Tubman Tiger Times

We are excited for our last week of school before winter break.

Thank you for committing to send your Tubman Tiger to school, every day, on time. We are so excited about our collective work to improve attendance. Our chronic absenteeism rate has decreased from 30% to 18%. This means that 18% of our students (about 107 students) have missed at least 10% of the school year.

Missing 10% of the school year at this point, means that your child has at least 7 absences.

Let's work together to keep exceeding our goal as absenteeism rates change each day. Please reach out to our Parent Community Coordinator, Ms. Avalos (sthefanie_avalos@mcpsmd.org) if you need any support with your child attending school.

Warmly,

Dr. Griffith

Thursday 12/19: 4th & 5th Grade Field Trip to University of Maryland

Friday 12/20: Last Day of School for 2024

As the weather is getting colder, please note that students will be indoor for recess if the "real feel" temperature is below freezing (32 degrees).

If your child is in need of a coat to stay warm, please contact:

Mrs. Yoo, Community School Liaison: hyun_k_yoo@mcpsmd.org

Mrs. Avalos, Parent Community Coordinator: sthefanie_avalos@mcpsmd.org

MealViewer is the new interactive menu platform for Montgomery County Public Schools breakfast and lunch menus. Students, caregivers, school staff, nurses, and community members will have digital access to menus and meal information. MealViewer will launch on Sunday, December 8, 2024. Portable document format (PDF) menus will remain available through December 2024. Starting January 1, 2025, PDF menus will no longer be available.

MCPS will start shutting down Acer model chromebooks that have been provided as home loaners. If you have an Acer chromebook at home, please return it to school and request a new chromebook for home using this link

Many have asked what else the school needs in order to thrive. We appreciate your support! Below is our school's Amazon wish list. We are currently prioritizing outdoor and indoor recess games and equipment. When you purchase items, they are shipped directly to our school. Please share our list with your family and friends!

There are various food distributions in the Gaithersburg and Germantown areas occurring this month and throughout the winter break. Check out the Family Market Events HERE.

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL), in collaboration with the National Basketball Association’s (NBA) Washington Wizards and Friends of the Library Montgomery County (FOLMC), invites readers to participate in the 2025 Winter Reading Challenge, which will run from Saturday, Dec. 21 through Sunday, March 16, 2025. This year’s theme, “Active Bodies, Active Minds,” encourages participants to embrace reading and physical activity, providing a fun and healthy way to begin the New Year.

Participants will receive a paper gameboard and a voucher for a free book, courtesy of FOLMC. As they complete their bingo gameboard, they will earn prizes such as swag packs, medals, branded items and chances to win grand prizes like a basket of goodies or tickets to a Washington Wizards game.

For more information about the Winter Reading Challenge and to register, visit the following links. Registration opens on Saturday, Dec. 21.

• Youth Winter Reading Challenge Registration

• Adult Winter Reading Challenge Registration

To celebrate the kickoff of the Winter Reading Challenge, MCPL will host a special event from 3:30-5:00 PM on Saturday, Dec. 28, at the Wheaton Community Recreation Center. The Wheaton Community Recreation Center is located at 11701 Georgia Ave. in Wheaton. Click here for more details about this event.

On Friday, December 20th 4:30 - 5:15 PM at the Germantown Library, 19840 Century Blvd Germantown, MD 20874, and Saturday, December 21st 3:30 - 4:15 PM at the Wheaton Library, 11701 Georgia Ave, Silver Spring, MD 20902 the New Orchestra of Washington invites you to La Música De Las Américas, a festive and heartwarming concert designed for the entire family! This December, we will take you on a musical journey across the Americas—featuring lively, familiar, and warm melodies from North, Central, and South America, curated and conducted by Ahmed Alabaca. Whether you are gearing up for the holidays or simply looking for an enriching family outing, this concert is the perfect way to celebrate together. Come experience the warmth and magic of music during this special time of year!

Registration is free but is required. Click on this link to register.

We are improving our attendance in all grades! Thank you for committing to send your child to school, on time, each day!

We’re planning a small gesture to thank our Harriet Tubman Staff for everything that they do! We’re asking for small donations to help make this event extra special. If you'd like to contribute, you can donate here: Winter Staff Appreciation Fund. $2, $5, $10; Any amount is greatly appreciated!

January 11th from 12pm-2pm all Tubman Tigers families are invited to our PTA Playdate at the Airpark Soccerplex. Free entry! Bring your soccer balls, jump ropes, and other activities to play the time away! Pizza, snacks, and drinks available for purchase. Adults must stay with their children; this is not a drop off event.

This past week, MCPS approved the 2025-2026 school year calendar (next school year).