Rock View Elementary School
Phone: 301-929-2002 Fax: 301-962-5986
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rockviewes
Twitter: @RVESRoadrunners (Ms. Alexander) @RockView_AP (Ms. Grigsby)
Upcoming Events
Mar. 3 – STEAM Night, 6:30-8 pm (see section
for more info)
THE ROADRUNNER
Mar. 4 – 2 nd grade field trip to Imagination
Stage
March 3, 2016
Mar. 7&8 – 5 th grade MSA Science
assessment
Multicultural Night was a huge success!
Hundreds of students and their family members participated in our
Multicultural Night on Feb. 19! The evening was a terrific celebration of the
diversity in our school community. We enjoyed delicious food, danced to
great music, and learned about our families’ culture and traditions. Thank
you to all of our families who volunteered their time to share their
traditions with us!
Tell Your Neighbors! Kindergarten Orientation Is Coming Soon!
We have just scheduled our Kindergarten Orientation to begin the process of
registering new Kindergarteners to our school for the 2016-2017 school year.
Kindergarten Orientation will take pla ce on Thursday, May 12 and Friday, May 13.
Please note that there will be NO SCHOOL for current Kindergarten students in Ms.
Solender’s, Ms. Reyes’, Ms. Castillo’s, Ms. Laurie’s, and Ms. Kelly’s classes (Ms.
Iyomahan’s students WILL have school) on these days in order to host this event. If
you have neighbors with children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2016, please let
them know about our Kindergarten Orientation!
Grade 5 Science MSA assessment is here!
Mar. 9 – Individual spring portraits. Only
students who bring in money and completed
order forms will have their pictures taken.
Mar. 11 – PTA Movie Night, 6:45 pm in APR
Mar. 14-18 – Spring Book Fair
Mar. 15-23 – Kindergarten field trips to Giant
(teachers will send home specific schedule)
Mar. 16 – Family Night at the Book Fair, 5:308:30 pm
Mar. 17 – 1 st grade field trip to Einstein HS,
Seussical the Musical
Mar. 18 – prekindergarten field trip to
Imagination Stage
Mar. 21 – World Down Syndrome Day (more
info to come!)
Mar. 21 – 5 th gr Family Life parent info
meeting, 6 pm in Media Center
Mar. 23 – Marking Period 3 ends
Mar. 24 – Professional Day (Grading and
Reporting), no school for students
5 th graders will take the Science MSA assessment in the mornings of March 7 and 8. Mar. 25-April 1, Spring Break!!
Please make sure to have your child arrive to school on time and avoid scheduling
non-essential appointments during this time. We will begin administering make up
Terrific Cultural Arts Assembly!
assessments (for students who were absent for part/all of their testing) after the
Thank you to our generous PTA for bringing
Cantare! to our school for a terrific assembly
second day of testing.
The specific schedule for the PARCC reading and math assessments (administration
window is May 9-June 3) for students in grades 3-5 was shared last week in a letter
Ms. Kris Alexander, Principal Ms. Nia Grigsby, Assistant Principal
on February 25 th. The performers did a
wonderful job demonstrating how music and
instruments from Africa have influenced
music from Central and South America!
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to parents of students in grades 3-5. If you did not receive this letter, please contact your child’s teacher to ask for another
one to be sent home. As we get closer to this testing window, reminders will be shared with parents.
Great Family Nights Are Coming!
On Thursday, March 3 rd, our STEM Committee will host STEAM Night from 6:30 – 8 pm. “STEAM” stands for Science,
Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics – this fun family event has been called “Science Night” in the past. This year’s
family night will feature hands -on activities, learning experiences, and plenty of fun that highlights all aspects of STEAM!
On Friday, March 11 th, our PTA will host another Movie Night starting at 6:45 pm in the All -Purpose Room. This is always a fun
event for parents and the kids to connect with other Rock View families and to see a fun movie.
All of these events involve a terrific collaboration between our school staff and PTA. Thank you to all of our wonderful staf f
and parent volunteers who have worked to make these Family Nights successful! We hope that you can join us for these fun
Family Nights this month!
Mark your calendar as we look ahead to other great family events at our school:
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Family Night at the Book Fair – March 16 th, 5:30-8:30 pm
Family Game Night (sponsored by Famili as de Rock View group) – April 15, 6:30 pm
Family Field Trip, local environmental clean up and potluck lunch – April 23, times TBD
Variety Show – April 29 at Newport Mill Middle School, 7 pm
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Family Move! Night – May 11, 6:15-7:30 pm
Art Show – May 26, 6 pm
Spring Concert – June 2, 7 pm
Rock View Rocks – June 10, 5:30-8 pm
5 th grade promotion at Newport Mill Middle School, 6 pm
Planning for Next Year
Believe it or not we have already begun planning for next school! The level of staffing we are allocated is based on actual
enrollment. As a result, it is important for us to have accurate information regarding your plans for the 2016 -2017 school year.
