S. Christa McAuliffe Elementary School

Principal’s Newsletter Wanda Coates, Principal

Volume I, No.4 December 2013

Our Vision: A community school where parents and staff work together as partners for the development of the whole child.

Our Mission: A partnership of parents and staff preparing our children for the future.

Happy December everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving! As the year draws to a close,

it is always a good time to reflect on the past eleven months of the year. What goals have you

accomplished? What goals will you set for next year? It’s nice to set individual as well as family goals for

the upcoming year. I hope you find a lot of time to spend together and to enjoy each other’s company

during the upcoming winter break.

As a friendly reminder (or possibly new information for those new to the Montgomery County Public

School System), the MCPS policy for staff accepting gifts from parents/families is that a staff member

cannot accept any gift exceeding $20 in value or a series of gifts exceeding $100 in value in a calendar

year from any person or family. If parents/families decide to contribute to a class gift for the staff

member, it must follow the MCPS policy and each parent/family contributing to the gift cannot exceed

$20 in value. For example, if 15 parents contribute $10 each to make the class gift value of $150 or 10

parents contribute $20 each to make the class gift value $200, then this will be in accordance with the

MCPS gift policy.

On behalf of the S. Christa McAuliffe staff, we wish you and your family a happy holiday season and a

safe, relaxing winter break. Our staff continues to work hard in providing each and every child with

engaging and rigorous learning tasks inside of and out of the classroom. As we all look forward to the

holiday season and winter break with family and friends, we have an opportunity to celebrate on all the

great things we have accomplished during the past year. We also have an opportunity to reflect and

appreciate all that goes into making our school and community a great place for our children. Thank

you for allowing us to be a part of your children’s lives every day.

Please read to the end of the newsletter. There are important and informative flyers included

in this issue.As always, if you have any questions for me, please don’t hesitate to call or e-mail me at 301-353-0910 or wanda_p_coates@mcpsmd.org.

What’s New at McAuliffe?

STUDENT PROGRESS REPORTS Student progress reports are being set home this week. Please keep an eye out for the reports

so you are aware of how your child is progressing at school. We are halfway through the

second quarter of school and this marking period will be over before you know it. I know the

transition to our new homework program has been difficult for some parents, but we

appreciate your support and appreciate you sticking with it. We see the strong connection

between what we are doing for homework and the new Curriculum 2.0 and how it aligns to the

Common Core. As always, if you have questions about the new curriculum or homework

policies or procedures, please contact a school administrator or your child’s classroom teacher.

SAFETY AND SECURITY AT MCAULIFFE To ensure safety for all students, the Kindergarten doors will remain locked in the afternoon.

Students may exit from these doors, but these doors should not be used as an entry point into

the building. If you are picking up your child from a classroom, please enter through the main

entrance and sign in. Thank you for your understanding as our number one goal is safety!

CONGRATULATIONS STUDENTS!

Congratulations to the following students who successfully completed the first Tier Three

Homework Project. The inventions demonstrated critical and creative thinking as well as effort,

motivation and persistence. Gabrielle Badoo , Brian Romero, Jacob Kline, Sydney Johnson, Ali

Krape, Nicholas Rampersaud, Jacob Ergueta, Dania Akil, Jason To, Taniya Arthur, Emilian

Nakov, Patrick Rosian, Olivia Chugtai, Angelo Getachew, Fabian Nakov, Asia Morris-Waddy,

Rebecca Lemaster, Matthew Robertson, Jamal Stewart, Sergio Sandoval, Julien Badoo, Tresor

Apenou, Giselle Badoo, and Lauren Gower.

PBIS UPDATES

As you know, we are a PBIS school which means we are committed to using positive behavior

interventions and supports. Recently, students were able to use their care cards to attend our

Caring Craft Event. This year we had approximately 350 students participate. Students made

various crafts including a snow globe, holiday cards, and jewelry. The students loved being able

to wrap their craft, too. Thank you to our staff that made this event such a success!

Thank you to the PBIS committee for sponsoring new equipment for students to use on the

playground. Our students will benefit from the additional balls, hula hoops, and jump ropes.

Also, a special thank you to our building manager, Mr. G and his crew for continuing to restore

the playground on the upper field. Our plan is to open this for student use after winter break!

