Silver Creek Weekly Newsletter

We look forward to another great week of school. As a reminder, there is no school for students on Wednesday, January 29. This is a professional day for teachers to finalize Quarter 2 grades.

Thursday, January 30 will be the start of Quarter 3. We are halfway through the school year. I am proud of what our students have been able to accomplish and for their hard work and commitment throughout the first half of the school year. I am confident that this semester will bring new opportunities for growth and learning. I look forward to the continued achievements of our students. Please know that our staff is committed to supporting our students every step of the way. Here is to a successful Semester 2.

Quarter 2 report card grades will be available on ParentVue on Tuesday, February 4, 2025. Report cards will be distributed to students the week of February 10.

In the newsletter, the section with an * has been updated with new information OR is a new section in the newsletter. Please make sure to review. As always, thank you for your continued partnership.

Let's make it an awesome week, Huskies!

Did you miss the latest Husky news. You may access the link below from Friday, January 24 to hear upcoming news & events Click Link. You can see all of the news links located here.

The SGA has partnered with the PTSA to provide a memory of a lifetime for our students. Our Valentine's Day Dance will be on February 14th from 3pm-5pm. Ticket sales will be offered during lunch on January 29, 30, 31 and February 5, 6, 7. Tickets will be sold for $4.00.

Transportation will be provided for students who take the bus. Parent/guardian pick up will be at 5:00 pm. Additional details regarding the dance will be communicated closer to the event.

Students might see changes in their schedule based on their elective, PE and Health schedule for Quarter 3. Please carefully read the information by clicking on the link below on how to find your child's schedule in Student Vue to verify any changes for Thursday, January 30, 2025. CLICK HERE.

Believe it or not, it is already time to begin thinking about next school year. Below is a timeline of dates as we start the articulation process for our students.

Current 6th and 7th Grade Students

SCMS staff will be working to make course recommendations. These will be shared with students and sent home at the end of January

• January 30th & January 31st--SCMS counselors will visit 6th and 7th grade science classes to share course offerings and explain the course registration process and timeline.
• February 9th--Deadline for completing and submitting Google Course Registration Form. Information on how to complete this registration form will be shared with students when counselors visit their science classes.

Detailed information regarding course offerings and the course registration process and timeline will be shared with parents at the end of January.

Current 8th Grade Students (Rising 9th Grade Students)

• January 15th—Online course registration window opens via StudentVue
• January 31st—Deadline for completing course registration in StudentVue

If you have any questions about B-CC course registration, need help with course selection, or would like to discuss it with your counselor, Ms. Kehr will be hosting help sessions in the Counseling Conference Room during 8th grade lunch on the following dates:

• Tuesday, January 21st
• Friday, January 24th
• Tuesday, January 28th
• Thursday January 30th

You must attend one of these sessions BEFORE you make a request to see Ms. Kehr for individual support.
As a reminder, course requests are DUE on January 31st.

Stay updated on the Library Media Program with our January issue of Media Monthly: News and Notes from the Library Media Center.

We are also thrilled to announce our new lunchtime virtual author visit series, BookBreak. We had a great time hearing from favorite author Jason Reynolds, during all our lunches this past Friday. Click HERE to see our schedule and HERE to learn more about this exciting program! Please encourage your students to attend!

Our January newsletter is out. Check it out here: https://secure.smore.com/n/2d0v7.

• Check out the Lunch Activities for Mental Health
• The therapy dogs are back! They will be in the media center on Monday, January 27. Students can receive a pass at lunch to visit the dogs for a short time.

The counselors are offering parent/caregiver toolbox sessions to provide pertinent and helpful information to our families to navigate parenting a middle school child.

• Save the dates: Our parent toolbox meetings are coming. See flyer for the upcoming January 30th meeting.
• Meetings will be from 7:00 - 8:00 via zoom. The dates are January 30, March 20 and May 15, 2025.
• All links will be sent in January.

