Ashburton Elementary School 6314 Lone Oak Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817 * 301-571-6959 PRINCIPAL’S NEWS March, 2014 Dear Parents, We are all ready for spring to come and for no more snow after this difficult winter with cancellations and rescheduling of school and events. We have rescheduled the Family Math Night two times already this year due to weather conditions. We will keep you informed if we are able to reschedule this event. The Montgomery County Board of Education approves the calendar each year to set the dates for scheduled holidays, early dismissal days, and the start and end of school. The calendar also includes contingency days in case the allotted four “snow” days are used up. It is published on the MCPS website, both for the current year and for next year (see the Contingency Calendar on page 2). At this point, we have used nine emergency days and school will end on June 19 th . The school system may ask for a waiver of up to four days that school was closed due to the heavy snow, when we were in a state of emergency. We understand that MCPS will decide whether to request a waiver from the State Board of Education after the winter weather season is over. We will continue instruction through the extended end of school; however, we will not reschedule most of the end of year activities. Field days will remain as scheduled on June 4 th (Grades PEP-2) and June 6 th (Grades 3-5), the 5 th Grade Promotion ceremony and celebration will occur on June 10 th , and we will hold our Awards Ceremony for Grades 3-5 on June 11 th . We know that the decision to extend school affects many students and staff. I will inform you as soon as I hear a definite decision about the calendar from MCPS. We are ready to administer the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in grades 3, 4, and 5. Third through fifth grade parents recently received a letter from Dr. Starr, our Superintendent, regarding the MSA and new PARCC testing. While the test is not aligned with the new Curriculum 2.0 that our students are being taught, it is mandatory for the school to test all students in grades 3-5. Student attendance for this testing is imperative, so please do not schedule appointments during the mornings of the assessment period. We appreciate your support in ensuring our students are on time for school, well rested, and eat a healthy breakfast in order to prepare for a positive testing experience! However, if your child is ill with fever or vomiting, please keep him/her home that day and call the office to report the absence (missed testing will be made up upon return to school). Testing starts at 9:00 a.m. and is completed by lunchtime, including breaks and a snack. I would like to thank all of our parent volunteers for helping to organize the Valentine’s Day parties. The parties were a success and the Valentine Smencil sales were great. The Staff Appreciation Luncheon was absolutely AMAZING! The food was abundant with an amazing variety and all of it was delicious. The atmosphere was elegant, and we all enjoyed the March Testing Calendar: March 5 & 6- MSA Reading, Gr 5 March 7 & 10- MSA Math, Gr 3 & 4 March 11 & 12- MSA math, Gr 5 March 13 & 14- MSA Reading, Gr 3 & 4 Calendar Updates: March 7- PTA’s International Night March 13- Grade 1 Music Night 7 pm March 17- No School for PEP March 18- Dine Out with Ashburton March 27- End of Third Marking Period March 28- Professional Day, No School for Students
Transcript
Ashburton Elementary School 6314 Lone Oak Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817 * 301-571-6959
PRINCIPAL’S NEWS
March, 2014
Dear Parents,
We are all ready for spring to come and for no more snow after this difficult winter with cancellations and
rescheduling of school and events. We have rescheduled the Family Math Night two times already this
year due to weather conditions. We will keep you informed if we are able to reschedule this event.
The Montgomery County Board of Education approves the calendar each year to set the dates for
scheduled holidays, early dismissal days, and the start and end of school. The calendar also includes
contingency days in case the allotted four “snow” days are used up. It is published on the MCPS website,
both for the current year and for next year (see the Contingency Calendar on page 2).
At this point, we have used nine emergency days and school will end on June 19th. The school system
may ask for a waiver of up to four days that school was closed due to the heavy snow, when we were in a
state of emergency. We understand that MCPS will decide whether to request a waiver from the State
Board of Education after the winter weather season is over. We will continue instruction through the
extended end of school; however, we will not reschedule most of the end of year activities. Field days will
remain as scheduled on June 4th (Grades PEP-2) and June 6
th (Grades 3-5), the 5
th Grade Promotion
ceremony and celebration will occur on June 10th, and we will hold our Awards Ceremony for Grades 3-5
on June 11th. We know that the decision to extend school affects many students and staff. I will inform
you as soon as I hear a definite decision about the calendar from MCPS. We are ready to administer the Maryland School Assessment (MSA) in grades 3, 4, and 5. Third through
fifth grade parents recently received a letter from Dr. Starr, our Superintendent, regarding the MSA and
new PARCC testing. While the test is not aligned with
the new Curriculum 2.0 that our students are being
taught, it is mandatory for the school to test all students
in grades 3-5. Student attendance for this testing is
imperative, so please do not schedule appointments
during the mornings of the assessment period. We
appreciate your support in ensuring our students are on
time for school, well rested, and eat a healthy breakfast in
order to prepare for a positive testing experience!
