Farmland ESOL
Parent Newsletter
Quarter 4
The Farmland ESOL Team
Farmland’s ESOL teachers: Cheryl Ruffa, Linda
Bernard, Tatiana Khokhlova and Rachel Dinkin. Feel
free to contact us at school: 301-230-5919, or via
email with any questions or concerns.
Cheryl
Hye-Kyong [email protected]
Ruffa
Linda
[email protected]
Bernard
Rachel
[email protected]
Dinkin
Tatiana
[email protected]
Khokhlova
Kindergarten Essential Questions
 What language do we use to describe
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things?
What language do we use to describe the
environment?
What words do we use to describe things
when we write?
What language do we use to describe
feelings?
What language do we use to tell others
about a story?
What language do we use to retell a story?
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First Grade Essential Questions
We learn language by reading and discussing
stories, plays, and poems.
 What words and actions do we use to
express feelings?
 What language do we use to describe a
person or character?
 What do characters do and say to
communicate with others?
Second Grade Essential Questions
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What words do we use to describe
characters and people?
In what ways do people or characters
express what they want or how they feel?
How does talking about stories help us
improve our English
Third Grade Essential Questions
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What do I need to know to set an
achievable, challenging goal?
How can saying more about an idea,
process, or product enhance my work?
What are the costs and benefits to
achieving a goal?
What steps will I take to achieve my goal?
When should I add more details?
How might I clearly communicate all of
what I think?
When is it important to communicate in a
variety of ways?
Fourth Grade Essential Questions
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What are the costs or benefits to sharing
ideas, asking questions, or trying new tasks?
How do I decide to adapt my strategies to
clarify understanding?
How do selecting and using various
resources help me understand ideas?
What are the benefits and costs of
challenging myself?
How does modifying my thinking help me
meet challenges?
How can I adapt and use information to
clarify ideas?
Fifth Grade Essential
Questions
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What steps will I take to
achieve my goal?
How do I determine which
information, facts, or claims to trust?
How will I motivate myself to persist and
achieve my goal?
How do I make sense of conflicting information
and viewpoints when making decisions?
Which criteria should we use to justify a choice
or solution?
How will I motivate myself to persist and
achieve my goal?
Websites for ESOL Students
There are many wonderful websites where your
children will have fun and will learn lots of English.
A great place to find them is on Farmland’s own
website! Go to the Farmland website, and click on
the Media Center page. Once you are on the
Media Center page, click on Student Online
Resources and scroll down that page to Reading
Language Arts Websites. We would love to hear
from you which websites your children enjoy the
most! One website your children might find useful
is - http://englishflashgames.blogspot.com.
Earth Day
April 22nd is Earth Day in the United
States. The first Earth Day was
celebrated on April 22nd, 1970, to
educate people about the serious
problems facing our planet, and about possible
solutions for those problems. You may want to look
on the web to see events worldwide and in our
area at www.earthday.net.
K Orientation
Kindergarten Orientation for students entering
school for the 2016/2017 year will be April 18th,
19th and 20th 8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Children must
be five years old by September 1, 2016 to come to
kindergarten next year. Please call Mrs. Boland in
the office at 301-230-5919 to make an
appointment. Please let other people that speak
your language know about this if they have a child
that will come to kindergarten next year.
International Night
The Farmland PTA is hosting our annual
International Night on Wednesday, April 20, 2016
from 7:00-8:00 p.m. There will be cultural
performances of dance, music, or songs to enjoy.
There are also tables for students and families to
visit and explore various country’s unique and
interesting culture through games, crafts, artifacts,
clothing, and so forth. Please come and celebrate
our rich and diverse culture at Farmland
Elementary School!
Memorial Day Weekend
If you are not going away Memorial Day weekend
(May 30th), you might want to participate in some
of the free programs that are so close to where you
live! If you are interested, check on the internet at
http://www.rockvillemd.gov/events/hth/ . Enjoy
the holiday weekend whatever you do!
Asian/Pacific Heritage Month
May is Asian Pacific American Heritage Month -- a
celebration of Asians and Pacific Islanders in the
United States. It is celebrated with community
festivals and educational activities for students.
The Smithsonian Institute has many activities
during the month of May. You may want to go to
some of them with your family. You can see all of
the activities on their website at http://apa.si.edu/
Summer School Registration
Information about summer school is available
online. The ESOL summer school program offered
by Montgomery County Public Schools is only for
beginning level one ESOL students. The ESOL
teacher must sign the form for your child to attend
ESOL summer school. If your child is an
intermediate or advanced ESOL student, you might
want to look at the many other interesting classes
offered in the summer by MCPS. The ESOL teacher
does not need to sign the form for classes other
than ESOL. Buses are not provided for summer
school. Here’s the link to summer school
information:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departme
nts/extendedhours/summerschool/
ESOL Levels for Next Year
In your child’s report card in June, you will receive
the scores that your child achieved from the
ACCESS (ESOL) test that he or she took in February.
Your child will receive scores in all four language
skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing. The
results of this test will determine your child’s ESOL
level (or exit) for next school year.
Summer Camps
There are many summer camps run by the City of
Rockville and run by Montgomery County.
Information about the camps is in the public
libraries and on the internet. KAH (Kids After
Hours) also has a camp here at Farmland in the
summer. The camp meets each day. You can
register by the week or for as many weeks as you
would like. If you are interested please visit the
KAH website: www.kidsafterhours.com. Also,
brochures (papers) about the camp program are
available from KAH.
Dates to Remember
April 18th, 19th, 20th
Kindergarten Orientation, no school for kindergarteners
April 20th
International Night
April 26th
No School- Primary Elections
May 9th – 25th
PARCC Testing for 3rd – 5th Graders
May 30th
No School Memorial Day- a day to remember American soldiers who died
in wars
June 17th
Last day of school/ Half day
June 19th
Father’s Day