NAACP PARENT COUNCIL KICK OFF MEETING ON DECEMBER 16th in MEDIA CENTER

Topic: Bell Times! See attached flyer for more information.

Curriculum Corner THE PARCC ASSESSMENT This month’s PARCC focus is on fourth grade math. Please find below a fourth grade math task that a

fourth grader might encounter on the upcoming PARCC assessment. Some components of PARCC will

be on-line so you can help prepare your child for this test by allowing them to use the computer to

complete writing assignments, read texts, and take practice tests in a variety of topics and subjects. We

hope to participate in a field test/practice assessment this year to further help the students prepare for

this test. We hope to be able to provide you with more information about the field testing very soon.

Grade 4 Summative Assessment

TASK TYPES

TYPE I: TASKS ASSESSING CONCEPTS, SKILLS AND PROCEDURES

TYPE II: TASKS ASSESSING EXPRESSING MATHEMATICAL REASONING

TYPE III: TASKS ASSESSING MODELING / APPLICATIONS

Type I tasks include a balance of

conceptual understanding, fluency,

and application. These tasks can

involve any or all mathematical

practice standards.

Type I tasks will be machine

scorable and will include

innovative, computer-based

formats.

Type I tasks will appear on the

End of Year and Performance

Based Assessment components

and generate evidence for

measuring major, additional, and

supporting content with

connections to the mathematical

practices as indicated in the

PARCC Model Content

Frameworks for Mathematics.*

Type II tasks call for written

arguments/justifications, critique of reasoning,

or precision in mathematical statements.

These tasks can also involve other

mathematical practice standards.

Type II tasks may include a mix of innovative,

machine scored and hand scored responses.

Type II tasks will be included on the

Performance Based Assessment component

and generate evidence for measuring

mathematical reasoning with connections to

content.

Type III tasks call for

modeling/application in a real-

world context or scenario (MP.4)

and can also involve other

mathematical practice standards.

Type III tasks may include a mix of

innovative, machine scored and

hand scored responses.

Type III tasks will be included on

the Performance Based

Assessment component and

generate evidence for measuring

mathematical modeling/application

with connections to content.

Useful Parent Information

GIFTED AND TALENTED SCREENING Students currently in Grade 2 will take part in the MCPS InView Gifted and Talented Screening

assessment during the first two weeks of December. Each assessment takes approximately 30-45

minutes. This assessment is one part of the screening process for all Grade 2 students. Students new to

MCPS (Grade 3-5) will also take the InView assessment. Some current third grade students will be

rescreened for Gifted and Talented at this time as well, with parent permission.

APPROPRIATE DRESS FOR WINTER WEATHER As we begin to experience winter weather, it is important that our children come dressed appropriately

to school based on the weather. During recess, we plan to get children outside as much as possible,

weather permitting, provided the temperature is 32 degrees or higher, there is low wind-chill, and the

ground is not too wet. With outdoor recess, children should wear winter coats, hats, gloves, etc.

Students should dress in layers.

RECOGNIZE OUR OUTSTANDING STAFF MEMBERS Please consider nominating your child’s teacher!

AGNES MEYER OUTSTANDING TEACHER AWARD

The prestigious Agnes Meyer Award is presented annually by The Washington Post Company

Educational Foundation to one teacher from each Washington metropolitan area school district. One

teacher from Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS) will be selected to receive this recognition

and an award of $3,000 from The Washington Post. Goals of the program are to recognize excellence in

teaching, encourage creative and quality instruction, and contribute in a substantive way to improving

education in the Washington metropolitan area. Nominees must be full-time certified regular or special

education teachers of pre-kindergarten through Grade 12. The award is intended for teachers who

work directly with students in their classrooms on a daily basis or with their assigned caseloads.

Teachers must have a minimum of three years of teaching experience in MCPS.

MARIAN GREENBLATT EDUCATION FUND AWARD

Recognizes Master Teachers who inspire their students to achieve. The $1,000 award, named in honor

of Dr. Marian Greenblatt, is given annually to three veteran MCPS teachers who demonstrate a record

of promoting student success (such as closing the achievement gap), and a $500 award is given to a first-

year teacher who excels at inspiring students' academic achievement.

