April Schoolhouse News
Mrs. Elizabeth Harriday, Principal

Mrs. Kimberly Eason-Marshall, Assistant Principal
“We are Proud to be a Title I School”

May Dates to Remember:

4/28 – 5/2 Scholastic Book Fair
5/5 & 5/19 Monday Folders Go Home
5/5 – 5/19 Teacher Appreciation Week
5/6 Field Trip to Mt. Vernon (Grade 5)
5/9 Career Day at Mother Jones
5/13 Field Trip to Annapolis (Grade 4)
5/15 Field Trip to Bowling Alley (Grade 6)
5/15 Field Trip to Watkins Park (Pre-K)
5/16 Picture Day
5/23 International Festival @ 8:30 a.m.
5/26 Memorial Day – Schools and Offices Closed
5/27-5/30 Spirit Week at Mother Jones
5/28 Instrumental Concert @ 7 p.m.
5/29 Field Day (Grades PK – 3)
5/30 Field Day (Grades 4-6)
 

Teacher Appreciation Week
Teacher Appreciation Week is Monday, May 5th – Friday, May 9th. Please take time to consider how hard your child’s teacher works and thank them for their hard efforts! Teachers love ‘Thank you’ letters and cards and will truly enjoy knowing how much you appreciate them.

Lunch Accounts Online
You can now check your child’s lunch account balance on-line and use your bank debit cards to pre-pay for your child’s meals. Go to http://www.pgcps.org/~lunch/ or http://www.paypams.com There is a $1.95 charge per payment.

Promotions/Honor Roll Assemblies
The following is the Promotion Schedule for June:
• Kindergarten Promotion: June 3rd at 8:45 a.m.
• Sixth Grade Promotion: June 4th at 8:45 a.m.
• Pre-K Promotion: June 5th at 8:45 am
Due to the grading calendar for fourth quarter, there will be no Fourth Quarter Honor Roll Assembly. Students meeting ‘Perfect Attendance’ requirements will have a celebration at the end of the school year.

Last Day of School
The last day of school is Monday, June 9th. It is a full day and uniforms must be worn. Children will not be allowed to bring their backpacks to school, as all papers will go home June 6th. Report cards will be mailed home on June 16th. If your child will not be returning to Mother Jones next year, please call 301-408-7900 and let Mrs. Crooks, School Registrar, know about your plans.

Teacher Requests/Visitations
We are already setting up classes for next year and many factors such as reading level, standardized test scores and special services are considered when placing students. If you have a special request for a teacher for your child, it needs to be submitted to me (Mrs. Harriday) in writing. I cannot guarantee any placements, but will carefully consider each request. Please also contact the main office if you are interested in observing in a classroom to help select next year’s teacher for your child.

Spirit Week Schedule
Tuesday: Mis-Matched Shoes and Socks - Students wear mismatched shoes and socks
Wednesday: Crazy Hat /Sunglasses Day
Thursday: Crazy Hair Day -Style your hair anyway or decorate with bows, color or ribbons
Friday: Stuffed Animal Day - Bring your favorite stuffed animal/character to school

PledgeKeepers
Congratulations to all the students who earned the PledgeKeeper award! These students have abided by the Mother Jones Pledge everyday.
Mathemagicians
Congratulations to all of the students who received the Mathemagician award in April!

 

REMEMBER OUR BOOKFAIR…  

APRIL 28 – MAY 2

Grade Level News

Pre-Kindergarten: Ms. Gethers, Mrs. Dubish, Ms. Cantor and Ms. Williams
Wow our Pre-K students have completed 8 themes now. The students had a good time acting out movement words such as stomping, rolling, wiggling, and jumping. We would like to thank all the parents that helped us chaperone our field trip to the College Park Aviation Museum. The students really enjoyed exploring how airplanes have changed and how they move. We are now starting our 9th theme: Growing and Changing. We will focus on the letters G, E, and D. In Math we will learn about length, size, and height of objects. We will also review numbers 1 to 10. In Science we will explore the life cycles of plants and animals. We will also discuss how people change and grow. Please continue to practice these concepts when completing the homework assignments. Remember to check your child’s backpack daily for important papers.

