6314 Lone Oak Drive * Bethesda, MD 20817 * 240-740-1300

AshburtonElementary School

Principals’ News

First Day of School Information

September 5, 2017

Dear Ashburton Parents/Guardians,

Welcome to the 2017-2018 school year! It was nice to see so many of you at the Open House on Thursday. We had a great turn-out! Ms. Cino, our Principal, Mrs. Sutton, our new ASA (Assistant School Administrator), and I share your enthusiasm and excitement that a new school year always brings. Last year, I fondly remember standing out front as students arrived on the first day and meeting the amazing families that make up the fabric of our community. This year, it’s been equally as amazing to meet new families, but to have old friends coming back!Thank you to the PTA for our welcome back staff lunch.We appreciated the delicious food and support of our PTA. Our PTA does so many wonderful things for our staff and students, and Ashburton wouldn’t be the amazing place that it is without their leadership and without so many families joining! If you haven’t done so yet, please join the PTA! I also encourage you to join the PTA listserv as we send many important announcements electronically. (Go to the AshburtonPTA.org site to join).

We are also very appreciative of the hard work and dedication of the PTA’s Wellness Committee and the Garden Committee. Rebecca Subbian and her crew planted, watered and nurtured the courtyard garden into a truly beautiful space. The committee came in to water throughout the summer and shared the bounty of the garden with those of us in the office, including tomatoes, yellow squash and green peppers. Have you ever tasted a ground cherry? These were favorites this year. It is a beautiful space! The flowers are lovely and the staff will enjoy taking students to the courtyard for lessons.

We want to thank our amazing building service staff for the work they did this summer. Led by Mr. Brock, the small team worked to make sure the building shines all over. Mr. Brock, Mr. Sorto, Ms. Murdock, Mr. Strong, Mr. Johnson, and Mr. Chen did an excellent job preparing us to open! When you see our building services staff, be sure to say thank you!

In your child’s backpack today and throughout this first week, you will find important information and “homework” for parents. Please read, complete and return these important forms to help ensure the safety and well-being of your child(ren). You should receive the following:

Connect Ed- MCPS and Ashburton use Connect Ed, an automated phone and email system, to share information, notify you about emergency information and to disseminate the newsletter. We will send a Connect Ed tonight, September 5 to make sure we have your correct information. Your child has a form in their backpack. Please return the form tomorrow so that we can update any needed information and to confirm that you received the automated message.

Student Emergency Information — These pre-printed forms have contact information from previous years or from enrollment; please verify the information and make corrections if necessary (OR if you do not receive a pre-printed form, please complete the blank form), sign it and return it immediately. You may want to make a note of the student ID number that is included on this form. These emergency forms play a critical role in ensuring the safety and well-being of students and are our prime source of contact information from the teacher, the health room, or the office. Please list local relatives or, friends or neighbors as emergency contacts as this person may need to pick your child up if you cannot. Please include your e-mail addresses, if possible, to ensure that staff can include you on a grade-level listserv with pertinent information to parents. Please remember to notify the office when there is a change in home, work or cell phone numbers and e-mail addresses. Notification of change in residence must be accompanied by proof, such as a new lease or settlement papers. This form should be returned immediately.

Application for Free/Reduced Lunch—Complete and return immediately. See the eligibility chart on the back page and if your family does not qualify, discard the form. There is ONE FORM PER FAMILY and are pre-printed if your child had an account last year. Applications for Free or Reduced lunch should be returned to the school office as soon as possible, since they become effective as soon as processing is completed by Food Services. Parents must pay for meals until the process has been completed. Students who received free/reduced meals last year are eligible to continue in the program until the end of September. However, new applications must be filed yearly to continue eligibility or parents will be required to pay for meals. Parents and guardians need to fill out the forms COMPLETELY for the children for whom they are applying. Incomplete applications will be returned and delay approval status. Pre-printed applications are sent to the youngest child in the family in grade one and above.

School Lunch Menu-(Menus can also be found on the MCPS website) Lunch is $2.55, milk is $.60, and the reduced price for lunch is $.40. We are requesting that students bring lunch, have money in their SNAP (School Nutrition Accountability Program) account, or bring lunch money each day. In addition to the regular and alternate choices, there will be a cheese pocket sandwich every day except Thursday.

Authorization for Releasing Students- (Release of a student to an adult other than the parent/guardian.) Please complete and return immediately. Again, please list local relatives, friends and neighbors as the emergency contact. Please contact the office to make changes throughout the year as needed. Please retain the first page as it has important information in case of emergencies.

