Clearspring Update
Principal’s Newsletter
October 2, 2015
“Summer ends, and Autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full
moon every night; and thus he would never know the rhythms that are at the heart of life.”
~ Hal Borland
Mission
Clearspring Elementary School is dedicated to working with parents and the
community to promote the overall growth and development of the students so they
become responsible, respectful, and productive members of society.
Message from the principal:
What a wonderful first month of school! Everyone is solidly in their routine!
Many thanks to our awesome staff for supporting the bus accident on Thursday. A letter was sent home
with students explaining what occurred along with a Connect-Ed message. We are so thankful that no one was
seriously injured! We had community members among us as well! Thank you all for your support!
Many of our families were looking forward to the camp out tonight. Due to the weather, it has been cancelled
for this evening. It has been rescheduled for October 30th. We hope you can still make it!
Every year we celebrate fall with our annual costume parade and parties in the classrooms. This will take place
on October 30th at 2:30. Please see the form attached if you do not want your child to participate.
Our Open House is taking place on October 13th. Visitors may join us in class from 9:00-11:30. This is a
great time to see your student in action! This is not, however, a time for a conference with the teacher. Thank
you!
Attention third grade parents: If you are thinking about applying for the School Based Center for the Highly
Gifted, there will be an informational meeting on Wednesday evening, October 7th at Northwest High
School from 7:00-8:00. Two of our teachers, central office staff, and I will be presenting and answering
questions.
While the students do received homework nightly, please remember to have your child read for pleasure.
Let your child pick out a book of their interest...even if it’s below their reading level. The more they practice,
the more their skills will improve.
We’re working diligently to collect academic data on our students in order to continually improve our
teaching practices so that students’ academics are improving. This is done daily by teachers during their
small group instruction. You may hear your children talking about their reading levels more frequently. The
more the students know and set goals for themselves, the better they will do in school.
We had an amazing assembly this morning and want to say how proud we are of all the 5th graders who ran for
office. They did an incredible job! Our Student Council Officers for the 2015-16 School year are:
President – Heera Anand
Vice President – Emma Rosenhaft
Secretary – Rylyn Munro
For your convenience, our upcoming dates are posted below through the entire month of October. Keep
checking the website as Mrs. Baude updates the calendar often.
The weather is changing! Please make sure your child comes to school dressed appropriately. We do go
outside daily, as long as it’s not raining (or snowing and above 29 degrees).
And, on a personal note, my last name has changed. You can still reach me at [email protected] or
[email protected]. The children can still go by Steel if they like.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Gilbertson
Counselor’s Corner:
Over the past month I have been visiting classrooms to talk about my role as a school counselor. You may have
seen a worksheet or booklet come home in your child’s take home folder about what he or she learned during
this lesson. I always instruct students to share what they have learned during my lessons with their parents, so if
they are not sharing with you, don’t be afraid to ask about what I’ve been coming in to discuss. ☺ In grades 3
through 5, I introduced a new way to write me notes online when students need to talk to me about a problem (I
have a few more classrooms to introduce this to next week). By the end of next week, each student in these
grades will have an email in their school Gmail account with the link to the referral. These online referrals can
be completed in less than a minute and can be completed on Chrome Books at school or on home computers.
The PBIS Rewards Cart made its first appearance of the year this week! We are off to a good start! The cart is
essentially a mobile store where students can purchase both tangible items and experiences with the paws they
have earned for being respectful, responsible, and safe at Clearspring. The cart is now visiting classrooms every
other week and we still need volunteers for both 5th grade (every other Monday from 3-3:20PM) and 5th grade
HGC (every other Thursday from 2-2:30PM). Please email me at [email protected] if you are
interested in volunteering. The cart will be visiting next on the week of October 12th.
Have a great October!
Mrs. Gray
Worth Repeating:
The principal newsletter will be posted on our website the first Friday of every month. Please check our
calendar as well so that you can stay up to date on events occurring in school.
Communicate, communicate! Please let us know if you have concerns. Always start with the teacher. We
are all here to support your children! We can’t do it if we don’t hear from you.
Upcoming Dates
Oct. 2 Early release day -- Students dismissed at 12:50 p.m.
Oct. 5 PTA sponsored Reptile assembly, 9:00 a.m. - gr. HS 1 & 5, 10:00 a.m. - gr. 2 & 4,
2:15 p.m. - gr. pre-K, K, & 3
Oct. 7 PTA meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Oct. 12 Columbus Day Open House
Oct. 13 Gr. 4 HGC trip to Walters’ Art Gallery, 9:00 a.m. - 2:45 p.m.
Oct. 13 Head Start hearing & vision screening
Oct. 14 Student individual portraits taken
Oct. 15
Oct. 15
Oct. 15
Oct. 16
Oct. 29
Oct. 30
Oct. 30
Nov. 2
Nov. 4
Nov. 6
Gr. 5 (all classes) trip to Mount Vernon, 8:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Kindergarten trip to Gaver Tree Farm, 9:40 a.m. - 2:10 p.m.
PTA sponsored Bingo Night
No school for students and teachers -- Maryland State Teachers’ Conference
Gr. 5 trip to Strathmore Hall for concert, 11:20 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.
First marking period ends; quarter one progress notes distributed
Re-scheduled “Fall under the Stars” family camp out
Professional Day -- No school for students and teachers
PTA meeting, 7:00 p.m., Media Center
Next Clearspring Update distributed
Attachments:
Halloween alternative
Middle School magnet information
Lice Information
Converting from Air Conditioning to Heating