Cedar Grove Friday Flash
November 6, 2020
Dear Cedar Grove Families,
We would like to share updates with you about schedule revisions that will launch on Wednesday, November 11th, at the start of the second marking period. These changes were approved by the Board of Education at their October 27th meeting. These changes were based on feedback from our staff and families around screen time, instructional blocks, and teacher planning. These revisions are summarized below:
The revisions to the elementary schedule only affect the Wednesday morning instructional block that occurs between 9:00-11:30 am. Wednesday afternoons are unchanged.
All students will continue to log in each Wednesday at 9 am, at which time they will meet with their teacher for a 30-minute class meeting.
There will be two learning blocks on Wednesday mornings.
Block #1 follows the class meeting and is from 9:30-10:15. Students will work either on their own, with their teacher, or receive support or services during the first block.
At 10:15 am, students will reconnect with the entire class and teacher for closure, and to get clarification on what they will be doing during Block #2.
Block #2 is from 10:30-11:30 am. During the second block, students will engage in work that is either self-guided or will include support from paraeducators and related service providers.
The lunch and wellness break will continue from 11:30-1 pm.
Wednesday morning blocks will no longer focus on instruction in Benchmark Literacy and Eureka Math, but include opportunities for students to engage in related content support, review, extension, & enrichment.
Teachers will communicate with each student & family about the learning activities that students should complete during each block.
The goal of this schedule revision is to increase opportunities to reduce screen time, have students receive special education or related services, work on their own or in small groups, and complete assignments.
Schedules for Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, as well as Wednesday afternoons, will remain unchanged.
The Wednesday morning schedule for students on Alternate Learning Outcomes is also revised and aligns with the elementary schedule revisions.
Please look for an email from your child's teacher by the end of the day on Monday with specifics of what to expect beginning on Wednesday, November 11th.
There was a recent change to the report card timeline. The new date in which report cards will be posted to ParentVUE is Tuesday, November 24th; however, parents will be able to see grades in ParentVUE prior to this date. Hard copies of report cards will be mailed on November 24 to any student who has no parent activated in the parent portal.
Please take a moment to view and enjoy a video (linked below) created by Mrs. Hirschhorn of our students and staff members honoring Breast Cancer Awareness Month as they participated in our October Pink Out month.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mr. Derby and Mrs. German
Activate Your ParentVue Account Today
In the coming weeks, MCPS will be reissuing ParentVue activation letters via e-mail and U.S. mail to families that have not yet set up their accounts. ParentVue is the new learning management system where you can get all of the information you need on how your child is doing in school.
When you are logged into ParentVUE you can:
● See your child’s schedule;
● Check your child’s grades (and report card);
● Check your child’s assignments;
● Send a message to your child’s teacher; and
● Update your contact information.
And there is so much more. Soon you will be able to see a report on Student Service Learning Hours (SSL).
Don’t wait, activate your account today! Watch your e-mail or your U.S. mail for an activation letter. Support resources to help navigate the platform are also available in multiple languages online.
MCPS Develops Health Metrics Grid for Return to In-Person Instruction; Reopening Plans to Be Presented to Board of Education November 6 and November 10
MCPS has developed a health metrics grid for a phased-in return to in-person instruction. The grid is aligned with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention guidelines and was developed in consultation with Montgomery County health officials. In July, MCPS staff and families were informed that the district would operate in a virtual-only model through the first semester and that the decision would be reassessed in November.
MCPS staff will return to the Board of Education on November 6 and November 10 to discuss and recommend a reopening plan for the second semester and any potential reopening before then that is aligned with health metrics.The proposed plans will also be shared with parents/guardians, students, and staff. MCPS is committed to ensuring all students receive a high-quality education in the virtual model.
The district recognizes that there are gaps in instruction and is taking a number of steps to address student achievement including: providing staff with additional professional development opportunities; modifying the curriculum to meet the needs of students; and providing before and after-school tutoring support programs. To learn more about these efforts, watch the October 27 Board of Education meeting. MCPS will continue to thoughtfully plan and collaborate with the Board of Education, staff and the community on our reopening efforts, while keeping safety at the forefront.
