Dear MHES families and staff,

As we approach the end of our first full month of the school year, I want to take a moment to celebrate the progress our students have made! They have truly settled into classroom structures and routines, and we are seeing exciting levels of engagement and learning across the board.

We are currently wrapping up our math and literacy assessments to establish baseline data for the 2024-2025 school year. This information will help guide our instructional decisions, and we look forward to meeting with you in the future to discuss our progress, set goals, and share how we plan to meet those goals together.

Additionally, we are thrilled to invite family members to join our Family Engagement Volunteer Committee. This diverse group of stakeholders will partner with the administration to analyze data and provide input on how we can continue to meet the needs of our wonderfully diverse school community. Your involvement is key, and we value your insights! We will reach out in the near future regarding future meetings.

Finally, we hope to see you this Thursday at 6:30 p.m. for our Ice Cream Social and Book Fair Family Night! Students and families can enjoy delicious ice cream and shop at the book fair while connecting with friends and fellow community members.

Please see the information below for important updates for the week of September 23, 2024.

Desmond Mackall

Principal

Meadow Hall ES

September

23-27: MHES Book Fair

26- MHES Ice Cream Social & Family Book Fair Night (6:30-7:30 pm)

27- Early Release Day for Students (12:55 Dismissal for all Students)

26-27- Hearing and Vision Screening (Grades K,1, & 4)

or

Call the main office and Mrs. Algeo or Mrs. Mejia can assist you.

We can provide support in both English and Spanish!

COMMUNITY SCHOOL UPDATES!

CSL Bus Stop Meetup!

On Fridays through December 13, 2025, I will visit MHES school bus stops to say “hello,” and get to know families that I may not get the chance to bump into on campus before or after school. The schedule is as follows:

• Scott Avenue and Edmonston Drive 9/20/24 and 11/8/24
  

• Edmonston Drive and Gilbert Road 9/27/24 and 11/15/24

• Denham Road and Gilbert Road 10/11/24 and 12/6/24

• Grandin Avenue and Woodburn Road 10/18/24 and 12/13/24

Fresh Produce Distribution

Small Things Matter will provide 50 families with fresh produce on the first and third Friday of the month beginning on Friday, October 4, 2024. The Produce will be distributed at dismissal on a first come first serve basis. Please contact me directly at jessica_e_jackson@mcpsmd.org should you have a significant need for the food and are not able to make it to the school for distribution at dismissal.

Jessica Jackson, MSW, LCSW-C

Community School Liaison for Meadow Hall ES

Department of Student Engagement and Behavioral Health

Office of Well-Being and Student Services

Jessica_e_Jackson@mcpsmd.org

Cell/Whatsapp: 227-216-1193

IG: @meadowhalles_CSL

Twitter/X: @MHES_CSL

We are seeking dedicated volunteers to join our Family Engagement Committee! This year, we are looking for a diverse group of stakeholders who are passionate about supporting our school community. The committee will meet 4-6 times throughout the year to help plan and implement Title I-required parent engagement meetings and outreach efforts that align with our school improvement plan and the unique needs of Meadow Hall. Your voice and ideas are invaluable in ensuring our community thrives. If you're interested in making a positive impact, please consider joining us!

Family Engagement Committee Volunteer Sign Up

Adult English Classes are Back at MHES!

Would you like your child to take tutorials for homework while you take English conversation sessions? Sign up for both now!

Meadow Hall, with the support of Montgomery County Public Schools and Rockville High School, will be offering Spanish tutoring for their K-5 grade students while their parents take English conversation sessions. Both sessions will be held every Monday and Wednesday from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. beginning October 7 through November 6, 2024. There is no cost for these sessions.

Tutoring will be provided by Rockville High School students in the All Purpose Room, while the English conversation sessions will be provided by Montgomery County teachers in the Media Center Meadow Hall ES.

The two registration forms have already been sent home. For further information please contact Ms. Cristina Rechy, cristinarechy@hotmail.com and in English, Ms. Jessica Jackson, Jessica_E_Jackson@mcpsmd.org

Take advantage of this great opportunity!

¿Le gustaría que su hij@ tomara tutorías para hacer su tarea mientras usted toma sesiones de conversación en inglés? ¡Regístrense ambos ahora!

Meadow Hall, con el apoyo de Montgomery County Public Schools y Rockville High School, ofrecerán tutorías en español para sus estudiantes de jardín de infantes hasta 5to grado mientras sus padres toman sesiones de conversación en inglés. Ambas sesiones se llevarán a cabo todos los lunes y miércoles de 6:30 pm a 8:30 pm a partir del 7 de octubre hasta el 6 de noviembre de 2024. Estas sesiones no tienen costo alguno.

