Cashell Community Newsletter

Wow! We blinked and September has come and gone! We have thoroughly enjoyed the start to the new year and we hope your children and families have as well. We are half-way through quarter 1, and students are learning and growing everyday! We are also looking forward to a fun-filled fall with many PTA events and time to connect with families. As always, please connect with us if you have questions or concerns, or even a funny story to share!

Warmly,

The Cashell Team

Safety is a top priority at Cashell. We work hard to ensure that the morning drop off line moves quickly and efficiently. We have experienced a few unsafe situations this year and we want to remind everyone about our car drop off processes and procedures. Please see the map below for the pathway to take when dropping your child off. We kindly ask that you do not pull in front/cut the line or park your car in the car lane. Additionally, please do not send your child across the car line from the parking lot.

In the month of October we will be conducting a parent-child reunification (PCR) drill. This process would be used if there was an emergency that required students to be reunited with their families either on property or off property after an incident. We will be reaching out to some families to help us run through the drill.

Some things to think about in the event that we have a real emergency and need to use the PCR process:

• Always have an ID with you so that we can release your child to you.
• Have you updated emergency contacts to indicate who your child can be released to?
• If you have someone not on the pick-up list getting your child in an emergency, please email CashellAttendance@gmail.com or they cannot be released.
• Talk to your children about who might get them in an emergency.
• Have a plan!

Please remember that we use CashellAttendance@gmail.com to let us know if your child is out for the day!

We will be having our annual “Walk to School Day” on Monday, October 14th. Cashell students and parents are encouraged to get their morning started on the right foot (pun intended😊) by participating in this worthwhile event.

This event will be held rain or shine.

If your child rides the white bus, teachers will meet them at the corner of Bettswood and Cashell Rd. by 8:25 to help students walk to school safely. If your child rides the blue bus, teachers will meet students at the corner of George Washington Dr. and Cherry Valley Dr. by 8:30 to help them walk to school safely.

All Kidsco students will take a walk during morning activities. If children choose to walk to school they will receive a “toe-ken” from their teacher.

Cashell will be hosting an Open House on Monday, October 14th from 9:15-11:15 AM immediately following walk to school day. This is an opportunity for families to visit school while classes are in session.

All visitors will sign-in on paper sign in sheets out front before entering the building. PTA will set up light refreshments and will be selling Cashell spirit wear out front while everyone waits to be let into the building.

We hope you can join us!

Attention students in grades 3-5! Join us for a fun and rewarding community service after school activity. Students will help plan and participate in service activities at school throughout the year. We have space for 15 students, so be sure to sign up quickly!

When: 3:30 PM - 4:30 PM (Library)
First Meeting: October 10th
Frequency: Usually the first Thursday of each month
Sign Ups End: October 1st

Space is limited to 15 students. If more than 15 sign up, we will hold a lottery.

Sign up today to join us in making a difference! For more information contact Marlisa_M_Fullmer@mcpsmd.org We can’t wait to see you there!

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Grades 1- 5 will have access to Marking Period 1 Interims via Parentvue on October 4th. Kindergarten will not have interims at this point in the year. Students will receive interim grades for measurement topics that have been taught. Please check your Parentvue account to access your child's interim report.

From September 15 to October 15 we recognize the contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans, whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, Central, and South America. There are more than 58 million Hispanic and Latino-Americans living in the United States.

National Hispanic Heritage Month provides our school community with an opportunity to highlight and celebrate the rich histories, contributions, and cultures of these Americans. Students may borrow books by and about Hispanic Americans from our library media center and they will learn facts about Hispanic Americans during our weekly Monday Message video. At home, you may enjoy picture books on our Virtual Hispanic Heritage Month Bookshelf.

Cashell Families had an amazing time at the PTA sponsored Afro-Latin Dance Night!

Kidsco will be hosting a Cashell Trunk or Treat. All Cashell families are welcome!!

The Magruder Cluster Night is Friday October 4th. Please consider joining to show some Cashell Pride! Students are allowed on the field at halftime!

We will host Halloween celebrations and a fall party at Cashell on Thursday, October 31st during the school day.

If your family does not celebrate Halloween, please contact Mr. Gleason at timothy_j_gleason@mcpsmd.org or at 240-740-0562. Students who do not celebrate can join our fall party on Thursday, October 31st.

We will host an outdoor Halloween Parade, weather permitting, at 3:00pm. Parents and Visitors are more than welcome to join us outside of the school building to view the parade. If it rains, we will have families line the walls in the APR and gym and the students will take a lap through each of these spaces. We ask families not to stand in hallways. Classroom parties will occur in classrooms before the parade. The parties are for students only and parents can join us for the parade!

