October 25, 2013
18820 Strawberry Knoll Road
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879
E. Frank Kaplan, Principal
Rosemary Ford, Assistant Principal
Web Site Address—http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/
strawberryknolles/
Strawberry Knoll News
STRAWBERRY KNOLL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Help Us Become Great!
Can you believe we completed our ninth week of school? Needless to say, our noble
knights are well on their way to what will be a successful school year. Please join us as
we strive to make this year GREAT for our students. Talk with your child about his/her
reading and math goals for this first marking period. Listen to your child as he/she
reads to you. Encourage your child to use math-talk to explain his/her problem-solving
strategies. Invite your child to demonstrate his/her computer technology skills. Equally
important, set aside family time and discuss the importance of working hard, making
good choices, and helping those in need. Your help in following these suggestions will
support the goals contained in this year’s Baldrige Guided School Improvement Plan
(BGSIP.) Our 2013-2014 BGSIP is a work in progress and can be accessed online by
going to our website at www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/strawberryknolles.
Our partnership with you is paramount to our school’s success. Remain involved. Continue to support us as we help our students reach and surpass goals, challenge our students
with rigor, engage all students and help them become keen thinkers. Indeed, we have
GREAT expectations of our noble knights for this new school year!
Learn to Read. Read to Learn.
Can you recall the first book you read? As we all know, the ability to read is a complex
process and life-long necessity. The key to hooking students is by modeling good reading
habits and providing students multiple opportunities to read. Clearly, the availability of
reading material has a strong impact on a child’s education. This is why our classroom
shelves are filled with books and made available for students to read during indoor lineup and throughout the day. Here’s an interesting fact- 10 to 15 minutes of daily reading
by students typically shows a 20 percentile point increase on standardized tests?
What a joy it is for us to first see our youngest of students handling books, looking at
pictures, creating their own stories, and then stretching the letters to make words that
when read fluently become meaningful sentences. Then, equipped with strategies, our
students advance to becoming skilled, analytical thinkers and read to learn. Oh the places our students will go by reading books!
Attention All Families of Third and Fifth Grade Students!
The application materials for the Center Programs for the Highly Gifted at Clearspring
Elementary School were mailed directly to all parents of third grade students. Application materials for both Center Programs, Roberto Clemente MS, Clearspring ES are
available online at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/msmagnet . Hard copies of
applications for both programs are available in the main office. All third and fifth graders are eligible to apply to the elementary and middle school Center Programs. These are
exciting opportunities for students ready for challenging experiences. Transportation is
provided.
Application deadline: November 8, 2013
Magnet Testing for Fifth Grade students will take place on:
Saturday, December 7, 2013—Roberto Clemente MS
8:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m. Snow date: Saturday, December 14, 2013
Third Grade Testing Date TBD
How to Be a Good Safety Patrol
By: Rachel Franklin, Fifth Grade Student
Being a patrol can be tough sometimes because you have to get up early every day and leave on time to get to
post before the other kids start walking to school. Being a patrol can also be so much fun. You get to see some
of your friends and spend 20-25 minutes with them in the morning and afternoon. You also get to miss a little
bit of class!
I personally think being a patrol is both tough and easy. Being a patrol makes me happy. I hope I can make
other people feel happy and safe. I enjoy being a patrol and hope that the time won’t pass by too quickly.
Here are some 10 tips for being a good safety patrol:










Always report to post on time.
Do all of your regular duties and anything else the adult crossing guard asks you to do.
Be nice to the people around you.
Demonstrate responsibility to the younger kids. Be a good role model.
Respect the school building and remind other students to, as well.
Don’t be loud or too silly.
Never let kids cross the street by themselves.
Do your part to prevent accidents and help kids when they need help.
Pay attention to what’s going on around you.
Wear your belt and badge proudly. Remember, other kids are watching you.
Dictionaries for Third Grade
The Gaithersburg Rotary Club visited our third grade students last week. Presenters informed students about
programs sponsored by the Rotary Club for families in our community. Each third grade student certainly enjoyed the presentation and appreciated receiving their personal dictionaries.
Halloween Safety
Everyone loves a good scare on Halloween, but not when it comes to child safety. There are several easy
and effective behaviors that parents can share with kids to help reduce their risk of injury.
Hard Facts
On average, children are more than twice as likely to be hit by a car and
killed on Halloween than on any other day of the year.
Top Tips

Decorate costumes and bags with reflective tape or stickers and, if
possible, choose light colors. Since masks can sometimes obstruct a child’s
vision, try non-toxic face paint and makeup whenever possible.
 Have kids use glow sticks or flashlights to help them see and be seen
by drivers.
 Children under the age of 12 should not be alone at night without adult
supervision. If kids are mature enough to be out without supervision, remind them to stick to familiar areas that are well lit and trick-or-treat in
groups.
 Popular trick-or-treating hours are 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. so be especially alert for kids during those hours.
When selecting a costume make sure it is the right size to prevent trips
and falls.
Halloween Parade and Parties Planned for Thursday, October 31, 2013
We will host our annual Halloween parade on Thursday, October 31, 2013, on the upper field near the tennis
courts at 2:00 p.m. Classroom parties will occur following the parade. As always, we respect our Strawberry
Knoll families’ beliefs. If you do not wish for your child to participate in this year’s Halloween parade and party,
please send a note to your child’s teacher. We will have an alternate activity planned and lead by staff members.
We kindly remind those students who will participate to remain mindful of their costume choices. Make-believe
weapons are not permitted. Also, costumes that may frighten other children are not allowed. If you have any
questions about plans for this year’s Halloween at the Knoll, please contact our assistant principal, Mrs. Ford.
Let’s Get to school On-Time!
School starts at 8:50 a.m. and children
are marked late if they enter after that
time.
Please make every effort to send
children to school on time. Plan to keep
NO SCHOOL
NOVEMBER 1, 2013
Professional Day for Teachers
afternoon appointments to a minimum.
Tuesday, November 5, 2013 PTA Meeting
7:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Mr. Kamins, school psychologist, will be our guest speaker .
Child care will be provided.
Monday, November 11, 2013
Town Hall Meeting 9:30 a.m.—10:30 a.m.
Have You Scheduled Your November Parent-Teacher Conference?
Slots are filling for next month’s, parent-teacher conferences. Students will be dismissed at
12:35 p.m. on Monday, November 11, 2013 and Tuesday, November 12, 2013. Teachers will then confer
with parents soon after the students leave. If you did not already schedule a conference with your child’s teacher, please contact him/her. Equally, important, if you need to reschedule your conference, contact your child’s
teacher. Let’s strive to have 100 percent participation in next month’s conferences!
Fall Holidays and Events
October 29
October 30
October 31
November 1
November 5
November 11
November 12
November 13
November 20
November 27
November 28, 29
PTA Fundraiser Pickup—Atrium
Individual Picture Day
2:00 p.m. Halloween Parade/Parties
First Marking Period Ends
Professional Day for Teachers – No School for Students
7:00 p.m.—8:00 p.m.—PTA Meeting
9:30 a.m. Town Hall Meeting
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Silver Diner Restaurant Fundraiser
7:00 p.m. PTA Fall Festival
12:35 p.m. Early Release Day for Students and Staff
HOLIDAY – Thanksgiving