Principal’s News Jackson Road Elementary School

Principal’s News
Jackson Road Elementary School
900 Jackson Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20904 301-989-5650 (Office)  301-879-1054 (Fax)
Ms. Sally Ann Macias, Principal
Mr. Jason Reinke, Assistant Principal
School Hours: Arrival and Breakfast: 8:40-9:00 a.m.
Instructional Day: 9:00 a.m.-3:25 p.m.
Dear Parents,
Happy March! As we prepare for spring, we look forward to many more days
of outdoor recess and no delays or cancellation of school due to inclement weather.
Progress reports will be sent home with our students in first through fifth grade
today. Additionally, our fifth grade students will complete the MSA Science test on
Monday, March 14, 2016 and Tuesday, March 15, 2016. As you plan ahead, please
note that schools will be closed for a teacher professional day and spring break from
Thursday, March 24, 2016 through Friday, April 1, 2016. Our students will return to
school after spring break on Monday, April 4, 2016.
Please remember that this week all parents of students in second grade will
receive parent questionnaires through the mail that will help identify instructional
strengths of students. This is an important component of the gifted and talented
screening process. Additionally, parents of students in third grade, fourth grade, and
fifth grade who have been identified for rescreening will receive a questionnaire
from the school directly through your students’ backpacks. Please ensure that you
complete and return this form to the school within one week. Any questions may
be directed to our Gifted and Talented liaison, Ms. Pappano, via telephone (301-9895650) or email ([email protected]).
We will hold our Kindergarten Orientation on Thursday, April 14, 2016 and
Friday, April 15, 2016. During this time, we will be holding enrollment for all future
kindergarten students who live in the Jackson Road Elementary School boundary and
will be age five by September 1, 2016. Both parents and children who will be
kindergarten students during the 2016-2017 school year should plan to attend.
Kindergarten Orientation is completed through appointment only—call 301-9895650 to schedule an appointment. Please help us by encouraging all neighbors who
have kindergarten-aged children who will be attending Jackson Road Elementary
School during the 2016-2017 school year to schedule an appointment to attend our
Kindergarten Orientation. Note that there will be no school for current
kindergarten students on Thursday, April 14, 2016 and Friday, April 15, 2016.
During the spring, we will be hosting monthly parent tours for prospective
parents who reside in the Jackson Road Elementary School boundary. Our first
parent tour will be held on Wednesday, March 16, 2016 at 9:30 a.m. Please call 301989-5650 to register for this event.
Our next PTA event will be held on Friday, March 21, 2016. This event will be
held at the White Oak Community Recreation Center (1700 April Lane, Silver Spring,
Maryland, 20904). During this event, there will be a PTA meeting and opportunities
to learn more about the recreation center and community services. A light dinner
will be served and daycare services will be provided for school-aged children. Be sure
to look for the flyer that will be sent home with students. We look forward to seeing
you there!
March 3, 2016
Upcoming Events
Friday, March 4
Grade 3 Field Trip
McFadden Glass Art
Friday, March 11
PTA Community Event
at the White Oak Rec Center
Monday, March 14
Grade 5 MSA Science Testing
Tuesday, March 15
Grade 5 MSA Science Testing
Wednesday, March 16
Prospective Parent Tour
9:30 AM
Tuesday, March 22
Class and Group Photographs
Wednesday, March 23
Class and Group Photographs
Third Grading Quarter Ends
Thursday, March 24 through
Friday, April 1
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Monday, April 4
School Resumes for Students
In Other News…
Making a Connection with Math at Home: Guess If You Can and What Are My Chances?
Your home is full of opportunities to explore math with your child and, at the same time, build his/her self-confidence
and understanding of mathematical ideas. This is a chance for you and your child to “talk math”— to communicate
about math while discovering relationships between numbers.
Guess If You Can (Recommended for PreK-Grade 2): Think of a number that can be found within a stated range of
numbers (example: 1 to 20). Have your children try to guess the number by asking questions. It is important to help
children develop an understanding of the characteristics and meanings of numbers. Here is a sample conversation (the
number is 13):
Parent: I am thinking of a number between 1 and 20.
Child: Is it more than 15?
Parent: No.
Child: Is it an even number?
Parent: No.
Child: Is it more than 10 but less than 15?
Parent: Yes.
Child: Is the number 11?
Parent: No.
Child: The number is 13!
What Are My Chances? (Recommended for Grades 3-5): Flip one coin. Every time it comes up heads, your child gets 1
point. Every time it comes up tails, you get 1 point. Flip it 50 times. Use tally marks to make it easier to keep track of
scores. The person with the most points wins. If one person has 10 points more than the other person does, they earn
an extra 10 points. Does this happen very often? Why not? Understanding probability is essential in many areas of
mathematics. Playing games that involve chance is one way to explore the laws of probability.
Pre-Kindergarten and Headstart Registration Begins March 14, 2016
Montgomery County Public Schools will soon be enrolling for Pre-Kindergarten and Headstart classes for the 20162017 school year. Students must be four years old by September 1, 2016 in order to attend. Some programs have
income guidelines. Applications are accepted in a walk-in basis at the Rocking Horse Road Center (4910 Macon Road,
Rockville, Maryland, 20852), Monday through Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. starting Monday, March 14, 2016.
Additionally, a special enrollment session will be held at the White Oak Recreation Center on Wednesday, April 20,
2016 from 9:30 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. Note that enrollment for Pre-Kindergarten classes is not held at Jackson Road
Elementary School. For additional information on the registration process, including locations and documents needed,
go online to http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/dtecps/earlychildhood/prek/registration.aspx or
call 301-230-0676.
Elementary Language Immersion Program Applications Are Now Being Accepted
Montgomery County Public Schools offers elementary programs for partial and total language immersion in Spanish,
French, and Chinese. Enrollment at each school site is available for 26 to 52 students entering kindergarten, and
according to availability for students entering first through fifth grade. Students entering second through fifth grade
also must complete a language proficiency test. Acceptance to the immersion programs is done through a lottery
process. Students must enroll at their boundary elementary school before applying to the language immersion schools.
The Elementary Language Immersion Program sites for students residing in the Jackson Road Elementary School
community are listed below. Note that some school sites accept applications for local school students before opening
enrollment to students countywide.
 Chinese Partial Immersion: College Gardens Elementary School or Potomac Elementary School
 French Total Immersion: Sligo Creek Elementary School
 Spanish Total Immersion: Rock Creek Forest Elementary School
 Spanish Partial Immersion: Rolling Terrace Elementary School or Burnt Mills Elementary School
Immersion Interest Form applications for the Elementary Language Immersion Programs will be accepted February 1,
2016 through April 8, 2016. Applications must be hand-delivered or received by mail at the Division of Consortia Choice
and Application Program Services (11721 Kemp Mill Road, Silver Spring, Maryland, 20902) no later than the April 8,
2016 deadline. Additional information on the immersion programs, and the Immersion Interest Form application, can
be found at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/admissions/immersion.aspx.
Go Green at Jackson Road Elementary School