Welcome back, Gaithersburg ES families!

As we prepare for the new school year, I want to express my sincere gratitude for your unwavering support and collaboration throughout the 2023-2024 school year. Together, we've celebrated tremendous growth and achievements, setting a strong foundation for the exciting year ahead.

At Gaithersburg ES, we believe in the power of community and partnership in nurturing our students' success. As Helen Keller once said, "Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." Your involvement and commitment ensure that every child reaches their fullest potential, exceeding grade level expectations and embracing a journey of lifelong learning.

As we gear up for the 2024-2025 school year, our focus remains steadfast on providing academic rigor through both oral and written expression in English, as well as nurturing biliteracy in Spanish and English for our K-3 students. As a Two Way Immersion school, we uphold the pillars of biliteracy, rigorous standards, and cultural competence, enriching the educational experience for all.

Please mark your calendars for our upcoming events:

• Open House Resource Fair: Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 2:30 to 3:45 p.m.
• First Day of School: Monday, August 26, 2024
• 1-5 Back to School Night: Thursday, September 12, 2024, from 5:30 -7 p.m.
• Kindergarten Back to School Information Night: Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 4:15 to 5:15 p.m.

We hope you enjoy a restful and joyful summer break, and we eagerly anticipate welcoming you back on August 22nd at our Open House Resource Fair. Together, let's make the 2024-2025 school year even more remarkable for our Gaithersburg ES community.

Warm regards,

Ms. Paula Summers, Principal

Mr. Jason Berg, Assistant Principal

Mrs. Mindy Elias, Assistant School Administrator

8/22 - 2:30- 3:45 p.m. Open House and Fair

8/22 - 4:15 p.m. Kindergarten Back to School Night

8/26 - First Day of School

9/2 - Labor Day -Schools and Offices closed

9/11-9/13 Hearing and Vision Screening for students in Kindergarten and Grade 1, students new to MCPS.

9/12 - 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. BTSN for Grades 1-5

9/27 - Early Release for students (12:55 p.m. dismissal)

Official school hours for all students are: 8:55 a.m. - 3:25 p.m.

Doors will open for students: 8:40 a.m.

Students enter classrooms: 8:40 a.m.

Regular Dismissal will begin: 3:25 p.m.

Early Dismissal will begin: 12:55 p.m.

Parents who want to pick up their child early for a scheduled appointment must do so prior to 2:45 p.m.

Parents who want to pick up their child early for a scheduled appointment must do so prior to 2:45p.m. When a child needs to be picked up at school prior to dismissal, the following procedures will be followed to ensure that each child is released only to the parent (or designated adult) with valid identification:

• Parents / Guardians need to report to the main office to sign out the child
• Students will be dismissed ONLY from the main office
• A written release/excuse is required prior to dismissal if anyone other than persons designated on the emergency contact form are to pick up a student.

For the safety of your child and professional courtesy to our office, if you are running late to pick up your child, please be sure to call us at 240-740-4900 prior to the start of dismissal. We will not call students out of the classroom until you arrive at the main office.

Montgomery County Public Schools policy on the attendance of students states, “A student is counted present for a full day if a student is absent no more than one hour of the school day. A student is counted absent for a full day if the student is present for 1 hour or less of the school day. A student is credited with one half-day attendance if the student is present more than one hour of the school day and is absent more than one half of the school day.” Also please note that an excused absence is due to illness and not for vacation travel. We will be monitoring attendance carefully and will be in communication with families when habitual attendance concerns rise.

ABSENT: Please call our school office (240- 740-4900) by 9:30 am to report your child's absence. The office opens at 8:00 a.m. If you need to call prior to that time please call and leave a message on the answering machine stating your child’s name and classroom teacher. If a child is absent and we have not heard from the family we will be calling to verify the absence and reason. Please send in a note regarding your child's absence.

GO HOME WITH A FRIEND: If a child is to go home with a friend, the parent must send in a note or the child will not be permitted to go. The note should be given to the homeroom teacher at the beginning of the day.

