Farmland Elementary School
Barnyard Bulletin
December 2015
7000 Old Gate Road
Rockville, MD 20852
(301) 230-5919 FAX (301) 230-5424
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/farmlandes/
Mary Bliss, Principal
[email protected]
Dan Tucci, Assistant Principal
[email protected]
Dear Farmland Families and Students,
I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family and friends. It is such a beautiful
holiday to initiate a season of celebrations!
Please make time to come to the PTA meeting on Tuesday, December 1 st at 7:00 in the media center.
After the PTA General Meeting, the PTA is hosting a guest speaker, Kate Weeda, who also happens to be
one of our parents. Kate works in a private practice as a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in
depression and anxiety. She and her partner, Kate Bradley operate Strong Voices which has been offered
at Farmland as an after-school program aimed at building self-confidence in girls. At the PTA meeting,
she will be speaking on “Raising Resilient, Anxiety Free Kids.” Given how anxiety is on the raise in
young students, this is a very beneficial program to attend.
I have mentioned before how the school is focusing on developing the skills of perseverance, selfefficacy, and accountability to help our children become successful in school, their careers, and their
personal lives. As part of that process, the Instructional Leadership Team is studying the text, Mindset, by
Dr. Carol S. Dweck. I shared a video link by her before in one of my letters. I am glad so many families
mentioned they found it valuable. Mindset is an excellent resource about Fixed Mindset versus Growth
Mindset and how we can develop a growth mindset in our children.
Children with a fixed mindset believe that intelligence or personality traits are “fixed” from birth. You are
either smart or you are not. If you are shy, you will always be shy. Children with a growth mindset
believe that intelligence or personality traits are developed through effort. When presented with a
challenging task, a fixed mindset child may fear what he or she sees as potential “failure”, while a growth
mindset child is excited about the opportunity to grow in their learning.
Dr. Dweck refers to Alfred Binet, the inventor of the IQ test. Here is a wonderful quote she uses of his:
“A few modern philosophers…assert that an individual’s intelligence is a fixed quantity, a quantity which
cannot be increased. We must protest and react against this brutal pessimism…With practice, training,
and above all, method, we manage to increase our attention, our memory, our judgment, and literally to
become more intelligent that we were before.” (pg. 5)
Our goal is to instill in our children that they do have the ability to achieve with practice, effort, and
perseverance. We may not become masters in every skill or talent we strive to learn; but, everyone can
build and improve upon their initial foundation by using these character traits.
For the next three weeks (one grade level per week), we will begin our Spelling Bee selection process
with third through fifth grade students who signed up to participate completing written tests during their
lunch and recess periods. This special opportunity is possible due to the orchestrating and facilitation of
Mrs. Pamela Lew. It is an excellent chance for students to showcase their effort and persistence in
learning in this area.
“I am grateful for what I am and have. My thanksgiving is perpetual.” – Henry David Thoreau
Warmest regards,
Mrs. (Mary) Bliss
Farmland Elementary is a
school where all people can gain
knowledge, skills and learn how
to take care of themselves.
Important Dates
December 1
 PTA Meeting 7:00 pm
December 11
 Principals Coffee 9:30
am
December 16
 Winter Chorus Concert
Parents 7:00 pm
December 24 – January 1
 Winter Break
January 18
 Holiday – No School
January 22
 2nd Marking Period
Ends
January 25
 No School
January 26
 3rd Marking Period
Begins
 Spelling Bee 9:30 am
February 3
 Report Cards
Distributed
 Celebration Assemblies
February 12
 Valentine’s Day Parties
2:45 pm
February 15
 Presidents Day – No
School
February 17
 Science Fair 6:00 pm
February 26
 Early Release 1:20 pm
Page 2
Farmland Elementary School
Counselor’s Corner—Stephanie Mann
During December, we will be discussing hopes and dreams. In grades K-5, I will
be reading the story Someday by Eileen Spinelli. The story is about a girl that
dreams about becoming something great and what she is doing today to achieve
her dream. Students will be able to make the connection between their everyday
lives right now and their future hopes and dreams. Students will also learn that
anything is possible! Students in grades K-2 will demonstrate their understanding
by sharing a hope and dream that they have for this school year. Students in
grades 3-5 will demonstrate their understanding by sharing how the skills they learn this year will help
them achieve their dreams later in life. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or
concerns. My email address is Stephanie_ [email protected] and my telephone number is 301-2305919. I look forward to working with you and your child!
