College Gardens Elementary School
November 2008 Albert P. DuPont, Ed.D., Principal
Stacey F. Jones, Assistant Principal
Dear Parents,
Wow! We have been in school for two full months. The children and teachers have been working together to create the best learning environment for all children. I have been spending time in all classrooms and am excited to see all the creative learning experiences taking place.
I want to thank all of you who attended our open house on October 13. It was wonderful to see so many parents in the building. It is with your continued support that we can accomplish the great things we do here at College Gardens. Continued parent involvement in the coming months is critical to the continued success of the students.
This month we will be having our parent-teacher conferences. I hope that all parents will take advantage of this opportunity. When you attend your conference, please come prepared with any questions or concerns you may have regarding your child. Please speak frankly to the teacher and listen attentively to the teacher’s report on how your child acts in school. You should be interested in learning how another caring adult perceives your child. If you have not yet made an appointment with your child’s teacher, please contact them to arrange a meeting time.
In this newsletter you will find some helpful tips to help you prepare for your parent-teacher conference. Please make full use of this opportunity to learn more about your child and his/her school life.
As always, the success of your child is a joint effort between school and home. I want to thank you for your support.
Sincerely,
Albert P. DuPont, Ed.D.
Principal
DID YOU KNOW….IB Regional Statistics
As of August 2008, there are 185 IB world Schools offering the PYP in the North America and Caribbean region and 470 schools offering the programme worldwide.
Grade Level |
Student Reflection |
Kindergarten |
Sarah- “I learned that my family is unique because we eat different foods at dinner. My family loves being together. I have one brother and one sister.” Edward- “I learned that all families are different. My family likes being together. We go on excursions. We go to the Baltimore Aquarium and The Museum of Natural History.” |
First Grade |
Kolby- “I liked learning about rules. They are important. They help you be safe. I liked when we created a classroom constitution.” Kenichi- “I liked when we made a rule puzzle. It taught me that if rules did not exist our world would be a big mess. The puzzle showed us that we are all pieces of the puzzle.” |
Second Grade |
Kiera- “I liked the problem box that we did in class. We looked at problems as a group and discussed ways to solve them. This will help us to solve our own problems in the future.” Justin- “When we solve problems as groups, we create peaceful community. Being peaceful and being a good listener in school helps you learn more.” |
Third Grade |
Raquel- “I learned that economics means using money and services for a persons wants and needs.” Emily-“Advertising is key to selling your items or goods. You need a catchy slogan.” Rachel- “People who own businesses need to work together and cooperate to make it successful. People should always buy the things that they need first then buy the wants extra.” |
Fourth Grade |
Imani- “I learned that our ecosystems need to be taken care of. We created mini ecosystems in the classroom and learned what would happen if we pollute them. This unit helped me look at what happens when we don’t take care of our world.” Matthew- “I learned that we have to help our environment and go eco-friendly. We worked on a Chesapeake Bay writing that was fun because we could use what we are learning in our writing.” |
Fifth Grade |
Andy- “ I learned that in the book, Root Cellar, women did not have the same rights. It taught me how things change throughout history. I think that as a learner, it is important to treat everyone equally. Joshita- “I learned that the Navajo women owned property and took care of sheep. They had a lot of similarities and differences. They did not have shops to buy clothes, they needed to make them. This book, Sing Down the Moon, made me realize how thankful we should be about how we live today.” |
The first Chinese immersion information night of the school year was held on October 6, 2008. It was greeted with much success. Thank you to the families who joined us to meet Zhu Ding and learn more about our Chinese literacy program. As a result of this meeting we are taking your feedback and creating newsletters to accompany the Better Chinese lessons. You will see these in your child’s communication folder as a tool to reinforce concepts learned at home. Our next immersion information night will be held on January 27, 2009. We look forward to spending time with families again.
As each of you know, volunteers are critical to the success of students. College Gardens is fortunate to have such wonderful families who are willing to help. Many thanks are to be given to the parents who signed up to volunteer with program needs. We currently have parents creating valuable resources at home and in school. These efforts are continuous and your help is needed. In addition, we are searching for a parent lead to help organize our Chinese New Year celebrations as well as committee members for this event. If you would like to join in on any of these efforts please contact Mr. Dushel.
Counselor’s News
Kids Helping Kids!
College Gardens is looking to the community to help support Manna Food Center, which serves the hungry in Montgomery County. Tuesday, October 21st through Friday, November 7th students, teachers, faculty, and parents are asked to donate non-perishable food items. Large boxes will be set up in the main lobby area of the school. Kids can just drop the food in on their way to class. One-third of the people served by emergency food programs are children. We need you to help these hungry children have a good meal so they can learn.
Questions? Please contact Christina Avery (eandchris@comcast.net).
Saturday Discoveries
Montgomery College continuing Education Youth Programs is holding a one day enrichment program for gifted and talented students in grades 4 and 5 on Saturday, November 15, 2008. For more information or registration visit the web site at www.montgomerycollege.edu/youth or call 240-567-7917.
From The Health Room
Cold and Flu Season Is Upon Us
Tips:
Please call us at the Health Room with updates on how your child is doing (301)-517-5874.
Flu Shot Clinic For Kids
Where: Rockinghorse center at 4910 Macon Road (301)-468-4529
When: Monday, Wednesday, and Friday- AM
Health Room Reminders:
Donations Needed:
The health room is in need of children’s clothing, from socks to underpants. We always keep extra clothes on hand, in case of emergencies. Please send any donations directly to the health room.