Students who plan to participate are encouraged to bring costumes to school to change into before the parade. We encourage you to consider costumes that can be worn over other clothing or that students can be independent with changing into. While we will certainly try to assist students that need help, we do not have the manpower to help every child with changing. Students will wear costumes home. Classroom teachers will send more information as we get closer to Halloween. Students need to go back to class after the parade and be dismissed from the classroom for safety reasons. It is helpful if students go home via their regular dismissal method.

Please be on the lookout for more details to come!

As much as we enjoy seeing family dogs at arrival and dismissal, all MCPS schools are expected to adhere to the following policy:

Animals in schools or offices, leashed or not, present safety, environmental, and liability issues. Students and staff may be exposed to potential physical hazards, such as bites, and/or allergy related health problems. As a result, animals are prohibited within MCPS buildings. Animals are also prohibited on school system property during arrival, dismissal, recess or other MCPS sponsored outdoor activities.

Service animals or service animals in training per MD Annotated Code Section 7-705 (Service Animals) and the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) as well as animals approved for instructional purposes are exempt from this prohibition.

Parents who bring dogs on their walks to school must wait for students off school property. We want to ensure the safety of our students as they arrive and leave school. Thank you for adhering to this policy.

In order to ensure a safe, productive, and positive learning environment, MCPS publishes a number of documents that help students, parents/guardians, and staff understand student rights, school rules and regulations, the expectations for student conduct, and the possible consequences for violating the rules. It is important to note that Belmont’s school behavior management/discipline policy is to adhere to the MCPS Code of Conduct. The MCPS Code of Conduct provides an overview of discipline procedures and protocols and the range of consequences students could face for violating various policies, regulations, and rules. The guide also discusses the MCPS philosophy to discipline. The documents are available online at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/students/rights/.

Please see below for information regarding a common condition in schools, head lice. We do not have any current outbreaks, however with cold weather and hats coming, we would like to share best practices for dealing with this common condition.

If your child will be carrying a smartwatch or cell phone at school, please fill out the smartphone policy and return to the school prior to sending the devices with your child. For more information, the policy and regulation on personal mobile devices.

We are looking to hire a 2 hour cafeteria worker to our staff. This person would support Ms. Campos in getting food prepped and served to students. If you are interested in being considered for the position, please go to https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/careers/, click search for a job, and search Cashell Elementary or let Mrs. Jones or Mrs. Brooking know you are interested! Starting pay is approximately $18.65 per/hr and the hours are 11:30-1:30.

The Holiday Giving Project (HGP) of Montgomery County has provided Thanksgiving and December holiday assistance to low-income families for over 30 years. A network of social workers, school counselors, and other human service professionals refer families in need of assistance. Local non-profits, faith-based organizations, service organizations and public agencies serve Holiday Giving recipients, as donations are available.

If you and your family are in need and would like to be referred for possible assistance for the holiday season, please complete the following attached consent form. The information is required to make a referral to The Holiday Giving Project. To be referred for assistance, you must complete this form by MONDAY, OCTOBER 21, 2024 to be considered for services. While the referral is not a guarantee of assistance, the Project helps as many families in need as donations allow. Please return completed forms to Mr. Gleason at Cashell Elementary School or by email Timothy_J_Gleason@mcpsmd.org

The safety of our MCPS community is critical, and being able to communicate with students, staff, and families during severe weather or other emergencies is of the utmost importance. Use this link to find all the ways you can connect with MCPS to receive emergency operational information from the school system. The current operating status options for the school district appear on the MCPS website and on individual school websites. In the event of a change in operational status, this link will provide more information about the MCPS Operating Status options.

Please see below for notice of application for pest removal.

• Oct 1 PTA Meeting at 7:30
  
• Oct 3 No School- Rosh Hashana Holiday
• Oct 4 Magruder Cluster Night
• Oct 7 Kindergarten Field Trip to Gaver Farm
• Oct 9 Grade 3 Field Trip to Baltimore Aquarium
• Oct 14 Walk to School Day and Open House for families from 9:15-11:15 AM
• Oct 16 preK Field Trip to Croydon Creek
• Oct 18 No School for Students
• Oct 21 Cashell Hoedown 11:00-11:30 (blacktop or gym if it rains)
  
• Oct 23 STEM Career Day 10:00-1:00
  
• Oct 23 Cashell Science Fair 7:00- 8:15
• Oct 25 Kidsco Trunk or Treat
• Oct 25 Fifth Grade field trip to Strathmore
• Oct 31 Fall Celebration, Halloween Parade, and Classroom Parties
• Oct 31 Grade 3 Car Building Project
• Nov 1 Quarter 1 in-school Town Halls for students

Email: marlisa_m_fullmer@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/cashelles/
Location: Cashell Elementary School, Cashell Road, Rockville, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-0560