Dear Quince Orchard Students, Staff, and Families,

It is with mixed emotions that I announce my retirement as principal of Quince Orchard High School, effective January 1, 2025, with my last day being December 4, 2024. Serving this incredible school has been the greatest honor of my career, and I am immensely proud of the work we’ve accomplished together to create an anti-bias, anti-racist learning community. I am forever grateful to our students for their resilience and spirit, and to the community for your unwavering support of our shared mission. Though this decision was difficult, I know Quince Orchard is in great hands, and I will always carry my Cougar Pride with me.

Beginning on Thursday, December 5, Dr. Leroy Evans will serve as acting principal, ensuring a smooth transition for our school.

Congratulations to our football team for their victory over Broadneck in the state semifinals on Friday night! They will advance to the state championship for the fourth time in seven years. The final game will take place on Friday, December 6th at 7:30 PM at the Naval Academy. Be sure to check the Athletics section of this newsletter for more details.

Also, congratulations to our Juntos Dance Team for their amazing performances at the The 24th Annual After School Dance Fund (ASDF) Baila4Life Latin Dance Competition. Our students placed 1st in the Parent/Student Duet, 2nd in the Couples/Duet - Merengue, and 3rd in the Couples/Duet - Salsa categories.

We have a couple upcoming events:

• Auditions and callbacks for the spring musical will begin this week.
• Please note, the articulation meeting for current 9th, 10th, and 11th grade students and caregivers was rescheduled from this Thursday to next Thursday, December 12, 2024. More details can be found in the body of this newsletter.

Thank you to our students, staff, and families for your steadfast support of Quince Orchard High School. With my last newsletter as principal, I’ll say it again: We can’t hide our Cougar Pride.

Thomas out.

With gratitude,

Beth Thomas

Save the date for the Class of 2026 Chipotle Fundraiser for Quince Orchard High School. 25% of event sales get donated to the Class of 2026.

It is that time of year again, the Giving Tree is "BACK"! We are slowly moving back to gifts and gift cards! You can see all the items our families need and sign-up to donate something via Sign-up Genius (https://tinyurl.com/QOGivingTree2024). We are still collecting mainly gift cards to allow families to purchase items that they are most in need of or greatly want, but we have added some specific gift requests this year and we have several families that are in need of basics such as linens, towels, pots, and pans.

A little history, firsteen years ago, QO started this event to give those in need within our own community a little brighter holiday season. The Giving Tree is traditionally a gift giving project where students and their families who would not have much of a holiday season have been selected and we hope that as a community we can provide each one of them something special this holiday season. Each year we help over 50 of our own QO community members have a happier holiday season.

Here is how it works:

• Community Members select a gift card or specific gift from our Sign-Up Genius. We are looking for donations of the following types:
• Specific Gifts
• $25 Amazon, Target, and Walmart Gift Cards - for Gifts
• $25 Giant and Safeway Gift Cards - to provide each family with a holiday meal

• We ask that gift cards are returned by Wednesday, December 11th so that they can be organized and distributed to families with enough time for families to shop.

• Drop-off at school - PREFERRED METHOD

• Place gifts in a bag with the gift receipt (in case it doesn’t fit) and make sure to include the Gift Code and your name or email address

• Place cards in an envelope or ziploc bag and label the envelope or bag with the Gift Code and your name or email address

• Deliver cards to Ms. Adams in:

• Room 123B before school & at lunch on Tuesdays and Wednesday (yellow hallway)

• Room 128 during lunch on Mondays, Thursdays, and Fridays

• Mail to school (please mail EARLY so they arrive by December 8th) -
• Mail to: Colleen Adams, ℅ Quince Orchard High School, 15800 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878

• Label all cards with the Gift Code and your name or email address

Timeline of Events:

• NOW - Sign-Up Genius is live with family requests

• NOW - Card Collection

• Monday, December 9th - Sign-Up Genius Closes

• Wednesday, December 11th - All Gifts and Gift Cards are due back to QOHS

If you have any questions or want to help, please email colleen_m_adams@mcpsmd.org.

Please note that the date for the Grades 9-11 Caregiver Registration InformationMeeting has been rescheduled from Thursday, December 6 to Thursday, December 12 at 6:30 PM.

