Montgomery Blair High School
Principal’s Newsletter January 2022
Happy New Year 2022!
Dear Montgomery Blair High School Families,
Happy New Year! I hope that you and your family are well and had a restful Winter Break. I know that our school’s daily COVID positivity rates have concerned many of you. As of Friday, January 7, MCPS’ guidance for schools to move from in-person to virtual instruction based on a > 5% positivity rate has changed. The updated guidance from the Maryland State Department of Education, Montgomery County Public Schools, and the Department of Health and Human Services have changed the guidelines on individual school closures. As stated in the most recent community letter from MCPS, “MCPS and the Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) will examine schools on a case-by-case basis to determine if any particular school needs to transition to virtual learning for a designated period of time. Factors considered will continue to include the number of students and staff who have tested positive; the number of students in quarantine; the number of staff absent for COVID-related reasons; and the level of spread of the virus in the school.” To read MCPS’ full community letter, click the red box below.
Below is useful COVID information for you to review. As the district provides information to principals, I will update our information.
COVID FAQ (Information will be updated as district changes are made.)
Q: How does my teen make-up missed assignments, while in quarantine?
A: All teachers will post Zoom links, instructional materials and assignments on their CANVAS page while in quarantine.
Q: Do these Zoom links give my teen access to their classes virtually?
A: Teachers have the option to live stream their classes on Zoom or provide instruction through their Academic support Zoom time (virtual check-in time). Teachers decide individually which method matches the day’s lesson and their preference for how best to support quarantine students. Teachers will communicate the method of support to their quarantined students. Zoom links, instructional materials, and assignments are posted on every teacher’s Canvas page. *Please note that live stream is not simultaneous instruction. Teachers will ensure that students can access instruction remotely, but will not be required to incorporate “interactive strategies”. Teachers will follow up with quarantined students over any questions they may have during instruction.
Q: How should I notify the school if my teen has tested positive or is in quarantine?
A: Notify a staff member AND complete the MCPS form.
The parent will notify any staff member at school and provide the following information:
What day did the student test positive?
As of what date is the student in quarantine?
Last date the student was present at school?
Q: Do parents have to send a negative test result before their teen can return to school?
A: We trust our parents to report the information to us. Parent should use this form to report their teen’s results, MCPS form. Students who are in close contact can get a COVID test after day 5 and return after day 7 with a negative COVID test. Students who test positive cannot shorten the quarantine. Quarantine calculator dates can be found here: Quarantine calculator.
Q: Can high school students be part of the rapid testing?
A: Blair currently has rapid tests available for students in the health room. However, students must have symptoms and parents must complete a permission form. In addition, we have pool testing every Friday, with parent permission. Say Yes to the Test COVID-19 Testing Information, Forms and Flyers: COVID-19 testing Consent
English PSA https://youtu.be/5bWVDTZNL4A
Spanish PSA https://youtu.be/UtJ8ikU4hcU
Say Yes to The Test Flyers: English, Spanish, Chinese, French, Korean, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Amharic
Q: If the one student in a multigenerational household is quarantined and not attending school, should the other siblings or relatives in that same household also be quarantined?
A: If the student is in quarantine due to close contact with a positive or symptomatic case, other students in the household do not need to quarantine if they have not had close contact with the positive individual. If the student in quarantine develops symptoms or tests positive, household members should quarantine. Here is the quarantine decision flowchart.
Q: My teen shows flu-like symptoms, what should I do?
A: It’s important that students don't spread their illness to others. Please keep them home when they are sick and have them tested for COVID-19 as an extra precaution. Refer to the Student Health Checklist to determine if your child should stay at home. Student Health Checklist
Q: When are we getting at-home rapid test kits?
A: Montgomery Blair HS received their at-home tests on Thursday afternoon on January 6, 2022. The distribution date is Monday, January 10, 2022. See below for specific distribution details for our school.
During Period 7 on Monday, January 10, 2022, all students will be given a kit of at-home rapid tests. Each kit contains 2 tests and should be used for the same individual, regardless of vaccination status or presence of COVID-19 symptoms. Please ensure your student brings the test kit home and administers the first test on the evening of Monday, January 10, 2022.
STUDENTS WHO ARE ABSENT ON DISTRIBUTION DAY: Students who are not in school on Monday, January 10, 2022, may pick up a test during lunch from the Media Center upon their return.
STUDENTS ON ABBREVIATED SCHEDULES OR ATTENDING EDISON: For students on an abbreviated schedule or who attend Edison they will be provided tests as they depart and will be directed to a designated area to retrieve the kit after their last class of the day.
STUDENTS ATTENDING THE MONTGOMERY VIRTUAL ACADEMY: Please contact the school to make arrangements to retrieve your student kit.
We will have a roster and attendance system to ensure all students receive a test kit and will be reaching out directly to families who did not receive test kits on Monday, January 10, 2022.
