Silver Creek Weekly Newsletter
March 22-March 26
Dear SCMS Parents/Guardians
I would like to take a moment to recognize the recent attacks that occurred in Atlanta, GA. I am deeply disturbed by this incident that has impacted the Asian American and Pacific Islander community across our nation. This is another reminder of the uptick in racially motivated violence against Asian Americans over the last year. When there are national tragedies that involve such injustices, this greatly impacts us all. As a school, it is our responsibility to provide the opportunities to discuss these injustices and anti-bias acts within a safe space for all students. It is our youth who will become the leaders of change for tomorrow.
As a No Place for Hate (NPFH) school, we will uphold our commitment and behave in ways that support the principles of NPFH. We will welcome and celebrate our differences and work collectively to combat any form of hatred or bullying as we stand in solidarity as a school. Let's remember our core values of Empathy, Equity and Care in our efforts to provide a safe place for our children to thrive and grow.
On Tuesday, during our Husky Huddle Lesson, students will participate in an activity that focuses on allyship. We will provide space for our students to reflect on the incident and explore actions that we can take to disrupt hate and to stand up as allies in our school community. There will also be a moment of silence for the lives lost.
Below are a few resources that explain the importance of ally building and how we can work together to create safe spaces for Asian-American students.
Welcome to Spring! We have one more week before spring break. I am sure many of our students are looking forward to a little time off with their friends and families. Our staff will also enjoy this time to renew and refresh before we come back to welcome our first Phase of students for reopening. We are excited and look forward to seeing our students.
We have a regular schedule this week. Let's make it a great week Huskies!
Weekly Assignments at a Glance
Regular Schedule this week: March 22-March 26
Please find the Adjusted Schedules based on half days, professional days, & holidays for 2nd semester linked below. We will be sure to communicate any changes to schedules, as needed.
Reopening of School Updates
Please find MCPS information and resource videos about the Reopening Plan located HERE.
The phases for reopening are below. Please note: Based on the Board meeting from March 11, 2021, the start date for Phase 1.2 has been changed from April 6th to April 8, 2021. Tuesday, April 6th and Wednesday, April 7th will now be virtual days. For more information about the change, please read the community update here. I encourage you to watch the Board meeting this Tuesday, March 23 for any additional updates on reopening.
April 8- Phase 1.2- 6th grade students
April 19- Phase 2.1- 8th grade students
April 26- Phase 2.2- 7th grade students
In addition, Special Education programs for 7th and 8th grade students will return April 8th- Phase 1.2.
On Friday, March 19, an email was sent to all 6th grade families requesting in-person learning. The purpose of the email was to share the student orientation video. The video provides information to help support students with transitioning to the school building. The email was also sent to students' mcpsmd.net accounts. It is strongly recommended that all students view the orientation video as it provides important information and expectations in regards to reopening. You may also access the orientation video here. Please note: You must be logged into your child's mcpsmd.net account to access the video.
We plan to email student specific schedules to families of 7th & 8th grade students this week along with the orientation video. We greatly appreciate your patience as we work diligently to schedule an optimal learning experience for our students.
Students who remain virtual will not see any changes to their schedule, except for the Focused Student Intervention (FSI) period now being at the beginning of the day (8:15-9:00 am). The virtual/hybrid schedule can be found here. Additionally, if there are any schedule modifications, we will communicate these updates to you.
If you were not able to attend the community meeting for reopening, you can find the following below:
I know many of our parents & students might be feeling anxious about this process. Please know, we are working to the best of our ability to make this a safe return for our students and staff while providing students with a valuable learning experience. Please remain encouraged, hopeful, and strong. We will get through this together!
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Prevention Program
The Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) remains committed to sharing information and resources about mental health topics that could potentially impact students.
All students in Grade 6 through 12 will participate in the Signs of Suicide® (SOS®) Prevention Program. The program will be implemented between March 1 and March 26. The SOS lessons will go through your child’s English class beginning March 1. Here is the schedule.
