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Dear Rock View Roadrunners,

We had an incredible Variety Show on Thursday, and it was truly a joy to see our students showcase their many talents! From music and dance to comedy and more, their confidence and creativity shined on stage. We are so proud of everyone who participated and helped make the event such a success. As always, we value your partnership—please take a few moments to complete the MCPS survey linked at the bottom of our newsletter. Your feedback helps us continue to grow and improve for our entire school community.

-Ms. Batista

Principal

I want to share an update regarding student attendance. We are continuing to work on reducing chronic absenteeism across all grade levels, as lower percentages reflect stronger attendance.

Chronically Absent % As of March 18th

Kindergarten- 25.93% (+2.47%)

1st Grade- 22% (+2.00%)

2nd Grade- 22.33% (+2.91%)

3rd Grade- 21.15% (+3.06%)

4th Grade- 13.64% (+3.41%)

5th Grade- 17.53% (+1.03%)

As of today, 21.01% of our students are identified as Chronically Absent, which reflects a decrease of -2.74% compared to last year and +2.55% from last week!

SATISFACTORY: 9 or fewer absences during the school year.

Best chance to develop essential grade-level skills for success now and in the future.

CAUTION / WARNING: 10–17 days absent during the school year.

In danger of falling behind and not developing essential grade-level skills.

CHRONIC ABSENTEEISM: 18 or more days absent during the school year.

Missing critical instruction time and at the greatest risk of falling behind and/or dropping out of school.

Every day of school matters.

Our 5th grade students have officially completed MISA testing, and we are incredibly proud of the focus, perseverance, and effort they demonstrated throughout the process. They truly gave it their absolute best each day, showing responsibility, determination, and a positive attitude. We appreciate the support from our families in helping students arrive prepared and ready to do their best. Thank you for partnering with us to make this a successful testing experience!

As we look ahead, MCAP testing for students in grades 3–5 will begin after spring break. We will share additional details as we get closer to those dates to ensure families are informed and students feel prepared and confident.

One simple way to support your child’s academic growth is by encouraging daily reading. Reading for 15–20 minutes each day helps strengthen fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension skills. To support this at home, you might ask:

• “Can you read this part aloud to me so I can listen to your fluency?”

• “After you read, can you tell me what happened in your own words?”

These small conversations make a big impact on building confidence, understanding, and lifelong reading habits.

Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting our students’ success!

~AP Helse

We are proud to celebrate Ms. Taupenot, our Teacher of the Year, and Mr. Robert Holland, our Employee of the Year! Both represent the very best of Rock View through their dedication, professionalism, and commitment to our students and staff.

Ms. Taupenot consistently builds strong, positive relationships with students and families, creating a welcoming and supportive classroom environment. Her ability to connect with others and positively impact our school community is truly commendable.

Mr. Holland’s reliability, teamwork, and positive attitude make a meaningful difference each day. He is always willing to step in, support staff and students, and ensure that our school runs smoothly. His dedication and consistent presence are greatly appreciated across our campus.

Please join us in congratulating them on this well-deserved recognition!

If you are looking for ways to support your child in Math concepts? Montgomery County Public Schools use IXL as a supplemental math resource for students to access at home. With thousands of skills that match what students are learning, IXL is a great resource to help your child excel. Click on this link to get more information about how students can access IXL at home for additional math support.

Preview Fourth Quarter Instructional Materials
The fourth quarter Refrigerator Curriculum, which provides a one-page overview of the main themes and texts students will study each marking period, is now available.
MCPS will be hosting a community meeting next week for parents/guardians to preview the materials. This meeting will be held from 7-8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 18 at Ritchie Park Elementary School, 1514 Dunster Road in Rockville.

Kindergarten Registration Now Open

For the 2026-2027 school year, kindergarten registration is now open and being held online through the ParentVUE portal. Children who will be 5 years old by Sept. 1, 2026 are eligible. If your family is new to MCPS, you will need to create a ParentVue account here. After creating an account, you will be prompted to register when you first log in.

Registration sessions will be held in person beginning Monday, March 16. Schools will share further information about kindergarten registration with families. Early entrance to kindergarten and first grade opens on Monday, March 9.

Rock View Elementary will host a Kindergarten Orientation on April 30th from 6:00-7:30 PM.

Join us on March 25 from 5:00–9:00 PM for our Rock View Elementary School PTA Five Guys fundraiser! A portion of all sales during this time will be donated back to RVES to support our school community.

This is a simple and delicious way to give back while enjoying a meal with family and friends. Funds raised help the PTA continue supporting student events, classroom resources, family engagement opportunities, and other initiatives that benefit our entire school.

We encourage all families to participate and help make this event a success. Thank you for supporting RVES and our amazing PTA! 💙

Happy March RVES Families!

This month we are working on Resilience. Resilience means being able to adapt and manage our emotions when faced with stress or challenges. We will be coming into classrooms this month to work on coping skills to build up resilience. At the end of the month, we are also celebrating career exploration with a spirit week and career fair for 3rd-5th grade. Check out our newsletter for more information about how to volunteer for Career Day. If you have any questions or are having trouble accessing the volunteer form, please let a counselor know and we'll connect with you! Additionally, if your child is in K-2nd grade and you would like to share your career with their class, feel free to reach out to your child's teacher to see if that is a possibility in their schedule during Career Week.

All You Need to Know for Lunch
The Free and Reduced-price Meals (FARMS) application is available for the 2025–2026 school year. A new FARMS application must be completed every school year. Meals are free for students who qualify for the program. Only one application is needed for all students in a household. Learn more.

Visit the Department of Food and Nutrition and Services webpage for information on breakfast and lunch menus and how to add money to your child’s account through MySchoolBucks.

https://schools.mealviewer.com/school/RockViewES

Volunteers Make a Difference
MCPS welcomes volunteers! Our schools are stronger because parents, caregivers, and community members step in to help. Whether it’s chaperoning a trip, coaching, or lending a hand in the classroom, volunteers make a real difference for kids. At the same time, nothing matters more than keeping every child safe. That’s why we require all volunteers to complete the required training—and some volunteers must also complete a fingerprinted background check, including:

• Volunteer coaches

• Grade 6 Outdoor Education

• Overnight or extended day field trip chaperones (returning after 7:00 p.m. or out-of-area/state)

• Volunteers working 1:1 with students unsupervised

For more information about being a volunteer with MCPS, visit these websites

• Volunteer Information

• Application Form

• Child Abuse and Neglect Training

• MCPS Background Screening Office (for criminal background checks)

Your Voice Matters! Share Your Feedback Today

We want to hear from you! Earlier this year, MCPS implemented significant operational changes and shifts — affecting topics including grading, safety (including police in schools), the Student Code of Conduct, open lunch and cell phones in schools. MCPS is distributing surveys on several of these issues important to families, students and school-based staff; we want to know how they are working for you in practice. The survey is available here. Read more.
Also, watch this video explaining why your feedback matters:
English | Spanish | French | Chinese | Vietnamese | Amharic | Korean | Portuguese

Phone: 240-740-0920

Address: 3901 Denfeld Ave, Kensington, MD 20850

Principal- Kilsys Batista, kilsys_c_batista@mcpsmd.org

Assistant Principal- Tyvae Helse, tyvae_helse@mcpsmd.org

Admin Secretary- Nancy Morin, nancy_L_morin@mcpsmd.org

Website: montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/rockviewes/