This is a 5-day week with an early release day on Friday, March 1st. On Friday, students will be dismissed at 12:30pm.

Congratulations to our Minority Scholars Program students for winning 3rd place in the county-wide first annual MSP Anti-Racist Film Festival held yesterday, Saturday, February 24th at the AFI Silver Theatre. Four 7th-grade students wrote, filmed, and starred in a film called "The Power of Words." Congratulations to our winners for winning a $100 prize and being the only middle schoolers to win in a field that included high-school students. And a special thank you to Ms. Reed for sponsoring the MSP program at our school and supporting our students to participate.

Athletics: Register for Soccer by Thursday, February 29

Congratulations to our basketball teams, as well as Coach Wilson and Coach Fitz, on a strong season! Our soccer team. To participate, 7th and 8th grade students must have a current physical and be registered in ParentVUE by this Thursday, February 29th. Please ensure your child is registered promptly to come to tryouts. Tryouts will begin on Tuesday March 5. Tryouts will run Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. If your child makes the team, practice will begin the following Tuesday. For questions, please reach out to our Athletic Coordinator, Ms. Cassells at michelle_d_cassels@mcpsmd.org.

From the PTSA:

• Donations Needed for Pi Day and Staff Appreciation: Thursday, March 14th is Pi Day at Lakelands Park Middle School (LPMS), and the PTSA is celebrating the day with sweet and savory pies for our 175 LPMS 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! Please sign-up here to donate a pie!

  We are also collecting monetary donations that we will be using towards the pies as well as future staff appreciation events (Staff Appreciation week is coming up in May)! We greatly appreciate everyone's support. Please donate here using the Direct Appeal Donation button.

• Gift Cards Needed: We have a restaurant event coming up March 15th at Neal's Bagels. Students and staff who order on March 15th and mention LPMS will be entered in a raffle. Do you have small denomination gift cards to donate for the raffle? We are hoping generous families will donate small denomination Chic-fil-A, 5 Below, or Starbucks gift cards. Please drop them off in the Main Office for the PTSA.

Hot of the Presses! Click here to enjoy the latest issue of the Falcon Flier Student Newspaper

This past week in Contemporary Communications classes we celebrated National Scholastic Journalism Week to emphasize that all students have the ability to be amazing journalists here at LPMS. We welcome everyone to share their stories through writing, photography, artwork, and design. Any students who would like to see their work published in the newspaper or yearbook should contact Mrs. Tippets, kirsten_e_tippets@mcpsmd.org.

Finance Park: We're thrilled to invite you to participate as volunteers in our upcoming Finance Park program from March 4th to 6th. This unique opportunity for 7th-grade students immerses them in essential financial literacy principles, culminating in a hands-on simulation at Finance Park Montgomery. Your involvement as a volunteer will enrich this educational journey for our students. If interested, please contact Ms. Keshia Wilson at keshia_wilson@mcpsmd.org. Click here for more details. Thank you for your support in shaping our students' financial futures!

April 22 will be an Asynchronous Learning Day. Click here to read more. April 22nd was previously a professional day for teachers. In order to make-up one "snow day," students will engage in learning experiences and complete work asynchronously from home. More information coming soon!

Coming up:

• Signs of Suicide lessons in Science classes in March: See more details and parent resources below.
• MISA Science Testing for 8th Grade on March 12&13
• Magnus Chess Academy at LPMS on Thursdays starting March 13. Register today.
• QOHS Mulch Sale, order by March 13: See and click below to order today
• Maryland School Survey on March 22: Click here for a letter with more information
• NWHS 5K Run on April 13: See and click below to register today

Make someone's day!

We could use your help with the following items for students, staff appreciation, and upcoming state mandated testing. Click here to sign up and drop off items in the main office. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49AFAD2AA64-48040138-donate

From MCPS: Inviting All Students, Staff and Families to Share Your Feedback:

We want to hear from you on how we are doing. MCPS is inviting ALL students, staff and parents/caregivers to share your experiences and thoughts on academics, communication, and overall satisfaction with your school and the district and/or experience working at MCPS. Your input and insight is essential in helping us understand what is working well and areas of improvement. Your participation and any identifying information is completely confidential. The feedback collected will be used to inform decisions and help create a more supportive and enriching environment for students, staff, and families in our district. Click here to access more information about the surveys. The survey will be open until March 15

Please keep reading to learn more about upcoming events and important information. Thank you for your continued partnership in creating a community of belonging and high expectations for our students.

Sincerely,

Rose Alvarez (she/her)

Principal

Para traducir este boletín, seleccione "español" en "Translate Newsletter" en el recuadro negro a su derecha o en su cellular encima.

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 science 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

We are excited to announce that we have a new eSports Club at Lakelands. The club will meet Tuesdays and Wednesdays, 3:15 to 4:25 pm. Please join us for this exciting after school gaming club at LPMS. To sign up, please pick a permission slip from the Main Office and return it there, once signed. For any additional questions, please contact Antonia Wolff, LPMS eSports Coach, via email at Antonia_J_Wolff@mcpsmd.org. See the flyer below and click here to read more information about our after-school activities and activity buses.

In an effort to help improve Math skills and help prepare students for the MAP-M test, MCPS has partnered with IXL to provide a platform for students to sharpen their math skills. IXL has skill plans that target Student's present MAP-M levels. They also offer practice problems and videos that align with our Illustrative Math curriculum. Students can access IXL through the Clever Portal under the MCPS Resources folder. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to our Math Content Specialist, Ms. Shaneé Satchell (shanee_d_satchell@mcpsmd.net).

