THE CLARKSBURG CHEETAH
Week of
November 30, 2015
THIS WEEK:
Tue., Dec. 1
Muffins for Moms and Grandmoms in the APR and Book Fair Shopping in
the Media Center, 8:30 a.m.
PTA Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
Thur., Dec. 3
Grades K and 1 Field Trip to Imagination Stage, 9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Mon., Dec. 7
Safety Patrol Meeting with Officer Johnson, 12:45-1:15 p.m.
School and Community Safety Presentation, 2:15 p.m. & 3:10 p.m.
Tue., Dec. 8
Winter Concert for Grade K-5 Students at Clarksburg ES, 2:00 p.m.
Winter Concert at Clarksburg High School, 7:00 p.m.
Fri., Dec. 11
Reading Assembly for Grades K-5, 10:00 a.m.
Dear Clarksburg Elementary School Parents/Guardians,
I hope that everybody had a safe, relaxing, and enjoyable Thanksgiving and holiday weekend. I want to remind
you that our book fair is going on this week. It all begins with Muffins for Moms and Grandmoms on Tuesday
morning. Please continue reading the newsletters for details. We look forward to seeing many of you there.
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.
Sincerely,
Carl Bencal
Principal
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Celebrate Reading!
The Clarksburg Elementary School Staff invites you to
Muffins for Moms
and Grandmoms
Tuesday, December 1st from 8:30 – 9:15 AM
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Bring your favorite books to read together.
Kids, come dressed in your pajamas (and wear them all day at
school)!
Muffins and juice will be served.
Shop the Book Fair!
Don’t feel left out Dads and Granddads! We will have a
special event just for you in April.
RSVP online at http://bit.ly/CESMuffins15 or fill out the form below and
return it to your teacher by Wednesday, November 25th if you are able
to attend. Thank you!
We will attend the
Muffins for Moms and
grandmoms celebration of Reading!
Name: ______________________________________________________
Teacher: _____________________________________________________
Number of People Attending: ________
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It’s Book
Fair Time!
Family Shopping
Tuesday, December 1st from 8:30 – 9:15 AM
in conjunction with Muffins for Moms and Grandmoms
Grade Level Shopping Times
Students shop and parents can too!
Tuesday, 12/1 – Friday, 12/4
* The fair will close on Friday, December 4th at noon.
1st graders can shop in the morning that day, with
permission from their teacher.
Grade
Time
4
9:35 - 10:00 AM
2
10:00 - 10:25 AM
5
10:25 - 10:55 AM
3
10:55 - 11:25 AM
K
11:25 – 11:55 AM
1
3 - 3:30 PM*
Cash, Checks & Credit Cards Accepted
Checks must be made payable to Clarksburg Elementary School.
Please include 6% sales tax.
Can’t Come? Shop our Book Fair Online!
http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/clarksburges
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American Legion Auxiliary Essay Contest
Once again, Damascus and Clarksburg school students are being invited to participate in the American Legion’s
Annual Americanism Essay Contest. This year’s topic, chosen by the national organization, is “How Do We
Keep Lincoln’s Promise to Our Veterans and Their Families?” The contest runs from November 1, 2015 to
February 1, 2016. If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Ms. MaryBeth
Talamo at 301-253-4457 or 301-919-8140 or via email [email protected] .
Winter Concert
The Clarksburg Elementary Winter Concert will be held on Tuesday, December 8, 2015 at 7:00 PM at
Clarksburg High School. Students in Chorus, Advanced Strings, and Advanced Band will be performing. We
will also be performing the concert for the students at Clarksburg ES that same day at 2:00 PM. If you are
unable to attend the evening performance, please make sure you attend the daytime concert. Your children
must attend both concerts. Please mark your calendars.
The required dress for all 4th/5th grade chorus and instrumental students is white shirts/blouses and black/dark
navy pants or skirts. Please make sure your children come to school on Tuesday, December 8 dressed
appropriately to perform and with their instruments and music.
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.
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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/.
Board Approves Changes to Grading and Reporting Policy
The Board approved changes to Policy IKA, Grading and Reporting, which guides the process for evaluating
and reporting student progress. With the approval of the revised policy, MCPS will now move forward with its
plan to phase out two-hour semester final exams in high school courses next school year (2016–2017) and
replace them with centrally developed marking period assessments. Under the plan endorsed by the Board, twohour final exams will not be given in the second semester of this school year in high school courses for which
there is already an external state assessment—Algebra 1, English 10, Government, and Biology. The traditional
“half day” final exam schedules will remain in place for this school year and be eliminated in 2016–2017.
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, one of which 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 all MCPS elementary
schools during the week of December 14, 2015.
All clinics are free, but registration is required due to limited vaccine supplies. Parents/guardians must sign up
for their child(ren) to receive the flu vaccine by contacting the school health room. Health room staff will send
home the Vaccine Information Statement and parental consent forms only to the families who contact the health
room to set up an appointment. For more information, visit the DHHS website at
http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/flu or call 311.
Clarksburg High School’s Annual Breakfast with Santa
Clarksburg High School’s Annual Breakfast with Santa will be held on Saturday, December 5, 2015 from 9:00
to 11:00 a.m. Admission will be $5.00 for students and senior citizens and $8.00 for adults. Admission price
includes a pancake breakfast, entertainment, games, music, face painting, and crafts. Pictures with Santa will be
available at an additional cost of $5.00. CASH ONLY!
Parents may visit the Clarksburg High School website:
Http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/clarksburghs/ for further information regarding purchasing
tickets beginning November 1, 2015.
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Career Readiness Night Coming December 14
Did you know that businesses today have many high-paying jobs that they can’t fill? Students in Grades 7–10
and their families are invited to attend Career Readiness Night on December 14, 7–9 p.m., at Gaithersburg High
School to find out what these jobs are and how MCPS course pathways can prepare students for success in these
exciting careers. You’ll hear from teachers, students, and representatives from businesses and higher education
about opportunities in fields that include biosciences, media, business, construction, engineering, hospitality,
education, information technology, law, and transportation. Free childcare (ages 4 and older) and foreign
language interpretation will be provided.
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