Principal’s News Jackson Road Elementary School

Principal’s News
Jackson Road Elementary School
900 Jackson Rd., Silver Spring, MD 20904
Ms. Sally Ann Macias, Principal
Mr. Jason Reinke, Assistant Principal
301-989-5650 (Office)  301-879-1054 (Fax)
School Hours: Arrival and Breakfast: 8:40-9:00 a.m.
Instructional Day: 9:00 a.m.-3:25 p.m.
Dear Parents,
It is hard to believe we are almost half-way through the third grading quarter.
Our students are finishing their winter reading and mathematics benchmark
assessments, and we continue to strive to meet the rigorous milestones set by MCPS.
Please continue to support your child’s success at home by having them read and
practice their math facts nightly. Progress reports for students in first through fifth
grade will be distributed on Thursday, March 3, 2016.
The Book Fair will be open through this Tuesday, February 23, 2016. Students
already previewed the Book Fair, and should have brought home forms that include
items available for purchase and their costs. The Book Fair was also open yesterday
evening, and we were excited to see so many families shopping at the Book Fair
before Family Fun and Fitness Night. If you wish to have your children purchase items
from the Book Fair, please send money in with them no later than next Tuesday. You
may also shop online at www.scholastic.com/fair. Thank you to Ms. Jakobsen, Ms.
Madden, and all of the PTA members who help organize and set up this event.
We held our Multicultural Celebration assembly last Friday for students in
kindergarten, first grade, and second grade. What a tremendous celebration of the
cultures and heritages from around the world! We look forward to our Multicultural
Heritage assembly for students in third grade, fourth grade, and fifth grade on Friday,
February 19, 2016 at 9:20 a.m.
During the week of February 29, 2016, 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 (301-989-5650) or email ([email protected]).
Recently, we hosted two evening events for our Jackson Road Elementary
School families. Last Thursday, we held our Winter Concert. What a tremendous
opportunity to highlight our students’ musical talents! Thank you to Ms. Embrey, Ms.
Krohn, and Ms. Kussman for organizing this event. Yesterday, families engaged in
physical fitness activities and nutrition workshops at our Family Fun and Fitness
Night. Thank you to the Family Involvement Committee for organizing this event. A
special thanks goes out to all families for participating in these evening events—your
commitment to our students and their education is greatly appreciated. We look
forward to seeing you at our upcoming PTA event on Friday, March 11, 2016.
Be sure to plan ahead—schools will be closed starting on Thursday, March
24, 2016 and will reopen for students on Monday, April 4, 2016.
February 18, 2016
Upcoming Events
Friday, February 19
Gr. 3-5 Multicultural Assembly
9:20 AM
Young Author’s Tea (Grade 5)
2:00 PM
Tuesday, February 23
Last Day for the Book Fair
Friday, February 29
Early Release for Students
DISMISSAL AT 12:55 PM
Tuesday, March 1
Grade 2 Field Trip
The Baltimore Aquarium
Thursday, March 3
Progress Reports Distributed
Friday, March 11
PTA Community Event
at the White Oak Rec Center
Tuesday, March 22
Class and Group Photographs
Wednesday, March 23
Class and Group Photographs
Thursday, March 24 through
Friday, April 1
NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
In Other News…
Making a Connection with Reading at Home: Discussing Books
We encourage our students to read throughout the day. When your children bring their books home, be sure to discuss
with them what they are reading. Talking about books boosts engagement in reading, comprehension of the text, and
all over reading achievement.
These are some questions that will help start a conversation about books:
Characters:
Describe one of the characters in the story.
What is the most important action a character did? Why?
Does the character remind you of someone? Who? Why?
Setting (where the story takes place):
Describe the setting of the story.
How does the setting affect the story? How do you know?
Where else could this story take place? Describe it.
Problem:
Describe the problem in the story.
How does a character’s action affect the problem?
How would you solve the problem? Why?
Events:
Describe the events in the story.
What is the most important event in the story? Why?
How would changing this event affect the story? Explain.
Ending:
Describe the ending of the story.
Describe a different ending for the story.
Explain how a character’s actions affected the end of the story.
Enroll Now in Kids’ College Spring Courses
Montgomery College is currently enrolling for spring semester enrichment courses for students in first through tenth
grade. Classes are offered after school and on Saturdays at the Rockville and Germantown campuses. Classes focus on
art, mathematics, keyboarding, and web design. To learn more about course offerings and register for classes, please
go online to www.montgomerycollege.edu/youth or call 240-567-7917.
Plan to Attend the Summer Opportunities Fair
Montgomery County Public Schools will be hosting a Summer Opportunities Fair on Wednesday, March 2, 2016 from
7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Parents will be able to learn more about local summer camps, programs, and activities for schoolage children. During the fair, parents will be able to meet program staff, pick up applications, and get information on
financial assistance. It will be held at Carver Educational Services Center (850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, Maryland,
20850). For more information, please go online to http://news.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/quicknotes/summeropportunities-fair-set-for-march-2/.
New Superintendent Identified
The Board of Education has identified the finalist for the MCPS Superintendent position—Dr. Jack R. Smith. Dr. Smith
is currently serving as the interim Maryland State Superintendent. He has over thirty years of experience, including as
the former Superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools. Upon approval, Dr. Smith will assume his tenure as
superintendent starting July 1, 2016. Thank you to all parents, community members, and stakeholders who participated
in the superintendent identification process. Opportunities for parents and community members to meet Dr. Smith
and learn more about his vision for MCPS will be scheduled in the near future. To learn more about Dr. Jack Smith,
please go online to http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/superintendent/.
Go Green at Jackson Road Elementary School