THE SHIRLEY J. LOWRIE “THANK YOU FOR TEACHING” AWARD

The Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You For Teaching” Award honors extraordinary elementary school

teachers who have a deep dedication to the teaching profession. These elementary school teachers Pre-

K through Grade 5 must work directly with students in the classroom on a daily basis, demonstrating a

thorough knowledge of the subject matter, which is effectively communicated to students. The nominee

should be a teacher who will go the extra mile to ensure that students receive the support they need to

succeed.

Nomination materials and specific guidelines can be found at

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/personnel/awards/ or visit the MCPS website on the

Office of Human Resources webpage under “Awards and Recognition”. In order to provide all nominees

with the same opportunity, nomination packet requirements must be followed and only the

number of pages and the information requested will be considered. Nomination materials for

awards must be received no later than 4:00 p.m. on January 10, 2014.

HOW to RECEIVE MCPS EMERGENCY INFORMATION

MCPS QuickNotes

Receive emergency announcements, as well as other school news and information, via email through

MCPS QuickNotes. Sign up at www.mcpsquicknotes.org. Information is available in six languages.

Alert MCPS

Alert MCPS provides information about major changes in school system operations via text messages

delivered to devices you register, such as cell phones, smart phones, and pagers. Signing up for Alert

MCPS is free, but check with your wireless provider about charges associated with text messages.

Messages are provided in English and Spanish. Parents and staff can also sign up to receive messages for

specific MCPS schools. This service would be used for situations that affect one or a small number of

schools, such as a power outage. Sign up at http://alert.montgomerycountymd.gov/.

Twitter

A Twitter account allows you to follow MCPS updates, including emergency messages, on your

computer, cell phone, or mobile device. Go to http://twitter.com/mcps to follow MCPS or to create an

account.

MCPS Website

Changes in school operations due to weather conditions or other emergencies are posted on the MCPS

website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org. Messages are posted in English and Spanish.

Recorded Information Line

To hear a recorded message about changes in school operations in English and Spanish, call 301-279-

3673.

MCPS TV

Emergency messages, news about MCPS, coverage of Board of Education meetings, and more, are

provided on Comcast Cable Ch. 34, Verizon Ch. 36, and RCN Ch. 89. For more info, visit

www.mcpstv.org.

TV and Radio: Local Stations

Tune in to local TV and radio stations for news about changes in school operations due to weather

conditions or other emergencies.

Make sure your school has your current contact information (e-mail address and home,

work, and cell phone numbers), so you can be reached in an emergency.

NOTE: MCPS will no longer post closing messages on www.schoolsout.com.

Montgomery County Public Schools

Department of Public Information & Web Services/Office of Communications

301-279-3853

CALENDAR DATES TO REMEMBER

December

12/11 Fourth grade field trip to Baltimore Aquarium

12/11 Family Craft Night in the Media Center 5-7

12/12 Dining Out Night at Chuck E. Cheese 3-9

12/16 NAACP Parent Council Meeting at 6:30 in Media Center

Topic: Bell Times in MCPS

12/23 Winter break begins

12/23-1/1 NO SCHOOL – CLOSED FOR WINTER BREAK

1/1 RETURN TO SCHOOL FROM BREAK

December looks to be a pretty quiet month for the PTA. There will be a Family Craft Night on

Wednesday, December 11th from 5-7pm in the Media Center. Join us to make a special holiday

gift for the McAuliffe staff. On Thursday, December 19th

we will be celebrating our staff with a

holiday potluck lunch. We are looking for families to help us by food items that we can serve. If

you are interested in contributing a dish, salad, soup, dessert or something else, please contact

Heidi-Rose Creuziger at hrcreuziger@gmail.com.

We will host a Dining Out Night at Chuck-E-Cheese’s on Thursday,

December 12th

from 3-9pm.

We have not yet met our membership goal of 200, but we’re still trying. Hopefully over the past

couple of months you have had a chance to participate in some of the events our PTA has hosted,

such as the Back to School Picnic, Book Fair and Family Movie Night, and will consider

becoming a member. Joining does not commit you to volunteering or attending meetings, but

simply means that you support what we do for the students and the school. Once our membership

reaches 200, we will raffle off 2 prizes ($30 Silver Diner gift card; and membership dues refund).

