THE CLARKSBURG CHEETAH
Week of
October 5, 2015
THIS WEEK:
Mon., Oct. 5
Student School Pictures
October 5 - 30
Food Drive
Tues., Oct. 6
PTA Meeting at 7:00 p.m.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Mon., Oct. 12
Open House, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Thur., Oct. 15
Reptile World Whole School Assembly
PTA Movie Night
Dear Clarksburg Elementary School Parents/Guardians,
I hope that everybody has started to dry out from the last couple of days filled with rain, clouds, and
overcast skies. We have two events scheduled for this week that need your attention. On Monday,
students will have their pictures taken. You can find more information regarding purchasing pictures
later in this newsletter. On Tuesday, we will have our second PTA Meeting. This will be a very
informative and important meeting. We will be talking about how a child’s brain develops and how
providing appropriate feedback can improve a child’s persistence and motivation while increasing
his/her academic achievement. We will be improving our use of feedback at school and we need
parents to know and use this information with their children at home. Please join us on Tuesday night
to find out more about this important initiative.
Please see the additional information below to learn about more of the exciting things that we are
doing and the Montgomery County Public School system is offering. Contact the office if you have
any questions or concerns. Thank you.
Sincerely,
Carl Bencal
Principal
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Golden PEM (Persistence, Effort and Motivation) Awards
This year, part of our School Improvement Plan focus is on helping students to increase their levels
of persistence, effort, and motivation in relation to their learning. To highlight students’ achievement
in this area, each week, two students from every class will be awarded The Golden PEM Award.
Teachers will choose the Golden PEM Award winners based on the students’ consistent performance
throughout the week related to their persistence, effort, and motivation in the classroom setting.
Recipients of the award will take home a Golden PEM Certificate as well as have their names listed
in the Principal’s Weekly Parent Bulletin.
Teacher
Student
Student
Hammack
Ava
Faizan
Hillmuth
Aiden
Layla
St. Clair
Alana
Brent
Hoilman
William
Saanvi
Carpio
Evan
Joshua
Chung
Anwita
Vivian
Gamble
Evan
Jaiden
Ennis
Hannah
Nathanhel
Walsh
Zanon
Julia
Howard
Abby
Nathaniel
Moyer
Avyukta
Kelly
Dryman
Mohit
Jacob
Ouska
Andrew
Daianary
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Picture Day – Monday, October 5
Picture Day is Monday! In the interest of security, check or money order is the payment type
recommended. Parents preferring to pay with credit card may prepay on line by visiting
MyLifetouch.com. Simply follow the on line instructions for making credit card payments. If cash
is your preferred method of payment, please include the exact amount in your payment envelope.
Photographers will not be able to open payment envelopes to make change for cash customers. ALL
students will need to be photographed for yearbook and administrative purposes, but only those
submitting a completed order form to the photographer on picture day will receive a portrait package.
An easy, safe way to pay for school pictures on line:
1. Fill out the flyer
2. Pay by credit card or PayPal @ mylifetouch.com
3. Write the confirmation code on your flyer
4. Send completed flyer with your child on Picture Day
Satisfaction guaranteed! Lifetouch will retake your portrait or you can return it for a full refund.
Please contact Lifetouch directly at 800-445-1191 or [email protected] .
Lifetouch Photography can provide additional information regarding picture day directly to parents
and guardians by calling toll free 800-445-1189 Monday through Friday 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. or via
e-mail at [email protected] .
Attendance / Arrival / Dismissal Information
When you write any notes to school especially regarding absences or changes to arrival and/or
dismissal plans, please make sure the note has your child's and his/her teacher’s name listed
on it.
When dropping your children off at school, please be aware that teachers do not have time prior
to class to meet with parents unless a meeting has been previously scheduled. Please make
prior arrangements to meet via e-mail or phone to conference with a teacher during a mutually
agreed upon time.
Thank you for your cooperation!
