THE CLARKSBURG CHEETAH
Week of
December 21, 2015
THIS WEEK:
Mon., Dec. 21
Korean Drumming Presentation, APR, 5:00-5:30 p.m.
Wed., Dec. 23
Clarksburg High School Band to visit from 10:40-11:20 a.m.
Thur., Dec. 24 through
Fri., Jan. 1, 2016
Winter Break – No School for Students and Teachers
A LOOK AHEAD:
Mon., Jan. 4
Back to School!
Tues., Jan. 5
PTA Meeting from 7-8:30 p.m.
Mon., Jan. 11
School Patrol Meeting 12:45-1:15 p.m.
Dear Clarksburg Elementary School Parents/Guardians,
I cannot believe that we only have three school days left before the New Year. I want to wish everybody a
terrific Winter Break. Enjoy the time with your family and make the most of your time together. When we
return to school in January, we only have a couple weeks left until the end of the second marking period.
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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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
Bella
Hannah
Hillmuth
James
Arla
St. Clair
Lizzie
Tirth
Hoilman
Jason
Moukthika
Carpio
Mahil
Lucy
Chung
T. J.
Leah
Gamble
Suhaylah
Naila
Ennis
Nathey
Gabby
Walsh
Maddie
Da’Shira
Howard
Hridaya
Evalyn
Moyer
Avyukta
Sneha
Dryman
Tianna
Daniel
Ouska
Abhi
Gabby
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Lost and Found
We have accumulated many hats, gloves, sweaters, and jackets that have been lost over the course of this year.
We will be placing all of these items on the stage this week. Students will be looking through the items at
lunch, but if your child has lost an article of clothing, you are more than welcome to look for it as well!
A Special Donation
We received a very special donation of tennis shoes from a local, charitable organization. If your family is in
need of any shoes, please contact the school office at 301-353-8060 to reserve your pair. Thank you and Happy
Holidays!
Gender
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Girls
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Boys
Size
12
12
13
13
3
3
3
3
3½
4½
6
Toddler 7
Toddler 7
12
12 ½
13
1
1
1
3
3
3
3
3
6
6
6
6½
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Special Lunch Order for Tuesday, December 22
Ms. Cho is having a “Manager’s Choice Lunch Menu” on Tuesday, December 22. This menu will take the
place of what was listed on the MCPS Lunch Menu/Calendar. The original menu was pizza or fish.
A or B Lunch will consist of one or more of the following items:
 Cheese Filled Enchiladas
 Philly Steak
 BBQ Chicken Drum Stick
 Beef Chili with Cheesy Bread
 Tso’s Beef
 Chicken Tenders
 Turkey with Gravy & Stuffing
C (Vegetarian) Lunch will consist of the following item:
 Grilled Cheese
Watch Out Twitter – Here Comes CES
Do you want to keep up with what is happening at our wonderful school via a different medium? Follow Mrs.
Cyr, our staff development teacher, and Mrs. Taylor, our media specialist, on Twitter. Mrs. Cyr tweets
@SDT4CburgES and Mrs. Taylor tweets @cheetahsread. They are excited to share all of the fabulous
happenings at Clarksburg ES with you!
FREE Winter PopUp Library from StarWalk Kids Media
All 578 of the high quality eBooks in the StarWalk Kids Media library—including 44 narrated, Spanishlanguage titles!—can be used by all students, free of charge, from December 23 through January 3.
We know that it is important for children to keep reading during winter break and access to eBooks is one way
to meet this goal.
One important note: If you want to read the StarWalk Kids eBooks on an iPad or an Android tablet, you will
first need to download the free "SWKids Reader" app from either the iTunes store, the Google Play store, or the
Amazon App store (if you are using a Kindle Fire HD). Once you have the app, use PopUp as both
your username and password.
For more information, please go to http://starwalkkids.com
Budget 101: The Budgeting Process Explained
MCPS has launched a new online resource to help the community better understand how the district builds its
operating budget and funds its schools. The new Budget 101 site was created to answer many of the questions
that parents, students, staff and community members have asked about the MCPS operating budget. The site
will show you where the district’s funding comes from, how it’s spent, and how our schools are staffed to
ensure we are meeting the needs of every student. Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/budget101/index.html to check out this new resource.
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The FY 2017 Operating Budget—A Call to Fund Our Future
Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers submitted a $2.4 billion recommended operating budget for Fiscal Year
2017 to the Board of Education on December 8. Mr. Bowers’ operating budget recommendation includes
investments to improve student literacy and math skills; build the cultural proficiency of staff; foster stronger
partnerships with the community and our families to support students; and better organize the district to ensure
every student is prepared for college and careers.
There are a variety of ways that you can learn more about the MCPS budget and become involved in the budget
process this year, including the new Budget 101 website; Neighbor to Neighbor small-group discussions;
Parent Academy workshops; and an overview of the budget and other documents available on the MCPS budget
webpage. Visit the budget webpage at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/ to read more
about these resources and how to make your voice heard.
Don’t miss the chance to share your ideas and views on the proposed budget at two upcoming public hearings:
the first is Thursday, January 7; the second is Thursday, January 14. Both hearings will be held at 7 p.m. in the
auditorium of the Carver Educational Services Center. Starting December 14 at 9:00 a.m., individuals may call
the Board of Education office at 301-279-3617 to sign up to testify at the public hearings.
Neighbor to Neighbor
Neighbor to Neighbor gives members of the MCPS community the opportunity to participate in small-group
discussions about the MCPS budget. Everyone is invited to host a Neighbor to Neighbor discussion. It can take
place during a PTA meeting, a brown bag lunch at a local business or nonprofit, or in the home of a friend or
family member. The Neighbor to Neighbor web-based tool includes everything you need to have a self-guided
discussion about the budget and submit your feedback to the Board of Education and the interim superintendent.
Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/neighbor-to-neighbor/ and get started today!
2016-2017 School Year Calendar
The Montgomery County Board of Education has approved the calendar for the 2016–2017 school year. School
will begin on Monday, August 29, 2016, and is scheduled to end on Friday, June 16, 2017. The calendar was
developed in partnership with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, the school district’s three employee
associations, and the Montgomery County Region of Maryland Association of Student Councils, as well as
other community members and school system leadership. The calendar can be found on the MCPS website at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/calendar and will soon be available in seven languages—Amharic, Chinese,
English, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
19th Annual Distinguished Service to Public Education Awards
Do you know any individuals (including students), groups, and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions to public education in Montgomery County? If so, consider nominating them for a Distinguished
Service to Public Education Award! The Montgomery County Board of Education established the awards, now
in its 19th year, to recognize and show appreciation for exemplary contributions to public education and to
MCPS. Nomination forms are available online at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/community/awards/.
Completed nomination forms will be due in February.
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Nominate a Parent for Contributions to Education
Do you know a parent who is making a positive impact in MCPS? Now is the time to nominate him or her for
the Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award, which recognizes parents who have made significant
contributions to a local public school system. The award is sponsored by the Maryland State Department of
Education. Visit marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/pima/index.html for more information. The
deadline is January 29, 2016.
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