Whetstone Wildcat Gazette
Parent Edition
School News from the Principal
Victoria A. Casey
19201 Thomas Farm Drive * Gaithersburg, Maryland 20879
301-840-7191
Our Vision
Whetstone Elementary is a community that values rigor, risk-taking, respect, and responsibility.
Our Mission
Whetstone Wildcats will challenge, teach and encourage one another to inspire life-long learning.
September 16, 2011
Dear Parents and Guardians,
The school year is in full swing! Hopefully, you attended our Back to School Night last night and received information about what your child will be learning this year and about your child’s teacher’s expectations for work and behavior.
As part of getting to know what students already know and are able to do, all Whetstone students have been given (or will be given soon) reading assessments – the curriculum based MClass reading assessment for students in kindergarten through 2nd grade, the computer generated MAP-R (Measures of Academic Progress in Reading) for 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students, and concepts of print and pre-reading skills for pre-kindergarten students. Students in grades 3-5 are also taking MAP-M (Measures of Academic Progress in Math). MAP-M is similar to MAP-R except that it measures students’ progress in math. These assessments are used by teachers to guide their instruction and to ensure that all of our students are being taught what they need to learn to meet grade level standards and our high expectations for their learning.
The Whetstone Wildcat Gazette – Parent Edition will be sent home mid-month each month during the school year. In the Gazette, I will give you reminders about activities and school policies and procedures and provide you with important dates to remember. Please feel free to contact me with questions you have about our policies and with suggestions for how I can use the Gazette to effectively communicate with you.
Mrs. Casey
Reminders
We have many students arriving too early. Students are not to arrive or be dropped off at school before 8:30. We do not have staff members on duty to supervise them before that time. This is a safety issue for your child. If you need a list of before school care providers, please come to the school office.
Dismissal procedures Our instructional day ends at 3:05. If you need to pick up your child early, please send a note to his/her teacher. Students are expected to go home or to a designated after school care immediately after school. Students may go home with friends only with written permission from both sets of parents. We do not allow students to call home for permission to go home with a friend. If a student is to ride a different bus to go home with a friend, they must have written permission from both sets of parents and it must be approved in the office. Remember, walkers in kindergarten through second grade must be accompanied by an adult.
Make sure your student has lunch money or a lunch from home. If your child buys lunch, money should be deposited into your child’s SNAP account on a regular basis. Students who do not have money for lunch will be sent to the office to get a snack for lunch. Please fill out the Free and Reduced Meals form – English and Spanish forms are available in the office and on the MCPS website – if you need assistance paying for your child’s lunch.
All students who received free or reduced meals during the 2010-2011 school year will continue to do so through the month of September. After September 30th, students without new approved applications will no longer receive free or reduced lunch. Applications are available in our school office. If you need assistance in filling out the forms or have questions, please drop by our office. We have a Spanish translator available in the office every morning from 8:30 to 9:00.
Positive Behavioral Intervention and Support (PBIS) Please review with your child the Whetstone Elementary School Teaching Matrix for behavioral expectations with your child. The matrix was part of the Discipline Policy which was sent home with your child and clearly outlines behavioral expectations for all school environments. Our students are off to a great start in learning the school wide expectations for behavior. With your help at home we can keep the momentum going, and everyone can have a “Pawsitive” year!
Dates to Remember
September 28
Early Dismissal Students will be dismissed at 12:35. All students, kindergarten through 5th grade, will have breakfast and lunch but no recess. Pre-Kindergarten students will be dismissed at 10:30. They will eat breakfast but no lunch. PEP students will not have school. Please make sure that your child knows, and is able to tell an adult, what he/she is to do after school on that day.
September 29
No School – Rosh Hashanah
September 30
PTA Family Fall Festival – 5:00p.m.-8:00p.m. at Whetstone Food, games and fun for the whole family. Don’t miss out!
October 4
PTA Meeting – 7:00p.m. – All-Purpose Room This will be the first PTA meeting of the year. Please make plans to attend and find out how you can become an active participant in Whetstone’s school community. Additionally, Mr. Scott and I, along with Mrs. Albertson, Whetstone’s staff development teacher, and Mrs. Aoun, our reading specialist will be presenting information about Curriculum 2.0 which is being implemented in grades K-2, about changes in grading and reporting, and about the implementation of PBIS at Whetstone.
October 3
“Listen and Learn” with Montgomery County’s new Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Joshua Starr – 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. - Watkins Mill High School, 10301 Apple Ridge Road, Gaithersburg. This event is an opportunity for parents and community members to meet Dr. Starr and to offer their views and perspective on what is working well in MCPS and what the school system can do to improve. Dr. Starr has a keen interest in hearing directly from parents as he sets his priorities for the school system. This is also an opportunity for parents to learn more about his educational philosophy and leadership style. I encourage all of you to attend this “Listen and Learn” event. Childcare and interpretation services will be provided. If you are not able to attend the event on October 3, there will be another on Tuesday, November 1, at Damascus High School, 25921 Ridge Road, Damascus. You are welcome to attend any of the other Listen and Learn events Dr. Starr will be holding throughout the fall. Times and locations are available on the MCPS website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org.
October 7
Rain Date for PTA Family Fall Festival
October 10
Open House You are invited to join your child for an exciting day of learning here at Whetstone. Please join us beginning at 9:15 through 2:30. If you plan on eating a school lunch with your child, please order it through the office by Wednesday, October 6th.
October 12
Family Fun Night at Red Robin – Enjoy dinner out with the family and help earn money for our school. A win-win for everyone! Don’t forget to mention Whetstone when you pay your bill.
October 13
Grade 5 field trip to Strathmore
Looking Ahead
October 19 – Fall Pictures
October 20 – Kindergarten Field Trip to Summer’s Farm
October 21 – No school – MSTA Convention
October 25-27 – Book Fair
October 26 – Family Literacy Night
October 28 – End of First Marking Period
October 28 – Halloween Parties
October 31- No School-Grading and Reporting Day
November 1– PTA Meeting
November 10-11 – Early Release Days – Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 11 – Flu Mist Clinic
November 15 – Family Fun Night at Ledos
November 17– Second Grade Field Trip to Strathmore