• Check out the mental health support tab on our website for some workshops for grieving families put on by Caring Matters. All workshops are on zoom.
• If your family needs help with school supplies, food for the weekend, winter coats or other needs, we would like to help! Please fill out the following form: Sign up for Husky Help 24-25 (google.com)
  
• The HUSKY PANTRY is open. Please make sure to fill out the FORM above to ensure your child has access to these resources.

If you have questions related to registration/enrollment or transcripts, please contact Ms. Susan Levine, resource counselor at Susan_A_Levine@mcpsmd.org

We are excited to provide the opportunity for our 8th grade students to take a field trip to the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum on Tuesday, February 25, 2025. Permission slips were sent home with all 8th graders on Friday, January 17 and will need to be returned to English teachers no later than Friday, January 31st. The total cost for the field trip is $10.00.

Chaperones needed: We are looking for parent chaperones for the trip, so if you are able to chaperone, please reach out to Cassandra Jordan (8th grade Team Leader) at Cassandra-Lee_E_Jordan@mcpsmd.org and check the box on the permission slip that you would like to chaperone. All volunteers must complete the online training for parents and guardians, found here.

Our 7th grade field trip to Finance Park is coming up on March 10th and 14th. This field trip provides students with an opportunity to apply their newly learned finance skills to a simulation where they interact with bank tellers, store clerks, etc. Our need for volunteers is immense, as we need 17 for each day. It is a great opportunity to create a rich learning opportunity for our students. You can learn more about Finance Park in this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71tAtQGmOUc&t=63s

Volunteers Needed: We need volunteers for the two days! We are planning on taking half of our 7th graders on Monday, March 10th, and the other half on Friday, March 14th. We wanted to reach out and request support with recruiting parent volunteers for this event. Volunteers go directly to Thomas Edison High School (12501 Dalewood Drive, Silver Spring, MD 20906) in the morning and go through a short training prior to working with the kids upon our arrival.

• March 10 – Mr. Kavanaugh’s Periods 2 and 6, and Mr. Bascom’s Periods 3, 4 and 7.
• March 14- – Mr. Kavanaugh’s Periods 3, 4 and 7, and Mr. Bascom’s Periods 2 and 6.

If you are interested in volunteering, or have any questions please email the World Studies Content Specialist, Mr. Matthew Myers at Matthew_P_Myers@Mcpsmd.org

We are excited to announce that SCMS Yearbooks are on Sale NOW. Ms. Jordan is our Yearbook sponsor this school year. Ms. Jordan and the SCMS Yearbook club have been meeting after school to start designing the 2024-2025 yearbook.

How to Order

• Reserve your copy now for $30.00 until February 1, 2025. To order online, scan the QR code or go to yearbookforever.com.

Questions? Please email our yearbook sponsor at Cassandra-lee_E_Jordan@mcpsmd.org

Middle School Athletics for the 2024-2025 school year is open to all 7th and 8th grade students. All athletes MUST be registered on ParentVue. Physicals (form SR-8) must be filled out by a medical professional prior to any type of participation. Physicals are valid for up to two years. Copies of the SR-8 form can be found HERE. Practices/Games occur every Tuesday/Wednesday/Thursday after school from 3:10-4:30, or later on game days.

Spring Registration: Parent/guardians can register their student-athletes for spring athletics using ParentVue beginning January 27, 2025 at 12:00 noon. Tryouts for soccer will be held March 18th-20th. Information regarding middle school athletics registration can be found here. Below are some helpful resources to assist parents/guardians with the on-line registration process:

• Complete the Middle School Spring Athletics Online Registration located on ParentVue.
• Click here for helpful tips on accessing the registration form.

If you have questions about our athletics programs or registration, please contact our Athlectic Director, Mr. Sean Brennan at sean_p_brennan@mcpsmd.org

We have a range of after-school activities to choose from. Please click the link below to view our After School Activities Brochure which includes a description of each activity, the staff member who is sponsoring, the location, and the day of the week the activity begins. Please note that some clubs will begin later in the school year.

We ask that students register for their activity so that sponsors are aware of the number of students attending. The registration link is below. Buses will depart Silver Creek at approximately 4:20 p.m. to take students home. Each bus will take students to their regular bus stop or to a stop nearby. You may also choose to pick your child up from their activity. Please pick your child up at the front of the school at 4:20 p.m.

