Welcome to the Northeast Consortium HS Options Fair! for Students Entering Grade 9 in 2018-2019

I See Me in All Three! Northeast Consortium (NEC) High Schools

James Hubert Blake HS Paint Branch HS Springbrook HS

School Assignment Locator: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAs signmentTool2/Index.xhtml What do the Northeast Consortium high schools have in common?

• Comprehensive high school curriculum • Academic rigor • Honors & Advanced Placement (AP) courses • Special Education • ESOL programs for level 4 & 5 students • Students from at least five middle schools • Student activities, clubs, athletics • Partnerships with colleges, universities and businesses • Signature programs What is a Signature Program?

• Instructional program developed around a central theme: • Rigorous course work • Variety of course offerings in the thematic area • Appeals to students’ interests • Offers students opportunities for: • Interdisciplinary projects • Capstone experiences • College courses

I See ME in All 3! 3 Great Schools! 3 Great Choices! Lottery Choice Process Timeline for 2017-2018 September . Evening Options information meetings held at two high schools: . September 18 at Northwood HS . September 26 at Springbrook HS . NEC special education meeting held at Options meeting on Tuesday, September 26 at Springbrook HS at 6pm October . NEC High School Open Houses @ 7:00 pm . Paint Branch HS Thursday, October 5 . Springbrook HS Wednesday, October 11 . James Hubert Blake HS Wednesday, October 18

. Choice form instructions mailed to NEC students’ homes (mid October) . Grade 8 students participate in college/career exploration activities in school Lottery Choice Process Timeline for 2017-2018

October/November - Choice Process – Round 1 . Evening enrollment for parents of NEC non-MCPS students held at Spring Mill Field Office on Wednesday, November 1, 2017, from 4:30 to 7:00 pm

RSVP: Please call 240-740-2540 to find out what documents to bring.

. Electronic submission of HS Choices by all NEC residing students on or before Friday, November 3.

End of January 2018 . Parents/students notified by mail of high school assignment. Choice Form Submission Choice Form Information

NEC parents/students will submit choices online using student google account: • Log on to google using student google login

• Rank the three high schools in order of preference.

• On the form, indicate if you would like your child to attend the same NEC high school that an older sibling will attend in 2018-2019.

• Enter parent contact information

• Submit your Choice form by Friday, November 3, 2017.*

• Choice forms will be processed through a computerized lottery system to determine high school assignments. Paint Branch High School Academy of Science and Media Academy of Science and Media A whole school program emphasizing research and experimentation, inquiry and critical thinking in all courses and activities.

9 Signature courses and course sequences offered at Paint Branch High School Science Media • Television Production • Academy of Health Professions • Radio Production • AP Science Courses • Digital Art Unique Science Course • Journalism Sequence Offered • Literary Magazine- Advanced Composition 1. Physics – Grade 9 • Yearbook • Photography 2. Grade 10: Double Period Biology Double Period Chemistry (in separate semesters)

10 Special Signature, Academy Programs, and Initiatives at Paint Branch  Academy of Health Professions  Academy of Engineering Technology  Academy of Finance Program  Naval JROTC Program  Culinary Arts Program  Japanese Foreign Language Program  Science and Media Exposition  PBSS 2.0 Summer Academy  AVID Internship Program • Johns Hopkins University Applied Physics Lab • Holy Cross Hospital • NASA Goddard Space Flight Center • FDA (Food & Drug Administration) • NIH (National Institute of Health) • Local Engineering Firms, Doctor’s & and Dentist’s Offices, Pharmacies and other businesses.

11

Springbrook’s Signature

• Develops the intellectual, personal, emotional and social skills needed to live, learn and work in a rapidly globalizing world • Accesses cutting edge technology to develop 21st Century skills for college and career Signature Programs

• International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme • International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme • Academy of Information Technology • Justice, Law, and Society • Environmental Horticulture • Hospitality Management • Child Development Special Opportunities • IB International Service Trips • IB MYP Personal Project • Partnerships with the following: – Legal Affairs at Discovery Communications – – National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency • Paid Internships at Lockheed Martin, NSA, NOAA, NASA, Army Research Lab, Naval Research Lab, University of Maryland Engineering Department • Student Women in Technology (SWIT) James Hubert Blake HS

Fine Arts and Humanities Signature Blake’s Signature

• Visual Arts • Media Arts • Performing Arts

• Humanities • English • History & Government Fine Arts and Humanities Signature Programs

• 9th Grade Academy • S.T.E.M • Business & Interactive Media • Humanities & Public Service • AP Capstone Special Opportunities • Perform at Kennedy Center & Strathmore • Game Development College Credit • It’s Academic Champions 4 times (2012-2017) • Tops in College Enrollment • Internships • NY Field Trip • Fashion • Model U.N. • NIH How are students assigned to a high school?

