Cedar Grove Friday Flash
March 9, 2018
Dear Cedar Grove Families,
Thank you to all of our families for coming out last night to our Read Aloud Night. It was a wonderful evening of great books and time to be with family and friends. Many thanks to Michele Tregoning and Karina Hirschhorn for organizing this fun event and to all of our staff members who participated in reading to our students.
Our 5th grade students began the Maryland Integrated Science Assessment (MISA) yesterday, and they will finish testing this Monday. Please make sure your 5th grade child is well rested, has a good breakfast, and arrives to school on time. Thank you.
This Tuesday, March 13, is our SGA Spirit Day, or Twin Day! Your child and his or her friends can dress alike in similar clothing, or if your child would like to be our twin, we will be wearing jeans and a gray shirt.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr. Derby and Mrs. German
It Takes a Village
Have you heard of It Takes a Village (ITAV)? A flyer went home last week asking for families to join our list to help any families in need. HOW IT WORKS: When Erin Spoales, our school counselor, becomes aware of a need, ITAV takes action! All families in need are kept confidential; our team of volunteers will only be aware of what is needed. Items labeled with ITAV will be sent to school with your child and given to Mrs. Spoales. Items will then be delivered to families. Items may be new or gently used clothing, coats, toiletries or non perishables. If you are interested in joining this volunteering effort, please email Erin_M_Spoales@mcpsmd.org or send your portion of the flyer back to school.
2018 Parent Engagement Survey
A random sample of families of students of all grade levels in each school will be asked to participate in an online Parent Engagement Survey. The questions focus on parents' perceptions of their children's school and education. If selected, the information you provide will help schools better understand families engagement in their children's education and improve connections between schools and families. The survey takes 8-10 minutes to complete and will be available March 15-June 1, 2018. Families in the random sample will receive information sent directly to their homes on or about March 15 with directions on how to complete the survey. The information contains the website address and a password. Your identity as a participant and your responses are confidential. Thank you in advance for your participation if selected for this survey.
Congratulations to our February Bear Way Winners!
PTA NOMINATIONS NEEDED!!
It is time to start thinking about next year’s PTA Board! We are now taking nominations for ALL positions for next year. Our current Board will be “retiring” at the end of this year, so all positions will need to be filled. If you are interested in nominating yourself, or anyone you think would be a great addition to the Board, please let me know (jen.coakley@me.com)! All nominations are confidential.
Cedar Grove PTA Board of Directors Position Descriptions
President (avg. monthly time commitment = 12 hours):
· Preside at all PTA meetings and Board meetings, draft agendas for the meetings
· Chair annual PTA budget meeting
· With help from the Board and the Volunteer Coordinator, coordinate the work of the officers and committees
· Sign PTA checks
· Reserve rooms for events through ICB
· Attend Clarksburg/Damascus cluster meetings (3-4 meetings a school year), or assign attendance to another Board member
· Represent the PTA at the Kindergarten Back-to-School Night and at the Cedar Grove Open House
Vice Presidents (2 vacancies) (avg. monthly time commitment = 5 hours):
· Act as aides to the President
· In their designated order, perform the duties of the President in the absence or inability of the President to serve
· Organize beginning of the year Welcome Picnic
· Manage Feed the Bears fundraiser
· Membership and Directory
Secretary (avg. monthly time commitment = 4 hours):
· Record the minutes of all meetings of the PTA and the Board; edit the minutes and submit them for approval by the PTA membership
· Have a current copy of the PTA By-laws and make sure it is available at all meetings
· Renew by-laws (renewal is due every 2 years)
· Write ‘Thank You’ notes after PTA events
· Maintain a current membership list
Treasurer (avg. monthly time commitment = 6 hours):
· Have custody of all the PTA funds
· Keep a full and accurate account of receipts and expenditures, including reconciliation of the bank statements each month
· Make disbursements, as authorized by the President of the PTA, in accordance with the budget adopted by the PTA
· Present a financial statement at every monthly meeting of the general membership
· Make a final report before the newly elected officers officially assume their duties
· Be responsible for the maintenance of the books of accounts and records in accordance with the requirements of the Maryland PTA
· Be responsible for preparing and filing all necessary tax forms
· Have the accounts examined at the close of the fiscal year and upon change of Treasurer by an auditor or an audit committee of not less than 3 people
· Receive all monies from PTA events and deposit funds in a timely manner
Interim Grades
Parents, please note that interim grades, or progress reports, will be available on the parent portal as of today. As noted in earlier newsletters and to honor our green school efforts, we will no longer be sending home paper copies to all students; however, some students will receive hard copies of the progress reports with a request that parents review, sign, and return it to their child's teacher.
