COLD
SPRING ELEMENTARY
PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
October 15, 2009
IMPORTANT DATES
OCTOBER
HIGHLIGHTS
16 SCHOOLS CLOSED: MSTA /Statewide Teachers
Conference
19 – 23 Book
Fair Week
School Bus Safety Week
23 Teacher Raffle/Bingo Night, 6:30pm, APR
Pumpkin
Day – Kindergarten
Artist
in Residence Music Performance, K-2, 9:15am ; 3-5,
10:05am
26-30 Red Ribbon Week
Artist
in Residence, Grades 3 and 4
30 Halloween Parade/Party, 1:15 Parade;
1:45 – 2:45 Party in Classroom
End of First Grading Period
NOVEMBER HIGHLIGHTS AMERICAN INDIAN HERITAGE MONTH
1 Daylight
Savings Time Ends
2 SCHOOLS
CLOSED: Professional Day for Teachers, Report Card Preparation
4 Cultural
Arts Assembly, Native American Dance, K-2, 9:15am; 3-5, 10:15am
5 Book-A-Breakfast, K-2, 8:00am, APR
Fourth
Grade Field Trip: Living Classroom, Willis/Sydnor
6 Fourth Grade Field Trip: Living
Classroom, Cashman/Cohen
Fifth
Grade Field Trip: Beall-Dawson, Sindall/McPhaul, 9:30
– 12:00
Final
Frontiers, Fifth Grade Students, 1:20 – 3:00pm, APR
10 SGA
Assembly, Grades K-5, 1:30 – End of Day
11 Veterans’ Day
Early
Release Day, Parent Conferences, 12:35pm Dismissal
Report
Card Distribution
12 Early Release Day, Parent
Conferences, 12:35pm Dismissal
12 Book-A-Breakfast, Grades 3-5, 8:00am,
APR
13 Deadline, Center
for the Highly Gifted application
24 Fifth
Grade Field Trip: Politics and Prose, Peterson/Sellitti, 9:30am – 12:30pm
25 Early Release Day, Thanksgiving
26 –
27 SCHOOLS CLOSED: Thanksgiving
DECEMBER HIGHLIGHTS
1 PTA Meeting, @7:15pm,
APR, Babysitting Provided
3 PTA Reflections
Breakfast, APR
Assembly:
Kids on the Block, 11:00 – 11:35, Grades 3 and 4
4 Assembly: Kids on the
Block, 11:00 – 11:30, Grades 1 and 2
11 First night of Hanukkah
15 Fourth Grade Field Trip:
16 Fourth Grade Field Trip:
18 Latin Dance, 1:30, K-5
25 Christmas Day
26 Kwanzaa
begins
Jan. 1 New
Year’s Day
Dec. 24 – Jan. 3 WINTER BREAK: ALL SCHOOLS CLOSED
FINAL PRINTED PRINCIPAL’S NEWSLETTER
This is the final printed edition of the Cold Spring Principal’s Newsletter. From hereon in, the newsletter will be made available exclusively online via the Cold Spring web page. The biweekly newsletter will continue to update parents with time-sensitive dates and events.
HELPING HANDS
The Cold Spring community, in conjunction with the Salvation Army, will
once again participate in the Helping Hands Holiday Children program. This program provides assistance to children
in need living in
If at all possible, please include your child(ren) in this gift-giving experience. If you have any questions, please contact
Terri de Raet at 301-762-4762 or tderaet@comcast.net or Kasia Coulter at 301-610-6390 or mandkcoulter@comcast.net.
HELP THE HOMELESS WALKATHON SUCCESS
On Wednesday, October 14, all Cold
Spring students and staff participated in a walk during the school day to raise
money for the Hand-to-Hand program. This
walk is sponsored by the Fannie Mae Foundation.
Cold
Spring thanks to Mrs. Pyo, Mrs. Reed, Mr.
Robison, and the office staff for coordinating this event.
SGA
UPDATE
The new SGA
season is upon us. Mrs. Peterson has decided to lead and coordinate Cold
Spring’s student government this school year.
Our campaign season will begin with an information meeting on Wednesday,
October 21st from 12:00 – 1:00pm.
Any third, fourth, or fifth grader interested in running for SGA office is invited to attend. Look for further information in the next
Principal’s Newsletter.