However, if your child is ill with fever or vomiting,
please keep him/her home that day and call the office to
report the absence (missed testing will be made up upon
return to school). Testing starts at 9:00 a.m. and is
completed by lunchtime, including breaks and a snack.
I would like to thank all of our parent volunteers for
helping to organize the Valentine’s Day parties. The
parties were a success and the Valentine Smencil sales
were great. The Staff Appreciation Luncheon was absolutely AMAZING! The food was abundant with an
amazing variety and all of it was delicious. The atmosphere was elegant, and we all enjoyed the
March Testing Calendar:
March 5 & 6- MSA Reading, Gr 5
March 7 & 10- MSA Math, Gr 3 & 4
March 11 & 12- MSA math, Gr 5
March 13 & 14- MSA Reading, Gr 3 & 4
Calendar Updates:
March 7- PTA’s International Night
March 13- Grade 1 Music Night 7 pm
March 17- No School for PEP
March 18- Dine Out with Ashburton
March 27- End of Third Marking Period
March 28- Professional Day, No School
for Students
opportunity to actually sit down and eat with our colleagues. Thank you to Issa Combs and Norma
Placencia, for excellent organization of the Luncheon, and the many, many parents who cooked or
donated food or were part of the crew for the event. We also appreciate Peter and Rosalie Grazzini, who
own Perfect Settings, and donate the use of the lovely tablecloths and china.
International Night is our next big event. A big thank you goes out to Laura Chace and Sharon Watts for
coordinating this extraordinary event and the many families that have volunteered to share their cultures
with the community. We are still looking for a few more volunteers to serve food and for clean-up/set-up.
We truly appreciate our parent volunteers who help out at school in so many ways – parents who assist in
classrooms, the lunchroom or at recess are invaluable.
It is hard to believe that we are already half way through the third quarter! Interim Progress Reports will
be sent home soon. The purpose of an interim is to keep the lines of communication open between school
and home. Interims are a way to notify parents if a student is having difficulty in a subject area so we can
work together to ensure academic success.
Thank you for your continued support and collaboration to make Ashburton a great place to learn!
Sincerely,
Charlene Garran
School Contingency Calendar, 2013-2014 - If the school year should be disrupted by emergencies and schools are closed, the school year will be
extended.
IF SCHOOLS ARE CLOSED... THE SCHOOL YEAR WILL BE EXTENDED BY...
5 days one day to June 13, 2014
6 days two days to June 13 and 16, 2014
7 days three days to June 13, 16, and 17, 2014
8 days four days to June 13, 16, 17, and 18, 2014
9 days five days to June 13, 16, 17, 18, and 19, 2014
Kindergarten Orientation will be held on May 1 and 2!
Please pass the word to neighbors and pre-school aged children who will be 5 years old by September 1, 2014.
Prospective parents should call the office to set up an appointment for the orientation. Parents will have an opportunity
to meet staff and complete registration paperwork, and most importantly children will have a fun introduction to the
classrooms. Parents may call the school 301-571-6959 or email Marney Jacobs at [email protected] to
set up an appointment.