3
MCPS Voices on Final Exams and Assessment Strategy
In response to school and community interest in reducing testing and increasing instructional time,
MCPS is revising its assessment strategy. This new assessment strategy includes a plan to eliminate
all two-hour semester final exams in high school courses beginning in 2016–2017, restoring at least
two weeks of instructional time throughout the school year. These exams would be replaced with
centrally developed marking period assessments, which can be given during regular class periods.
Be sure to check out “MCPS Voices,” a new MCPS website with short videos featuring
administrators, teachers, and students answering specific questions about the need for a change in the
assessment strategy and the benefits of using marking period assessments. You can watch the videos
at www.montgomeryscholsmd.org, search “MCPS Voices”.
In addition, there is still time to provide comments on the potential changes to Policy IKA and to the
options for calculating semester grades. All comments must be submitted by Monday, October 19.
More information is available on the MCPS website.
Sign Up for the 2015 School-Based Flu Vaccine Clinics
Flu season is upon us. There are simple steps you and your child can take to stay healthy and help
prevent the flu. That includes getting a yearly flu vaccine. The Montgomery County Department of
Health and Human Services (DHHS) will conduct free nasal spray flu vaccine clinics (FluMist) in
November for children 18 and under at many MCPS schools. On Monday, November 2, 2015, flu
clinics will be held at John F. Kennedy, Richard Montgomery, and Seneca Valley high schools from
9 a.m. to noon. No classes will be held on that day because it is a professional day for teachers. These
clinics will be open to any school-aged child.
All MCPS elementary schools will host a flu clinic on either Wednesday, November 11, or Thursday,
November 12, 2015, following early dismissal of students on those days. All clinics are free, but
registration is required due to limited vaccine supplies. For more information, visit the DHHS website
at http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flu , call 311, or contact our school nurse at 301-503-8060.
Come to the World of Montgomery Festival!
The World of Montgomery Festival celebrates and displays the rich cultural heritages of Montgomery
County and the Washington, D.C. area. The festival will be held Sunday, October 18, at Montgomery
College’s Rockville Campus, 51 Mannakee Street in Rockville, from noon to 5 p.m.
MCPS is proud to be a partner in this year’s festival. The free event includes an international village,
a global kitchen with chef demonstrations of traditional ethnic food, a craft market, a Parade of
Cultures, two performance stages of traditional dance and music, connections through service,
traditional arts, and fun interactive activities for the whole family. For more information, visit
www.worldofmontgomery.com.
4
Anaphylaxis and Epinephrine Information
The health and well-being of your children is of utmost importance to Montgomery County Public
Schools (MCPS). The Montgomery County Board of Education adopted Policy JPD, Emergency
Care for Students Experiencing Anaphylaxis, and MCPS adopted Regulation JPD-RB, Emergency
Care for Students Experiencing Anaphylaxis, to safeguard your children in the event of an emergency.
If your child has a known anaphylactic allergy, the Annotated Code of Maryland, Education Article,
Section 7-426 states that parents/guardians are responsible for notifying schools of a child’s special
health care needs or diagnosis and providing appropriate medications. These medications may be
kept in the school’s health room for your child’s use in case of an emergency. To do this, you will
need to complete MCPS Form 525-14, Emergency Care for the Management of a Student with a
Diagnosis of Anaphylaxis: Release and Indemnification Agreement for Epinephrine Auto Injector,
and deliver the properly labeled epinephrine auto-injector to school. The form may be obtained from
your
school
nurse
or
from
the
following
website
at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/forms/pdf/525-14.pdf.
We understand that parents/guardians or students may not know of an anaphylactic allergy until an
emergency situation arises. Maryland requires that all schools train their staff members to recognize
signs of anaphylaxis and maintain a stock supply of epinephrine auto-injectors (i.e., EpiPen) for use
in case of an emergency. Designated staff members at each school are trained to administer EpiPens.
Please be assured that whenever an epinephrine auto-injector is used, whether it belongs to your child
or is one of the school’s stock supply, 911 and you will be called.
If you have additional questions about this Montgomery County Board of Education policy and
MCPS regulation, or the use of EpiPens in schools, please contact me or the school health nurse at
301-353-8060.
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