Let’s Talk About Character
The Pillar of Character for the month of December is Caring. Students at Farmland
show they Care by greeting each other with a smile and saying hello, helping each
other, and by saying kind words.
Caring means: be kind, be considerate of other people’s feelings, help people in need, forgive others,
and show appreciation.
Options, an Online Resource for Parents
The 2015-2016 Options guide is designed to help MCPS families learn about the various
programs that are available in MCPS at the elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Many of these programs are available to students regardless of where they live. Each
program is designed to provide enriched learning opportunities based on student interest
and motivation. The guide is available online in English, Chinese, French, Korean,
Spanish and Vietnamese. Visit
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/enrichedinnovative/options/ for more
information.
Principal’s Coffee
I hope that you will be able to join me at the Principal’s Coffee on
Friday, December 11th at 9:30 am. The topic is State of the School
SIP. We will be meeting in the Dual Purpose Room (Room 157).
Please RSVP to the office (301-230-5919) if you are able to attend.
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Farmland Elementary School
Art News
What will students learn during art in December?
Kindergarten—The 3D Dot Sculpture
Kindergarten students will learn about the term three-dimensional or 3-D. Students will use flat
strips of paper (2-D) and by cutting, folding, twisting or bending them, created different 3-D
forms. After going over seven different paper sculpting techniques (curl, fold, fringe, spiral,
braid, tube, cut-out) they combined them into a mini abstract sculpture. Students will demonstrate an understanding of 3D by using 3-4 different techniques in their sculpture.
First Grade—Pinch Pot Animals
Students in first grade will review the clay pinch technique and create a simple pinch pot. After learning facts about owls,
students will turn their pinch pot into an owl sculpture. Owl features, like wings, beak, feet & tail will be molded out of extra
clay and added onto the pinch pot with the score & slip technique. Textures and details will also be added to the sculpture by
pinching, carving and stamping the clay with tools. Students will demonstrate an understanding of clay sculpture by both
adding and carving textural owl features to a pinch pot.
Second Grade—Expressive Puppet
Students will be introduced to the art of puppet making and observe a variety of puppet making techniques from different
cultures around the world. Because puppets are used in performances and storytelling, the puppet’s facial expression is highly important when communicating the character’s emotion. Students will develop and design an original puppet character,
with emphasis on the character’s emotion. Students will observe and use their own facial features and expressions to design
their puppet’s facial emotion. Students will demonstrate an understanding of communicating an emotion on their puppet by
the use of colors, facial details and, exaggerated facial expression.
Third Grade—Kumihimo Braids
Students will study the Japanese art of Kumihimo braiding. Students will discover how the Japanese used a Marudi braiding
stand, and see how these braids were used in traditional Japanese Kimonos, Belts, and Samurai armor. Students will create
their own foam board Marudi stands and braid two 8” long Kumihimo cords. Students will demonstrate an understanding by
correctly weaving two even cords through a Marudi stand.
Fourth Grade—Figures in ACTION!
Students in fourth grade will study the bronze-cast sculptures of Alberto Giacometti. Students will discuss how most his
sculptures of human figures looked tall, frail and motionless. Using their prior knowledge of gesture drawing and human
action poses, students will be challenged to create a Giacometti figure that shows ACTION! To begin, students manipulated
sculpture wire to create an armature or skeleton-frame for the shape of their sculpture. After attached to a base, the armature will be wrapped in layers of plaster gauze, giving the figures form and texture, without making them too bulky. Lastly,
all sculptures will be painted in a monochromatic color scheme to give it a unified color.
Fifth Grade—Puzzle-Lid Vessel
Students in fifth grade will have the task to create a personal lidded container out of clay that is both functional and decorative. After viewing and analyzing a how other artists create clay vessels, student will observe how artists need to use a combination of multiple clay handbuilding methods (pinch, coil, slab) to create an artwork that is more unique and stylized. Students will also focus on how artists use different decoration techniques (slip & score, stamping, glazing) to make their artwork more distinctive. Students will demonstrate proficiency in the creation of their lidded clay vessel by using two or more
different handbuilding techniques to construct their vessel and two or more different decorative techniques to make it personal.