Regular school attendance is a major predictor of academic success

• Routines should be established for good attendance patterns
• Parents/guardians should notify the school when their child is going to be absent on any given day
• Parents/guardians needs to provide a written note or physician’s certificate for absences or tardiness within 3 days of the students return to school
• Parents/guardians can be required to submit a doctor’s note for excessive absences
• Parents/guardians can be held responsible for failure to send their child to school regularly
• Please call the school if you are in need of support in order to get your child to school on time everyday

Note: Students need to bring a note to school if there is any change in the bus that they will be riding or how they will get home at the end of the day. Students are NOT allowed to come to the office or ask their teachers to make a phone call to create plans or playdates. These need to be determined prior to the start of the school day. Your cooperation will help ensure your child's safety!

Dear Parent/Guardian,

Montgomery County Public Schools has transitioned to a new online payment system called SchoolCash Online as its preferred method of payment for school-related fees such as fundraisers, field trips, obligations, etc. (Please note that the new payment system is NOT related to school cafeteria accounts)

SchoolCash Online helps parents/guardians and community members pay school-related fees safely, quickly, and easily. SchoolCash Online will help increase efficiency and security at schools by making payments directly into schools’ bank accounts and eliminating the need for teachers to handle money. In addition, once registered, you will be immediately informed about school activities!

Powered by KEV Group, SchoolCash Online is the industry leader in the management of school fees. The new system puts all of the school-related fees online for purchase so users can make purchases online using a credit card or e-check. A processing fee will be included on all items available for purchase, regardless of the type of payment used on SchoolCash Online or at the school.

Parents/guardians can register now at - https://mcpsmd.schoolcashonline.com/

Back to School Night and Orientation for families of students in Kindergarten is scheduled for Thursday, August 22, 2024, from 4:15-5:15 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn about the expectations for Kindergarten and meet the 2024-2025 Kindergarten teachers. Kindergarten families will also hear about Two-Way Immersion.

• In the first week of school you will be receiving two information letters in your child's backpack. One of them will be referring the instances when a child should be kept home from school and the timeline or return according to the Department of Health and Human Services. The second letter talks about the signs of head lice, how to inspect and treat it, and how to prevent reoccurrence. If you have any question or concern please do not hesitate to call the health room at 240-740-4902.

  
  

• It's officially nosebleed season! We tend to see many students with nosebleeds due to the hot summer weather. Unfortunate, we do not have many clothes to give out to all students. We would greatly appreciate it if you could please put one or two pair of shirts in your child's backpack for this summer. This way, if we do not have any shirts for your child, we can use the shirts you have provided instead of calling home for someone to bring clothes. Your understanding and support in this matter are greatly appreciated.

• For our Kindergarten and 1st grade parents, we ask everyone to put 1 pair of shirts, pants/shorts and underwear in their child's backpack for any possible "accidents" that may happen during school day. If we do not have clothes and you did not provide clothing, we will have to call you to bring clothes if/when your child has an accident during the school day.

The Gaithersburg Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) welcomes all Gaithersburg families to join us in supporting our students, staff, school and community! The PTA sponsors events such as parent meetings, book fairs, fundraisers, staff appreciation, and also supports the school with funds to help pay for field trips and other needs. We hope every Gaithersburg family will join us to help with this important work. You can become a PTA member by signing up at the PTA table at Back-to-School Night or at other Gaithersburg events. You can also become a PTA member by attending one of our general membership meetings. PTA website https://gaithersburgpta.wixsite.com/gespta

Classroom assignments will be ready and posted on the front windows of the school at 12:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 22nd. Teachers will be available for Open House on Thursday, August 22, from 2:30 p.m. to 3:45 p.m. Lists will be removed after Open House. Your child’s teacher can be found via ParentVue on Thursday, August 22.

Gaithersburg Elementary School is part of the Community Eligibility Provision (CEP), which allows schools to serve all students free breakfast and lunch.

We will continue our partnership with Capital Area Food Bank to provide monthly Family Markets. At each market fresh produce and dry goods are provided to families within our community. Our first Family Market of the 2024-2025 school year will be Monday, October 21st, 2024. We hope to see you there!

All water fountains will be turned on; however we are encouraging students and staff to bring a refillable water bottle to school each day. Please label water bottles with the student’s first and last name.