This important meeting will provide valuable information about the registration process, course, and pathway updates for the 2025-26 school year. For those unable to attend in person, the meeting will be recorded and made available for later viewing.

Thank you for your understanding, and we look forward to your attendance!

✏️ New Date: Thursday, December 12, 2024
⏰ Time: 6:30 PM
📍 Location: Auditorium

Dear Quince Orchard Families,

Ms. Coleen Djouha, the Career Advising Coach, is seeking professionals from various fields to participate in our upcoming "Meet A Pro" career exploration events. These events provide students the opportunity to learn about different career paths directly from experts in their fields. We are currently looking for professionals in the following areas:

• Engineering
• Business
• Medicine (Doctor)
• Law
• Athletics
• Art Education
• Cosmetology
• Culinary Arts

Who: QO Science National Honor Society, the American Red Cross, and QO staff and students

What: Blood drive

Where: Small gym

When: Friday December 20, 8 am - 2 pm

Why: Every day, blood donors help patients of all ages--accident and burn victims, heart surgery and organ transplant patients, and those battling cancer. In fact, every two seconds, someone in the U.S. needs blood. Your donation will make a difference to someone's life.

In order to make a donation appointment, you must

• Be at least 16 years old or older

• Meet certain height and weight requirements (doc)

• Complete an information sheet and signed parental/legal guardian consent form regardless of your age (per MCPS policy)

• English (PDF)

• Spanish (PDF)

• Turn the information sheet and signed consent form into Ms. Haase in room 331 or drop it off in the Blood Drive tray in the main office. You will be scheduled for an appointment. We will email you at your @mcpsmd.net account with the time of your appointment. We will deliver a Blood Drive pass to you the week of December 15.

On the day of your donation:

• Get a good night's sleep

• Eat a good breakfast and a good lunch

• Stay hydrated!

• Bring a photo ID that has proof of age OR be able to pull up StudentVue on your phone as proof of age

For more information:

• Red Cross Information for student donors (link)

• How to prepare for your donation (PDF)

• Stop by the twice-weekly information tables in the main lobby at lunch time

• See Ms. Haase in room 331

Yearbooks are for sale NOW! Visit jostens.com/buyyearbk or scan the code to purchase.

Attention, 12th grade students! Don’t miss our last On-the-Spot Admissions event of the year on December 3rd at Richard Montgomery High School from 3:30 PM to 6:30 PM. Meet with college representatives, get accepted on the spot, and possibly even secure a scholarship!🎓💸

Be sure to register by clicking the link here: https://forms.gle/TY9Uy5YUm6HKyM5n8 If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Romero - Lisa_D_Romero@mcpsmd.org

Attention Seniors! Are you planning to attend college next year? Are your application deadlines rapidly approaching? If this is you, you MUST request your transcript be sent out to all the schools you are applying to! If you have not yet done so, please request your transcript ASAP! It takes several days to process your request and send out your documents! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScR5j16bnD0bf6svKNmLUmM96jGlp6D5YPEksKE3QjUM2qByA/viewform

Seniors! If you are using the Common App to apply to schools, and are getting stuck, we have created a resource document for you! There are very helpful documents, resources and videos! Please check it out, and if you still need help, come see us in the College/Career Center of the Counseling Services Suite!

Common App Resource Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/17N5y6PKFMRo2KwlDtT1osKqxkjV3fU9gfkybxBtjoJc/edit

Families, please encourage your students to sign up for college visits at Quince Orchard High School. For instructions on how to sign up for a college visit or to view a list of colleges coming to Quince Orchard High School, please click on the link below: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/qohs-counseling/the-college-career-center/visits?authuser=0

The Holiday Giving Project has provided Thanksgiving and December holiday assistance to qualifying households for over 30 years. If you and your family are in need and would like to be referred for possible assistance for the holiday season, please complete this referral form provide the required information. Resources are limited: please apply only if you and your family are truly in need. Families can only be referred once; please do not complete a referral if you have already been referred from another school or agency. While a referral is not a guarantee of assistance, the Project helps as many families in need as donations allow. If you need help completing the form please contact Ms. Ruiz Miller at 240-447-8963.

