Greetings Montgomery Virtual Academy Voyagers!

Monday, October 10 (2nd Monday in October) is a Federal Holiday and traditionally recognized as Columbus Day. Many states and localities in recent years have also observed Indigenous Peoples' Day on October 10. In Montgomery County Public Schools, this Federal Holiday is also used for our traditional "Open House" to allow families to visit schools and classrooms during the school day.

While many parents and caregivers already see the classroom instruction that occurs in the Montgomery Virtual Academy on a daily basis, we would like to extend an extra welcome to families to sit with their children on Monday morning during morning meeting and the start of classes for our annual "Open House". We would also like to invite families to join the Lower School administration at 10:45-11:30 AM for a virtual "Family Coffee & Conversation with the Dean" to engage in an informal conversation. We would like to use this opportunity to learn more about your experiences in virtual learning so we can continue to improve the experience for all students.

Monday, October 10, 2022

10:45 -11:30am

Zoom: https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/91186984587?pwd=bE9FYWhVUW9iR09RU3NSS1h6Y21OUT09
Meeting ID: 911 8698 4587

Passcode: mva

(Families should be able to login and join by phone or from a personal device- student logins not needed.)

Monday is also the kick-off for Mental Health Awareness Week and our Hispanic Heritage After-School event! See below for more details!

I want to thank all of you all for your support & partnership! I am so glad you are joining us on our voyage! I hope you will be able to connect with us at our Family Coffee & Conversation with the Dean!

Mrs. Cassandra Heifetz

Dean

Cassandra.Heifetz@mcpsmd.net

• Monday, October 10- Open House and Family Coffee & Conversation with the Dean
• Monday, October 10- Hispanic Heritage Month After School Activity & Celebration at 3:45 PM
  
• Monday, October 10- Friday, October 15- Mental Health Awareness Week
• Thursday, October 13- MVAPTC Meeting at 6:30 PM
• Friday, October 14 - Hispanic Heritage Read Aloud with Ms. McIntyre at 11:45 AM
• Saturday, October 15 - MVA Online Fundraiser Kickoff with "Believe Kids" (details coming soon!)
• Sunday, October 16- NEW DATE: MVAPTC Social & Fundraiser- Ben and Jerry's, Rockville
• Friday, October 28 - Grade 5 Strathmore Concert & Field Trip (details coming soon!)

Hispanic Heritage After-School Event

The Hispanic Heritage Month team would like to invite staff, students and families to join us for an after school event Monday, October 10th from 3:45 - 4:45. We will have free choice breakout rooms of Music, Arts, Read Alouds and more. Click here or on the images below for more details! We’d love to see you there!

Also, every Friday from 11:45 AM to 12:15 PM during Hispanic Heritage Month, MVA staff will be hosting a Lunch Bunch Read Aloud! For details and zoom links see: Hispanic Heritage Month Friday Lunch Bunches

Ready for School Initiative and Montgomery County are providing several “bonuses” for eligible families, including:

• $200 worth of free classes from the Recreation Department (provided by the Montgomery County Department of Recreation);
• Discounts on extracurricular fees (provided by MCPS);
• Reduced-price AP exam fees (provided by MCPS and College Board); and
• Up to a $40 reimbursement for school supplies (provided by Ready for School Initiative).

To participate, families must follow three easy steps:

1. Fill out an MCPS Free School Meal Form (www.MySchoolApps.com)
2. Share their free meal eligibility letter with Ready for School Initiative
3. Receive the bonuses

For more details and to submit visit: https://www.readyforschoolinitiative.org/

Note:

Eligibility for Free School Meals is determined based on the the size of your family and your household income. You do not have to be a US citizen to qualify for Free School Meals.

MCPS does not report meal application information to migrant, immigration or refugee offices.

Additional Info also at: https://conduitstreet.mdcounties.org/2022/09/08/montgomery-program-incentivizes-families-to-register-for-free-school-meals/

The George B. Thomas Learning Academy offers two face-to-face Adult Literacy classes and one virtual (weeknight) class to parents of MCPS students. The program gives parents the capacity to support their children’s success and navigate through the processes of the MCPS school system. The classes offer basic, intermediate, and advanced levels and focuses on listening skills, reading, comprehension, speaking and writing.

