Lee F. Derby, Principal
Meaghen Alexander,
Acting Assistant Principal
January 2016
www.mcpsmd.org/schools/cedargrovees
Mid-Year Check In
The first semester year will soon draw to a
close, bringing us to the halfway point of
the 2015-2016 school year. This milestone
is a natural time to check on our individual
and collective progress since the beginning
of the year and in relation to past years.
While we continually assess such progress,
over the next few weeks, teachers will be
assessing students using standardized
district-wide measures including mCLASS,
ACCESS, MAP-R, and MAP-P/M. These
assessments provide the opportunity for us
to gauge student growth in reading, math,
and English language proficiency, as well
as compare their growth to established
benchmarks. Similarly, our Instructional
Leadership Team will be using the
information gathered along with other data
to measure progress on our School
Improvement Plan (SIP) goals. Look for
SIP updates and more information
regarding your child’s performance on
these assessments in the coming weeks.
The halfway point of the year is also a good
time to make sure that everyone has a
shared understanding of operating
procedures -- that we’re all “on the same
page.” Many teachers review classroom
rules and procedures, and I think it’s a good
idea to do that as a school community, as
well. One of the most critical components
to the success of any organization is
effective communication. To aid that
effectiveness, we have created a
communication chart that identifies key
contacts at school regarding various topics,
questions, and concerns that parents may
have. You’ll see that the staff designated in
each of the areas are those directly
responsible for them and therefore would
have the most knowledge and ability to
address your concerns. I am a firm believer
in direct communication and its power to
build relationships and move organizations
forward. Of course, there are grey areas
that don’t fall neatly into any of the
categories. If you’ve consulted the chart
and still are unsure who to contact, let us
know in the office, and we can point you in
the right direction. We’re looking forward
to continued growth in our students, our
school, and our partnership. Here’s to a
great second semester!
Science Expo Returns
This year’s Science Expo will be
held this Wednesday, January 13,
from 7:00-8:30 p.m. This year’s
expo is a joint venture between the
school and PTA and will be held at
Rocky Hill MS to allow expanded
participation. I hope you can join
us -- I guarantee you’ll be
impressed.
Middle School News
Parent Drop-Off and Pick-Up
Procedures Clarified
We want to thank everyone for their
support and cooperation as we
reestablished our parent drop-off and pickup procedures back in December. The
students are safer and the traffic flows
better now that everyone is using the
parking lot and loop to the right. To further
guarantee the safety of everyone during this
process, we are additionally reminding all
adults to stay in their cars in a single-file
line during the drop-off and pick-up times.
Parking in the flow of traffic and double
parking are not permitted. The school
staff members on duty and student patrols
will help open and close car doors, and
provide assistance for students who need
aid in climbing into cars and buckling
seatbelts. This will prevent adults from
getting out of cars as other cars may be
passing by and thereby increase the flow of
traffic necessary for a timely and smooth
arrival and dismissal period. If you deem it
necessary to help your child in and out of
the car personally, or to walk your child to
the front doors or meet them after school,
please park in one of the parking spaces in
the right-hand parking lot, cross the parking
lot and driving lane with caution, and use
the crosswalk provided. Safety is our
number one priority and with everyone
working as a team we can ensure a safe and
positive school day from start to finish!
Bear Way Updates
Classes from K-5 continue to
demonstrate outstanding behavior in
the hallways and during lunch and
recess. As a result, our Bear Way
competition is close, and the winning
classes are earning more bears than
ever. Those winners for December are:
K
Mrs. Cornell’s Class
1-2
Mrs. Gross’ Class
3-5
Mrs. Troup’s Class
We look forward to keeping up the
great work!
Barbara Woodward, Principal of
Clarksburg-Damascus Middle School #2 is
thrilled to be officially in her position.
During her first days on the job she is
working with central office staff on the
naming committee, staffing, and the
articulation process for incoming students.
Included in this process will be parent
nights for all current 5th and 6th graders at
Cedar Grove and Wims Elementary
Schools in early February. She is looking
forward to getting to know the community.
Dr. Woodward will join us for our February
PTA meeting to provide additional
information regarding the opening of the
new school, how parents and students will
be involved in that process, and registration
procedures for incoming sixth and seventh
graders. We hope you can join us, as well.
We’ll be meeting in the Media Center on
Tuesday, February 2, at 7:00 p.m.
Saturday School Continues
Are you looking for some additional
instruction and reinforcement of classroom
concepts and skills for your child? Saturday
School may be for you. Although the
program started in October, students may
enroll at any time. We have several current
and former Saturday School attendees, and
the feedback from their parents has been
consistently positive. Additional information
is also available at www.saturdayschool.org
The FY 2017 Operating Budget—
A Call to Fund Our Future
Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers
submitted a $2.4 billion recommendedoperating budget for Fiscal Year 2017 to
the Board of Education on December 8.
Mr. Bowers’ operating budget
recommendation includes investments to
improve student literacy and math skills;
build the cultural proficiency of staff; foster
stronger partnerships with the community
and our families to support students; and
better organize the district to ensure every
student is prepared for college and careers.
