Open House to Remember RCF's Beloved Old Building

 Neighbors, Alums, Former Staff- 

Come one and all to the RCF Open House tonight Friday June 7 from 6-9 pm! It's a last chance to walk the halls and remember what it was like back in the day. You will have a chance to see old friends and neighbors, say hello to Mr. Conti, Mrs. Walker, and other teachers, sign the wall, and buy your own Rock Creek Forest momento in support of our wonderful PTA!

Second Middle School Location: Rock Creek Hills Park

After a contentious month around the neighborhood, the Board of Education voted last night to begin feasibility studies on a second middle school at the site of Rock Creek Hills Park.

This location was the second choice of the Site Selection Committee, due to its smaller size. The first choice was the Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville Park.

However, after an outcry from many residents bordering the Rosemary Hills/Lyttonsville Park (commonly known as Coffield Center) and the concern of the Park and Planning Commission over the taking of RHL park, the BOE selected Rock Creek Hills.

While Rock Creek Hills is also currently a park, the land is owned by the Board of Education and loaned to the Park and Planning Commission with the right for the BOE to retake it, theoretically smoothing the way to building a new school.

The Feasibility Study will begin quickly and progress over the summer in order for the design funding to be included in the Capital Improvement Plan this fall and for construction to begin in approximately two years.

This process is very quick moving and will have huge implications for our school community. We will keep you posted on this as changes develop.

Talent Show and Arts Expo a Smash

The talent show and arts expo has just finished and it was a huge success. I am so impressed with the variety of performance!

In the art expo, there were paintings, photography, sculpture, origami, drawings, cartoons and more. Students were incredibly creative in their choice of materials and subjects!

The talent show simliarly did not disappoint. Students sang, danced, demonstrated karate and numerous other arts. As a parent, it was incredible to see. And as a bonus - there were a variety of songs chosen, although clearly Glee was a popular inspiration.

Thank you to all the volunteers who made this night possible, especially event chairs Heidi Armonda, Beth Colson, Jackie Pliskin and Suzanne Muro.

Wax Museum Proejct Teaches Research and Presentation Skills

The fourth graders have been busy over the last weeks researching a historic figure and developing a biography of that person.



All this research has culminated in the "Wax Museum" held this week. Each child dressed up, brought in a prop or otherwise represented their character.


Characters ranged from sports stars like Alexander Ovechkin, to writer Brian Jacques (above) to historical figures like Elizabeth Blackwell - the first female doctor in America.



Along the way, the fourth grade learned about researching a person, making a presenation and the elements of a biography.

New Middle School Site Selection Released

The board of education and Dr. Weast released yesterday the recommendation that a new middle school to serve the eastern half of the BCC cluster be built on the site of the current Coffield Center and park.

The site was identified by a group of parents who represented each of the PTAs in the cluster and MCPS staff as being the best available for a new school. Among the considerations used are the size of the lot, which is quite a hurdle in this very congested area. MCPS recommends that a middle school have 20 acres of land.

Neighbors have been very surprised to find out that the parkland they have grown accostomed to, and indeed purchased their homes for, may be in jeopardy. As is often the case, MCPS has done a terrible job explaining the process and has left these neighbors feeling like this recommendation is a done deal and the true process was hidden away.

These feelings have been compounded by the rush to bring this recommendation to a vote on Monday, March 28.

Having spent more time than I like on MCPS facilities issues, I am not surprised at the recommendation to try to locate the school at Coffield Center: Show me another parcel in the cluster that matches it for size, county ownership and accessibilty via Grubb Road/Lyttonsville.

However, I would like to see the Board of Education delay this vote and send the planning office out to meet with the community to explicitly explain the process of site selection and the process for feasibility studies going forward.

Neighbors are concerned that a new building will be dropped in their midst tomorrow and want to know what it will look like, where it will go, how many kids and buses, where the entrance will be and how much greenspace will remain.

