March 11, 2014
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/
“Think Spring!”
Recently our Mrs. Ford, assistant principal, posted, “Think Spring!” on our message board. Despite last week’s cancellations of school and this past weekend’s
resetting of our clocks to Daylight Savings Time, this, our first full week in
Strawberry Knoll News
STRAWBERRY KNOLL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
March has been productive. Our Noble Knights even enjoyed outdoor recess!
Those students involved in taking this month’s Maryland School Assessment,
(MSA) did so starting last Wednesday. The MSA testing window (reading/
English language arts, and mathematics) will run through this Friday,
March 14, 2014 for third through fifth grade students. Our fifth grade students will take the science portion of MSA next month. As some of you already know, two of our classes (one third grade and the other fourth grade)
will also take the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC.) Parents/guardians of those students taking the PARCC have
already been notified. The results from this year’s PARCC assessments will be
for field test purposes. The PARCC will, next year, take the place of the MSA
for all third, fourth, and fifth grade students. This “new” test aligns with the
Common Core State Standards (CCSS) and our school system’s Curriculum 2.0.
This month also brings the end of our third marking period on Thursday,
March 27, 2014. School will be closed for students on Friday, March 28, 2014.
Teachers will spend the professional day working on students’ report cards.
Clearly, time has passed quickly.
Thanks to those families that participated in last Thursday evening’s P.T.A.
sponsored “International Night.” We acknowledge Mrs. Mitrik for coordinating
Thursday’s event, a popular one within our school community. Countries represented included Ghana, India, Japan, Nigeria, Salvador, Samoa, Sri Lanka, Uruguay, and New Zealand. It’s important we continue to teach our children the
value of celebrating diversity and respecting the many cultures represented at
the Knoll!
Finally, as the son of Croatians who came to America in the early 1950’s, I vividly recall how my listening ears developed from hearing my parents speak either Croatian or German to hearing English as broadcast on the radio and certainly while watching TV. It was during the latter part of my primary grade
years as a student in MCPS that I was introduced to American idioms. That
said, we know March entered like a lion, let’s see if it goes out like a lamb.
“Think spring!”
E. Frank Kaplan
Proud Principal
St. Jude’s Math-A-Thon, Another Successful Year
Mrs. Ford thanks those students who participated in this year’s St. Jude’s Math-A-Thon. The school collected
over $500.00 towards research and treatment for sick children. St. Jude is one of the world’s premier centers
for research and treatment of childhood cancer and other deadly diseases, and is a beacon of hope to families
everywhere whose children are fighting for their lives. No family every pays St. Jude for the care their child receives. The donations gathered help make this possible. Again thanks to our Strawberry Knoll families and school
community for your support in this year’s St. Jude’s Math-A-Thon!
P.T.A. Science Fair- Another Great Success!
Seventy-five young scientists participated in last month’s P.T.A. sponsored Science Fair. Guests had a chance to
see and actually participate in an array of unique and exciting experiments! Our P.T.A. thanks the many Strawberry Knoll families and friends that joined us. A special thank you goes to the Smiley family for all of their
hard work in coordinating what has become a popular event. The P.T.A. looks forward to hosting the Science Fair
for years to come!
SKES Arts/Curriculum Knight Jaylene Perez, Gaithersburg High School Journalism Intern
Strawberry Knoll Elementary School (SKES) held a new event, an Arts/Curriculum “Knight” that exhibited all of
their student’s classwork and art projects on Thursday, January 30, 2014. Parents were invited to come and celebrate all the hard work their students have exhibited this school year.
Students reversed roles and taught their parents some of the things they’d been learning in class. “I believe that
Curriculum/Arts ‘Knight’ is important because it gives parents a glimpse of what their children do each day in
school,” said Mrs. Forman, the reading specialist at SKES. Teachers arranged interactive games and activities for
students to participate in with their families, and artwork was hung proudly in all of the hallways.
