Arcola Elementary School
Gator Gazette
1820 Franwall Av enue
Silver Spring, MD 20902
(301) 649-8590
FAX (301) 649-8592
http://montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/arcolaes/
Emmanuel Je an-Philippe, Principal
Angela Ventura, Assistant Principal
Nothing but the best
will do!
Nove mber 2014
Dear Arcola Families:
The staff members here at Arcola are continually committed to providing a high
quality educational experience for each child. This is evident by the staff’s
commitment to collaboration and the day-today interactions between teachers
and students. Your support and involvement as parents are a great part of our
success as a school. During the month of November parents have the
opportunity to participate in our annual parent conferences. Parent conferences
provide parents with a picture of the strengths and needs of their children. It is
a good idea to discuss your child’s progress with them. All parents are
encouraged to discuss the importance of effective effort and commitment to
academics with their children. These two components promote life-long academic
success.
Our PTA continues to be on the move and going strong. It was pleasure to see
many of you at our most recent PTA meeting. There are a lot of opportunities to
be engaged and involved as a parent during the month of November. Please be
sure to be on the lookout. This month there have been a number of after-school
activities and an Artist in Residence working with our 5 th graders with
technology. A special thank you to Ms. Northern for her creativity and
collaboration with the PTA to make this happen. The PTA is off to a great start
with fantastic leadership. I encourage you to join the PTA and get involved! We
have some really wonderful activities planned for this year, but it cannot happen
without your support. Thank you to everyone who participated in our Claire’s
Gourmet fundraiser sponsored by our PTA. Congratulations to the Wooten
family for being our top sellers this year. We look forward to seeing you at one of
our school activities during the month of November.
Please be sure to mark
your calendars and listen out for our connect-ed reminder phone calls.
There have been a few changes in our staff. As you may know, Ms. Moore, Para
Educator, is now working with the Division of Family Partnerships for
Montgomery County Public Schools. Mr. Sibert, Para Educator, has taken a
position in the field of social work. We will miss them both and wish the best for
all their future endeavors. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Iris Malgarez, Para
Educator, and Ms. Roberta Kemp, ESOL Teacher, to the Arcola family.
Congratulations to Mrs. Vahsen, formerly known as Ms. Tress and Ms.
Zuhurudeen who recently celebrated their respective weddings.
Just a reminder, school will be closed November 27th and 28th. Best wishes for a
happy, restful Thanksgiving holiday to all Arcola families.
Have a great November!
Emmanuel Jean-Philippe
Principal
Angela Ventura
Assistant Principal
Important
November Dates

November 10 and 11th
Dismissal at 1:00 PM
Parent-Teacher Conferences

November 10—14
Arcola Book Fair
9:00 am (closing time varies)

November 13
Kindergarten to Brookside
Gardens

November 17
Engh and Jones’ Classes to
Kingsley Env. Center

November 19
Davison and Bamba to
Kingsley Env. Center

November 21
Picture Make-Up Day

November 25
Cloher, Ringer, Wallerstedt
to Kingsley Env. Ctr

November 26
Dismissal at 1:00 pm

November 27 and 28
No School
Thanksgiving Holiday
News from the Parent Community Coordinator
If you were able to attend our October parent’s coffee you are more than prepared to meet
with your children’s teacher at our upcoming parent-teacher conferences! If you were
unable to attend and would like some tips on how to make the most of them, please
contact Ms. Ochoa and she will happy to provide you with the handouts. Remember to be
on the lookout every month for a flyer inviting you to our monthly coffees. These are held
towards the end of each month and are a great opportunity to learn something new and meet fellow
Arcola parents. We would love to have you join us!
THE BOOK FAIR IS HERE!
Arcola’s Annual Scholastic Book Fair is here and shiny new books are ready to
go home with eager young readers! Please stop by and browse for new books to
add to your children’s library. Remember that your purchases will also help Arcola raise funds for new media equipment and technology. Be sure to stop by
some time or times this week!
Monday, November 10th 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (special extended hours)
Tuesday, November 11th 9:00 am to 6:00 pm (special extended hours)
Wednesday, November 12th 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Thursday, November 13th 9:00 am to 4:00 pm
Friday, November 14th 9:00 am to 1:00 pm
If you would like to volunteer, please call Ms. Amy Rosenblum, Media Specialist.
NEWS FROM THE HEALTH ROOM
Flu Clinic at Arcola. On Monday, Nov 10 we will be conducting a flu clinic
from 1:15-3:15 at Arcola for students only. We will be offering the flu mist at
no charge but the student will need to be accompanied by a parent/
guardian. We do have a limited supply and it will be offered on a first-come, first-served basis. Appointments are required and can be made by calling the health room at 301-287-8544
or e-mail Ms Gastanaga at: [email protected]
On November 17, 18 and 19th the Health Room will also be screening all students in Kindergarten as well as first graders who did not pass their screening last year. All new students to the county will also be screened. Please contact the health room if you have any
questions or concerns.
ART CONTEST FOR THE YEARBOOK!
Hey Kids! It’s time again for our annual Gator Drawing Contest! The them this
year is “Gators Enjoy Reading and/or Math”. Pick up your entry form from your classroom
teacher and be sure to turn them in to your teacher or Ms. Davis in the front office. Voting
will be held closer to winter break. You may use resources at the media center for inspiration. Good luck!