Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22

“RACHEL CARSON HERON HERALD”

100 Tschiffely Square Road

Gaithersburg, MD 20878

(240) 740-1840

FAX (240) 740-1846

Web Page: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rachelcarsones/

A CHARACTER COUNTS! SCHOOL!

NEXT WEEK AT RACHEL CARSON

THE GREAT KINDNESS CHALLENGE WEEK!

MONDAY 1/30 Hopping Heron Session III Clubs Registration Begins

3:45-4:45 p.m. Last Day of Session II Tennis (Gym)

TUESDAY

1/31 9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m. - Grade 3 Field Trip – Lisner Auditorium

WEDNESDAY

2/1 3:40-4:30 p.m. Homework Club

3:45-4:45 p.m. Chess Club (Media Center)

3:45-4:45 p.m. Last Day of Session II Tae Kwon Do (Gym)

3:45-4:45 p.m. Chess Club (Media Center)

THURSDAY

2/2 6:30 p.m. Spelling Bee Finals – AP Room

FRIDAY

2/3 3:45-4:45 p.m. Soccer Club

Rachel Carson Elementary School’s

Mission Statement The staff, students, and families of RCES will share responsibility

for ensuring that each child demonstrates consistent, measurable

progress on the way to reaching his or her potential as a learner

and responsible citizen.

Lawrence D. Chep

Principal

Randy Aleshevich

Assistant Principal

Jean Kiernan-Jackson Asst. School Admin.

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22

LOOKING AHEAD

2/6 Session III Hopping Heron Club Registration Ends at 4:00 p.m.

2/7 7:00 p.m. PTA Meeting (Media Center)

2/8 Report Cards Distributed

Lakelands Park MS Staff Visits Fifth Graders

2/10 3:45-4:45 p.m. Last Day of Session II Soccer Club

2/13 Hopping Heron Session III After-school Clubs Begin

3:45-4:45 p.m. Tennis (Gym) Club Begins

2/14 2:15 p.m. Valentine’s Classroom Parties

3:45-4:45 p.m. Creative Crafts 3-5 (RM 131), Jazz Dance & HoopEd

Basketball K-1 (Gym) Begin

2/15 3:45-4:45 p.m. Tae Kwon Do (Gym) Begins

3:40-4:30 p.m. Homework Club

3:45-4:45 p.m. Chess Club (Media Center)

2/16 3:45-4:45 p.m. Creative Crafts 1-2 (RM 131), & HoopEd Basketball 2-5

(Gym) Begin

2/17 9:15 a.m. Kindergarten Open House for parents who will be sending (or are

considering sending) their children to Kindergarten at RCES next fall

9:30 a.m.-2:30 p.m. Grade 1 Field Trip to Baltimore Aquarium

3:45-4:45 p.m. Soccer Club Begins

2/20 No School – Presidents’ Day

2/21 3:45-4:45 p.m. Creative Crafts 3-5 (RM 131), Jazz Dance & HoopEd

Basketball K-1 (Gym)

2/22 3:45-4:45 p.m. Tae Kwon Do (Gym)

3:40-4:30 p.m. Homework Club

3:45-4:45 p.m. Chess Club (Media Center)

2/23 3:45-4:45 p.m. Creative Crafts 1-2 (RM 131), & HoopEd Basketball 2-5 (Gym)

2/24 3:45-4:45 p.m. Soccer Club

2/27 Jump Rope for Heart Week

3:45-4:45 p.m. Tennis (Gym) Club

2/28 3:45-4:45 p.m. Creative Crafts 3-5 (RM 131), Jazz Dance & HoopEd

Basketball K-1 (Gym)

Non-Hopping Heron Club Dates for January

Club Dates Times Title Room Panda Programmer Jan. 23, 25, 27, 30 3:45-5:45 Panda Programmer PORTABLE 2

Komodo USA Jan. 23, 30 3:45-4:45 138

FLES Ended - No Jan. 13 Class 3:45-4:45 French 146

FLES Jan. 23 3:45-4:45 Spanish 144

FLES Jan. 23 3:45-4:45 Chinese 121

Chinese Immersion Daily (5 Days a week) 4:00-6:00 130

Music Jan. 23, 30 3:35-4:45 120

Science and Engineering Jan. 26 3:40-4:40 Incredible Forces 149

Science and Engineering Jan. 26 3:40-4:40 Invention Convention 151

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22 HOPPING HERON AFTER-SCHOOL CLUB REGISTRATION – SESSION III Our Hopping Heron Session III Club brochure will be available on our school web site on

January 30, 2017. Browse through the brochure to see the after-school offerings.