Kindergarten: Ms. Jones, Ms. Hall, Mrs. Bogart, Ms. Derhammer and Mrs. Beet
The end of the year is arriving quickly. We still have lots of learning left to get us ready for first grade. We will be exploring different types of literature written by various authors. One author we will study is Eric Carle. We will also read books about the ocean as we dive into ocean week. In math we are exploring numbers all the way to 100. In Science we are learning about the life cycles of living things such as frogs and butterflies. In Social Studies we are concentrating on the United States of America. We will study the different symbols and what they mean to our country. Mark your calendars: Kindergarten Promotion will be held on June 3. We hope to see all of you there to support your child. The weather is warming up and the children need to get outside and play, but it is still important that your child completes his/her homework and reads for 15 minutes every night.

First Grade: Mrs. Eisenberg, Ms. Hazlett, Ms. Zukowski and Mrs. Slezak
First grade students will be busy learning new things throughout the last few weeks of school. Our reading theme is Special Friends, so we will read stories about friendship. We are learning the different sounds the letter y makes at the end of different words. We are also studying the prefixes re- and un-. We will practice adding -es to the ends of words such as wish, dress, beach, and box, in order to read the plural forms correctly. In science we will study energy, technology, and space. In math we are reviewing different strategies for addition and subtraction. Please make sure that your child can complete an addition sentence such as 8+3=11 and generate a correct subtraction sentence from it, for example: 11-3=8. Students will participate in social studies activities to learn about the history and culture of Mexico.

Second Grade: Mrs. Elam, Ms. Kraynak, Mr. Thomas and Ms. Berges
It's hard to believe that we are in the fourth quarter of second grade. We are all excited about the warmer spring weather! In reading we are finishing our previous theme of Family Time, and soon we will start our genre focus on chapter books. In math we are working on perimeter and area, as well as understanding capacity. In science we are going to learn about sound. We will study pitch and volume. Soon we will embark on our journey learning all about space. In social studies we are learning about trade and commerce. As always, please continue to read with your child everyday and be sure to pick up a library card for the summer of reading ahead.

Third Grade: Ms. Garcia, Mrs. Okanlawon, Ms. Dreifuss and Mrs. Paddags
Third graders are preparing for 4th grade! In math, we are already working on 4th grade skills. It is essential that students practice multiplication facts at home on a daily basis. We are working on long division this quarter. Students need to know these basic facts for 4th grade. Please have your child dress in layers, as the weather and the temperature in our classrooms is unpredictable at this time of the year. As it gets warmer, we would again like to encourage students to bring reusable water bottles to school.

Fourth Grade: Mr. Dixon, Ms. Verostek and Ms. Taylor
The Fourth Grade classes attended a field trip to the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. on April 17th. The trip was a great success. The students were well behaved, cooperative, attentive and enthusiastic. Ms. Parson and Ms. Kwon prepared our students well for this opportunity to learn more about concert music. The students will be working on their final international focus activities for this year. They will be creating travel posters or brochures, as well as practicing for an end of the year performance. Book It will end soon, however, students should be encouraged to continue to practices reading strategies and skills by reading at least twenty minutes on their own each day. The Fourth Graders will be preparing for a May trip to the state capital, Annapolis. We are learning about Maryland and Prince George's County. We look forward to another informative and exciting trip with cooperative students. Students who demonstrate mastery of math facts (addition, subtraction, multiplication and division) will be recognized through our school's Shark Math program. Students should continue to study math facts daily in order to master all facts. All students are encouraged to work hard and do their best as they conclude this school year and prepare for next year.

Fifth Grade: Ms. Jackson, Mrs. Thomas and Mrs. Thompson
The fifth-graders are excited about two upcoming field trips. On May 6th, we will be going to Mt. Vernon, George Washington’s home in Virginia. On May 12, we will be going to the Owens Science Center in Greenbelt. These exciting trips will enhance the students’ understanding of what they have learned in Social Studies and Science this year. Also, students will be creating travel brochures for this years’ International Festival. Students should begin researching information about Australia to include in their brochures. Please remind your students to continue to be on their best behavior at school. Only responsible and well-behaved students will be able to participate in these exciting end-of-the-year activities.

Sixth Grade: Ms. Thornton, Mr. Prather and Mr. White
We have less than 40 days left for the school year; therefore, we are closely monitoring students’ adherence to the Student Code of Conduct. We would like for as many students as possible to participate in planned end-of-the-year activities. However, students will only be invited to participate if they have put forth maximum effort and maintained high behavioral and academic standards. It is imperative that you understand the importance of holding your child accountable for his or her actions. They are our future and we must prepare them for the world. They need to understand the importance of naturally complying with rules that are set in place for success! We are here to guide them in the right direction, but we cannot do it alone! We expect the remainder of the school year to be positively memorable.