NCC Fall Cleanup – Wednesday, October 10, 2001, 9:30-12:30
Fall Harvest Dinner Parties
Ms. Robinson’s Counseling Groups - Information and Forms
McNeeds Seminar for Parents with Special Needs Kids, October 14
The Special Education Process and the IEP Parent Information and Training Center
Monday, October 8
ï Recess Meeting for SGA President and VP candidates
ï FLES
Tuesday, October 9
ï Recess Meeting for SGA Treasurer and Secretary candidates
ï Ms. Taylor’s SS Class to American History Museum, 9:30 – 12:30
Wednesday, October 10
ï
NO School – Professional Day
ï
Fall Cleanup at NCC, 9:30 – 12:30
Thursday, October 11
ï Teachers & Parents as Readers, NCC Book Club, 12:35 p.m.
Friday, October 12
ï Letters of SGA Intent due to Ms. Robinson and Ms. Ard
uu
uu
uu
Monday, October 15
ï 5th Grade Museum of Family History, 10:30 –1 2:00
ï SGA Campaigning
ï FLES
Tuesday, October 16
ï Mr. Ackley’s SS Class to American History Museum, 9:30 – 12:30
Wednesday, October 17
ï Ms. Kouwenberg’s SS Class to American History Museum, 9:30 – 12:30
ï SGA Campaigning
ï FLES
Thursday, October 18
ï SGA Speeches and Election of Officers
Friday, October 19
ï
NO SCHOOL – Statewide Teacher’s Conference
In our efforts to foster more school spirit and pride in our school, every Friday is Spirit Day at NCC. We encourage everyone to wear a NCC apparel or wear one of our school colors - blue and gray. In addition to "sporting our colors," we may add other spirited items, such as a patriotic item on Friday, September 14, a favorite hat - as we did on Friday, September 21, or a special treat - given on Friday, September 28. This Friday, we encouraged everyone to show your "spirit" by wearing jeans with your NCC shirt or colors. If your child is ever in doubt as to what to wear on Fridays, remind them it's Spirit Day and wearing blue or gray will show their NCC pride.
Dear Parents and NCC Staff,
Walk to School Day was a great success on Tuesday and we would like to thank our cluster representatives, Charlotte Fremaux and Sam Hoxie in cooperation with Mrs. Greene, for organizing the event and for keeping things running so smoothly during the morning. Congratulations to all our NCC kids who did such a wonderful job walking to school safely and without incident!! Thanks must also go to all the volunteer parents and NCC staff who came to chaperone our walkers, to Chevy Chase Supermarket, the Chevy Chase Land Company, William Stapleton, (our Transportation cluster coordinator), and the Montgomery County Fire Department who came to cheer us on. Special thanks, as always, to Charlotte Fremaux for the terrific, colorful walking signs!
The PTA meeting Tuesday night was an informative and useful session about how our kids are handling the events of September 11th. We were lucky to have both Mrs. Greene and our school counselor, Stacy Robinson on hand to discuss how staff at NCC and MCPS responded to the incident and implemented their County plans. Ms. Robinson also outlined the County crisis response plan as it related to other crises as well. They also gave us an explanation of how the school continues to support our students. Our guest speaker, child psychiatrist Dr Frederic Solomon, who specializes in stress in children, gave us an opportunity to listen to his expertise and to share some of our concerns. He provided us with handouts on Talking To Children About Tragedy and Disaster: Helping Children Cope that are available from either Diana Ditto or Amanda Manheim. Dr Solomon shared with us a few suggestions for our children, which we would like to pass on to you:
· Be aware that children may not want to talk about Sept 11 or the possibility of forthcoming incidents for fear of upsetting their parents or siblings. Make sure they know that they can talk to you about their feelings
· Young children, in particular, may overhear what you say to other adults and may not be able to process what you may have said correctly. For example, if you say to someone on the phone “next time it will be a bomb in a suitcase”, they may not understand when next time might be, and which suitcase you are talking about. So, be careful of what children overhear.
· If at all possible, keep from adding other fears to the current one.
· Children will need extra reassurance (for example, more phone calls home) when parents are traveling or away for a longer period of time.
· Be sure to pick up your children ON TIME from school, after-care, practices etc.
· Emphasize that there are more good people than bad in the world.
At Dr Solomon’s suggestion, the PTA will be looking into convening small groups of parents to meet and discuss ongoing concerns of this nature. If you are interested in being part of such a group, please call either Diana Ditto or Amanda Manheim.
Turning to lighter subjects, we are looking forward to this year’s Book Fair, to be held in our media center, during the week of October 22nd. We are encouraged by 3rd grade parents Michele DeLucia and Debbie Weinreich, who are experienced book fair chairpersons!!! A new event for the book fair this year will be Celebrity Reader’s Night on Tuesday, October 23 from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Remember that the fair takes place the same week as Turn Off Your TV Week; what better time to come and listen to our wonderful readers and buy some books! Look for details soon and plan to volunteer for what will be a terrific fair!