Current kindergarten students will NOT have school on May 1st and 2
PEP Pilot/Classic Dear Parents, Our theme for the month of March (March 3rd - March 26th) will be
“Favorite Children’s Books”. This is an especially fun theme as we get to share some wonderful stories and authors with the children such as Dr. Seuss, Laura Numeroff, Eric Carle, Rosemary Wells, Mercer Mayer, Leo Lionni, etc. We will also be learning about classic fairy tales such as Jack and the Beanstalk, Little Red Riding Hood, The Princess and the Pea, Cinderella, and other wonderful stories! SAMPLE THEMATIC VOCABULARY: First, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth, seventh, last, next, little, big, small, medium, large, butterfly, ladybug, mouse, hungry, grouchy, rhyme, who, what, where, why, same, different, taller, shorter, bean, seed, plant, water, grow, sun, climb, pretend, real. STORY-TIME and SUGGESTED READING:
The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? by Eric Carle Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear? By Eric Carle Inch By Inch, by Leo Lionni Corduroy, by Don Freeman Goodnight Moon, by Margaret Wise Brown If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, by Laura Numeroff If You Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff If You Give a Moose a Muffin, by Laura Numeroff The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza, by Philemon Sturges and Amy Walrod The Little Red Hen, by Little Golden Books Little Critter Stories, by Mercer Mayer Max and Ruby Stories, by Rosemary Wells Noisy Nora, by Rosemary Wells
Harold and The Purple Crayon, by Crockett Johnson Froggy Series by Jonathan London Jamberry, by Bruce Degen Mrs. Wishy Washy, by Joy Cowley Stories by Dr. Seuss (we will celebrate his birthday this month!) Curious George series, by Margaret & H.A. Rey Board books by Sandra Boynton Fairy Tales: Jack and the Beanstalk Little Red Riding Hood Thumbelina Puff the Magic Dragon The Princess and the Pea Sesame Street series Math Extension Many of these stories lend themselves quite well to our Pre-K math curriculum. As part of our extension activities we will be working on skills such as:
Sorting by size: little/small, medium, and large/big
Ordinal numbers: first, second, third…
Sequencing events: first, next, last…
Location concepts: on, under, over, in, behind, in front of, next to.
Reading As always we will be focusing on developing understanding of Concepts of Print. Remember these are easily reinforced at home by talking about the cover of the book, including the author and cover illustration before you begin to read, drawing attention to illustrations as you or your child turns the pages, and running your finger beneath the text as you read to your children. Simple statements using vocabulary such as “this is the front cover of the book,… these are the pictures,… here are the words,… here is where we begin to read,”…can reinforce these concepts while still making story time fun. To foster your child’s language development, you might include sequencing concepts and make
predictions – “Let’s see what happens next,” or “”What do you think might happen next?” Be sure to talk about what you and your child see in the pictures. If your child knows the story very well and is verbal, you might let them fill in part of the sentence so they can “help” read. ACTIVITIES/CRAFTS:
Paper plate masks for Brown Bear, Brown Bear or Polar Bear Polar Bear: Have each student make a different mask and then act out the story during circle time.
Sequence 3-4 pictures from favorite stories.
Grow “magic” beans after reading Jack and the Beanstalk.
Measure the beans to see who has the tallest one.
Let’s use comparison words to talk about how tall we are! Let’s measure ourselves using interconnecting cubes.
Let’s make a class beanstalk by decorating our own leaves.
Let’s pretend to be Jack on the playground by going up the climbing structures.
We will vote on our favorite Dr. Seuss, Eric Carle, and Laura Numeroff books.
We will read various fairy tales during fairy tale week and then we will create our own group fairy tale using the sentence starter “once upon a time…”
Read Cinderella and then compare various shoes based on different attributes (size, color, etc.).
Make our own glass slipper using glitter.
We will dress up in the dramatic play area and act out various fairy tales that we have read.
We will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday and make hats using red and white strips to make a pattern.
Make block castles.
Make crowns out of cardboard, glitter, and jewels.
Hide jewels in the sand table and then sort them by color, shape, and size.
Froggy Bingo.
Dressing Froggy (Froggy Gets Dressed by Jonathan London) based on the weather.
Pretend to take orders in the dramatic play are for Froggy Goes to a Restaurant.
Try to guess what kind of food is in the basket (One person will pretend to be Little Red Riding Hood) by touching and feeling with our eyes closed.
Practice making sets by feeding a caterpillar a specific amount of food “give the caterpillar 3 oranges”.
Sequence pictures from the The Very Hungry Caterpillar.
Match rhyming pictures from Dr. Seuss’ stories “cat and hat”.
Repeat rhyming songs and create new words that rhyme.
Go on a rhyming word hunt in the classroom.
Make the different characters from Sesame Street using glue and shaving cream.
SNACK/COOKING:
Try green eggs and ham: answer the question “Do you like green eggs and ham?”
We will make pancakes after reading If you Give a Pig a Pancake, by Laura Numeroff.
We will make a St. Patrick’s Day snack!
