Dear Luxmanor Families,
Thank you to all of the families that participated in our annual Fab Dads’ Breakfast on October 12th. It was great to see so many fathers at school. Thank you to Rick Rosser and his entire team for organizing another successful event.
Our book fair was an enormous success! Thank you so much to Laurie Flyer and Lisa Moss for organizing the book fair and thank you to the countless parents who donated their time to work at the book fair throughout the week. I hope you had the opportunity to come on October 7th to hear the teachers read to the students and do some shopping in the gym.
Our annual mini-walk for the homeless was held on October 20th. We had approximately 40 students participate, raising money for the Stepping Stones Shelter. Thank you to Rika Granger and Michele Raynes for working with the shelter to organize this event. The support provided by you and your children help the shelter to provide critical services to families in need.
I want to inform you of recent changes in the central office that will impact Luxmanor beginning on December 1, 2009. Recently, Mr. Stephen Bedford, our Chief School Performance Officer, announced that he will retire effective December 1st. MCPS has asked our Community Superintendent, Dr. Stetson, to fill Mr. Bedford’s role in an acting capacity. In Dr. Stetson’s absence, Mr. Sean Bulson, currently a Director of School Performance, will fill Dr. Stetson’s role in an acting capacity. Below you will find messages from both Dr. Stetson and Mr. Bulson.
“I’ve been very privileged to work with wonderful school communities and have greatly enjoyed the many relationships I have with members of school staffs and the communities. I am very proud of the work our schools are doing and look forward to the schools continuing their many successes. I am also very pleased that Mr. Bulson will be succeeding me. He is an exceptional educator and leader.”
-Dr. Stetson
"I am excited to be returning to the Bethesda–Chevy Chase, Walter Johnson, Wheaton, and Walt Whitman quad cluster. I had the privilege of working for Dr. Stetson as a school-based leader in the quad cluster prior to moving to the Office of School Performance. Thus, I am aware of the tremendous accomplishments that have been made under his leadership. In the coming months, my goal is to acquaint myself with each of the schools and their communities so I can begin to understand what makes each one unique. I am fortunate to be working with our talented Director of School Performance, Dr. Denise Greene, who I have known since we were principals together in the quad cluster. The vision of the Office of School Performance is to provide leadership for equity and excellence. As a team, Dr. Greene and I will provide the support necessary to allow our schools to continue serving all students through the lenses of equity and excellence.
I look forward to working with all of you soon.”
- Mr. Sean Bulson
Sincerely,
Ryan D. Forkert
Principal
Important Dates
Nov. 11 Early Release Day—12:35 p.m.
Parent Conferences
Nov. 12 Early Release Day—12:35 p.m.
Parent Conferences
Nov. 25 Early Release Day—12:35 p.m.
Nov. 26 No School for Students - Thanksgiving
Nov. 27 No School for Students - Thanksgiving Break
Dec. 8 PTA Meeting
Winter Concert
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Parent - Teacher Conferences
Our parent-teacher conferences will be held on Wednesday, November 11th and Thursday, November 12th. If you have not had the opportunity to sign up for a conference time with your child’s teacher, I encourage you to do so. Below you will find some questions you may want to ask during your conference that will help provide you a better picture of how your child is achieving in school.
- What reading level is my child on? What is the expected reading level for my child’s grade level? Are there areas that need improvement?
- What math level is my child on? Does my child have the opportunity to take the challenge items on the end-of-unit assessment? Are there areas that need improvement?
- How much time should my child spend on homework? What should I do if my child is spending significantly more time than is recommended on homework?
- Aside from report cards, what are the best ways to keep up-to-date on my child’s progress?
- What can I do at home to help my child do better at school?
It is our sincere hope that this November’s parent/teacher conferences helps each parent better understand academic and behavioral expectations and provide valuable information as to how your child is progressing.
