Ashburton Elementary School January, 2016 Dear Parents/Guardians,

Ashburton Elementary School
6314 Lone Oak Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817 * 301-571-6959
PRINCIPAL’S NEWS
January, 2016
Dear Parents/Guardians,
Happy New Year and welcome to 2016! I hope you had an enjoyable and relaxing Winter Break with
family and friends. I enjoyed the time spent with my family and the many, many family gatherings. I also
enjoyed the scrumptious holiday food, maybe a little too much, and have therefore set a few New Year’s
resolutions!
We had a busy month in December with In-View testing, the fabulous Winter Choral Concerts, spirit
week, and many class activities. Thank you to Ms. Barr for all of her work with the chorus, and Mr. Roth
and Mrs. Hausknecht for helping the students to create the snowmen artwork that made up the scenery for
the performance. Staff, students and parents enjoyed the concerts and were impressed by the talented
performers. And, as a bonus, some of our fourth grade chorus members had the opportunity to sing for
the staff and patients at Suburban Hospital as they spread holiday cheer to one of our fantastic community
partners.
Our SGA sponsored a fun spirit week in December, and we all enjoyed the sports, favorite character,
wacky Wednesday, Pajama Day and Funky Friday spirit days. Thank you to Mrs. Weaver for her
leadership on the amazing spirit week!
As it is winter now and will eventually turn colder, the need to know whether school is closed or not due
to inclement weather becomes important. We live in a large county and often when it appears to be rain
here it can be ice or snow in the northern part of the county.
Calendar Updates
Refer to the box on the following page for closure information
you can access at home or on your mobile device.
January 13- Dine Out with AshburtonLedo’s at Westlake
Over the fall, the Capital Improvement program budget was a
focus for Ashburton parents as the Board of Education
approved the Interim Superintendent’s request for Ashburton’s
addition to be completed in 2019, a year earlier than it was
scheduled. The next step will be for the County Council to
fund the budget, and you will hear from the PTA on when
hearings are being held and how to show your support. Mr.
Bowers’ Proposed Operating Budget is being considered now.
There is more information on it including a link to the Budget
101 later in this newsletter. Mr. Bowers was the Chief
Operating Officer for MCPS for many years and understands
the complexity of the budget extremely well. The FY17 budget
calls for a 4.5 percent increase in new spending designed to
strengthen the system’s foundation, which has been squeezed
by eight years of difficult economic times in addition to the
growth in enrollment throughout out the system.
January 21- Instrumental Music Concert
January 22- End of the 2nd Marking Period
January 18- Holiday- Martin Luther King,
Jr.’s Birthday-School Closed
January 25- Professional Day for Teachers,
No School for Students
January 26-28 Vision and Hearing
Screening, grade K, 1, and new students
January 29- Report Cards Distributed &
PTA’s Bingo Night
February 2- Family Math Night/PTA
Meeting
Ms. Kelly Morgan will be doing her student teaching in Ms. Ellen’s Holder’s second grade class this
winter. We are fortunate to have this opportunity to have extra support and share our great teachers and
students. Students in Ms. Holder’s class will receive more information, and we welcome Ms. Morgan to
the Ashburton community!
It is so important for children to be on time for school each and every day of the school year. It is the
expectation for all students to be in class and ready for learning by 9:00 a.m. If you find that traffic is
heavy during the winter months, please allow extra time in your schedule to ensure that you are at school
on time. Also, remember that parents must check in with the office before heading down to classrooms. I
hope to see you at school or at our PTA events this month, including a Dine Out at Ledo’s and Bingo
Night. From all of us here at Ashburton, we wish you and your family all the best in the new year!
Sincerely,
Greg Mullenholz, Principal
NEW/KINDERGARTEN PARENT MEETINGS
We will hold two informal meetings with new or upcoming kindergarten parents in January and February.
This is a time to meet with the principal in a group, ask questions and tour the school.
All parents with new students in the fall 2016 are welcome to attend however,
the meeting is geared for parents who do not have students currently at Ashburton.
We will hold our kindergarten orientation in the spring and will begin to make appointments in late January.
All children who will turn 5 by September 1, 2016 will need to be signed up.
Please pass this information on to friends and neighbors. Call the school at 301-571-6959 or
email Marney Jacobs at [email protected] to reserve a spot on either of the following dates:
January 21, 2016 @ 9:30 a.m. or
February 8, 2016 @ 2:15 p.m.