Parents of MCPS students from any school in the county may attend after registering.

https://saturdayschool.org/programs/#Adults

See flyer for details: https://saturdayschool.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/SS_2022_Flyers_07.pdf

Additionally, in collaboration with MCPS, the Literacy Council of Montgomery County (LCMC) is offering free English as a Second Language classes for MCPS parents. The classes will be held virtually and in-person, and there are options for all levels of English speakers. They are available to any MCPS parent for whom English is not their first language. Parents can complete this interest form to receive a placement test.

https://mcpsweb.wufoo.com/forms/english-classes-for-mcps-parents/

If you are having technology issues, please submit an e-ticket by emailing your question or issue to communitytechsupport@mcpsmd.org or submit a ticket via the Community Tech Support portal This account is monitored daily and you will receive email notifications throughout the process.

For helpful support guides and screencasts in English and Spanish: https://montgomery.service-now.com/csm.

Community Tech Support Portal Support Guide: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cczbhEXF7x3TBquSMQGUGsxIcqsm_BtG2KBBi_bA0_0/edit

To request tech support or submit a Chromebook Repair Request
communitytechsupport@mcpsmd.org

Zoom Log in information & Troubleshooting

Zoom for Students /Zoom para estudiantes

myMCPS Classroom/Canvas Information & Troubleshooting

https://classroom.mcpsmd.org/

Having trouble logging in? Please review the support guide

The following MVA Parent Council Announcements are being shared as a public information courtesy. The MVAPTC is the MVA parent-teacher organization with non-profit status and insurance.

MVAPTC Announcements:

1) MVAPTC Meeting on Thursday, October 13th
2) All School Meetup/Fundraiser on Sunday, October 16th

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1) MVAPTC Meeting: Thursday, October 13th at 6:30 PM. Meetings will be held on the second Thursday of each month. Meeting slides, meeting minutes and other documents are available for review on the MVAPTC website located at http://www.mvaptc.org. We are working on getting this years meeting slides and minutes translated into Spanish. The zoom link is: https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/83004264203?pwd=M09hQzNtbVgyWVB6SGF3UE1sU2Fodz09, the Meeting ID is: 830 0426 4203 and the Passcode: mvaptc

2) NEW DATE!! All School Social/Fundraiser: Sunday, October 16th from 2:00 to 4:00 PM on the patio of Ben and Jerry’s, located 199-F East Montgomery Avenue Rockville, MD 20850. Sweet treats are available for purchase and the store is providing 20% of the purchases back to the MVAPTC, if mentioned during of your purchase. This is a dog friendly event if your dog is friendly/not aggressive, vaccinated and good around young children. Ben and Jerry’s has dog ice cream for sale. MVA Shirts will be available for purchase. https://www.benjerry.com/rockvillectr

Helpful Links:

Website: http://www.mvaptc.org

Facebook page: Montgomery Virtual Academy Parent Teacher Council

Facebook Discussion Group: MVAPTC Discussion Group - Montgomery Virtual Academy Families & Staff(MD)

Facebook Special Needs Discussion Group: MVAPTC - Children with SN - Montgomery VIrtual Academy (MD)

Shirts, Dues & Donations: https://mvaptc.square.site

Please contact Jessica, MVAPTC President, at presidentmvaptc@gmail.com to volunteer, or with any questions or concerns.

Family And Friends Mental Health Support:

http://namimd.org/family__friend_support

Food Resources

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/get-help/food.html

Food Giveaway Events this week:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/get-help/food.html#events

Gilchrist Immigrant Resource Center:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/gilchrist/

Health Care for the Uninsured (English): https://drive.google.com/file/d/1FoOQWe-GVr6ljzHjIxYRcl5VxtdBQCHN/view?usp=sharing

Health Care for the Uninsured (Spanish):

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15Pss-kVuL1IDh7cG1o47PrF0ZWImn1GY/view?

usp=sharing

Montgomery County Resources and Supports for Residents

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/covid19/get-help/

Montgomery County Public Library Programs:

https://mcpl.libnet.info/events?=undefined&r=thismonth&term=Virtual+Program

Utility Assistance from Montgomery County Government:

https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/HHS-Program/Program.aspx?id=SNHS/SNHSUtilityA-p746.html