Registration is electronic, so click the Online Registration link to register for a club. Read the

brochure carefully to make sure you register before the cut-off date, February 6 at 4:00 p.m.

SCIENCE/INVENTION NIGHT THANK YOUS

This year’s Science and Invention Night was a huge success as always! Congratulations to all

of the students who participated and thank you to all of the students and parents who came to

observe and support the participants. The student’s displays were outstanding and their

knowledge about their experiments and inventions was impressive!

Special thanks to event chair Tom Precht and to committee members Meredith Fogle (co-

chair), Lynsey Burgess, and Yolanda Goettsch for making the event a great success. We

would also like to thank Amanda Berkhammer, Kamran Anwar, Gerianne Aberts, and Brad

Hasson from BioReliance, Mary Chu and Will Corbin from Panda Programming, MadScience,

and Media Cybernetics for participating as parent/corporate exhibitors!

KINDERGARTEN OPEN HOUSES

During the next two months, RCES will hold monthly Kindergarten Open Houses for parents

who will be sending (or are considering sending) their children to Kindergarten at RCES next

fall. Below are dates for each month, in addition to our Kindergarten Orientation dates in May.

Mr. Chep will meet with prospective kindergarten parents to discuss our programs and answer

questions, and parents will have an opportunity to visit our kindergarten classes. Please inform

your neighbors whose children will attend kindergarten during the 2017-18 school year

(turning five years old by September 1, 2017). It is essential we know early how many

children will attend kindergarten to ensure appropriate staffing, and to keep our class sizes

down. These meetings are not for children. Parents and children will attend our May

Kindergarten Orientation.

SPREAD THE WORD TO YOUR NEIGHBORS!!!

Kindergarten Open House Schedule

February 17 ● 9:15 a.m. March 10 ● 9:15 a.m.

May Kindergarten Orientation - May 15, 16, & 17 (appointments are scheduled)

STAFF APPRECIATION CHILI COOK OFF CONTEST

Next Wednesday, February 1st, is our Chili Cook Off! This was the staff's favorite luncheon

last year - please help us make it happen again this year! Please sign-up to bring your favorite

homemade chili. Both the RCES Staff and the RCES parents are invited to enter the chili

contest. :) We also need parent volunteers to bring some cornbread, rolls, toppings, and

sides to make this lunch great for our staff! Please bring all food to school at 9am on

Wednesday, February 1st. There will be a prize for the best chili! Thanks for your help in

showing our great staff how much we appreciate them! Email Erin Quinn at

erinfquinn@gmail.com, or sign up via:

http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0c4fa5ac29a7fd0-chili1

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22 STAFF APPRECIATION THANK YOU!

Thank you to all the families who help us make all of our events a success at RCES. Thank

you to the following families who provided healthy treats for January Treat Fairy and to

those families who provided all the goodies for the Staff Holiday Celebration: Anabela Puhl,

Christine Wilson, Britt Schwenginer, Lillian Lim, Tom Offenbacher, Tracy McMaster, Lynsey

Burgess, Nicolette Woods, Heather Huot, Amy Klinger, Sarah Brunick, Katie Ferguson,

Brittany Fowlkes, Teri Artino, Tou Olunlade, Cherie Soni, Beth Narrow, Mandana Safa, April

Gratrix, Maureen Mills, Melissa McGowan, Anabela Puhl, Rabiah George, Beatriz Fiddleman,

Malvika Patel, Kathleen Wyatt, Arnab Mukherjee, Jen Chacon, Beatris Godoy, Elie Zussman,

Jeri Nyborg, Jason Lucas, Stephanie Barber, Jacque Flaherty, Wendy Stickle, Meredith Polsky,

Carol Flaim, Gi Heim, Joanna Levine, Jaime Hirschfeld, Andrea Burton, Esther Conte,

Tingting Lin, Melissa Smith, Fang Zhao, Lauren Yeung, Richelle Gibson, & Yunxia Tong.