For safety reasons we will ask families to show ID to pick up students early. Please utilize our main office entrance by pushing the button to the left of the doors. One of our main office staff will communicate with you and grant access to our main office. Parents and families are welcome back to our school to volunteer in classrooms and support school events. If you are interested in volunteering to support your child’s classroom or the school, please let your child’s homeroom teacher know during open house, back-to-school night or during the first few weeks of school. We are very excited to reopen our doors to our families and the community.

MCPS Policy requires that all visitors, without exception, must check in with the Front Office staff before proceeding into the building. This policy is enforced for the safety of the students. Visitors sign in and obtain a sticker from the visitor Management System (VMS). Parents bringing items for their child (lunch, band instruments, homework, etc.) will be asked to leave the items with front office personnel so that instructional time remains uninterrupted. We ask families to notify the teacher and the office of your desire to visit 24 hours in advance in order to promote the smooth flow of the instructional program.

At Gaithersburg ES we appreciate the time donated by families and community members. If you are interested in volunteering you must contact the staff member prior and the request must be agreed upon by the staff member.

In order to volunteer:

• Pre-arrange volunteer times with staff
• All volunteers must take the Child Abuse and Neglect training.
• Must be supervised by staff while in the building near children.
• Upon arrival, must go directly to the main office to sign in to the Visitor Management System. Be prepared to show your picture ID
• Wear visitor sticker beyond main office
• Follow all school rules
• Check out at the main office through the Visitor Management System

We need about 4-6 volunteers to help out on September 11, 12 and/or September 13 for our annual hearing and Vision screening. We will need some volunteers to help us bring students back and forth to classes. Volunteers can speak any language - all are welcome. Please reach out to our main office staff to sign up for all day, part of a day or two or if you can be here for both days that would be great, too. Our main office number is 240-740-4900.

Students will not be asked to pay for or provide textbooks, supplementary readers (such as anthologies, atlases, or workbooks), most materials of instruction, audiovisual aids, stationery items not commonly found in the home and required for the student to demonstrate mastery of course objectives, or building or office materials needed to operate schools.

Students may be asked to pay for materials of instruction that primarily fit into three categories as follows:

• Items eaten by the student as a part of the course (example: bread baking ingredients).
• Component parts of a product that will become student property (example: sculpting clay).
• Materials of instruction or items of personal use that become the property of the student (example: recorder).

We suggest that students bring individual organizational tools and personal supplies from home. In addition, there are student fees which are not course-related but local school decisions made by the principal in collaboration with the school and parent leadership. These may include fees for class snacks, special grade-level assemblies, etc. There also may be fees related to field trips, but these will be shared each time there is a trip and not in advance as a school fee.

We are committed to providing all students, regardless of their economic circumstances, with full access to the instructional program. If you need assistane for any requested expense, or with providing the organizational tools and personal supplies, please contact your child’s teacher, our counselors, or the administrative team.

Parent donations of items that enhance the classroom experience are still welcomed, either as donations from individual parents or organized by class parents or by the PTA. A list of items is included on the Student Supply Item Request. They are not required donations and no student will be expected to provide these items, however, if you care to contribute, it will be appreciated.

We are still waiting on our bus routes to be shared with us. As soon as we have the bus routes, we will send out a connect ed message informing families.

MCPS policy states that any student who lives within 1 mile of the school is considered a walker. We must reduce the number of cars coming to school each day because our campus is not built for the number of parents who drive their students to school every day. We really need your support in order to keep our children SAFE! If you live further than a mile within our school boundary, a bus is provided. Please see the routes below.

Students who live within walking distance of the school are expected to walk to school. We will continue to utilize the care rider pass process. IN ORDER FOR YOUR CHILD TO BE A CAR RIDER, YOU MUST APPLY FOR A CAR RIDER PASS PRIOR TO THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL. Passes will be issued on a case-by-case basis. We will work with you based on your needs, but we must greatly reduce the number of cars coming to school each day in order to protect our children from the harmful traffic and situations that have occurred in the past. This is for everyone’s safety. Please come to the main office to receive your application for the car rider pass. We encourage you to carpool with other families.

Car Rider Information 2024-2025

If you wish to request car rider status for arrival and dismissal for the 2024-2025 school year, please complete the following form and submit it to the Gaithersburg Main Office, 35 North Summit Ave, Gaithersburg MD 20877 no later than Thursday, August 22. You can also complete this form online at https://bit.ly/GESCarRider.

