WESTBROOK EAGLE NEWS
January 2016
Westbrook Elementary School
5110 Allan Terrace
Bethesda, Maryland 20816
301-320-6506
Principal Jennifer Lane
Email address
[email protected]
School Web Site
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/
schools/westbrookes/
INCLEMENT WEATHER
ARRIVAL
Welcome back to all students, staff and families!
2016 is off to a great start! It was wonderful to see so many
smiling faces as students arrived to the upbeat greetings and
“Happy Monday” refrains of our Kids Care Club members.
Semester One will end on Friday, January 22nd. A professional
day will take place on Monday, January 25th. On this day;
teachers will work on report cards and planning for Semester
Two, and students will NOT attend school. Quarter Two report cards for all students in grades K-5 will be distributed on
Wednesday, February 3rd.
This is an excellent time to celebrate the progress our students are making academically and in the realm of social emotional learning. Our Westbrook commitment as a Community
of Caring continues. The Kids Care Club is one 5th grade leadership group that focuses on Community of Caring values. They
provide a positive greeting every Monday for our school community. Each Thursday a Community of Caring value is featured on our daily “Eagle Eye News” program. We further
support our Community of Caring by implementing the
“Responsive Classroom” approach to discipline at Westbrook.
Try asking your child what they did during their class
“Morning Meeting”. They may tell you about a special greeting,
or question of the day.
Being a COMMUNITY of CARING means that WESTBROOK is
a NO BULLY ZONE! Mrs. Randi Vogel, AKA Mrs. Pickle, our
school counselor, provides guidance lessons to help students to
When it is raining or extremely
cold students line up indoors until
the first bell rings. Bus riders
and carpool students enter
through the front door and proceed to their line up location.
Walkers may enter through the
doors near the gym and All Purpose room, or they may use the
front door if that entrance is
closer to their arrival path. Students should enter the building on
their own. Grades K-2 line up in
the gym. Grades 3-5 line up in the
All Purpose Room. Parents do not
need to enter the building, as your
child knows where to line up. Students who are arriving after 9:00
should follow the sign in process
and receive a late pass from the
main office staff. Due to safety
LOST AND FOUND
A reminder that our lost and
found is located near the gym
and All Purpose Room. Please
stop by and look for any lost
items. There are MANY coats
and sweaters hanging there.
Please label your child’s belong-
Interested in joining our School Improvement Team?
Our next School Improvement Plan (SIP) meeting will be held on Tuesday, February 16th from 7:30 am-8:40 am.
We will reflect on our progress to date on our SIP Action Plan, and we will begin discussion about next year’s
plan. Join Westbrook’s Instructional Leadership Team at this meeting to receive updates about the SIP and to
voice your thoughts and opinions. Parents are vital partners in the SIP process. RSVP to Barbara Kahn in the
main office (301-320-6506) if you would like to attend. If requested in advance, childcare is available.
PEP PILOT at Westbrook
Do you have a younger child who will be at least 3 years old by 9/1/16? Perhaps you have neighborhood friends
with preschool age children? Well then don’t forget to tell your friends and neighbors that Westbrook will continue to host PEP PILOT classes next year. This means that we will have space for neighborhood peers to join an
inclusive 3 year old PEP PILOT class in the mornings AND space for neighborhood peers to join an inclusive 4
year old PEP PILOT class in the afternoon. PEP PILOT students attend two days a week: either Wednesday and
Friday or Tuesday and Thursday. Based on enrollment numbers a four day a week option may be offered Tuesday
-Friday. Morning sessions are held from 9:00-11:30am and afternoon sessions are from 12:55-3:25. A small fee
is charged for materials, approximately $150 per semester. For more information contact Lynne Karp, PEP Parent Educator via email [email protected] or phone (301-320-6506).
Math Curriculum 2.0, Common Core State Standards, and Compacted Math 4/5
MCPS and Westbrook Elementary continue to implement a challenging math curriculum based on Common Core
State Standards. While the pace of the grade level curriculum will be appropriate for most students, a few students may need a more rapid pace and a steeper trajectory in order to receive appropriately challenging math
instruction. Students in grade 3 are screened for participation in Compacted Math 4/5 the following year. Parents of students in grade 3 who want more information about this process should speak to their child’s homeroom teacher.
Pets on Campus
Pet owners are kindly reminded that at arrival and dismissal times and during the student day leashed pets and
their owners should wait in the designated pet areas—between sidewalk and curb on either side of the bus circle.
This is particularly important while students are transitioning to and from school. For the safety of all students
pets are not permitted in other areas of the school grounds during the student day .
MISSING MURAL
Are you wondering what happened to the mural outside the media center? Recently it was
brought to the attention of our PTA leadership that the depiction of a Native American male
and female on the mural was disrespectful. Your PTA leadership brought this concern to
me. I am sure that the artist who created the mural, probably more than 25 years ago, had no
intention to be disrespectful. However, our awareness of diversity issues has certainly
evolved since the 1990s. At Westbrook we are committed to respecting diversity. As educators we are dedicated to living, teaching, and learning with cultural proficiency and culture
awareness. We know that Westbrook families share that same commitment to respecting diversity. We did some research, and we were unable to locate any historical information about
the artist or the origin of the mural. Since that was the case; I realized that we would be unable to modify the offending images. Our core values require us to remove the mural since we
cannot modify it. Second grade is hoping to plan an Artist in Residence project this year that
will allow us to place a new work of art in the same location. Mrs. Cervenkov-Peet has requested that the components of the mural be taken down intact, and she is contemplating a way to
recycle some of the components into a future art work. This would celebrate the spirit of the
original piece, while respecting all members of our community.
CHANGE IN SCHEDULES
Grades 3 and 4 have new lunch and recess schedules in order to maximize our ability to use
staff to support student needs. Students and families in those grade levels have already received information about the changes. Grade 3 will now have recess from 10:50-11:30 and
Lunch from 11:30-12:00. Grade 4 will now have recess from 12:20-1:00 and lunch from 1:001:30. Specials times have also changed for these two grades, although the day of the week
remains the same.
January 2016
Monday
Sun
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
NO
SCHOOL
Holiday
3
4
5
6
12
13
7
Sa
2
8
9
15
16
22
23
Welcome Back
10
11
Principal
Coffee
9:15
Send Your Child With A
Warm Coat, Glove/Mittens
And A Hat Everyday.
14
Gr. 2
Musical
Instrument
Presentation
We have OUTDOOR RECESS
as much as possible!
17
18
19
20
26
27
21
Second Marking
Period Ends
NO
SCHOOL
24/31 25
NO
SCHOOL
Report Card
Prep Day
28
STEM
Learning Lunch
29
Class and
Group Picture
Day
30
February 2016
Monday
Su
1
Tuesday
Wednesday
3
9
8
10
9
Friday
Sat
4
5
6
11
12
13
Report Card
Distribution
PTA
Meeting
7:30 Media
Center
7
Thursday
Valentine’s
Day
Parties
14
21
15
16
NO
SCHOOL
Presidents’ Day
22
17
School
Improvement
Plan
Meeting
7:30 am
23
18
19
Jump Rope
For Heart
24
25
Gr. 5
Explore it All
20
Principal
Coffee
9:15
26
Early Release
Talent Show
28
29
Quarter 3
Interims
27