MCCPTA Updates

Dear Stone Mill families,

The Montgomery County Council of Parent-Teacher Associations (MCCPTA) helps individual schools county-wide advocate together to the county to effect changes. You may keep abreast of webinars, information sessions, surveys and advocacy in a timely manner at @MCC_PTA on Twitter,MCCPTA on Facebook and https://www.mccpta.org/ Here are the highlights:

1. Say Yes to the Test! It’s easier than picking your nose :-)

Please follow this link right away to give consent for your child to be tested for Covid-19 at school: https://www.cognitoforms.com/CIANDiagnostics1/MCPSMarylandDepartmentOfHealthCIANDiagnosticsIndividualCOVID19TestingConsentOptInForm2

The forms are available in multiple languages here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/coronavirus/random-testing.aspx

To help keep our children healthy and in school, MCCPTA has been advocating for a “test to stay” program, which increases availability of SARS-COV2 antigen testing for surveillance and for symptomatic students, and in turn reduces quarantining of close contacts. Please find attached MCCPTA‘s simplified version of MCPS’ 9-21-21 message (PDF file). Currently only 30% of MCPS families have opted in to be tested, and only 10% of those students will be randomly tested each time screening occurs, about 20 students for us. We need more to opt in to be effective in detecting asymptomatic cases and thus avoid outbreaks. Outbreaks would result in more quarantines. With more testing, fewer asymptomatic children would be required to quarantine. Follow “MCCPTA Covid-19 Response" on Facebook for developing news.

If you’ve had your last dose of the Pfizer covid-19 vaccine in March 2021 or earlier, please get your booster vaccine right away!

Let’s help our kids stay in school. Thank you.

MCCPTA’s 5 point covid plan is:

• Appoint a health officer for MCPS.

• Establish a COVID-19 operations advisory committee.

• Create a COVID-19 dashboard on our website.

• Launch an outreach campaign (“Say yes to the test”) to increase the number of students who participate in COVID-19 screening testing.

• Provide additional support (including some staff from central office) to help with schools’ COVID-19 response efforts

2. Medical Professional Volunteers are needed urgently to vaccinate our children!

Volunteer Here: https://mdresponds.health.maryland.gov/

for more information about the Medical Reserve Corps: https://montgomerycountymd.galaxydigital.com/agency/detail/?agency_id=109883

3. The School Food and Nutrition Committee is working to increase health standards, quality, freshness and cultural variety of school meals, and make sure that healthy universally free meals remain available to all of our children after the pandemic. Advocacy meeting is at 9:00 PM on Thursday, Sept 30th for a 1 hour. Please email lynnamano@gmail.com or simply attend via this zoom link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86190198205?pwd=Z2wya0w4UGRCNkt2SUpVRmJDQ2FtQT09

4. Gifted Education Committee:

Volunteers needed! gifted@mccpta.org Follow on Facebook: MCCPTA Gifted Education Committee | Facebook

5. Local support to uplift fathers:

Free participation, great value and family incentives available. Register here

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSf4uZFbGVobHh66yeFeW79I5f842XQHJa82Jx5iO98NMcfmPw/viewform

or Email Fathersmatter@hocmc.org for more information.

6: Keep our schools safe from gun violence: Materials from a nationwide program called BeSMART (https://besmartforkids.org) will be distributed to elementary schools. It is a framework to help parents and adults normalize conversations about gun safety and take responsible actions that can prevent child gun deaths and injuries.

7. Inclusion and Diversity:

-September 15-October 15 is LatinX Heritage Month! Informative text is available at TeachingCentralAmerica.org and

https://socialjusticebooks.org/booklists/ includes carefully curated lists of books to read about Afro-LatinX, LatinX and Latin American, Central American, Puerto Rican and Immigration experiences, including Spanish bilingual books

-Are MCPA sports programs inclusive of all gender identities? Please complete a survey here: http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OLOSports (English), http://www.surveymonkey.com/r/OLODeportes (Espanol)

-Volunteers needed! diversityandinclusion@mccpta.org

8. Special Education Committee needs volunteers! specialed@mccpta.org

If you have questions or concerns, please join the

next MCCPTA Special Education Committee Zoom meeting on October 12, 2021 8:00 - 9:15 p.m. Special Education Advocate Ms. Martinez will address the Fundamentals of the Special Education Process in MCPS. Link is here:

https://us04web.zoom.us/j/72097485097?pwd=azBlM2lBMGhXbjJHQ2VBeEVZcnBkZz09

Meeting ID: 720 9748 5097

Passcode: SpecialEd

For additional information, please click on below links:

MCPS COVID Dashboard is now LIVE!!!

MCCPTA Version of 9.21.21 MCPS Message

GT Liaison recruitment letter Fall 2021

FY22 OTLS-SSI Area Associate Superintendent Team Assignments 09.17.21

2021-22 Special Ed Rep and Commiittee Recruitment (English)

October 2021 Updates:

Eureka Math explanatory videos for each math module are available by grade level to assist you and your child with their homework!

Math Support - Montgomery County Public Schools, MD (montgomeryschoolsmd.org)

2. MCPS Mental Health Awareness Week is November 8-13, 2021, with many opportunities to engage students, staff and families to #StopTheStigma. Caring for your mind is every bit as important as caring for your body. https://news.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/staff-bulletin/dont-miss-mental-health-awareness-week-nov-8-13/

#BeTheDifference

If mental health is an area of particular interest to you or your student, the MCCPTA Mental Health Subcommittee is in need of a chair and members, including student members, to help ensure that this tremendous need is met. Please reach out to to Hannah Donart, Chair fo the Health & Wellness Committee, at healthandwellness@mccpta.org for more information.