IMPORTANT - Safety is our utmost priority for students, staff, families, and our community. Only individuals who are listed on the emergency card can pick up students from school. Please make sure you include all individuals who may pick up your child on the emergency card. No child will be placed in an Uber or Lyft without a parent.

STUDENTS WILL NOT BE ADMITTED INTO THE BUILDING BEFORE 8:40 A.M. We ask that you please say your goodbyes at the door to allow the students to learn responsibility and get started with his/her day at school. Doors will close at 8:55 a.m. and students will be marked as tardy.

Arrival will be as follows:

• Grades 1 through 5 walkers will line up in the front of the building
• Grade K walkers will enter through the side entrance near the Health Center
• Pre-K will enter through the Music Hallway doors between the Cafeteria and Health Center
• Car Riders will enter through the doors near the Health Center
• Bus Riders will enter through the Main Entrance

First Day of School - Arrival

• Kindergarten will meet their teachers in the Gymnasium
• First Grade will meet their teachers in the Cafeteria
• All students in grades 2-5 will go directly to the classrooms

Dismissal will be as follows:

• Patrols will be dismissed to their posts beginning at 3:18 P.M.
• Car riders will be dismissed to the gym to sit on their car rider number pass.
• Grades 3, 4 and 5 walkers will be dismissed via the front doors. Students with younger sibilings will go to the blacktop to pick them up.
• Students in Grades K-2 who are walkers, will be escorted by their teacher to the blacktop to meet a guardian, sibling or a person on the emergency contact card at 3:25 p.m.
• Bus riders will be dismissed to a central location to wait for the bus to arrive.

Student Birthdays at GES will be called on the morning announcements. Each student will receive a birthday pencil from the main office. Birthday balloons, food (cupcakes, cake, etc.), and parties will not be permitted due to the impact on the instructional program.

On May 2, 2022, the Board of Education signed an update to the COG-RA regulation regarding Personal Mobile Device (PMD) polices. As well, MCPS updated the local School Student Code of Conduct to reflect the changes to the policies and regulations.

Elementary Schools:

Students are allowed to use phones before and after the student day

They are not allowed during instructional time, during lunch/recess, and between class time or during transitional times such as arrival and dismissal inside of the school building.

Students may bring their cellphones, but they MUST remain off and inside of the bookbag or purse. They should not be used during the student day. If a student needs to use a telephone or a parent or guardian needs to talk to a student, the main office is available for emergencies.

If students do not adhere to the cellphone and personal Mobile devices, then we will follow the Student Code of Conduct for disciplinary actions.

Gaithersburg Elementary School students will have access to chromebooks at school Students will use chromebooks in the classroom.

MCPS Expectations:

• Must treat the device with care and never handle it inappropriately or in such a way that could cause possible damage or loss. If such damage or loss occurs, students and/or their families will be financially responsible for damages or replacement to their Chromebook.
• Must never leave their Chromebook in an unsecured location.
• May not remove or interfere with the serial number and other identification of the Chromebook.
• May not attempt to remove or change the physical structure of the Chromebook, including keys, trackpads, the screen cover, or plastic casing.
• May not attempt to install or run any operating system or extensions on the Chromebook other than MCPS-approved extensions.
• May not deface Chromebooks with writing, carvings, stickers, etc.

Each student is financially responsible for damage caused or loss of any Chromebook and charger that is checked out to the student. The device is loaned to the student to be used for instructional purposes only and in accordance with MCPS Regulation IGT-RA, User Responsibilities for Computer Systems, Electronic Information, and Network Security. No cost is associated for a student to borrow, possess, or use an MCPS Chromebook. A family is only financially responsible when there is avoidable damage to the device. If the device is faulty, there is no charge to the family; however, if the damage is considered avoidable or the device or charger is lost, the family will be charged according to MCPS current parts and replacement costs.

What to know about social emotional learning, (SEL), at GES:

All students will receive a daily SEL lesson taught by classroom teachers, (known as a “Morning Meeting” or “Community Circle”). Students will also receive a monthly class lesson provided by a school counselor. In addition, students will also be provided with a biweekly SEL class as a specials rotation with art, music, physical education, and media.

