NoBe Glow

 NoBe Glow Weekly Updates 8-23-2021 Wilson Faucette - North Bethesda, MD - 8.23.2021 - 11:53 MCPS is returning to school in one week from today. Photo: Wilson Faucette School Starts Next Week Next Monday is the first day of school for many students across Montgomery County. Coronavirus cases are very high in the county at the moment, but Montgomery County says that they will stay with their plan of 5 days of in-person instruction at 100% capacity unless the state orders them to change their plan. It is not going to be a completely normal school year, however. Masks will be required for everybody in the building, regardless of vaccination status. The county has come out with a new reopening guide explaining some of what school will look like this year, which can be found on their website(mcpsmd.org) Storms, Rain, and Floods It has rained almost every day in Montgomery County during the past few weeks. Storms have caused falling trees, power outages, and widespread flooding. On Frida...

 NoBe Glow Weekly Update 8/2/2021 Wilson Faucette - Garrett Park Estates, MD - 8.2.2021 - 8:00 5 GP Swimmers Are In All Stars Phoenix Vaonakis, Cole Fritz, Josiah Koko, Jonah Midgett, and Jack Oleson all made either the top 16 who get to swim in All Stars, or the next 3 who are alternates in the meet. Congratulations to all of these swimmers. The All Star Meet Program is available here . MCPS To Require Masks in The Fall The MCPS Board of Education decided that everyone in MCPS facilities will be required to wear an appropriate face covering this fall, regardless of vaccination status. In their community update, MCPS cited the rise in cases, not everyone being eligible for a vaccine, and recommendations from Federal and Local Health Administrations and Organizations. See our article on this topic . COVID-19 Case at WJ MCPS released a Community Notification on Friday, July 30, saying that an individual who was present at Walter Johnson High School on Thursday the 29th tested positiv...

 Masks To Be Required For All In MCPS Schools This Fall, Regardless Of Vaccination Status Wilson Faucette - Montgomery County, MD - 7.29.2021 - 13:03 Video: MCPSTV Everybody Will Have To Wear A Mask In MCPS Schools This Fall Earlier this week, the MCPS Board of Education voted to require masks for all students, staff, and visitors in MCPS schools this fall. In their July 28 Community Update , MCPS said that, " All MCPS students, staff and visitors will be required to wear face coverings in school buildings this fall, regardless of vaccination status." The board cites recommendations by the CDC and American Academy of Pediatrics to explain their decision. They also cite the fact that COVID cases are on the rise in Montgomery County and around the nation, and that children 12 & Under still have not had the opportunity to be vaccinated.    Interim Superintendent Monifa McKnight's PROSPER 100 Plan  In her first 100 days as Interim Superintendent, Monifa McKnight hope...

 Hana O'Looney Sworn in as MCPS SMOB Wilson Faucette - Montgomery County, MD - 7.2.2021 - 7:06 Hana O'Looney Being Sworn In As SMOB Photo: MCPS Hana O'Looney Sworn in as SMOB The MCPS SMOB(Montgomery County Public Schools Student Member of the Board of Education) is a position held by a MCPS junior or senior. Each year, an election-open to all MCPS secondary(Middle and High) school students-is held. This year, the two finalists were Hana O'Looney and Henry Kaye. Hana O'Looney won the election with almost 80% of the vote.   Both candidates were from Richard Montgomery High School, and Hana O'Looney was endorsed by the school's newspaper. In their endorsement, the Richard Montgomery Tide said that, " There has not been a better candidate for the SMOB position in MCPS’s recent history ."  Yesterday(7/1), Hana O'Looney was sworn in as SMOB, and while the Board of Education welcomed the 44th SMOB, they had to say goodbye to the 43rd SMOB, Nick Asan...

