October 24, 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/
Help Us Become Great!
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 their goals. Indeed, we
have GREAT expectations of our Noble Knights for this new school year!
Learn to Read. Read to Learn.
Strawberry Knoll
News
STRAWBERRY KNOLL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
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. 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 2014-2015 BGSIP is a work in progress and can be accessed online by going to
our website at www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/strawberryknolles.
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 line-up and throughout the day. Here’s an interesting fact- 10 to 15
minutes of daily reading by students typically shows a 20 percent 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!
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 afternoon appointments to a minimum.
Student Absences
Please remember: State regulations require
us to have a written note when your child is
absent. Please call the school and leave a
message on the answering machine or email
the teacher and Mrs. Wai Mei On
([email protected]), attendance
secretary to let us know when your child will
not attend school.
Lost and Found Rack Grows
If your child is missing a coat, jacket, gloves, mittens, sweatshirts, etc., please check
our Lost and Found rack outside of the
Kare-A-Lot Office when you stop by
for your Parent-Teacher Conference.
All items not claimed by Friday,
November 14, 2014 will be donated to
charity.
NO SCHOOL
NOVEMBER 4,
2014
Election Day
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 10, 2014 and Tuesday,
November 11, 2014. 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!
Mathematics Matters
Mathematics matters, particularly among those fifth grade students who are members of this year’s
Math Club. Club members meet each Wednesday after school in Mrs. Dolan’s room. During their hour
together, students have the opportunity to practice concepts taught in class, get extra help in areas of
difficulty, and get a preview of up-coming math concepts. Most importantly, by going deeper into math
concepts, students will begin to see how math affects everything we do, every day!
Gaithersburg High School Seniors Visit Strawberry Knoll!
We were pleased to welcome a wonderful group of Gaithersburg High School seniors to the Knoll last
Wednesday, October 15, 2014. Among the group of 25 seniors were 8 former Strawberry Knoll students. While here at the Knoll, our visiting seniors assisted classroom teachers and helped students.
Our senior assistants also chatted with students during their lunch and recess periods. We look forward to hosting future Gaithersburg High School Service Days!
Gaithersburg High School Seniors Serve as Interns
Did you know our school has six high school interns that come to our school each day and work with a
mentor teacher? Each of our six interns are former Noble Knights. The internship program through
Gaithersburg High School is a semester-long experience. Responsibilities required of our interns are
comprehensive.
Our GHS interns work closely with classroom teachers and specialists. They assist students in transitioning to various locations in the building. Best of all, our interns work with students in small groups
and help students acquire site vocabulary and basic math facts! Teachers and students, alike, appreciate the hard work and dedication that our GHS interns bring to the Knoll!
Interestingly, three of our six interns intend to pursue their undergraduate degrees in elementary
education. When asked where they see themselves upon earning their degrees, our three interns declared, “We want to teach at Strawberry Knoll!”
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 7, 2014
Magnet Testing for Fifth Grade students will take place on:
Saturday, December 6, 2014—Roberto Clemente MS
8:00 a.m.—11:00 a.m. Snow date: Saturday, December 13, 2014
Third Grade Testing Date TBD
Decisions will be mailed in April, 2015 to parents.
UPCOMING REMINDERS
October 30
9:00 a.m. PTA Meeting and Principal’s Coffee
2:00 p.m. Halloween Parade/Parties
First Marking Period Ends
October 31
Professional Day for Teachers –
No School for Students
November 4
HOLIDAY – Election Day –
No School for Staff and Students
November 10
12:45 p.m.—2:45 p.m. Flu Clinic for Children
November 10, 11
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal Day
Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 19
11:10 a.m.—1:50 p.m.—2nd Grade to Strathmore Hall
November 20
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. - PTA Fall Festival
November 26
12:35 p.m. Early Release Day for Students and Staff
November 27, 28
HOLIDAY – Thanksgiving
December 2
6:30 p.m. PTA Meeting—Media Center
December 12
11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. Head Start to Imagination Stage
7:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m. Movie Night
December 23
2:00 p.m. All-School Sing-A-Long—Gym
December 24, 25, 26 HOLIDAY
December 24—
Winter Break
January 4
Homework Hotline Live
Need homework help? Homework Hotline Live is a free
service just for you. Call 301-279-3234 from 4 to 6
o’clock, and talk with real MCPS teachers as you watch them on
TV. You can send online messages until 9 o’clock. Ask H-H-L.org.