The bi-weekly SEL class for grades 3-5 will be created using Harmony Curriculum, a research based curriculum that was built to develop social and emotional development. This curriculum has demonstrated to have made positive impacts on peer relationships and academic achievement. Lessons will be provided through learning games and activities, movement, art, and more.

GES will continue to expand on the Zones of Regulation Program. This program, (ZoR), has shown success with increasing self awareness skills by using a common language of identifying feelings by colors. Please reach out to Mrs. Lauren Rinker, lauren_g_rinker@mcpsmd.org for more information.

Every year, we do say goodbye to Gaithersburg Elementary School staff members who are transitioning to new adventures and we say hello to new staff members. We will miss all the staff that we said goodbye to at the end of the last school year and are very thankful for all of their contributions to Gaithersburg ES. At the end of this past school year, we lost several teaching positions due to student enrollment numbers and funding for Title 1. We did open another special education classroom. As a result, some staff had to transfer to different schools within the county and other staff transitioned positions in the school.

Staff who transitioned from Gaithersburg ES:

• Ms. Duenas (ELD Teacher) has taken a Dual Language Coach position at Brown Station ES which is a leadership position.
• Mrs. Bloomfield (Part time Music Teacher) has taken a Music position at Darnestown ES to increase her hours.
• Mrs. Grim (4th Grade Teacher) has taken a teaching position at Clopper Mill ES.
• Mrs. Bickart (4th Grade Teacher) has taken a teaching position at Strathmore ES.
• Mrs. Montas (4th Grade Teacher) has taken a teaching position at Strathmore ES.
• Dr. Santiesteban (Counselor) has taken a counselor position at Highland ES.
• Mrs. Werkmeister (1st Grade Teacher) has taken a teaching position at Richie Park ES.
• Miss Stevens (Special Education Teacher) has taken a Special Education position at Georgian Forest ES.
• Ms. McNerney (Media Assistant) has retired.
• Mrs. Landor (Pre-K 3 year old Teacher) has moved overseas.
• Mrs. Seyhan (ELD teacher) has taken a ELD position at Sligo Creek ES.
• Mr. Jensen (Part time PE Teacher) has taken a full time position.

There are a few changes of grade levels for next year:

• Ms. Chu is moving from Academic Intervention to 5th Grade Teacher

• Ms. Kote is moving from ASD Itinerant to ASD Paraeducator

• Mrs. Tran is moving from ASD Paraeducator to ASD Special Education Teacher

• Mrs. Shaw is moving from ELD Teacher to Pre-K 3 year Old Teacher

• Mrs. Heil is moving from 2nd Grade Teacher to 1st Grade Teacher

• Miss Duncan is moving from 3rd Grade Teacher to 1st Grade Teacher

• Mrs. Aulestia is moving from 1st Grade Teacher to 2nd Grade Teacher

• Mr. Bidwick is moving from 3rd Grade Teacher to 2nd Grade Teacher

• Mrs. Mendoza is moving from 2nd Grade Teacher to 3rd Grade Teacher

• Mrs. Garcia Sostre is moving from 2nd Grade Teacher to 3rd Grade Teacher

• Miss Iraheta is moving from 1st Grade Teacher to 3rd Grade Teacher

• Ms. Torres Fernandez is moving from 3rd Grade Teacher to 4th Grade Teacher

• Mrs. Dyson is moving from Academic Intervention to 4th Grade Teacher

• Ms. Love is moving from 5th Grade Teacher to 4th Grade Teacher

• Mr. Herrera Nieto is moving from 5th Grade Teacher to 4th Grade Teacher

We have several new staff members to welcome that both help fill positions for those that have left and fill some new positions that we have been allocated. We are privileged to have such talented people joining our dynamic team.

Welcome to:

• Mrs. Culotta - Special Education Paraeducator
• Mr. Blom - Special Education Paraeducator
• Mrs. Seaman - Media Specialist
• Mrs. Key - Special Education Teacher.
• Mrs. Hidalgo Lopez - English Language Development Teacher.
• Mrs. Rigaux - Special Education Teacher.
• Mr. Reader - PE Teacher.
• Dr. Wu - Media Assistant.
• Mrs. Padhi - English Language Development Teacher.
• Mrs. Cooper - Counselor