Community Update: Week of Dec. 19th
Sharing information for the Wootton High School Community
Community Update
Details about the Winter Break Calendar
- The last day of school for students before the start of Winter Break is Thursday, December 22, 2022.
- There is no school for students and staff from Friday, December 23, 2022 through Monday, January 2, 2023.
- Students will return to class on Tuesday, January 3, 2023.
- MCPS will have a full system closure on December 29 and 30, 2022 meaning no schools or offices will be open.
Parent Articulation Night: January 17, 2023 at 7pm
Parents/Guardians/Caregivers of Current 9th, 10th, and 11th Grade Students:
Wootton High School will hold a virtual Parent Articulation Night for current 9th –11th grade students on Tuesday, January 17, 2023 at 7:00 p.m. Please save this date and time.
During this virtual webinar, the Wootton team will explain the current graduation requirements, review ParentVue access to make course requests, and each department will share course specific information.
Please review our Wootton HS Course Bulletin 2023-2024 which provides students and families with the most current information about Wootton’s offerings. The online course bulletin is published on our website. The webinar access links and information will be shared with families closer to the event.
Wootton PTSA Alumni Panel Event
Meeting ID: 839 7305 9683
Passcode: 967671
Dial in: (301) 715-8592
Currently we have students attending from: Pratt, University of Southern California, UMD, Williams, Georgetown, and Tufts.
Athletic Trainer
Congratulations to Mrs. Susan Eckerle
On Wednesday, December 14, 2022, Mrs. Susan Eckerle, Director of Bands at Thomas S. Wootton High School, received the Scroll of Excellence Award from Women Band Directors International at the school’s winter band concert for her consistency, passion, and contributions to music education.
The purpose of the Scroll of Excellence award is to honor outstanding women band directors who:
- Consistently produces bands of superior performance level with programs of high musical quality, and/or has contributed significantly in other ways to instrumental education.
- Must actively participate in regional and/or state events.
- Must be sponsored by one WOMEN BAND DIRECTORS INTERNATIONAL, INC. member with endorsement of one other professional colleague or WOMEN BAND DIRECTORS INTERNATIONAL, INC. member.
Dr. Lori Schwartz Reichl, the Maryland State Chair of WBDI, came to Wootton HS to present the award in front of the Frost and Wootton band community. Bravo, well deserved!
Congratulations Wootton Musicians!
Wootton Percussion Ensemble
The Wootton Percussion Ensemble perform with the MCYO Philharmonic on December 11 at Strathmore, in the east coast premiere of Oscar Navarro’s Libertadores, a beautiful and powerful homage to the Amazon Forest, its indigenous people, and the idea coming together as one people. Congratulations on a great performance!
Celebrate the Arts Assemblies
Some Wootton Reminders
- Please be reminded that Wootton has a closed campus during lunch in an effort to ensure the safety and security of our students. Students are not permitted to leave school grounds to purchase lunch. Students are also not permitted to accept food deliveries from outside vendors.
If you need to drop-off something for a student, you can use the drop-off table in the main office. Students can check the table between classes or during lunch. For safety reasons, food that hasn’t been picked up by 3:00 p.m. will be thrown out. Other items like clothing, etc. will be giving to lost and found after one week.
Wootton High School continues to use the new attendance email: WoottonAttendance@mcpsmd.org
Please use our new email for attendance questions and scans of signed absence notes. If you need to request a same day early release and are unable to send your student in with a note, please call the main office at 240-740-1500.
Returning to School After Winter Break
We know many of our families will spend time over the Winter break traveling, visiting with friends and family, and engaging in fun community activities. As these activities possibly involve a higher risk of exposure to COVID-19, MCPS is distributing at-home rapid test kits to students and staff prior to the break.
Testing is an important way to identify individuals actively positive for COVID-19 who should temporarily isolate in order to prevent further transmission and keep our school community as healthy as possible. Testing is not mandatory. We are depending on our staff and families to consider their exposure risk, and test and report positive results accordingly. Here is more information about COVID-19 testing, including when to get tested.
Please note that schools will receive a new type of test kit, made by InteliSwab. Video instructions for InteliSwab can be found here in English and Spanish and here for other test kit types. Please note that the InteliSwab test takes 30 minutes for results. Test kits should be used for staff and students. For other family members, free rapid test kits are also available at most public library locations.
- What do I do if the rapid test is positive? Please report positive tests for staff or students on the MCPS COVID-19 Reporting Form. Individuals who have a positive COVID-19 test will need to follow CDC guidelines for isolation.
- What do I do if the rapid test is negative? Negative test results do not need to be reported.
Please remember that non-COVID respiratory infections like influenza and RSV are also circulating in our community. Healthy habits including isolating when sick, good handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes help prevent illness. COVID-19 and influenza vaccination are available for free for Montgomery County residents.