Build castles out of graham crackers and soy butter or icing.
Build castles out of marshmallows and toothpicks.
Make cookies after reading If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.
Please feel free to contact us with questions, concerns, good news, etc.
The PEP Team
March Happenings
In Kindergarten
We would like to thank all the parents who
volunteered and joined us for our Valentine’s
Day parties. We would also like to thank those
parents who contributed although were unable to
attend. The children had a great time!
Reminder Math Night is Tuesday March 4th!
Reading
In March, we will begin reading spring related
books. We will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday by
reading a variety of his books and will look at
the rhyming pattern he uses in them. We will
also be focusing on informational texts to
integrate with our writing unit. We will look at
text features, new vocabulary, and
comprehension of these texts. Your child will
continue to work to their ability level in their
individual small guided reading groups on story
comprehension, sight words, etc.
Writing
We will finish up Quarter 3 with “Writing to
Inform.” We will look at non-fiction books and
websites, then will write facts that we learn. We
then will move into writing our opinions and
will discuss how they differ from writing facts.
At the end of the month, we will each be making
our own non-fiction book about an animal
chosen by the class. We will present these books
to our classmates and share in an Author’s
Celebration.
Please continue to work on handwriting and
correct letter formation with your child at home.
Math
We are going to complete Quarter 3 with our 2-
D and 3-D Shapes unit. Your child should be
able to:
Recognize basic flat shapes (circle, triangle,
square, rectangle, trapezoid, rhombus,
pentagon, hexagon, octagon).
Describe attributes of 2-D shapes (a circle is
round, a triangle has 3 sides, a square has 4
equal sides, etc.)
Recognize and describe the three
dimensional shapes (cube, cylinder,
rectangular prism, pyramid, cone).
Find 2-D and 3-D shapes in the environment
(a sphere is like a baseball, a cylinder is like
a can of soup, etc.)
Recognize the difference between a 2-D and
3-D shapes.
Put shapes together
to form new shapes
(two triangles
together can make a
square)
Science
The focus in science for
March will be on the
external features of plants and animals and how
they use them for their survival. We will also
discuss the changes from winter to spring.
Social Studies
This month we will discuss natural resources,
production of goods, different types of markets,
and buyers and sellers making exchanges in the
marketplace.
- The Kindergarten Teachers
First Grade News Dear First Grade Families, We are ready for a fun, filled March, with lots of learning! Just a reminder that First Grade Music Night is on Thursday, March 13th! As March begins, we wanted to let you know about some of the exciting things that will be happening in our
classrooms! Reading: Reading in March will start off with Read Across America Day on Monday, March 3rd to celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday & our love for reading. Throughout March students will be
working with both informational and literature (fiction) texts. Students will also have a chance to hear Junior Great books and participate in story discussions. Math: In math students will be solving for the missing numbers in equations. This will be for both addition and subtraction problems. First graders will also be solving addition and subtraction word problems. We will continue having students work on their addition and subtraction fluency to ten. Science: This month in science students will study pollution in the air and water. They will also learn about recycling and create new objects out of materials that can be recycled. Social Studies: In social studies first graders will be learning about the 3-R’s (reduce, reuse, and recycle). They will work together to create posters that will inform others about the importance of the 3 R’s. We are looking forward the month of March! Thank you for your continued collaboration. Sincerely, The First Grade Team
Town News from Second Grade
February was a busy month
between Valentine’s Day parties and catching up after missed days and delays. Thanks to all those who volunteered for the Valentine’s party! March is here and we have lots to learn. Here is what we will be working on this month.