All students should come home with a sheet this week that asks you to share your plans to attend Rock View next year. There
is an optional parent survey on the sheet. Parent input is a key component to having a comprehensive understanding of each
student’s learning strengths and styles. Please consider sharing your thoughts through the parent survey. Even if you do not
wish to complete the survey, please return the sheet with the information about your plans for next school year to your child’s
teacher– thank you!
REMINDER - Change of School Assignment (COSA)
The Change of School Assignment (COSA) transfer season began on February 1, 2016. Parents who wish to request a Change
of School Assignment for their children must start the process at their home school, where they can request the Change of
School Assignment Information Booklet that contains the COSA form, describes the process and provides useful information.
The COSA booklet will be available in schools and online at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/transfers .
Ms. Kris Alexander, Principal Ms. Nia Grigsby, Assistant Principal
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Board of Education Conditionally Appoints Dr. Jack R. Smith as Superintendent
The Montgomery County Board of Education has identified a finalist for the position of superintendent of schools —Dr. Jack
R. Smith, who is currently the interim state superintendent of Maryland schools and former superintendent of schools in
Calvert County. Dr. Smith has more than 30 years of experience as an educator and administrator. Community engagement
was a crucial part of the search for the superintendent of schools. Dr. Smith met with a community panel of Montgomery
County stakeholders to provide feedback to Board members and help them arrive at a decision on the appropriate candidate.
In the coming weeks, a contingent of the Board will be in touch with stakeholders and Dr. Smith’s colleagues. Based on the
outcome of this feedback, contract negotiations, and obtaining state approval , the Board plans to hire Dr. Smith as the next
superintendent of MCPS effective July 1, 2016. A series of public meetings will be scheduled in the near future for parents
and the community to meet Dr. Smith.
Watch Video Recording of PARCC Webinar
MCPS presented a webinar on the PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) assessments
for parents on February 10. Staff provided important information on the upcoming changes for the 2016 tests and provided
tips to help parents better understand the score reports from the spring 2015 administration of the PARCC tests. If you were
unable to watch it live, you can view the video recording of the webinar on the MCPS website at
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/parcc/. The presentation document is available in English, Spanish,
French, Chinese, Vietnamese, Korean, and Amharic. If you have additional questions about the PARCC assessments, be sure
to visit the MCPS PARCC webpage, which features a variety of helpful tools, FAQs, videos, and much more.
Stay Informed About the MCPS FY 2017 Operating Budget
The Montgomery County Board of Education has recommended a $2.5 billion operating budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2017. The
budget request includes a $180.2 million increase from FY 2016, which will allow the district to make targeted investments
to close the achievement gap; improve students’ literacy and math skills; reduce class sizes; foster stronger partnerships
with the community and families to support students; and accelerate efforts to improve and diversify the workforce. The
Board’s budget request will be submitted to the Montgomery County Executive and the County Council. The County
Executive is expected to release his FY 2017 operating budget recommendation by March 15. The Montgomery County
Council will hold public hearings on the county budget in April before passing a final budget in May. Stay informed and
engaged on the Board’s budget request on the MCPS Operating Budget website.
Be sure to share your ideas and views on the importa nce of funding the MCPS operating budget with our elected
Montgomery County officials —the Montgomery County Board of Education, the County Executive, and the Montgomery
County Council —through emails, letters, short videos, and testimonials.
Education Budget Meetings, presented by Montgomery County Councilmember Craig Rice, MCPS Interim Superintendent
Larry Bowers, and Montgomery College President DeRionne Pollard, are scheduled for February and March. Find out how
budget decisions are made, what the county is doing today to get ready for FY 2017 and beyond, and the opportunities
residents have to influence budget decisions. The meetings will take place from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the following locations:
 March 9, Gaithersburg High School, 101 Education Blvd., Gaithersburg
 March 16, Col. Zadok Magruder High School, 5939 Muncaster Mill Road, Rockville
 March 23, Thomas S. Wootton High School, 2100 Wootton Pkwy., Rockville
Ms. Kris Alexander, Principal Ms. Nia Grigsby, Assistant Principal
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