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Dear Rock View Families,

This week we had a very special guest, Principal for a Day, Principal Landen! Landen won this honor at our Rock View Rocks auction last June, and he took the role very seriously. He conducted walkthroughs, gave positive feedback to teachers and students, participated in meetings, and even responded to calls.

One of the most memorable moments came during lunch when Landen noticed a student sitting alone. Without hesitation, he went over and helped the student join others. When asked why, he replied, “Because at Rock View we are a family.” His words and actions remind us all of the importance of kindness and inclusion in our school. What a true Rock View leader!

This week we are also celebrating Start with Hello Week, a time to focus on building connections and making sure everyone feels they belong. Please read below for the ways we are celebrating together as a community.

In addition, we continue our celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month. Did you know that Salvadorans are the largest Hispanic population in Maryland, with over 200,000 people? El Salvador’s most popular dish is the pupusa, a warm, thick corn tortilla filled with cheese, beans, or meat. Pupusas are often served with curtido, a crunchy cabbage slaw, and are enjoyed by families and communities as a way to bring people together. I have tried pupusas myself and truly enjoy them—they are delicious!

At Rock View, we take pride in celebrating the diversity that makes our school community strong.

Kilsys Batista, Principal

Please help our Family Engagement Specialist, Maria Romero to complete the parent survey to plan future parent workshops on different topics.

If there is a topic that is not listed, you can add it under the comments. If you need help completing the survey, please feel free to call Ms. Romero at 301-838-1222.

Por favor, ayuden a nuestra Especialista en Participación Familiar, María Romero, a completar la encuesta para padres para planificar futuros talleres para padres sobre diferentes temas.

Si hay algún tema que no esté en la lista, pueden agregarlo en los comentarios. Si necesitan ayuda para completar la encuesta, no duden en llamar a la Srta. Romero al 301-838-1222.

Our Lost and Found is filling up with jackets, water bottles, and lunchboxes that are looking for their owners! Please remind your child to check for any missing items before the end of the month. Parents are also welcome to stop by and look through the Lost and Found after signing in at the main office. Any unclaimed treasures will be donated at the end of the month.

Start with Hello Week is a national, annual campaign led by Sandy Hook Promise focused on teaching and encouraging kindness, empathy, and inclusivity in schools. Rock View is participating in this event from September 22-26th. See our flyer below for more details of the week! -Your School Counselors, Ms. Davis and Ms. Miller

Part 1 Standards of Mathematical Practices: Making sense of problems and persevering in solving them.

Mathematics instruction focuses not only on learning important math content, but also on developing the habits of mind that help children become strong and confident mathematical thinkers. Eureka Math weaves the eight Standards for Mathematical Practice into its lessons, giving students opportunities to grow as problem-solvers each day.

This month, we are highlighting the practice of “Making sense of problems and persevering in solving them.” Students learn strategies for approaching word problems, such as thinking carefully about the story, drawing tape diagrams, or using number bonds to represent what they know and what they need to find out. As they work through problems, students also check their solutions to make sure their answers make sense.

Math Focus Teacher, Ms. Joelle Thompson

MCPS welcomes volunteers! MCPS schools are stronger because parents, caregivers, and community members step in to help. Whether it’s chaperoning a trip, coaching, or lending a hand in the classroom, volunteers make a real difference for kids. At the same time, nothing matters more than keeping every child safe. That’s why we require all volunteers to complete required training—and some volunteers must also complete a fingerprinted background check, including:

• Volunteer coaches

• Grade 6 Outdoor Education

• Overnight or extended day field trip chaperones (returning after 7:00 p.m. or out-of-area/state)

• Volunteers working 1:1 with students unsupervised

For more information about being a volunteer with MCPS, visit these websites

• Volunteer Information

• Application Form

• Child Abuse and Neglect Training

• MCPS Background Screening Office (for criminal background checks)

• ParentVUE is the parent portal for MCPS. It’s your secure window into important information about your child’s education—attendance, class schedules, grades, report cards, enrollment, athletic registration, and more. ParentVUE also links to MyMCPSClassroom, where you can see class materials. Available online and as a mobile app, ParentVUE is the Parent Portal that serves as the primary home-to-school communication vehicle.