Reading
We are continuing to ask and answer questions to different types of informational texts. Additionally, we will continue to practice using context clues to help decipher the meaning of unfamiliar words. We will be determining the author’s purpose for writing as well as discussing an author’s point of view in opinion texts. Writing We are still learning about opinion writing during the month of March. Students will be gathering information on a topic, forming an opinion and generating reasons to support that opinion. We will focus on organization, word choice and fluency. Students will also be learning about irregular verbs and adverbs. Math In math we are practicing telling time to the nearest five minutes. We will also be partitioning shapes into halves, thirds and fourths. Towards the end of the month we will be using arrays and repeated addition to solve math problems. Social Studies We are continuing our economics unit in social studies by talking about economic decision making and making informed decisions. We are also learning about goods, including the human, capital and natural resources needed to create them. We will be learning about the distribution of goods and services by discussing markets and
how they work. Science Students will observe and describe minute organisms in their habitats. We will discuss how basic needs are satisfied for minute and larger organisms. We will also be continuing our moon observations and discussing
how the moon seems to be changing over time. We are very excited for our upcoming field trip to Mount Vernon on Friday, March 21st. Be on the lookout for more information and a permission slip! As always, feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. -Ms. Ashin, Ms. Bouquet, Ms. Fox, Mrs. Holder, Ms. Locke, Mrs. Melendez, Mrs. Murshed
Third Grade March News
The TQ Character Trait for the
month of March is perseverance. Our
third graders will definitely be
persevering through the Maryland State
Assessment in both Reading and Math
this month. Please make sure your third
grader gets a good night’s rest and eats
a good breakfast on each of the testing
dates.
Math:
In Math this month, students will
be working on comparing fractions.
They will be looking at fractions with the
same numerator or denominator.
Students will be determining whether
fractions are equal to, greater than, or
less than each other. At home, you can
help your third grader by dividing
different foods into different fractions
and asking your third grader which one
is greater. For example, if you cut one
pizza into eighths and one into fourths
and take away 2 slices from each,
which fraction left would be greater?
6/8 or 2/4?
Reading:
In Reading, we will be reading
books in the literary non-fiction genre.
These are books with non-fiction
information written in a story format.
Students will be reviewing main idea
and details. They will also be
comparing two texts on the same topic
this month: one narrative and one from
literary non-fiction or non-fiction. At
home, you can check out books from
the library in the literary non-fiction
genre to read with your third grader at
home. You can also research facts
mentioned in the literary non-fiction text
that you have chosen.
Writing:
In Writing, students will be working
to create their own realistic fiction book.
They will be working on character
development, problem, and solution in
their writing. At home, you can help
your third grader by reading a variety of
realistic fiction picture books and
discussing what they like or dislike about
the stories. Students can also practice
writing their own stories at home with a
clear beginning, middle, and end.
Science:
In Science, students will continue
their study of heat and heat transfer.
They will be looking at how insulation
works and design a lunch box in groups
using the engineering design process
that we have used throughout the
school year. Students will be examining
heat transfer between object as well.
At home, you can experiment with your
child using to-go mugs with insulating
different liquids. You can also work with
coolers and discuss how pizza delivery
containers work.
Social Studies:
In Social Studies, students
will continue to look at Mexico
and compare their culture with Mexican
culture. Students will also examine how
media sources are used to gather
information about culture and the
importance of using a variety of sources
to gather a variety of perspectives.
Students will also be starting our next
unit on economics. Students will learn
about the importance of a budget and
building financial responsibility. At
home, you can work with your third
grader in creating budgets and
discussing your own reasoning when
making financial decisions.
We appreciate yourcontinued support!
The Third Grade Team
News 4 You
March is a busy time of year, especially with
the MSA!
We are looking forward to our Annapolis field
trip on Wednesday, March 26!
Here is what we will be covering for the month
of March:
Reading
The students will continue to learn about
fantasies. We are enjoying our study of Where
the Mountain Meets the Moon, along with our
daily literature circle reading. Our
informational text unit will connect to Science,
which focuses on Weather. We will be learning
about various massive hurricanes throughout
history, how they form, and how they impacted
people.
Writing
In writing, students have been analyzing TV and
print ads for children’s cereals. They are writing
persuasively about whether the ads are
responsible and will learning about the
“MovieMaker” publishing tool. They will round
out the month with a persuasive letter to our
State Delegate in anticipation of
our March 26 field trip to
Annapolis. They will also write a brief personal
narrative.
Social Studies In social studies, students will be comparing the
settlements of Jamestown, Plymouth, and St.
Mary’s City. Students will also analyze how
early settlements have influenced Maryland
today. Students will have the opportunity to
share information about their family’s history
and culture. We will talk about how different
groups have shared traditions. We are looking
forward to learning more about Maryland
government to prepare for our field trip to
Annapolis at the end of the month.
Mathematics During the month of March, we will be concluding our focus on fractions with learning how to multiply a fraction by a whole number. We will spend some time working on measurement problems related to time, distance, and mass. We will end our marking period by studying geometrical lines (lines, line segments, parallel lines, perpendicular lines, and lines of symmetry). We are continuing to work rigorously on mastering our basic facts! It is beneficial for students on any mathematics level to study their facts on a daily basis, from all of the four number operations.
