FARMLAND
ESOL PARENT NEWSLETTER
Quarter 2
November 2015 – January 2016
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
Ruffa
[email protected]
Linda
[email protected]
Bernard
Rachel
[email protected]
Dinkin
Tatiana
[email protected]
Khokhlova
Our Wish List
It has turned to the season when our children are
sneezing and coughing. ESOL teachers would
welcome donations of tissue boxes, liquid soap
and/or hand sanitizer to control the spread of
germs. Sending these things to the ESOL
classroom is completely voluntary, not required.
ESOL
Grading and Reporting
Your child will bring home his or her
first report card on November 12th. At your
parent conference, you might see a copy of
it. Please remember that when a teacher
cannot give a grade, due to limited English,
the report card will say “NEP”, non-English
proficient. Students can receive NEP for
only two marking periods, or quarters (for
ESOL 1 or 2) after students have been at a
MCPS school for more than two report
cards, they will be graded on the mastery of
outcomes for their grade level. The report
card shows academic grades as well as
learning skills. Academic grades show what
your child knows and is able to do. Learning
skills show their behavior and effort in
class.
On the report card you will also see a
section for ESOL. Your child will receive a
mark for listening, speaking, reading and
writing. The mark will show the ESOL WIDA
level at which your child is presently
performing on for each English language
skill. It is possible for your child to achieve
anywhere within the ESOL levels of 1-5.
Newsletter 1
ESOL Essential Questions
for the Second Quarter
ESOL Enduring Understandings & Essential
Questions for Kindergarten:
 How does sharing thinking help me
understand new ideas?
 How can representing and describing new
ideas in different ways help you learn?
 How does asking questions and seeking
answers help you think about new ideas?
 How does organizing ideas help you learn?
ESOL Enduring Understandings and Essential
Questions for First Grade:
 How does asking questions in different
ways help you make sense of ideas?
 How does using different strategies help
you create ideas?
 How does being willing to share ideas, ask
questions, or try new tasks help you learn?
 How does being willing to change help you
solve a challenging problem?
ESOL Enduring Understandings & Essential
Questions for Second Grade:
 How does thinking about what you know
help you determine what you need to
know?
 How does breaking down a whole into parts
help you explain how parts are related or
make inferences?
 How does asking clarifying questions about
your thinking help you adjust your
strategies and learn?
 How do organizing and explaining your
ideas help you self-monitor and learn?
ESOL Enduring Understandings & Essential
Questions for Third Grade:
 How do I select and test possible
choices to make decisions?
 How can explaining my thinking help
me learn?
 What strategies can I use to check
how I am doing?
 How do I use new information when it
conflicts with my thinking?
 Which criteria should we use to
justify a choice or solution?
 What can I learn through selfmonitoring?
ESOL Enduring Understandings & Essential
Questions for Fourth Grade:
What do I need to know to set an achievable
goal?
 What steps do I take to achieve my
goal?
 How does adding details improve my
work?
 How does combining or adding to my
ideas improve my work?
 In what ways can I enhance my work?
ESOL Enduring Understandings & Essential
Questions for Fifth Grade:
 How do I use new information when it
conflicts with my thinking?
 How can I monitor the effectiveness
of my thinking?
 How can I put ideas together to form
a solution?
 How does synthesizing information
help me understand a concept?
 How I know when a learning strategy
is working and what do I do if it’s not.
Newsletter 2
UPCOMING DATES
NOVEMBER
Nov. 11th & 12th: Parent Conferences/Early
Dismissal. These are half days for students.
The day will end at 1:20 for students. There is no
school in the afternoon so that parents and
teachers can conference about the students.
Nov. 25th: Early Dismissal. Students dismissed
at 1:20.
Nov. 26th & 27th: Thanksgiving Break. There is
no school on these days so that families can
celebrate Thanksgiving.
DECEMBER
Dec. 6th – Dec. 14th: Hanukkah
Dec. 24th – Jan. 13t: Winter Vacation. No
school
 Dec. 24th: Christmas Eve
 Dec. 25th: Christmas Day
 Dec. 26th: Kwanzaa begins
 Dec. 31st: New Year’s Eve
JANUARY
Parent-Teacher
Conferences
You should already have a date for a
conference with your child’s classroom teacher.
