Strawberry Knoll News

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1 S T R A W B E R R Y K N O L L E L E M E N T A R Y S C H O O L Strawberry Knoll News December 6, Strawberry Knoll Road Gaithersburg, Maryland E. Frank Kaplan, Principal Rosemary Ford, Assistant Principal Web Site Address strawberryknolles/ Students and Staff Welcome the Season with Music! December is an exciting month for students and staff as we celebrate the holiday season with music. Mr. Gale, instrumental music teacher, and his fourth and fifth grade musicians look forward to entertaining you with holiday tunes on Thursday, December 12, 2013 at 7:30 p.m. in the cafeteria. Our musicians are ready to perform. Also, in keeping with a long-standing Strawberry Knoll tradition, we invite you to join us for our annual All-School Holiday Sing Along on Friday, December 20, 2013 at 2:00 p.m. Music certainly abounds at the Knoll. As one staff member shared, Life is a musical. Sing it! Participants Enjoy Last Month s Town Hall Meeting Parents, staff, and students gathered together in Strawberry Knoll Elementary School s gym last month to recognize students academic and behavioral achievements. They opened the ceremony by singing, You re a Grand Old Flag, keeping with the patriotic spirit of Veteran s Day. Presenters then announced the winners of many awards given to individual students and classes. The first award given was the Certificate of Excellence, awarded to third, fourth, and fifth grade students. Two representatives were selected from each of the third, fourth, and fifth grade classes for their cooperation and collaboration with classmates. The Arts Team staff then presented the ever-popular AMP Awards, to second grade classes and upward for their performance in Art, Music, and Physical Education. The music award was especially interesting; the winning class received a small gong as their trophy. Students in all grades were given the chance to win an award for one of the six Character Counts! pillars. Classes that demonstrated appropriate hallway behavior received the Red Knight Card award. Classes deserving of this recognition were consistent in displaying the four Ss as demonstrated by student silence, straight posture, stillness, and smiles on faces. The last award presented was the Fine Dining Award to classes that showed their best dining etiquette. November s ceremony concluded with another patriotic song, America the Beautiful. Staff, students, and families joined together in song, celebrating this great nation and their school. Jaylene Perez, Gaithersburg H.S. Journalism Intern.

2 Reading Is a Gift That Lasts a Lifetime! We take pride in ensuring our message board along Strawberry Knoll Road is always accurate and current. We especially enjoy posting reminders that cause pedestrians to think and smile. Our Noble Knights value reading. Upon their arrival to school each day, our students sit outside of their classrooms or in the gym (fourth and fifth grade students) and read. Our good friend, Principal Brant, of Gaithersburg Elementary School has provided us with a book list by grade level you may wish to review. Please go to the end of this newsletter for Ms. Brant s list. Four Tips to Problem Solving Our students continue to exercise their mathematics word problem solving skills. The Common Core State Standards emphasize mathematical thinking and reasoning among students through the Standards of Mathematical Practice. The eight Standards of Mathematical Practice require students to demonstrate the following: Make sense of problems and persevere in solving them. Reason abstractly and quantitatively. Construct viable arguments and critique the reasoning of others. Model with mathematics. Use appropriate tools correctly. Attend to precision. Look for and make use of structure. Look for and express regularity in repeated reasoning. So, as we strive to ensure students present themselves as competent and confident math problem solvers, we ask you to review the Four Tips to Problem Solving with your children. Steps are the following: Find out what needs to be solved. Make a plan. Solve it. Look back. If you have any questions about your child s math progress, feel free to contact his/her teacher. Maintain Routines for Smoother Holidays Excitement abounds among students and staff this month. With visitors, parties, gifts, and special meals, we know our Noble Knights can become overwhelmed. As we celebrate the many wonderful holidays this month and next, it s critical for children to maintain established routines. You may wish to consider the following: Maintain a regular bedtime. Staying up late for a family exchange is fine, however, staying up late every night of the winter break isn t. Monitor food and drinks. Instead of caffeinated soda at holiday parties, offer water or juice. Try to lime sweets as well. Include time for quiet reading. Make reading a family affair! Gifted and Talented (GT) Update: Our third grade teachers have completed their recommendations for those third grade students who applied to the Center for the Highly Gifted at Clearspring ES. Students will be tested at Strawberry Knoll on Thursday, January 15, If you have any questions about the Highly Gifted Program, please contact Mrs. Ford at