Students will also receive handouts that include the Act to Save a Life student newsletter and a list of school, local, and national resources that are available on mental health needs. Please find the parent letter located HERE:
Resources can be found here:
Silver Creek News from March 19, 2021
Virtual Library Media Center
Check our website for more information about our next contactless holds pickup soon. In the meantime, head over to SORA for thousands of great digital books. Not sure WHAT to read? This recommendations page on our Library Media Center website can help!Library Media Center Updates: The Library Media Center is excited to announce that we will be transitioning from our monthly holds pickups to weekly "Holds to Go" in mid-April, for both virtual and in-person students.
Stay tuned for information in early April. In the meantime, students can borrow thousands of ebooks and audiobooks using their SORA account. We also invite all students to our weekly Book Bites programs, for games, socializing, new books and authors, and other book-related fun. Visit our library media website for more information.
We ask all families to please return all library books to the bin inside the front doors, any school day from 9 am - 3 pm. The more returns, the more books we can loan out to our wonderful, voracious readers!
Husky Huddle Lesson for Tuesday, March 23
During Husky Huddle, students will have a NPFH lesson on Tuesday, March 23. This lesson will be in response to the recent shootings in Atlanta, GA. We will provide space for our students to reflect on the incident and explore actions that we can take to disrupt hate and to stand up as allies as we continue to uphold our commitment to our NPFH values. Also, as an MYP school, students will be reflective and hear the perspectives of others. There will also be a moment of silence for the lives lost.
No Place for Hate Virtual Art Show
We are so excited to see what our Husky artists will come up with! If you have any questions, please email Mrs. Diskin at trayce.r.diskin@mcpsmd.net.
Friday's Husky Huddle
We will have a Fab Friday Lesson on Friday, March 26. The votes are in! Based on the homerooms with the highest attendance for the month of February, you have voted for the administrator who will get a Pie in the Face. Congratulations to the following homerooms:
Ms. Becker, Mr. Bingaman, Ms. Castro, Ms. Hodges, Ms. Lacy, Dr. Marcum, & Ms. Payne. Who will it be? Mr. O'Shell, Mrs. Heidler or Dr. Awkard? Make sure you come to Husky Huddle on Friday to see this epic event!
Attendance Reminder: Students are expected to attend all 8 of their classes. Attendance is taken in all classes including Husky Huddle (8th period/Homeroom).
Registration for the Fall Athletic Season is now open!
We CAN, We Will, We R.A.I.S.E - Welcome to the Silver Creek Middle School's Fall 2nd Semester Athletic Season! The fall season will begin on April 20 - May 6, 2021. The middle school interscholastic athletics program is available for all students in 7th and 8th grade only and will consist of the following sports: Coed Cross Country; Boys’ Softball; and Girls’ Softball
- The fall season at SCMS will remain virtual and will include three virtual engagement sessions per week on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays from 3:30-4:30 pm. This will be a total of 9 engagement sessions over the course of three weeks. You may register at the following link: Silver Creek MS Fall Athletics Registration. Registration information will also be placed on the Silver Creek website, shared in PE/Health classes, and will go out in the Sunday community messages.
- The Winter (Basketball) and Spring (Soccer) sports will be held from May 11 - May 27, 2021 for 9 engagement sessions on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. We will keep you informed on what the winter and spring sports sessions will look like; no final decisions have been made yet on whether this will be virtual or in-person. More information about registering for these sports will be sent out to the community in the coming weeks.
If you have any questions, please email the Silver Creek Athletic Coordinator, Mr. Ryan Bingaman (Ryan_H_Bingaman@mcpsmd.org).
PARENT RESOURCES
Save the date for the next Tea Time with Dr. Awkard
The next Thursday Tea is scheduled for Thursday, April 22, 2021 from 4:30-5:00 pm. Topic: TBA.
The zoom information will be forthcoming.
