Strawberry Knoll
News
STRAWBERRY KNOLL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
September 29, 2014
18820 Strawberry Knoll Road
Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879
E. Frank Kaplan, Principal
Elise Burgess, Principal Intern
Web Site Address—http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/
strawberryknolles/
School Improvement Plan
Our School Improvement Plan focuses on small group differentiated math instruction. As a school we are dedicated to ensuring
we are meeting the needs of all students throughout differentiation and assessment. Differentiation is provided in all classrooms
and across all content areas. This means teachers are providing
rigor or extra support to the lessons in order to meet the needs
of all of our students. Acceleration, enrichment, support and extensions are provided to students who have mastered or need
scaffolds to reach mastery of the indicators in Math. Within
your child’s math block, teachers are introducing, re-teaching, or
enriching a math content indicator at the beginning of the block.
After the introduction, teachers work with small math groups to
meet the needs of our diverse learners. The small group lessons
area aligned with students’ varied math proficiency levels. Students who are not with the teacher for guided math instruction
either engage in independent work or station activities. Teachers
assess student understanding as it relates to the indicator
throughout instruction. This may look like an exit card or a formative assessment at the end of the math block. It could also be
teacher observation, or your child’s use of manipulatives that is
being assessed as it relates to the indicator taught. Please refer
to the county parent resource guides for Curriculum 2.0 and remain informed about what your child is learning in math class.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/elementary/
guides.aspx
SKES P.E. Department and P.T.A. Host Fun Run/Walk and Family Picnic
Thanks to those families that participated in our recent Fun Run/Walk and Family Picnic. The weather was fall-like as participants ran/walked the 1.5 mile course around the Knoll. All runners/walkers
were cheered as they crossed the finish line.
Congratulations to those Noble Knights that ran the race with times as follows:
Kindergarten – Nhoriel 16:30
First Grade- Adam 15:30
Second Grade - Greyson 16:52
Third Grade – Daniel 12:21
Fourth Grade – Jahbari 11:39
Fifth Grade – *Ivan 11:25
All had a good time dancing to tunes played by the Disc Jockey, enjoying picnic dinners with family
and friends and meeting our newest SKES family members. Thanks to our P.T.A. for their hard work
and support. If you weren’t able to join us at the Fun Run/Walk, consider bringing the family to this
Friday evening’s P.T.A. Movie Night.
Town Hall Meeting—September 24, 2014
Our first town hall meeting of this year was held on September 24, 2014. Girl Scout Troop 5971 designed and donated a Buddy Bench to the Knoll. The beautifully crafted Buddy Bench was unveiled and
presented to our staff, students, and parents. Boys and girls are encouraged to observe any classmates sitting on this bench and be a good friend by inviting others to play at recess.
Our town hall meeting was also an excellent opportunity for our
staff to show parents how we address social and emotional learning
for all children. Staff have held weekly class meetings to build relationships with students, create a strong sense of community, and
practice skills from the “Stop & Think” social skills program. Staff
and students competed in an interactive game called “Are you Smarter than A Noble Knight?“ Our kids with character came out on top!
The town hall meeting concluded with Mrs. Thomas singing a stunning
version of, “The Greatest Love of All.”
UPCOMING REMINDERS
October 3
October 3 – 10
October 8
October 17
October 30
October 31
November 4
November 10
November 10, 11
November 20
November 26
November 27, 28
7:00 p.m. PTA Movie Night
P.T.A. Book Fair – Media Center
Individual Picture Day for Students
National Walk to School Day
State Conference for Teachers –
No School for Staff and Students
9:00 a.m. PTA Meeting and Principal’s Coffee
2:00 p.m. Halloween Parade/Parties
First Marking Period Ends
Professional Day for Teachers –
No School for Students
HOLIDAY – Election Day –
No School for Staff and Students
12:45 p.m.—2:45 p.m.—Flu Clinic for Students
by appointment
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. - PTA Fall Festival
12:35 p.m. Early Release Day for Students and Staff
HOLIDAY – Thanksgiving
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