18820 Strawberry Knoll Road
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879
E. Frank Kaplan, Principal
Rosemary Ford, Assistant Principal
Web Site Address—http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/
Strawberry Knoll News
STRAWBERRY KNOLL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
August 31, 2012
We Grieve and Remember
Our beloved attendance secretary, Mrs. Karolick, passed away yesterday afternoon. Needless to say, we are deeply saddened by her loss, as
are many of our students. Yes, we grieve. However, there is comfort
among the Strawberry Knoll family that “Miss Karen,” provided us with
fond memories. She loved Strawberry Knoll. As one second grade student commented to her teacher following this morning’s announcements, “She’s now our guardian angel.”
Please check your children’s backpack for a letter regarding
Mrs. Karolick’s funeral arrangements. Also included in the letter are
suggestions you may wish to consider as you respond to questions your
children may happen to have about death. Feel free to contact our
guidance counselor, Mrs. Williams, should there be a need for you to
speak with her upon our return from Labor Day weekend.
We will remember our Mrs. Karolick throughout the year, beginning
with the renaming of the Main Office. Among the fond nick-names
Mrs. Karolick had, one happened to be “Mrs. Care-A-Lot!” Expect to
see the new signage for the Care-A-Lot Office in our main office within the next month. We also intend to hold a special evening ceremony
of remembrance for the Karolick family and will get back to you with
the exact date and time.
I know you join me as we extend our condolences to the Karolick family.
Cards can be sent to the family at the following: Mr. Ron Karolick and
Family, 18525 Strawberry Knoll Rd., Gaithersburg, Md. 20879.
Finally, I want to thank those of you that were here at school this
morning to share a hug, cry, and hug some more. We are the
Strawberry Knoll family and will continue to watch over the children
and take care of one another. Peace be with each of you during this
Labor Day weekend!
Most sincerely,
E. Frank Kaplan
Principal
Destiny
This school year, our school library media center will transition to an exciting new centralized
K-12 resource management tool. This tool will help our library media center work more efficiently while creating engaging and collaborative learning environments promoting and supporting students achievement. The new system is called Destiny Library Manager (Destiny).
The implementation of Destiny will enable a stronger library media program=classroom connection and support the library media specialists’ role in helping students develop 21st century learning skills. Throughout the school year our library media staff members will guide students in using the next-generation searching tool for today’s digital natives. Destiny contains
powerful tools to conduct research of print and digital resources.
As our school community acclimates to this new resource, I look forward to a stronger library
media program-class
PARENT ACADEMY (English and Spanish)
Fall 2012 Parent Academy
The MCPS Parent Academy is back with an exciting lineup of free workshops for parents. The
2012 Fall session of the Parent Academy will begin on Thursday, August 30, 2012. The Parent
Academy helps equip parents with the tips and tools they need to help their children succeed.
All of the workshops are free and are held at schools and locations throughout Montgomery
County. The schedule of workshops is available at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/schedule.aspx
Academia Para Padres Otoño 2012
La Academia Para Padres de MCPS regresa con una interesante serie de talleres gratuitos para los padres. La sesión del Otoño 2012 de la Academia Para Padres comenzará el jueves, 30
de agosto. La Academia Para Padres ayuda a equipar a los padres con los consejos prácticos y
las herramientas que necesitan para ayudar a sus hijos a triunfar. Todos los talleres son gratis
y se ofrecen en escuelas y otros lugares en todo Montgomery County. El horario de los talleres se
encuentra a disposición en
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/parentacademy/schedule.aspx
Breakfast for our Students
We want all our students to be able to enjoy breakfast here at the Knoll.
Please make sure your child arrives at school by 8:20 a.m. in order to
have enough time to finish their breakfast before leaving for class at
8:40 a.m.
