Email Contacts
Kathy Forrest - Principal -
Stephanie Straw -
Assistant Principal -
Lauren Boerstler -
Secretary -
Amy Moats -
Attendance Secretary-
FOOD PANTRY
Eastern Elementary and Ruth Ann Monroe families in need of emergency food may visit The School Food Pantry located at Eastern Elementary. All visitors MUST enter through the main office and show PHOTO ID at Eastern Elementary to receive a pass to the pantry. Each family may visit only once per month.
OPEN ALL SUMMER
When: THURSDAYS, 10:00 am - 12:30 pm
Where: EASTERN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Compliments of the Maryland Food Bank
Coordinated by Title I Parent Involvement
Requests for Teachers
Beginning later this month, the staff and administration will begin the process of grouping students for placement into classrooms for the next school year. This is a major undertaking, which we address thoroughly and thoughtfully. While we can appreciate that many parents want to involve themselves into the class placement decisions, we stand firm this year that Ruth Ann Monroe Primary School will practice that specific requests for classroom teachers will not be granted. Please read on...
The ultimate goal for the classroom placement process is to create well-balanced heterogeneously grouped classrooms of students. The placement team considers all students’ strengths and needs with regard to academic proficiency across all content area, social competency, emotional maturity, leadership qualities, family support, learning style needs, behavioral dynamics, peer relationships and any services received. Your child's present teacher and other support staff members have a wealth of information about the conditions under which your child learns best. They will share this information to be used as part of the placement process.
Balancing classroom groupings assures that all students get the teacher attention and energy they deserve and that our school system’s educational philosophies and best practice models for teaching and learning are actualized to maximize learning outcomes for all students. As you can appreciate, it is an artful challenge, not a perfect science. We do not look solely to match children with specific teachers since that would not help us achieve our goal, and would make the process susceptible to staffing variables, which are vulnerable to change.
Parent requests for specific teachers will NOT be granted. If there is compelling information that the school should consider when placing your child, please submit it to Mrs. Forrest or Mrs. Straw in writing (not the classroom teachers as it is unfair to put them in a conflicting predicament) by May 11th otherwise, please trust us to make decisions that have every child's best interests in mind. We realize that on occasion, there may be extenuating circumstances when a teacher preference needs to be considered. Examples of information staff find helpful are: “Please separate my twins.” or “Please do not place my daughter Mary in the same class as Jane, since we are neighbors and they are together all of the time,” or “My child has only been in the United States one month and needs ELL support.” Since our number one goal is to create balanced classrooms, we are not able to honor requests for students to be placed with special friends. Please note we do not accept letters that specify individual teachers by gender, experience level, or name. We want everyone positioned to have the best year possible while being appreciative and respectful of the wide range of diversity in a public school experience. Know that any letters we receive will be shared at the placement team meetings.
As we plan for next school year, there will be some changes in teacher assignments. Additions or reductions in grade level configurations are being made at some grades to adjust for shifting enrollment trends. Our current 2018-19 grade level configurations will include:
Pre-K - 5 classrooms
Kindergarten – 7 classrooms
First grade –7 classrooms
Second grade - 7 classrooms
K-2 Regional Programs - 4 classrooms
Our students will have an opportunity to meet their next year's teacher and classmates on our annual Back to School Open House days in September prior to school opening.
Thank you in advance for your understanding and support of this process and be assured we will do all we can to ensure thoughtful placement of each child. Again, we strive to create and maintain classroom environments that are warm, structured, nurturing, caring, supportive, and challenging for every child.
Growth in reading, writing, and math...
Speaking of growth….please encourage your child to continue practicing reading, writing, and math skills during these last weeks of school. Here are few fun ideas to help encourage reading and writing:
Book Swap for Kids: Libraries and bookstores are great options for building a home library. Another great resource for books is a book swap. Consider organizing one for your neighborhood or block. It can be a simple afternoon undertaking, or with more time and effort, a fun event that will become an annual tradition!
Take Field Trips: Go to the park, the zoo, the aquarium, a sports event, a historical landmark, or a museum. Go on a hike or to a natural attraction in your area. When indoors, encourage your child to watch a TV program about volcanoes, the rainforest. Animals or places around the world. Students can even visit a website to take a virtual field trip to a faraway place or research something new.
Promote Creative Writing: Encourage your child to practice their writing skills by writing grocery lists, to-do lists, postcards, or short messages to family members or friends. As a parent, you can help by assisting your child choose a "topic" (such as a family vacation, special outing or holiday memory) and then write about it. Have writing materials such as paper, markers, gel pens, pencils available or use some sidewalk chalk and let your child write messages on the sidewalk!!!! Ask your child to read aloud to you what they have written.
