Arcola Elementary School
Gator Gazette
Nothing but the
best will do!
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
Gregg Baron, Acting Assist ant Principal
Important
September Dates

September 8
Gator Club Begins
PTA Fundraiser Begins

September 9 and 10
LTL Adult ESOL Class
Registration
4:30 pm—6:30 pm

September 10
Back to School Night
6:30 pm-8:00 pm

September 12
Back to School Picnic
5:00 pm—9:00 pm

September 17
Mad Science and
After School Avanti Soccer

September 18
Learn Music Now Club

September 19
Chuck E. Cheese Night
5:00 pm –9:00 pm

September 23
School Improvement Team
Meeting
7:45-8:45 am Arcola Gym and
Computer Lab

September 24
Early Release at 1:00 pm

September 25
No School

September 26
Parent’s Coffee
9:00 am—10:30 am
September 2014
Dear Arcola Families:
It is has been great to see the students excited about another school year. As we
move forward it is important for us to remember that “Together We Will!” This
statement is a theme we use at Arcola to remind us of the importance of
collaboration and teamwork. As a school community our work together will
promote the success of all. A special “Welcome” goes out to our new Arcola
families. We are so happy to have you as our newest Gators!
Our teachers continue to provide students with quality instruction that reflect
Montgomery County’s expectations for Curriculum 2.0. There have been a few
changes in our staffing allocations (number of teachers and ways we use our
teachers) I would like to inform you of. We were recently allocated an additional
Kindergarten teacher. As a result, we will be able to have Kindergarten class
sizes meet the county guidelines. Please welcome Ms. Kaitlyn Sullivan,
Kindergarten Teacher, as our newest member to the Arcola staff. Our numbers in
first grade exceeded the county expected class size guideline. The class sizes in
our fourth grade classes were well below county guidelines. As a result, we
reassigned one of our fourth grade class teachers to support first grade. Mr.
Baron will be a first grade teacher upon his completion of the acting principal
assignment. In the meanwhile, his long term substitute will be used to reduce
class sizes during instructional blocks. We hope to create an 8th section of first
grade within the next few weeks in time for Mr. Baron’s transition to back to the
classroom. First grade parents will receive more specific information regarding
the creation of another class. We now have 4 sections of fourth grade classes. All
fourth grade classes continue to be below the county class size expectation.
We continue to incorporate our school-wide behavioral program, ”Positive
Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)” that identifies and teaches positive
behavioral expectations. This program includes consistent expectations, language
and implementation throughout the building. A letter explaining the system will
be sent home next week. Teachers will explain more about PBIS during our
upcoming Back-to-School Night.
We look forward to seeing everyone at our Back to School Night on Wednesday,
September 10th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. There will be two sessions of classroom
visits for parents who have children in multiple grade levels.
Third Grade Field Trip to
Imagination Stage
9:30 am—12:30 pm
Sincerely,
Emmanuel Jean-Philippe
Principal
Gator Club Parent Meeting
5:30 pm-6:30pm
Staff Lounge
Gregg Baron
Acting Assistant Principal

September 29
PTA Fundraiser Ends
News from the Parent Community Coordinator
Hello! I am your Parent Community Coordinator, Magda Sobalvarro-Ochoa. My job is to help you
support your children so they may do the best they can in school. Your involvement in your child’s
academic life is key to their success and I am here to help you in reaching this goal. If you need
help with filling out forms, obtaining community resources/services, material to help your children
with learning at home, free books and school supplies, discuss concerns, demonstrate learning
activities you can do at home or help you communicate in Spanish with administrators and/or
teachers please let me know. I host a monthly coffee just for you, our fabulous parents! These events
give you an opportunity to meet other parents and learn about important school, educational and
community issues that affect you and your family. Please be on the lookout for a bright flyer every
month that will indicate the date and time of our monthly coffee. I hope to meet you very soon!
ATTENTION PARENTS OF THIRD GRADE STUDENTS !
You will soon be receiving information and an application directly from MCPS
through your home address regarding the Center for the Highly Gifted at Pine Crest
Elementary School. The program is intended to include diverse learners who perform
above grade level and display unusual creativity and drive to learn. Parents who receive the application and are interested in having their children apply can fill out the application and return it directly to Division of Consortia Choice and Application Program Services
(DCCAPS) via U. S. mail. If you need more information you may visit the MCPS website for
special programs and/or attend an information session (English & Spanish) at Kennedy High
School on September 30th. You can also contact Ms. Emily Parizer-Velez at Arcola with questions. The deadline for application is November 7th.
IMPORTANT REMINDERS!
Please confirm that we have your working contact information on file at the
front office. There have been many cases so far this year where we have no working telephone numbers for parents. This is critical in case of an emergency.
 Some of our teachers choose to send important information to you every Friday
in what is called the “Friday Folder”. Please be sure to check these so you don’t
miss an important event or opportunity!

NEWS FROM THE MEDIA CENTER
The media center is looking for volunteers! We need both regular volunteers and
volunteers for special occasions! Our first special occasion will be November 1014 for our Scholastic
Book Fair. We will need extra hands anytime between 8:45am-5:00pm.
Regular volunteers are needed for a minimum of 2 hours a week, during the
school day. We would love them to come at the same time each week. (For example, every
Tuesday from 10:00-12:00). Volunteers can assist with shelving, checking out and other media
related duties. Please consider lending your support. Training will be provided. Contact our
media specialist, Ms. Amy Rosenblum at 301 649-8590 or [email protected] if
you are able to help. This is a great way to become involved in school!