Las tutorías las impartirán estudiantes de preparatoria de Rockville High School en el Salón de Usos Múltiples (All Purpose Room) y las sesiones de conversación en inglés las darán profesores del condado en el Centro de Medios (Media Center), todo dentro de Meadow Hall.

Los dos formularios de registro ya han sido enviados a casa. Para mayor información favor de contactar a la Sra. Cristina Rechy, cristinarechy@hotmail.com y a la Sra. Jessica Jackson, Jessica_E_Jackson@mcpsmd.org

¡Aproveche esta gran oportunidad!

September 20th-27th, Meadow Hall Scholastic Book Fair: Get Ready! The Spring Scholastic Book Fair starts Friday, September 20th. Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become Bolder, Prouder, and Stronger Readers. AND—as always—every book they buy earns rewards for our school. The fair will take place from Friday, September 20th - Friday, September 27th in Meadow Hall’s Media Center. Students will be able to come to the book fair during the school day if they have funds and permission from their teacher(s) and each class will make a visit to the fair. Also, the fair will be open to the Meadow Hall community after school until 4 p.m. Please consider volunteering to help make this year's book fair, we especially need adult volunteers for the cash registers during the Ice Cream Social. You can sign-up here.

September 26th, Ice Cream Social: Join us and celebrate back to school at the Ice Cream Social. PTA members get one free ice cream. Also check out the books at Book Fair which will be open for the event. If you want to help or donate to the event please check out this link.

September 12-29th: Big Learning is back this fall with after school science classes featuring the physics of color and light. The six-week program is $85 for Meadow Hall students. Learn more at Online Registration (asapconnected.com) (K-2) or Online Registration (asapconnected.com) (3-5).

If you have not joined the PTA this year, please consider joining. You can join online here. Membership costs $10.00 for the year and helps support our community events and will get you benefits at community events like a free ice cream at the Ice Cream Social!

If you are interested in joining a committee or just helping out at one of the events please contact info@mhespta.org and let us know how you would like to be involved!

In accordance with Maryland State Law students in Montgomery County Public Schools are screened for possible vision and hearing problems. Trained hearing and vision screeners will be screening students new to MCPS, students in Grade (s) _K, 1, and 4_, and students referred by teachers because of possible signs of hearing or vision problems. The screeners will be at Meadow Hall on September 26 and 27.

Children who do not see clearly or are unable to hear what their teacher and classmates are

saying have a harder time learning at school. You will receive a referral form, via US mail, to take to your child’s doctor if your child fails the screening. If your child is already under care for a hearing or vision problem, or you do not wish your child to be screened at school because of conflicts with your religious beliefs, please notify the school nurse in writing. If your child wears glasses or contacts, they should wear them every day and bring them to the screening.

School based vision screenings may not detect every vision problem. To learn more about

possible vision problems and symptoms or health conditions that may require additional

evaluation go to Montgomery County Government’s website at this link:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS-Program/PHS/SchoolHealth/HearingVision.html

Contact your school’s nurse if you have questions about your child’s screening.

Make Plans to Join Us!
As part of Superintendent Thomas Taylor’s entry plan, he will be meeting with as many stakeholders as possible to learn more about the Montgomery County community. Part of this includes upcoming listening sessions at four schools. Save the date for one of these sessions:

• Monday, Oct. 21, Paint Branch High School, 14121 Old Columbia Pike, Burtonsville, 7–8 p.m.
  

Interpretation services will be available in Spanish at each event.
The upcoming community engagement session will allow parents, students, staff, and community members to share their 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.

Summer SSL Hours Due by Sept. 27
Students who completed Student Service Learning (SSL) hours over the summer must submit their Activity Verification forms to their schools SSL coordinator by Friday, Sept. 27.
All MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school. Students who enroll in MCPS after Grade 6 will receive a waiver that prorates the SSL requirement.
A full list of SSL in-person and virtual opportunities, reminders and updates are available on the SSL website.

School Menus Now Available for All Grades in All Languages
Updated school menus for 2024–2025 are now available for all grades—from PreK/Head Start through high school. The menus, which include student picks and vegetarian options, are available in English, Spanish, French, Chinese, Portuguese, Korean, Vietnamese and Amharic.
In addition, the Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMS) application is available for this school year. Families must reapply every year to determine whether they are eligible for the FARMS program, even if their child qualified the previous year. Students/families can request a paper application at any school, but processing is faster online.
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.

