February QuickNotes: Paying for College: Scholarships, Financial Aid, and More

[Howard Hartman]

Montgomery County Public Schools Rockville, MD | Vol. 5, No. 6 | February 2010 GO TO: Paying for College: Scholarships, Financial Aid, and More Our Schools Today Celebrate Black History Month: Things to Do in Montgomery County Ask MCPS Reaching Out to Help Haiti Meet and Greet Board Members Attend a Parent Academy Workshop This Month Parent Survey Coming Soon Registration for Prekindergarten/Head Start Begins March 1 MCCPTA Special Education Committee Seeks Nominations Superintendent's Leadership Program Seeks Applicants Stay Up to Date on the FY 2011 Operating Budget Did you know. . . Students Can Apply for Medical Careers and Fire Science Programs Don't Forget. . . Dates to Remember Feb. 9: Board of Education meeting Feb. 14: College Goal Sunday Feb. 15: President's Day holiday Feb. 20: Ask MCPS drop-in coffee Feb. 22: Board of Education meeting Feb. 26: Early release day; students dismissed after lunch Our Schools Today On this month’s show: Social media—what it is, how it works, and how children are using it. Watch in six languages. Celebrate Black History Month: Things to Do in Montgomery County Visit our own Carver Exhibit and Historic Building. Learn about Carver High School and Junior College, a county school for African American high school students from 1951–1960. Today, the historic building is known as the Carver Educational Services Center, home to the school system’s administrative offices.   » Watch video   » Website Attend the Gaithersburg Multicultural Affairs Committee’s presentation of "African Americans—In Defense of Our Nation". This tribute to African American military service will take place on Tues., Feb. 16, City Hall Gallery, 31 S. Summit Ave. The event is free and open to the public, but reservations are requested. Call 301-258-6395 x3 or e-mail ssrinivasachar@gaithersburgmd.gov by Feb. 9. Discover Black History Month programs for all ages at several branches of the Montgomery County Public Libraries. Paying for College: Scholarships, Financial Aid, and More It’s never too early to start thinking about ways to pay for college. Many resources are available to help parents and students learn about saving for college, scholarships, and the financial aid application process. Click on the links below to find out more— The MCPS College and Career Planning website includes frequently asked questions about financial aid, web-based scholarship sites, and links to the College and Career Center located at each MCPS high school. The MCPS Parent Academy is offering a free workshop on “Financing Your Child’s College Education” on Feb. 10, 7 p.m., at the Montgomery County Teachers Federal Credit Union in Rockville. Applying for federal student aid has just gotten easier! Learn more about the Free Application for Federal and Student Aid (FAFSA). Students and their parents can get free assistance in completing the FAFSA during College Goal Sunday on Sun., Feb. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Services Center on the Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus (Snow date: Feb. 21). Plans that help Maryland families save for future college expenses and reduce dependence on student loans are offered by The College Savings Plans of Maryland. Preparing for College: The Seven Keys to College Readiness Preparing for college starts in kindergarten with the Seven Keys to College Readiness. Students who attain the 7 Keys are more likely to be ready for college and better prepared to earn a four-year college degree. And a college education pays—the average high school graduate will earn $1.2 million over his or her lifetime, compared with $2.1 million that the average college graduate will make. Learn more about the Seven Keys at a Parent Academy workshop. Watch Weller Road fifth grade students get ready for college. Going to College: Earn a Four-Year Degree in Montgomery County Did you know that students can complete their entire education—kindergarten through college—right here in Montgomery County? By taking advantage of programs offered by Montgomery County Public Schools, Montgomery College, and The Universities at Shady Grove, students can— Earn college credit while still in high school, Earn a degree or certificate at Montgomery College, and Complete a bachelor’s degree at The Universities at Shady Grove through one of nine universities Ask MCPS Starting this month, we’ll be answering some frequently asked questions in each edition of QuickNotes. If you have a question, send it to io@mcpsmd.org">pio@mcpsmd.org. This month, the questions are focused on budgetary issues. Q. We keep hearing about how bad the local budget is, yet I just heard about a $1.5 billion plan for school construction. How is that possible? A. The operating budget and the capital improvements budget are very different and are funded differently. Find out more about the differences and why this is the right time to build. Q. I keep hearing that MCPS has a “$10 million public relations (PR) budget.” Is this true? A. No, it’s not true. The budget for the Office of Communications and Family Outreach is about $10.6 million, but a very small portion of that goes toward press releases and public relations. Most of the budget is spent on direct services to schools, students and parents. Find out more. Reaching Out to Help Haiti Few people can watch the devastation in Haiti without being moved to action. No wonder that MCPS students, staff, and parents are busy raising money, collecting food and clothes, and providing supplies for the earthquake-stricken country. Read about the variety of ways schools are contributing to the relief effort. Meet and Greet Board Members Parents can meet members of the Montgomery County Board of Education in an informal setting at a Parent Academy workshop on Thurs., Mar. 4, 7:00 –8:30 p.m., at the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville. Board members will answer questions and discuss the Board efforts to improve achievement for all students. Register for the workshop. Attend a Parent Academy Workshop This Month Registration is now under way for the winter lineup of Parent Academy workshops. Topics for February include financing a college education, helping middle schoolers get organized, communicating effectively with school staff and motivating children to succeed. A series of workshops for beginning computer users also is being offered. All workshops are free and are held in schools and locations throughout the county. Child care and interpreters are provided. The Parent Academy is a program of the Office of Communications and Family Outreach. Register and get more information. Parent Survey Coming Soon WHAT: The Parent Satisfaction Survey for the 2009–2010 School Year WHY: MCPS wants to know what parents think about their child’s school WHO: A