Inclement Weather
It’s hard to believe it is time to start talking about inclement weather. Below you will find information regarding weather related closings during the school year. Winter weather emergencies, such as snow and ice, may cause disruptions in school operations, including the closer of school, a delayed opening or an early dismissal.
Public announcements are made by MCPS as soon as possible on area radio and television stations, the MCPS channel and on the Internet at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org, and on a recorded telephone message at 301-279-3673. You may also sign up for MCPS QuickNotes on the school system’s homepage. If schools are closed or delayed, the announcement is made by 5:00 a.m. If schools are closing early, the announcement is made by 11:00 a.m.
Delayed Opening
A delayed opening means that schools open two hours later than scheduled. All buses operate on the same delayed schedule and , therefore, the pick-up times are two hours later than normal. For Luxmanor, school will begin at 10:50 a.m. Students may arrive to school at 10:30 a.m., when there will be staff available to monitor the students. All morning activities that may have been scheduled will be cancelled (field trips). Activities scheduled to begin after 10:30 a.m. will be held. Please continue to check for radio, television, or Web announcements in the event a decision to delay the opening of schools is reconsidered and a decision to close schools for the day is made (by 7:00 a.m.).
Early Dismissal
An early dismissal means that schools will close 2.5 hours earlier than scheduled. All buses operate on that same early schedule and, therefore, drop-off times are 2.5 hours earlier than normal. All after school activites are cancelled (ex: newspaper club) For Luxmanor, dismissal is at 12:35 p.m.
There are currently four “snow days” built into the school year calendar. If we are out of school for five or more days, those extra days will be added to the end of the school year. We currently are scheduled to end the school year on June 16, 2010. If schools are closed for five days, the school year will be extended by one day to June 17th. If schools are closed for six days, the school year will be extended by two days to June 18th, etc.
The school system uses a variety of sources of information to determine whether to close schools, delay the opening of schools, or dismiss schools early. These sources include actual physical inspection of road and school conditions by transportation officials and other staff at areas throughout the county and an analysis of independent reports from the National Weather Service, Accu-Weather and the news media. The most severe weather conditions within the county are used as the basis for decision-making. The decision to change school operations is made by the superintendent of schools or his designee and affects all schools within the school system.
Luxmanor Crisis Plan and Emergency Procedures
Luxmanor Elementary School has extensive emergency contingency plans and a comprehensive school crisis plan. The following is a brief summary of the procedures for emergency situations either inside or outside the school building:
Code Blue: An emergency situation that requires all students to be under direct supervision and accounted for. Our OSET (On-Site Emergency Team) assembles in the main office, all bells are turned off, outside doors are secured, and attendance is taken and transmitted to the OSET Team. During a code blue, classes continue as normal; further instructions by the administration will be transmitted over the PA system. Depending on the situation, students in portable classrooms may be brought back into the main building.
Code Red: An imminent emergency that requires all areas of the building to be secured (lockdown). Staff remains in place with students, building services locks all exterior doors, bells are ignored, attendance is taken and transmitted to the OSET Team. Classes are silent, blinds are drawn, and students move away from windows. Classes do not continue as normal; further instructions by the administration will be transmitted over the PA system.
Off Campus Evacuation Location: If we need to evacuate the building other than for a fire drill, we are required to move a minimum of 300 feet from the building. In this event, we will evacuate to the Tilden Center (currently Cabin John Middle School) All Purpose Room, 6300 Tilden Lane, Rockville, MD 20852.
Saturday Discoveries
Montgomery College Youth Programs will be offering their Saturday Discoveries programs again this school year. A one-day enrichment program offered for gifted and talented students in grades 4 and 5 is scheduled for Saturday, November 14, 2009 from 8:30 a.m. to 2:50 p.m. on the Takoma Park campus. The workshops offered that day cover a variety of topics including science, problem solving, creative writing, computer gaming and more. For registration information, contact Workforce Development & Continuing Education at 240-567-7264 or 240-567-7917 or access their website at www.montgomerycollege.edu/youth.
Mr Ryan Forkert |
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