You can download a membership form here.

Please continue sending in Box Tops and Labels for Education – those little things

really do add up to a whole lot!

Visit our website at www.mcauliffeespta.org. This page contains calendar information, notices

about upcoming events, PTA forms, and much more! Also, please “like” us on Facebook

(www.facebook.com/mdmcauliffePTA) and receive McAuliffe posts on your timeline.

Thank you all for your support! As always, feel free to contact anyone on the PTA board. Sarah Barrett

President sarahfbarrett@msn.com

301-452-7104

Silvia Mendes Vice President

sbomendes@aol.com 240-277-6021

Eliane Bartholazzi Treasurer

beliane@hotmail.com 301-972-6697

Holly Jankowski Secretary

hollyjankowski@gmail.com 301-972-0263

S. Christa McAuliffe ES

PTA Corner

Neighbor to Neighbor “BELL TIMES” Conversation NAACP Parent Council Meeting

Christa McAuliffe ES Monday, December 16, 2013

6:30pm @ School Media Center

The Christa McAuliffe Parent Council will be having its first meeting, Monday,

December 16th, 2013 at 6:30pm in the Media Center. We will start off the

meeting with a brief summary of the group’s recent activities. Topics to be

discussed include: hot topics within MCPS, essay competition, black history month

celebration, and parents’ concerns. We will then welcome and introduce our guest

speaker from the office of Community Engagement and Partnerships to discuss our

feature topic of the evening.

Superintendent Joshua P. Starr is recommending that Montgomery County Public

Schools (MCPS) consider changing school starting and ending times, also known

as bell times. Dr. Starr is recommending that high schools start 50 minutes later,

middle schools start 10 minutes earlier, and that the elementary school day be

extended by thirty minutes.

MCPS would like to hear from you on this proposal. Come to the meeting

facilitated by staff from the MCPS Office of Community Engagement and

Partnerships to:

learn about the recommendation and the benefits of sleep

provide your input about the recommendation to change bell times

This is your opportunity as a parent to provide your personal feedback. Any

feedback gathered will be shared with the Bell Time Steering Committee, the

Superintendent, and the Board of Education.

Kids are welcome and light refreshments will be served.

For more information about this event or the Christa McAuliffe Parent Council Group, Please contact: Phil Moise – Email: moise.phil@gmail.com

Conversación de Vecino a Vecino “Horario de Timbres” Reunión de NAACP Parent Council

Christa McAuliffe ES Lunes, 16 de Diciembre del 2013

6:30pm @ Media Center de la Escuela

El Consejo de Padres de la Escuela Elemental Christa McAuliffe tendrá su primera

reunión el lunes, 16 de diciembre del 2013 a las 6:30pm en el Media Center.

Comenzaremos la reunión con un breve sumario de las actividades recientes del

grupo. Los temas que serán discutidos son: temas importantes dentro de MCPS,

competición de redacción, celebración del mes de la historia de afro americanos, e

inquietudes de padres. Después presentaremos a nuestro orador de Office of

Community Engagement and Partnerships que nos presentara el tema principal de

la noche.

El Superintendente Joshua P. Starr ha recomendado a Montgomery County Public

Schools (MCPS) que considere cambios al horario de comienzo y final de la

jornada escolar—conocido también como horario de timbres. La recomendación de

Dr. Starr es de comenzar la jornada escolar en las escuelas secundarias 50 minutos

más tarde, en las escuelas de enseñanza media 10 minutos más temprano, y

prolongar la jornada escolar de las escuelas elementales por 30 minutos.

MCPS quisiera escuchar de usted acerca de esta propuesta. Venga a la reunión

facilitada por personal del MCPS Office of Community Engagement and

Partnerships para: Aprender acerca de la recomendación y los beneficios de dormir lo suficiente

Proveer su opinión acerca de la recomendación de cambiar el horario de timbres

Esta es su oportunidad como padre para proveer su opinión personal. Todas las

opiniones compartidas serán enviadas al Grupo de Trabajo de Horario de Timbres,

el Superintendente, y el Consejo de Educación.

Niños son bienvenidos y refrigerios livianos serán servidos.

