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MCPS
Plan Ahead for the 2017–2018 School Year
It’s never too early to start planning! The Board of Education has approved the start and end dates for the 2017–2018 school year. The school year will begin on Tuesday, September 5, 2017, and the last day of school will be no later than Friday, June 15, 2018. In August, Maryland Governor Larry Hogan issued an executive order that mandates all Maryland public schools start after Labor Day, conclude by June 15, and include 180 days of in-struction. The Board had approved a resolution on October 10 stating its preference to adopt a calendar for the 2017–2018 school year that would begin prior to Labor Day and asked Superintendent Jack R. Smith to apply to the State Board for a waiver of the start date before Labor Day. However, MCPS is not likely to be eligible for a waiver due to Governor Hogan’s amended executive order that has fur-ther restricted the conditions under which local school boards could apply for and be granted a waiver of the time frame. There are many specific components, including professional days and make-up days for emergency or inclement weather school closings, that MCPS staff will need to further analyze to determine how best to implement the instructional and operational aspects of the 2017–2018 school year in the required time frame. MCPS staff will continue to work through the implementation issues for the structure of the school year and bring one or more proposed calendars to the Board for action at the Decem-ber 13, 2016, meeting.
Board of Education Approves Amendments to
Capital Improvements Program The Montgomery County Board of Edu-cation approved amendments to the dis-trict’s six-year Capital Improvements Program (CIP) on November 21 that will help plan for future growth in Montgom-ery County Public Schools (MCPS), while addressing capacity and facility issues throughout the district. The Board approved a Fiscal Year 2018 Capital Budget appropriation request to-taling $411.7 million and an Amended Fiscal Year 2017–2022 Capital Improve-ments Program request totaling $1.729 billion. The Board’s amendments include expenditure shifts for five projects, two new boundary studies, and one site selec-tion study. The Board set new boundaries for Bethesda-Chevy Chase Middle School #2 and Westland Middle School; approved Dr. Smith’s request for a feasi-bility study for the relocation of the Al-ternative Education Programs; and ap-proved several recommendations to ad-dress the current short- and long-term projected space deficits in the elemen-tary, middle, and high schools in the Walter Johnson Cluster. Superintendent Jack R. Smith submitted his recommended CIP amendments to the Board on October 27. The Board held a work session and two public hearings on Dr. Smith’s recommendation before tak-ing final action on Nov. 21. Every two years, the county approves a six-year CIP, which includes school construction and infrastructure projects. In off years, such as FY 2018, only amendments to the adopted CIP are considered. The Board’s request will now be submit-ted to the County Executive and the County Council for consideration.
December 16, 2016
Volume X IV Issue VI I
When dropping off your child
at school in the morning,
please limit your stay to the
hugs & kisses area right in
front of the main doors.
Children have to walk to
their classrooms by them-
selves to avoid excessive
traffic of adults in the build-
ing.
C A L E N D A R N O T E S
The olphin Newsletter
December 26 to January 2 —
Winter Break No Schools
January 3 — Classes
Resume
January 16 — Holiday NO
SCHOOL
January 20 — Holiday NO
SCHOOL
January 27 — Professional
Day for Teachers NO
SCHOOL
Kiss & Ride Lane
Cars are allowed in the
Kiss & Ride Lane only be-
tween 10 AM and 3:20PM.
Please avoid parking in
this area at the beginning
of the day and during dis-
missal.
School Cafeteria Account Balances If your child is returning to an MCPS school, any remaining account balance will au-
tomatically carry-forward to the school your child will attend.
If your child will NOT be returning to an MCPS school, you need to request a refund
(or, a balance transfer if you have another child currently enrolled in a MCPS
school).
Send refund* and balance transfer** requests via email to:
*REFUND requests must include the full name, address and telephone number of
the person the check will be made out to AND the full name, last school attended
and birthdate of each child whose account will be refunded.
**TRANSFER requests must include both students' full name, school and birthdate.
My Lunch Money has converted to My School Bucks
HERE'S WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW
All students, account balances, meal histories, SmartPay (automatic payments) settings and profile details will transfer over to MySchool-Bucks.
You will receive a welcome email from MySchoolBucks when your ac-count is ready to use.
Please add [email protected] to your address book to ensure you receive this email.
Your MyLunchMoney email address will be your MySchoolBucks username and your current password will stay the same.
