB exam will be responsible for the AP fee of $40 or the IB fee of $123.

• Students who choose to take an AP exam without enrolling in the corresponding AP course will be responsible for the cost of the exam.

• Participation in an IB exam is not permitted unless the student is enrolled in the corresponding IB course, according to IB standards and practices.

Important Dates

• AP and IB exam registration deadline: November 15, 2024.

• AP and IB exams will be held from April 28, 2025, to May 21, 2025.

Action Required

• Please ensure your student understands that they are required to participate in the AP and IB exams if enrolled in these courses.

• Make sure your student is aware that they will be responsible for any fees associated with late registration, cancellations, or missed exams without an approved excuse.

• If a student wishes to “opt-out” of an exam their parent, guardian or caretaker must complete the May 2025 exam session opt-out google form by November 14 to avoid the $40 cancellation fee for AP exams or $123 for IB exams.

We look forward to another successful school year and appreciate your partnership in supporting your student's academic journey.

Below are links to support avenues for students and families related to well-being support and safety.

Stronger Student App. : is intended to connect students with crisis support resources or to other mental and physical health/wellness needs, including to reporting incidents of discrimination.

Maryland Crisis Support: is a support helpline for people experiencing mental health or substance use emergencies. People can call (or text or chat) 9-8-8 to talk and to connect with services.

Bullying, harassment, or intimidation prevention / Reporting Form: Bullying, harassment (including sexual misconduct and sexual harassment), intimidation, hazing, incidents of hate-bias, and concerning issues involving student gender identity are not tolerated in MCPS. We are committed to ensuring our students feel safe, valued, and respected in our schools. We appreciate your support in stressing with your students the importance of refraining from and/or tolerating such behaviors and reporting them immediately when they occur. Please use the links for information on preventing bullying, harassment & intimidation or to report an incident.

Albert Einstein Counseling:

Please refer to our counseling department link below to identify which counselor is assigned to your student, learn about the services they provide, or submit any questions you may have.

AEHS Counseling Department Link

ParentVue Accounts: (Stay Connected)

Below is information that will guide you as you prepare for the school year. We will be sending out weekly communication through Synergy every Sunday evening. Please make sure that your contact information is updated in the myMCPS Parent VUE. If you have difficulty with activating accounts, or if you do not receive a communication, please contact the help line at 240-740-7023.

SchoolCash Online (SCO):

Montgomery County Public Schools uses an online payment system called SchoolCash Online as its preferred method of payment for school-related fees. Please note that the new system is NOT related to school cafeteria accounts. SCO helps parents/guardians, and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. In addition, SCO will help increase efficiency and security at schools by making payments directly into schools’ bank accounts and eliminating the need for teachers/sponsors to handle money. A processing fee will be included on all items available for purchase, regardless of the type of payment used on SCO or at the school. Please refer to these registration instructions in English and Spanish for more information, including how to add students to your account and make payments. Also, while SCO is the preferred method of making payments, students, parents/guardians, and community members may continue to make payments using cash or check. Parents/guardians can register now at https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/.

Fall Sports are under way. Please visit our website for more information on games and events!

• Athletics website: https://einsteinathletics.org/

Meet the Coaches:

Please follow this link to meet and learn a bit more about our coaches

Things to Know (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)

Want something included next week? Please submit it your information by the Friday before. HERE.