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The County Council's Education Committee will decide Thursday whether or not to give $6.75 million to the school system to add portable classrooms at schools.

Then, on March 18, the committee will discuss a report from the county's Office of Legislative Oversight on truancy, which shows that less than 1 percent of the county's students are habitual truants.

Thursday's meeting, which will focus on the capital budget, begins at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor conference room.

The March 18 meeting will be at 9:30 a.m. in the seventh-floor hearing room.

The meetings will be at the Stella B. Werner Council Office Building, 100 Maryland Ave. in Rockville. Call 240-777-7900 for more information.

Champions for Children

The Montgomery County Business Roundtable for Education has announced the nominees for the Teacher of the Year award that will be presented at its eighth annual Champions for Children Awards Celebration.

Three teachers, Don Ayotte, a science teacher at Thomas S. Wootton High School; Carol Knoblach, a fourth-grade teacher at Travilah Elementary School, and James Schafer, a science teacher at Montgomery Blair High School, are finalists for teacher of the year.

Amber Dinisio, a kindergarten teacher at Arcola Elementary School, won the Rookie Teacher of the Year award.

Jeffrey Martinez and Carolyne Starek, consulting principals in the school system's Office of Organizational Development, won the Dr. Edward Shirley Award for Excellence in Education Administration and Supervision.

Justin Martin, a security assistant at Newport Mill Middle School, won an award for supporting services employee of the year.

Springbrook High School's PALA Padres y Alumnos Latinos en Acción won the Volunteer Champion for Children award.

The awards show is scheduled for April 28, at MedImmune's headquarters, located at 1 MedImmune Way in Gaithersburg.

Kindergarten orientation

Orientation for county children entering kindergarten next year is approaching.

The orientation will take place between April 7 and May 28, according to school system information.

During the orientation, parents and students will be able to meet the principals and teachers at their schools. There also will be activities for children and an opportunity for parents to ask questions about the school's procedures and programs.

Parents whose children will be 5 years old on or before Sept. 1 can enroll them in kindergarten.

Parents who are not certain which elementary school serves their area should call the Boundaries Office at 240-314-4710 between 9 a.m. and 2 p.m. weekdays.

Parents also can access the "school assignment locator" on the school system's Web site — www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org.

Parents are asked to register children for next year's kindergarten on the orientation date scheduled for the elementary school that serves their neighborhood.

For more information about the kindergarten program, call the Division of Early Childhood Programs and Services at 301-230-0691.

Children who will turn 5 between Sept. 2 and Oct. 15 are eligible for early entrance to the kindergarten process. Parents who seek early-entrance consideration should ask about it at their home schools.

Head start

The school system's Head Start and pre-kindergarten programs are looking to enroll children who will be 4 years old by Sept. 1. Limited spaces also are available for eligible 3-year-olds. Pre-kindergarten and Head Start programs include preschool education, health and social services, and parent involvement for low-income families, including children with disabilities.

Registration began Monday and will continue through the summer.

Walk-in applications are being accepted Monday through Thursday, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Rocking Horse Road Center, Room 141, 4910 Macon Road in Rockville.

Parents can call the Pre-kindergarten/Head Start Unit at 301-230-0676 for information about documents they must bring to complete the registration. Information also is on the school system's Web site.

Special opportunities to register will be available at the Early Childhood Readiness Fair, scheduled for 9:30 to 2 p.m. April 16 at the Long Branch Community Center in Silver Spring.

The fair is free and open to parents with children up to 5 years old.

For more information on the fair, call 301-431-7696.