3 Public Announcements Information about school operations is announced publicly as soon as possible on area radio and television stations, Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) Cable TV (Comcast Channel 34, Verizon FIOS Channel 36, RCN Channel 89), Outlook, on the Internet a and on a recorded telephone message at Emergency announcements are available by signing up for MCPS QuickNotes and Alert MCPS text and notifications on the school system s home page. If schools are closed or delayed, the announcement is made no later than 6:00 a.m. (or the night before if possible). If schools are closing early, the announcement is made by 11:00 a.m. Annuncios Públicos Información acerca de las operaciones escolares se anuncia públicamente cuanto antes posible, a través de las estaciones de radio y televisión, por Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) TV por Cable (Canal 34 de Comcast, Canal 36 de Verizon FIOS, Canal 89 de RCN), Outlook, por Internet ingresando a y por mensaje telefónico grabado, llamando al teléfono Los anuncios de emergencia se pueden recibir por correo electrónico suscribiéndose al boletín informative QuickNotes de MCPS y a través del servicio de mensajes de texto y correo electrónico Alert MCPS (Alerta MCPS). Si las escuelas deben permanecer cerradas, o si se demora el inicio de la jornada escolar, el anuncio se difunde a más tardar a las 6:00 a.m. (o la noche anterior, si fuese posible). Si las escuelas deben cerrar temprano,el anuncio se difunde a más tardar a las 11:00 a.m. The Cold Weather s Here! The change in weather reminds us winter is here. Please make sure your children are dressed appropriately. Thermostats throughout the building are set to 70 degrees Fahrenheit. Additionally, students will continue to go outdoors for line-up/recess when the outdoor temperature including wind chill factor is at or above 32 degrees Fahrenheit. Pennies For Patients Each year, Strawberry Knoll Elementary School participates in the Pennies For Patients campaign to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (LLS). LLS funds research to advance breakthrough therapies for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma and other blood cancers. Leukemia is the most common cancer in children, adolescents and young adults under 20 years old, which is one of the reasons why this charity is so close to our hearts. This year s campaign was a huge success! Our very generous students, families, and staff raised over $1,044! Many fifth grade students contributed by giving up their recess time to count coins for individual classrooms that competed to win prizes for raising the most money. The third place classroom, which raised $68.55, won an extra recess period. The second place classroom, which raised $69.85, won an ice pop party. And the first place classroom, with a total of $72.87, won a pizza party! Thank you to all who contributed and participated in this worthwhile event. Your pennies, nickels, and dimes are now hard at work fighting against deadly blood cancers in children around the world.

4 Seasons Greetings! The holiday season is here! As nature surprises us with rain, perhaps sleet, and maybe snow, we rise each morning filled with noticeable excitement and hope. We look forward to long-awaited celebrations and home-comings. A quote seemingly appropriate for posting on our message board the final week of school before winter break is the following: The past is history. The future is mystery. Today is a gift. That is why we call it the present! Let s remember the priceless gift of remaining present for family and friends. Join us as we continue to build a positive attitude among students about learning and always taking care of one another. Take time to ponder the powers of love, laughter, and forgiveness. Above all, remain present for family and friends. Seasons greetings to each and all! See You Next Year! We wish you and your family a safe winter break. School will remain closed for students and staff December 22, 2013 January 1, We look forward to seeing our noble knights on Wednesday, January 2, 2014! Upcoming Events December 10 Makeup Picture Day December 13 Makeup Hearing and Vision Screening December 20 1:45 p.m. Winter Sing-a-long December 24 January 1 Winter Break January 7 9:45 a.m. 1:00 p.m. First Grade to Imagination Stage 7:00 p.m. PTA Meeting January 14 2:00 p.m. Chorus Concert for grades 3,4, and 5 7:00 p.m. Chorus Concert for Parents January 20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day HOLIDAY January 21 Professional Day for Teachers No School for Students January 29 7:00 8:30 p.m. International Night January 31 1:45 p.m. Town Hall Meeting

5 Gift Ideas Are you looking for gift ideas that will help your child continue his/her love of reading? A book list, by grade level, has been compiled and would make an excellent gift for your child(ren). Please go to end of this newsletter to review the complete booklist. Happy Shopping and remember to read every day! Recommended Book List by Grade Level

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