Each grade level selected a different instructional focus. “Our first grade team hosted the ‘Curriculum Café’
while other grade levels had specific math and/or reading activities in their rooms, allowing parents and students
to complete a curriculum rotation,” said Mrs. Forman. “The Curriculum Café was remarkably impressive, with one
classroom set up as an actual café, where parents were asked to sit down at various tables, while their children
waited on them and showed them all them the things they’d been studying during the first semester of the school
year. Curriculum/Arts ‘Knight’ turned out to be an exceptional event that promoted parents’ involvement in their
student’s school and education. Curriculum/Arts night is the perfect way to build and foster a home/school relationship among all of our families,” said Mrs. Forman.
Kindergarten Orientation
2014-2015
Kindergarten Orientation is in the planning stages. Please help us estimate the
number of students who will attend kindergarten at Strawberry Knoll during
the 2014-20145school year.
According to the Maryland State Law, a child must be five years old by September 1, 2014 in order
to enter kindergarten for the 2014-2015school year. Kindergarten attendance is compulsory. Parents
who do not plan for their children to attend kindergarten at the Knoll will need to contact Mr. Kaplan
after April 29, 2014 and complete an enrollment waiver. If you have a child who will enter kindergarten this fall, please complete the form below, and return it to the school office by Friday, March
21, 2014. Also, if you have a neighbor or friend who has a child of kindergarten age for fall 2013,
please pass this information sheet to them.
Kindergarten Orientation is scheduled for Thursday, May 1, and Friday, May 2, 2014 Additional
information will be provided in upcoming newsletters. Please return the bottom portion to the
Strawberry Knoll Elementary School office by Friday, March 21, 2014
««««««««««««««««««««««««««««»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»»
Strawberry Knoll Elementary School 2014-2015 Kindergarten Survey
The following child will be five years old by September 1, 2014.
Child’s Name: ___________________________ Date of Birth: __________
Parent’s/Guardian’s Name: _______________________________________
Home Address: ________________________________________________
________________________________________________
Home Phone: __________________________________________________
In order to expedite your receiving forms for Kindergarten Orientation, can the orientation
packet be sent home with an older child in your family?
Yes _____ Name of Student: ____________________________________
No _____ Please mail the packet to my home address.
No _____
Please email the packet to my email address.
____________________________________________
Get the Facts!
Have you noticed the “random acts of multiplication facts” posted around the Knoll? Fifth grade students have
posted the 7’s basic multiplication facts in the most unexpected places! Our fifth grade students know repetition is one of the best ways to learn a skill. They want to share this knowledge with our third and fourth grade
students.
Can you identify the multiplication fact posted on our Computer Lab door? That’s right! It’s 7x9=63. We encourage our third and fourth grade students to select a skill they would like to develop through repetition.
Our fifth grade students will persevere and as such know their 7’s basic multiplication facts by the end of
March. Stay tuned!
More Cold Weather?
It appears as if today’s warm weather will lose to a cold front on its way. Those who live in the New England
states may get snow. Included in today’s edition of “Strawberry Knoll News,” is fourth grade student, Aaron’s
informative article about blizzards. Enjoy!
Upcoming Dates
March 13
March 14
March 17
March18
March 27
March 28
April 1, 2
April 1
April 2
April 3
April 9
April 11
April 12—21
April 24
April 25
April 25– May 2
April 29
May 1, 2
9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. — MSA Reading Grades 3 & 4
10:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m.— MSA Reading – Grade 5
9:00 a.m.-11:30 a.m. — MSA Reading Grades 3 & 4
10:00 a.m.– 12:30 p.m.— MSA Reading – Grade 5
10:45 a.m. – 1:15 p.m. - Head Start to Imagination Stage
10:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m.—MSA Reading – Grade 5
In-school Mad Science Workshop – Grade 4
10:00 a.m.—12:30 p.m.- MSA Reading – Grade 5
7:00 p.m. Winter Luau Party and Dance
Professional Day—No School for Students
Kindergarten Orientation
7:00 p.m. PTA Meeting—Mr. Kamins. School Psychologist, Guest Speaker
MSA Science—Grade 5
MSA Science—Grade 5
6:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m. Talent Show– Gym
1:30 p.m. Town Hall Meeting/25th Anniversary Celebration—Gym
Spring Break
7:00 p.m. 25th Anniversary Celebration– Gym
7:45 a.m.—4:30 p.m. 5th Grade to DC Convention Center
PTA Book Fair– Media Center
6:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m. Pancake Dinner
Kindergarten Orientation