America Recycles Day Celebration
America Recycles Day is dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the U.S. Every year in mid-November, event organizers provide education sessions about recycling in their local areas. This year, the MCPS Division of Sustainability and Compliance will be joining the Montgomery County Department of Environmental Protection to virtually celebrate America Recycles Day at 4 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 13.
Staff, students and parents are welcome to join the Zoom meeting to take part in the celebration. The event will discuss the importance and impact of recycling, and explain how it has contributed to American prosperity and the protection of the environment.
Meeting ID: 865 7591 1931
Passcode: 126295
To join by phone: +1 301 715 8592
Piano Sales
Damascus Lions Club Cans and Coat Drive
New Information from our PTA!
Hello Cedar Grove Families!
Please come visit the new PTA webpage at http://cedargrovepta.org/ and complete your family's information for the school directory. Please refer to the instructions at this link for complete instructions.
Also come check out our PTA school store and CEDAR GROVE SPIRITWEAR. It is now available for sale until NOVEMBER 20th to receive it in time for the holidays! We know that this year might look different than what we’re all accustomed to, but that doesn’t mean our school spirit should be minimized. If anything, it means that we should be putting even more of our energy into making sure our Cedar Grove Bears' pride is loud, strong, and here to stay.
We know Spiritwear is more than just t-shirts and sweatshirts. It’s a connection, when students need it most. Spiritwear gets kids excited about our school, it gets them feeling connected to their friends, and it gets them feeling grounded in the community. Please join us in spreading excitement about what this school year has to offer and order your Spiritwear online today! https://cg2020.itemorder.com
The Cedar Grove Bears Online Store is now open for business. And it’ll be open 24 hours a day for the next two weeks! Share the link to the store with your friends. There’s power in numbers, and we’d really love to see our whole Cedar Grove community, parents & alumni included, showing off their new gear!
Sincerely,
Cedar Grove PTA
CREATING A NEW SCHOOL SONG! 🎵💚
Good afternoon, Cedar Grove Bears!!
It's hard to believe it is November already, right? This year has brought so many unknowns, as you know, new ways of living, working, and learning in every aspect of our lives, including this great big NEW world of Virtual Learning. Along with it's many challenges, when we take pause and think about all we can be grateful for, there are many....our health, families, friends, colleagues, and community. Specifically for us as a school community, our Cedar Grove family is a meaningful piece of our lives...past, present, and future. Although parted by distance right now, our "Bear" hearts and spirit are together forever!!
In the spirit of feeling thankful, we'd like to create a new Cedar Grove school song! With input from staff and students, this song will be a way to build community and feel connected now and for many years to come!
STUDENTS - We would love YOUR input in our school song. You will find the short School Song Survey here. This is an opportunity for you to provide your ideas about what makes Cedar Grove such a special place. We'd love to hear from you!! Please complete and submit your responses by Wednesday, November 25.
Thanks so very much for taking the time to contribute your ideas!!! I can't wait to see our School Song come together!
Warmly,
Mrs. Cheryl Arellano
Holds to Go at Cedar Grove ES - Updated Information
We are so thrilled to have our students put books on hold, but now we want to be sure that we can check them out to your students so they can get the books in their hands.
We have been noticing that a lot of students are picking up books but not returning previous checkouts. To help your student manage their account, I've made a quick video that explains how to access their account information. Please encourage your student to find books that need to be returned so that their account is clear of overdues.
Whenever you receive an email telling you that holds are ready for the next pick up, please have your student check their account, pull any books together that need to be returned, and bring them back to school on the Wednesday you are picking up new holds. This ensures that other students will be able to check out those books. Thank you so much for your help.
Mrs. Hirschhorn, Media Specialist
Tech Tips and Reminders
From Mrs. Hirschhorn, Media Specialist
Our first week of November may have been short for our students, but we still held our holds to go and we welcomed Mrs Kim back! Please bookmark the November Media Monthly which, as always, is loaded with information for our community, including videos, the November Media Events calendar, and so much more. Although the Media Monthly is shared to anyone with a link, many of the resources are bound to the mcpsmd.net access. This is for proprietary reasons because I share a lot of copyright materials and resources that are limited to educational platforms such as mcpsmd.net. Have a great weekend!
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 the November newsletter. The link may also be found on our school website.