Contact Information:
Carols Rodriguez
[email protected]
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Farmland Elementary School
PE News—Rob Adkins and Susan Pickett
Physical Education
Here is what’s going on over the next month in
physical education class.
Kindergarteners will be learning how to catch a self-tossed object. This involves using a tick-tock arm swing and a watchful eye.
THROWING/CATCHING STATIONS will be used around the gym to give the students a variety of different objects to toss and catch.
First graders will be learning how to throw underhand as well as catch an underhand pass. Interesting targets (Mickey Mouse,
Cookie Monster, Justin Bieber) will be setup around the gym for students to take aim. Real life partners will be used to wor k on
catching an underhand pass. One activity that will be used with partners is called KOOSH BALL CHALLENGE.
Second graders will be learning how to throw overhand to a stationary target as well as catch an overhand pass. Targets will be
placed on the gym walls for throwing. Students will also use partners to work on their throwing and catching skills. One way the
students will demonstrate throwing and catching is with an activity called PIN KNOCKDOWN.
Third graders will be learning how to throw and catch at different levels. Targets will be placed all around the gym. Students will be
expected to adjust their movement cues to make a throw at an object that is at a high, medium or low level. Students will wo rk on
catching a self-thrown ball off the targets. One way the students will demonstrate throwing and catching is with an activity called
PIN KNOCKDOWN.
Fourth graders will be learning how to throw overhand to a target that is moving left or right. Students will also be learning how to
catch a thrown ball while moving left or right. (see 5 th grade for activity)
Fifth graders will be learning how to throw overhand to a moving target. Students will also be learning how to catch a ball while
moving away from the thrower. One activity students both 4 th and 5th graders will be involved in is called MEATBALL. This is a
throwing game where 4 teams stand outside a large square marked off on the gym floor. Each team of players defends one side of
the square by throwing balls.
Fall 2015 School Based Flu Clinics
Free Nasal Spray Flu (FluMist) Vaccine
•
Free Nasal Spray Flu Vaccine (FluMist) will
be offered during the week of December 14,
2015, at all MCPS elementary schools.
•
Call your school’s Health Room to schedule
an appointment and receive a permission
slip and vaccine information.
•
Parents must sign and return the
permission slip by Friday, December 11.
•
Parents do not need to be present at the
time of administration.
•
Appointments are limited!
Page 5
Farmland Elementary School
Music News
What will students learn during music in December?
In December, students will be working on mastering a variety of skills during their
music classes.
Kindergarten students will continue to demonstr ate r esponding to music by r esponding to dir ections and
cues in singing games, finger plays, and songs. They will also perform singing games with the class with and
without instruments and props. They will also continue to explore steady beat and musical patterns with and
without instruments and by using locomotor and non-locomotor movement in class. Our critical thinking skill
focus will be on fluency and intellectual risk taking.
First grade students will compar e, per for m, and move to musical sounds that demonstr ate contr asts in fast/
slow, loud/soft, high/low and long/short through a variety of cultures and styles of music and with written
representations. Students will continue to play classroom instruments and should be able to perform a steady beat
on them. Our critical thinking skill focus will be on fluency and intellectual risk taking.
Second grade students will per for m songs and dances fr om a var iety of histor ical per iods and wor ld
cultures. These dances will include performing sequences of movements to songs and other pieces of music.
Students will also use classroom instruments, such as xylophones, to perform a bordun to accompany a given
melody. Our critical thinking skill focus will be on analysis and metacognition.
The second graders enjoyed a wonderful concert at the Music Center at Strathmore! The children performed the
Berry Picker’s Song with motions during The National Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of The Little Train
of the Caipira. Throughout the year, Strathmore will have special offers for children’s concerts, so check out their
schedule online for more information. Kids can go for free to National Philharmonic Orchestra concerts with a
ticketed parent or guardian.