Again, I know this is a challenging time for our students, staff, and families. Please continue to monitor your teens' health and well-being, and keep them home until they are in good health to attend school.
Thank you for your support,
Renay Johnson
Principal
COVID Cian Pool Testing Update
Every Friday afternoon, Montgomery Blair students and staff are scheduled to participate in Covid Cian Pool Testing during 7th or 8th periods at a designated secured area in the school building. Cian teams provide asymptomatic screening testing as another way (similar to the self-reporting data) to assess if there is a significant increase of positivity at our school. Parents complete the Cian Testing Consent Form (once) to give permission for their children to test each week.
Due to inclement weather and school closing, there was no testing on January 7 as school was closed, However, Cian Covid Pool Testing will resume on Friday, January 14, 2022, starting during our 1:00 PM assigned time period. Covid Pool Testing is used to measure asymptomatic individuals. Symptomatic students should be seeing their health care professional or sent to the health room where they can receive a rapid test from the school nurse.
Individuals who have tested positive in the past 90 days, are not to participate in CIAN testing. With the rise of testing, CIAN’s priority is reporting positive results to schools, community health, and families. It is becoming more common that individuals are not receiving negative test results via email, but they should be confident that they will be informed if they test positive.
Please complete the following information you have not if you want your child/children to participate in weekly Covid Cian Pool Testing.
If your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms of Covid at school, staff will send the student to the health room to receive a rapid test. The results of the testing will indicate (if positive) whether a child will need to quarantine at home for 10 days. MCPS will minimize learning disruption when students are in isolation or quarantine. Students in isolation or quarantine will have opportunities to connect with their teachers for live check-ins.
COVID-19 symptoms include:
Fever of 100.4 degrees or higher
Sore throat
Cough
Difficulty breathing
Diarrhea or vomiting
New onset of severe headache
New onset of loss of taste or smell
As a result of this guidance from the county, MCPS will quarantine:
An individual who tests positive
Those who are unvaccinated and in close contact to an individual who tests positive or has one or more COVID-19 symptoms
An individual with one or more COVID-19 symptoms
If your child/children test positive please complete the MCPS district form to communicate that information to MCPS central office and notify school staff for us to disseminate the information to the necessary parties (counselor, teachers, personnel, school nurse, etc.).
Here are five vital things to know about the testing process:
In-school tests will be self-administered by students or by the Cian team.
The swab tests are simple, gentle, and collected in a single tube
To participate in the weekly tests, families must complete the COVID 19 Pool Testing Consent Form. The consent form only needs to be completed once (not each week).
The testing is pooled and does not identify individual results nor collect personal information.
MCPS has developed a contact tracing and notification process to ensure safety and privacy.
For additional information, please watch the MCPS Pooled Testing video.
If you have any additional questions about pooled testing, please contact Assistant Principal Dr. Winter Bingham directly via e-mail winter_a_bingham@mcpsmd.org.
Thank you for your cooperation and ongoing support with our efforts to maintain a safe and secure school environment for our Blair community.
Montgomery Blair High School Has New Phones and Phone Numbers
Attendance office 240=740-7201
Cafeteria 240-740-7204
Career Center 240-740-7235
Counseling 240-740-7220
Health Room 240-740-7202
Main office 240-740-7200
Media Center 240-740-7237
School Registrar 240-740-7236
Security office 240-740-7239
School Messages & Information
Watch InfoFlow, For Daily News and Information
Report Card Distribution Dates:
2021 -2022 Report Card Distribution Dates:
Quarter 1: November 12, 2021✅
Quarter 2: February 7, 2022
Quarter 3: April 11, 2022
Quarter 4: June 24, 2022
Interims, mid-quarter progress reports, will be available or ParentVue and StudentVue.
PTSA General Meeting: Tuesday, January 18, 2022, 7:00 p.m.
Thank you to everyone who donated to buy tables and equipment for outside lunch. Items are on order through MCPS’ purchase process, and we are keeping our fingers crossed that MCPS’ required vendor is able to deliver items soon.
However, the PTSA’s work is not done. The PTSA also supports other projects that are not funded by MCPS through minigrants for educational items and programs, afterprom to keep our teens safe on prom night, and appreciation events for the awesome MBHS staff, who teach our children and keep them safe at school.
If you haven’t donated this year, you can help the PTSA provide these and other needs that MCPS does not provide. https://blairptsa.org/donate/
Our next PTSA meeting is Tuesday, January 18, 2022, the Zoom information is below.