Request to Withhold Directory Information-(Complete one for each child only if you wish to withhold information- otherwise discard). The MCPS Request to Withhold Directory Information must be received in the school office bySeptember 9th. Request to withhold information prohibits printing the student’s name in the PTA Directory AND from MCPS releasing your child’s name to solicitors unless specifically stated.Do not return the form if you will allow directory information to be used by the PTA and other organizations.

The Ashburton Parent Handbook provides information on Ashburton and MCPS policies and procedures. We are a Green School and are looking to lessen our carbon footprint. To access our Parent Handbook, you may call the office and request that a hard copy be sent home with your child or you may access it online our website.Similarly, our newsletter is electronic, and you will have the opportunity to indicate that you would like a hard copy.

All volunteers in MCPS will be required to complete a short module that outlines the signs of child abuse and neglect and identifies what the mandated requirements are for volunteers. The course is on-line at If you need to use a computer at school, please ask for help in the office. Parents who completed the training last year will not need to do it again. School activities such as the Halloween parade or Dads and Donuts are exempt; however, please do the module if you plan to volunteer at a field trip or in the classroom during the school year.

Also, as you enter the office, you will continue to be required to provide photo identification each time and to sign in and out with our front office staff via our Visitor Management System. We know this could be considered an inconvenience, but we see it as an extra step toward ensuring the safety and well-being of all of our students and staff.

We are proud of the Ashburton staff as they collaborate with parents to make sure we are providing the best educational experience for all students. If you did not have a chance to meet everyone at Open House, you’ll have another opportunity at Back-to-School Night on September 28th at 7:00 p.m.

We look forward to working with you, your children and the staff as we begin a year focusing on making every child a successful part of the Ashburton Learning Community. Thank you for sharing your most precious gift—your children—with us.

Sincerely,

Greg MullenholzBarbara CinoNakia Sutton

PrincipalAssistant PrincipalASA

School Procedures and Guidelines

Please note that the school hours are:

9:00 a.m. to 3:25 p.m. (K-grade 5)

9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. and 12:55 – 3:25 p.m. for PEP Pilot classes

Children are not allowed on school property until 8:40 a.m. Students will be dismissed at 3:25 p.m. Please plan accordingly for students who are walkers or dropped off that they do not arrive too early and that someone is there to pick them up on time. Bus schedules have been changed to fit the new bell times.

Safety/Transportation:

We are concerned about the safety and welfare of all students. Please discuss the following precautions with your child.

Students should not arrive at school before 8:40 a.m. due to lack of supervision. After 8:40 a.m. students may enter the building and line up in a designated place near their classrooms.

Our crossing guard and the safety patrols will be available to assist children in crossing the street in front of the school. We have safety patrols assigned to the back of the building, but we do not have a crossing guard in that area directing traffic. Please follow their directions for the safety of all. If your child is a walker, please assist him/her in selecting a safe route for walking to and from school. Your cooperation in teaching your children correct procedures for crossing streets will keep them safe and help us maintain a good school safety record.

School is dismissed at 3:25 p.m. Walkers should leave school property at that time. Parents meeting students should meet children in the gym lobby or the rear drop-off area at 3:25 p.m. promptly. Students may not remain on school property unsupervised at any time. If your children participate in an after school activity that begins at any time other than 3:25 p.m., they must go home and return at the proper time. There is no supervision for students after dismissal.

Buses only will be permitted in the school parking lot during the hours of 8:30 - 9:00 a.m. and 3:15 - 3:45 p.m. Patrols will be on duty and orange cones will be placed to block the single entrance and exit area. Please do not ask the patrols for special exceptions to enter the parking lot, as this creates a safety hazard for our students.

No Parking signs are posted by the school and on nearby streets. Please observe parking rules to avoid being ticketed by the police and drive SAFELY in school zones while cautiously watching out for our walkers. Please do not block driveways and be considerate of our neighbors. Do not park in the No-Parking Drop-Off zone. Do not park illegally or let children run across the road alone.

Students are permitted to ride bikes, scooters, or skateboards to school. All bikes, scooters and skateboards must be walked when on school grounds at all times. Wearing a helmet is required by law and all safety rules must be followed. Please label the bike helmet and provide a lock for the bicycle. Skateboards and scooters should be left in the office during the school day. The school is not responsible for missing or damaged bikes.

