Silver Creek Weekly Newsletter
March 1-March 5
Dear SCMS Parents/Guardians
Welcome to March! Spring is on its way. As we move into March, we are excited about our planning for the reopening of schools for partial in-person learning. I want to thank all parents for their continued support and partnership as we continue to effectively plan for both virtual and partial in-personal learning experiences for all of our students.
As reminder, interims for MP3 is scheduled for next week, Friday, March 12. We continue to encourage all students to take advantage of the Wednesday Check-ins and focused student intervention supports.
Thank you for sharing your feedback on the Semester I Voice Survey. As always, we value your feedback and will review the areas for which we can elevate to continue to optimize student learning.
Let's make it a great week Huskies!
Weekly Assignments at a Glance
Regular Schedule for this week: March 1-March 5
Please find the Adjusted Schedules based on half days, professional days, & holidays for 2nd semester linked below. We will be sure to communicate any changes to schedules, as needed.
Reopening of Schools for Partial In-Person Learning Updates
During the February 23 Board of Education meeting, MCPS staff shared more information about the return-to-school plan. Please find additional MCPS information and resource videos about the Reopening Plan located HERE.
The phases for reopening are as follows:
March 15 Phase 1.1- Special education programs for 6th Grade students.
April 6- Phase 1.2- 6th grade students
April 19- Phase 2.1- 8th grade students
April 26- Phase 2.2- 7th grade students
In addition, Special Education programs for 7th and 8th grade students return April 6- Phase 1.2.
A letter notifying parents/guardians of their original preference was sent last week. In an effort for us to plan for students' in-person learning experience, parents/guardians were to make their decision by last Friday, February 26, 2021. We will communicate student specific schedules to families of all grade-level students who have requested in-person by March 12.
We had a community meeting for Silver Creek families last week. If you were not able to attend, you may find the the following below:
I know many of our parents & students might be feeling anxious about this process. Please know, we are working to the best of our ability to make this a safe return for our students and staff while providing students with a valuable learning experience. Please remain encouraged, hopeful, and strong. We will get through this together!
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program
The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) remains committed to sharing information and resources about mental health topics that could potentially impact students.
All students in Grade 6 through 12 will participate in the Signs of Suicide® (SOS®) Prevention Program. The program will be implemented between March 1 and March 26. The SOS lessons will go through your child’s English class beginning March 1. Here is the schedule.
Students will also receive handouts that include the Act to Save a Life student newsletter and a list of school, local, and national resources that are available on mental health needs. Please find the parent letter located HERE:
Resources can be found here:
Silver Creek News from Friday, February 26, 2021
Virtual Library Media Center
Did you place books on hold? Bags are ready for pickup by the school entrance throughout this week, March 1-March 5. Stop by anytime from 9 am - 3 pm. Check our website for more information about our next contactless holds pickup soon. In the meantime, head over to SORA for thousands of great digital books. Not sure WHAT to read? This recommendations page on our Library Media Center website can help!
No Place for Hate Virtual Art Show
There is no limit to ideas, but some common topics might be: cultural diversity or celebrating a particular culture or cultures, celebrating one's identity or identities, confronting racism, sexism, homophobia, and all other forms of racial, cultural, and other bias, standing up to marginalization and discrimination, promoting equity, or taking a stand on current issues on any of these themes. Be creative! If you are interested in submitting artwork, please use THIS GOOGLE FORM and submit your work by March 15.
We are so excited to see what our Husky artists will come up with! If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Diskin at trayce.r.diskin@mcpsmd.net.
Husky Huddle Lessons & Attendance
This week we will have Husky Huddle on Tuesday, 3/2 & Friday, 3/5. On Tuesday, students will participate in community circle about the reopening of school. On Friday during Husky Huddle, students will have time to work on their assignments, organize their work, and email their teachers, if needed.
Attendance Reminder: Students are expected to attend all 8 of their classes. Attendance is taken in all classes including Husky Huddle (8th period/Homeroom).
PARENT RESOURCES
Save the date for the next Tea Time with Dr. Awkard
The next Thursday Tea is scheduled for Thursday, March 11, 2021 from 8:30-9:00 am. Topic: Reopening Plans updates
You may find the google slides for each month's "Thursday Tea" on our website.