Emergency Closing/Inclement Weather Information
Announcements about the closing of schools in Montgomery County, delayed opening or early dismissal due to
winter weather emergencies are available through a number of outlets:
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MCPS QuickNotes e-mail news service (subscribe at www.mcpsquicknotes.org)
Or schools-out.com
Local radio and television stations – WMAL (AM-630), WTOP (AM-1500), MCPS Cable
Channel 34, NBC-4, Fox 5, ABC-7, CBS-9
MCPS website www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org
MCPS information telephone line at 301 279-3673
ASK MCPS at 301 309-6277 (7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. M-F )
Twitter: http://twitter.com/mcps
Decisions to close or delay opening are usually made by 6:00 a.m.
When school opening is delayed, it is usually by 2 hours, so that Ashburton opens at 11:00
a.m., with buses making their usual pick-ups 2 hours later than normal. There is no PEP when
we have a delayed opening.
Decisions to close early are usually made by 11:00 a.m. An early dismissal usually means
Ashburton students leave the school around 12:45
Please do not call the school for weather related closing decisions as the news outlets often know of decisions
before we do.
Operating Budget
The FY 2017 Operating Budget—A Call to Fund Our Future
Interim Superintendent Larry Bowers submitted a $2.4 billion recommended operating budget for Fiscal
Year 2017 to the Board of Education on December 8. Mr. Bowers’ operating budget recommendation
includes investments to improve student literacy and math skills; build the cultural proficiency of staff;
foster stronger partnerships with the community and our families to support students; and better
organize the district to ensure every student is prepared for college and careers.
There are a variety of ways that you can learn more about the MCPS budget and become involved in the
budget process this year, including the new Budget 101 website; Neighbor to Neighbor small-group
discussions; Parent Academy workshops; and an overview of the budget and other documents available
on the MCPS budget webpage. Visit the budget webpage at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/ to read more about these resources and how
to make your voice heard.
Don’t miss the chance to share your ideas and views on the proposed budget at two upcoming public
hearings: the first is Thursday, January 7; the second is Thursday, January 14. Both hearings will be held
at 7 p.m. in the auditorium of the Carver Educational Services Center. Starting December 14 at 9:00 a.m.,
individuals may call the Board of Education office at 301-279-3617 to sign up to testify at the public
hearings.
Budget 101
Budget 101: The Budgeting Process Explained
MCPS has launched a new online resource to help the community better understand how the district
builds its operating budget and funds its schools. The new Budget 101 site was created to answer many
of the questions that parents, students, staff and community members have asked about the MCPS
operating budget. The site will show you where the district’s funding comes from, how it’s spent, and how
our schools are staffed to ensure we are meeting the needs of every student. Visit
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/budget-101/index.html to check out this new resource.
Neighbor to Neighbor gives members of the MCPS community the opportunity to participate in smallgroup discussions about the MCPS budget. Everyone is invited to host a Neighbor to Neighbor discussion.
It can take place during a PTA meeting, a brown bag lunch at a local business or nonprofit, or in the home
of a friend or family member. The Neighbor to Neighbor web-based tool includes everything you need to
have a self-guided discussion about the budget and submit your feedback to the Board of Education and
the interim superintendent. Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/neighbor-to-neighbor/ and get
started today!
2016-2017 School Year Calendar
The Montgomery County Board of Education has approved the calendar for the 2016–2017 school year. School will
begin on Monday, August 29, 2016, and is scheduled to end on Friday, June 16, 2017. The calendar was developed
in partnership with the Montgomery County Council of PTAs, the school district’s three employee associations, and
the Montgomery County Region of Maryland Association of Student Councils, as well as other community
members and school system leadership. The calendar can be found on the MCPS website at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/calendar and will soon be available in seven languages—Amharic, Chinese,
English, French, Korean, Spanish, and Vietnamese.
19th Annual Distinguished Service to Public Education Awards
Do you know any individuals (including students), groups, and organizations that have made outstanding
contributions to public education in Montgomery County? If so, consider nominating them for a
Distinguished Service to Public Education Award! The Montgomery County Board of Education
established the awards, now in its 19th year, to recognize and show appreciation for exemplary
contributions to public education and to MCPS. Nomination forms are available online at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/community/awards/. Completed nomination forms will be due in
February.
Nominate a Parent for Contributions to Education
Do you know a parent who is making a positive impact in MCPS? Now is the time to nominate him or her
for the Maryland Parent Involvement Matters Award, which recognizes parents who have made
significant contributions to a local public school system. The award is sponsored by the Maryland State
Department of Education. Visit marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/pima/index.html for more
information. The deadline is January 29, 2016.
