The Greencastle Gazette
Dear Greencastle Elementary Families,
I wanted to personally share that I will be taking a brief leave starting this Friday, January 24th to recover from surgery. During my absence, Mrs. Veronica Matthewson, will step in to oversee school operations and ensure everything runs smoothly. I appreciate your understanding and support during this time and look forward to returning as soon as I am fully recovered. If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach out to the main office.
Mrs. Matthewson will serve as Acting Principal from January 24 - February 28. Her welcome message is posted below.
Here are additional important reminders and updates for you this week:
1. Benjamin Banneker MS Articulation Night (January 15) Follow Up: Thank you to all who came to the articulation night at Benjamin Banneker Middle School last week. Unfortunately, there was an issue with the feedback link, if you attended the meeting we would love your feedback. If you could take a few minutes and complete the survey: https://forms.gle/meDET4euEAB5J6RV6
2. Supporting Our Diverse Community: Dr. Thomas Taylor, MCPS superintendent, states, "our schools are and will always remain safe places where every child—regardless of immigration status—is welcomed, valued, affirmed, validated, respected, and loved which is a huge strength for us, and it’s our duty to ensure every individual feels valued and supported." Please keep the following resources in mind:
3. Greencastle ES Staff Repping Their NFL Teams: Check out the staff representing their favorite NFL football team this week. GO COMMANDERS...and the other teams. 😁
This Week
Monday, January 20: Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day—Schools and offices closed
- Friday, January 24: LEADer Celebration “Glow Stick Dance Party” at 2:00 p.m.
Upcoming Dates
Monday, January 27: International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Tuesday, January 28: End of the 2nd Marking Period
Tuesday, January 28: PTA Fundraiser at Chuck E. Cheese
Wednesday, January 29: Grading and Planning for the end of term; no school for students; Lunar New Year
MCPS Budget Community Meetings
Mrs. Veronica J. Matthewson is a retired administrator in MCPS with over 35 years in education. She began her career as a physical education teacher in high school. After 10 years, she moved into administration as an Assistant Principal in middle school. She has served as an AP for over 20 years on every level of public education. She has also served as acting principal on several occasions. She is passionate and caring when it impacts our students.
We welcome Mrs. Matthewson to Greencastle ES and appreciate her willingness to step in to support us during Mrs. Dean's absence. Mrs. Matthewson can be reached at: Veronica_J_Matthewson@mcpsmd.org or via phone at (240) 740-1420.
Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts (CKLA) is a language arts program for Grades PreK–5 that combines a multi-sensory approach to phonics with rich texts carefully sequenced to build content knowledge—so that students learn to read and read to learn at the same time.
Every day in Grades PreK–2, students complete one full lesson that builds foundational reading skills, as well as one full lesson that builds background knowledge. In Grades 3–5, students start to master the skills of reading, further opening up their worlds.
MCPS Curriculum Overviews (Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 5)
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/english/es
Family Resources --> A Letter from Ms. Cofield, Greencastle ES Reading Specialist
https://docs.google.com/document/d/1x0KZPFjwDUzczz_dSVqL4OPc3J_oxsLvTzzgFnyBkb8/edit?usp=sharing
Family Mathematics Support Center
MCPS schools and families building mathematics proficiency for all through:
- A better understanding of the curriculum.
- Building a deeper understanding of concepts, skills and practices.
- Providing additional support and practice opportunities for parents and students.
Elementary domains of mathematics learning include:
- Counting and Cardinality (PreKindergarten and Kindergarten only)
- Operations and Algebraic Thinking (PreK-5)
- Number and Operations in Base Ten (K-5)
- Number and Operations: Fractions (3-5)
- Geometry (PreK-5)
- Measurement and Data (PreK-5)
Visit this link for additional support for math help at home (Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 5)
https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math-support/
Greencastle ES Breakfast and Lunch Monthly Menus: https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/GreencastleES
By the end of the 2024-2025 school year, the percentage of Greencastle students who are chronically absent will decrease from 32% to 27%.
We continue to show a slight increase in our percentage of our students demonstrating chronic absenteeism. While we are below the goal we set at the beginning of the school year, we want to continue to work to get this number to continue to decline so that it is closer to the average for MCPS which is 17.84%. We can do it, Greencastle! Help us to continue to meet and exceed our goal by decreasing the number of students chronically absent.
Click on the link below from Attendance Works that outlines the Health Guidance for Attending School when your student is not feeling well.
Hello, Knight Community!
Family Knight Out
Mark your calendars! Our next Family Knight Out is at Chuck E. Cheese on Tuesday, January 28th, from 3:00–9:00 PM. We hope to see you there for an evening of fun and community!
Yearbooks Go on Sale!
Yearbooks will be available for purchase ONLINE ONLY starting Monday, January 6th. Don’t wait—order yours early to secure your copy! Yearbooks will be distributed in May and come with options:
- Soft Cover $17.00+Tax
- Hard Cover $22.00+Tax
- Personalization $3.00
Let’s make the rest of the school year amazing, Knights!
