Thursday, September 15- October 15 - Hispanic Heritage Month

Wednesday, October 5 - Early Release Day

Saturday, October 8- MVAPTC Craft Fair from 12:00 to 5:00 PM at Earl B Wood Middle School

Reminder: ALL 10th Grade MVA Students (and 11th grade students who pre registered) will be taking the PSAT IN PERSON at their home schools on Wednesday, October 12. Please review the letter that was sent home to 10th grade families in September.

All students should have received communications from their home school regarding information for testing in person on that day. If you have not yet heard from your child’s homeschool regarding PSAT testing, please call your homeschool for information, or reach out to Marjorie Cohen, MVA Testing Coordinator Marjorie_S_Cohen@mcpsmd.org for information and assistance.

Link to Letter Sent home to MVA 10th Grade Families

All MVA students who participate in PSAT tests will be excused from MVA classes on October 12th.

High School Students:

We are in the home stretch of the fall MAP testing window. There will be one final MASS make up for MAPM ONLY for 9th and 10th grade students on Thursday afternoon from 12:35-2:15. Advisory and student support will continue as scheduled. Students who need to report to testing will be excused and not be marked absent. If you have any questions about MAP testing, please reach out to Marjorie Cohen, MVA Testing Coordinator at Marjorie_S_Cohen@mcpsmd.org

9th and 10th graders who have not completed MAPR testing should reach out to their English teachers regarding makeup opportunities.

Middle School Students:

Middle School students who have not completed MAPR or MAPM should reach out to their Math or English teacher. There are no more scheduled school wide make up opportunities. Students will arrange to take it with their teacher.

Research indicates that meaningful personal engagement with their teachers and peers is one of the most important predictors of student learning and achievement.

As a result of a review of the research, the Montgomery Virtual Academy (MVA) presents the following revisions to its policies and expectations around student engagement, participation, and attendance for the 2022-2023 school year and beyond.

1. All students are expected to appear on camera for the majority of every class
2. Students should actively demonstrate engagement throughout each lesson.
   
3. Students who demonstrate no engagement for the entire class period may be marked “Absent” for that class period.
   
4. The MVA continues to expand opportunities for students to engage meaningfully with teachers, staff, and each other outside of the classroom.
   

For more detailed information on these expectations, please see this document. Thank you for your support and encouragement as we work together to connect students with their teachers and each other!

MCPS is hosting a virtual Latino/a career panel on Tuesday, October 4th from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Our target audience is 8th through 12th grade students. Students who attend can earn 2 SSL hours by completing a reflection exercise at the end of the evening. There will be a Zoom breakout room in Spanish for ELD 1 and 2 students.

Once they register using their MCPS accounts, the Zoom information along with panelists background will be sent to the students.

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf2H5pTq91S2fUs-mkh7vlzN-oXIk3LPsCA0KOeYSRqoUc0dw/viewform

The Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s (HHF) 2022 Youth Awards educational grants program is now accepting applications! Our 24th Annual Youth Awards will award students who are in the graduating Class of 2023 with up to $4000 in educational grants to fund their higher education or to fund a community-based project.

Gold, Silver and Bronze recipients are selected in each category and receive a one-time grant to fund their college education or to fund a community service effort that tackles a social issue.

Once selected, recipients will be celebrated in 10 virtual ceremonies and will become part of our broader HHF network of 200,000 professionals and fulfill our unique cycle of leadership where we meet America’s priorities in the classroom and workforce.

The Youth Awards program is the main pipeline to Hispanic Heritage Foundation’s (HHF) system of talent that prepares and positions Latino youth through the award-winning Latinos On Fast Track (LOFT) program as they transition from high school, to college, to graduate school, and into their careers.

Virtual cafe is held from 11:45 to 12:30 each Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If you are interested in being a student leader to help host, please let us know. Clubs are starting this week, see your sponsor for more information!

Did you know we have a separate newsletter for students, to help them keep up with all the important events and offerings in various areas of the MVA? Use this link to visit, and make sure your children are getting our updates each week.

Each school year, families are asked to communicate updates about contact information, health, directory withholdings, emergency contacts and more. These updates are now processed in ParentVUE using Online Registration to access MCPS Form 281-13 “Annual Notice for Directory Information and Student Privacy.”