Hearing and Vision Screening
In accordance with the Maryland State Law, students in Montgomery County Public
Schools are screened for possible vision and hearing problems. Trained hearing and vision
screeners will be screening students new to MCPS, students in Kindergarten and students
referred by teachers because of possible signs of hearing or vision problems.
You will receive a form to take to your child’s doctor if your child fails the screening.
If your child is already under care for a hearing or vision problem, or you do not wish your
child to be screened at school, please notify the school nurse in writing.
If your child wears glasses or contacts they should wear them every day and bring them to
the screening.
Carey Ostry, School Community Health Nurse
Ashburton, 301-571-6959
PEP Newsletter
Our next theme will be “Amazing
Animals”. This theme will run from January
4th to February 5th. We will be talking about
all kinds of animals as well as insects. We
will be teaching the students about the
various habitats in which animals live, foods
they eat, where they sleep, etc. We will also
be teaching the students
about how animals grow and
change. Thank you for your
continued support!
Reminders: - January 18th and 25th – No
School for PEP Students
Thanks, the PEP Team
January Happenings in Kindergarten
We hope you enjoyed your winter break! This
month we will assess students on their progress
in reading using a county wide reading
assessment. We will also begin to introduce
more word wall words per week. Please
continue to practice the kindergarten word wall
words with your child. We will continue to
explore how living things grow and change by
observing the life cycle of a mealworm. Expect
to see your child’s Data Notebook at the end of
the month. Please review it with your child and
return it in your child’s home/school folder
promptly. As winter weather approaches, we
encourage you to sign up for MCPS Alert. Refer
to the Kindergarten website for details on how
to sign up. Thank you for your help and
support!
--The Kindergarten Team
First Grade News
Dear First Grade Families,
Happy New Year! We hope that
everyone had a fantastic winter break!
In the month of January first graders
will participate in the Montgomery County
reading assessment (MCPS-AP or also known as
Reading 3D). The data from this testing will be
used to assure that each first grader is receiving
appropriate instruction is performing on or
above the current first grade reading
benchmark. Since teachers and students will be
involved in testing this month, your child may
not bring home their guided reading book or
reading journal as often as they have been.
Please help us by continuing to read with your
child nightly, anyway!
This month students will learn about
past and present by completing personal
timelines in social studies. We really enjoy this
unit and learn a lot about each other!
We look forward to a great start to
2016! Thank you for all of your support so far
this school year.
The First Grade Team
Second Grade Town News
off
up
this
diving
school
Welcome back! We are excited to kick
2016 as we finish
second quarter
month. We are
right back into
as we start our
money unit in math, finish up our own folktales
and informational paragraphs in writing and
continue learning about story elements and
asking and answering questions in reading.
We’re working hard in second grade and
looking forward to an exciting, fresh start to the
New Year!
Third Grade Newsletter
We hope everyone had a wonderful Winter
Break and is excited for all 2016 will bring. We
are excited to begin out fraction unit in math.
This will synthesize multiple math concepts
such as multiplication, division, area, composing
and much more into looking at “how much” of a
whole is identified. Students will also use what
they have researched and learned about various
regions around the world to act as a travel agent
for a country in Africa. Students will complete
an opinion writing on whether or not a family
should travel to a particular country based on the
ease with which a person can adapt to the
region’s environment. The second round of
MAP testing will take place the 3rd week of
January, so we are excited to see the growth and
progress students have made in Math and
Reading since the beginning of the year. At
home, please continue practicing multiplication
and division facts!
Happy New Year! We hope you had a
wonderful break. From the sounds of the
students, the fourth grade had some great
times over the vacation. Some traveled to
various locations while others stayed in the area
and did new and exciting things. Before break,
students started to work on their Business
Proposal. It is exciting to hear about the
businesses students believe would be a good
addition to Georgetown Square, and why they
believe so! Students continue to study Explorers
to the New World in Reading as the marking
period winds down. We will be wrapping up our
current science unit this month and begin turn
our focus to states of matter and weather
patterns as the third marking period begins!
Students are continuing to work on both
multiplication and division in class. It is
extremely important that they keep up with
studying their facts so that they become
proficient in all operations! Please check for the
Friday Folder and the TQ charts on Fridays.
Discuss with your student celebrations written
on the TQ chart. Empty Friday Folders are
expected to be returned the following Monday
or school day.
Happy New Year!