 WJ Virtual Graduation Took Place Today At 9AM Wilson Faucette - Garrett Park Estates, MD - 5.4.2021 - 13:12 Photo: WJ Virtual Graduation  Walter Johnson High School Graduation Walter Johnson High School had their graduation ceremony this morning at 9:00 AM. They had an in-person ceremony at Walter Johnson High School's Stadium, streamed on the regular Montgomery County Local TV Channels and online. They also put together a virtual graduation commencement video which can be viewed on youtube .  According to the Montgomery County Public Schools Graduation Schedule , the speaker at the graduation today was social studies teacher Mr. Delello.  The Walter Johnson Principal posted images and videos from the graduation on the @WJPrincipal Twitter account . Congratulations to all Walter Johnson graduates, as well as graduates from other schools across the county. GPES, and TMS Promotion Ceremonies Coming Up The Tilden Middle School 8th Grade Promotion Ceremony will be avai...

 MCPS Updates Policies Based on New Restrictions Being Lifted Wilson Faucette - Garrett Park Estates, MD - 5.20.2021 - 18:31 Silver Creek Middle School, An MCPS School Photo: Wilson Faucette MCPS Sends Out A Community Update MCPS sent out a community update on May 19. In their update, they explain how the recent lifting of restrictions in Montgomery County will affect how MCPS operates this year. The changes to MCPS are not very significant.  Changes to Masking for Athletes and Spectators Based on the update from Montgomery County, athletes and  spectators no longer have to wear a mask outside. They also removed capacity limits outdoors, while indoor ones are at 250. In school, students will still have to wear masks for at least the rest of the year.   Changes to Graduation Capacity For High Schoolers, Not Middle/Elementary Schoolers MCPS has increased the number of tickets each senior will be allocated for their graduation ceremony. The increase is based on the...

 Board of Education Meets Today: What to Expect Wilson Faucette - Garrett Park Estates, MD - 5.11.2021 - 11:12 Tilden Middle School, An MCPS School Photo: Wilson Faucette Board of Education Meets Today The MCPS Board of Education is meeting today, Tuesday, May 11, 2021. This will be a regular business meeting. The meeting begins at 1:00 PM this afternoon. It can be viewed on Youtube, or on the TV channels specified in the MCPS press release .  You can view it online through this link , or through the MCPSTV Youtube account.  What Are They Talking About? The agenda for this MCPS Board Meeting can be viewed on their website. After the public comments at 1:20 PM, the board will have 1 hour starting at 2:20 to discuss the reopening of schools. In their last meeting, they said that they are planning for a regular school year next year. This will be open discussion about the reopening. After a 30 minute recess, they will discuss a highly debated issue, the School Resource Offic...

 MCPS Searching for a New Superintendent Wilson Faucette - Garrett Park Estates, MD - 5.10.2021 - 7:05 Dr. Jack Smith, Superintendent, MCPS Photo: mcpsmd.org Dr. Jack Smith is Retiring You may be asking why MCPS is searching for a new superintendent. That would be because the current superintendent, Dr. Smith, announced his retirement in January. He set his retirement date for June 1, which is in just about 3 weeks. In his letter to MCPS, he said that he is retiring because his wife had moved to Maine to help their child and grandchild, and he could no longer live apart from them.

 MCPS Planning For A Regular School Year Wilson Faucette - Garrett Park Estates, MD - 5.6.2021 - 12:37 Silver Creek Middle School, An MCPS Middle School Photo: Wilson Faucette A Regular School Year MCPS recently released a community update announcing, among other things, that they are planning for a regular, 5-days a week, in-person school year for next year. They reason that how the county is doing in regards to COVID case counts and vaccinations is improving and will most likely be at ideal levels by September. They also cite the fact that the Maryland State Board of Education is in essence requiring all Maryland schools to have 180 in-person school days next year. However, not everyone is going to return to school in-person next year. Virtual Academy Some MCPS families will not feel safe returning to school in the fall next year. Others have thrived in the virtual environment. Either way, MCPS has an alternative option for these families if they don't want to attend in-person sc...