On Friday, October 30th
, Cold Spring will be celebrating
Halloween with the traditional parade and parties in the classrooms. Festivities will begin at 1:15pm, as the
costumed children exit the school via the Main Office door. Photo opportunities will be available on the
blacktop area of the playground during that time. Classroom parties will follow
immediately. Parents and siblings are
welcome.
To maximize the fun experience, we urge all students to practice safe behaviors at school and at home.
Thank you in advance for your support in this activity. We hope to see you at these fun-filled events.
WEATHER ALERT
As the summer
temperatures finally fade to fall, we are reminding all parents to encourage
their child(ren) to dress
appropriately. Since all students will
be participating in recess, it is recommended that students wear jackets or
sweatshirts to school. Thank you in
advance for your cooperation in this matter!
SIDEWALK SAFETY
The beautiful September
weather has resulted in a large number of students walking or riding bicycles
to and from school. Therefore Officer Terese Guilday and her safety
enforcers at Cold Spring would like to remind all students and their families
to avoid the car entrance crosswalk. For optimal safety, all students
approaching the school from Orchard Brook must make use of the sidewalk circling the parking lot to get to the school building.
This rule applies to walkers and bicyclists alike. Student patrols will be stationed at regular intervals along the
walkway to monitor safe behaviors as students proceed
toward the various grade-level entrances.
With the
cooperation of all stakeholders in this matter, Cold Spring’s slogan—“Safety Is
No Accident at Cold Spring”—will continue to be the order of the day. Thanks for your understanding.
Please
remember to always walk nearest to the grassy side of the walkway. In this way, students will be safe from cars
pulling into parking spaces.
ABSENCE PROCEDURES
We will be implementing the Connect Ed
attendance system at Cold Spring to verify student absences. It is the legal
responsibility of each school to accurately report and explain student
absences. Please telephone the office to report any student absence to expedite
the process. If we have not heard from
you by 10:00am, you will receive a computer-generated message requesting that
you call school to inform us of the reason for your child’s
absence.
MIDDLE SCHOOL MAGNET PROGRAMS
Mrs. Whited, school
counselor, has been reviewing all middle school options with all 5th
grade students. All fifth grade students
are eligible to apply. She will
review the program highlights and hand out application forms to those who want
them. Additionally, forms will be
available online mid-October at: www.montgomeryschoolmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms .
Below are dates/times for information meetings
on all magnet programs.
All application and choice forms are
due November 9, 2009.
Mrs. Whited is available to parents for questions or assistance with this
process.
Middle School Magnet Consortium Parent
Student Information Meeting:
MSMC schools and
choice process.
MSMC Open Houses:
Information Meetings:
Eastern Middle School (Humanities and
Communication Arts) Oct.
19 7:00pm
Optional Application Workshops:
at
at
COUNSELOR’S
CORNER
RED RIBBON
WEEK Oct. 26 - 30
This is a time to renew our commitment to a healthy and drug-free lifestyle and show our dedication to education and prevention efforts in our schools and communities.
Red Ribbon week was established to honor Enrique “Kiki” Camarena, a U.S. Drug Enforcement agent who lost his life
while investigating a drug gang in
Cold Spring will be celebrating this week as well. I will be doing classroom presentations this month focusing on how to keep us healthy. More information will be forthcoming.
DESTINATION IMAGINATION
Ms. Hanley, our staff coordinator for Destination Imagination, spoke with the children earlier this week at lunch time about the program. She hopes to be able to field several teams to participate in this creative problem-solving program this year. Each team is made up of 3-7 students guided by a team manager. Each team also needs an adult to serve as an appraiser to help out during the tournament days. Please talk this over with your child as soon as possible. The information packets should be coming home today. Please note the sign-up deadline of Oct. 30.
If you have any questions, please contact Ms. Hanley at school or Mrs. Christina Kyong our DI parent support, at 301-770-4026.
HONORS CHORUS AUDITIONS
All 5th
grade students in
Each general music/choral teacher will administer the audition to all interested students at his/her school during the school day. The audition measures each student’s ability to match pitch, sing in the treble range, maintain a harmony part, and sing a melody from notation. Students receive a numerical score for each task based on a rubric, and the students with the five highest scores will represent Cold Spring in the Honors Chorus.
