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Cold Spring Elementary School
Parent Newsletter
September 15, 2015
Ferocious about Learning
We are off to a great start at Cold Spring! The students are settling into new routines,
adjusting to new classrooms, and busy making new friends. The teachers have been busy
learning new names and faces, building classroom expectations, and developing lessons that
allow children to develop positive relationships with each other, work hard in a supported
environment, and have fun. We are becoming ferocious about learning!
September is a busy month. We have already enjoyed the first assembly of the year. This
assembly focused on recognizing and preventing bullying. We want to empower students to
advocate for each other and demonstrate kindness and respect. We also have two field trips
this month. Fourth grade will be visiting Living Classrooms in Baltimore to learn more about
the Chesapeake Bay and the fifth grade Center Program classrooms will be visiting Politics
and Prose.
There are also two Feasibility Meetings scheduled to discuss possible designs for a new
building for Cold Spring. Please check the calendar included below for dates and times. You
are strongly encouraged to participate in this process.
The staff at Cold Spring is committed and extremely dedicated to students and families and
making every year a successful one. You are a major contributor to your child’s school
success and we look forward to partnering with you to provide the best possible educational
program for your child.
Changes in Dismissal Plans
Please send a note in with your child should his/her after school dismissal arrangements
change on any given day. Do not send emails. They can be unreliable (especially if our
network is down) and teachers may or may not get a chance to see them. If you have a last
minute change, please call the office to ensure that the message reaches both teacher and
student.
This is especially true once after school activities begin. Although I realize that it is
inconvenient, please send a note each day your child has an after school activity. Teachers
cannot be responsible for remembering the after school schedule of everyone in their class.
Emergency Drills
Each month schools are required to practice a fire drill. Since we have a challenging building
with few lockable doors, we will be practicing one other emergency drill in addition to our
fire drill each month. Later this month we will have our first Lockdown Drill. These drills can
sometimes be scary for our children, so when they come home talking about it, please
reassure them that we need to practice to make sure we stay safe should we have a real
emergency.
Have you returned the Parent Reunification Form for your child? If we ever have an onsite
emergency or have to evacuate to an offsite location, we will use this information to dismiss
students to their caregivers. If you need an additional form, please let the office know so we
can provide you with another one.
School Improvement Plan Updates
Thanks to the 99 parents that have completed the Parent Survey. In the survey, we asked for
parents to respond to the following questions:
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Cold Spring Elementary School
Parent Newsletter
September 15, 2015
Ferocious about Learning
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
My child is provided consistent and regular opportunities to develop their
comprehension through small group instruction in Reading/Language Arts.
My child is provided consistent and regular opportunities to develop their
comprehension through small group instruction in Mathematics.
My child’s teacher uses data to place my child into an appropriate small group for
Reading/ Language Arts.
My child’s teacher uses data to place my child into an appropriate small group for
Mathematics.
My child is benefiting from small group instruction in Reading/Language Arts.
My child is benefiting from small group instruction in Mathematics.
We gave a similar survey to all students in grades 1-5. Although students seems to agree
that small group instruction helps them learn, the overwhelming majority of responses
for parents and students indicated “unsure” in almost every category. The survey made it
clear that we need to do a better job of explaining what we do and why we do it.
Beginning next month, look for more information about small group instruction in this
newsletter and from your child’s teacher.
Center Programs for the Highly Gifted
The second week of September, applications and information for the Center Programs for the
Highly Gifted (CPHG) will be mailed to all Grade 3 students. Applications will also be posted
on the MCPS website at:
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/admission/applications.aspx.
Applications must be returned to the Division of Consortia Choice and Application Programs
Services (DCCAPS), not to local schools, by November 6, 2015. DCCAPS will notify parents of
the testing date and receipt of the application. Two parent information meetings will be held
at 7:00 p.m. at the locations below.
Date
Location
October 7, 2015
Northwest High School
13501 Richter Farm Rd.
Germantown, MD 20874
October 12, 2015
Northwood High School
919 University Blvd.
Silver Spring, MD 20901
Middle School Magnet Programs
MCPS offers a wide variety of specialized academic programs for students entering middle
school. Some programs are open only to students in the sponsoring school, while others are
open to all students in the county. These programs have different entrance criteria and
application processes.
The Middle School Magnet Programs provide rigorous and engaging programs in Humanities
and Communication and in Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science. Students from
across the county may apply to programs, by geographic cluster.
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Cold Spring Elementary School
Parent Newsletter
September 15, 2015
Ferocious about Learning
Date/Time
Thursday
October 1
7 PM
Informational
PARENT
Meeting
Location
Eastern MS
Magnet Programs
Humanities
and
Communications
Application TESTING
Deadline
DATE
Friday,
November
6
Saturday,
December 5
Monday
October 19 Takoma Park
7 PM
MS
Mathematics, Science,
Computer Science
Friday,
Saturday,
November December 5
6
Specific testing times and locations will be listed in the application packet.
For more information: Contact Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services,
at 301-592-2040.
Please follow this link for additional information:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/admissions/application
s.aspx
Calendar of Events
Tuesday, September 15
Wednesday, September 23
Thursday, September 24
Friday, September 25
Tuesday, September 29
4:00 pm – Feasibility Meeting, APR
No school for students and teachers
8:30 – 3:30 - Galusha and Palmer Field Trip
to Living Classrooms, Baltimore
8:30 – 3:30 - Cohen and Madden Field Trip
to Living Classrooms, Baltimore
9:30 – 1:00 - Sellitti and Sugar Field Trip to
Politics and Prose, DC
7:00 pm - Feasibility Meeting, APR