MCPS offers a School Cash Online payment system for parents and guardians to make payments for field trips, yearbooks, merchandise, and donations. If you have not registered and set up your account, we encourage you to do so today. Use this School Cash Online (SCO) link and follow the steps. Parent guides are linked below as well.

SCO Parent Guide (English)

SCO Parent Guide (Español)
SCO - How to register
SCO-Auto Subscription Multi Guardian User Guide (English)
SCO-Auto Subscription Multi Guardian User Guide (Spanish)

This week multiple media outlets reported on possible upcoming changes to CDC's COVID-19 isolation guidance. There are no changes yet to the CDC's minimum 5-day isolation guidance, which is endorsed by the Maryland Department of Health and included in MCPS COVID-19 procedures. Montgomery County COVID-19 guidance and resources can be found on the county’s COVID-19 Information Portal.

CTE Works! MCPS is celebrating the exciting opportunities that our Career and Technical Education programs offer students. There are now more than 50 programs to choose from in 12 career clusters. All MCPS high schools offer at least one CTE program with more regional programs for easier access for all students.

Watch to learn more about our programs and how it benefits our students.

MCPS will be launching a self-service bus app for families this semester. The tracking app will allow users to receive live updates on where their student’s bus is, provide important two-way communication capability and enhance safety for students while they wait for and ride the bus.

The MCPS Department of Transportation is currently in a pilot phase with families and students at 10 schools. More information will be shared in the coming weeks as we prepare for the full launch across the district.

Register today by clicking here. Join us for the Girls’ Summit on Saturday, March 9 at Northwood High School. This event will provide informative workshops geared towards middle and high school girls on a variety of current topics. Join us for a chance to network, participate in fun activities, learn valuable skills and enjoy a fashion show presented by White House Black Market celebrating diverse body types.

Montgomery County Public Libraries (MCPL) and the Washington Wizards have teamed up with the D.C. Public Library, Prince George's County Memorial Library System, Alexandria Library, Arlington Public Library and Fairfax County Public Library to build a positive reading culture this winter with the “Wizards Winter Reading Challenge.” The free challenge, designed for kids and teens aged 3-19, will run through Wednesday, March 20. Read more.

The Class to Community (C2C) organization offers free English as a Second Language (ESL), GED and college prep, and digital literacy classes. Visit the C2C website for more information.

Enrollment form

Are you interested in sharing your career experience with rising 2024-2025 MCPS high school juniors and seniors? Learn more about how to become a host for the 2024 Summer RISE program!

The Department of Partnerships is seeking businesses, government agencies, higher education institutions and nonprofit organizations to host students for a minimum of 50 hours of in-person, virtual or hybrid experiences

Finding a fun, exciting and challenging program for the summer can make a lifetime of difference for curious young students. At the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, students can enroll in 70+ rigorous, fresh, and fun in-person courses offered at 11 locations throughout the U.S. Day programs are offered for students in grades 2-6, and residential programs are available for students in grades 5-12. CTY’s three-week courses give advanced learners the opportunity to delve into a topic they love. New this year: Discovery Sampler courses, which allow students the opportunity to sample three topics in one three-week course. View all courses here.

CTY On-Campus Programs for academically advanced learners in grades 2-12 are now enrolling for summer 2024!

• This summer, Johns Hopkins is launching Discovery Sampler Courses which are multidisciplinary courses where students explore three different topics in one three-week summer session. They are open to all students, and test scores are not required.
• Financial Aid is available for income eligible families that reside in the state of Maryland.

Space is limited and programs fill quickly. Families can register now and if plans change, may cancel before March 1, 2024, and receive a full tuition refund, minus the application fee according to CTY’s no-risk refund policy.

Friday, March 1st: Early Release Day

Monday, March 4th - Wednesday, March 6th: Finance Park

Thursday, March 7th - Spring Individual Pictures

Monday, March 11th: Interims Grade Reports Available via ParentVue & StudentVue

Tuesday, March 12th: PTSA Meeting, 6:30pm

Tuesday, March 12th - Wednesday, March 13th: MISA Testing (8th Grade Only)

Thursday, March 14th: Pi Day sponsored by the PTSA

Friday, March 15th: Neal's Bagels PTSA Restaurant Fundraiser, 7am - 4pm

Thursday, March 21st: 8th Grade Panoramic Picture

Monday, March 25th - Monday, April 1st: No School, Spring Break

Wednesday, April 3rd: Soccer Games versus Ridgeview Middle at 3:20pm, girls at home, boys away

Tuesday, April 9th: Last day of Marking Period 3

Tuesday, April 9th: Soccer Games versus Kingsview Middle at 3:20pm, boys at home, girls away

Tuesday, April 9th: PTSA Heritage Night

Wednesday, April 10th: No School, Professional day for grading and reporting

Wednesday, April 18th: Marking Period 3 Report Cards available on Synergy ParentVue and StudentVue

Thursday, April 18th: Report Cards distributed at the end of the school day

Monday, April 22nd: Asynchronous Learning Day, no in-person school.

Thursday, April 25th: Soccer Games versus Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle, boys at home, girls away

Planning ahead?

Click here to see the MCPS calendar for the rest of the year.

Click here to see the 2024-2025 MCPS Calendar for next school year.

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/