Upcounty Regional Services Center 12900

Middlebrook Rd, Germantown, MD 20874

Tel: 240.777.6950

Winter 2014

English as a Second Language Classes in

Germantown

Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:00-8:30 PM Starting January 7 until

March 25

Registration (testing and placement) will be held: When: Monday, January 6, 2014, 5:00-

7:00 PM

Where: Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity

Upcounty Regional Services Center 12900

Middlebrook Rd, Suite 1100

Germantown, MD 20874 Registration Fees: $25-60.

For more information

call Kathy at Spanish Catholic Center at 301-740-2523 ext. 973 or 972.

Upcounty Regional Services Center 12900 Middlebrook Rd, Germantown, MD 20874

INVIERNO 2014

Clases de Inglés como Segunda Lengua (ESOL)

en Germantown

Martes y Jueves, 6:00-8:30 PM Clases comienzan el 7 de Enero y terminan el 25

de Marzo de 2014

Inscripciones (requisito: examen de nivel): Cuándo: Lunes, 6 de Enero, 2014, 5:00-7:00

PM

Dónde: Gilchrist Center for Cultural Diversity Upcounty

Regional Services Center 12900 Middlebrook Rd, Suite

1100

Germantown, MD 20874

Costo Matrícula: $25-60.

Para más información, llame a Kathy al Centro Católico Hispano: 301-740-2523 ext. 973 o 972.

Padres y Alumnos Latinos en Acción La Escuela Intermedia Roberto Clemente

Nuestra Meta/Our Goal: El éxito academic y social de los estudiantes latinos en la Escuela Intermedia Roberto Clemente. Promote academic and social achievement for Roberto Clemente Middle School Latino Students.

Objetivos/Objectives:

Mejorar las oportunidades educativas y sociales para nuestro hijos o Improve the educational and social opportunities for our children

Fomentar la participación de los padres en el éxito educativo o Promote parental involvement in academic success

Facilitar el conocimiento y la utilzación del sistema escolar para el beneficio de nuestros hijos

o Facilitate knowledge and utilization of the school system by parents Trabajar en conjunto con el PTSA así como el personal escolar para mejorar la

educación de todos los estudiantes en la Escuela Intermedia Roberto Clemente o Work together with the PTSA and school staff to improve the education of all children at

Roberto Clemente Middle School ¡Todas las familias están invitadas a participar en las actividades de este grupo!

All families are welcome to participate in this group’s activities!

Calendario de Reuniones 2013-2014 Por favor, marque su calendario para nuestras prómias reunions.

Please mark your calendar for our upcoming meetings.

Fecha/Date Tema/Topic

29 de Octubre 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

Alcanzando el Éxito Reaching for Success

19 de Noviembre 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

Estrategias para el Éxito en la Lectura y las Matemáticas Math & Reading Strategies for Success

28 de Enero 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

En el Camino a la Universidad y Becas On the Pathway to University and Scholarships

25 de Febrero 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

La Importancia de la Comunicación, Dra. Claudia Campos The Importance of Communication, Dr. Claudia Campos

25 de Marzo 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

Recursos en la Comunidad y MCPS Resources in the Community & MCPS

29 de Abril 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

Opciones de los Programas en Escuela Secundaria High School Program Options

27 de Mayo 2013 7:00 – 8:30pm

Celebración del Fin del Año Escolar End of the School Year Celebration

Opciones del programa de secundaria

Fundraising night at La Mexicana to benefit the Roberto Clemente

Middle School Hispanic Parents and Students in Action group. This group’s focus is to provide Hispanic parents and students with

strategies for success. Ten percent of the proceeds will be donated(excluding bar purchases).

MONDAY, DECEMBER 9TH 5 :00 P.M.— 9:00 P.M.

13016 MIDDLEBROOK ROAD GERMANTOWN, MD 20874

(LOCATED IN THE SHOPPING CENTER WITH THE DSW, GIANT, AND BED BATH AND BEYOND)

SPECIALS FOR RCMS FAMILIES

1. GRILLED CHICKEN FAJITA PLATTER 7.95

2. GRILLED CHICKEN & RICE 6.95

3. CHIMI CHANGA PLATTER 6.95

4. GRILLED SHRIMP & RICE 8.95

5. GRILLED TILAPIA PLATTER 7.95

6. TACO PLATTER 6.95