And, thank you to all our Holiday Gift Wrappers who took time out of their busy pre-holiday

schedule to help teachers complete their gift wrapping: Judy Barr, April Gratrix, Beth

Gelfman, Kelly Goodman, Teri Artino, Jen Griswold, Jill Rodriquez, Whitney Brenkus, Jeri

Nyborg, Jacque Flaherty, Katie Ferguson, & anyone else who popped in to offer their help.

CLASSROOM SPELLING BEES

Congratulations to the following students who won their classroom spelling bees.

Mrs. Armenta Mrs. Fernandez Mrs. Blanc Mrs. Dagins

Dana Atassi Wesley Lim Olivia Borkat Gabe Chacon

Elizabeth Dintis Sean Malieckal Adi Strope Paige Sweeney

Mrs. King Ms. Lostritto Ms. Erickson Ms. Afable

Andrew Keene Lauren Miller Ryan Chacon Sophie Dinderman-Kao

Edna-Joy Mwemena Shreyas Estoll Alfred Dolfin Wesley Lee

Ms. Anderson Mrs. Dembrow Mrs. Dembnicki Mrs. Gent Sofia Hersh Ivie Tran Abi Kizza Nikhita Dass

Lily Kaplan Summer Allen John Godman Alina Xu

Mr. Grassi Mrs. Lang Mrs. Bannon Ms. Troilo

Laura Takada-Jacobson Benjamin Becker Joey Dacy Tayyiba Bari

Elisa Chen Delaney Parker Mya Dubey Anne Faraone

Mrs. Roberts Mrs. Hall Mrs. Childs Ms. Froom

Elaina Fuster Aditya Gulati Anna Lim Kobe Juman-Yassin

Gabriella Dourgarian Aidan Paul Jake Shaheen Sasha Soukhoveev

These students will compete in a school-wide spelling bee on Thursday, February 2,

beginning at 6:30 p.m. New words and information were distributed on to prepare for the

Spelling Bee Championship! All parents, family members, friends and community

members are welcome to attend!!!

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22 2016/2017 YEARBOOKS ARE ON SALE NOW! RCES Yearbooks are now on sale for $19, plus tax online, and will go up to $20, plus tax on

March 23. Flyers went home last week. Checks should be made out to Classic Photography.

We cannot accept checks made out to RCES, so please be sure it's made out to Classic.

Please know our yearbooks sell fast and, although we order a large number of them, they do

sell out. Important: Please be sure to put your child's name, grade, and teacher on the envelope

you send in for his/her yearbook order, so the yearbooks make it to the right class and student

at the end of the year. Thanks!

Online Ordering Instructions:

Go to: http://yearbooks.classic-photo.com/MD1222017/home3/Bookstore.jsp

You will be required to set up a login account; Enter Name, Email and Create Password,

then Select Sign Up. You will then be directed to the shopping cart where you will enter

number of books, then select Checkout. Enter Billing/Shipping information (Note: all books

will be delivered to the school to be distributed at the end of the school year). Then, Select

Next. Review Order, then Select Next. Enter Payment Information and be sure to Enter

Student Name and Teacher in spaces provided. Then Select Checkout.

KID'S COLLEGE: ENRICHMENT COURSES FOR STUDENTS GRADES K-9

Courses are offered after school and on Saturdays on the Rockville and Germantown

Campuses.

Course offerings include Cartooning, Cartooning Comics & Manga, Keyboarding, Web

Design, and Germantown Baseball Clinics for teams or individual players.

See Kid's College Brochure for more details.

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22

ART TEAM NEWS

Musical Notes In marking period 3, your students will:

PreK and Kindergarten: Sing within a limited vocal range, and produce sounds in response to

picture symbols representing long/short and high/low sounds.

1st Grade: Improvise using instruments to enhance a story or song. Read simple rhythmic and

pitch patterns.

2nd Grade: Use instruments to improvise simple rhythmic or melodic phrases. Read simple pitch

and rhythm patterns and musical symbols.

3rd Grade: Use music vocabulary to describe expressive qualities heard in music. Read simple

melodies and interpret musical symbols to perform a song.