Third grade students will focus on identifying simple and compound meter s and common meter s in wr itten
musical examples, as well as other written music symbols. They will also practice drawing bar lines, and writing
meter signatures. Additionally, students will continue to practice singing a varied repertoire of music with correct
posture and relaxed tone production. Our critical thinking skill focus will be on evaluation and metacognition.
Fourth grade students will focus on impr oving their singing by identifying differ ent types of musical
expressions. They will demonstrate variations of dynamics and tempi with proper breath management as they sing
a variety of songs, including three-part rounds. Our critical thinking skill focus will be on elaboration and effort,
motivation, and persistence.
Fifth grade students will pr actice singing with clear diction and vocal expr ession as they lear n and per for m
partner songs and songs with descants. Students will also listen to and use music vocabulary to describe form in
musical selections from a variety of historical periods and cultures. Our critical thinking skill focus will be on
synthesis and metacognition.
Fifth Grade Chorus updates: Please mar k your calendar s for :
The Winter Concerts at Farmland Elementary School on Wednesday,
December 16, 2015 at 9:45 a.m., 10:45 a.m., and 7 p.m. (Call time is
6:45 p.m.)
The Cluster Concert at Tilden Middle School on Thursday, January 28, 2016 at
7:00 p.m. (Call time is 6:00 p.m.) Students should wear a white shirt
and black pants/skirt for all concerts, please.
Contact Information:
Anne Kasab [email protected]
Samantha Lalley [email protected]
Theresa Kormann [email protected]
Page 6
Farmland Elementary School
Media Center News
What will students learn when they visit the media center during the month
of December?
Beginning in December, students will have an opportunity to spend recess period in the media
center engaged in quiet reading. One student per class will be permitted to spend recess in
the media center per day. Your child’s teacher will be emailing you to ask whether you give
permission for your child to spend recess in the library. Students will obtain a pass from their
teachers on the day that they are selected for this privilege. Students must be well behaved
and will not get a second turn until all other eligible students from their class have had an opportunity. Mrs. Nassehi and
I look forward to seeing your children enjoying a book in the media center!
Kindergarten:
Students begin exploring informational texts in the media center in both print and digital format to prepare them for
researching animals later in the marking period. Students continue to have read aloud lessons with picture texts,
particularly focusing on making predictions in a story.
1st Grade:
Students will examine print, digital and multimedia resources in the media center to reinforce their biography study of a
famous person. Students will use this information to write an informative piece about a person and they will illustrate
their writing in a digital format.
2nd Grade:
Students will compare and contrast fairytales in different settings to support their writing project. Students will create a
digital image to illustrate the fairytale they have written in their writing class.
3rd Grade:
Students will work on creation of a digital product showing how a technology they have researched has changed over time
in order to meet human wants and needs. They will use a database to obtain relevant images for their presentation.
Students will use proper citation format for citing their sources.
4th Grade:
Media lessons will focus on note taking and paraphrasing and creating proper citations. Students will be encouraged to
participate in the Black-Eyed Susan reader’s choice program.
5th Grade:
Students will learn how to use Board Builder, a digital tool, to present the information they gather for their inquiry into
the civil rights and women’s suffrage movements.
Look for a brochure to be sent home with the youngest child at Farmland which contains information about our media
center!
Gail Gleeson
.
Student Council News
Thanks to those who participated in the March of Dimes Reading Champions Program. As a
result of your reading and donations, Farmland was awarded a certificate and trophy for
raising $2,244.64. Way to go, Farmland! All students that participated will be getting a
certificate from the March of Dimes to thank them for their support.
Also, we want to recognize the top fundraisers from grades K-2 and grades 3-5.
The top fundraiser from grades K-2 was Madalyn Carper in Ms. Rachel’s 2nd grade
class. The top fundraiser from grades 3-5 was Grace Hudalla.
Thanks again for your efforts to support the March of Dimes for helping every baby
have a healthy start.
PTA
Hi Farmland families,
Thank you to all who came to the Silver Diner. It was a huge success and I was so
glad to see so many of you. Also, thank you to our AMAZING teacher volunteers
and also our AWESOME parent volunteers. The night would not have been as successful if it wasn’t for you!
