White Oak Middle School
Updates Week of October 26
End of Quarter November 9th- We need everyone monitoring and checking grades and assignments. Students need to verify if all assignments have been submitted and graded. Parents, students might have challenges submitting and completing work even when attending classes. Please check their grades and assignments to make sure they were submitted properly. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact their teachers as soon as possible.
Help with Grades/Assignments - We will continue providing additional assistance for students during advisory period. On Mondays and Thursdays, students will go to advisories as usual. On Monday’s advisory, they will go over their grades and may also attend re-teach reassess sessions. On Thursdays, they will have SEL/Restorative meetings. On Tuesdays and Fridays, students will report to their house meetings and then attend reteach-reassess sessions. On Tuesdays and Fridays, students can also visit teachers to get help on assignments even if they are caught up with all of their work. For House Meetings, students will receive Zoom invites on their canvas.
Connect-Ed calls for Absences- Connect Ed calls will be made for students marked absent in any class. The calls will be made at 2:00pm daily. To inform us of absences, please complete the WOMS Live Virtual Lesson Absence Form.
MAP Reports- See your student's MAP reports and track their progress on math and literacy skills. The MAP Student Progress Reports are be posted in ParentVUE for all students who took MAP Growth Reading (Grades 3-12), MAP Growth Mathematics P (Grades K-2), and MAP Growth Mathematics (Grades 3 - 12).
Instructional Materials Pick-up- If you have not picked up your student’s instructional materials, you may do so daily between 9:00 am and 1:00 pm.
Community Service Hours- Students that have completed community service hours can send them to Ms. Fitts. She will work with families to gather logs from last semester. Please email her at Kim.L.Fitts@MCPSMD.NET
Zoom Community Expectations- As we are eager to with build and establish virtual communities, teachers really want and need to see students with cameras on. All students need to have their cameras on when entering a Zoom session. Once they are in the sessions, teachers will work with students if there are concerns about keeping the cameras on for the duration of each class. Although teachers will work with students to be a little flexible, there are times that students will be required to have cameras on such as in entering a Zoom session ; during assessments; and for certain assignments. Students may not use avatars at any time. Students can have pictures of themselves, their names, but no avatars.
Technology- Students with Chromebooks issues can send emails to Peter.V.Crable@MCPSMD.Net or Terrell.A.Zimmerman@MCPSMD.Net. Los estudiantes con problemas con Chromebooks pueden enviar un correo electrónico a Peter.V.Crable@MCPSMD.Net o a Terrell.A.Zimmerman@MCPSMD.Net.
Translate Updates!
MCPS Resources
Election Day Resources - As we approach Election Day, we want to be able to engage students in reflecting and learning about our democratic processes and results in real time.
Meal Distribution Sites As many of our families are struggling with finances and managing student learning schedules, the meal service can help everyone take something off their plates. Meals are prepared so that students (and parents) can focus on learning. Please follow the link to learn about the days, times, and locations for meal service.
Completing Lunch Forms- If you are having trouble completing lunch forms, please see these videos to help you.
From Our Media Center
Media Center Office Hours
Mr. Amnott is available for drop-in office hours on Thursdays from 12-12:30 for students and staff (Zoom Link). If you have any questions related to the media center stop by and get them answered. This might be especially helpful when students start working on projects that use media center resources.
TeenBook Cloud
The SLMP office purchased this for all MCPS middle and high schools. It is an online collection of ebooks, enhanced novels, graphic novels, videos, and audiobooks for students in grades 6-12. Use this direct link to access (no username or password needed).https://www.teenbookcloud.com/autologin.aspx?u=mcpsmd2&p=login. Students learned about this in English classes. It has fiction and nonfiction books, so it might be something that can be used with lessons.
Events at Montgomery County Public Library- “In the Montgomery County Public Library’s (MCPL) Social Justice Book Club, 4th to 8th graders and their parent/caregiver will read or listen to a book dealing with a social issue we are facing in the world today and engage in a guided discussion. Books provide windows to other cultures, perspectives, and experiences. Join us as we learn from each other and celebrate diversity and inclusiveness in our own community!
This month, MCPL is celebrating the life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a.k.a. The Notorious RBG. You can choose to read or listen to any nonfiction book or even watch a movie about her life. The November book club meeting is on Sunday, November 1, 2020 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Please see flyer for details."
From Our Counselors...
Mental Health Week October 26–31- MCPS and the Montgomery County School Psychologists’ Association (MCSPA) are hosting to give youth and families the opportunity to hear from mental health experts on issues that are important to them. This weeklong expo features daily themes, dynamic speakers and breakout sessions, and ends with a resource fair and Q&A session on Saturday, October 31. Sessions are available in multiple languages. Students may earn up 5 Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for participating.
Be-Well 365 Mental Health Week
Sessions
· 10/27 Positive psychology during a pandemic: Can we really find happiness at a time like this? (for parents and students)
· 10/27 Self-care and coping for parents
· 10/27 Minimizing meltdowns during COVID-19 (for parents)
· 10/28 SOS Signs of Suicide Parent Training
· 10/29 Yoga and Zumba (for parents and students)
· 10/30 Social media in 2020 (for students and parents)
8th Grade Parents & Students- To learn more about which high school regional/countywide application programs your student is eligible, review the personalized program eligibility report available in both the StudentVUE and ParentVUE – in DOCUMENTS (located on the left navigation bar of Synergy). This report includes programs for which your student is eligible along with program descriptions and directions to access the application. The deadline to apply is November 6, 2020.
NEC Open Houses- Save the Dates (all begin at 7:00pm)
Springbrook HS
Thursday, October 15
Paint Branch HS
Thursday, October 22
James Hubert Blake HS
Tuesday, October 27
MCPS Regional/Countywide High School Application Programs for 2021-2022
To stay well-informed, visit the High School Programs At-A-Glance at this website:https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/high/
After School Activities
The following sports are available from October 26th through November 20th:
Girls' Basketball
Boys' Basketball
You may email Mr. Desmin Wade if you have any questions about athletics or signing up
Desmin_Wade@mcpsmd.org
This is a reminder that After School Activity Sign-Up is currently underway. If you would like to sign-up to an activity, go to the link below and click on the list for 2020-2021. Please email the teacher/sponsor of the activity that you are interested in. The sponsor will then send you an invite to join their activity's Canvas/Dashboard page.
https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/whiteoakms/activities/
Here is a message from Mrs. West about our Drama Club!