We look forward to seeing your child at one of our great clubs!
Afterschool Activities Brochure

Registration

We will administer the WIDA ACCESS test to all students who have been identified as Emergent Multilingual Learners (EMLs) January 14 - 31 during periods 1-3.

• What is WIDA ACCESS
• WIDA ACCESS TESTING SCHEDULE

If you have any questions about ACCESS testing, please contact our ELD Teachers at edward_e_eibel@mcpsmd.org, katherine_fiske@mcpsmd.org, or jeffrey_s_joyce@mcpsmd.org

The 17th annual MCPS Historically Black Colleges & Universities
(HBCU) College Fair

We are excited to announce the 17th Annual Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fair, scheduled for Friday, February 14, 2025, from 6:00–8:30 p.m. This in-person event will be held at The Universities at Shady Grove and is open to students in Grades 8–12 and their families. The HBCU College Fair presents a unique opportunity for students to engage with representatives from over 50 historically black colleges and universities. The event will feature informative workshops on crucial topics such as financial aid, assistance with completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), and various scholarship opportunities.

Key Highlights of the HBCU College Fair:

• Workshops on financial aid, FAFSA assistance, and scholarship opportunities.
• Panel discussion on college life with representatives from the Montgomery County National Pan-Hellenic Council Fraternities and Sororities.
• Workshops providing scholarship information from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and an overview of HBCUs, helping students find their best-fit institution.

In addition to interacting with college admission representatives, students and parents will have the opportunity to attend workshops tailored specifically for middle school students.

Registration for the HBCU College Fair is open, and can be completed on the HBCU Fair website. Click here for more information

We are excited to announce our first Middle School Career Fair on Friday, February 28, 2025. This event aims to expose our students to a variety of career paths and inspire their future aspirations.

• We invite parents and guardians to volunteer and share insights about your profession or career. Whether you’re in education, healthcare, technology, arts, trades, or any other field, we’d love to hear from you!
• Your participation will provide valuable knowledge and inspiration to our students as they explore their future possibilities.
• For more information and to sign up, please visit this link.

Thank you for supporting our students and helping make this event a success. Questions, please email Ms. Ashley Rivera at Ashley_C_Rivera@mcpsmd.org or Ms. Meredith Lange at Meredith_A_Lange@mcpsmd.org.

Dr. Bettina Love is coming to BCC High School on February 6, 2025 from 4-5 PM. Dr. Love holds the prestigious William F. Russell Professorship at Teachers College, Columbia University, and is the celebrated author of Punished for Dreaming: How School Reform Harms Black Children and How We Heal, a New York Times bestseller.

Dr. Love is a highly sought-after public speaker, whose insights have been featured in prominent media outlets such as NPR, PBS, The Daily Beast, Time, Education Week, The Guardian, and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

This event is free for students and staff. You may register at the QR code on the flyer. Please register no later than January 27. Seating is limited.

As we begin to enter the colder months, we would like to share with you our Severe Weather to Virtual Learning Plan. MCPS requires each school to have a Severe Weather plan and to communicate it to staff, students and families and then post on the school’s website.

Please see Plan and Schedule linked below:

Severe Weather Plan

Severe Weather Bell Schedule

The PTSA Needs Your Help!

Thanks to parents and caregivers like you, the PTSA has already done a tremendous amount at Silver Creek this school year, including providing $6,000 in grants to teachers and staff for classroom and extra-curricular activities, groceries and coats for dozens of students and their families, teacher appreciation events, and more. We’re excited for more activities in 2025, but we can’t do it without you.

Please donate to the Silver Creek MS PTSA and help us support 8th Grade Promotion activities, Multicultural Night, SGA dances, the Silver Creek Cares Pantry, cultural programs, and more through June 2025! Click here to donate to the PTSA Husky Fund via PayPal or Venmo or log in to pay4schoolstuff.com. Donations are fully tax-deductible.