Referral form: https://forms.gle/QC4GCL39awvfbLHa9

El Holiday Giving Project ha brindado asistencia para el Día de Acción de Gracias y los días festivos de diciembre a los hogares que califican durante más de 30 años. Si usted y su familia están en necesidad y les gustaría ser referidos para una posible asistencia durante la temporada de festividades, complete este formulario de referencia para proporcionar la información requerida. Los recursos son limitados: solicite solo si usted y su familia realmente lo necesitan. Las familias solo pueden ser referidas una vez. Por favor no complete este referido si ya le han referido de otra escuela o agencia. Si bien una referencia no es una garantía de asistencia, el Proyecto ayuda a tantas familias necesitadas como lo permitan las donaciones. Si necesita ayuda para completar el formulario, comuníquese con la Sra. Ruiz Miller al 240-447-8963.

formulario de referencia: https://forms.gle/QC4GCL39awvfbLHa9

Congratulation to the Varsity Football team on their 48-13 State Semifinal win over Broadneck. They will play Wise in the 4A State Championship game on Friday, December 6th at Navy Marine Corps Stadium in Annapolis. Kickoff is at 7:30pm. Tickets will be $10 (plus $1 processing fee) for everyone 7 years of age and above. The ticket link will be available in GoFan on Monday at 12pm.

Here is the information from the MPSSAA- https://www.mpssaa.org/state-championships/football/mpssaa-football-state-championships-central/

Please check out www.qoathletics.com for updates throughout the week.

QO Athletics Full Year, Winter and Season Passes are now on sale at the link below. These passes are good for regular season home games only!

https://gofan.co/app/school/MD24824?activity=Digital%20Season%20Pass

Be sure to register by clicking the link here: https://forms.gle/TY9Uy5YUm6HKyM5n8 If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Romero - Lisa_D_Romero@mcpsmd.org

Attention Seniors! Are you planning to attend college next year? Are your application deadlines rapidly approaching? If this is you, you MUST request your transcript be sent out to all the schools you are applying to! If you have not yet done so, please request your transcript ASAP! It takes several days to process your request and send out your documents! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScR5j16bnD0bf6svKNmLUmM96jGlp6D5YPEksKE3QjUM2qByA/viewform

If you have any questions or concerns about senior year information, please contact 12th Grade Administrator Ms. Eberhart-Bliss at elicia_m_eberhart-bliss@mcpsmd.org or Senior Staff Sponsor, Profe Skeen at emily_m_hoefert-skeen@mcpsmd.org.

We'll be raffling off a free Greg's Driving School package!

The PTSA still needs volunteers to help with the following:

• Recognition of our Students Academic Achievements
• Focused outreach to our families who have not been engaged, specifically our Hispanic/Latin families
• Active engagement of our student leadership as part of the PTSA
• Advocacy for building upgrades/enhancements

If you know anyone who has experience with or interested in any of these areas please have them contact the PTSA! Thank you!

Scan the QR code below or visit seasonalroots.com/qohs to join for just $25 and support the Boosters Club!

Our PTSA, NAACP-PC, and Boosters Organizations are key to our success. Our amazing organizations are offering a joint membership option that allows for a 20% discount. Membership forms can be found below or at qohsboosters.com and at https://qohsptsa.memberhub.com/store. I urge you to support these worthy organizations which do so much to support our school and help us provide the best education possible to our students. You will find your involvement with one of our parent groups will help increase your student’s sense of belonging and pride in Quince Orchard High School, as well as bring families together! Check out the links below to get familiar with our volunteers and see how you can get involved:

Welcome Letters & Organizational Info:

• Boosters President Letter
• NAACP Parent Council Welcome Letter

• Why Join the PTSA?

Membership & Sponsor Information:

• Booster Club Sponsorship Letter
• Booster Club Sponsorship Form
• Booster Membership Webpage
• PTSA Membership Hub

Stay connected throughout the school year with these important links:

• MCPS Student Handbooks (Code of Conduct, Rights & Responsibilities etc.)

• QOHS events calendar can be found on the myMCPS Classroom webpage.

• Arrival & Dismissal Bus Routes

• QOHS Website

• QOHS 2024-25 Student Handbook (Here you'll find our lunch policy, ID policy & much more.)

• QOHS Bell Schedules

• Traditional School Year Calendar 2024-25

Email: Elizabeth_L_Thomas@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/qohs/
Location: 15800 Quince Orchard Road, Gaithersburg, MD 20878, USA
Phone: 240-740-3600
Twitter: @QOHSPrin_Thomas