Science We are working on our Chemistry unit this
month. We will be focusing on weather and the
water cycle. Students will be able to recognize
and describe that the amount of water on Earth
continues to stay the same even though it may
change from one state to another.
Thank you,
Mrs. Brenner, Mrs. Imhof, Ms. Leiser
Ms. Schultz, and Mrs. Weaver
Fifth Grade’s Fabulous News During the month of March, here’s what is happening in the 5th grade classrooms… Math While the Math 5 students have used fraction algorithms increasingly for checking their work and for solving problems, they have continued to demonstrate why the algorithms work by modeling the fraction operations. This month, the students will shift from using models for adding, subtracting and multiplying fractions, to dividing with them. They will be dividing whole numbers by unit fractions (a fraction with a numerator of 1) and dividing unit fractions by whole numbers. In working with the models, they will be identifying the relationship between multiplication and division and creating real-world problems involving division with unit fractions. They will be applying their understanding of fractions as expressing the division of the numerator by the denominator. At the end of the quarter, we look forward to working with data and using a line plot (a graph that shows frequency of data on a number line, including fractions) to interpret measurement data. Students in Math 6 will continue to work on Unit 3: Geometry. They have been using the area of a parallelogram formula to help derive the area formulas for a triangle, trapezoid, and circle. Many students were surprised to see how they are all related! We will continue to study the mathematical number π, and we look forward to celebrating Pi Day on 3-14, March 14th! The students will also learn how to draw three-dimensional figures on isometric dot paper as we wrap up our geometry unit. Towards the end of the month we will begin our study of integers and performing the four standard operations with integers.
Reading Students just finished reading the fiction graphic novel, The City of Ember. Now they will use those same characteristics of fiction graphic novels and apply them to reading a nonfiction one, The First Moon Landing. This is a topic students are familiar with since they learned about it in science class. Now they get to view the same information but through panels, gutters, and stylized drawings which are characteristics of graphic text. Students will also work on their summarizing and identifying main idea reading skills as they read through other nonfiction texts about space. At home, your child can:
Identify the panels, gutters, narrative boxes, speech bubbles, perspective (“camera angle”), and onomatopoeia found within a graphic text.
Visit the Maryland Science Center (Baltimore, Md.), The National Air and Space Museum (Washington, D.C.), or the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center (Dulles, Va.) to deepen understanding of famous astronomers and space.
Pick a favorite topic of interest (space, explorers, fashion…). Create a poster in the graphic informational text format to share the important information with your family, friends, and teachers.
Visit the public library and check out biographies of historical figures such as Sally Ride or Neil Armstrong.
Writing Students are in the midst of drafting their narrative writing pieces. Be sure to ask your child what genre he/she is writing since students had a choice of historical fiction, realistic fiction, or realistic mystery. Just like real authors, students had time to research certain aspects of their story such as the setting or elements of their character’s interests using databases like CultureGrams as well as websites. After taking the idea through the writing process, the goal is to have students create a multimedia book trailer for their own piece of writing.
Through images and sound using a program such a Photo Story, students will give a brief synopsis of what they wrote. A great example of this can be found on YouTube, titled “The City of Ember-Book Trailer” containing images of light bulbs, text, and very dramatic music. Social Studies In social studies, students will continue to look at changes that were made in transportation systems in the early days. They will focus on the Erie Canal and C & O canal, as well as the B & O railroad. Students will explain how changes in transportation and communication led to the growth and development of towns and cities, and also identify the impact of technology on individuals and communities. Next, focus will shift to understanding the reasons for the movement of people within the United States- voluntary versus forced migration. Then, students will learn about settlement patterns towards the west of the United States. To end our geography unit, students will learn about role of government decisions, the gold rush, and transcontinental railroad. Science While not masters of the Universe, the students have become great agents for the planets, discovering and “selling” their attributes to their classmates. Through the course of the astronomy unit, they continually are considering how technology and space exploration have developed together and how discoveries from astronomy are used to help us understand and improve life on Earth. Beyond considering the planets, moons, and stars and all of their magnificence, the students will be increasing their understanding of other celestial bodies and objects. Naturally, we are always on the look-out, not just for a passing asteroid, but other amazing objects in our Solar System and beyond.
