I hope that you and your families are doing well. We have had a great third quarter with our students celebrating their achievements. I want you to know that we have had 10 positive COVID- 19 cases since the mask-wearing became optional in MCPS on March 8, 2022. Now that our COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted, I hope that you will attend an upcoming event at our school.

We will be administering thousands of standardized tests in May, so please review our testing schedule and make sure that your teen is in school for their scheduled assessment.

While there is an abundance of information in this newsletter, we have many more activities at our school, so for up-to-date school news and information, please visit our website at https://mbhs.edu/.

If your teen has been recognized with an award or achievement, please let me know. I always enjoy highlighting the achievements of our Blazers!

Finally, schools are closed for Spring Break, Monday, April 11 - Monday, April 18, 2022. Students will return to school on Tuesday, April 19, 2022. There are many volunteer opportunities for students listed below. I wish you all a restful and healthy Spring Break.

Thank you for your support!

Renay Johnson

Principal

Hello Blair Students and Families!

The MBHS Counseling Department is excited to share our April/May Newsletter. We will be visiting all grade levels to present the Signs of Suicide Prevention Lesson, and will be having upcoming wellness activities (i.e. Therapy dogs) planned as well! You can also find Ms. Salazar's College/Career Newsletter here, along with a video update for April/May.

Here are the links as well that are embedded above:

Video Update: https://www.loom.com/share/fd09793c8e4a4fa0b1dc0462fafb5f2e

Counseling Newsletter: http://bit.ly/AprilNewsletter22

College/Career Newsletter: https://bit.ly/mbhscollcareernewsApril2022

Signs of Suicide Information: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1xoeHphiNP_M8R8B8Hh7WnUTNOSAQfqKF/view?usp=sharing

Mrs. Makeyda Soriano, NCC (she/her)

Resource School Counselor
Montgomery Blair High School

School Counseling Website: https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mbhs-schoolcounseling-team/home

Dear Parents!

Please join us for our upcoming April and May virtual PTSA meetings

• Tuesday, April 19: 7 pm-We will learn about dual enrollment programs, after prom and hear a principal update.
• Tuesday, May 17: 7 pm: Officer Elections and year closeout

We are seeking volunteers for positions for the 22-23SY. We need talented parents like you who can help us reach a wider audience and support our school.

Currently, we need a Treasurer and other positions listed here: https://blairptsa.org/blair-hs-ptsa-volunteer-opportunities-2021-2022-2/

We are taking nominations at our April 15, 2022 PTSA meeting.

Please email me here President@BlairPTSA.org if you are interested in any Board positions. We need you.

Below is our zoom information for the April 15 PTSA Meeting:

Topic: PTSA General Meeting

Time: Apr 19, 2022 07:00 PM

Join Zoom Meeting

https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/84697125090?pwd=TWFnZVZ1dzNuV0Ura1dvMFY1a0VVQT09

Meeting ID: 846 9712 5090

Passcode: BlairPTSA

One tap mobile

+13017158592,,84697125090#,,,,*366762766# US (Washington DC)

Dial by your location

+1 301 715 8592 US (Washington DC)

Meeting ID: 846 9712 5090

Passcode: 366762766

Find your local number: https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/u/keB7apldvD

Thank you,

Ayo Atterberry2021-2022 Blair PTSA President
President@BlairPTSA.org

Quarter 1: November 12, 2021✅

Quarter 2: February 7, 2022✅

Quarter 3: April 11, 2022: Mailed Home

Quarter 4: June 28, 2022: Mailed Home

Interims, mid-quarter progress reports, will be available or ParentVue and StudentVue.

For marking periods 3 and 4, report cards will be mailed centrally (MP3 due to the timing of spring break). For all marking periods, report cards will be available electronically on the student/parent portal on the dates specified.

Dear Montgomery Blair High School Families,

This message is for parents of students taking Advanced Placement Exams, May 2 – May 13. Montgomery Blair High School administers over 2500 Advanced Placement exams, while still holding classes for the 3000 students that are not testing. Due to the lack of classroom space, we have to use two off-campus locations that are approved by MCPS: Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church and Four Corners Ethiopian Evangelical Church (formerly Silver Spring United Methodist Church).