Remind App Now Available in All Schools
Remind is a messaging platform that has been implemented in all schools this year for communication among MCPS schools, teachers, students and parents. School staff, central office staff, students and parents all have Remind accounts to enable them to send and/or receive messages using a preferred mode of communication, such as text message, email or phone call in their preferred language.
Parents don’t have to sign up for Remind or download an app to receive messages. Messages will be sent to the email and phone number registered with the school, and parents will automatically receive messages when they are sent. If parents wish to respond to a message, they will need to download the app or create an account on the website. See below for information on how to download the app.
YouTube video on how to use Remind
Parent Quick Guides
English, Spanish, French, Korean, Chinese, Vietnamese, Portuguese, Amharic

Student Leadership and SSL Opportunities
The following leadership and extracurricular opportunities are available to students. Some also provide Student Service Learning (SSL) hours. All MCPS students must earn 75 SSL hours to graduate from high school.

For middle and high school students: The Association for Safe International Road Travel and the Montgomery County Regional Student Government Association are hosting a competition centered on road safety and how to keep students and others safe on the roads. Participants who submit a public service announcement (PSA) that meets contest requirements will earn 10 SSL hours and have a chance to win Amazon gift cards. Entries are due Sunday, Oct. 6. Learn more.
Open to high school girls: Girls With Impact is offering a free, 10-week course on business and leadership. This program offers online courses with trained coaches who hold MBAs. Learn more and register by 5 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 4.

• VISIT the MCPS homepage.

• CALL 240-740-3000. Staff take calls from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Mondays through Fridays, in English and Spanish (240-740-2845)

• READ news and information sent via email and text message and on the MCPS News page.

• FOLLOW the MCPS social media pages on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram in English and Spanish.

• http://twitter.com/mcps
  https://www.facebook.com/mcpsmd
  https://www.instagram.com/mcps_md

• https://www.facebook.com/mcpsespanol
  https://twitter.com/MCPSEspanol
  https://www.instagram.com/mcpsenespanol/

• SIGN UP for emails and text alerts and make sure your ParentVue information is up to date.

• WATCH the MCPS cable channels Comcast 34 (1071 HD), Verizon 36 or RCN 89
  
  
  Open Registrations

• Prekindergarten and Head Start Registration Open for Income-Eligible Families

More From MCPS

• School calendar

• Parent resource page

• News and Information page/(Noticias en Español)

• Latest photo galleries

• MCPS TV videos

• MCPS TV español

1. Sign Up For ParentVUE to Stay in Touch With Your School
   Families new to MCPS are encouraged to sign up for a ParentVUE account at the beginning of the school year. ParentVUE is the online parent portal that serves as the primary communication vehicle for schools to share information regarding grades, attendance, scheduling, access to myMCPS Classroom, and more.
   ParentVUE provides a way to view school-related information and data for students. Register for athletics, and special programs, communicate with teachers, and verify your student information annually.
   ParentVUE also allows access to Canvas/MyMCPSClassroom, a digital learning platform. Parents and guardians can view instructional information and resources, and get alerts about assignments and grades.

2. Sign up for Alert MCPS
   Alert MCPS provides emergency information about school closures or emergencies via text or email messages to devices you register. Sign up here.

3. Know These Important System Resources A. GoFan: This online digital ticketing platform offers fast and easy access to tickets for high school events, and allows fans to enter games quickly and safely. For ticketed sports, tickets are no longer sold at the gate and must be purchased online. B. SchoolCash Online: https://www.schoolcashonline.com MCPS has transitioned to this online payment system as its preferred method of payment for all school-related fees. Schools and offices will now use SchoolCash Online for fundraising, field trips, course fees and extracurricular activities. This new payment system is not related to school cafeteria accounts.

1. MySchoolBucks:Use MySchoolBucks to add school meal money to your child’s account. This will eliminate the need for your child to bring money to school every day. This year, meals (lunch and breakfast) will not be universally free. If your student wants to buy lunch in school, they will need a MySchoolBucks account. Families who believe they qualify for free and reduced-price meals can apply here.

Email: Desmond_Mackall2@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/meadowhalles/
Location: 951 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-5260
Twitter: @MHES_Principal

Email: Ilana_N_Simhon@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/meadowhalles/
Location: 951 Twinbrook Parkway, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-5260
Twitter: @MeadowHallAP