December 7, 2015
Dear Farmland Students and Families,
For all our families who began celebrating Chanukah last evening, we wish you all a
happy Chanukah celebration!
We have a few county messages to share with you this week:
Board of Education Approves $1.73 Billion Capital Improvements Program
The Montgomery County Board of Education approved a $1.73 billion six-year Capital
Improvements Program (CIP) request for MCPS on November 16. The Board’s Fiscal
Year (FY) 2017-2022 request includes 10 new classroom addition projects – 6 in
elementary schools and 4 in secondary schools – and a new elementary school in the
Clarksburg cluster. The CIP request keeps on schedule many other projects that will
add capacity to schools and increases funding for countywide projects, including
Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) replacement and numerous other
infrastructure needs. The request will now be sent to the county executive and the
County Council for consideration. Visit the MCPS website at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org to learn more.
Impact Aid Parent Survey
Impact Aid programs and grants are designed to assist local school districts that
enroll federally connected students. The grants from these programs become part of
the MCPS general operating budget and support instructional activities. To qualify
for Impact Aid funding, MCPS must determine how many of its parents/guardians are
in active duty with the uniformed services, employed on federal property, reside in
federal or public housing, and/or are a foreign government military officer. MCPS
uses the Federal Impact Aid Survey that is distributed to all families to collect this
information. For each school-aged child in your household, please complete and
return the survey by December 18. The survey is available on the MCPS website at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, search “impact aid survey.” If you have any
questions, contact the MCPS Division of the Controller at 301-279-3039.
Helping Children Cope with Terrorism: Tips for Families and Educators
MCPS has posted a tip sheet from the National Association of School Psychologists
that will help guide you in your conversations about terrorism with children. The tip
sheet, Helping Children Cope with Terrorism, is available on the parent page of the
MCPS website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/parents/.
Many thanks to Kate Weeda for her excellent presentation at the PTA Meeting last
Tuesday evening. Kate, a Farmland parent and psychotherapist spoke about anxiety
and depression in children. It was an incredibly informative presentation on causes,
signs, and strategies on how to help your children cope. The strategies were even
excellent for adults who also are dealing with increasing stress levels in their jobs and
personal lives. We can all benefit from her wonderful suggestions. If you missed her
presentation, she would be happy to share.
Our spelling written tests are in full swing for our third, fourth, and fifth graders
participating in the Farmland Spelling Bee. Sending applause and cheers to those
working so hard and putting forth so much effort towards this goal. We are proud of
all of you!
“One word or a pleasing smile is often enough to raise up a saddened and wounded
soul.”
- Therese of Lisieux.
Warmest regards,
Mary