Topics that will be presented:
PTSA Report
Principal’s Report
School COVID Protocols and Procedures
Mid-Year Academic Updates and Best Practices for Success
Course Registration for the 2022 - 2023 School Year
Zoom Information:
Topic: PTSA General Meeting January 18, 2022
Time: Jan 18, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/84480154450?pwd=SDFxbHpNWjJUQmdkdUMxWXQzY0YxZz09
Meeting ID: 844 8015 4450
Passcode: BlairPTSA
Ms. Ayo Atterberry
PTSA President
Extracurricular Activities Updates
Non-Athletics ECA program will resume on Tuesday, January 18, 2022 (MCPS 1/11/2022)
The following VIRTUAL ECAs may continue through January 15, 2022:
- ECAs and co-curricular activities that meet during the school day may continue to meet in person.
- The afterschool non-athletic ECAs may continue to meet virtually through the MCPS Zoom platform and ECA staff creativity in scheduling is permitted to include meeting later in the afternoon or evening in collaboration with the school administration, ECA leadership, staff and students.
- During virtual engagement, all virtual experiences including guest speakers, field trips, and volunteers are allowed through the virtual platform.
The following are still permitted to meet in person:
- Fine arts instruction during the school day using the mitigation strategies.
- ECAs that meet during the school day
- CARES Tutoring, High School Plus, and Credit Recovery Programs
- Childcare providers
- PTA sponsored activities that function as child care each school day
- Programs that have agreements through ICB/CUPF under the “community use of buildings”
Maryland Comprehensive Assessment Program (MCAP) Testing
The last parts of Fall MCAP Testing will start during the week of January 10 – 14. There are approximately 55 seniors who need to take the Government test and approximately 90 seniors who need to take the LS – MISA (science) test. This testing is a state requirement and is necessary for them to participate in as a graduation requirement.
We will have Government (GOVT) testing On Monday January 10 and Tuesday January 11 after lunch each day. There are approximately 55 students who are testing for Government. They will report directly after lunch on Monday to the Media Center. These students will receive an email reminder this weekend as well as a pass on Monday morning.
We will have LS-MISA (Maryland Integrated Science Assessment) on Wednesday January 12 and Thursday January 13 starting at 7:45 AM each morning. There are approximately 90 seniors who will be testing for LS-MISA. Students who are testing for LS-MISA will receive an email with the information as well as a reminder pass on Tuesday.
However, if your student feels sick or is in quarantine, please do not have them report to school for testing. There will be an opportunity for makeup testing again on January 27. Just email your student’s counselor to let them know if they are sick or in quarantine and will not be in for testing.
If you have any questions about this testing, please email Assistant Principal Joseph Fanning at Joseph_M_Fanning@mcpsmd.org .
Student Service Learning
Virtual/Remote Service Opportunities: https://bit.ly/VirtualSSL2020
In-Person SSL Opportunities: https://bit.ly/SSLOpportunities
SSL office hours are on Wednesdays in room 342 or on zoom
Join Zoom Meeting
https://mcpsmd.zoom.us/j/84463443770?pwd=d3NWT21lalBGblBEanJjeW9jOUE0Zz09
Meeting ID: 844 6344 3770
Passcode: SSLAcademy Capstones
STEM ACADEMY
STEM Academy: Anatomy Club
Get Your Blair Wear Here!
Blair’s Kindness Corner
On behalf of the Kindness Corner at Blair, thank you to all of you who donated items, it was greatly appreciated. We continue to distribute whatever we can to what our student community needs through your generous contributions.
The Kindness Corner operates throughout the year-12 month and never stops!
Please reach out to me at my contact information and visit my site for resources.
We will continue our lunchtime rock paintings for the Kindness Corner Garden as time permits.
Best regards,
Farzaneh Nabavian
Farzaneh Nabavian
Parent Community Coordinator (PCC)
Cell 240-506-8576
Be Kind Everyday.....
https://sites.google.com/mcpsmd.net/parent-community-coordinator/home
Congratulations Blazers!
Congressman Raskin awards #MD08 Local Heroes Liset Ralda and John Dinkel tutor their peers through BLISS, the Montgomery Blair High School program co-founded by his son Tommy. These students and Principal Johnson represent the beautiful strength of the Blair community.
https://twitter.com/repraskin/status/1477044697155739656?s=21
MBHS Chamber Singers performed in Downtown Silver Spring and at the Argyle Country Club in December for holiday events.
THANK YOU Lana Anderson, Blair Senior and President of Small Things Matter, for donating 5000 KN-95 masks for students and staff. https://smallthingsmatter.org/
Blair Concert Pictures, BRAVO Blazers!
Regeneron Science Talent Search Scholars!
College Board National Program Scholars!
Congratulations Blazers! 🏆👏🏽
Adalia Winters
Ariana Villa
Issa Samba
Sign up to take a music, fine arts, or theatre classes next year.
Enter the Choose Respect Montgomery Video Contest!
Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity COVID Competition
School Information
If you do not receive 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
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
Montgomery Blair High School
Website: https://mbhs.edu/
Location: 51 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-7200
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Montgomery-Blair-High-School-1631578030396596/
Twitter: @blairprincipal