Signal

5/4 - 5/8 Staff Appreciation Week

5/5 7 pm PTA Elections, Awards

and Reception

5/6 9:30 am 2nd Grade Field

Trip-Brookside Gardens

5/8 9:30 am 5th Grade Field

Trip-Racing West

5/13 9:15-3:00 4th Grade Field

Trip-Baltimore Museum of

Industry

10 am 5th Grade Panoramic

Picture

5/14 9:30 am Patrol Picnic

9am Kindergarten

Orientation-Be sure to call to

make an appointment

5/15 9 am Kindergarten

Orientation

6:45 pm PTA Spring Dance

and Silent Auction

5/19 Field Day K-2

5/20 7pm Market Day Pick-up

5/21 Field Day 3-5

5/22 Field Day Rain Date

5/25 Memorial Day-Holiday

5/28 7 pm Spring Concert

6/3 & 6/4 7 pm Sequoyah

Musical-School House Rock

6/5 STEM Day

6 pm 25th Anniversary

Celebration followed by PTA

Movie Night

6/12 10 am: 5th Grade Farewell

7 pm Market Day Pick-up

6/15 1 pm Early Release-Last

Day of School

8/31 First Day of School

Sequoyah Elementary Dates to Remember

May-June 2015

Market Day Contact:

Kim Anderson

Kim.anderson@bfsaulco.com

Place an order online at

MarketDay.com, or submit a

paper order form prior to the

due dates.

Sequoyah Elementary School

17301 Bowie Mill Rd Derwood MD 20855

301-840-5335

www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org

Top Five Ways to Prevent Rusty Summer

Readers

With summer vacation on its way, as parents or

guardians, it’s important to ensure that reading

remains on your child’s schedule even while school

is out. Reading over the summer is important not

only because it improves literacy and language

skills, but also because it prevents what has become

known as the “summer slide”—a regression in

reading ability. Studies show that children who don’t read or who read rarely

over the summer encounter a stagnation or decline in their reading skills.

With that in mind, here are five of the best ways to keep your child reading this

summer:

1. Let your child choose what they want to read – or be read to – for 30

minutes each day. Children are much more likely to engage in material that

interests them rather than materials that are forced on them.

2.Use language and reading opportunities throughout the day. Talk often

with your child and point out reading materials wherever possible: on

menus, magazines and newspapers, signs, brochures, maps, guidebooks,

smartphones, [tablets], iPads, etc.

3.Make daily reading a social event. Get the whole family to join in with their

own books or take turns reading the same book aloud. Include telling stories

as well.

4.Connect reading to other summer events. If you take your child

to the zoo, think about reading a book about animals

before and afterward. This will place your child’s

reading within a larger context.

5.Make reading a lifestyle choice. Keep books all

around the house to cultivate an atmosphere of

reading, and set an example by reading yourself.

Children need good models of reading books,

From Mr. Scott, our Principal Intern:

We are in the home stretch and the year’s end is drawing to a close.

Spring is here and summer is on its way! Where has all the time gone? It

is hard to believe my time serving as Principal Intern is also nearing its

end. The entire Sequoyah community welcomed me with open arms and

made each day better than the last. I am thankful for every opportunity I

have had this year to problem solve and celebrate with you. At this point,

it is highly unlikely I will be returning next year. If fortunate enough, I

hope to serve a community that is equally gracious as you all have been to

me this year. My greatest desire is that you continue engaging in the

collaborative partnerships that have resulted in daily successes for our

students, families and staff. It has been my pleasure to serve each of you

and to get to know so many of you. My only regret is that I did not get

to make even more connections. You matter!

May-June 2015 Page 2

We are looking for parents to be involved in our Science, Technology,

Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) day. On STEM Day students present

their in-class science experiments and research to other students. Throughout

the day, students travel to different stations, where they engage in hands-on

experiences. We need volunteers to conduct an engaging hands-on experience

for students. In previous years, parents presented information to students

about different aspects of their careers that related to Science, Technology,

Engineering or Mathematics. Parents have also volunteered to manage a

inquiry station that included: making harmonicas from tongue dispensers and

tape; making play dough; building structures out of tooth picks and gumdrops;

and much, much more.

STEM Day will take place on Friday, June 5th during the student school day.

If you are interested or have questions you can contact Ms. Summers

Attention All Parents

Visit our school website after August 1, 2015, to view the Parent Newsletter for the 2014-

2015 school year for very important school information. If you don’t have access to a

computer, hard copies will be available in the school’s main office.

