The Eagle’s Eye
Rock Creek Valley Elementary School
5121 Russett Road, Rockville, MD 20853
(301) 460-2195 Fax (301) 460-2196
September 12, 2014
Catherine Jasperse, Principal
Principal’s Message
As we finish out our first three weeks of school,
we are settling into all our daily routines and
have experienced many of our “firsts” for the
school year … first fire drill, first instrumental
music classes, first walking field trip, first testing
window, etc. One of the daily routines of
school is actually something that happens
outside of school – homework. From talking to
many parents, I know that this is not a daily
highlight of after school hours in many
homes. In an effort to be consistent and
support the learning of all our students, here
are a couple of things to keep in mind:

Daily reading is paramount. Students’
overall academic achievement is greatly
supported the more they read and so
we ask that you make daily reading at
home a priority. If your child is not yet
reading on their own, we ask that you
read to them. If you child is reading on
their own, we ask that you monitor
their reading to make sure they are
comprehending what they read. This
can be done by reading with them and
having a discussion about the book,
asking them to summarize what they
Julia Bialeski, Assistant Principal
read, or having them read out loud to
you periodically.
 Remember, homework should be
independent. While we want parents
to provide the time and space for
children to complete homework, we
don’t want parents to have to “teach”
the child what do to or provide
continuous help if your child is not able
to complete the homework. Rather, we
ask that you make a note on the child’s
homework letting the teacher know
what was difficult. This provides
valuable information about what may
need to be reviewed or retaught in
class.
 Even if your child is able to complete
the homework independently, it may
take some children much longer to
complete an assigned task. Homework
should not be taking more than 30
minutes in primary grades and 50
minutes in upper grades. If your child is
working for this period of time, but
unable to complete the full homework
assignment just let the teacher know. A
goal of homework is to reinforce the
independent work habits of children
rather than a set amount of work
completion.
Hopefully focusing on these three things will
help to make homework a successful and
painless experience in everyone’s home.
After-school classes
Counselor’s Corner:
The first session (September-October) for
HOMEWORK SOLUTIONS THAT
the Monday after school Young Rembrandt
Art class is full. No more students can be
registered for this session. You can,
however, go ahead and register now for the
second session that will begin on November
3rd. Register on line
at: http://www.youngrembrandts.com/md/vie
w-classes-enroll.aspx
WORK
Hello! Welcome back to a wonderful year at
RCV! My name is Mrs. Kissell and I will be the
school counselor this year. I look forward to
working as part of the school community and
hope all of our students have had a fabulous
start to the year. Each month I will feature
information about different topics that are
pertinent to families and select events that
Other after school classes at RCV still have
space available. Register now for:
Tuesday afternoons, starting 9/23, 3:30-
may be of interest in the community.
This month’s topic... Homework!
Your child does homework to practice
5:30pm: LEGO Design and Engineering class;
what he or she learns in school. And if she or
grades K-2 only (classes for older ages will
he is like most student’s homework brings
occur later this year). Register online
occasional challenges. Here are some solutions
at: http://deilab.com/registration
to common problems he or she might face.
Wednesday afternoons, starting 10/8: FLES
(Spanish class). Beginning and Intermediate
classes available; register on line
at: http://register.asapconnected.com/course
s.aspx?coursegroupid=10228
STARTING OUT
Friday afternoons, starting 10/3: Chess
class. Return registration information and
payment to school or register on line
at: https://register.madscience.org/dc/after
school-register.aspx
Minimum enrollment must be met for classes
to be offered. Partial financial aid may be
available- contact Ms. Jasperse for more
information about financial aid.
Questions? Contact Janet Cyr, RCV PTA
after school class coordinator
([email protected])
Some students may want to take a
break when they come home. Others may
want to dive into homework right away. Keep
track of how one method works for an entire
week and take notes on a calendar together
to see which they liked best.
FINDING MOTIVATION
Moving to a new spot in between
assignments can provide a needed break.
Planning breaks for a snack or walk can give
them a second wind as well!
TROUBLESHOOTING
Map out strategies for students to
use when they get stuck with their homework.
Some math books have sample problems to
Location:
Croydon Creek Nature Center 852 Avery Rd. (off
Baltimore Rd.) Rockville, MD 20851
Copyright © 2014 Post Community Media, LLC/Gazette.Net
KidStuff Fundraising
refer to and number lines can be useful tool
as well. Using dictionaries and rereading the
page or paragraph can help promote reading
comprehension as well. Consider calling a
friend from class and write down questions to
ask the teacher back at school.
Sincerely,
Alexandra Kissell
School Counselor
COMMUNITY EVENTS IN
ROCKVILLE:
SEE GAZETTE.NET FOR MORE
INFORMATION!
Children's Consignment Sale &
Community Event
The valuable, family-friendly KidStuff Coupon
Books are now available through our school!
KidStuff Coupon Books are only sold through
schools and our school earns 50% or more
profit on each book we sell! Use just a few
coupons and save more than the $25.00 cost of
the book… Remember to keep the book in your
car! You will enjoy fabulous savings from:
Menchies, Regal Cinema, Sports Authority and
many more. Family and friends will love saving
with KidStuff…Great for gifts too! Check out all
22 valuable editions listed on the first page of
your KidStuff Coupon Book or visit
www.kidstuffcoubonbook.com Your family
earns 1 FREE book worth $25.00 for every 5
books you sell! Payment is due by Thursday
9/18/14. Please make checks payable to RCV
PTA. If you have any questions, please contact
Queenie DeVaul at 240-505-2112
Friday, September 12, 2014 - Sunday, September 14,
2014
9:00 am - 8:00 pm Cost: Free Admission
Location:
University at Shady Grove Conference Center 9630
Gudelsky Drive Rockville, MD 20850
Green Your Backyard
Saturday, September 13, 2014 - Saturday, September
13, 2014 10:30 am - 12:00 pm Cost: Free
Location:
Croydon Creek Nature Center 852 Avery Rd. (off
Baltimore Rd.) Rockville, MD 20851
Family Ramble - Creek Crawl
Sunday, September 14, 2014 - Sunday, September 14,
2014
1:30 pm - 2:30 pm Cost: $3 for City of Rockville
residents; $5 for non-residents
Pizza Night at the Book Fair Wed. 9/17/14
Print out the attached form and send in by
Monday September 15th. Orders will not be
accepted at the book fair. Contact Judy
Valentin at [email protected] or
301.946.2865 if you have any questions.