If you need technical support please visit this link https://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/parents/tech-info-support/

All You Need to Know for Lunch
The Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMS) application is available for the 2025–2026 school year. A new FARMS application must be completed every school year. Meals are free for students who qualify for the program. Only one application is needed for all students in a household. Learn more.

Visit the Department of Food and Nutrition and Services webpage for information on breakfast and lunch menus and how to add money to your child’s account through MySchoolBucks.

Starting January 1, 2025, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will transition to MealViewer as the primary platform for accessing school lunch menus. PDF menus will no longer be available, but MealViewer offers a user-friendly experience with real-time updates, item-specific nutritional and allergen information, and optional features like food ratings, a nutrition calculator, and a favorites list. Menus can be viewed through the MealViewer app on Android or iPhone or via a browser—no sign-in is required. The link to Rock View's menu is provided below.

https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/RockViewES

Stronger Background Checks, Fingerprinting and Badging Underway

The safety of our students and staff always comes first. The recent report from the Montgomery County Office of the Inspector General made clear that background check procedures had not been as strong or consistent as they needed to be. We agree with those findings, and we are acting quickly to correct these issues and catch up. This work has begun across the district. Here’s what we’re doing:

• Re-Fingerprinting Staff Hired Before 2019: All will be enrolled in RapBack, the FBI’s continuous background monitoring system, ensuring ongoing safety checks, not just one-time clearances.
  
  

• Clearing CPS Checks: With support from MCPS and the Department of Health and Human Services, dedicated teams are processing any yet-to-be done Child Protective Services clearances quickly through a new electronic system.
  
  

• Re-Badging Staff: Updated badges are being issued through multiple mobile badging teams and printers.

Every employee, contractor and volunteer will receive a new badge displaying the “Security Certified” image. This visible marker will confirm that the individual has successfully completed the updated clearance process.

This work began Sept. 8 in the Paint Branch cluster, following the completion of all Special Needs schools last week. With 211 schools across MCPS, resources have been surged, including multiple fingerprinting stations and additional staff support, to complete this process by mid-December.

For the future, improvements in our processes will allow MCPS to keep pace with new hires, new volunteers and contractors so that everyone working with our students, and alongside each other, is “MCPS Security Certified.”

It’s important to know that every staff member, contractor and volunteer currently working with students has already passed a criminal background check. No one has unsupervised access to students without clearance.

MCPS will report progress on this work to the Board of Education at its business meeting in September, and again before the Montgomery County Council’s Audit Committee on Sept. 26.

MCPS is proposing a transformative new model for our local and regional programs, launching in the 2027-2028 school year. This vision marks a fundamental shift from a model of scarcity to one of abundance, ensuring all students have direct access to the outstanding opportunities they deserve.

Our goal is clear: Maintain what works, and build a more equitable and accessible future for all. Read more.

Informational One-pager

The MCPS community is invited to participate in upcoming public information meetings for the reopening of Charles W. Woodward High School boundary study and the opening of Crown High School and the expansion of the Damascus High School boundary study. In these sessions, the next round of proposed boundary options for the 2027-2028 school year will be presented, including accompanying maps, articulation patterns, data tables and an interactive map tool. MCPS will also share surveys for each boundary study so that attendees can provide meaningful feedback after exploring the options and accompanying resources. See the opportunities to attend a virtual or in-person session.
MCPS Boundary Study webpage

Phone: 240-740-0920

Address: 3901 Denfeld Ave, Kensington, MD 20850

Principal- Kilsys Batista, kilsys_c_batista@mcpsmd.org

Assistant Principal- Tyvae Helse, tyvae_helse@mcpsmd.org

Admin Secretary- Nancy Morin, nancy_L_morin@mcpsmd.org

Website: montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rockviewes/