Call 301-840-5335

http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/sequoyahes

Join us for our Open House on Friday, August 28, 2015, from 2-3 pm. Class lists will be

posted in the gymnasium. Stop there first so your child can find their

new class.

Our first day of school for the 2015-2016 school year will be

Monday, August 31, 2015.

Page 3 May-June 2015

Music News

Parents, please be aware that as the

weather is becoming warmer we will be

having some physical education classes

outside. Please remind your children not to

wear shoes with open toes and to dress for

the possibility of PE outside (I tell the students to leave

their best clothes at home on PE day).

Much of the month of May will be centered on

preparing for the annual field days for each grade level.

During the month K-5 will be reviewing some of the

activities we did throughout the year so they will be

prepared to “show off” some of their skills at field day.

When not focusing on field day, K-2 will continue to

develop the ability to strike using different body parts.

Students will be using balloons/beach balls and be

asked to try to keep it in the air using a kicking motion

or an upwards hitting motion with their arms.

Grades 3-5 will continue to learn about the FITT

principle (frequency, intensity, time and type) and

develop an understanding of what each letter represents

in relation to physical activity. We will also be

discussing and participating in activities that require an

understanding of short-handled implements (tennis

racquet) versus long-handled implements (hockey

sticks).

Field Day dates:

Grades K-2, Tuesday May 19th

PE News

Here’s what will be going on in the music room during the month

of May

As we head into May, students are working on many exciting

projects in music class that utilize all the skills we have learned this

year. Our 2nd, 4th, and 5th grade students are learning about

composers and are writing songs of their own. Our 1st and 3rd grade

students are learning about improvisation or music made up on the spot. The 1st graders

are adding music to enhance familiar stories and 3rd graders are learning about jazz.

Kindergarten students are putting picture symbols to the musical concepts (high, low,

long, short, and steady beat) that we have learned this year.

In addition, 3rd graders are learning more challenging songs on the recorder and working

towards their black belt on the recorder. 4th graders are exploring African drumming and

5th graders are studying chords and how to accompany songs on the xylophone and

autoharp.

Mark your calendars now for our spring music performances! The Spring Instrumental Music

concert is May 28th and will feature all beginning and advanced instrumental music

students as well as our 3rd grade recorder players. Our spring musical, Schoolhouse Rock

Live! Jr. is June 3rd and 4th. Hope to see you there!

Art News

5th grade students will create a

realistic drawing of a traditional No.2

pencil then transform it into

something unordinary by changing

the size and shape of the pencil

4th grade students will design their own superhero

and create a drawing using color pencils

3rd grade students will review different clay

techniques and create a memory tile that

captures their favorite memory

2nd grade students will look at the works of Andy

Warhol and create an abstract painting of an

ordinary object

1st grade students will create a realistic drawing by

drawing from observations

Kindergarten students will examine different types

of architecture and design their own house

Artists of the month for May are… Brisally Lopez,

Safiyah Sharaf, Jackie Bakly, Gabriel Rosa, Eliel

Alfaro, and Anson Zhan from 2nd grade, Magda

Stanislawek, Fabiola Lawani, Zach Johnson, Nayelli

Samayoa, Nicholas Garcia, Elizabeth Esteves, Joy

Ryba, Esai Morgan, Natalia Navarro, Bradley Do,

and Arewa Alade from 1st grade. Congratulations!

Please stop by to look at their wonderful artworks!

Plan Ahead for the 2015–2016 School Year

The Board of Education has set the calendar for the

2015-2016 school year. Classes will begin on Monday,

August 31, 2015, and are scheduled to end on Friday,

June 17, 2016. Spring Break will run from March 25

to April 1. The calendar is available in seven languages

–Amharic, Chinese, English, French, Korean, Spanish

and Vietnamese—and can be printed or downloaded

to a computer or mobile device. To see the calendar,

visit http://

www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/calendars/

future/.

Planee Por Anticipado Para el Ciclo Escolar 2015-2016

El Consejo de Educación ha establecido el calendario

para el ciclo escolar 2015-2016. Las clases comenzarán

el lunes, 31 de agosto, 2015, y están programadas

para terminar el viernes, 17 de junio, 2016. Las

vacaciones de primavera tendrán lugar del 25 marzo

al 1ro de abril El calendario se encuentra disponible en

siete idiomas—amárico, chino, coreano, español,

francés, inglés, y vietnamita—y puede imprimirse o

descargarse a una computadora o dispositivo móvil.