Mrs. Brenner, Ms. Ewing, Ms. Greco,
Ms. Leiser, Mrs. Weaver, and Mrs.
Wloszczowski
Fifth Grade’s Fabulous News
We are delighted with the work
the students did researching and writing
about significant reform movements in
our country. They will be switching to
opinion writing, tackling various topics
News 4 You
about which we are confident they will
develop strong, well supported opinions.
In reading, the fifth graders will
with scraps of material and imagination.
be “digging” into the history of Pompeii
In Social
and Mt. Vesuvius, and the events
Studies, we’ll
surrounding the notorious eruption. They
be shifting
will synthesizing information from their
from the
sources and creating an informative
rebellions that
foldable book highlighting the eruption,
tested the new
everyday objects, artwork, and food from
American government to exploring how
the time period around AD 79!
ideas become laws and how the rule of law
We hope you are keeping up with
the math curriculum and various activities
you can do at home through the MCPS
parent newsletters. We appreciate the
support you have given in getting the kids
to practice their math facts. That is
vital work. Remember, all but the
compacted math ones can be accessed on
line
(http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/c
urriculum/2.0/parent-newsletters.aspx).
In the New Year, most of the students
will continue developing their mastery of
fractions, adding and subtracting
fractions with unlike denominators and
multiplying fractions. In compacted math,
the students will shift from work with
fractions back to division, this time with
decimals. At the beginning of the new
marking period, they will start working
with negative and positive numbers.
In science the fifth graders will
is applied in our government systems.
They also will have an opportunity to
share their expertise about how various
movements in our country resulted in new
laws and develop creative presentations
about their movements.
ESOL News
The goal of the ESOL program
is to enable ESOL students to
develop the language skills needed to
achieve academically, to participate in
school and classroom settings, and to
adjust socially to school and the U. S.
culture. ESOL students are required to
meet English Language Proficiency
Standards in Listening, Speaking,
Reading, and Writing, and we have been
providing opportunities for our students
to learn in meaningful contexts, across all
content areas. We have been using the
Curriculum 2.0 ESOL Connections to
integrate content knowledge with
be applying their understandings of
thinking and academic success skills. Our
electricity and their own creativity to
ESOL population continues to grow. We
design and produce electrified dream
have 115 ELL and RELL students from all
rooms. It is amazing what you can do
over the world, and our students speak
26 different languages.
Current ESOL students and some
recently exited ESOL studens will be
taking the ACCESS for ELLs test this
signals that your child may be experiencing
undue stress.
Some signs and signals may include:
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year. This is a standardized test given
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annually to monitor students’ progress in
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acquiring academic English, and the test
will be given online for grades one
through five. All kindergarten students
will take the entire test individually. The
window for the test is January 6th
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Recurring headaches, tummy aches, or
neck pain
Increased irritability, sadness, panic, or
anger
Trouble relaxing or sleeping
Withdrawal from activities
Excessive energy or restlessness
Reverting to less mature behaviors
Nervous habits such as thumb sucking
or hair twisting
Trouble getting along with peers
through February 12th, and our ESOL
classes will not meet during this time.
Please make every effort to have your
child in school during this testing period.
We look forward to seeing all of you at
the International Festival on March 11th.
Have a happy and healthy New Year!
Just like adults, there are ways that we can help
children cope with stress. Some ways to help
alleviate stress in children are:
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Mrs. Glick, Mrs. Golden, and Mrs. Kim
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From the Counselor
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Happy Holidays!! I can’t believe how quickly
this year has been flying by. The holidays are a
wonderful time to recharge with family and
friends, but the rush of the holidays can also
bring about feelings of stress. I have had many
parents ask me how they can help their child
deal with all the stress of not just the holidays,
but of schoolwork, test taking, friendships, and
situations that may be going on within the
family. Children can experience stress just as
adults do, but often it goes unrecognized. What
may cause stress for one child may not be a
stressful situation for another child. It is
important to be able to recognize the signs and
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Listening-ask the child what is bothering
then and how they feel
Encouragement-Help children to find
something they are good at and tell
them how proud you are of them
Honesty and Openness-Encourage
children to express their feelings openly
Consistency-Try to be consistent with
morning and afternoon routines
Physical exercise-Exercise can help burn
off stressful feelings
Humor-Help the child to see the funny
side of things
Quiet-Allow for quiet and rest time
Journaling-Encourage the child to write
or draw things that are bothering them
As always, if your child is experiencing stress or
any other difficult situations, please do not
hesitate to contact me at
[email protected] or 301-5716959.