If you currently pay a program fee with each transaction, that amount will stay the same.
Happy December Everyone!
It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving has passed and the holiday season is al-ready here! Classroom guidance les-sons are continuing in Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd grades. Kindergarten clas-ses have finished Unit 1 of their Sec-ondStep lesson. In Unit 1, the children learned about listening rules and skills for learning that will help them to be successful students. Unit 2 is labelled
‘Empathy’ and will help student learn to recognize their own emotions as well as the emotions of their classmates. 1st and 2nd grades will begin their Sec-ondStep lessons this month. Keep an eye out for communications from teach-ers on how you can supplement and reinforce the lessons at home.
Our winter clothing drive was a tremendous success. We collected dozens of items ranging from mittens and hats to jackets. These donations will help en-sure that all families here at TPES have adequate winter clothing for the cold months ahead. I would like to extend a warm thank you to all who donated, and a special thank you to Ms. Sarah Corcoran for collecting and washing all the donated materials. Additionally, I would like to thank all the parents who have contributed funds and snacks that allow me to provide food to the children at our school who are not able to bring snacks from home. If you are willing and able, donations are always welcome. Granola bars, fruit snacks, go-gurt, string cheese, raisins, fruit bars, etc.. are all easy for me to keep in my office and distribute as need-ed.
Max Althofer
Counselor
Meal Prices for the 2016-2017 School Year
Breakfast—All Grades Lunch
Regular price $ 1.30 $2.55
Reduced price No Cost .40¢
Returned Check Fee
Schools, offices and departments are permitted to charge indi-viduals and others who issue a check to the school or system if that check is returned to Montgomery County Public schools (MCPS) or Takoma Park ES. (TPES). The amount of the charge is consistent across MCPS and is set
by the chief financial office. The returned check fee is $25. The fee is to cover charges to TPES by our bank as well as the time for collection and handling of the replacement check fee in specific cases where the fee would cause hardship, howev-er, we do not have the option to elect not to charge the fee in other cases,
A Note from Mrs. Astrid, Cafeteria Manager
When sending money to deposit in your child’s account, please include
your child’s name and teacher’s name on your check.
DO NOT SEND CASH if it’s not in an envelope with the proper infor-
mation. It is very hard to guess who has left money on the Cafeteria counter.
Please keep track of the money in your child’s cafeteria account.
If you are submitting a FARMS form, please send it completed as soon
as possible, it takes approximately a month to be processed by Food Services.
Until you receive your approval letter, please send your child with lunch
from home or money to buy lunch from the cafeteria.
Calling in Sick… Please let the school office staff know if your child will not be in school or will arrive late because he or she is sick or has a doctor’s appointment. This saves us many phone calls. You can give call or send an email to both email addresses for Ms. Paz & Mrs. Dutch at; [email protected] and [email protected]
We are sad to announce that TPES is not having
a schoolwide Grand-Friends day event this year.
Please verify with your child’s teacher for any special activities celebrating Grand-Friends this month.
Takoma Park
Elementary School 7511 Holly Avenue
Takoma Park, MD 20912
(240) 740-0980 301 650-6526 fax
Office hours: 8:00 am —5:00 pm
School hours: 8:45 am—3:30 pm
Principal
Assistant Principal
Cold weather is here… Please remember to dress your chil-dren according to the weather.
As the weather gets colder more and more students are bringing in jackets, coats, hats, scarves, gloves and sweat-shirts to stay warm. Please make sure that your student's first and last name are written on the clothing item, so the item can easily be returned if misplaced.
Our Lost & Found is overflowing with items we cannot returned because they are missing the owner’s name.
Attention Visitors!
When checking in to our school’s main office, visitors includ-ing parents and other community members will have their driver’s license scanned and receive a badge that must be worn while in the school. VMS(Visitor’s Management System) will allow school staff to know who is in the building during the school day and in the event of an emergency.
We will appreciate your cooperation in the implementation of this system, as our main focus is our school community’s safety.
Enjoy your visit!
Birthday Checklist;
Arrange with the teacher a day and time for the celebration.
Provide a treat for each child in the class. Consider bringing a healthy treat.
Be creative and save the cupcakes for your home celebration.
Only send snacks that do not contain any peanuts or tree nuts such
as walnuts, cashews, pecans, pine nuts, almonds, hazelnuts, pistachios, and Brazil nuts.
