MCPS to hold Back-to-School Fair

Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will be holding its first annual Back-to-School Fair on Saturday, August 29 from 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. at the Carver Educational Services Center in Rockville to prepare parents and students for the school year to come.

The Back-to-School Fair, which is being organized by the MCPS Department of Communications' Division of Family and Community Partnerships (DFCP), was organized to allow parents and students to be prepared for each school year. At the fair, educational resources such as donated textbooks and school supplies will be available to families in need. There will also be exhibitions for online resources such as Edline, a grade-checking system, and Quicknotes, an online note taking system. This year's turnout is expected to exceed the 5,000 people that attended the first Back-to-School Fair last summer, according to DFCP Director Eric Davis.

Davis says that the fair has been designed to allow as many students and parents to attend as possible. "We just want families to come in and receive information for the coming school year," he said. "We have already deployed transportation at four more high schools for this year. We just want all families to be able to come to the Fair without hassle."

Additional highlights of the fair include student and community performance groups, local celebrities and vision and dental screenings. MCPS staff members will be available to answer questions and provide information about the Seven Keys to College Readiness, the curriculum and classroom instruction and consortia and magnet programs. A number of community and county organizations also will be present, including health and social services, public libraries, Montgomery College, College Savings Plans of Maryland, Montgomery County Council of PTAs and the City of Rockville.

The fair will also host local entertainment. There will be three student performances throughout the fair, including a singing performance by the L.C. Dreamers, a traditional Korean drum performance and a Spanish dance performance. Drawings will also be held for a number of donated prizes, including Dell Netbook computers, iPods, a Wii game system and Wii Fit, gift baskets and gift certificates. Children's entertainment will include several performances, storytellers, arts and crafts, a moon bounce and visits from clowns and cartoon characters.

Transportation via shuttle busses will be provide at Gaithersburg, Montgomery Blair, Richard Montgomery, Northwest, Springbrook and Wheaton high schools at 9:30 a.m. Limited parking will be available at the Rockville campus of Montgomery College.