THE CLARKSBURG CHEETAH
Week of
May 16, 2016
THIS WEEK:
Mon., May 16
PARCC – Grade 4 Reading
PARCC – Grade 3 Math
Re-Scheduled Fifth Grade Class Picture, 1:45 p.m.
Tue., May 17
Fifth Grade Field Trip to Mount Vernon, 8:00 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Wed., May 18
PARCC – Grade 4 Reading
PARCC – Grade 3 Math
Interims Sent Home with Students
Thur., May 19
PARCC – Grade 4 Reading
PARCC – Grade 3 Math
Fri., May 20
No School for Current Kindergarten - Incoming Kindergarten Student Orientation
First Grade Field Trip to Washington National Zoo, 9:30 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Fourth Grade Field Trip to Breezy Point at Chesapeake Beach, 9:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Patrol Picnic, 9:30 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.
A LOOK AHEAD:
Mon., May 23
PARCC – Grade 3 Reading
PARCC – Grade 4 Math
Tue., May 24
Grade 3 In-school Field Trip, 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Spring Concert, 2:00 p.m. at Clarksburg Elementary School
Spring Concert, 7:00 p.m. at Clarksburg High School
Wed., May 25
PARCC – Grade 3 Reading
Thur., May 26
Library Advisory Committee Lunch for select students in Grades 4 and 5
Fri., May 27
PARCC – Grade 3 Reading
PARCC – Grade 5 Math
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Dear Clarksburg Elementary School Parents/Guardians,
I hope that everybody had a safe and enjoyable weekend. The Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for
College and Careers (PARCC) assessments are well underway. It is important that your child gets plenty of
sleep and has a good breakfast to perform at his/her best on these assessments. Please contact the school if you
have any questions regarding the administration of these statewide, federally mandated assessments.
Please take the time to review the flyer included in this newsletter regarding the PTA and the need for executive
board members. If you have ever had any desire to become more active in the PTA, I urge you to start now.
Every high functioning school has an active and robust PTA to support the needs of the students and the staff.
It is a vital partnership.
If you have a child who will be attending Kindergarten next year or know of a family who does, it is imperative
that you contact the school to register for Kindergarten Orientation which is scheduled for Friday, May 20. You
must schedule an appointment in order to attend. Even if you cannot attend the Kindergarten Orientation, we
need you to register your incoming student so that we can receive adequate staffing (lower class sizes).
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
Kindergarten Orientation
Is Coming!!!
When: Friday, May 20
Time: 9:45 a.m. - 3:15 p.m.
Where: Clarksburg Elementary
Who: Children turning 5 years old by September 1, 2016.
Contact: Chrys Simpson in the school office to request a registration packet via phone at 301-353-8060.
Tell your family, friends, and neighbors - It is time to register for kindergarten! Appointments are
mandatory.
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Changes Coming to Way Semester Grades Are Calculated for High School Courses
Last fall, MCPS eliminated two-hour semester final exams and replaced them with quarterly marking period
assessments. As MCPS transitions from semester exams to marking period assessments, there also will be
changes to the way semester grades are calculated in high school courses, beginning in the 2016–2017 school
year. The school district gathered extensive feedback from school and community stakeholders, including
colleges and universities, and examined the grading practices of various school districts in deciding how grades
will be calculated. Additional information, including Frequently Asked Questions, is available on the MCPS
website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, search “assessment strategy.”
Graduations Begin May 27
The 2016 high school commencement season is set to begin on Friday, May 27, and will end on Friday, June
10. Graduations taking place at DAR Constitution Hall will be streamed live, courtesy of DAR, on DAR’s
website at www.dar.org/constitution-hall/watch-graduation-live-stream. MCPS is inviting parents to submit
their favorite graduation snapshots. Parents should select the best graduation photo of their child(ren) and email
it to [email protected]. Many of the pictures will be posted on the MCPS website. Parents and students also can
submit photos via Twitter (using the hashtag #mcpsgrad). We will retweet some of the photos.
To contribute a photo via email, follow these simple steps:
 Choose your best, horizontal snapshot.
 Send the photo as a jpeg file (no larger than 4 MB) and email it to [email protected].
 Include your child’s first name and school name. (We will not publish last names.)
By submitting a photo, parents are agreeing to its use for publication on the MCPS website. If you have
questions, contact the Department of Public Information and Web Services at 301-279-3853 or email us
at [email protected].