MCPS has not figured any of these things out yet, but the process is so confusing that anyone who has not spent way too much time with the CIP would not know that all this recommendation is is the first step in a multi year process. Literally all the site selection committee does is point to the most likely piece of land and recommend it.

So, MCPS/BOE - delay this vote, take some time to explain the process to the neighborhood and then decide if this really is the best site.

New Budget Hurdles

Each day brings a new wrinkle to the ongoing budget discussions between the Board of Education, the County Executive, the County Council and the state. The latest budget released by the County Executive cuts MCPS by $82 million dollars.

The initial cuts planned for by Superintendent Weast are only $45 million (by the way, the mere fact that I can say ONLY $45 million should underscore the problem.)

The County Council needs to hear from YOU - today - that there is a limit to what we can absorb. Our system has taken in 3,300 new students, many poor and with additional needs. How can we adequately address their needs, if we don't fund the school system?

How can we address the needs of the kids currently in the system? And must we ALWAYS forget the kids in the middle -- the ones who are doing OK, not enough to need intervention, not enough to get into special programs? These kids make up the VAST majority of the system and are often the ones in the most over crowded classrooms.

How can we claim to be one of the best systems in the nation when everything that is not reading or math is on the chopping block? And even reading and math are taught in ever larger groups?

There has to be a limit, and I think I have reached mine.

To contact the County Council, use these email addresses (I haven't hyperlinked them, just copy and paste into your email):
councilmember.andrews@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.berliner@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.elrich@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.ervin@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.floreen@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.rice@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.riemer@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.leventhal@montgomerycountymd.gov; councilmember.navarro@montgomerycountymd.gov;county.council@montgomerycountymd.gov;

To contact the Board of Education: BOE@mcpsmd.org

And don't forget County Executive Leggett: ocemail@montgomerycountymd.gov

New Middle School Moves Forward

Jane Ward, RCF/Westland Parent and member of the site selection committee for the proposed new BCC Cluster middle school reports that the committee has arrived at a recommendation and alternates. These recommendations will not be released to the public until they have been presented Superintendent. The Board of Education will consider the recommendation at their March 8 meeting. Remember, most meetings can be watched live on cable or online.

While assignments to the new school will occur later in the process, it is reasonable to assume that RCF would attend due to our geographic location within the cluster. On the one hand, a new building would be terrific. On the other, there are not many site that meet the size criteria for a middle school and at a minimum, it would be a few years before the new school could be certified as an International Baccalaureate Middle Years Programme (IB/MYP) school, if at all. Westland currently has a highly regarded IB/MYP. Further the new middle school will need to funded through the Capital Improvement Budget (CIP) around the same time as our modernization. In a period with tight budgets, this is very difficult.

To refresh your memories, the proposed new middle school has come about because Westland middle school is projected to become overcrowded in the near future. This situation will be exacerbated should the 6th grades currently at North Chevy Chase and Chevy Chase ES be moved to Westland. So why would the 6th grades move to Westland? Under the current budget constraints, it has been very hard for the county to provide an equivelant education to those students in a elementary school setting (in MCPS speak this is called "parity").

Issues with 6th grade at Elementary Schools:

1. The ES school day is 1/2 hour shorter.


2. The ES is not set up to provide daily PE (MS students have PE everyday).


3. Foreign language was cut last year in a budgetary move to save money. It was restored at the last budget meeting.

Deficit in Montgomery County $200 Million Greater than Thought

For those of you who are deeply interested in Maryland Politics I highly recommend the Maryland Politics Blog. In this latest posting, Adam Pagnucco posts a memo from Ike Leggett to Council Chair Nancy Floreen alerting the County Council to expect an even greater budget deficit than earlier expected.

On going Middle School Debate

There has been a lot written in the press about the proposal by Superintendent Weast to build a new middle school to serve the eastern side of the cluster and relieve future overcrowding at Westland. I encourage all parents to take a look at Washingtonpost.com and Gazette.net for background information and read our blog posts at www.buildanewrcf.blogspot.com for the PTA and Cluster postions.

