Family Engagement Opportunities
The Family Resource Center (Community Schools) co-coordinates these opportunities below for OSMS families. Many of them have large community partner resource table fairs as part of the event.
Wolf Pack Fair- (includes community partners resources table fair) August 20, 2025
Back-to-School Meet and Greet- (includes community partners resources table fair) September 10, 2025
Kennedy Cluster Block Party on Saturday in September 13, 2025
Hispanic Heritage Festival Celebration - October 9, 2025 (flyer)
OSMS Family Fun Run/Walk - (includes community partners resources table fair) Oct 25, 2025 flyer
Community Cafecito (monthly Parent-Staff Coffee Talk) SY26 flyer
Kennedy Cluster parent listening session, Nov 2025 (English flyer) (Espanol flyer)
Black History Expo Celebration - Feb 25, 2026 (6-8pm)
Family Literacy and Math Night - March 25, 2026 (6-8pm)
Curriculum and International Night - April 30, 2026 (5:30 - 7:30pm)
English Classes (ESOL) for Parents / Clases de inglés (ESOL) para padres:
JSSA English class for OSMS parents wanting to learn English (virtual classes) Registration by Sept 16, 2024 for the school year.
MCAEL Winter/Spring English language Class listings (ESOL) for non-English speaking adults. (MCAEL Listado de clases de inglés (ESOL) de invierno/primavera para adultos que no hablan inglés.)
Gilchrest Center, Winter 2025-2026, Classes for adult learners (Clases del Centro Gilchrest para estudiantes adultos)
Food Resources / Recursos alimentarios:
OSMS Fresh Food Market (SY26 flyer) - (free)Most 3rd Mondays of each month from 3:30 - 5pm
OSMS has a non-perishable Food Pantry - (free) to OSMS and feeder school students & their families. Contact Daniel Beltran or Ellisa_M_EarleyHidalgo@mcpsmd.org to schedule a pick up time to meet
Kennedy School Cluster Market Days - (free) fresh vegetables/fruits on certain days. SY26 Schedule Flier.
Reformed Church of Silver Spring (free)on Arcola Ave offers a free food pantry the 2nd Tues of each month from 3- 5pm - open to everyone, no referral needed, drive through or walk up.
Fresh Food Market at The Reformed Church of Silver Spring (free)on the 4th Tues of each month from 4pm-7pm. This is by referral only. Contact Ellisa.m.EarleyHidalgo@mcpsmd.net to be registered/referred.
Thanksgiving Meal Gift Market Nov 2025 flyer
SNAP (English/Espanol flier) - ¿Qué es SNAP? (some free and reduced)
Shepherd's Table (free)in downtown Silver Spring, MD offers two free hot meals/day everyday of the year to anyone experiencing food insecurity.
Community Farm Share (Not Free) - support local MoCo Farmers
Summer 2025 Food Distributions flyer for families in Need/Folleto de distribución de alimentos de verano de 2025 para familias necesitadas
Workforce Development for Parents / Desarrollo de la fuerza laboral para padres:
Gilchrist Center's Basic Computer Classes Registration for Winter 2026
Employment Listings collected by OSMS Family Resource Center
Montgomery County Recreation Department After School Staff needed
Health Care Services / Servicios de atención sanitaria:
OSMS Nurse's office: open to students not feeling well during school hours
DHHS Mobile Health Clinic - Free for MoCo residents, all ages welcome. Cannot do school physicals for sports
CVS Minute Clinic (Rockville) - not free but should be able to do a school physical for sports
John F Kennedy HS's (JFK HS) Wellness Office: 818-271-2547 Open to family members of JFK HS students for physicals and mental wellness visits and more
Latino healthcare Initiative (Espanol)
Mary Center: 844-796-2797 , Can do physicals but it takes about one month to process the Mary Center's doctor as their primary doctor. They have a location on University BLVD nearby. Cost is on a sliding scale, depending on family's income.
CVS Minute Clinic - School physicals are offered. Must bring the school forms to the appt. Appt is made via minuteclinic.com. It costs about $90
MoCo/CASA Health Information Bi-lingual Service line: 301-270-8432 can assist with finding health care solutions
Mental Health voluntary hospitalization Program at Adventist Hospital
NAMI (The National Association for Mental Illness) - Resources for people suffering from mental illness and their caretakers
Parenting Programs & Other Parent Resources / Programas para padres y otros recursos para padres:
PEP Family Resilience Program - Classes in Spanish start Oct 2025- Register asap
Need Diapers? Emergency Diaper Hubs
Self Care Resources via MCPS Restorative Approaches
Dare to be You family classes (Strengthen Family Relationships) Jan - March 2023 (English) (Spanish)
MCPS Parent Academy - parenting classes all year
Early Child Programs / Programas para la primera infancia:
Childcare financial assistance program via Montgomery County gov
Legal Services / Servicios legales:
Ayuda legal services flier
Immigration Resources
Dr. Taylor reaffirmed that our schools are safe spaces for every student, regardless of immigration status. Upcoming changes in federal immigration policies may impact many MCPS students and families.
MCPS Immigration webpage with more resources (MCPS Staff)
Family Preparedness: Standby Guardianship from the Gilchrist Center
Emergency Plan: English, Spanish (7 steps family immigration raid)
Agencies in the DMV to assist with Immigration needs
Need help with your taxes? / ¿Necesita ayuda con sus impuestos?
Global Conflict and talking with kids / Conflicto global y cómo hablar con los niños:
How to Talk to Kids About Violence, Crime, and War: Common Sense Media gathers tips and conversation starters to help you talk to kids of different ages about the toughest topics.
Resilience in a time of war: Tips for parents and teachers of middle school children: This article from the American Psychological Association can help adults guide their adolescent children beyond fear and to resilience.
National Child Traumatic Stress Network: Provides resources that can be filtered by topic or keyword and by audience with a focus on how adults can identify traumatic responses in young people and how to support them.