The Paw Print
Week of November 11, 2019
Updates from Mrs. Murphy and Mr. Ajamian
It has been extremely exciting to be back with our outstanding students and staff. I have enjoyed visiting them in their classrooms and look forward to watching them grow throughout the rest of the school year.
We are very thankful for our staff for sharing a very informative presentation at our PTA meeting last week about our new reading curriculum. If you were not able to join us, the slides can be found here.
SLESEF Wildcats Walk/Fun Run will be held on Monday, November 11th from 9:45 to 11:00 a.m. This year we will be supporting our sister school, Rosemont Elementary School in Gaithersburg, Maryland. Five percent of the proceeds will be contributed to the educational needs of the students at Rosemont Elementary School. Please see communication from the PawsOnline and the SLES Educational Foundation for links and information on how to donate.The rain date is Tuesday, November 12th.
Students are encouraged to wear the color that represents their grade to show their spirit!
Kindergarten -- Purple
1st Grade -- Orange
2nd Grade --Green
3rd Grade -- Blue
4th Grade -- Yellow
5th Grade -- Red
Staff Update
Safety Reminders
When leaving the parking lot during school hours, you are only to take a right turn out of the parking lot. We do realize this may take a few more minutes to get home, but it is the safest way for your and your child(ren) to exit our parking lot.
Thank You
Thank you to the Foundation for all the behind the scenes work to prepare for Wildcat Walk/Fun Run. A huge thank you to our co-chairs Lisa Friedman and Susan Hsiung for the countless hours that they have spent preparing!
Thank you to our 5th Grade Parents for a lovely staff lunch last week! You made our staff feel very appreciated.
Scholastic Book Fair Ordering Information
The Scholastic Book Fair has come and gone from Seven Locks, but don’t worry. You can still order online! Visit https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairsdotcom/fair-finder.html and search Seven Locks. Once you select the school you can scroll down and click Shop Now for books that will be delivered to your home and still earn the school points! No need to log in, and you will find an even bigger selection than what was available at the school. Again, they will be shipped directly to you at home. Thank you for supporting Seven Locks and reading!
School System Updates
Phase One of Districtwide Boundary Analysis Under Way
External consultants from WXY architecture + urban design (WXY), working on behalf of Montgomery County Public Schools (MCPS), have launched the first phase of the Districtwide Boundary Analysis, an initiative designed to provide a comprehensive assessment of MCPS boundaries. WXY will analyze various data points, such as school facility utilization and capacity, student demographics, school assignment and travel patterns. It is important to note that this initiative will not make recommendations on potential boundary revisions. Phase one of this initiative will include data analysis and community engagement activities. The first community engagement activity of this phase will be the Board of Education’s public hearing on Monday, November 18. The hearing will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Carver Educational Services Center, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville. Members of the community who wish to testify are asked to register online at docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSd3Cq6C9c08s8sup_gZCRDx2kRGOTF1XNk7SErCmUb1SYygEg/viewform.
Regional meetings will be held beginning Wednesday, December 4 and will continue through mid-January 2020. Details about additional dates and locations will be available on the Districtwide Boundary Analysis webpage in the coming days at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/publicinfo/boundary-analysis/.
Share Your Thoughts on the Superintendent’s Recommended Capital Improvements Program
The Board of Education will hold its final public hearing on the Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 Capital Budget and the FY 2021–2026 Capital Improvements Program (CIP) and boundary studies on Wednesday, November 13. The hearing will be held in the Carver Educational Services Center auditorium, 850 Hungerford Drive in Rockville.
Superintendent of Schools Jack R. Smith released his $1.82 billion recommended FY 2021 Capital Budget and the FY 2021–2026 Capital Improvements Program on Friday, October 25. Visit gis.mcpsmd.org/cipmasterpdfs/CIP21_EntireBook.pdf to view the CIP.
The public hearing will be conducted according to the following schedule: (Please note: This schedule could change due to inclement weather. Please check the Board of Education website regularly for updates).
· Wednesday, November 13 at 6:00 p.m., testimonies solely related to the Clarksburg, Northwest, and Seneca Valley Facilities and Boundary Study
Individuals who wish to provide input can sign up by contacting the Board of Education office at 240-740-3030 and can also visit the Board’s webpage at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/boe/community/participation.aspx.
The Board of Education will hold its second work session on the CIP on Tuesday, November 19, at 2:00 p.m. The adoption of the proposed CIP is tentatively scheduled for Tuesday, November 26.
MCPS Community Conversation: The New Curriculum
Please join MCPS curriculum leaders to learn more about the new curriculum, its implementation, key highlights, and available resources and supports for parents/guardians. During the live presentation and virtual conversation, online questions will be answered. Questions can be submitted online and via text message now and through the duration of the live TV program. The program will be live on MCPS TV (Comcast 34/998 HD, Verizon 36, and RCN 89) and online at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org.
2019 School-Based Seasonal Flu Clinics
The 2019 flu season is upon us. There are simple steps you and your child can take to stay healthy and help prevent the flu. That includes getting a yearly flu vaccine.
The Montgomery County Department of Health and Human Services will conduct free injectable flu vaccine clinics on Tuesday, November 12 from 1:30 p.m. to 4:00 p.m. for children 18 and under at John F. Kennedy, Northwest, and Rockville high schools. These clinics will be open to any school-aged child. The clinics are free, but registration is required due to limited vaccine supplies.
For more information, visit apps.montgomerycountymd.gov/FluVaccine/.
Additional flu clinics for all county residents will be held on Monday, November 18, from 4:30 to 7:30 p.m. Both clinics will be held at the Universities at Shady Grove in Rockville. Appointments are required. For more information and to make an appointment visit www.montgomerycountymd.gov/resident/flu.html.
Additional flu prevention information can be found at the following websites:
Centers for Disease Control: www.cdc.gov/flu/protect/preventing.htm
Montgomery County: www.montgomerycountymd.gov/resident/flu.html
Important Dates
11/11 - Wildcats Walk, 9:45-11:00 a.m.
11/11 - Early Release Day, 1:20 p.m. dismissal
11/11 - Parent Conferences
11/12 - Rain Date for Wildcats Walk
11/12 - Early Release Day, 1:20 p.m. dismissal
11/12 - Parent Conferences
11/14 - Community Flyer Distribution Day
11/15 - Portrait Make ups (Freed Photography)
11/20 - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Strathmore, 9:40 a.m. - 12:35 p.m.
11/20 - Report Card Distribution
11/21 - PTA Reflections Night
11/25 - Rotary Club Dictionary Distribution for 3rd Grade, 10:30 a.m. in the APR
11/27 - Early Release Day, 1:20 p.m. dismissal
11/28 - Thanksgiving Holiday
11/29 - Thanksgiving Holiday
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