Safe Routes to School Sponsoring Don’t Be Distracted Contest
Montgomery County’s Safe Routes to School program is sponsoring a contest to bring attention to the risks of
walking or driving while using a mobile device. To enter the Don’t Be Distracted contest, students ages 5–18
are asked to create their own artwork, essay, or 30-60 second public service announcement video to help
prevent distracted walking and driving. The contest ends May 31 and the grand prizewinner will receive an iPad
Air. Additional information about the contest is available at www.montgomerycountymd.gov, search “Safe
Routes to School”, and on Facebook (Facebook.com/MOCOSRTS); Twitter (@mocosrts); and Instagram
(@mocosrts).
Don’t Miss the Gaithersburg Book Festival
Montgomery County Public Schools is proud to be a partner in the 2016 Gaithersburg Book Festival on
Saturday, May 21, on the grounds of Gaithersburg City Hall. The book festival has a great lineup of authors and
activities for children of all ages. Several members of the MCPS community will be conducting readings at the
festival and there will be many programs, workshops, and activities in the Children’s Village that are designed
to promote interest in reading and writing. For more information, visit gaithersburgbookfestival.org/.
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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
Ethan
Hillmuth
Ava
Analeigh
St. Clair
Autumn
Jack
Hoilman
Katherene
Garrett
Carpio
Hanna
Joshua
Chung
Sarah
Vivian
Gamble
Evan
Lilah
Ennis
Kenneth
Tristan
Walsh
Broden
Shayaan
Howard
Lily
Nathaniel
Moyer
Kevin
Sneha
Dryman
Immanuel
Ananya
Ouska
Suzy
Kevin
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CES PTA CALL FOR BOARD MEMBERS
President Preside at all meetings of CES PTA, coordinate the work of the officers and committees, regularly meet with the
principal to coordinate all the efforts to benefit the students/ parents, liaison between students /parents /school and community,
perform such other duties as may be prescribed in the by-laws, one of the authorized signatories at the bank, represent CES PTA at
council meetings or send an alternate.
Vice President Act as aide to the president, perform the duties of the PTA President in their absence.
Vice President - Fundraising Organize Spirit Nights, coordinate fundraising efforts/events like Kidstuff coupon books,
Readathon, Mixed bags etc , might create new ways of raising money to support the students at CES.
Treasurer Custodian of all funds of CES PTA, Authorized signatory at the bank, bookkeeping of income/expenses of the PTA,
deposits money, disperses payment or reimbursement, responsible for preparing and filing all necessary tax forms and submitting a
copy to the MD PTA Office.
Secretary Record the minutes of all PTA meetings, file all records, maintain current membership list.
According to MD PTA bylaws, a PTA needs to have a President and Treasurer to exist. Without these two
positions, CES will not have a PTA in 2016-17. The following positions are OPEN for the Executive Board.
Each of these positions is for a term of 2 years.
There are also a few Committee Positions open – Each of these positions is for a term of one year, with the
option of extending the term to a two year commitment.
Without a committed Executive PTA board, Clarksburg Elementary School may no longer offer: Heritage
Night, Movie Night, Spring Dance night, Cultural arts assemblies for our children during school day, 5th grade
promotion and picnic, Staff Appreciation or Spirit Wear, and many other enrichment opportunities.
Please accept our heartfelt gratitude for all your support and encourage your friends in the community to join
our CES PTA. Please do not hesitate to reach out to one of the PTA board members if you have any questions.
If you are interested in taking up any of the above mentioned board positions with our wonderful PTA, send an
email to the members of our Nomination Committee with your contact information and the position that you are
interested in. Alternatively, you may fill up the bottom portion of this page and send it in with your child to the
school. Chisty Graybeal - [email protected]
Mary Lee - [email protected]
Frank Ortiz - [email protected]
------------------------------------------------------Cut here--------------------------------------------------------------------Name:
Your Child’s Name/ Child’s Teacher:
Phone Number :
Email:
PTA Executive Board Position, please circle one:
If interested in leading a committee, please circle one:
Yearbook, PTA Website/Social media, Spirit wear,
Dances, Staff Appreciation, Heritage Night, 5th grade
promotion, Zumba Night, Membership, Boxtops
President, VP, VP Fundraising, Treasurer, Secretary
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