random sample of parents of MCPS students. If you are part of the random sample, your participation will help ensure a complete and accurate picture of parents’ opinions in your child’s school. Parents in the sample who may need a translated survey will receive one in the mail. WHERE: Online through confidential password entry. Parents in the sample will be mailed information on how to complete the survey in early March 2010. WHEN: Participants are asked to respond between March 1 and May 15, 2010 Registration for Prekindergarten/Head Start Begins March 1 Starting on Mon., Mar. 1, and running through the summer, prekindergarten and Head Start programs will be registering children who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1, 2010, for the 2010–2011 school year. This includes children with disabilities. Limited spaces are available in Head Start for children who will be 3 years old by Sept. 1, 2010. These programs are open to income-eligible children. Parents are encouraged to apply before July 31 to ensure placement. Learn more about Prekindergarten/Head Start registration. MCCPTA Special Education Committee Seeks Nominations Parents, students and educators are encouraged to submit nominations to recognize those who have contributed to the success and acceptance of students with special needs. Educators, parents, students and programs are eligible to be nominated. The recognitions are being given by the Special Education Committee of the Montgomery County Council of Parent–Teacher Associations (MCCPTA). Those chosen will be recognized at a ceremony on May 10, 2010. Nominations must be received by Sun., Feb. 28. More information, including nomination form. Superintendent’s Leadership Program Seeks Applicants Applications are now being accepted for the 2010–2011 Superintendent's Leadership Program, a year long honors internship for high school seniors that focuses on leadership and career development. Admission to the program is competitive; candidates are selected for their maturity, intellectual curiosity, and ability to learn in nonclassroom settings. The application deadline for the 2010–2011 program is Mon., Mar. 15. Students should contact their high school guidance counselor or Kim Jones with questions. Learn more and get application. Stay Up to Date on the FY 2011 Operating Budget The Board of Education is scheduled to vote on the proposed FY 2011 operating budget on Feb. 9, 2010. On March 1, the budget will be submitted to the County Executive and County Council. The Council will be holding public hearings in April. Learn more about the MCPS FY 2011 operating budget. Did you know. . . Montgomery County Public Schools is one of two school districts nationwide to receive a Grand Award for environmentally friendly cleaning practices from American School & University magazine. The MCPS Division of School Plant Operations was cited for its high standards in the selection of all cleaning materials, which includes a review by certified hazardous-materials managers, and occupational safety and other health experts. Many of the products used are in recyclable packaging. Learn more about MCPS' environmentally friendly cleaning practices. Students Can Apply for Medical Careers and Fire Science Programs High school sophomores and juniors interested in exploring careers in the health care industry or fire science can apply for career pathway programs for the 2010–2011 school year. The Medical Careers program enables students to gain skills related to patient care practiced in hospitals and long-term care facilities; the Fire Science program educates and trains students to become firefighters and/or Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers in Montgomery County. Applications are due March 26, 2010, for the medical careers program and April 9, 2010, for the fire science program. Program details and applications. Watch: MCPS TV video about the Fire Science program. Don't Forget. . . College Goal Sunday is Sun., Feb. 14, from 2 to 4 p.m. in the Student Services Center on the Montgomery College Takoma Park/Silver Spring campus. (The snow date is Feb. 21.) Collegebound students and their parents can get free assistance in completing the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA)--the form required by colleges, universities and private career schools to qualify for federal grants and loans, as well as many state and private scholarships. Drop in for coffee and conversation at the ASK MCPS event, sponsored by the Office of Communications and Family Outreach, Sat., Feb. 20, 10 a.m. to 12 noon. Students in the MCPS Automotive Body and Technology and Network Operations programs will be selling student-refurbished cars and computers from 9 to 11 a.m. on Sat., Feb. 20, at Damascus High School (Snow date: Feb. 27). The items for sale are donated, reconditioned and tested by students as part of their classroom studies. Pricing information is available at www.autocareers.org and www.itfcareers.org. Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCU) College Fair, Feb. 17 at John F. Kennedy HS, 6:00–8:00 p.m., sponsored by the United Negro College Fund and the NAACP. HBCU on-the-spot admission events: Feb. 11–John F. Kennedy HS: Bowie State Univ., 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Feb. 17–Richard Montgomery HS: UNCF/ NAACP/MCPS HBCU College Fair, 6:00 to 8:00 p.m. Mar. 10–Northwood HS: Coppin State Univ., 6:00 p.m. More at montgomeryschoolsmd.org How to Get Emergency Information FY 2011 Operating Budget School Calendar School Menus Seven Keys to College Readiness Parent Academy 2009–2010 High School Course Bulletin Parent Resources Information in Other Languages Parent Connection newsletter TV Highlights Cover to Cover with Jerry Weast: In this month’s edition, learn about magnet programs at Poolesville High School; go on the job with Sherwood High School building service manager Keith Snowden; and take a look at the unique mentoring programs at Takoma Park Middle School that pair up MCPS students with Howard University and Catholic University law students. Homework Hotline Live!: This program helps MCPS students solve the daily dilemmas of homework. Teachers answer questions about a variety of school subjects live on the air Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 5 to 6 p.m. on Comcast Channel 33, Verizon FIOS Channel 35, RCN Channel 88 or on the Instructional TV website. Students can call 301-279-3234 or email HHL@mcpsmd.org to have their questions answered. Math Dude: This series follows the MCPS curriculum to help middle and high school students strengthen their algebra skills. Watch on Comcast Cable Channel 33 at 6 p.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, online; or subscribe to the podcast. MCPS HOME | ABOUT US | SCHOOLS | COMMUNITY | PARENTS | STAFF | STUDENTS

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