April 3 News and Notes

Timberwolf News & Notes
John Poole Middle School
April 3, 2016
Principal’s Message
Good Evening Timberwolf Families!
I hope you were able to rest, relax, and enjoy the time with your
families over spring break! As we close out the third marking
period this week it is a good time to reflect on the work we have
done during the third marking period and look forward to the
fourth marking period!
This week’s New and Notes has a great deal of information in it,
including the PARCC testing schedule. Please take some time
to review it closely. Good luck to our soccer teams who kick off
their season this week!
See you all tomorrow!! Make it a great week!
Upcoming Dates:
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4/8 – 3rd Marking Period Ends
4/8 – Talent Show – 6:30 pm
4/11 – 4th Marking Period Begins
4/22 – Report Card Distribution
4/25 – 8th Grade Field Trip to
Natural History Museum
4/26 – HOLIDAY, No School
4/28 – 8th Grade Career Day
The April after-school activities
calendar is on the JPMS website.
Respectfully,
Mr. Robert Sinclair Jr, Principal
Magnet Program Community Meetings
MCPS recently released a study on choice and special academic programs, including the magnet program at
Poolesville High School. The report can be found online at http://bit.ly/1RKRWdV . There are also community
meetings planned to discuss the reports. I would strongly encourage you to read the report and consider
attending one of the community meetings. (The dates and times are below)
PARCC Testing
The PARCC assessments serve as an "educational GPS system," assessing students' current performance, and
pointing the way to what students need to learn to be ready for the next grade level and, by high school
graduation, for college and/or a career.
The PARCC assessments are designed to give schools and teachers more information to improve instruction.
Moreover, PARCC is designed to let parents know how their child is progressing academically. This more
detailed information can lead to strong engagement between parents and teachers.
At John Poole Middle School, students will be taking the PARCC between May 9 and May 27. We will run two
sessions a day, the schedule can be found below, please note that ELA stands for English Language Arts. Please
make every effort to avoid scheduling appointments on the day your child’s grade level is testing.
Click on the link to review more information to parents http://www.parcconline.org/resources/parent-resources
Week 1
Mon 5/9/16
Tues 5/10/16
Wed 5/11/16
Thur 5/12/16
Fri 5/13/16
7:55 – 9:38
Math 6 Unit 1
Math 6 Unit 2
Math 6 Unit 3
Make Up
Make Up
9:42 – 11:52
ELA 7 Unit 1
ELA 7 Unit 2
ELA 7 Unit 3
Make Up
Make Up
Week 2
Mon 5/16/16
Tues 5/17/16
Wed 5/18/16
Thur 5/19/16
Fri 5/20/16
7:55 – 9:38
Math 7 Unit 1
Math 7 Unit 2
Math 7 Unit 3
Make Up
Make Up
9:42 – 11:52
ELA 8 Unit 1
ELA 8 Unit 2
ELA 8 Unit 3
Make Up
Make Up
Week 3
Mon 5/23/16
Tues 5/24/16
Wed 5/25/16
Thur 5/26/16
Fri 5/27/16
7:55 – 9:38
Algebra I Unit 1
Math 8 Unit 1
Algebra I Unit 2
Math 8 Unit 2
Algebra I Unit 3
Math 8 Unit 3
Make Up
Make Up
9:42 – 11:52
ELA 6 Unit 1
ELA 6 Unit 2
ELA 6 Unit 3
Make Up
Make Up
Week 4
Mon 5/30/16
Tues 5/31/16
Wed 6/1/16
Thur 6/2/16
Fri 56/3/16
Memorial Day
Make Up
Make Up
Make Up
Make Up
John Poole Middle School_____________________
17014 Tom Fox Avenue
Poolesville, Maryland 20837
301-972-7979
Fax: 301-972-7982
http://www.mcpsmd.org/schools/poolems
Office of the Principal
March 23, 2016
You should have received the letter below from your child on Wednesday, March 23, 2016.
Dear Parent or Guardian:
Our school is participating in the Maryland Safe and Supportive Schools Middle School (MDS3) Initiative through the
Maryland State Department of Education. The goal of the MDS3 Initiative is to develop a sustainable system to measure
and address school climate in middle schools, which includes content in the areas of school environment, student
engagement, and school safety. An online anonymous school climate survey will be administered at our school in the
coming weeks. The survey will collect responses from students, staff and parents to questions related to bullying,
substance use, student attendance and engagement, and the school environment. This information will be used to guide
us in promoting a healthy school environment for students to learn at our school and throughout the state.
Your child will be surveyed through English class. The Maryland State Department of Education is asking that parent(s)
and guardian(s) be notified about this survey. We hope you will agree to permit your son/daughter to help us in this
important study.
The survey is voluntary and will be given in selected classrooms during school hours by our teachers. It is expected to
take about 20 minutes to complete. In order to encourage truthful answers to the questions and to assure each
student’s privacy, no student names will be written on the survey or in any way linked with the students’ responses to
the survey questions. Student responses will be anonymous.
You can review the MDS3 School Climate Survey at the school by contacting Ms. AnneMarie Smith, Principal Intern at
301-972-7979 or [email protected] . Ms. Smith will arrange a time for you to review the survey. If you
have questions about the survey, call the MDS3 Research and Evaluation Team at (410) 614-4473, or send an email to
[email protected].
If you do NOT consent to your child participating in this survey, please complete and sign the attached form and return it
to the school.
Sincerely,
AnneMarie Smith, Principal Intern
Tear off and return
I have read the above statement and I DO NOT CONSENT to my child participating in the 2016 MDS3 Climate Survey.
Child’s Name (print) _________________________________________________________________
(First)
(Last)
Parent/Guardian’s Signature ___________________________________________________________
Date of Signature __________________________________________
Extension of 3rd Marking Period
Due to the number of snow days this marking period, MCPS has moved the end of the 3rd marking period from
Wednesday, March 23 to Friday, April 8. The 3rd marking period professional day for teachers will remain on
Thursday, March 24, which is the first day of spring break for students. Report card distribution for 3rd marking
period will now occur on Friday, April 22.
8th Grade Dance
The 8th Grade Dance will be held on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at the Poolesville Baptist Church. The dance will
be from 7:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. and the theme will be “An Evening Under the Big Top.”
Needed: Volunteers to help with the event. If interested, please contact either Dreama Hemingway at
[email protected] or Jennifer Kasten at [email protected]
Attention 6th Grade Parents
BE PREPARED! The Maryland mandatory immunization requirements will change next year when your child
enters 7th grade. The new requirements for 7th grade are: Meningococcal (MCV) & Tdap (Tetanus, diphtheria,
pertussis/whooping cough). Visit your child’s health care provider for required immunizations. Please provide
proof of immunizations to your school’s health room as soon as possible. If you have any questions, please call
the nurse or health tech at 301-407-1029.
Soccer Schedule
Soccer start times are 3:15 at home and 3:30 away
Boys' Soccer
 4/7 at King
 4/12 vs Kingsview at Home
 4/20 at Neelsville
 5/3 at Clemente
 5/5 vs Rocky Hill at Home
Girls' Soccer
 4/7 vs King at Home
 4/12 at Kingsview
 4/20 vs Neelsville at Home
 5/3 vs Clemente at Home
 5/5 at Rocky Hill