Fall Holidays and Events
September 3
HOLIDAY – Labor Day
No School for Staff and Students
September 17
Rosh Hashanah
No School for Staff and Students
September 20
7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. "Back-to-School" Night
September 26
Yom Kippur
No School for Staff and Students
September 27
6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. P. T. A. “Welcome Back Picnic”
October 5 – 12
P.T.A. Book Fair – Media Center
October 8
9:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m. Open House
October 11
7:00 p.m. Literacy “Knight”
October 18
Individual Pictures
October 19
State Conference for Teachers –
No School for Staff and Students
October 31
2:00 p.m. Halloween Parade/Parties
November 2
First Marking Period Ends
2:00 p.m. Halloween Parade/Parties
November 5
Professional Day for Teachers – No School for Students
November 6
HOLIDAY – Election Day
November 12, 13
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 15
PTA Fall Festival
November 21
12:35 p.m. Early Release Day
November 22, 23
HOLIDAY – Thanksgiving
November 30
10:00 a.m. Makeup Picture Day
New on the Web
stay Connected
The new Stay Connected website serves as a one-stop shop for all the tools that students,
staff, and parents may use to stay informed and connected with MCPS.
Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/stayconnected/ for more information.
MCPS QuickNotes
The back-to-school edition of MCPS QuickNotes is available online. MCPS QuickNotes is a
monthly e-mail newsletter with the latest news and information about MCPS programs and activities. Please encourage your staff and your families to subscribe so they can have the latest news from MCPS. A blurb is provided below that you can include in your newsletters.
To subscribe to MCPS QuickNotes, visit
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/quicknotes/welcome/english/
The back-to-school edition of MCPS QuickNotes may be found at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/quicknotes/currentissue/english/
Suscríbase Para Recibir QuickNotes y Alerta MCPS
MCPS QuickNotes es un servicio gratuito por correo electrónico que ofrece a los usuarios noticias e información importante acerca de los programas y actividades de MCPS, además de
información de emergencia. QuickNotes se ofrece en seis idiomas: inglés, chino, coreano, español, francés y vietnamita. Visite www.mcpsquicknotes.org para suscribirse. Alerta MCPS le permite recibir mensajes del sistema escolar por texto o por correo electrónico durante emergencias relacionadas a condiciones meteorológicas y otros sucesos de importancia que afectan
las operaciones del sistema escolar. Suscribirse para recibir Alerta MCPS es gratis, pero por
favor verifique con su proveedor de servicios inalámbricos para saber si hay cargos asociados
al envío de mensajes de texto. Suscríbase ingresando a
http://alert.montgomerycountymd.gov.
MCPS Tv
mcpssuper is a video program hosted by Dr. Starr that provides viewers an in-depth look at
the work of MCPS to engage and educate our more than 149,000 students. In this episode of
mcpssuper, Dr. Starr discusses Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) and takes viewers
inside Montgomery Blair High School and Shady Grove Middle School to see PLCs in action. It
would be useful to share this 15-minute show with your staff. The program can be seen on
MCPS TV (Comcast Ch. 34 and Verizon Ch. 36), and online at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/superintendent/mcpssuper/
MCPS News Update
MCPS News Update and Noticias de MCPS (in Spanish) are weekly, five-minute news programs
that are cablecast on MCPS TV and may be viewed online.
News Update: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/news/
Noticias de MCPS: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/es/news/
CURRICULUM 2.0 (English and Spanish)
MCPS is continuing to introduce its improved curriculum for the elementary grades—
Curriculum 2.0. Curriculum 2.0 is designed to provide a strong foundation in the areas of reading, writing and mathematics, while placing a renewed emphasis on other areas, such as science, social studies, the arts, and physical education. It also helps students develop the creative and critical thinking skills that are extremely important for success in the 21st century.
In 2012–2013, Curriculum 2.0 will be implemented in Grades K–3 in all schools, and report
cards for those grades will be improved to provide parents more information about how students are performing in specific areas. More information is available on the web site at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0
MCPS continúa presentando su currículum mejorado para los grados elementales—denominado
Currículum 2.0. El Currículum 2.0 está diseñado para proveer una base sólida en las áreas de
lectura, escritura y matemáticas, mientras que renueva el énfasis en otras áreas, como ser
ciencias, estudios sociales, artes y educación física. También ayuda a los estudiantes a desarrollar las destrezas de pensamiento creativo y crítico que son sumamente importantes para
triunfar en el Siglo XXI. En el 2012-2013, el Currículum 2.0 será implementado en los Grados
K–3 de todas las escuelas, y los boletines de calificaciones para esos grados serán mejorados
para brindar a los padres más información acerca de cómo los estudiantes se están desempeñando en áreas específicas. Más información está a disposición en
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org