3. Please nominate exemplary MCPS teachers and principals by 4pm on December 17th, 2021 for unique awards! To access nomination materials, including specific guidelines and criteria, please visit the MCPS website at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/personnel/awards/

4. Reflections Art Program: This year’s theme is “I Will Change the World By…” https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections This National PTA program is over 50 years old. Are you interested in coordinating for our school? All of the information needed to coordinate or even enter is at this website: https://www.pta.org/home/programs/reflections

5. Special Education: View the recording of the latest presentation, "Building a Strong Foundation: The Fundamentals of the Special Education Process in MCPS" by special education advocate, Monica Martinez. She gave a fantastic overview of special education and IEPs: https://youtu.be/GHgs-mSAy8o

6. Please enter here to win $100 grocery gift card! https://forms.gle/FQyosqAhPTr76F3k7

7. Our county will undergo the process to search for a permanent MCPS Superintendent to take the place of Jack Smith. https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/superintendent-search/ For more information about the posting: JOB LISTING FOR SUPERINTENDENT POSITION

TO ACTIVELY PARTICIPATE IN INFORMING THE CONSULTANT ON THE NEEDS OF OUR COUNTY:

Please use this link (and share with your network) to provide input -- PROVIDE YOUR INPUT (Toggle for English or Spanish - Other Languages Coming Soon)

Please consider participating in one of the three upcoming zoom sessions below –

Saturday, October 30, 2021, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon

Connection Information: Zoom link

Interpretation available for: Spanish, Portuguese, Amharic, and American Sign Language

Thursday, November 4, 2021, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Connection Information: Zoom link

Interpretation available for: Spanish, Mandarin, French, and American Sign Language

Wednesday, November 10, 2021, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.

Connection Information: Zoom link

Interpretation available for: Spanish, Vietnamese, Korean, and American Sign Language

8. The most recently updated Area Associate Superintendent Team Assignments (PDF)

MCCPTA UPDATE ON GUN VOILENCE

Dear fellow caregivers and PTA Delegates/Presidents,

The tragedy in Michigan was a sobering reminder of the risks that our children and school staff take every day by going to school. Our children are facing a mental health crisis while gun access is a major factor affecting whether a child commits suicide. In 2020, gun sales nationally increased by over 60 percent, about 40 percent by first time gun owners. In Montgomery County, applications to buy a gun nearly doubled in 2020.

Our children and staff are strong and resilient but we as a community also can take steps to keep them safer at school and at home.

The 2019 MCCPTA Gun Violence Prevention and Safety Resolution (linked here) contains the following important facts and recommendations:

Shooters often have a connection to the school – nearly 80 percent of school shooters were school-aged and current or former students.
School shooters showed warning signs that concerned others around them, or told their plans to other people, most often peers.
Firearms used in school attacks most often come from homes in the community.
More than 80 percent of teens who die by gun suicide used a firearm that belonged to someone in their home.
Though parents believe their firearms are well hidden, 87 percent of kids know where their parents' guns are kept, and 60 percent report having handled them.
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) concludes that the absence of guns from homes is the most reliable and effective measure to prevent suicide, homicide, and unintentional firearm-related injuries to children and adolescents.
If there are guns in the home, AAP notes that storing guns unloaded and locked, with ammunition kept in a separate place, can mitigate the risk of child firearm injury.

How can we as caregivers support eachother, our school staff, and our children?

1) Report any signs that a student may harm themselves or others.

The MCCPTA Resolution recommends early threat assessments and anonymous reporting as an evidence-proven way to prevent gun violence. I have asked our principal to provide a session, including our Community Engagement Officer (the MCPD officer assigned to our school cluster) and school counselors, to explain the school’s early threat assessment and reporting protocols and systems and to help train caregivers on warning signs.

Early reporting will also help children with mental health needs receive support. One study of school shootings found that 78 percent of the attackers had a history of suicide attempts or suicidal ideations prior to their attack. Many of the attackers (61%) demonstrated a history of suicidal attempts, as well as had a documented history of experiencing symptoms of extreme depression or desperation, prior to an attack. 71% of the attackers were victims of bullying.

Below are links discussing signs of suicide specifically.

Preventing Suicide

Preventing Suicide (Spanish)

Another priority is removing gun access from the child. If they are alerted in time, the school and local law enforcement can use Maryland’s Extreme Risk Protection Order law (Md. Code Ann., Pub. Safety § 5-601, et seq) to obtain an order to temporarily remove access to firearms from a student at risk to themselves or others.

2) Spread the word on gun storage.

Many in our community own guns for a variety of reasons, and in 2020, many more in Montgomery County became first time gun owners. Caregivers have a legal responsibility to restrict children’s access to guns and we all can do our part to spread the word on gun storage. Under Maryland state law, “a person may not store or leave a loaded firearm in a location where the person knew or should have known that an unsupervised child would gain access to the firearm” (Md. Code Ann., Crim. Law § 4-104). I have attached Be Smart digital postcards on gun safety. I have asked the principal at my children's schools to circulate these and other items.