Shady Grove Matters

Greetings SGMS Parents and Guardians!

It’s hard to believe we are already in Week 4 of the school year! As a community, we continue to root ourselves in growth while students engage in new learning and take part in MAP testing to help us better understand their individual needs.

Our leadership team has been in classrooms this month, witnessing the wonderful learning happening each day and providing feedback to staff so that we can continue to strengthen instruction for every student. We are proud of the focus, effort, and enthusiasm our Timberwolves are showing as the year gets underway.

🍿 Fundraiser Update – Double Good Popcorn

Thank you to all of our families, staff, and friends who supported the Double Good Popcorn Fundraiser! With your generosity, we raised a final total of $3592, which means SGMS will receive $1796 to support student academic and social incentives throughout the school year. Shouting our Marcel and Rylan Harris as top student sellers: $1100! Thank you to all of the students, families, and staff who participated.

Your support makes a real difference, and we are so grateful for our school community!

🎥 Back to School Night (BTSN) Videos

We know schedules can be busy, so we’ve recorded Back to School Night presentations for families to view at their convenience.

📺 BTSN Video English and Spanish

🤝 PTSA Presentation

During our recent PTSA meeting, the administration presented on key topics, including:

The MCPS Student Code of Conduct and its importance in building a safe and respectful learning environment.
IXL, a tool we are using to support individualized growth and preparation for state assessments.
Our School Improvement Plan focuses on the 2025–2026 school year, aligned with our Rooted in Growth theme.

📺 Click here to view the PTSA Admin Presentation

Reminder: Annual Notices

As part of our yearly responsibilities, we encourage all families to review the Annual Notice of Directory and Student Privacy information. This includes important details about your rights and how student information may be shared.

Additionally, please review the Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA) (click here) and MCPS Form 281-13 (click here). These documents outline how parents/guardians can exercise their rights related to student records and surveys.

A Grateful Principal

Shenice Brevard

September - October 2025

September Upcoming Events:

Hispanic Heritage Month (1st Half)

Tuesday, September 23rd - No School for Students or Teachers

Friday, September 26th - Early Release Day for Students

October Upcoming Events:

Hispanic Heritage Month (2nd Half)

Filipino American Heritage Month

National Principal Appreciation Month

Thursday, October 2nd - No School for Students or Teachers

Monday, October 20th - No School for Students or Teachers

Monday, October 20th - Friday, October 24th - National School Bus Safety Week

Tuesday, October 21st - Friday, October 24th - Book Fair

Come check out the book display for National Hispanic Heritage Month in the Media Center! There are so many books from which to choose honoring Hispanic authors, traditions and stories with Hispanic characters. Got a favorite? Let us know!

Join Literary Arts Club & earn SSL hours. Our club collects creative work like poetry, drawings, photography & videos, then posts it to our website for our school. If you like to organize things, or want to work with websites, Join the club. Meetings will begin in October. You could earn over 20 SSL hours by supporting our community in the Literary Arts Club. See Mrs. South in the media center if you have questions.

The Magruder Cross Country Team and Athletics Booster Club will be hosting a Colonel Challenge 5K Race on Sunday, September 28, 2025. Start time is 8 a.m. The racecourse is mostly flat, will begin on the track, and will include neighborhood streets and the Rock Creek Trail. For kids 10 and under, there's an 800 meter fun run. REGISTER HERE!

This year, we're adding Team Awards. The fastest 3-person team from current Magruder students, Magruder alumni, and each cluster school will receive an award to be displayed at their respective school. So, grab a couple of friends, come up with a catchy team name, and get registered. Whether you're on a team or just going for individual glory, come out and enjoy some community time on what should be a beautiful, early Fall morning. See the attached flyer for more details.

Magruder HS Athletics Booster Club

Colonel Challenge 5K Flyer

Hello!

Your child recently participated in a lockdown drill at school, and we would like to hear your thoughts. Your feedback will help us understand how parents feel about these drills and how schools can improve communication and student preparedness.

Parent Survey

Each year, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) is required by law to inform parents/guardians and eligible students of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, P.L. 93-380, and its implementing regulations (FERPA), as well as their rights under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment, 20 U.S.C.1232h and its implementing regulations 34 C.F.R. Part 98 (PPRA).

PPRA Notice for Distribution to Parents/Guardians MCPS website

Notification of Rights Under the Protection of Pupil Rights Amendment (PPRA)

MCPS Form 281-13

Are you interested in being a member of the SGMS National Junior Honor Society? NJHS is an organization of world-wide high academic achieving students. We focus on scholarship, service, leadership, character and citizenship. This organization is for current 7th & 8th graders with the following requirements: 7th graders need a GPA of 3.5 or higher plus 20 submitted SSL hours by September 30th. 8th graders need a GPA of 3.5 or higher plus 40 SSL hours submitted by September 30th. Applications to be inducted into NJHS will be distributed to qualifying students by the end of October. If you were a member last year, you will continue to be a member this year. If you have questions, please see Ms. Kozma in D114.

NJHS Advertisement

Hello Shady Grove Community!

We have new Physical Education Shirts and Hoodies that may be ordered directly from our school store by using the attached link. The link is active and will remain active until September 26th.

Please reach out to Mrs. Stephens at chanda_m_guitano-stephens@mcpsmd.org if you have any questions.

We are excitedly planning the 6th grade Outdoor Education field trip the week of October 27th-31st. There is a Family Information Meeting on Tuesday, September 16th at 6:00pm in the SGMS Cafeteria. Please join us to learn more about this amazing opportunity. Please visit the SGMS website for lots more information.

Packets have been sent home with your student for completion. Please send back all completed documents no later than OCTOBER 3.

Hello 7th and 8th Grade Families,

The Health Education Department will be hosting their Annual Family Life and Human Sexuality (FLHS) Parent Meeting on September 24, 2025, @6pm in the Media Center. The health teachers will be reviewing content that will be taught this year in both 7th and 8th grade.

Hello 8th Grade Parents,

High school program applications open on October 6th!

Don’t miss the MCPS High School Preview Presentation airing on the MCPS website this Monday, September 15th—7:00 pm in English and 8:00 pm in Spanish. This presentation will provide families with helpful information about the process and the many programs available.

Please stay tuned for more details from our school, including reminders and announcements to help guide you and your student through the application window.