Farmland ESOL
Parent Newsletter
Q3 Parent Newsletter 2016
Grading ESOL Students
Valentine’s Day Celebrations
There is a grading policy for ESOL students
in MCPS. The policy says that an ESOL student can
receive NEP (Non English Proficient) instead of a
grade for only the first two quarters that he or she
is in an American school. After two quarters, ESOL
students are to be graded on their performance on
the same grade level standards as other students in
their grade. We understand that for a beginning
ESOL student it is very difficult to do the same work
as the other students in the regular classroom and
to be graded on the same indicators. Your student
may not receive good grades from the classroom
teacher but that does not mean that he or she is
not working hard and making lots of progress. As
your child’s English improves so will their grades.
Valentine’s Day is always
on February 14th. It is a day to
show your friends and family
that you care about them.
Students celebrate in school
with a class party in the
afternoon. This year the school
celebration will be on Friday, February 12th.
Children give a Valentine card to each student in
his or her class. It is important that your child
brings in a card for each student in his or her class
so that nobody is unhappy. You can make the
cards at home or you can buy some at a store. The
school directory or a class list will help you with the
spelling of each student’s name in the class.
Visit Mount Vernon
Presidents’ Day Celebration
Presidents’ Day is a holiday when we honor
the contributions American presidents have made
to the country. Two of our most famous presidents
had birthdays in February.
George Washington was the first president
of the U.S. His birthday was on February 18th.
Abraham Lincoln was the president during the Civil
War and helped keep the country together. His
birthday was on February 12th. We used to
celebrate both birthdays separately. In 1968 the
two days were combined into one day honoring all
U.S. presidents called Presidents’ Day. It is always
the third Monday in the month of February. This
year it will be celebrated on February 15th.
This is a federal holiday, so government
offices, schools, banks and post offices are closed.
Some businesses are closed, but most stores
remain open for shopping. Farmland and all other
schools in Montgomery County will be closed on
this day. Have a nice three-day weekend!
Mount Vernon is the home of George
Washington. It is not a long drive from Rockville to
his estate. It is open to the public and is a very
interesting place to visit. Usually, there is a charge
to visit his home. However, each year on his
birthday you can visit for free! Although his actual
birthday is February 22nd, his birthday will be
celebrated this year on the 15th. To get more
information and directions go to the website at
www.mountvernon.org
K Orientation
First Grade
Kindergarten Orientation for students
entering school for the 2016/2017 year will be April
18th and 19th from 8:45 a.m. to 3:30 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.
Expressing my ideas and opinions helps others
understand how I see the world.
 How do we express our opinion?
 How does language help me express how I see
the world?
 What helps me express my opinions and ideas
clearly?
 How we express our ideas and opinions can
affect our decisions and those of others.
• What can we do and say to solve problems?
• What do we say to persuade others?
• How do we express our opinions and ideas?
Smithsonian Kite Festival
March is known as the windy month and
the Smithsonian always has a kite festival on the
mall downtown. This year it will be held on,
Saturday, April 2nd from, 10 AM to 4:30PM on the
grounds of the Washington Monument. Please
check the website to find out the different kinds of
kite competitions that you can enter. If you do not
want to fly a kite, it is still fun to go and watch the
event with your child. Please check the website for
all of the times and events at
http://dc.about.com/od/specialevents/a/SmithKite
Fest.htm
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Second Grade
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Language helps us express our opinions and
ideas.
What words do we use to express our opinion?
What are ways we express reasons to support
our opinions?
Why should we listen to the opinions and ideas
of other people?
What language do we use when we talk about
problems and solutions?
Third Grade
Enduring Understanding and
Essential Questions
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Kindergarten
Enduring Understandings
 We use language to tell others about our
community and its resources.
 We use language to measure and compare
things in the world around us.
Essential Questions
 What language do we use to express our wants
and needs?
 What language do we use when making
choices?
 What language do we use to tell others about
our community and its resources?
 What language do we use for measuring and
comparing?
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How can I make adjustments to my thinking?
What are the costs or benefits to sharing ideas,
asking questions, or trying new tasks?
What have I learned in the past from setbacks
or mistakes?
What changes or tweaks might make an idea,
process, or product better?
How can I challenge myself and others to go
deeper or try again?
What other ways are there to look at this idea,
process, or product?
What is a new way of looking at a familiar idea,
process, or product?
Fourth Grade
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How do I select and test possible options to
make decisions?
How do I know when a learning strategy is
working and what do I do if it’s not?
Which criteria should we use to justify a choice
or solution?
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How do I use new information when it conflicts
with my thinking?
How do I determine which information, facts,
or claims to trust?
How can I monitor the effectiveness of my
thinking?
Fifth Grade
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What are the benefits of challenging myself and
others?
What is the most beneficial response to
uncertainty?
How does adding details improve my work?
In what ways can I enhance my work?
What are the benefits and costs of taking an
intellectual risk?
When is elaboration important?
Dates to Remember
February 2nd
Groundhog Day
February 12th
Valentine’s Day celebrations
are in classrooms in the
afternoon.
February 15th
No school- Presidents’ Day.
February 26th
Early Release Day
March 23rd
Third marking period ends
March 24th
Professional Day for Teacherno school for students
March 25th
Spring Break
April 4th
Spring break is over and
school starts again