Cedar Grove Friday Flash
October 23, 2020
Dear Cedar Grove Families,
We had an amazing visit with Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived series, last Friday. If you missed it, we have the recording available in the Media Center Course on MyMCPS classroom! Click on the Media Center button from your homeroom and head for the announcements. Ms. Tarshis shares some very interesting information about her writing process and some of her research experiences! And, when it's time for you pick up your reading and math materials, double check your bag. There just may be a surprise in it!
On Wednesday, October 28, we will be distributing student materials that will be needed for the second marking period between the hours of 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m. Pick up times are scheduled alphabetically by your child's last, and the schedule and directions may be found by clicking here. Mrs. Hirschhorn will also be distributing library books from Holds to Go and book copies of I Survived to students in Grades 3-5. Please make every effort to come at your appointed time. If you have any questions, please call the school office.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr. Derby and Mrs. German
COVID-19 Rent Relief Program for County Residents
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) is providing short-term rental assistance to eligible families that have experienced financial loss due to the COVID-19 pandemic. While funds are available, the program will provide up to $4,000 to eligible households to cover the cost for back rent (arrears) and/or a rent credit for future months. The program is funded through a $20 million supplemental appropriation to DHHS.
You can learn more and apply for the rent relief program at this website.
Mental Health Awareness Week October 26–31
MCPS will host Mental Health Awareness Week from Monday, October 26 through Saturday, October 31 with a weeklong expo, including Zoom workshops, a resource fair, breakout sessions and a question-and-answer session. Some workshops will be available in multiple languages. All workshops and activities throughout the week will be held virtually.
The free event, hosted by MCPS and the Montgomery County Psychologists’ Association, is open to staff, students, and their families.
The week kicks off at 7:00 p.m. on Monday, October 26 with keynote speaker Jill Haak Bohnenkamp, assistant professor and core faculty member at the National Center for School Mental Health at the University of Maryland School of Medicine.
Each day will feature breakout sessions and video presentations on a variety of topics. Topics include finding happiness during COVID-19; social media; suicide awareness and prevention; healthy living; dealing with change; the impact of exercise; cybercivility and cybersafety; and dating violence.
The week culminates on Saturday, October 31 with a live virtual Resource Fair and a question-and-answer webinar. All community members are invited to join this Zoom event from 12 noon to 1:30 p.m. A full schedule of the week’s events is available here.
Many community and governmental organizations will provide information during the resource fair. Among them: Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services; EveryMind; RAP/The Landing; Family Services, Inc.; BTheOne; Montgomery County Crisis Center; Caring Matters; and Our Minds Matter.
If MCPS students virtually participate in Mental Health Awareness activities, they may earn up to five Student Service Learning (SSL) hours for advocacy and for raising awareness about the important topics covered. Students will be asked to listen to the sessions and complete a Google form, reflecting on the information they learned and how they will use that information to benefit their school community.
Holds to Go at Cedar Grove ES - Updated Information
By now, we hope you know that our students can put up to 5 books on hold from the library and pick them up contact free at the school on scheduled Wednesday afternoons! They may have the books checked out for two weeks, at which point they will be due.
At this time, it is important that students check their Destiny account under "my stuff" for books that are checked out, books that are overdue, and books that are on hold. Students will only be able to have 5 books checked out at a time.
- You can put up to 5 books on hold using DestinyDiscover. Mrs. Hirschhorn models this process in this video so you can learn/review how to put books on hold.
- You will need to wait for an email from Mrs. Hirschhorn stating that your holds are ready for pick up for the next scheduled Wednesday hold pickup day. If you're not sure when that is, check the Media Activities Calendar or the Cedar Grove Web calendar.
- Remember, Destiny may say the book is available now, but you must wait for your email notification. This email will be sent to your Canvas/myMCPS Classroom Inbox.
- After you get the email notification, you can pick up your ready holds that will be at the main entrance between 12:00 and 6:00 PM on Wednesday, October 28.
- If the weather is good, we will be outside. If it is raining, the carts will be inside. P
- Please be sure to have a sign with your last name clearly written visible so we know which books to pull from the cart.
- If you already have 5 books on your account (or overdues from March), you will need to return those before we can check out any new holds to you. If you have books on hold and receive an email that they are ready for pickup, we will give you the books if you return the books you checked out last week (we'll do a switch!).
We may refine our procedures as we move forward with this endeavor, as this is a new undertaking for all of us! Please contact Mrs. Hirschhorn or Mrs. Wilson if you have any questions. We are so excited to begin to put physical books in our students’ hands again!
For all of our Gr 4 and 5 students and their families!
In the Montgomery County Public Library’s (MCPL) Social Justice Book Club, 4th to 8th graders and their parent/caregiver will read or listen to a book dealing with a social issue we are facing in the world today and engage in a guided discussion. This month, MCPL is celebrating the life of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, a.k.a. The Notorious RBG. You can choose to read or listen to any nonfiction book or even watch a movie about her life. The November book club meeting is on Sunday, November 1, 2020 from 2:00 - 3:00 p.m. Please see flyer for details.
Let Mrs. Hirschhorn know if you'll attend -- she is going to be there!
Tech Tips and Reminders
From Mrs. Hirschhorn, Media Specialist
Hello everyone! I am looking for student input for the Morning News Blast! I sent out an email to your students with links to forms -- one for a Joke of the Day and one for Sharing their Online Adventure Stories. Please encourage your students to contribute. The Morning News Blast is for them! Thank you!
Here is your October Media Monthly, hot off the presses. You will want to bookmark it because we have so much going on in October -- and my readers will be able to move between virtual genre rooms to get an idea of what they'd like to read!
New - Art, Music, and PE Newsletter!
Parents, each month our Arts team will share a newsletter that will provide you with what grade level students are doing in their classes. Please click on the link below for this first newsletter. The link may also be found on our school website.