Counselor News & Updates
Counselors will offer a Signs of Suicide (SOS) Training for Families on Wednesday, March 3 at 3PM. See Flyer located on our website. The information to the google meet is below:
Join with Google Meet
Join by phone
(US) +1 346-808-1768 (PIN: 417665990)
As always, you may check out the Counseling Website periodically for upcoming parent drop in sessions that focus on providing academic, social and emotional support strategies/practices for parents during virtual learning.
https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/scmsmcpscounseling/parent-resources
Parent/Guardian Resource Handbook
Please locate the parent handbook on our website. All the information you need is located here for your convenience.
https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/silver-creek-parent-handbook/home
Career Cafe: A Tale of Small Stars and their Planets
The STEAM Committee and SCMS are super happy to announce our next Career Cafe Speaker Dr. Alycia Weinberger, who will be talking to us on Friday, March 19 at 12PM on "A tale of small stars and their planets"
- Are you interested in learning about what "Small Stars" are?
- Are you curious to find out why "Small Stars" are newsworthy?
- Did you know that Proxima Centauri is the closest Small Star to our Sun?
- As Dr. Weinberger put it "although Proxima Centauri is an adult star, its behavior may make you think it acts more like a toddler"!
Dr. Alycia Weinberger is a Staff Scientist at the Carnegie Science Earth and Planets Laboratory in Washington, D.C.
She is an observational astronomer interested in planet formation and exoplanets. -
This speech proves to be VERY interesting! Do Not Miss It!
To sign up please ask your students to visit this Google Form: https://forms.gle/Vv3fMUubx6A6fX52A
As usual, a link to the event will be shared directly with students on their MCPS Accounts by Dr. Awkard the morning of the event. Unfortunately we cannot send these email reminders to students directly - therefore if you think your child/children will be interested in participating, make sure to share this information directly with them and remind them to use their school email to sign up!
SSL Information at Silver Creek
Online Homework Help
MCPS has announced a new, free student online tutoring and homework help service. Tutorme.com is a secure, online resource that will be easily accessible through MCPS student Canvas and StudentVUE accounts and will offer on-demand assistance on any subject from grade 3 through grade 12. More information is available here.
Yearbook Sales
Order your yearbook today at yearbookforever.com.Please see the two videos below on how to upload pictures and purchase a yearbook.Call for pictures: How to upload pictures. How to navigate yearbookforever.com: How to purchase & upload pictures on yearbookforever.com
Questions about the yearbook, please contact Ms. Jordan at: Cassandra-lee_E_Jordan@mcpsmd.org
Yearbook Opt Out Form: Deadline is fast approaching.
If you wish to include your child's image or projects in the yearbook, you do not need to do anything.
Social Media
We know that many students use social media applications such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. It is imperative that students use these social media applications appropriately. Technology should be not be misused for the purpose of bullying, harassment, or intimidation. I will address any acts of misuse accordingly. The MCPS Policy can be found here.
Thank you for being vigilant and monitoring your child's social media use. Here is a resource for parents on social media.
Important Dates to Remember & Coming Attractions
March 8- No School for Students; Professional Day for Staff
March 9- Student asynchronous Learning; teacher planning; PTSA Meeting
March 10- Student asynchronous Learning; teacher planning
March 11- Thursday Tea- 8:30 AM
March 12- MP 3 Interims; reopening letters sent to families of all grade level students who have requested in person learning that provides rotation, schedule, & other logistics.
March 19- Career Cafe: 12PM
March 29-April 2- Spring Break
Student Absence & Class Recordings
If a student is going to be absent, the parent/guardian is asked to call the attendance line at 240-740-2201 in 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
You can also email Ms. Rachel Distelhorst, attendance secretary, at Rachel_Distelhorst@mcpsmd.org.
Students are expected to attend the live meetings for all classes listed on their schedules. If students are not able to attend one or more live class meetings on a given day, they should access the recording of the class that is posted in myMCPS Classroom. These recordings will only be available for 72 hours after the live class meeting. After watching the recording, please complete the Live Virtual Lesson Absence Form found here. After the form has been submitted and processed, the absence will be removed from the student’s record. (Please note that it may take several days to process the form after it has been submitted.) If a student is absent from a live class meeting and not able to access the recording within 72 hours due to an extenuating circumstance (e.g., hospitalization, death in the family, etc.) or has questions regarding attendance procedures, a parent or guardian may email a note to Ms. Rachel Distelhorst, attendance secretary, at Rachel_Distelhorst@mcpsmd.org
Important Contacts
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/silvercreekms/staff/directory/
Silver Creek Middle School
Acting Principal: Dr. Tiffany Awkard
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Kimberly Heidler
Acting Assistant Principal: Mr. David O'Shell
School Hours: 8:15 am-3:45 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
Twitter: @SCMSDrAwkard