Monday, May 6, 2013
The first Tuesday in May is recognized as Teacher Appreciation Day.
Technology and teaching methods may change, but a new study shows that our fondness for the instructors who taught us the "Three Rs" is unwavering. The nonprofit Kids4Kars surveyed a random sampling of Americans and found that 70 percent were satisfied with their old teachers, enough to want them to teach their own kids. Another 75 percent of the survey group said that a teacher had inspired them in their career or education choices. Why was it, then, that only about a quarter of the group had formally thanked any of their teachers? Tuesday, May 7, which the United States Congress and the National Education Association (NEA) recognize as Teacher Appreciation Day, provides a remedy. The day was first celebrated in 1944 with a …
A review of test scores for algebra, geometry, algebra II and precalculus showed that a majority of students failed the final exam last year, local news outlets reported.
More than half of high school students in Montgomery County Public Schools didn't pass last semester's math finals, according to reports in The Examiner newspaper and WAMU.org. Data from MCPS, released after parents at Rockville High began anecdotally comparing test scores, according to WAMU, show that students across the system failed bedrock mathematics course finals—algebra and algebra II, geometry and precalculus. Course Algebra Algebra II Geometry Precalculus Final Exam Failure (%) 61 57 62 48 Those percentages add up to about 11,000 students not passing final math exams out of 19,000 who took the exams, Examiner reported. Dana Tofig, spokesman for MCPS, said the system is forming a task force to investigate the high rate of failures…
Friday, May 3, 2013
The Landon School holds its 60th Annual Azalea Garden Festival May 3 through 5 to raise money for student financial assistance.
The 60th Annual Azalea Garden Festival will take place this weekend at the Landon School, with more than 15,000 flowers and a full schedule of events. The festival, which is held this year from May 3 to 5, includes the school’s 12th annual 5-kilometer race, Mark’s Run, on Sunday. Mark’s Run is held in honor of a Landon alumnus, Mark Ferris, who died from juvenile diabetes, and it raises money for the Joslin Diabetes Center. The weekend’s planned events also include a tour of the azalea gardens, which are spread out over 2.5 acres on the school grounds. Roses, wildflowers and vegetables will be on sale, in addition to many types of azaleas. More than 60 vendors will have specialty boutiques set up to sell jewelry, gifts and collectibles. A …
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Chevy Chase Elementary School was one of three national grand-prize winners of a sweepstakes that earned the school 20 notebook computers, a Promethean interactive whiteboard and more.
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Eight of the county's public high schools—including Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and Walt Whitman High School—placed in U.S. News & World Report's 2013 Best High Schools list.
Montgomery County Public Schools are back in the news again. Eight of the system's public high schools placed in U.S. News & World Report's 2013 Best High Schools list, with seven of them—including Bethesda-Chevy Chase High School and Walt Whitman High School—receiving gold medals for being among the top 500 schools in the nation, and one receiving a silver medal, Montgomery County Public Schools reported in a statement. The gold medal high schools and their national rankings are: Wheaton High School, ranked 1,032nd, received a silver medal. "The schools on the U.S. News Best High Schools list should be proud of the work they have done to serve their students and prepare them for college and the workplace," Superintendent Joshua P. Starr …
"Students are the largest stakeholders, but we are noticeably underrepresented in making critical decisions" in the school system, said Justin Kim, 18, of Gaithersburg.
Meet Justin Kim, junior at Poolesville High and an 18-year-old Gaithersburg native who will serve as student member of the Montgomery County Board of Education next year. Kim was elected to the position with 65 percent of the student vote, Montgomery County Public Schools announced April 26. All secondary students in the system were eligible to participate in the election. Patch spoke to Kim about what he hopes to achieve during his term and the challenges the school system faces. Patch: Why did you want to become a member of the Montgomery County Board of Education? Justin Kim: I’ve always had a passion for service and working with others towards a common goal. Throughout my life, I am always looking for new ways to help others and …
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
A new model for underperforming schools will work to close the county school system's achievement gap, school officials said.
Ten "Innovation Schools" within Montgomery County Public Schools will receive "shoulder-to-shoulder" support from the system's central office under a new program that will work to close the achievement gap. The new program, announced at the April 23 meeting of the Montgomery County Board of Education, will hire a new position—a chief school improvement officer—to work directly with the leadership staff at the selected schools. This dedicated central office position is new to the system's approach to working with struggling schools, said Deputy Superintendent Beth Schiavino-Narvaez. "We're limiting the number of schools so that (the improvement officer) can be on the ground working shoulder-to-shoulder with the leadership team on their …
Saturday, April 27, 2013
A rundown of what MCPS is serving to students this week.
What's for lunch? This week's menu for Montgomery County Public Schools' elementary school cafeterias is listed below. Visit the full menu for calorie information. The menu for Head Start and pre-kindergarten students varies slightly from the elementary school menu. Visit the MCPS website for middle school lunch, high school lunch and middle and high school breakfast offerings.
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Winners answered: 'How can the country readily and realistically tackle growing income disparity?'
Aras Scimemi, a junior at Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda, won a $10,000 scholarship for an essay on growing income disparity, according to a Montgomery County Public Schools news release. Scimemi is one of four MCPS students selected as winners in the 2012 Junior Achievement Essay Competition. Scimemi's essay placed first in the state. The competition, coordinated by Junior Achievement of Greater Washington, asked high school students from Virginia, Maryland and Washington, DC, to compete for scholarships by writing a 1,000-to-1,500-word essay in response to the following question: “How can the country readily and realistically tackle growing income disparity?” Scimemi focused on education: "In higher education, the major factor …
Monday, April 22, 2013
Green-themed events take place all week at the school.
Wood Acres Elementary School, the largest elementary school in the Walt Whitman High School cluster, is holding Earth Week activities this week, according to a school statement. On Earth Day (April 22) Wood Acres' first rain barrel was unveiled. "Students arriving before school [learned] about the importance of a rain barrel to collect water from storms. This rain barrel will store water for use during the hot summer to water the trees and shrubs around Wood Acres. Also, it will prevent erosion caused by heavy and fast gushes of storm water into our sewers and deposit less pollution into the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay," according to the statement. Montgomery County Council Member Roger Berliner, who attended the rail barrel unveiling…
Johnsonville
1:28 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2013
If it were up to us – every day would be Teacher Appreciation Day! Educators are truly the unsung heroes of communities across the country. Johnsonville encourages students and members of the community to nominate these fantastic educators in our recently launched “Best of US” campaign – a nationwide competition designed to celebrate and spotlight the unsung heroes and communities that make … more ›