4th Grade: Listen to and describe examples of music that represent musical styles and traditions

from various historical periods and world cultures. Notate a short rhythmic phrase from dictation

using standard notation.

5th Grade: Notate a short melodic phrase from dictation using standard notation. Identify

differences in two performances of the same selection of music.

5th grade Chorus: Sing with proper singing posture and vowel shapes, sing in harmony in rounds

and partner songs, and read a choral score.

PE News All students just finished a unit on volleyball striking and will begin working on basketball skills.

We also discussed healthy choices with grades K-2 and goal setting with 3-5. All grades will

begin a gymnastics unit in March. Students will learn about the ill effects of fast food and

inactivity. Please remember to dress your child/children in sneakers on days when they have PE

class and, if they cannot participate, please send in a note. Thank you for the support!

Our school is participating in a very special community service program to raise funds for the

American Heart Association. We’re joining in the fight against our nation’s No. 1 and No. 3

killers – cardiovascular diseases and stroke. During the last week in February, our school will

hold Jump Rope (K-5) and Hoops for Heart (3-5) activities in PE classes. These events are held

nationwide and help students learn about the benefits of regular physical activity and heart health

while they raise funds to support vital research and educational programs. The money we raise

will help people in our community learn how to avoid heart disease and stroke, and live longer,

healthier lives. The school will also qualify for gift certificates for physical education equipment

based on the amount we raise. Students will receive thank-you gifts based on the amount they

collect. Last year we raised over 10,000 dollars!!!!

Artistic News Kindergarten classes are learning about texture. They drew monsters and are elaborating with

texture rubbings. They know you can see and touch texture, so we played the texture game.

Hopefully they will show the family how to play as well. First grade students are finishing a

parflesh, which is a Native American messenger bag. They drew patterns on the bag and mixed

secondary colors in watercolors to paint the shapes. Finally students sewed the sides of the bags

and are eager to wear them home. Second through fifth grade students are building cardboard

sculptures and adding foil figures to them for detail. They are attaching pieces of cardboard with

glue and brads or wire. They are trying out slits and flange to make the sculpture pieces adhere

well. Students will write an artist statement to give them an opportunity to reflect on their work.

We are very involved in making sculptures and hoping parents will donate cardboard tubes,

Mardi Gras beads, and beads in general. We will gladly accept any surplus craft supplies,

and cardboard boxes smaller than a shoebox, and we could use some baby wipes. Thanks to

those who send in donations weekly.

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22

Dear RCES Families!!!!

We are proud to announce that Rachel Carson will participate in the Great

Kindness Challenge. This challenge is one week dedicated to creating a

culture of kindness on campuses nationwide. Attached you will find a GKC

checklist with 50 kind deeds. Please encourage your child(ren) to complete

the checklist to show that world kindness matters. Also attached is a

Kindness square for your child(ren) to complete with his/her favorite kind

deed completed this week. Once completed, please have your child bring in

his/her square and give it to his/her teacher. We will use the collected

squares to create a Kindness quilt bulletin board outside the cafeteria

throughout the week. We encourage students to find their squares on the

quilt and to look at what other RCES students have done to show and spread

kindness.

Each morning we will share a message about Kindness for students on the

announcements. We will also have a spirit day for each day of the week.

Monday: Kindness is the RCES Way!!! (RCES Spirit Wear)

Tuesday: Wake Up the Kindness within (Pajama Day)

Wednesday: Peace, Love, and Kindness (Dress in tie-dyes, peace

signs, or hippie clothes)

Thursday: Crazy for Kindness (Silly socks and hair day)

Friday: Team Up for Kindness (Dress in your sports or favorite team

wear)

We look forward to having a wonderful week and continuing to build on our

culture of kindness here at RCES!!!

Thank you for your support!!!

Ms. Zervos and Ms. Hespe

January 30- February 3, 2017

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22

The Great Kindness Quilt!!!

Directions:

1. In the box below, illustrate you performing an act of kindness. You can use

words and/or pictures.

2. Cut out your square.

3. On the back, write your first and last name, your teacher’s name and your

grade.

4. Bring your square to school and give it to your teacher.

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22

Jan. 30-Feb. 3, 2017

Volume 22