If you do not have one, please email the
classroom teacher or write them a note. The
ESOL teachers will try to be at as many
conferences as possible. If you do not get a
chance to conference with the ESOL teacher
and would like to meet, feel free to e-mail to
arrange an appointment.
Do you speak English well enough to speak
with the teacher about your child’s progress?
If not, you may want to bring someone with you
who speaks both your language and English well.
In the future, you can request an interpreter
for a conference. The request must be made a
few weeks before the conference.
Before the conference, write down a list
of questions to ask the teacher. During the
conference, ask the questions you prepared and
take note of the important things said by the
teacher. After the conference, talk with your
child about what the teacher said. Remember to
tell your child the positive things first. Then,
tell them what they need to work on.
st
Jan. 1 : New Year’s Day. Have fun watching
the Rose Ball Parade on television and many
college football games!
Jan. 4th: Winter break ends. Back to school!
January 22nd: End of Q2 Marking Period
January 18th: Dr. Martin Luther King’s
Birthday. Schools and federal offices are closed
to honor him.
January 25st: Teacher Report Card
Preparation Day. No school for students.
Teachers will have time to work on report cards
and go to professional meetings.
PTA Newsletters!
The PTA would like all ESOL parents to
join! This will help you know all that is happening
at school. They provide the school with financial
support and are responsible for events such as
the Science Fair, International Night, the
Geography Bee, Cultural Arts assemblies and
much more. They welcome parent volunteers.
You can go to www.farmland-pta.org to
join the PTA and to sign up for eNews for PTA
updates.
Newsletter 3
Tips for Parents
Sign Up For MCPS
QuickNotes
The MCPS QuickNotes e-mail news service is
available in English, Spanish, French, Chinese,
Korean and Vietnamese. It is a monthly
newsletter gives parents important
information about Montgomery County Public
Schools. Go to the home page at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org and click on
“Parents & Students” at the top. Click on
“Sign Up for QuickNotes” under the column
that says “For Parents” and follow the
instructions to subscribe to this service.
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is celebrated on the
fourth Thursday in November. This year it
is November 26th. There is no school on
Thursday and Friday so that families and
friends can celebrate together.
The tradition was started with the
Native Americans and the Pilgrims. When
the Pilgrims arrived from England, the first
winter was very hard and many died. In the
spring, they met some friendly Native
Americans who taught them how to plant,
hunt and fish. The harvest was so
wonderful in the fall that the Pilgrims
invited the Native Americans to a three
day celebration to give thanks to God for
all of their blessings.
During Winter Break, try some of the
following ideas to keep your child learning
English:
* Visit the public library. Allow your child to
select books. Children's books on tape or CDs
can provide good English models. Ask the
librarian for suggestions.
* Visit some of the many (and free) museums
in the Washington area.
* Have your child write (or draw) in a journal
about the day's activities (especially if you go
on vacation).
* Plan "play dates" with English-speaking
friends.
* Help your child to do arts-and-crafts or
make yummy treats.
Today, Americans celebrate the holiday in
many ways. People usually eat turkey,
stuffing, cranberries, sweet potatoes and
apple or pumpkin pie. There is a big parade
in New York that you can watch on
television. There are many football games
on television as well.
Newsletter 4
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Attendance and Absences
During Family Vacations
Vacations are not considered excused absences
from school. It is highly recommended that
vacations be planned during school holidays.
When family vacations require students to miss
school, students are encouraged to maintain a
daily travel journal and to read in English for
at least 20 minutes each day. When a student
returns to school, he/she will be asked to
complete some of the work that was missed.
Individual teachers will determine how work
that was missed is to be completed. Teachers
are not expected to plan work for students
during family vacations during the school year.
January ESOL Testing
All ESOL students in the state of Maryland
take a test every year. Once again, this year
we will all use the ACCESS test that 32 other
states in the USA use. The window for the
test this year is January 6th – February 12th.
Students will be tested in all four language
skills: listening, speaking, reading and writing.
The speaking test is given individually; the
other three sections are given in a group.
(Except in kindergarten, where the entire test
is given individually) It is important that you
do not plan vacations during this window
About Dr. Martin Luther King
Dr. Martin Luther King was a famous African-American. We celebrate a holiday to
remember him on the third Monday in January although he was born on January 15, 1929.