Visite http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/

calendars/future/ para ver el calendario.

May-June 2015 Page 4

School Calendar 2015-2016 (English and Spanish)

MCPS UPDATES

MCPS Launches Teacher Workforce Diversity Initiative

MCPS has launched a new initiative to increase the diver-

sity of its teacher workforce. The Teacher Workforce

Diversity Initiative includes strategies in four key areas:

recruitment, selection, retention, and internal talent de-

velopment. Through this initiative, MCPS hopes to re-

cruit and retain high-quality teachers that reflect the di-

versity of its student enrollment, including teachers of

color and others with backgrounds, skills and experiences

that are underrepresented in the current workforce, such

as those who are multilingual. To learn more, visit the

new TeachMCPS website:

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/

careers/inspire/

and read the news release:

ht tp: //www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/pre s s/

index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=3667.

MCPS Lanza Iniciativa Audaz Sobre la Diversidad de su

Fuerza Laboral de Maestros.

MCPS ha lanzado una nueva iniciativa para aumentar la

diversidad de su fuerza laboral de maestros. La Iniciativa

Sobre Diversidad de la Fuerza Laboral de Maestros in-

cluye estrategias en 4 áreas claves: reclutamiento, selec-

ción, retención, y desarrollo del talento interno. El siste-

ma escolar está buscando reclutar y mantener maestros de

alta calidad que reflejen la diversidad de su matrícula es-

tudiantil, incluyendo maestros de color y otros con pro-

cedencias, destrezas, y experiencias que están subrepre-

sentadas en la fuerza laboral actual, tales como aquellos

que hablan más de un idioma. Para aprender más, visite

la nueva página de internet TeachMCPS

http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/

careers/inspire/

y lea las noticias publicadas

h t tp : / /www.montgomery school smd.org/pre s s /

index.aspx?page=showrelease&id=3667

Diversity Intiative (English and Spanish

Counselor’s Corner Diana England

This month we have finished up lessons explaining empathy and demonstrating empathy throughout all

grades. Additionally, this month we are kicking off the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Fundraiser

mathathon. This enables our students to show empathy and support for sick children being treated at

that outstanding hospital.

For grades K-3, I am now conducting lessons on Stop and Think to encourage children to problem solve

constructively when they are angry or mad at someone. For grades 3-5, I am conducting lessons on

cooperation and team work while considering the consequences of decision making. In 4th grade we have

done some additional lessons on “How to be an effective upstander versus a silent

bystander.”

I continue to see many children in small groups, lunch bunches and individually.

May-June 2015 Page 5

Montgomery County Public Schools

2015–2016 School Calendar

2015

July 3 Independence Day Offices and schools closed

August 24, 25, 26, 27, and 28 Professional days for teachers

August 31 First day of school for students

September 7 Labor Day—Offices and schools closed

September 14 No school for students and teachers

September 23 No school for students and teachers

October 2 Early release day for all students. Planning/grades/interims

October 16 No school for students and teachers

November 2 No school for students. Professional day for teachers.

November 11 Early release day K–8. Parent conferences

November 12 Early release day K–8. Parent conferences

November 25 Early release day for all students

November 26–27 Thanksgiving - Offices and schools closed

December 24, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31 Winter Break - No school for students and teachers,

Dec. 24 & 25 Offices closed

2016

January 1 New Year’s Day Offices and schools closed

January 18 Dr. Martin L. King, Jr. Day—Offices and schools closed

January 25 No school for students. Professional day for teachers.

February 15 Presidents’ Day—Offices and schools closed

February 26 Early release day for all students. Planning/grades/interims

March 25—April1 Spring Break—No school for students and teachers,

March 25 & 28 Offices closed

April 5 Primary Election Day—Offices and schools closed.

May 30 Memorial Day—Offices and schools closed

June 17 Last day of school for students. Early release day for all students

June 20 Professional day for teachers

School Contingency Calendar, 2015–2016 If the school year should be disrupted by emergencies and schools are closed, the school year will be extended.

If schools are closed... The school year will be extended by...

5 days….1 day to June 20, 2016

6 days….2 days to June 20 and 21, 2016

7 days….3 days to June 20, 21, and 22, 2016

8 days….4 days to June 20, 21, 22, and 23, 2016

Page 6 May-June 2015

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May-June 2015

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April 2015 Page 9

May-June 2015 Page 10

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May-June 2015 Page 12