There are a variety of ways that you can
learn more about the MCPS budget and
become involved in the budget process this
year, including the new Budget 101
website. Visit the budget webpage to read
more about these resources.
In addition, our Clarksburg cluster PTA
representatives will be testifying on behalf
of Cedar Grove and all the cluster schools
on this Thursday, January 14. The budget
hearing begins at 7:00 p.m. in the
auditorium of the Carver Educational
Services Center.
2016-2017 School Year Calendar is Set
The Montgomery County Board of
Education has approved the calendar for the
2016–2017 school year. School will begin
on Monday, August 29, 2016, and is
scheduled to end on Friday, June 16, 2017.
The calendar was developed in partnership
with the Montgomery County Council of
PTAs, the school district’s three employee
associations, and the Montgomery County
Region of Maryland Association of Student
Councils, as well as other community
members and school system leadership.
The calendar can be found on the MCPS
website and will soon be available in seven
languages—Amharic, Chinese, English,
French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
The Great Adventure Lab
Montgomery College Youth Programs will
conduct The Great Adventure Lab, a day
filled with high-quality, hands-on,
educational and super-fun programs in
science, programming, and engineering.
This special one-day program for students
in grades 4, 5, and 6 is being offered on
Saturday, January 23, from 8:30am3:30pm at the Rockville campus. Students
will learn basic concepts, tackle challenges,
and sharpen their skills with these exciting
classes. Topics include: Mindstorms
(LEGO® Mindstorms NXT), Video Game
Programming, Young Engineers,
Electronics, Space Engineers, and 3-D
Designing & Printing. Space is limited, so
register soon to secure a spot for this
exciting opportunity.
Cedar Grove Alumni Win App
Challenge, Need Your Vote
A team made up of six of our former
students -- Neha Chandra, Ojas Jagtap,
Madhuri Kola, Raya Rizwan, Eashana
Subramanian, and Saahith Tupakula -- has
won Best in State in the Verizon Innovative
App Challenge Middle School Division.
That means the app concept they submitted
is the best among all entries in Maryland
and one of the best among a total of 1,200
submissions received nationwide. They
won a $5,000 grant to develop the app and
tablets for every team member from
Verizon Foundations and are now heading
to National level completion. The mobile
app concept they developed will help
children with Autism and their families and
is explained in a video. The team is also
running for the App Challenge Fan Favorite
award. To win, their app concept needs to
get the most votes from public. Please help
the team win by texting AUTBUDDY2 to
22333 by January 31.
Winter weather has finally arrived, and it’s
important that you know our philosophy
and practices in terms of recess, P.E., and
other classes. We firmly believe that
children benefit in several ways from being
outside. Therefore, we regularly take our
students outside for both physical activity
and academics all year long. We will not
go out in rain, extreme cold, or other
inclement weather, but cold temperatures
alone will not keep us in. Please send your
child to school prepared to go outside
every day.
Jump Rope and Hoops for Heart
Coming Up
All students will be participating in Jump
Rope for Heart and Hoops for Heart again
this year during their regularly scheduled
PE classes from February 8-12. These
programs raise funds for the American
Heart Association’s (AHA) fight against
heart disease and stroke. Students will
develop jump rope and basketball skills
while also learning about heart health and
how proper nutrition and physical activity
can help them live longer and healthier
lives. Of course, they also learn the value
and rewards that come with helping others.
Details have been shared with students and
have been sent home separately. If you
have any questions, please contact our PE
teacher, Mr. Jansson.
While all students will participate in these
two programs whether they choose to raise
funds for the AHA or not, we are hoping to
top last year’s donation. Rumor has it that
Mr. Jansson has a special surprise in store
for us again this year if we meet that goal.
Our parents support us in a variety of
ways, and we are indeed grateful for
your many, varied contributions,
including:
 Thank you to the PTA for
subsidizing the Grade 3 Field trip
to the Baltimore Museum of
Industry
 Thanks to all who participate in
the Giant and Target funds for
education programs. Through
your generosity we were recently
able to purchase a costume for
our mascot Grover (Giant) and
additional decorations for Winter
Wonderland (Target)
From Mrs. Jackson, choral music teacher
and SGA sponsor:
 With your help, the SGA
collected 120 toys for the Toys
for Tots campaign this year.
Thanks so much to everyone who
donated!
 Thank you staff, parents and
PTA for supporting our Winter
instrumental and chorus concert
on December 9th. Mrs.
Eschelman and I truly appreciate
your support of the music
program here at Cedar Grove.
Dates to Remember
1/12
1/13
1/18
1/20
1/21
1/22
1/25
2/2
Group Picture Day
Science Expo @ 7:00 PM-RHMS
No School-MLK, Jr.’s Birthday
SGA Spirit Day - Comfy
Couchwear/Loungewear Day
Vision/Hearing Screening
Vision/Hearing Screening
Marking Period 2 ends
Flyer Distribution Day
No School-Professional Day
PTA Meeting @ 7:00 PM