Rehearsals will be held on Wednesday
evenings from 7:15 to 8:45 pm at Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Middle School in
Students who would like to audition for Honors Chorus will need to have their parents sign and return a permission slip to Mrs. Minier no later than October 16. Permission forms are available in the music room.
CHILDREN’S CHORUS OF
The Children’s Chorus of Washington (CCW) is currently holding auditions for young singers. The chorus is open to girls and to boys with unchanged voices, who are between the ages of 9 and 16.
The Children’s Chorus of Washington (CCW)
is now in its 12th year of providing children from the greater
This is a wonderful opportunity available to interested and talented students. Furthermore, many Cold Spring students—both present and past—are members of the chorus. If you are interested in more information about the CCW program and the auditions, please ask your child to pick p a brochure from Mrs. Minier.
FLES CLASSES BEGIN
Depending on
enrolment, the following FLES language classes are
slated to be offered before and after school.
Second to Fifth Graders
Spanish
Level I – Wednesdays, 7:45 – 8:45am
Spanish
Level II – Thursdays, 7:45 – 8:45am
Spanish
Level III – Tuesdays, 7:45 – 8:45am
Spanish
Level III(adv.) – Tuesdays, 7:45 – 8:45am
French
Level I – Wednesdays, 3:10 – 4:10pm
French
Level II – Thursdays, 7:45 – 8:45am
Kindergartners and First Graders
Spanish Intro – Tuesdays, 3:10 – 4:10pm
French
Intro – Wednesdays, 3:10 – 4:10pm
Registration is currently taking
place. Please do so by following the
link below by simply clickig on it or cutting and
pasting it into the web address:
https://www.registrationheadquarters.com/events/?a6dd88e861b6400e88496b2ff3886a
For
further information, please contact Cold Spring’s coordinator—Mr. Marlon
Bernal.
SCHOOL INFORMATION
NATIONAL SCHOOL BUS SAFETY WEEK Oct. 19 - 23
Please remember to recognize our dedicated bus drivers during National School Bus Safety Week, from October 19 – 23. They safely and efficiently transport our students to and from school and field trips on a regular basis. We are fortunate at Cold Spring to have such wonderful bus drivers assigned to us!
BINGO
NIGHT/TEACHER RAFFLE/BOOK
On Friday, October 23rd
, at 6:30pm, Cold Spring will host its annual Bingo Night. This event is the kick-off activity of Book
Fair week. During this time, students
and parents are invited to purchase books, play bingo, and participate in the
ever popular teacher raffle. Please
attend!
FIRST GRADING PERIOD ENDS Oct.30
Please note that the first marking period ends on
Friday, October 30th . Report cards will be distributed to all
students in grades 1-5 on November 11th.
BOOK-A-BREAKFAST:
K-2 GRADES Nov. 5
The Cold Spring PTA will sponsor its first Book-A-Breakfast on Thursday,
November 5th
in the All- Purpose Room.
The breakfast will be held from 8 – 8:45am. We hope to see all our K-2
students there!!
BOOK-A-BREAKFAST:
3-5 GRADES Nov. 12
The Cold Spring PTA will sponsor its
second Book-A-Breakfast on Thursday, November12th in the All- Purpose Room. The breakfast will be held from 8 – 8:45am.
We hope to see all our 3, 4, and 5 students there!!
REPORT CARD PREPARATION/PARENT CONFERENCES
MCPS has designated
November 2 as a report card preparation date.
Therefore, all MCPS schools will be closed for students in grades K- 12
on that date.
In addition, MCPS has set aside the afternoons of November
11 and 12 as parent conference times.
Your child(ren)’s
teacher will be sending home reminders to you as to the date and time of your
individual conference. The parent conference will be held in lieu of
written first quarter report card comments.
Please note these important dates and plan accordingly.
CENTER FOR THE HIGHLY GIFTED APPLICATION Nov. 13
The
If you are interested in having your child considered for
the Center for the Highly Gifted, please complete the
application and return it by November 13, 2009.
If you have not received an application and would like for your child to
apply to the program, please access the application from the web site at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/.