Congratulations!
Congratulations to Ms. Wendy Pang, College Gardens English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) for receiving a grant from the MCPS Educational Foundation for a project. The project is entitled, “Family Math Night at College Gardens Elementary School.” Ms. Pang will use the grant funds to launch an evening event for families that will strengthen our partnership between home and school. Parents will learn ways that their children learn mathematics by solving math problems with
their children.
Please Note
Lost and Found
There is a large amount of student misplaced personal items in our lost and found. To minimize student loss of personal property, we ask that parents please label all student lunch boxes, backpacks, and outer clothing garments. This would greatly expedite and enhance the ability of school personnel to return items left in the cafeteria or playground to the student. Thank you for your cooperation. If these items are not picked up by November 21, 2008, they will be donated.
School Closure
When schools are closed systemwide, all instructional programs and extracurricular activities in schools are cancelled. Private day-care providers in school buildings may elect to stay open if the schools are closed but the administrative offices are open. In extreme conditions, administrative offices also may be closed. If this occurs, private day-care programs located in school buildings are closed as well.
Delayed Opening
A delayed opening means that schools open two hours later than scheduled. For College Gardens that means school begins at 11:15 a.m. Therefore, the school buses will be running two hours after the scheduled pick up times. When elementary schools open on a delayed schedule, there will be no Head Start program or field trips. Please continue to check for radio, television, or Web announcements in the event a decision to delay the opening of schools is reconsidered and a decision to close schools for the day is made at 7:00 a.m.
Early Dismissal
An early dismissal means that schools will close 2.5 hours earlier than scheduled. College Gardens will close at 1:00 p.m. All buses operate on that same early schedule and, therefore, drop-off times are 2.5 hours earlier than normal. Head Start students will be dismissed at 10:30 a.m.
Public Announcements
Information about school operations is announced publicly as soon as possible on area radio and television stations, Montgomery County Cable Channel 6 or Cable Channel 34 – MCPS TV, on the Internet at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, and on a taped telephone message service at 301-279-3673. Emergency e-mail announcements are available by signing up for MCPS QuickNotes on the school system’s home page. If schools are closed or delayed, the announcement is made no later than 6:00 a.m. (or the night before if possible). If schools are closing early, the announcement is made by 11:00 a.m.
Weather Conditions and Decisions
The school system uses a variety of sources of information to determine whether to close schools, delay the opening of schools, or dismiss schools early. These sources include actual physical inspection of road and school conditions by transportation officials, and an analysis of independent reports from the National Weather Service, Accu-Weather, and the news media. The most severe weather conditions within the county are used as the basis for decision-making. Consistent procedures are maintained in order to respond quickly to emergency weather conditions and protect the safety and well being of students.
All public schools within Montgomery County adhere to the same schedule concerning emergency weather conditions. The decision to change school operations is made by the superintendent of schools or his designee and affects all schools within the school system.
When sending in a check for your child’s lunch account, please include the following information:
Special Events
Tips for Parent/teacher Conferences
Parent teacher conferences will be occurring November 11 and 12, 2008, and it is our hope that 100% of you have signed up for these and will be coming in for these information sharing and progress updates on your children’s progress. Being prepared for the conference will produce better results for you, your child, and his/her teacher. The following suggestions might maximize your time with the teacher.
2. Discuss the conference, if possible, with your child. Let each member contribute ideas for questions and discussions. If possible, all parents/guardians should try to attend the conference.
3. Determining what you should tell the teacher to give him/her a better perspective and understanding of your child. The more the teacher knows about your child, the more easily he/she can construct a program to help the child achieve his/her potential. Some questions the teacher might ask include:
4. Be on time for the conference and stick to the subject most important – your child’s educational progress. If the time scheduled for you is not convenient, plan with the teacher for an alternate time – before school or a phone conference if necessary.
5. Try to arrange for a babysitter for your children. This prevents them from distracting you or the teacher during the conference. Arrange to share baby-sitting time with a neighbor.
6. Ask the school to provide an interpreter if it would help you benefit more from the conference. Follow up the conference by discussing it with your child. Talk about his/her strong points as well as things which need improving. Try to use the suggestions that come out of the conference discussion. Keep in touch with the teacher if problems arise after the formal conference time has passed. Maintain the two-way communication that fosters the basis for improved education for your child.
Donations Needed
Got Sheets?
CGES staff are looking for full-sized, fitted bed sheets. These full-sized sheets will be used to cover and protect the new interactive white boards. Please send the sheets to the front office in care of Mrs. Boorstein.
Dates to Remember
Novembe
3 No School – Professional Day
3-7 American Education Week
4 No School – Election Day
PTA Bake Sale
5 Grade 4 to St. Mary City 7:45 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
6 PTA lunch grades 4 & Autism
PTA meeting 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
7 PTA Family Movie Night & Book Fair 7:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
10-14 PTA Book Fair
11 Early Release – 12:55 p.m. – Parent Conferences
12 Early Release – 12:55 p.m. – Parent Conferences
Flyer Distribution
17 Grade 2 In-School Mad Science
20 Grade 3 In-School Cosmic Adventures
Kindergarten Mad Science In-School Field Trip
21 Kindergarten Mad Science In-School Field Trip
25 School Tour 9:30 a.m.
26 Early Release – 12:55 p.m.
27 No School – Thanksgiving
28 No School