Originally delivered on 11/20/2023 8:01 am

SUBJECT: Hoover Notes November 20, 2023

Newsletter
HOOVER NOTES

Hoover Notes will be sent out weekly to help you keep track of important school community news and events.  New items are bolded.  Links are blue.

We are so grateful for our amazing Hoover community!  Have a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving break.

PTA Action Items
  1. Thank you for donating so many cookies, pies and other treats over the weekend!  You can still donate a pie or other sweet treats, or homemade bread for staff to enjoy over Thanksgiving break.  We will collect items during the morning carpool tomorrow 11/21.  You can also drop them off at the coordinator's house near Potomac Village today and tomorrow.  
  2. Don't worry about dinner tonight. Participate in the fundraising Spirit Night TODAY 11/20 at Chipotle (Potomac Village).  The next Spirit Night is 12/6 at Ledo Pizza (Westlake Drive). 
  3. Thank you for helping us put a large dent in the 3,000 individual snack requests for extracurricular activities. We still need snacks for Churchill Tutoring (104 portions), Science Bowl (95), Art Club (380), and Minority Scholars (306).  You can purchase snacks and other teacher requested items here:  Hoover Staff's Amazon Wishlist.  Items should be delivered to the "Gift Registry Address". 
  4. Consider sponsoring this year's Hoover directory by placing an ad for your business. Advertising starts as low as $275. Reach out to Stephanie Kempter from AtoZ Connect to reserve your spot.  
  5. Join the new Safety Committee, which is focusing on traffic safety around the school. If interested, contact Kimberly King at PresidentHooverPTA@gmail.com.   
  6. The HHMS NAACP Parents' Council is having their third meeting on 12/6 at 7 pm. Future dates are listed here.  Contact Lauren Oxner, HHMS NAACP Parents' Council Representative at HMSNAACPREP@gmail.com with any questions. The Zoom link is: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/88172164622?pwd=aB6ubvITdTJs9gO7rTCahaH5O1i88e.1.
  7. Join the PTA if you haven't already. We would love to get to 100% participation!
  8. Link your Harris Teeter VIC card to the Together in Education program to earn money for Hoover.  Click here for more details.
  9. Stay up-to-date with PTA activities when you join the Hoover PTA Facebook Page.
Hoover News
  1. Dr. Kim's November Message is available here.  
  2. The Parent Meet & Greet is TODAY 11/20 from 4-6:30 pm. Please click here to view the flyer.
  3. The Hoover SGA and Student Ambassadors are partnering with So What Else, Inc. to host a food drive to help ensure no family goes hungry this Thanksgiving. Please help by bringing any non-perishable food items to the main office through 11/21.
  4. Some of the student report cards contain inaccurate student service learning (SSL) information.  MCPS can confirm that the students’ SSL records in Student/ParentVUE remain intact and continue to report the correct information. If you would like to know the current number of SSL hours on your student SSL record, you can view the full details of the student’s SSL record on Student/ParentVUE by following the directions provided at this link - https://bit.ly/SSLonVUE. Once the report card issue is fixed, Hoover will repost an updated report card in Student/ParentVUE.
  5. The Media Center is looking for volunteers. Here is the link to sign up. Sign up is till the end of December. Volunteers will need to complete one module: Online "Recognizing Child Abuse and Neglect Training" via your MCPS Classroom/Canvas Account. You can read the user guide here. Questions? Contact Saumya Sharma-Bhardwaj at avi.guh@gmail.com.
  6. Buy yearbooks here.  You can purchase Yearbook Recognition Ads. The flyer has more information.
  7. Arts and crafts supplies are being collected for student projects. Please drop off donations in the media center.  
  8. The 6th Grade Parent/Guardian Outdoor Ed meeting is scheduled for 12/6 from 7-8 pm on Zoom.  
  9. At least 15-17 parent volunteers are needed each day for the 7th Grade Finance Park field trip on 1/22-1/24/24.  The link to the MCPS site to volunteer is https://www.myja.org/parents/montgomery.   Parents can volunteer one or more days. Parents will get trained at Edison HS the morning of the trip.
  10. Registration for girls' soccer opens 1/29/24 at noon.
  11. The Science and Math Departments are celebrating STEM on 3/14/24 (Pi Day) from 5-7 pm.  Parent volunteers are needed to present or run activities.  Please complete the Volunteer Google Form if you're interested.  They are also looking for new organizations to participate. If you or someone you know works with an organization like NOAA, NASA, Discovery, National Geographic or any other STEM related organization, or you know someone who works in a STEM related field, please contact Julie_a_Marsteller@mcpsmd.org. 
MCPS Community News
  1. MCPS Things to Know, Thursday Nov. 16 provides informationabout how to prepare for your student's parent-teacher conference, calendar feedback, an important message about attendance, the youth apprenticeship program, how schools are giving back and saying thanks ahead of the fall break, and more! 
  2. Read the latest edition of MCPS QuickNotes, which includes a calendar of events and MCPS news and information. 
  3. Multiple elementary and middle schools in Maryland are among the best in the country, according to new rankings released by U.S. News & World. Montgomery County dominated the rankings with Herbert Hoover ranked #2 in the top 10 middle schools in Maryland!
Student Service Learning (SSL)

Student Service Learning is a Maryland state graduation requirement. 75 SSL hours are required to graduate.  For more information and SSL opportunities, visit the MCPS SSL page, the Montgomery County Volunteer Center's website, and the PTA's SSL page.  If you have questions, email Hoover's SSL Coordinator, Mrs. Triantis at Amalia_D_Triantis @mcpsmd.org.


SSL Opportunities:  

1. The Climate Health Education Initiative (@climatehealthei on Instagram) aims to inspire youth to achieve sustainability and understand the intersection between climate change and planetary health concepts through educational programs. We offer workshops, after-school programs, and classes to students and last year we organized an environmental education program at Wayside Elementary School.  We are looking for volunteers who are passionate about environmental education and public health.  Any middle school or high school student (Grades 6-12) in Montgomery County Public Schools is eligible to join and earn SSL hours. For more information and to join, please fill out this short Google form: https://forms.gle/5R6c4whpstsxHfj37. 


Week of November 20, 2023

11/20    Early Release Day, 12:30 pm

11/20     PTA Spirit Night Fundraiser, Chipotle (Potomac Village)

11/20     Parent Meet & Greet, 4-6:30 pm

11/21     Teacher Thanksgiving Treats AM Carpool Collection

11/21     Deadline for SGA and Student Ambassadors Food Drive

11/21     Early Release Day, 12:30 pm

11/22-11/24    No School (Thanksgiving Holiday) 

Week of November 27 2023

Nothing scheduled this week.

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