In order to view your child's interim grades, you will need to access the parent portal after creating an account. The portal can be found using the following link: https://portal.mcpsmd.org. You will need to click on "Create Account" and agree to the terms. You will be asked to provide a user name and password. These were sent to you earlier in the school year in the form of a letter from our central office. Once you access the portal, you will need to complete the parent information and link your child or children. If you have an existing account because you have a middle or high school student, please do not create another account. In this case, you would add your elementary child or children in Account Preferences within the current account. Please note that if you have an MCPS email address, it will not work in the portal; a personal email must be used. If you need assistance, please call the school and we will help you access the portal.
Pennies for Patients
Pennies for Patients has begun! Money will be collected each day until March 20th and will benefit the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. In class guidance lessons we discussed the purpose of this collection and how the money we raise helps kids fighting cancer. We watched this video at the start of our collection https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8PluE1SoNmw. This is a great way to encourage your kids to help other kids in need.
Readathon Update
We are now at our half-way mark for our Readathon! We’re ready to exceed our school goal of reading 275,000 minutes, and from the feedback we’ve received from our students, we are well on our way! Our Read Aloud night was incredible. Thank you to all who brought their students out to enjoy the evening. If you haven’t already, please make sure that your child’s half-way form has been turned in to the school so we can continue monitoring your child’s progress! And look for the data regarding your child’s classroom progress on our bulletin board!
LAST CALL: CEDAR GROVE SPIRIT WEAR!!
Don’t miss out on your chance to showcase your Cedar Grove School Spirit! Samples of the Spirit Wear is on display in the front office, and it has already been delivered to those who have put in early orders! You can choose from a variety of shirts, fleeces, pajamas, pants, sweatshirts, etc , for yourself or any family member.
Payments may be submitted by cash, check, or credit card, and should be sent in an envelope marked Spirit Wear with your child and given to their homeroom teacher. Orders will take 3 weeks and will be sent home with your child.
Order forms are due by Friday March 16th. The link for the order form is below as well as posted on the school website under "What's Happening."
Summer School
Parents, summer will soon be here and planning for summer school is underway. If you are interested in signing your child up for summer school, please complete this survey to reserve your spot.
Curriculum Night
Join us for Curriculum Night on April 11th from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. Each session will be thirty minutes. You may choose two sessions. You may sign up for your child's current grade level or next year's grade level. There is limited space in each session so be sure to sign up soon. Sessions are for adults only; child care will be provided. Sign up for child care is on the Sign Up Genius form. Firm deadline for registration is March 21st. We look forward to seeing you! The link to sign up for sessions and child care is below.
WTOP Click for Kids Begins Monday
Once again, we have signed up to participate in WTOP's 2018 Click for Kids. Our entry will be posted on the WTOP's website (www.wtop.com) where you can vote for our school. Voting opens midnight Monday, March 5th and goes through 5:00 p.m. March 16. If we win, the cash prize will support additional technology for the school and our green school efforts. In order to vote, each voter must be at least 13 years of age or older, and must provide his/her name, email address, birth date and zip code. There is a limit of one vote per person/per day during the Public Voting Period. Votes cast by one person on multiple email addresses are subject to disqualification. With enough votes, our school can win one of three prizes: a $10,000 Grand Prize, $7,500 First Place Prize, or a $5,000 Second Place Prize. The winning schools will be notified by the authorized WTOP representative via email or phone on or about March 19, 2018, and the winners will be posted on the website. Please cast your votes to support our school! Thank you.
Boundary Study
As mentioned in the last several newsletters, MCPS is conducting a boundary study for a new elementary school, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019. This new school, Clarksburg Site #2, will be located near the Harris Teeter and the Elms Apartments. The following information is now available on the MCPS website; please see links below.
- Presentation- Introductory information about the boundary study
- Timeline- Important dates concerning the Clarksburg Cluster (Clarksburg Village ES #2) study
- Map- Large format map of the Clarksburg Cluster (Clarksburg Village ES #2) study area
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/planning/cburgvillage2.aspx
Spring FLEX Programs Open for Registration
Sign up for spring after school activities at Cedar Grove through FLEX.
1. Intro to STEM with LEGO Materials-Well TEKnologies (K-2)
2. Funky Forces Mad Science of Washington (2-5)
Spring session will run Thursdays from 4 to 5, from April 12 to May 31.
Registration and more details at https://flexacademiescedargrove.jumbula.com/
Important Dates:
Registration Opens: March 7th at 9:00 a.m.
Registration Closes: April 3rd at 5:00 p.m.