A computerized lottery assignment system is used to assign students to a high school. A variety of factors are considered when running the lottery. Base High School Selection

A student’s base area high school is determined by the home address. Assignment to the base area school is guaranteed if it is selected as:

• FIRST choice on the Choice form OR

• Second choice on the Choice form and the first choice is not available.

• Base high school is not guaranteed if a student changes his/her mind after the lottery has been run and an assignment has been made.

To identify your base high school, visit: http://gis.mcpsmd.org/SchoolAssignmentTool2/Ind ex.xhtml What variables may impact school assignment?

• School capacity as determined by MCPS • Ranking of school choices • Number of students selecting their base high school • Sibling link, if indicated on the Choice form • Socioeconomic status (number of students who receive free or reduced meals) • Gender If I have an older sibling who will be in an NEC high school next year, am I guaranteed assignment to the same school? Every effort will be made to assign siblings who live in the same household to the same NEC school, if indicated on the Choice form. Sibling link is only considered, however, when the sibling is attending that NEC high school during the 2018-2019 school year. School assignments also consider space availability. How does the high school assignment process work?

1st Choice Non-Base/Lottery

1st Choice Older Sibling

1st Choice = Base Will transportation be provided to all three NEC high schools ?

Transportation will be provided for students who live within the NEC attendance area and beyond walking distance of their assigned NEC high school. Walking distance is determined by MCPS, and is about two miles for high school students. How do students who live in the NEC but attend a DCC middle school participate in the Choice process?

• Students who live in the NEC participate in Round 1 of the NEC Choice process which occurs in November. • Students who live in the NEC and attend a Downcounty Consortium (DCC) middle school may also participate in Round 2 of the DCC Choice process in February. They will receive DCC Choice form instructions in the mail in January. • Students who attend DCC middle schools are also eligible to apply to the Communication Arts Program (CAP) at Blair HS and the Leadership Training Institute (LTI) at Kennedy HS, the Biomedical and Engineering Programs (PLTW) at Wheaton HS in addition to other MCPS high school application programs. NEC Choice Process After Round 1 February – Choice Process – Round 2 (Deadline: Friday, February 9, 2018) • Choice forms due from Grade 8 students who are new NEC residents who enrolled after Round 1 • Choice forms due from students who reside in the NEC but attend a DCC middle school and desire to attend a DCC high school • Written requests due from parents of students who did not get their first choice in Round 1 asking for original school choices to be resubmitted in Round 2 o Changes to the Choice form will not be accepted o Students who receive their first choice in Round 1 may NOT participate in Round 2. March – Round 2 high school assignment letters mailed to participants’ homes

April – Appeal letters due in early April – Appeals reviewed late April - May High School Change of Choice

• In February of each school year, high school students have the opportunity to request a change of NEC school assignment for the following school year.

• Change of Choice forms will be available in NEC high school counseling offices in early February.

• The completed form, signed by the parent, must be returned by the deadline in order to be considered – Friday, February 9, 2018.

• Change of Choice results are based on the number of seats available, socioeconomic status and gender. What high school application programs are available to MCPS students?

 Global Ecology Program – Poolesville HS  International Baccalaureate (IB) Programme – Richard Montgomery HS  Science, Mathematics, Computer Science Magnet – Montgomery Blair HS  Visual Art Center (VAC) – Albert Einstein HS  Thomas Edison High School of Technology (Offers half-day professional career and technology education programs. Accepted students attend their assigned high school for the remaining half-day).

DCC Application Programs (only for NEC students who attend a DCC MS)

. Communication Arts Program (CAP) – Montgomery Blair High School . Leadership Training Institute (LTI) – John F. Kennedy High School . Biomedical (PLTW) – Wheaton High School . Engineering (PLTW) – Wheaton High School Please complete your evaluation form and return it to one of the students at our table fair.

If you are interested in learning about countywide magnet or application-only programs, there will be an 8 pm presentation in the auditorium.

Thank you for coming this evening!

I See Me in All 3! 3 Great Schools! 3 Great Choices!