Arcola Elementary School
Gator Gazette
1820 Franwall Avenue
Silver Spring, MD 20902
(301) 649-8590
FAX (301) 649-8592
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/arcolaes/
Emmanuel Jean-Philippe, Principal
Angela Ventura, Assistant Principal
November 2013
Important November Dates

Dear Arcola Families:
It was great to see so many of you at Chuck E. Cheese last week for our
fundraiser sponsored by our PTA. We look forward to seeing you at one of our
school activities during the month of November.
Please be sure to mark your
calendars and listen out for our connect-ed reminder phone calls.
Within the next few days we will have delivery and installation of new
playground equipment. The students are excited about the news and we look
forward to them having even more fun during recess as a result. Please feel free
to discuss the good news with your child.
This year we will fully implement our new grading and reporting system in all
elementary grades K - 5. Please join us at our Parent Coffee on November 21
from 9:00 to 10:30 a.m. for an overview of how Curriculum 2.0 Standards-Based
Report Cards give parents more information about what, and how, students are
learning. The following link is available to help parents read the report card:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/grading/report-cards.aspx.
Are you ready for Parent-Teacher Conferences? On Monday, November 11th and
Tuesday, November 12th we will have Parent-Teacher Conferences. Some
important questions to ask yourself: Have you scheduled a conference time with
your child’s teacher? Have you confirmed your time with your child’s teacher?
Have you identified some questions you would like to discuss with your child’s
teacher? Parent Teacher Conferences provide an opportunity for you to find out
how your child is doing in school, what the teacher is working on and how you can
help at home. Parents and teachers are partners in your child’s education. It is
extremely important that we work together to help support and encourage the
children to work to their potential and to achieve at the highest levels.
Our Family Involvement Committee recently sent home a survey that identified many ways to
get involved at school. There are many opportunities to get involved in the school community
and volunteer. Please free to contact your child’s teacher or the main office if you are
interested in an opportunity to volunteer or have ideas you would like to bring to Arcola.
We have started distribute the new Gator Glance on the 3rd Friday of each month.
The glance gives a brief snapshot of upcoming events and school news. Please be
on the lookout!
Have a great November!
Regards,
Emmanuel Jean-Philippe
Principal
Nothing but the best
will do!
Angela Ventura
Assistant Principal
November 5
General PTA Meeting
English Classes 6:00-8:00pm

November 8
PTA Wendy’s Night
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November 11
Early Dismissal -1:00pm
November 12
Early Dismissal– 1:00pm

November 18
Gr. 5 to U-MD

November 19
Gr. 2 to Strathmore
English Classes 6:00-8:00pm

November 20
Computer Literacy
Classes for Parents (PTA)

November 21
Parent Coffee
9:00 am Cafeteria

November 22
Picture Day Make-ups

November 26
PTA Wendy’s Night
English Classes 6:00-8:00pm

November 27
Early Dismissal-1:00pm

November 28 and 29
Thanksgiving Holiday
No School
News from the Parent Community Coordinator
Our October parent’s coffee was very well attended! Thank you for coming and listening
to a variety of topics that we hope are helpful to you. Our ESOL teachers treated us to
an interesting presentation on reading Information Texts. Through their modeling, we
learned how our students can gain information without needing to read a word! This is
very helpful when learning to read in general and in deciphering new or unfamiliar
words. Through a variety of text features, students can gain clues as to the subject
matter of an informational article. If you would like to learn more about this, please talk to
with your child’s teacher. Are you ready for parent-teacher conferences? If you are not sure
when your conference is, please speak with your child’s teacher. These are coming up fast
and you will not want to miss the opportunity to discuss your child’s progress and learn her/
his weaknesses and strengths. If you would like materials to help you prepare for this
meeting, please call or email Mrs. Ochoa and she will be happy to give you some useful tips!
Our next coffee is scheduled for November 21, a Thursday. We hope you can make it!
News from the Health Room
Free School-Based Seasonal Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine Clinics Coming Soon!
The clinic at Arcola Elementary will take place on Nov 11 at 1pm. Notification letters will be provided to students. All clinics are free, but registration is required due to
limited vaccine supplies.
For more information about the upcoming clinics and the FluMist, visit the following websites: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/flu/
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flu
Note” On Friday, November 1, flu clinics will be held at John F. Kennedy, Richard Montgomery, and Seneca Valley high schools from 9:00 a.m. to 12 noon. These clinics will be
open to any school-aged child.
WE NEED YOUR HELP WITH THE BOOK FAIR!
The Scholastic Book Fair is coming! Please come visit the Media Center November
11-15 to see the newest and most exciting books for sale. A percentage of the profit
goes to the Arcola Media Center. You may also preview the titles we have for sale
or purchase items through our Book Fair website:
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/arcolaelementaryschool1
There are also many opportunities to volunteer at the Book Fair. Please contact Amy Rosenblum at [email protected] or at 301-649-8590 if you are interested in volunteering. We welcome your help!