Please consult with the classroom teacher in advance of the celebration.
In addition, birthday treats MUST BE store bought to also avoid food allergies. NO HOME
BAKED GOODS, please.
Do not bring balloons or party favors....
Let the teacher know if you are planning on bringing a younger child or other guests, so the teacher
can arrange for the celebration to be held in a common area of the building.
Cold Weather — At Recess and At Home
The cold months are coming! Windy days can feel much colder than the ac-
tual temperature. When deciding how long kids can play outdoors safely,
the wind chill factor is most important. Keep this chart handy to determine
what’s safe for your family (courtesy of www.parenting.com).
Green Zone: 30°F and higher
Kids can usually play outside comfortably when it's 30°F and higher -- just layer their
clothing and make sure they wear hats and mittens. Offer water often (it helps regulate
body temperature), and watch for signs that they're getting chilled. If they're shivering,
bring them inside even if they insist they're fine. Feel babies' hands and (if possible) feet
regularly to see if they're turning icy; also watch for unexplained fussiness. It's a good
idea to come inside for a quick break every 40 minutes or so, just to warm up a bit.
Yellow Zone: About 20°F - 30°F
Be cautious. It's okay for your kids to go out, but follow the guidelines above, and expect
to see signs of chill sooner -- take short indoor breaks every 20 to 30 minutes. It's espe-
cially crucial to layer older kids' clothes, since they may ditch their coats if they get sweaty
and so need to be wearing more than a thin shirt underneath.
Red Zone: Below 20°F — Stay indoors.
At TPES, recess is held outdoors as often as possible, unless
the conditions are hazardous (rain, sleet, snow) or it’s too cold
with the wind chill — Dr. Gadsden makes the call on a case-by
-case basis. If it is around 32 degrees, the children go out and
the ParaEducator staff determines if it’s OK for students to
stay outside the whole 30 minutes. If it’s colder than 32 de-
grees, they will have outdoor recess for only 15 minutes and
the other 15 will be inside.
PTA Health and Wellness Committee Launches Move More * Sit Less Campaign
If you are traveling over the holiday and your child won’t be in school, please make sure you have informed both, the Main Office staff and the classroom teacher.
As always, please let the main office staff know if your child will not be in school because he or she is sick or has a doctor’s appointment . This saves the office staff many phone calls.
Thank you,
Happy Holidays!
How is my child going home…
If you need to change how your child goes home (i.e. a walker today but usually a bus rider) you must inform the Main Office staff by 12:00pm on a regular school schedule day or by 10:30am on an early dismissal day. You should; * submit a Change Of Dismissal Form in your child’s Dolphin Folder or directly to the office. * send an email to the teacher and please copy Ms. Paz at; [email protected] & Mrs. Dutch at; [email protected] * fax any notes to 301 650-6526. You do not need to send a Change of Dismissal Form if you are picking up your child early because of a doctor's appointment or for any other reason. We would like to minimize your child’s waiting time and avoid missing valuable in-struction. We suggest you to give us a call once you are five minutes away from school so we can send for your child. Thanks for your understanding and cooperation.
How to Receive MCPS Emergency Information
MCPS Web: Home page
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org
Weather-related messages are posted in English and Spanish.
Email: QuickNotes
Weather-related messages are sent in 6 languages (English, Chinese, French, Korean, Spanish, and Viet-
namese).
Text and Email: Alert MCPS
Alert MCPS provides you with emergency information about school operations via text messages (i.e. SMS text or email messag-
es) to devices you register. Signing up for Alert MCPS is free, but your wireless carrier may charge you a fee to receive text mes-
sages. This service is provided in collaboration with the Montgomery County government. Weather-related messages are sent in
English and Spanish.
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/alertmcps.aspx
Text and Web: Twitter
A Twitter account allows you to follow MCPS text-message updates on your computer or on your cell or
other mobile device. Twitter updates will include emergency message and other school system news.
http://twitter.com/mcps
TV: MCPS Cable Channels
Emergency announcements are posted on the following cable channels.
Comcast Channel 34
Verizon Fios Channel 36
RCN Channel 89
Telephone Information Line: 301-279-3673
Recorded emergency information.
Telephone: Ask MCPS: 301-309-6277
Staff takes calls from 7:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Mondays through Fridays, in English and Spanish.