In a nutshell, we are concerned that we have not had adequate time or information to assess the impact of a new middle school on our community, nor has the Superintendent specifically said that RCF would articulate to the new school. Given that we are sandwiched between North Chevy Chase, Chevy Chase and Rosemary Hills, it is likely that we would go to a new school though.

Welcome coffee a smash!

The school year got off to a caffinated start with the annual welcome coffee. Parents were welcomed into the teachers lounge to enjoy coffee and snacks. It was a time to reconnect with old friends and to meet new people. Mr. Chia stopped by to say hello and to welcome parents back to the school year.

Many thanks to Stacy Gold for organizing this fun event!

Spruced up landscaping

Those of you driving by the school over the last few days must have noticed the hard work going on in the front. Thanks to Charlotte Knepper and Suzanne Krauth for organizing this effort. This is the beginning of an on going effort to reignite a beautification committee. If you are interested in working on this, get in touch with Charlotte.

The front beds were weeded and mulched and flowers were planted below the school sign. It is amazing what a difference it makes. Look for photos soon!

safety improvements to Grubb Road

We have just received word that the county will be making safety improvements to the crossing between Rock Creek Forest ES and the Rock Creek Shopping Center on Grubb Road.

RCF Parent, Ellie Mosch, and the RCFPTA worked together to bring the dangerous situation to the attention of the county and it looks like they agreed with our assessment, because the construction begins immediately!

The County is constructing a "traffic calming measure" which consists of a cross walk with a median concrete strip to slow traffic and allow people, especially children, to cross safely.

I have attached the PDF from the county outlining the exact measures. Many thanks to Ellie for getting the project rolling!

GrubbRdTraffic

Field Day

 

It was one of the loveliest field days in a long time - cool and cloudy, instead of hot and muggy. The kids ran the bases, participated in an obstacle course, had a jump rope contest, did the 50 yard dash and several other fun activities.

As is tradition at Rock Creek Forest, the day ended with the 5th grade engaged in a tug of war to the finish, culminating in popsicles for the entire school.

I know many kids wished every day was field day!

Mr. Conti, as always, did a wonderful job coordinating all the activities and making sure that all the kids had a good time, from the ones who win every race to the ones picking dandelions because they didn't notice there was a race going on around them. Many parents helped out with the water station provided by the PTA, handed out popsicles and watched the fun. Thanks to everyone who participated, especially Charlotte Knepper, who picked up the popsicles and Jane Ward who stored them and got them to school on time!

Muffins for Mom

A few days ago, the Moms of Rock Creek Forest were treated to breakfast with their kids to celebrate everything they do to support their kids education. This marvelous mural had a message from each of the kids about what makes their mom special.

The kids and moms had a great time and we all extend a heartfelt thank you to the teachers and staff who put together our special day.

PTA Meeting Tuesday 5/4 7:15

Come on down! The next PTA meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 4 at 7:15 in the Media Center.

Two exciting things will happen at this meeting:

1) The MCPS planning folks will be coming to tell us about the process for planning a new school building. I attended one of the earlier meetings and it is very interesting and exciting!

2) We will have a vote on the executive committee for the PTA for the 2010-2011 school year. The nominating committee put forth a slate through the listserv on Friday, April 23 and the slate was also sent home via Back Pack Thursday on April 29. Nominations will also be taken from the floor in case there is someone who would like to serve but is not on the slate.

Staff Appreciation Flowers

The Teacher's Lounge was filled to the brim with flowers today as families dropped off bouqets to show their appreciation for RCF's staff. As flowers kept coming in, volunteers filled vases with water, trimmed flowers and added labels and delivered to the grateful staff.

In an RCF tradition, ALL staff get recognized during Appreciation Week, from the principal to the overnight building service workers. The rest of the week kids bring in notes, there is a dessert buffet and short massages.