You may find the google slides for each month's "Thursday Tea" on our website.
Counselor News & Updates
Please check out this month's newsletter. Please check out the Counseling Website periodically for upcoming parent drop in sessions that focus on providing academic, social and emotional support strategies/practices for parents during virtual learning.
https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/scmsmcpscounseling/parent-resources
Parent/Guardian Resource Handbook
Please locate the parent handbook on our website. All the information you need is located here for your convenience.
https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/silver-creek-parent-handbook/home
Women's History Month
As we conclude the month of March, we honor the amazing accomplishments of women throughout our nation. The following website celebrates the contributions women have made to the United States and recognizes the specific achievements over the course of American history in a variety of fields. We have been through an unexpected and challenging season. The following quote captures how we embrace these challenges:
“How wonderful it is that nobody needs to wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” –Anne Frank
We will Rise!
SSL Information at Silver Creek
Online Homework Help
MCPS has announced a new, free student online tutoring and homework help service. Tutorme.com is a secure, online resource that will be easily accessible through MCPS student Canvas and StudentVUE accounts and will offer on-demand assistance on any subject from grade 3 through grade 12. More information is available here.
Social Media
We know that many students use social media applications such as TikTok, Instagram, and Snapchat. It is imperative that students use these social media applications appropriately. Technology should be not be misused for the purpose of bullying, harassment, or intimidation. I will address any acts of misuse accordingly. The MCPS Policy can be found here.
Thank you for being vigilant and monitoring your child's social media use. Here is a resource for parents on social media.
Wear Silver Creek Colors on Fridays!
Important Dates to Remember & Coming Attractions
March 22-March 26- Student specific letters emailed to families of 7th & 8th grade students who have requested in-person learning.
March 29-April 2- Spring Break
April 8- Return to in-person learning for Phase 1.2- 6th grade students
April 15- End of Marking Period 3
April 16- No School for students; Teacher Professional Day
April 19- Return to in-person learning for Phase 2.1- 8th grade students; Marking Period 4 Begins
April 22- Thursday Tea, 4:30-5:00 pm.
April 26- Return to in-person learning for Phase 2.2- 7th grade students
Student Absence & Class Recordings
If a student is going to be absent, the parent/guardian is asked to call the attendance line at 240-740-2201 in the morning of the absence. In your message, please include the information listed below:
1. Parent/Guardian name
2. Full name of your student (First & Last); student ID#
3. Date(s)of absence
4. Reason for absence
You can also email Ms. Rachel Distelhorst, attendance secretary, at Rachel_Distelhorst@mcpsmd.org.
Students are expected to attend the live meetings for all classes listed on their schedules. If students are not able to attend one or more live class meetings on a given day, they should access the recording of the class that is posted in myMCPS Classroom. These recordings will only be available for 72 hours after the live class meeting. After watching the recording, please complete the Live Virtual Lesson Absence Form found here. After the form has been submitted and processed, the absence will be removed from the student’s record. (Please note that it may take several days to process the form after it has been submitted.) If a student is absent from a live class meeting and not able to access the recording within 72 hours due to an extenuating circumstance (e.g., hospitalization, death in the family, etc.) or has questions regarding attendance procedures, a parent or guardian may email a note to Ms. Rachel Distelhorst, attendance secretary, at Rachel_Distelhorst@mcpsmd.org
Important Contacts
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/silvercreekms/staff/directory/
Silver Creek Middle School
Acting Principal: Dr. Tiffany Awkard
Assistant Principal: Mrs. Kimberly Heidler
Acting Assistant Principal: Mr. David O'Shell
School Hours: 8:15 am-3:45 pm
Main Office: 240-740-2200
Registration & Counseling: 240-740-2211
Attendance Line: 240-740-2201
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/silvercreekms/
Location: 3701 Saul Road, Kensington, MD, USA
Phone: 240 740 2200
Twitter: @SCMSDrAwkard