Using this form, parents/guardians may also indicate that the student does not want to be recorded during virtual classroom sessions for future viewing by students in the same class. Completing this form does not exclude a child from having a camera on during non-recorded instruction. Parents/guardians who choose to complete this form should do so by September 12, 2022. Please use the following guide to support you in this process: https://montgomery.service-now.com/csm?id=kb_article_view&sysparm_article=KB0010232

Use this link or click the logo to the left to access a full list of Virtual Academy teachers with their Zoom links and Outlook email addresses. If you have general questions, or you need a live human to assist you, please call us at 240-740-6060 during school hours.

SSL Updates:

The Montgomery County Board of Elections Future Vote Student Election Worker Program provides high school students with an exciting opportunity to serve as election workers. Depending on the number of days served, volunteers may choose to earn up to 65 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours or up to $630 stipend for their service along with a great hands-on introduction to the democratic process. Students with bilingual skills in Spanish and other languages encouraged to apply.

Requirements

Interested students must meet the following requirements to participate as a student election worker:

• Must be at least 16 years of age by the time of registration

• U.S. Citizen of the United States

• Registered to vote in Maryland

• Must have parental consent for workers under 18 years old

Info: High School Poll Workers - Montgomery County MD

Video: https://youtu.be/IEFI7PlYEds

To apply: Board of Elections (montgomerycountymd.gov)

Questions: Email election.judge@montgomerycountymd.gov or 240-777-8533

NPR News: The midterm elections need workers. Teens, veterans and lawyers are stepping up | MPR News

Deadline: Tuesday, October 18, 2022

Latino Student Fund Tutoring

Four Seasons World Dance Auditions

Arise & Flourish:

Students will need to visit the Montgomery County Volunteer Center (https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/volunteercenter/) and in the red box “Find a Volunteer Opportunity”, type in Arise and Flourish. Students will find the volunteer opportunity for the cycle of addiction video review project. This SSL opportunity has been approved by the MCPS SSL department. Please let the students know NOT to use their MCPS email address as we will not be able to respond to them.

Once students respond for the volunteer opportunity on the site, we will send the student/parent permission slip and detailed volunteer information. Please make sure the students do NOT use their MCPS email address as we will not be able to respond to them. Students will watch two video presentations provided by our organization. One video is our speakers who are people in recovery who share their personal experience. The second video is the presentation on the cycle of addiction which has information on how addiction happens.

Students have the ability to earn the following for the quality completion of this project:

1) Earn 1 SSL hour for watching one speaker video and the video for the cycle of addiction and completing one paper or artwork or;

2) Earn up to 4 SSL hours for watching up to 4 speaker videos along with the one video for the cycle of addiction and completing 4 papers or 4 artworks.

Students can watch anywhere from 1 - 4 speaker videos and the video for the cycle of addiction and completing one paper or artwork for EACH speaker video watched.

You can now access many important resources for Student Service Learning (SSL) at our new website: ​​https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/mva-ssl-opportunities/home.

Here you'll find...

• Contact information for our SSL Coordinator (Dr. Simarjeet Sandhu) and our counseling team
• An introductory video about SLL hours and how to complete them
• The official submission form for reporting hours
• Timely updates on service opportunities within and outside of the Virtual Academy
• and more!
• 
  

Use the links below to access important SSL opportunities and resources. Contact Dr. Sandhu with any questions!

Simarjeet_K_Sandhu@mcpsmd.org

• Navigate to https://md-mcps-psv.edupoint.com/PXP2_Login.aspx.
• Select "I am a parent" or "I am a student."
• Enter your User Name and Password, then click "Login."
• Click "Course History" from the left-hand navigation.
• The Course History page shows the student's graduation progress, test requirements, and SLL hours earned. (Students need 75 hours for graduation.)
• Toggle on "Detail" to see full Service Learning details.

Attention families and students: More SSL opportunities are available through Project Linus, an organization that provides handmade blankets to children experiencing trauma in Montgomery County and surrounding areas.

