School News from the Principal
Victoria A. Casey
19201 Thomas Farm Drive * Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879 *301-840-7191
August 2015 /
Dates to Remember
August 26
Popsicles with the Principals – 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. – Playground
August 27
Kindergarten Back to School Night – 6:30 to 8:00 p.m. – All-Purpose Room
August 28
Open House for grades K-5 will be on Friday from 11:00 to noon.
August 31
First day of school!
September 1
Ice Cream Social – Playground – 7:00-8:00 p.m.
September 7
No School – Labor Day
September 14
No School for Students/Teachers
September 16
Back to School Night Grades 1-5 – 6:00-8:00 p.m.
September 23
No School for Students/Teachers
October 2
Early Release Day / Mrs. Casey’s Notes
August! The month of long summer days spent at the beach, wearing swimsuits and shorts, sleeping late, spending time doing whatever whenever, AND THE BEGINNING OF SCHOOL! I hope you have had a chance to do all the wonderful things of summer. If you haven’t get busy! This summer is quickly coming to an end.
Once again, we have had a busy summer of closing out one school year and starting another. Our building has been scrubbed and shined and maintenance issues have been addressed. We are ready for a new school year!
This school year, we begin with new school times. Please be aware that with the changes come some challenges. The biggest change that parents need to be aware of is that students won’t be allowed in the building until 8:50. This is 20 minutes later than last year due to necessary changes in our staff’s duty day. Also dismissal will begin at 3:25.
Ms. Osuntuyi and I, along with the whole Whetstone Elementary School staff, are looking forward to the 2015-16 school year. To kick off the school year, we will be hosting “Popsicles with Principals” on August 26th which will be held on the playground from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m. Throughout the year we will keep you informed through the Whetstone Wildcat Gazette about curriculum, special programs, events, and other school news. Your support and involvement in the Whetstone community will ensure that this school year is successful for each and every student. It is my hope that you will be at our school often to visit and volunteer in classrooms.
School hours are 9:00 to 3:25.
Students will be allowed in the building at 8:50 a.m.
Students arriving after 9:00 will be considered late.
Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
Please join the PTA and volunteer your time and talents in a way that fits you and your family. One predictor of student success in school is parent involvement in the educational process. I encourage you to become active in your child’s experiences at Whetstone. We have volunteer jobs at Whetstone that can fit anyone’s schedule and talents. I look forward to helping you find a way you can fit in our school community. The first PTA activity is the Ice Cream Social on August 26th. It is always a wonderful time of getting to know the Whetstone community and learning about the programs and activities the PTA has in store for Whetstone and your child.
Back to School Nights
At Back to School Night, you will be provided with information about expectations for the school year and have the opportunity to meet your child’s teachers. Please remember that this is time for general discussions about grade level and teacher expectations. If you need to have a discussion about your child’s needs or academic progress, your child’s teacher will be glad to schedule a time for a conference.
- Kindergarten Back to School Night - August 28 - 6:30-8:00 p.m. Parentswill learn important information about sending your child to school for the first time. This is a meeting for parents only. You will receive important information about lunch, riding the bus, your child’s day at school, and the curriculum.
- Grades 1-5 – September 16 - 6:00-8:00 p.m. Our Back to School Night is an Open House Event for parents. As in past years, there is no opening session. All classrooms will be open, including specialists and support teachers. Please remember that Kindergarten has their Back to School Night on August 21stKindergarten teachers will not be available.
Whetstone Back To School Information
Welcome back postcards will be sent to students during the week of August 24th.
- Postcards will inform students of their homeroom teacher for the 2015-2016school year and will invite them to the August 28th Open House. If for some reason your child does not receive a postcard, please be sure to come to the Open House. Classroom assignments will be posted in the main hallway, and staff will be available to direct you to the appropriate classroom.
- We do all we can to ensure that each child is in just the right classroom with just the right teacher, but sometimes class dynamics or academic needs require that a class be adjusted.
- Each year, students and their parents have some adjustments in settling into a new class with a new teacher. Requests for classroom changes will not be accepted until September 21st. If at that time you still have concerns about your child’s classroom placement, please address those concerns in writing.
Riding the Bus to School
- Bus schedules are included in this packet. Be sure to make a note of the stop closest to your home, the bus number your child is to ride, and the scheduled time for pick up and drop off. Students need to be at their bus stops five minutes before the scheduled arrival time.
- All elementary age students should be accompanied to and from bus stops by a responsible adult. Be aware that for the first few days of school buses may be a little off their regular schedules. Please be patient and know that within a few days everything will settle into a school year rhythm.
- If your child is going to be riding a bus this year, please have him ride the bus the first day of school, both to and from school. During the first few days of school, the Whetstone staff works very hard to make sure that every child gets to and from school as safely as possible. We have procedures in place during the first week of school to ensure that students get on the right buses to go home in the afternoon. If your child misses the first week and especially the first day of riding the bus, it makes it difficult for us to ensure that he makes it home in a timely fashion.
- If your child is a walker or car rider, please remember all students enter the building through the front door.
- Students walking through the tunnel must cross the parking lot in designated crosswalks as they make their way to the front of the school.
- Students crossing Thomas Farm Road must cross the street at the crosswalk near the Maryland Place sign and follow the sidewalk to the front entrance. There will be staff members along the way to help your child find his/her classroom.
Driving To School
- The carpool line follows the perimeter of the parking lot. The entry and exit are off Centerway Road.
- Students are dropped off near the front of the school by the all-purpose room. Several cars can off-load at the same time, following the direction of the staff.
- No cell phone use in the car lane. All drivers’ full attention should be on students and traffic
- No cars are allowed to enter or exit from Thomas Farm Road.
Dismissal
- All bus riders exit through the main entrance doors
- Walkers who cross Thomas Farm Road exit by the art room door.
- Students walking across or along Centerway Road will exit by the main entrance doors.
Lunch
- School lunches are available to all students. The price of lunch will be $2.55 and the reduced price $.40. Milk will be available for $.60.
- Please review the 2015-16 Cafeteria News and Elementary School Meals Informationattached to this letter concerning pre-paid lunch accounts.
- Once again, our school will be participating in Maryland Meals for Achievement in which all students at Whetstone will be provided with breakfast. Breakfast will be served in classrooms at 8:50. Breakfast will consist of milk, juice or fruit, and an entrée such as a cereal, a sandwich, or a breakfast roll. Breakfast will only be served from 8:50 to 9:00, and any student arriving after 9:00 will not be able to eat breakfast.