Strawberry Knoll
News
STRAWBERRY KNOLL ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
November 7, 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/
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Students will be dismissed at 12:35 p.m. next Monday, November 10, and Tuesday, November 11, 2014 so teachers may confer with parents. If you signed up for a conference, your child
should have given you a confirmation slip including the date/
time of conference. Given the many conferences our teachers
will hold, not only on our early dismissal days, but throughout
conference week, we ask you to respect your child’s teacher’s
conference schedule. Parent-teacher conferences help provide
both you and your child’s teacher time to discuss your child’s
strengths, weaknesses as well as next steps. No matter your
child’s age, parent-teachers conferences are important!
All children learn in different ways. Children have their unique
personalities and own work habits. To help our students learn
new knowledge and skills, teachers need to know as much as
they can about each child’s likes and dislikes. No one knows
more about your children than you. We need your help to do a
first-class job. Together, we can help our children experience
continued success!
E. Frank Kaplan
Proud Principal
Elise Burgess
Proud Principal Intern
EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS
12:35 P.M.
Monday, November 10, 2014
Tuesday, November 11, 2014
Parent/Teacher Conferences
Thanksgiving Holiday
Wednesday, November 26, 2014
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal
Thursday, November 27 & Friday, November 28, 2014
No School for Staff and Students
Parent Teacher Conference Tips
Parent-teacher conferences can seem overwhelming to some parents. Other parents feel fine
about them. Often parents go expecting the worst and are too emotionally involved to get the
best out of them. Conferences should work both ways – the teacher sharing information with
you and you sharing information with the teacher. Here are a few suggestions for making the
situation a little less stressful:
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Try to go with an open mind. Listen to how your child’s teacher sees him/her at school.
Share with your child’s teacher how your child presents him/herself at home and outside
of the school setting.
Take the time beforehand to write down any and all questions you have about the curriculum, your child’s progress, etc. It is easy to forget even a very important question when
you are nervous. Ask your child if he/she has any concerns you should discuss with the
teacher.
Don’t hesitate to ask the teacher to be more specific if you are unclear about what he/
she is telling you. “John is having trouble adjusting to school” could mean John is quiet and
shy or John is constantly picking fights – two very different situations. Remember to
raise any concerns your child has about school.
Try to separate clearly any problems into two types:
Academic: Find out exactly which academic areas your child needs to improve.
Ask the teacher specific suggestions for what you can do at home (i.e. if your child
needs to work on reading, find out if listening to him/her read aloud would be more
useful than working on pre-reading skills). You might want to make another
appointment when the teacher will have more time to show you some additional ways
you can work with your child.
Behavioral: Again, find out exactly what your child is doing (crying, talking too
much, daydreaming, fighting, etc.) that is interfering with his or her progress.
Don’t hesitate to give the teacher your suggestions for handling the behavior problem.
Remember, you know your child best. If there are things going on in your child’s life
which might explain some behavior, say so. You don’t have to be too personal. Just let
ting a teacher know that your family is going through a divorce or a favorite pet
recently died may put your child’s behavior in better perspective for the teacher.
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Talk honestly with your child about the conference. Be supportive. If academic skills need
to be sharpened, set aside time to do so. Remember that learning specific skills doesn’t
happen overnight. Praise any progress and minimize criticism when working with your child
at home. If you end up in a struggle every time you try to work with your child, you need a
new approach .
If behavior is the problem, ask your child what he/she thinks is happening. Children can be
very insightful, especially if the query is put in a low-key way. You can’t accompany your
child to school everyday. However, you can let your child know clearly what you expect.
Sometimes a three-way conference – parent-teacher-child – may be helpful.
Thanksgiving Well-Wishes
Thanksgiving is a special holiday for many different reasons. It is a time when I reflect on
my life- to see ALL things for which I am thankful. My reflection allows me to ponder my
personal and professional lives. They are indeed interwoven.
I want to thank the Strawberry Knoll staff, students, and you, our families for all you do to
take care of one another. Your generosity and volunteerism to our children is appreciated. I
certainly value our productive working relationship. You make my job the best!
Please accept my sincerest wishes for a happy Thanksgiving. Take time to reflect upon life
and its many gifts. If there’s a relationship that needs to be mended due to a misunderstanding, take time this Thanksgiving to rebuild the broken fence. As always continue to
create memories with your families and friends. Rest, relax, and reconnect! Safe travels to
those of you destined to points beyond the metro area.
Frank Kaplan
As Thanksgiving approaches, I give thanks for the wonderful opportunity to serve the community, staff, and students of Strawberry Knoll! My time here has been filled with many
positive experiences and opportunities. I also give thanks for my family and the teachers
that touch my children’s lives every day. Please take time to give thanks to the teachers
that help educate your child each and every day. And, of course, you are your child’s first
teacher, so we give thanks to you!
