The Eagle’s Eye
Rock Creek Valley Elementary School
5121 Russett Road, Rockville, MD 20853
(301) 460-2195 Fax (301) 460-2196
May 22, 2015
Catherine Jasperse, Principal
Julia Bialeski, Assistant Principal
Principal’s Message
Come one, come all! The final days of school are quickly passing by, but there is still time to participate
in several important and fun events. First off, our annual carnival is happening next Friday evening.
The PTA is planning lots of fun events, so please come and join us for fun, food, and laughter. Also,
promotion ceremonies will be held for our youngest (pre-K) and our oldest (grade 5) students. Pre-K
will celebrate on June 10th during the morning and grade 5 will celebrate on June 11th in the evening. I
hope that all parents and families of children in these grades will be able to join us to celebrate. On June
8th, teachers will begin the process of articulation and forming tentative class placements for the
coming year. I encourage all of you to fill out the attached parent articulation form so that we can use
your input as we make preliminary class groupings for the 15-16 school year. So, come join us and
enjoy all the important and enjoyable activities in the final weeks of school.
Summer School
We are gearing up for another exciting summer of Rock Creek Valley Summer School! Our four-week
program is designed to enrich students' reading and writing skills while having fun! Please see the
invitation letter and enrollment form below for details. There are a very limited number of spots at
summer school this year due to space limitations on the bus for field trips. Please send in your
enrollment form and payment (cash or check made out to Rock Creek Valley) as soon as possible to
secure your child's spot. Any questions? Call or email Mrs. Bialeski ([email protected]).
Class Pictures for sale
We have received an extra batch of class pictures. If you missed out on ordering a class picture for your
child we have a limited amount available in the main office. The class pictures are $12 each. If you are
interested in purchasing a class picture please contact Ms. Roop at 301-460-2195.
Order your Yearbook!
The last day to order your yearbook is next Wednesday May 27, 2015. Don’t miss out!
Counselor’s Corner
Hello! As we approach the end of this school year, I would like to take this opportunity to thank
you as the RCV community for your support. I look forward to the summer and also the new
school year ahead of us. I would also like to ask for your feedback as parents. I have created a
survey to gather your information about the counseling program and how I might be able to best
support our students and families. If you could please take a moment to complete it I would be
extremely grateful.
The survey is available at https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/L3SRKNZ
Also I have some additional resources about how to support your child’s learning during the
summer months. These articles are very informative and have lots of hands on suggestions of
how to work on academic skills at home. I hope you find the material helpful. Here are a few
items I found particularly beneficial:
 Encourage Creative Writing:
Creative writing is a great way to improve your children's written language skills while
giving them a fun and imaginative activity during the summer! Have your student write a
creative paragraph each week. As a parent, you can help by assisting him or her with
choosing a "topic" (such as a family vacation, special outing or holiday memory) to write
a paragraph about.

Focus on Specific Skills:
Pinpoint the subjects your child had the most trouble learning the previous school year,
and make sure to fit in some practice in these areas. Summer is an ideal time to set aside
just 15 to 30 minutes a day for helping your student on areas of difficulty. Again, use
every resource available to you! Parents are not helpless when it comes to their child's
education. Online resources and teacher supply stores offer a wide variety of learning
materials, workbooks, computer games, and other types of games to reinforce and
strengthen scholastic skills. Students may wish to play learning games with their friends
to help make the time fly by and make learning more fun.
http://www.parenting.com/article/stop-summer-learning-loss
http://www.edutopia.org/blog/7-ways-prevent-summer-learning-loss-barbaradianis
Sincerely, Alexandra Kissell
April 28, 2015
Dear Rock Creek Valley Families,
Your child is invited to participate in Rock Creek Valley’s 2015 summer school program! Our
four week, four day per week program is designed to help your child build his or her literacy
skills through reading a variety of text types and writing for a variety of purposes. Students will
engage in literacy work Monday through Wednesday and make connections to the reading and
writing they have done that week on Thursday on a fun field trip. Our small summer school
classes are taught by Rock Creek Valley teachers.
This summer, our program will run for four weeks, Monday-Thursday, from Monday, June 29
through Thursday, July 23. There is no summer school on Fridays. The hours will be
9:00-noon on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and 9:00-2:00 on Thursdays, when students
will go on field trips. There is no breakfast or lunch served during summer school, but students
will need to bring a bag lunch and drink on Thursdays for the field trips. There is no
transportation available for summer school. All families will need to arrange for their
own transportation to and from school. Summer school tuition is $350 for the full four-week
program.
There are a limited number of spaces in this summer’s program. In order to secure your space,
please complete the attached enrollment form and return it with your payment. Students will not
be registered until both the enrollment paperwork and tuition payment is returned, and space is
available on a first-come, first-served basis. Should your family need financial assistance to
help with the tuition payment, you will need to also complete the Application for Partial or
Full Waiver of Summer School Tuition and attach valid income documentation as
outlined on this form.
Please feel free to call or email with any questions about summer school.
Best regards,
Julia Bialeski
[email protected]
301-460-2195
RCV 2015 Summer School Enrollment Form
Student Name: _______________________________ Date of Birth: _________________
Grade Level for 2015-2016: _____________
Parent/Guardian Name(s):____________ ___________________________________
Emergency Contact Information:
Home Phone: _____________________________________________
Work Phone: ______________________________________________
Cell Phone: _______________________________________________
Medical Information:
Does your child have any allergies? Yes No
If yes, does your child have a prescribed Epi-Pen? Yes No
Please describe any other medical information that summer school staff may need to know
about your child.
I am enclosing payment in (circle one): Cash,Check (made out to Rock Creek Valley)
Full tuition is $350 per student. Please see the attached form, titled Application for
Partial or Full Waiver of Summer School Tuition, to apply for financial aid. If you qualify,
please enclose your reduced payment according to the income guidelines on the form.
You must include one of the listed verification documents to qualify for financial aid.
I give permission for my child _______________________________________ to attend
Thursday field trips as part of the RCV Summer School Program. Transportation will be
provided by MCPS school bus.
____________________________________________________ __________________
Parent Signature Date
Student Information Profile for Articulation Meetings
Student’s Name: ___________________________________________
Current Teacher(s):______________________ Current
Grade:______
1. What do you feel has been one of the most successful experiences for your child
this year?
2. Do you have any concerns with your child’s instructional program this year? If
so, how can we improve your child’s instructional program in the coming year?
3. What do you feel are your child’s strengths socially and in what areas might your
child need some support? Also, are there specific/unique peer relationships that
you feel staff should be aware of when making tentative class placements?
4. What type of teaching styles and interactions (with both adults and peers) do you
believe provide the best support for your child’s learning?
5. Please describe what you feel would be the ideal type of communication
(frequency, content, and modality) between you and your child’s teacher in the
coming year.
6. Are you interested and available to volunteer in your child’s classroom next year?
If so, when and how often?
Please use the reverse side for any additional comments and input you would like to share.