Arrival of Students:

Buses arrive between 8:40 and 8:50 a.m. Students report to line up next to their classrooms. For thesafety and security of all students, we are asking that parents “kiss and say goodbye” at the front door. Students who need assistance will be escorted to class by patrols or staff.

Children who arrive after 9:00 a.m. must report to the office to sign in with their parent and they will get a tardy slip to give to their teacher and order lunch if needed. The attendance system requires that students be marked tardy if they are not in their seats on time. It also records and marks children who arrive after 2 hours late as half day present or in school less than two hours as full day absent.

Supervision of students is provided at the front and rear of the building each morning from 8:40-8:50 a.m. only. The crossing guard is on duty from 8:30-9:00 a.m. and 3:20- 3:50 pm. daily. Your support in having children arrive in a timely manner will help us ensure safety and provide your child time to get organized for the school day. Students may NOT arrive before 8:40 a.m. There is no supervision and we will have to call you to pick up your child.

Departure of Students:

Buses are called as they arrive by both number and color. Teachers assist the students in knowing when to leave the classroom and students should report directly to their assigned bus.

Walkers should arrange to either meet in the gym lobby or the breezeway, OR if you choose to meet at a specified location outside the building. Please do not plan to meet your child in the front hallway outside of the office. All walkers will be sent to the gym lobby or breezeway to meet their parents. This will help alleviate the congestion in our main hall as walkers and bus riders dismiss from school. Remember you may not enter nor exit the parking lot during dismissal from 3:15-3:50 p.m.

Afternoon Pick-up Safety Guidelines- Front of Ashburton:

The front parking lot closes at 3:15 p.m. Once it is closed no cars may enter or leave until all busses are gone, usually around 3:45 p.m.

To pick up your child at the end of the school day, please park on the street and walk down to school, or use the drop/pick-up loop in the back of the school.

Please meet your child in the lobby of the gym if you are picking up students in the front of the building. You will need to check in with the staff member supervising that area before you leave with your child.

Please do not plan to meet your child outside of the front doors or by the main office. These areas need to be clear for students walking to their busses.

Remember, these guidelines are to keep all our children safe!

Drop-Off Loop Guidelines:It is important that everyone follow the drop-off guidelines for picking students up at the end of the day. The guidelines have been established for the SAFETY of students. Please be sure to read the guidelines in the Parent Handbook, which is posted on the Ashburton website.

Drive slowly for everyone’s safety.

Pull up to the end of the loop. You may not stay in the middle spot even if you are the first to arrive.

Stay in queue and once your vehicle is loaded, then you may slowly and safely pull into the left lane to exit the loop. It is not fair for parents to pull in and out of spots while other parents have been waiting in line.

Do not double-park and ask students to run across a line of cars to board your car.

Do not park and leave your car in the drop-off lane. If you need to park, please use the spaces provided or the road.

If you park in the spaces, you must get out of your vehicle to escort your child across the lot. Please do not wave your children across the street to your car. Back out carefully as other cars queue up along the drop-off lane.

Refrain from delaying the queue by using your cell phone during pick-up.
A right turn only sign has been installed as you exit from the drop off loop. You must turn right; this is now an infraction that police can ticket for. To get back to Lone Oak Drive, after turning right on to Pomona Drive, take the first left on to Carnegie Drive and the first left on to Ashburton Lane, after two blocks, you will be at Lone Oak Drive (turn right to Old Georgetown Road or left to go to back towards Ashburton Elementary School.)

Ashburton’s staff and patrols are there to assist in arrival and dismissal; however, they are not to cross the parking lot nor wait with your child after 3:35 p.m. Students that are not picked up by 3:35 p.m. will asked to wait in the main office. If staff is giving you a direction, it is only because they are looking out for your child’s safety. Please be respectful. We truly appreciate your cooperation!

You may also pick up your child from the gym lobby. If you park in the neighborhood, please be respectful of our neighbors and do not block their driveways. Please help us create that safe environment and follow the safety guidelines during dismissal time.

After-School Arrangements and Activities

Please make sure that you communicate with your child’s teacher of any change in after-school arrangements with a note sent in with your child or emails to the teacher and the main office; for example, if s/he regularly rides the bus and will be picked up one day or if s/he is going to a friend’s home. If you sign your child up for an after-school activity, please make sure that your child and your child’s teacher knows the schedule. If your child cannot independently navigate the school and remember the schedule change, you will want to come to school and assist in the transition or postpone signing up for these activities until your child is ready. Flyers advertising the after school activities are sent home quarterly and listed on the PTA website.