Elise Burgess,
UPCOMING REMINDERS
November 10
November 10, 11
November 19
November 20
November 26
November 27, 28
December 2
December 12
7:00 p.m.—9:00 p.m.
December 23
December 24, 25, 26
December 24—
January 4
January 5, 2015
12:45 p.m.—2:45 p.m. Flu Clinic for Children
12:35 p.m. Early Dismissal Days
Parent/Teacher Conferences
11:10 a.m.—1:50 p.m.—2nd Grade to Strathmore Hall
6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. - PTA Fall Festival
12:35 p.m. Early Release Day for Students and Staff
HOLIDAY – Thanksgiving
6:30 p.m. PTA Meeting—Media Center
11:00 a.m.—1:00 p.m. Head Start to Imagination Stage
Movie Night—PTA
2:00 p.m. All-School Sing-A-Long—Gym
HOLIDAY
Winter Break
Staff and students return!
PARCC Information Nights
MCPS will host two information nights for parents on the new assessments from the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC). The sessions will provide parents with useful
information on the PARCC assessments and how MCPS is preparing students for success on the tests. At
the event, parents will have an opportunity to sample PARCC test items, ask questions, and pick up grade
-level information and resources. Electronic copies of the flyer, translated in six languages, are attached. Hard copies of the flyers will be delivered to schools during the week of November 10. Please
send the flyer home via backpack with every student. A blurb is provided below.
The date and locations are as follows:
Monday, November 24, 2014
Gaithersburg High School
101 Education Boulevard, Gaithersburg
6:30 p.m.—Resource Fair
7–9 p.m.—Program and Breakout Sessions
Monday, February 2, 2015
Montgomery Blair High School
51 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring
6:30 p.m.—Resource Fair
7–9 p.m.—Program and Breakout Sessions
New MCPS Website and Mobile Application
MCPS has redesigned the district’s central website, which not only has a more contemporary look, but is
better organized to make information easier to find. MCPS also has launched a free mobile app that provides one-touch access to information and news. The app is available for the iPhone and Android-based
phones, and also is available in the Amazon app store. You can learn more about the new website by
watching a short video at the following link: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/mainstory/
story.aspx?id=387958. Please encourage your school community to visit the new website and download
the mobile app. A blurb is provided below.
Options Guide for Parents
The 2014–2015 Options guide is available online for MCPS families. The guide is designed to help students and their families learn about the various programs that are available in MCPS at the elementary,
middle, and high school levels. The guide is available in English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish and Vietnamese.
Visit http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/enrichedinnovative/options/ for more information.
PARCC Nights are Coming!
Parents: If you have questions about the Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and
Careers (PARCC) assessments and Common Core State Standards, you won’t want to miss upcoming
PARCC nights! Come learn about the assessments, what they mean for your child, and how MCPS is
preparing students for success on these new tests. You will be able to try your hand at a PARCC test
item or two and pick up grade-level information and resources.
The dates and locations are as follows:
Monday, November 24, 2014
Gaithersburg High School
101 Education Boulevard, Gaithersburg
6:30 p.m.—Resource Fair
7–9 p.m.—Program and Breakout Sessions
Monday, February 2, 2015
Montgomery Blair High School
51 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring
6:30 p.m.—Resource Fair
7–9 p.m.—Program and Breakout Sessions
For more information, visit the MCPS website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, search “PARCC
Nights,” or call 301-309-6277.
¡LLEGAN LAS NOCHES DE PARCC!
Padres: Si tienen preguntas sobre las evaluaciones denominadas Partnership for Assessment of
Readiness for College and Careers (PARCC) y sobre los Estándares Estatales de Conocimientos
Fundamentales Comunes (Common Core State Standards–CCSS), no querrán perderse las próximas
noches PARCC! Vengan y aprendan acerca de las evaluaciones, lo que significan para sus hijos, y cómo
MCPS está preparando a los estudiantes para el éxito con estas nuevas evaluaciones. Ustedes podrán
probar a responder una o dos preguntas de PARCC y recoger información y recursos por nivel de
grado.
Las fechas y lugares son los siguientes:
Lunes, 24 de noviembre, 2014
Gaithersburg High School
101 Education Boulevard, Gaithersburg
6:30 p.m—Feria de Recursos
7 a 9 p.m—Programa y Sesiones en Grupos Separados
Lunes, 2 de febrero, 2015
Montgomery Blair High School
51 University Boulevard East, Silver Spring
6:30 p.m.—Feria de Recursos
7 a 9 p.m.—Programa y Sesiones en Grupos Separados