I also wanted to talk about another opportunity
that I will be offering as the second semester
begins. I run many different kinds of small
group lunch bunches throughout the year. In
the second semester, I will be offering group
counseling to families who are divorced,
separated, or going through family changes and
would like to take advantages of these services.
Beginning in February, students in these groups
will meet during lunch on a bi-weekly basis with
other children who are their age going through
similar issues. The purpose of a counseling
group such as this one is for children to know
they are not alone in facing a particular
problem, to validate their feelings, and to
identify and try out good strategies for how to
cope with those feelings.
If you would like your child to participate in a
group for children of families who are divorced,
separated, or going through life changes, please
return the permission form below to Andrea
Gillespie, school counselor, by 1/22/15. If you
have any questions, please contact me at
[email protected] or 301-5716959. Thanks and Happy Holidays!
UPCOMING EVENTS (January
2016)
January 13:
January 18:
January 21:
January 25:
January 29:
Yes, I would like my child to participate in group
counseling with Mrs. Gillespie on the topic of
divorce, separation, or changing families
Child’s name
______________________________________
Parent Signature
___________________________________
Date _________________
Does your child have any food allergies?
___________________________
Please return this portion of this form to Andrea
Gillespie, counselor, Ashburton ES
PTA Insider – Jan 2016
Dine out at Ledo’s Pizza Westlake
HOLIDAY, MLK Day, No School
Instrumental Music Winter Concert, 7:30 pm
HOLIDAY, Professional Day for Teachers, No School
PTA’s Bingo Night, 6:30 – 8:30 pm
News from our President and PTA Board
Dear
Ashburton Families,
Happy New Year! Things are in full swing here in January with school back in session. We
have a busy month ahead in terms of advocacy and we need your participation! Every day I have
parents stop me and ask “what can I do?” Here are some ideas! Below are three events
happening next week that we would appreciate your attendance at:
Monday, January 11, 7:00pm, Ike Leggett’s County Budget Forum
Bethesda-Chevy Chase Regional Services Center, 4805 Edgemoor Lane, Bethesda
We need parents to come out and speak out in support of more funding for schools at this forumit’s that simple!
Tuesday, January 12, 7:00pm in the Planning Department auditorium
8787 Georgia Avenue, Silver Spring, MD
The county Planning Department is refining its Subdivision Staging Policy this winter/spring.
That means it's updating its policies about (1) the school test (which determines when schools are
too overcrowded for development to continue, which right now when a CLUSTER is at 120% of
capacity, rather than a SCHOOL) and (2) payments by developers toward school land and school
facilities.
Thursday, January 14, 7:00pm, Board of Education Operating Budget Hearing
850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, main auditorium
WE NEED PARENTS TO ATTEND THIS HEARING! I will be testifying on behalf of
Ashburton, and our WJ Cluster leaders will testify on behalf of our entire cluster, regarding the
dire need for more operating funds. The operating budget is the budget that puts teachers in
classrooms, funds additional administrative resources, positions such as school counselor and
media specialists and more. Please come out to support our school and our cluster in our
testimony.
Also next week is our first dine out of 2016 at Ledo’s Pizza in the Westlake Shopping Center
on January 13th. A portion of all proceeds from our dine outs goes directly back to the PTA so
please come out and support your school! At the end of the month, on January 29th, is the everpopular PTA Bingo Night! This is a free family event that you won’t want to miss. More
information will be coming out soon on the listserv so mark your calendars for Jan 29th!
Our next PTA Meeting is scheduled for February 2 and there will also be a Family Math/STEM
Night from 6-7pm. This is designed to be a family event and there will be age appropriate
activities for the Ashburton students so plan to bring the kids and have a fun and educational
evening!
The PTA is busy at work on many exciting events for the spring, including International Night
on March 11th, Barnes & Noble Book Fair on March 20th, a NEW Fun Run for all students on
April 8th (more information to come soon!), the Scholastic Book Fair April 20-22 and Spring
Fling on May 14th.
Have Fun, Make Memories, Get Involved!
Laura Chace
Ashburton PTA President on behalf of the PTA Board
New PTA Website and Listserve –Please go to www.ashburtonpta.org to join the new site and listserve for the
Ashburton PTA. Once you register on the new site you will be automatically signed up for our new listserve. The
next step is to click the "Join the PTA" tab at the top to join the PTA online.
We will be posting ALL important information on this new site as we get started with the school year, including
calendars, lunch menus, after school activities, event information and more. Don't miss out visit www.ashburtonpta.org today!