Cedar Grove Friday Flash
March 26, 2021
Dear Cedar Grove Families,
Spring break begins this Monday, March 29 and ends on April 5. School will resume virtually for all students on April 6 and 7. In-person students will return to school on April 8, which is an A week. On that day, we are also looking forward to welcoming back some of our fourth and fifth grade students. At the end of this newsletter, we have included a calendar of the A and B weeks for students in grades 3, 4, and 5 for your reference.
Please save the date of April 14 for our next materials distribution for our virtual only students to support your child's learning in the fourth marking period. In-person students will be given their materials at school. Additional details will be shared with families following spring break.
The Board of Education has approved a 2021-2022 traditional school year calendar. The school year will begin on Aug. 30, 2021 and end on June 15, 2022 (scenario 1). View the calendar here: https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/calendar/proposed-calendar-2021-22.aspx.
MCPS is providing a thermometer to the families of all students to ensure that parents are able to take their child's temperature on a daily basis. In-person students will receive their thermometers in their A or B week following spring break. Students who are virtual only will receive their thermometer in the next materials distribution, which will be April 14.
Due to the break, the next Friday Flash will be sent on April 9, 2021. Have a wonderful spring break!
Mr. Derby and Mrs. German
Special Education Parents Asked to Complete Important Survey
The Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) and MCPS want to hear from you.
MSDE has mailed the Maryland Special Education Parent Involvement Survey to all parents/guardians of students with an IEP in Montgomery County. Families of kindergarten–Grade 12 students should have recently received the school-age version of the survey, which takes the place of the preschool form mistakenly sent out in February. Parents of preschool-aged children with an IEP in Montgomery County are also invited to fill out the survey.
Parents/Guardians have the following options:
Complete the correct, hard copy of the survey (the school-age version mailed on March 22) and mail it back in the postage-paid envelope received from MSDE or complete the survey online here.
Participation is voluntary and anonymous. Complete a separate survey for each child receiving services. The information provided will help guide the state’s efforts in improving special education and related services in public schools.
Clarksburg Community Assistance Network (CCAN) - Free Produce Distribution
As a reminder, the Clarksburg Community Assistance Network (CCAN) is providing free produce distribution event to our school family members tomorrow, Saturday, March 27th, 2021, between 8:00 a.m. and 11:00 a.m. at Greenridge Baptist Church, 21925 Frederick Road. Each family will receive an assortment of potatoes, sweet potatoes, apples, bananas, tomatoes, onions, oranges, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, and other produce items. We will also distribute bottles of milk and packs of eggs (12-ct). Produce is available on a first come first served basis. The contact information is below if you have additional questions.
Phone - (240) 308-0867
Email: clarksburgcan@gmail.com
Website: http://www.clarksburgcan.org/
March Book Madness 2021!
We have our fourth ballot out until Sunday, March 28, for the next round of student votes. This ballot will have the titles that are left after the previous elimination rounds. Students can access the ballot through the Media Events Calendar on the homepage or through the Media Center Tile on MyMCPS Classroom. Although it's during Spring Break, March Book Madness must go on! So, on Monday, March 29, we'll have our championship ballot available for 2021 the championship game. Please encourage your students to vote for their favorite titles! Feel free to email Mrs. Hirschhorn if you have any questions!
Earth Day Celebration
It's time for our annual Earth Day celebration! Please fill out this form by Monday, March 29 if you would like to participate and be part of the fun! We will be putting together a pledge to our home planet! Fill out the form, make a poster with the phrase Mrs. Hirschhorn gives you, take a picture of you holding your glorious poster, and send it to Mrs. Hirschhorn by April 9! She will do the rest!
Holds to Go at Cedar Grove ES -- Here we GO!
Because we want your students to enjoy the pleasure of checking out books, even though we have had to close the media center for browsing, our media lessons have included a detailed tour of our Media Center Destiny catalog. We've made sure your students have bookmarked Destiny, have saved their logins, can look at their accounts for checked out or overdue books, and have explored how to put books on hold.
After spring break, both our in-building and at-home students will be able to put three books on hold and check out three books at a time, provided their Destiny Media Account is clear. Please take a moment and have your student guide you through their Destiny account. They have become experts!
Our first holds to go deliveries for our in-building students will be on April 8. Our holds to go curbside pickup for our in-home students will resume on Wednesday, April 7 between 1 and 4 PM. If you are a parent of an in-home student, whose holds are ready for pickup, you will receive an email notifying you that you can come by.
As always, feel free to contact Mrs. Hirschhorn if you have any questions.
Update on Mathematics Courses
MCPS recognizes the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted many students’ learning in mathematics over the course of the 2020 and 2021 school years. As a result, adjustments to existing courses and alternative recommendations for course pathways are currently being discussed. While no decisions have been made for the 2021-2022 school year, MCPS continues to engage in discussions and will meet with school principals, teachers and the community to receive feedback and make needed adjustments.
A final decision about the district mathematics course offerings will be made in April. As a result, mathematics course offerings and student recommendations for the 2021-2022 school year may change in the coming weeks and months based on student data and anticipated readiness. Addressing the needs of all students continues to be the top priority for the district.
National Poetry Month - Update
We are going to be very busy creators this April. Mrs. Hirschhorn has already received a few poems and we are delighted to share them on the Morning News Blast throughout the month of April. But we have room for many more. We are looking for original poems that your students have written. They can either send the poem to Mrs. Hirschhorn to read, or record themselves reading the poem and send that video to Mrs. Hirschhorn. Whatever makes then more comfortable!
Registration to Open in May for 2021 Summer School Programs
MCPS is planning a range of summer programs for elementary, middle and high school students. Programs will help address learning loss, with a focus on mathematics, literacy, electives and preparing for the next grade level. Elementary and middle schools will offer programs that include mathematics, literacy and specials/electives. At the high school level, there will be opportunities to earn credits in all subject areas required for graduation, for both repeat and original credit, as well as non-credit options in local schools. Programs will:
- Be offered at no cost to all students, with transportation available
- Be offered in all local schools/clusters
- Have all-virtual and in-person options*
Registration will open Monday, May 3. High school programs will begin Monday, June 28 and elementary and middle school programs will begin Tuesday, July 6. More information is available here.
Please note: This summer, Cedar Grove may undergo some construction updates within the school building. If this construction is scheduled to occur, Cedar Grove may not be a summer school location. We will send a follow-up announcement in the Flash when we receive a response from MCPS as to whether construction will or will not proceed.
Tech Tips and Reminders
From Mrs. Hirschhorn, Media Specialist-Sneak Peek into the April Media Monthly!
As March comes to a close and we begin our Spring break, there are so many projects that we've started and hope to complete during the month of April. Please make sure you take a good look at the April Media Monthly, bookmark it, and visit it often. It is updated weekly with important information, especially after Spring break!
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.
Here is the March 2021 Specialists' Newsletter