Students can ride their regular bus to school and walk to their testing location, drive, or parents can provide transportation. Some AP exams will end after the afternoon bus pickup so students will need to arrange transportation home. In addition, this year, the first day of AP exams, Monday, May 2, is a non-instructional day. All exams will take place at Montgomery Blair High School, but school buses will not be running so students will need to arrange transportation to and from school for their exams that day. Students will receive an e-mail with their testing location by April 22.

Our Attendance Policy is as follows: Students are excused from classes on the day of their AP exams. However, they may attend classes before and after their exams as classes will proceed as scheduled. Students with morning AP exams can ride their bus to school, walk to their testing location, return to school after their test to attend classes, and ride the bus home. Students with an afternoon AP exam may report to school on time and then report to their testing location at the assigned time. Students completing AP exams after 4:00 pm have the option of riding an activity bus home, which departs Blair at 4:45 pm, but only on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

Again, our three testing sites are as follows:

• Montgomery Blair High School
• Four Corners Ethiopian Evangelical Church, 33 University Blvd East (0.2 mi, or a 5-minute walk across the street from Blair)
• Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church, 801 University Blvd West (1.7 mi, or a 25-minute walk from Blair)

April 2022 SSL Opportunities

• Potomac River Watershed Cleanup (ages 11+)

• Upcounty Hub Spring Basket and Cards (ages 11+)

• Meals on Wheels Teen Ambassador Program (ages 13+)

• Promoting Healthy Living Contest - English / Spanish (ages 14+)

• Hughes United Methodist Church Food Hub (ages 14+)

• Gaithersburg Book Festival (ages 16+)

• Food and Service Consolidation Hubs (age requirements vary)

Holocaust Remembrance Week Comes to Blair

Holocaust Remembrance Week is April 25 to 29, and, for the first time, Blair will have educational activities and social activism projects for students. Plans are underway for students to experience a Poster Exhibit from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum; talks by speakers with personal experiences and academic expertise in the Holocaust; and a letter-writing campaign to support refugees confronting atrocities today. We want our students to become well-educated about the history of the Holocaust, so they will understand the importance of speaking out against similar types of oppression in the world today.

Email: Anne_R_Rubinovitz@mcpsmd.org

Eng. Dept. Phone: (240) 740-7252

Blair Website: www.mbhs.edu

The media center is working with departments throughout Blair to host in-school field trips and events. Earlier this week, we were happy to host an oral history presentation of two Blair graduates from the early 1960s. Later this week, Blair's chapter of Project LIT meets again to discuss the books we are reading and is coordinating with the Jewish Culture Club, the Amnesty International Club, We the East, and the No Labels club to plan a week of events for Holocaust Remembrance Week, from April 25 to 29.

Among the events planned is a Community Read of Maus: A Survivor's Tale, by Art Spiegelman. Our Project LIT @Blair student will lead a discussion of Maus and help our community gain a sense of the importance of survivor's stories, oral history, and reading challenging messages. We have 20 copies available to loan and welcome anyone who can secure a copy of the book to join us during lunch on Wednesday, April 27, 2022. Sign up to participate is here: https://forms.gle/W4ur8QySm3waGiUG7

Blair Academies have a lot of wonderful things happening this spring!

Our Entrepreneurship Academy students are attending the Smith School of Business on April 29th, they are currently participating in the Maryland State Stock Market Game for Financial Literacy Month, and later this month Accounting students from Montgomery College will be speaking about their program to our Entrepreneurship students.

Our Human Service Professions will be hosting a Psychologist and a Nurse for Mental Health Awareness Month.

International Studies and Law Lead Teacher, Robyn Gopin is helping to design a Guided Research in Law summer school course. She will be teaching it along with a law teacher from Springbrook. It will be part of the requirement to complete the law CTE Law Pathway, but is also a great opportunity for an ISL Academy Capstone! Blair ISL Academy will be taking part in the Springbrook Law Career Conference on April 27th.

Media, Music, and the Arts held their Annual "Pick the Oscars" and Film students will be attending a field trip to AFI to see Gravity.

Our STEM Anatomy club took 2nd place at this year's Anatomage tournament! Our STEM Academy will be hosting two BEYA Guest Speakers for the Anatomy class and Anatomy Club. STEM students will also be attending a field trip to the Medical Museum at Walter Reed.