Parents of present
third graders who would like to have their child screened/tested for the Center for the Highly Gifted should follow the timeline
below:
September 25- October 2, 2009 Highly Gifted Center
applications/information mailed home to all Grade 3 students
November 13, 2009 Deadline
for parents to submit completed applications to the school
December
14, 2009 Deadline for
schools to submit completed applications to the
Department of Accelerated & Enriched Instruction
January
6, 2010 Testing occurs
at the local elementary school
There will be a blood drive on Saturday, November 14th from 10:00am – 2:00pm in the Cold Spring APR. Anyone at least 17 years old (16 with written parental consent), weighing at least 110 pounds, and in good health is eligible. Registration is preferred but walk-ins are welcome. Babysitting will be provided.
Ninety-five percent of the population will need a blood transfusion within their lifetime. Only 5% of the eligible public actually donates. Your donation will help up to 3 people. Please contact Lisa Rispler @ 301-762-5156 or Risplerfamily@comcast.net to register. For more information on blood donation, contact the American Red Cross at 1-800-GIVE-LIFE.
PTA MEETING SCHEDULED Dec. 1
Cold Spring’s next
PTA meeting for the 2009– 2010 school year will be held on Tuesday, December 1.
The meeting will begin at 7:15pm sharp.
Babysitting services will be provided.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION
Box Tops for Education is a school fundraising program
supported by General Mills that has helped
Clip Box Tops from participating
Box Tops products and drop them in your class box at Cold Spring so they can be
collected and redeemed. Each Box Top is worth 10 cents to Cold Spring! For a
complete list of the hundreds of participating products, visit www.boxtops4education.com.
RECYCLE YOUR CARTRIDGES
AND CELL PHONES
Your used printer cartridges and
cell phones can make a difference. Cold Spring just started a new recycling
program through Funding Factory by collecting used inkjet and laser printer
cartridges and cell phones. To contribute to the recycling effort, please
deliver your items to one of the bins located in the hallway outside of the
teachers’ lounge.
GIANT BONUS $$$$
Giant A+ Bonusbucks
program is running again this year. The program begins October 9, 2009 and runs
through March 25, 2010.Giant customers can help our school earn cash each time
they shop using their BonusCard. All you need to do
is designate
SAFEWAY ESCRIP PROGRAM
Safeway’s “escrip” program is once again up and running. Operating in much the same manner as the
Giant Bonus Bucks program, Safeway’s program requires you to sign up online at www.escrip.com . Our school ID is 6489882.
TARGET
Use your Target Visa or
REDcard when you shop at Target and support Cold
Spring. Cold Spring ID: 58117.
Just visit www.target.com/tcoe, or call
1-800-316-6142 to designate our school.
HARRIS TEETER TOGETHER IN EDUCATION
If you purchase your
groceries at Harris Teeter, they will contribute a portion of their earnings to
Cold Spring. The Cold Spring ID is: 7901. Register at http://www.harristeeter.com/community/together_in_education/link_to_your-school.aspx.
Sincerely,
Martin
J. Barnett,
Principal
Presents
YOU CAN’T TAKE IT WITH YOU
Thursday, November 5th, Friday, November 6th and Saturday, November 7th
7:30 p.m.
Wootton High School Center for the Arts is thrilled to present You Can’t Take It With You.
Show times are: Thursday, November 5th, Friday, November 6th and Saturday, November 7th at 7:30 pm. Tickets are $5 for students, $10 for adults (general admission only) and can be purchased at the Wootton Box Office Monday, November 2nd through Wednesday, November 4th from 3-6 pm, and two hours before show times on performance days. Ticket forms are available online at: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/woottonhs/academics/art/YCTIWYTicketOrderForm.pdf
Tickets may also be purchased online at: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/woottonhs/woottonShop/wShopOne.html (and click on the “Center for the Arts” heading)
You Can’t Take It With You is
a classic American comedy from the legendary team of George S. Kaufman and Moss
Hart. It is the story of two very different families brought together by
love. After Tony Kirby, Vice-President of Kirby & Co.,
falls for Alice Sycamore, he brings his parents to the Sycamore’s house for
dinner and the fun begins! It becomes obvious that the upstanding,
socialite Kirby’s and the delightfully strange Sycamores are NOT a match made
in heaven. The Kirby’s are shocked by the antics and attitudes of the
Sycamore household and it leads
For more
information, please call 301-279-8581.