The Paw Print
Week of October 26, 2020
Updates from Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Ajamian
On Friday, October 30, we will have a short and simple Halloween celebration in all our classes at the end of the day. Students will be permitted to wear their Halloween costumes to their classroom Zoom party. If your child will not be participating in the celebration, please make your child’s teacher aware. A big thank you to our PTA for providing students with a craft to complete during this party and to our room parents for supporting teachers with these celebrations.
We are extremely thankful for all of the parents that attended the parent virtual coffee on Friday to discuss race and culture. Our partnership with this work is critical. Our 4th and 5th grade students are engaging in these conversations over the next few weeks. Please take some time to ask your child about what they have discussed. Our next parent meeting on this topic will be on December 4, 2020 at 9:30 a.m.
Upcoming Counseling Lesson
Montgomery County Public Schools is taking an active role in the prevention of child abuse and neglect through early prevention and intervention education. Mrs. Steinberg, our school counselor, and the classroom teachers will be presenting lessons about Personal Body Safety in Grades K-5 in November. The lessons will be taught during their regularly scheduled counseling lesson time. The purpose of the lessons are as follows:
- Develop knowledge, decision making skills, and behaviors which promote safe living in the home, school, and community;
- Learn skills for self-protection and identifying child abuse and neglect;
- Learn skills for asking for help for self and others and practice reporting to a trusted adult; and
- Engage in positive and appropriate interactions with peers and adults.
If you have any questions or concerns about the topics that will be covered, please contact Mrs. Steinberg at Laurie_M_Steinberg@mcpsmd.org.
Book Check out with MCPL and MCPS Virtually
The Montgomery County Public Library buildings may be closed to visitors, but you can still register for a virtual library card HERE and find so much more on this flyer (in English and Spanish) with some of the resources to access audiobooks and ebooks, as well as to help with research for homework- a one-stop directory for learning at home help!
For more resources and help, see the website, call your local branch, or call our Ask a Librarian Service.
For virtual book check out from home, visit SORAApp.com!
All these resources and more can be found on the Seven Locks ES Course in myMCPS Classroom, and have been reviewed with students during Media class.
Happy Reading!
School Calendar Changes
- Addition of a Professional Day for Teachers on November 4, 2020
- Shift of early release days from November 11-12 to November 23-24
In the coming weeks, classroom teachers will send out information on how to sign up for a virtual parent conference during the month of November.
We are here to help
As a Seven Locks Community, we are here to support all our families that may be in need. As it gets colder, please reach out if your child is in need of a winter coat. Please call the main office or email Megan_H_Murphy@mcpsmd.org. Also, MCPS continues to provide curbside meal service at 74 school sites. Click here for more information and for a list of pick up locations.
Attendance Reminders
Students are expected to attend all live virtual learning classes in which they are enrolled. However, in some instances, this may not be possible due to illness or extenuating circumstances. Students may then access the recording of the class to engage in the daily learning during an alternate time within 72 hours of the absence. Students/Parents/Guardians may then submit a Live Virtual Lesson Absence Form to document that they engaged in the lesson and to request the unexcused absence to be reconciled to Present. If extenuating circumstances exist, parents/guardians are encouraged to communicate with the school’s administration ahead of time. The Live Virtual Lesson Absence Form must be completed for each documented absence. This form is accessible from the main page of the SLES website.
Digital Consent Form
SLES teachers may utilize a variety of supplemental online digital tools to reinforce the district’s instructional program. We are sharing with you a list of the online tools that may be used by teachers to enhance online learning. The list is embedded within the consent form. These tools have been evaluated to be safe for student use and are consistent with federal laws on student data privacy.
SLES requests you read the instructions on the linked google form and offer your consent to allow your student to use the supplemental tools listed on the Digital Consent Google Form.
Parent Technology Resources
Parents who need technical help can call 240-740-7020 Monday-Friday between 7am and 8pm or email communitytechsupport@mcpsmd.org
MCPS News
Mental Health Awareness Week Begins Today
MCPS will host Mental Health Awareness Week from Monday, October 26 through Saturday, October 31 with a weeklong expo, including Zoom workshops, a resource fair, breakout sessions and a question-and-answer session. Some workshops will be available in multiple languages. All workshops and activities throughout the week will be held virtually.
The free event, hosted by MCPS and the Montgomery County Psychologists’ Association, is open to staff, students, and their families.
The week kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 26 with keynote speaker Jill Haak Bohnenkamp, assistant professor and core faculty member at the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Each day will feature breakout sessions and video presentations on a variety of topics. Topics include finding happiness during COVID-19; social media; suicide awareness and prevention; healthy living; dealing with change; the impact of exercise; cybercivility and cybersafety; and dating violence.
The week culminates on Saturday, October 31 with a live virtual Resource Fair and a question-and-answer webinar. All community members are invited to join this Zoom event from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. A full schedule of the week’s events is available here.
Many community and governmental organizations will provide information during the resource fair. Among them: Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services; EveryMind; RAP/The Landing; Family Services, Inc.; BTheOne; Montgomery County Crisis Center; Caring Matters; and Our Minds Matter.
Boundary Analysis Community Meeting to Be Held October 28
The first public webinar to introduce the Interactive Boundary Explorer tool was held on October 20. If you missed it, you can watch it here. The second webinar was held on October 22 and can be watched here.
MCPS is in the second phase of the Districtwide Boundary Analysis, which is focusing on engagement with the Boundary Explorer tool. This tool provides MCPS stakeholders a deeper look and better understanding of school boundaries. It was developed by WXY Studios (WXY) as part of its ongoing work with the district to provide a comprehensive assessment of MCPS boundaries by analyzing various data points.
A virtual community meeting will also be held from 7–9 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 28, for WXY and MCPS leadership to receive feedback from the public on the tool. All meetings are being held via Zoom and require advance registration.
Register for the engagement events here. Please note that you have to complete both the Wufoo registration form AND the Zoom registration.
WXY will also hold engagement sessions with school principals and students, as well as smaller group meetings with harder-to-reach communities.
Additional Bus Stop Locations Added to Meal Service Program
MCPS is expanding the number of meal service sites for the community. In addition to the 74 school sites, students and families can pick up meals on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday at several bus stop locations throughout the county from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. More information is available at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/reopening/meals/.
COVID-19 Rent Relief Program for County Residents
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is providing short-term rental assistance to eligible families that have experienced financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While funds are available, the program will provide up to $4,000 to eligible households to cover the cost for back rent (arrears) and/or a rent credit for future months. The program is funded through a $20 million supplemental appropriation to DHHS.
You can learn more and apply for the rent relief program at this website.
Parent Resources for Virtual Learning
The MCPS Parents page has been updated to include various online resources for families to help them navigate virtual learning. Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/parents/ to see the list of resources.
Important Dates
Tuesday, November 3 - No School for Students & Staff
Wednesday, November 4 - No School for Students (Professional Day)
Monday, November 9 - No School for Students (Professional Day)
Monday, November 23 - Early Dismissal for Conferences
Tuesday, November 24 - Early Dismissal for Conferences
Wednesday, November 25 - Early Dismissal for Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 26 - No School for Students & Staff
Friday, November 27 - No School for Students & Staff
Seven Locks Elementary School
Email: Megan_H_Murphy@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sevenlockses/
Location: 9500 Seven Locks Road, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-0940
Twitter: @SLESPrincipal