This year he will be remembered on Monday, January 18th. When Dr. King was growing up,
there were laws that did not let African-Americans do the same things as white people. He
knew these laws were wrong. He believed everyone should be treated fairly, or equally. He
gave speeches and tried to change things in a peaceful way. Unfortunately, he did not live to
see his dream come true. Dr. King was shot and killed on April 4, 1968. Today, we celebrate
his life. In Montgomery County we close the schools and some offices. People gather to
honor Dr. King.
Newsletter 5
Weather Related
Closings
Now that it is winter, it may be
necessary to close the school if the
weather is bad. Sometimes the closing is
announced on the radio or television the
night before. Other times, it is announced
on the radio or television early in the
morning. It is important to listen to the
news when there is snow or ice. Do not
call the school unless you do not
understand the news about the closing.
Also, look on the MCPS website,
www.montgomeryschools.org which always
posts all important announcements.
Sometimes school is not closed, but
opens two hours late so that the roads
can be cleared of snow or ice. Other
times, the bad weather might start after
the students come to school. When that
happens, school might close early. If the
weather is bad during the day, please
listen to the news. It is important that
your child knows where he or she will go if
school closes early.
Christmas, Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. However,
some people do not celebrate any holiday in
December. This is important to know
because many children can feel left out
during this month.
Christmas celebrates the birth
of Jesus Christ. Countries celebrate his
birth in many different ways. In the U.S.A.
people usually have a Christmas tree, eat a
big family dinner, go to church, and open lots
of presents. Christmas is always celebrated
on December 25th. Stores, libraries, banks
and many restaurants will be closed.
Jewish families celebrate a holiday
called Hanukah. For eight nights the families
light candles in a candle holder that is called
a menorah or chanukiah. One new candle is lit
each night until the menorah is filled with
eight candles. The holiday remembers a
miracle that happened over 2,000 years ago.
Jewish people in the U.S.A. usually exchange
gifts and eat potato latkes (pancakes). This
year Hanukah begins at sunset on December
16th and lasts until sunset on December 24th.
The Jewish people use a lunar calendar to
know when to celebrate the holiday.
Kwanzaa began in 1966 to celebrate
African American family unity. Families light
candles in a holder called a kinara. One
candle is lit each night until all seven candles
are burning. Kwanzaa always begins on
December 26th and lasts until January 1st.
December Holidays
The United States has many celebrations
in December. In your country, everyone
might celebrate Christmas or Hanukkah.
In the USA, people might celebrate
Newsletter 6
December Family Activities
There are many fun activities in our area that you can
enjoy with your family during the month of December.
Here are a few suggestions!
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Watch the Christmas parade from
Disneyworld on television on Christmas
morning. Check your newspaper for the
time and channel.
Watch the Rose Bowl Parade on TV from
California on New Year’s Day. All of the
floats are made out of flowers. Check
your newspaper for the time and channel.
See the Zoo Lights at the National Zoo on
November 27th - January 1st (closed
December 24th, 25th, and 31st). The event
is from 5 PM to 9 PM. No tickets are
needed. The event is free!
Visit the Festival of Lights at the Mormon
Temple in Kensington, Maryland. (301)
587-0144. December 3rd – 31st. Musical
performances are at 7 PM and 8:30 PM in
the Visitor’s Center. Tickets to the
performances are given away for free 90
minutes before each performance. It’s
open from 10 AM to 9:00 PM daily with
the lights being turned on at dusk.
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Drive through the Winter Lights at Seneca
Creek State Park in Gaithersburg, Maryland.
Nightly, November 27th – December 31st
(closed December 25th). Sunday – Thursday 6
– 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday 6 – 10 p.m.
Winter Lights is a magical Christmas light
display including more than 365 illuminated
displays and along a 3.5-mile drive through
the park. The cost is $12 per car Monday Thursday and $15 Friday - Sunday 6 PM- 10
PM.
Visiting the National Christmas Tree in
Washington DC is a tradition. It will be lit on
December 3rd at 5 PM but all tickets have
been given away. You can view it at any time
at the Ellipse near the White House. For
additional information visit
www.nationaltree.org
Watch the National Hanukkah Menorah
Lighting Ceremony. It will be December 6th at
4 p.m. check the website for updates:
www.nationalmenorah.org
Admission is free. However, tickets are
required for reserved seats. Standing room is
available to all. 202-332-5600. Festivities at
the lighting ceremony include musical
performances and hot latkes and donuts. This
year's celebration will feature the US Air
Force Band. The menorah will be lit each
night of Hanukkah.
Newsletter 7