Slate for EC Announced at May Meeting

The nominating committee is hard at work to make sure that the slate is ready to be announced at the May 4, 2010 PTA meeting. The meeting will be held at 7:15 PM and includes a report from the MCPS planning department about the upcoming feasibility study for a modernized RCF.

If you would like to be considered for a place on the slate, please get in touch with Mindy Hoffman, chair of the nominating committee, immediately. I didn't want to post her email, so check your directories! Nominations will be taken from the floor, as always.

New PTA Wiki

If you are a committee chair or run an event at the school, we have a new tool for you!

The brand new PTA wiki allows chairs to pass along their institutional memory to the next generation of parent leaders. It is open for viewing by anyone, but you have to be approved to edit.

Please consider "paying it forward" by creating a page (it's easy, I swear). To edit, contact Amanda at daniel.cantor@rcn.com.

Help needed at the Spring Fair

Hard to believe, but the the RCF 2010 Spring Fair is just 5 weeks away. It's scheduled for Friday, May 7, 4-7 pm - rain or shine. To make this year's Spring Fair extra fun for students, friends and family members, we urgently need your help. Many thanks to those of you who have already raised your hand to help pull off the Spring Fair, but there are still many jobs left to be filled. Here's the rundown: :
* Parent-Volunteer Coordinators (2 people): Assign volunteer slots for day of fair with help from room parents.
* Pre-Fair Pizza Order Coordinator (1-2 people): Organize pizza orders before fair. Excel know-how helpful.
* Petting Zoo Coordinator: Help ensure our (first-ever!) petting zoo & petting zoo ticket sales go smoothly.
* Cake Walk Coordinator: Run the fair's annual Cake Walk game. Fun!
* Tickets Coordinator: Oversee tickets for inflatables and petting zoo at the fair.
* Face Painting/Hair Painting Coordinator: Organize face painting and (new!) hair painting.
* Marketing: Promote the Spring Fair to the RCF community in new, possibly different ways.
* Water Sales Coordinator: Coordinate water bottle sales at Spring Fair.
* Recyling Coordinator: Work with middle-schoolers to recycle water bottles at the Spring Fair.
* Carnival Games Coordinator: Make sure carnival games run smoothly.
* Raffle Coordinator: Acquire donated iPod (very popular fundraiser) to raffle off at Spring Fair.
* Candy Guess Coordinator: Organize the Candy Guess game. You or your kids can pick the candy!
* Spring Fair Sign Artist: Feeling artsy? Give the highly visible Spring Fair sign that sits outside RCF a fun, 2010 facelift!
* Tables Coordinator: Recruit and organize tables and chairs we'll need to borrow from parents.
* Snowcone/smoothie Chief: Make sure sales go smoothly.
* Middle-Schooler Volunteer Coordinator: Recruit middle school students to work the fair, whether painting faces, painting hair, recycling water bottles or running carnival games. (No need to tell me now that your child can volunteer now. Please wait for the coordinator to put out requests.)
* Balloons Coordinator: Organize sale of helium balloons during the Spring Fair.
If you have any questions at all about the jobs listed above, please do not hesitate to call me. You can reach me (Barbara Contreras) at home 301 495 9178 or cell 240 462 2451. You can also email Barb at bdelolli@usatoday.com.
Thank you for your attention!

Board of Education Meets at Rock Creek Forest

Last night, the board of education came to Rock Creek Forest to hear presentations from the BCC cluster schools. Many members of the Student Government Association with support from Srta. Garcia gave tours to members of the BOE who came early. Then, each school had five minutes to present about their programs, achievements and challenges.

It was interesting to hear many of the common themes: over-crowding and staff reductions, chief among them.

When I had an opportunity to testify, I shared a power point illustrating our challenges and our successes.

BOE Presentation

Many thanks to Craig Brown, Jack Hauser, and Joy White, our cluster coordinators, who organized the event, the many Rock Creek Forest parents, teachers and staff who came out to support their school and, as always, the building service team.