Spelling Bee 2016 is right around the corner! Check out the Spelling Bee Tab on the Farmland PTA
website for all the latest Spelling Bee news. Pretests for grades 3-5 are the first 3 Wednesdays in
December during the grade's recess period. Grade lists cannot be printed on the web due to copyright
laws, so email Vicki Dunn, PTA VP of Programs at [email protected] to get your child's list.
Further details can be found on our website: http://www.farmland-pta.org/farmland-spelling-bee2016/
FLEX Academies is coming to Farmland this winter! FLEX will be at Farmland 2 afternoons per week, managing
a wide variety of well respected classes from: Adventure Theater, Robotics with STEM Academy, Electrical
Engineering with Ascendly, Young Rembrandt's Drawing, Mad Science, and more! Our school's "preview" FLEX
website will be available November 16th. Live registration starts December 6th. Look for a PTA email
announcement with more information about these exciting offerings. With a robust enrollment in the winter
offerings, we hope to expand FLEX programming to additional afternoons and even before school in Spring 2016.
Stay tuned to your PTA emails for further details.
The students at Farmland are VERY excited about Spirit Sticks! Earlier this month, the PTA and FES
administrators kicked off a new program called Spirit Sticks to increase school spirit and to help raise money for
enrichment programming at our school. The Spirit Tag is like a keychain that gets attached to a student's
backpack. On the ring are themed charms called Spirit Sticks which are colorful and celebrate lots of diverse
student interests: pets, minecraft, academics, sports, literary characters, smiley faces, and more. Right now,
there are 2 ways to receive a Spirit Tag and Spirit Stick from Ms. Bliss: Enroll in 2 or more store rewards
programs: Giant Food, Target Red Card, Amazon Smile, and Harris Teeter Partners in Education. For every 2
store rewards programs you join, your children will receive a Spirit Tag and a Spirit Stick of their choice.
AND/OR Hand in 50 Box Tops for Education in a baggie with your student's name and teacher's name on the bag.
If you don't have 50, you can still hand them in and we will track your child's Box Top Tally through the year.
When they hit 50, they will get their coupon for a Spirit Tag/Stick. Our team of volunteers is busy processing
submissions from at least 30 NEW CHILDREN last week alone! The redemption coupons will arrive in your
students' mailboxes by early next week, and they will get instructions on how to redeem them from Ms. Bliss.
Our next PTA meeting is Tuesday, December 1st at 7PM. Our speaker for this meeting is Farmland parent,
Kate Weeda. Kate is a licensed psychotherapist who specializes in Depression and Anxiety with a private practice
in Bethesda, MD. She will be talking about "Raising Resilient, Anxiety Free Kids". This is a VERY important topic
and I am so grateful that she has agreed to come to our meeting. I encourage you to attend.
For those of you that have not joined the PTA. Please do. Joining the PTA, by completing the membership forms
(and paying $20) will sign you up for our email list so you will know about upcoming events and other important
information.
Follow us on Facebook (Farmland PTA) which will help us keep you informed!
We are utilizing our website http://www.farmland-pta.org , so you can check there for ALL PTA info!
Thank you!
Amanda Michalowicz
Farmland
Looking for a
sweet treat?
Farmland’s Student Council is
sponsoring a
HOLIDAY CANDY SALE
WHAT: Candy canes and chocolate coins (gelt)
WHEN: On sale December 7-10; Delivery no later than Dec. 11
WHY:
We are raising money to buy indoor-recess games for
our sister school, Harmony Hills Elementary.
HOW:
Complete the order form below and deliver it to your
classroom teacher no later than Dec. 11. You’ll receive your
candy by Friday, Dec. 11.
Thank you for your support!
STUDENT COUNCIL HOLIDAY CANDY SALE
Student Name (first and last)________________________________________________
Grade _____________ Teacher _______________________________________________
Candy Canes
__________ Peppermint
________ Rainbow (mix of different fruit flavors)
___________ TOTAL candy canes X $1.00 each
=
$_________________
Chocolate Coins
(gelt)
+
___________ Bags X $2.00 each
=
TOTAL PAYMENT
$_________________
$_________________
Please return this form and the exact payment in CASH in an envelope
marked CANDY SALE. Order by Thurs., Dec. 10, for delivery no later than
Fri., Dec. 11.