Beth Sanchez

Academy and SSL Coordinator

Montgomery Blair High School

All the Blair your care to wear! It's the Blair Apparel Fanshop! And you can also get a Blair face covering or a Blair fanny pack or even a pair of Blair socks!

If you or someone you know needs resources and seasonal items, please refer them to Kindness Corner at Blair High School. Together, we provide resources and supplies to our students and families, through Kindness Corner and county and federal resources.

Please visit the resources page at https://blairpcc.weebly.com/

Kindness Corner at Blair is grateful to many for their generous contributions and we continue to collect gift cards and other items through the kindness corner registry.

Please contact Faye Nabavian with any questions.

Cell: 240-506-8576

Email: farzaneh_nabavian@mcpsmd.org

In announcing this year’s Congressional Art competition, Rep. Raskin said:

“There is no better exhibition of the boundless artistic vision and virtuoso skills of our young people across Maryland’s Eighth than the submissions to the Congressional Art Competition,” said Rep. Raskin. “These pieces by high school students across our district offer an exciting glimpse into the future of American art. I thank all participants in advance for sharing their gifts with the people of the Eighth District.”

Participation in the competition is easy to do:

1. All high school students residing in Maryland’s 8th Congressional District are eligible and encouraged to enter.
2. All entries must be submitted digitally via the portal here no later than 5:00 p.m. on Monday, April 11, 2022.
3. The online submission must include a single entry as well as a completed Student Information & Release Form.

Complete submission guidelines can be found on Congressman Raskin’s website here.

School Information

If you have not received log-in information for your teen, please contact Ms. Melissa Young, Latino Achievement Coordinator, Melissa_Young@mcpsmd.org, or Ms. Andrea Lamphier, Media Specialist, Andrea_Lamphier@mcpsmd.org.

Student Schedules:

Student schedules are available in ParentVUE and StudentVUE. Parents and students will need to log in to the report using the student’s ID and password. Report Link: https://studentschedule.mcpsmd.org

Scheduling, Transcript, Social Emotional Wellness Questions, Contact Your Teen's Counselor

School Counseling Department: 240-740-7220

https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mbhs-schoolcounseling-team/home/mbhs-school-counseling-team

All Things College and Career: Contact Carmen Salazar, College and Career Coordinator. Carmen_A_Salazar@mcpsmd.org

Melissa Young, is our MyMCPS/Synergy Parent Portal Staff Liaison, Melissa_Young@mcpsmd.org

Health Room: Full Time School Nurse: Anisa Harris, Anisa_Harris@mcpsmd.org

Health Room Tech: Angela Romero, Angela_Romero@mcpsmd.org

Principal's Administrative Secretary, Claudine Biggs, Claudine_Biggs@mcpsmd.org

Attendance Office: Roxanne Fus, Roxanne_F_Fus@mcpsmd.org

Blair Security Office: Darryl Cooper, Security Team Leader, Darryl_J_Cooper@mcpsmd.org

Financial Specialist: Donna Franklin, Donna_M_Franklin@mcpsmd.org

Parent Community Coordinator: Faye Nabavian, Farzaneh_Nabavian@mcpsmd.org

https://blairpcc.weebly.com/

Pupil Personnel Worker: Ramona Washington, Ramona_L_Washington@mcpsmd.org

MBHS ADMINISTRATION:

Renay Johnson: Principal, Renay_C_Johnson@mcpsmd.org

Joseph Fanning: Grade 12, Administrator, Joseph_M_Fanning@mcpsmd.org

Tracy Pettis-Jones: Grade 11, Administrator, Tracy_Pettis-Jones@mcpsmd.org

Lavina Carrillo: Grade 10, Administrator A-L, Lavina_Carrillo@mcpsmd.org

Candace Wilkerson: Grade 10, Administrator M-Z, Candance_L_Wilkerson@mcpsmd.org

Adriana Burgos-Ojeda: Grade 9, Administrator A-L, Adriana_Burgos-Ojeda@mcpsmd.org

Winter Bingham: Grade 9, Administrator M-Z, Winter_A_Bingham@mcpsmd.org

Peter Ostrander: Magnet & CAP Programs, Peter_M_Ostrander@mcpsmd.org

James Funk: School Business Administrator, James_W_Funk@mcpsmd.org