Project Linus is a national organization with chapters across the country (www.projectlinus.org). Their Montgomery County Maryland chapter works with partner organizations like Holy Cross Hospital, Children's Hospital, A Wider Circle, and the Montgomery County Department of Social Services, to distribute blankets to children who are in the hospital, homeless, in foster care, in shelters, and in other situations where just a small comfort can make a major difference. All these blankets are made by volunteers.

Middle and high school students can earn SSL hours with Project Linus in 3 ways:

1. Attending one of their monthly meetings and helping to make blankets. They meet on the 4th Monday or every month (except December, where it’s the third Monday) from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria of Richard Montgomery High School. They provide all the necessary supplies, and their adult volunteers supervise the blanket-making activities. No special skills or experience required. Meeting dates are listed on this flyer.

2. Students can also earn SSL hours remotely by making blankets at home. When they drop off the blankets, they also need to send a picture of them with the blanket(s) they made. We ask that students making blankets at home first attend one of their meetings, or contact the organization at projectlinus.mc@gmail.com, to make sure they are following the proper instructions. Project Linus does not provide supplies for blankets made at home.

3. Finally, they are always looking for volunteers to help with blanket pickup and delivery and other activities.

You can also stay up to date with SSL reminders, dates, and deadlines using this resource, and. contact Dr. Sandhu with any questions!

Virtual Academy students in grades 6-12 who need to speak with a counselor can visit the open Counseling Zoom session every weekday using this link!

Office hours are:

• Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays 8:00 - 11:00 a.m.
• Tuesdays and Thursdays 11:35 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

Students and families can also reach out to their counselor using this resource or consulting the list below (alphabetical by last name). Please note that during these first few weeks of the year, all counselors are inundated with schedule requests and questions -- thank you for your patience and understanding as we work to serve the needs of our 1,800 students and families! (Click the image of the list below for a web browser version, for easier viewing.)

Please use this link to access important information about connecting with school counselors.

https://docs.google.com/document/d/15JPCfPdlYMinomSC-JsT_F6kEHvoHABUk7oOMG3_qF0/edit?usp=sharing

Families of students who may qualify for free or reduced-price meals can now apply for assistance for school meals. Eligibility is based on family size and gross income. Students in Maryland who qualify for reduced-price meals will receive free breakfast and lunch meals.
Apply here. Learn more about the program.

If you have any questions about your child's attendance, or if you need to report an excused absence, please contact our Attendance Secretary, Ms. Hikeyya Falden:

• Hikeyya_A_Falden@mcpsmd.org
• 240-740-6060

Activate Your ParentVue Account

This important tool will provide near real-time access to information on assignments and scores, attendance, class schedules, transcripts, graduation status, and more. You may access ParentVUE online, but for the best mobile experience, we encourage you to download the ParentVUE App from the Google Play Store or Apple Store, as this app will replace the current myMCPS mobile application.

Contact Your Child's Administrator or Counselor for your activation letter

ParentVue Directions

Log in to ParentVue

In collaboration with MCPS, the Literacy Council of Montgomery County (LCMC) is offering free English as a Second Language (ESL) classes for MCPS parents. The classes will be held virtually and there will be options for all levels of English speakers. They are available to any MCPS parent for whom English is not their first language.

Please see this flyer for details:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1CWxRzof4pPS95Fi7SjEadPgf3_w39orL/view?usp=sharing

Parents can complete this Interest form to receive a placement test.

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, please visit https://montgomery.service-now.com/csm.

A support guide for the Community Tech Support portal is available here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1cczbhEXF7x3TBquSMQGUGsxIcqsm_BtG2KBBi_bA0_0/edit

When you submit your SSL forms, it’s really important that you complete all sections properly, so the form does not get returned to you. Check out this video from our SSL committee that demonstrates how to complete the SSL form in its entirety.

Thank you, Ms. Marks, for the helpful video!

https://www.loom.com/share/a9aafe11b7c7475caa166006528bf823

The Montgomery County government has received grant funding to provide a computer to residents who do not have one. All you need is a valid Montgomery County library card and a photo ID to register. Click here for more information: https://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/obp/computer-for-you.html

You can now easily review previous publications of this year's Weekly Navigators online:

SEMESTER ONE

• Week of October 3, 2022
• Week of September 26, 2022
• Week of September 19, 2022
• Week of September 11, 2022
• Week of September 5, 2022