Our last week of science will incorporate health studies, as the students will learn about the developmental changes of adolescence and puberty and the social and emotional changes that accompany the physical ones. Students not taking the family life curriculum independently will explore their family biographies and the influences on their development, as well as the choices they can make in nurturing healthy bodies.
So Your Child Wants
to Be A Patrol
If you have a fourth
grader, chances are you are hearing a bit about
the selection of safety patrols for next year. To
dispel rumors and demystify the process, Patrol
Advisor Lisa Weston offers this description of
how the safety patrol force is chosen.
• In April/May, 4th graders are surveyed about
their interest in serving as a patrol. Most say
“yes”. They note how they get to school (walk
or bus, and which bus route) as well as why they
wish to be a patrol.
• In May, Mrs. Weston sends a note containing
the patrol pledge home to parents of interested
students. Parents must sign to indicate whether
or not they want their child to be considered for
the patrol force.
• Mrs. Weston then meets with the fourth grade
teachers for input on academic and citizenship
concerns that might impact a child’s selection.
Some students may be recommended for a
waiting list at this point and are reevaluated by
their 5th grade teacher at the end of the first
grading period in the fall.
• Candidates are sorted into walker and bus route
groups. Mrs. Weston meets with small groups of
bus riders to determine the stops where each
student gets on and off the bus. She also
explains that pure numbers or bus stop location
may decide who gets chosen to be a patrol, so
not everyone will be selected.
• An official application is sent home to those
making the final “cut”. Starting with a smaller
group in the spring, and adding students after the
new school year begins works best. There are
always children moving out of the Ashburton
community and new ones coming in over the
summer. Changes in bus schedules or routes can
also alter plans made in the spring.
• New patrols are trained toward the end of their
4th grade school year. If all goes according to
plan, they serve as patrols during the last few
days of school.
• Fourth grade students will be receiving
information later in March about patrol camp.
Students who attend patrol camp serve as patrol
officers during their fifth grade school year.
Students apply for patrol camp, and 3-5 fourth
graders get selected to attend each year. Camp
is a five day overnight experience during the last
week in June OR the last week in July. Please
be on the lookout for more information
regarding exact dates, cost, and the application.
Gifted and Talented News -Ms. Weigle
Every spring, MCPS screens all second graders
for Gifted and Talented identification. This
gives each school a chance to look at each
second grader’s strengths and plan how to best
support each student.
This year, we began the process in December.
The InView was given December 4-6, 2013.
This is a test with 5 sections:
Sequences: See a rule in a pattern or
sequence of figures, letters or numbers
Analogies: Able to recognize the nature
of the relationship between two items
and select an answer that will produce a
parallel relationship.
Quantitative Reasoning: Identify
arithmetic patterns, see complex
relationships, apply deductive math
reasoning, and draw logical conclusions.
Verbal Reasoning – Words and
Context: Show potential in logic,
inferencing and complex reasoning.
Now that it is getting closer to spring, the rest of
this process has begun. MCPS will send the
“Parent Survey of Child’s Strengths” to parents
of all second graders during the week of March
3. You may have already received this form.
Please fill it out and return it to your child’s
teacher. Teachers at Ashburton will also be
filling out forms on all of our second graders,
beginning in mid-March.
After all of the forms and test results have been
received, second grade teachers will meet with
the Gifted and Talented Committee to discuss
what we have learned about each second grader.
Parent reports with this information will be sent
home after this meeting, before the end of the
school year.
Selected third, fourth, and fifth graders are also
going through this process. Students who are
new to MCPS are screened. Also, some 3rd
-5th
grade students are rescreened. That means that
we want to look at updated information on them.
Parents of these students received the “Parent
Survey of Child’s Strengths” and a parent
permission slip in November, 2013. These
students also took the InView in December.
Parent reports for these students will be sent
home after all information has been collected
and the Gifted and Talented Committee has met,
before the end of the school year. Feel free to
call me at Ashburton if you have questions about
this process.
On a different note, I put information about
special programs sponsored by Montgomery
College and Johns Hopkins on the PTA listserve
as soon as I receive it. Summer Youth Programs
at Montgomery College should be sending
information soon. Look on their website,
www.montgomerycollege.edu/youth, for the
latest information.
As we move into spring, I think of all of the
special activities this time of year brings. I hope