The PTSA is also considering sponsoring a commemorative brick sale and raffle this spring, but we need volunteers to make it happen. If you’re interested in helping to coordinate either event, please contact the PTSA at ptsa.silvercreek@gmail.com. Thank you for your help!

7th Grade Parent/Caregiver Social: Feb. 6 at 7pm

Parents and caregivers of 7th graders are invited to chat with old friends and make new ones at the 7th Grade Parent Social on Thurs. Feb. 6 from 7-9pm. The social is for parents and caregivers only and will be held at Uncorked, 8525 Chevy Chase Lake Terrace. Suggested donation to the PTSA is $30/person. Click here to donate via PayPal or Venmo. We hope to see you there!

Support the Silver Creek PTSA! Donating is easy. Just click here for PayPal/Venmo or log in to www.pay4schoolstuff.com and select Husky Fund. All donations are 100% tax-deductible.

Our school’s diversity is what makes us so special. In an effort to recognize the many cultures and backgrounds that make up our community, the PTSA Diversity Council will be hosting special recognitions/activities during lunch to celebrate this uniqueness.

We will communicate the upcoming events soon. We look forward to celebrating our school's diversity.

Please see previous events HERE.

At Silver Creek, we continue to instill the values of being a restorative justice school. Restorative Approaches is a mindset and philosophy toward school climate and relationship building. Important components are: Proactively and intentionally developing relationships and building community; and restoring, repairing, or healing the school community when harm has occurred.

The focus is on education, learning from mistakes, identifying and working on the root of the behavior, making deep-level change, repairing relationships, and restoring students and staff to the environment.

The Key Values of Restorative Approaches include:

• Nurturing healthy relationships built on trust
• Fostering mutual respect between individuals
• Feeling a sense of responsibility for your community
• Repairing harm and transforming conflict
• Reintegrating back to your community if harm has been caused

To learn more about RJ at Silver Creek, please see the flyer here.

This school year, SCMS will be moving to a cell phone-free school. This means that phones are prohibited the entire school day (8:05 - 3:00 PM) The policy will take effect the first day of school, Monday, August 26. Please make sure you and your child review our new cell phone policy to ensure a smooth transition to the school year.

The application is now open for parents and guardians to complete and submit for assistance with the cost of school meals. Families of students who may qualify for free or reduced-price meals can apply for this service. Eligibility is based on family size and gross income. Beginning this year, students in Maryland who qualify for reduced-price meals will not be charged for breakfast or lunch meals.

• Apply here
• Learn more about the program

January 28- End of Marking Period 2

January 29 - No School for Students; Grading and Planning Day for teachers

January 30th & January 31st--SCMS counselors will visit 6th and 7th grade science classes to share course offerings and explain the course registration process and timeline.

January 31st—Deadline for completing course registration in StudentVue for 8th grade students

January 31- Principal Coffee- 8:30 AM Via Zoom

February 14- Valentine's Dance- 3-5PM

February 17- No School for students and staff

February 25- 8th Grade Holocaust Museum Field Trip

February 28- Early Release for students; SCMS Career Day

Link to MCPS Calendar

If a student is going to be absent, the parent/guardian is asked to call the attendance line at 240-740-2201 the morning of the absence. In your message, please include the information listed below:

1. Parent/Guardian name

2. Full name of your student (First & Last); student ID#

3. Date(s)of absence

4. Reason for absence

If you have any questions regarding attendance procedures, parents/guardians can call the main office at 240 740 2200.

Please find our school directory located on our School's Website with important contact information: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/silvercreekms/staff/directory/

Principal: Dr. Tiffany N. Awkard

Assistant Principal: Mrs. Kimberly P. Heidler

Assistant Principal: Ms. Justine Pfeiffer

School Hours: 7:30 am- 4:00 pm

Main Office: 240-740-2200

Registration & Counseling: 240-740-2211
Attendance Line: 240-740-2201

Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/silvercreekms/
Location: 3701 Saul Road, Kensington, MD, USA
Phone: 240 740 2200
X: @SCMSDrAwkard