The Paw Print
Week of November 25, 2019
Updates from Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Ajamian
We hope that each family has an enjoyable long weekend spent with family and friends. It is hard to believe that December is quickly approaching.
As we get closer to the holidays, we want to remind our families that our school gift policy is aligned with the Montgomery County Public Schools Ethics Policy (can be accessed through the MCPS website). Staff members may receive unsolicited gifts from students and families, and a gift from an individual student or one family can be received with a value of $20 or less. A series of unsolicited gifts to a staff member from one student/family cannot exceed $100 for the school year.
As the weather gets colder, please remind children to bring coats, gloves, hats, and scarves to school for outdoor recess time. We have outdoor recess if the temperature is 25 degrees or above, with the wind chill factored in. Also, if your child comes home missing some of these items, please feel free to stop by the school and check in our lost and found, as our lost and found inventory is already growing at an exponential rate! Unclaimed items will be donated to a local charity at the end of the first semester.
Thank You
Thank you to Rebecca Adler Miserendino and Diana Owen for organizing the PTA Reflections Art Show. We certainly have some talented Wildcats!!
Thank you to all our generous donors we exceeded our $17,000 goal for the SLES Educational Foundation's Wildcat Walk! Tomorrow our hair will be dyed blue and will remain blue for the entire day! The students will also receive a treat at their lunch. The Educational Foundation has selected a treat that should be safe for students with allergies. Click here for information about the treat. If you would like your child to NOT receive this treat please contact the main office via phone (240-740-0940) or email -Linda_N_Kurinsky@mcpsmd.org.
You do not need to do anything if you are okay with your child having the treat provided by the Educational Foundation.
Early Release Day on November 27th
School will be closed on Thursday, November 28th and Friday, November 29th ifor the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Attendance and Changes of Plans Notes
Staffing Update
Student Portraits are now online!
SCHOOL SYSTEM UPDATES
Districtwide Boundary Analysis Meetings
The MCPS Districtwide Boundary Analysis is an initiative designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of Montgomery County Public School boundaries by analyzing factors such as:
- School facility utilization and capacity
- Student demographics
- School assignment
- Travel patterns
This initiative will result in an analytical assessment and a summary of the community engagement process. It will not make recommendations on potential boundary revisions.
As part of this assessment, a series of regional public meetings will be held in six locations around the county in December and January. All residents of Montgomery County are invited to attend to learn more about the Boundary Analysis process and give feedback on opportunities and challenges with our public schools. Each meeting will have the same format and content.
The dates and locations of the meetings are as follows:
· December 4 at Gaithersburg High School
· December 11 at Julius West Middle School
· December 14 at White Oak Middle Oak
· January 7 at Walter Johnson High School
· January 11 at Montgomery Blair High School
· January 14 at Northwest High School
Join the MCPS Family Engagement Advisory Team
Parents, guardians, and members of the community are invited to apply to be a part of the newly formed MCPS Family Engagement Advisory Team. The purpose of the Family Engagement Advisory Team is to provide opportunities for MCPS families to learn about and provide input and feedback on the district’s programs and initiatives.
MCPS is committed to improving students’ school experience and academic success and ensuring equitable learning opportunities by engaging families in decision-making and program review. The Family Engagement Advisory Team will meet at least seven times during the school year and members will be required to serve a two-year term.
Applications are due by Friday, December 13. Applications are available at each school, by calling the Division of Student, Family and School Services at 240-740-4620, or online at news.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/Family-Engagement-Advisory-Team-Application.pdf.
Winter Weather: Stay Informed
Winter weather is coming soon. MCPS offers numerous ways for parents to learn about school closures, delayed openings, and early dismissals due to inclement weather.
- AlertMCPS: Subscribe to AlertMCPS
- Receive text messages or emails from MCPS during weather-related emergencies and other major events that impact school system operations. Parents can also sign up to receive alerts specific to their child’s school.
- MCPS homepage: www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org
- MCPS cable channels: Comcast 34, Verizon 36 or RCN 89
- Recorded information: 301-279-3673
- Ask MCPS: 240-740-3000
- Staff takes calls from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, in English and Spanish.
- Twitter: twitter.com/mcps
- Local radio and TV stations
- Please make sure emergency contact information on file at your child’s school is up to date.
Visit www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/sources.aspx for more information on how to receive MCPS emergency information.
MCPS Launches United We Learn Contest
Montgomery County Public Schools is launching the fourth year of its student contest, United We Learn. This year’s contest, United We Learn: Innovative Communication Challenge, encourages students to think about how communication affects their daily lives, and how technology can be used to enhance communication.
Middle and high school students are challenged to conceptualize an Amazon Alexa Skill (or series of skills) that shares information of importance about the school district, addresses communication barriers, strengthens the home-school connection, and positively impacts the MCPS community. Alexa Skills uses voice to access and share information. The contest will take place in two phases and MCPS will publish the winning skill(s) and make it available for use.
Elementary school students are challenged to design a web page that shares information of importance about their school, addresses communication barriers, strengthens the home-school connections and positively impacts the MCPS community. The contest will take place in two phases and the winning proposals will be developed into web pages by MCPS Web Services on the students’ elementary schools’ websites. Winners will have the opportunity to participate in the development process.
To learn more about the contest, visit www.mcpsunitedwelearn.org.
Important Dates
11/25 - Assembly - Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Ajamian get their hair dyed blue!, 9:40 a.m. in the APR
11/25 - 3rd Grade Rotary Club Dictionary Distribution, 10:30 a.m. in the APR
11/25 - Students will be given a popsicle at lunchtime.
11/27 - Early Release, 1:20 p.m.
11/28 - Thanksgiving Holiday
11/29 - Thanksgiving Holiday
12/3 - PTA Meeting
12/6 - Principal's Coffee, 9:30 a.m. in Room 146
12/9 - 4th Grade In-School Field Trip (Woodland Indian Experience)
12/9 - 5th Grade In-School Field Trip (STEM Program)
12/12 - 5th Grade Chorus performs at Pageant of Peace, 5:00 p.m.
12/23 - 1/1 - Winter Break
Seven Locks Elementary School
Email: Megan_H_Murphy@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sevenlockses/
Location: 9500 Seven Locks Road, Bethesda, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-0940
Twitter: @SLESPrincipal