Attached to this From All Of Us is information on our Fall Harvest Dinners, to take place the weekend of November 3rd and 4th. We know that these will be a perfect way to join old friends and make some new ones! Please consider attending a dinner or hosting one in your neighborhood!
Have a great weekend.
Your PTA CO-Presidents,
|
Diana Ditto |
Amanda Manheim |
|
301-949-3446 |
301-907-9177 |
Parents, please be sure you have completely filled in the emergency dismissal form and returned it to your child's homeroom teacher! It is so important that we have this information!
Ms. Taylor's social studies class will be going to the American History Museum on Tuesday, October 9, 2001. All chaperones need to be at school and ready to depart at 9:30 a.m. All students are to bring a bag lunch and drink to school that day.
Mrs. Thompson's 5th grade math classes testing will begin on the objectives covered so far this year; place value, rounding, factorization, prime and composite numbers and disability rules. Students have the information needed to study.
Mrs. Thompson's science class has a structure assignment due Monday, October 8, 2001. Please take your child around the neighborhood or have them identify structures while driving someplace this weekend.
Again we ask that parents check students’ notebooks weekly to see that it is well organized. All papers are to be kept in the proper section of the notebook in date order. Students should not remove papers graded or ungraded from their notebooks unless told to by their teacher.
Montgomery College is offering two new programs for students currently in grades 3-6 at their Rockville Campus.
Mysteries (grades 3-6): Penetrate layers of mystery, evaluate evidence, and investigate unexplained phenomena that have baffled the world's greatest minds.
Saturdays, October 20-December 15, 2001
9:00 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Tuition: $140.00
Kaleidoscope (grades 3-6): The curtain parts and our tumble musicians, actors, and actresses playing and singing through the adventures.
Saturdays, March 9-May 18, 2002
9:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m.
Tuition: $140.00
For a registration packet send in a note to Ms. Debbie Taylor at North Chevy Chase. For registration information call Montgomery College at (301) 251-7917.
Applications for Grade 5 students to apply to the Mathematics/Science/Computer Science Magnet Program at Takoma Park Middle School or the Humanities and Communication Magnet Programs at Eastern Middle School are available from Ms. Debbie Taylor at North Chevy Chase Elementary School. For more information contact:
Mr. John Rottiers, coordinator, Takoma Park Middle School Magnet Program (301) 562-5220
Ms. Brigid Hagarty, coordinator, Eastern Middle School Magnet Program (301) 650-6654
Application deadline for both programs is January
7, 2002
Parents may obtain more information on the magnet programs by attending one of the parent information meetings. Mail the application directly to the magnet office as described in the application packet.
December 3, 2001 Parent information meeting, Takoma Park Middle School, Gymnasium, 7:30 p.m. (snow date: December 10, 2001)
December 4, 2001 Parent information meeting, Eastern Middle School, Auditorium, 7:30 p.m. (snow date: December 11, 2001)
Students applying to the Takoma Park Middle School Magnet Program, Eastern Middle School Magnet Program, or both Eastern and Takoma Park Middle School Magnet Programs will test at Takoma Park Middle School on Saturday, January, 12, 2002, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Snow date is January 26, 2002.
Special Needs Testing for Takoma Park and Eastern Middle School Magnet Applicants will test at Takoma Park Middle School on Friday, January 18, 2002, 8:00 a.m.-11:00 a.m. Snow date is January 25, 2002.
As I sat at Tuesday's PTA meeting and listened to questions and concerns about your children, wondering whether or not to discuss the aftermath of the terrorist attacks, questioning how to respond to children's concerns about our uncertain future, I felt a need to respond.
A few themes kept coming back to me as I listened to your thoughts and questions. The first is FAMILY - this is really the time to strengthen family bonds, both in the immediate family, and with those family members living some distance from you. What an excellent opportunity to start holding regular family meetings. For the first one you might just discuss how everyone is feeling at this point, find out if there are any worries or concerns. Keep the focus on problem-solving, and ask your children to share what they need so they feel safe. Empower them to come up with ways they can help each other overcome worries and anxiety. Don't be afraid to give some of the responsibility of shielding younger children from too much tragic information to older children in your home.
Encourage children to get in touch with family members who live in distant states. Email, phone, write letters, and make plans to keep in regular contact.
Another theme is VALIDATING feelings. How often is your first response to a child's admission of fear, "Oh don't worry about that, it'll be OK"? This statement belittles the child's fear, and also makes the child feel less inclined to share feelings with you the next time. In How To Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen so Kids Will Talk, Faber and Mazlish have identified four keys in helping children with their feelings. They are: listen with full attention, acknowledge their feelings with a word, put a name to the feeling, and give them their wish in a fantasy. While the first one needs no explanation, let me further describe the other three points.
Acknowledging their feelings with a word, is just an indication that you are listening and that you heard them. It could be "Um hmm", "I see", or "I feel the same way sometimes."
Putting a name to their feeling both validates and comforts the child. Saying something like "It seems like you are really upset", or "I know you are worried about Daddy right now" shows that you accept the feelings. Children may open up to you more easily if you are simply accepting of their feelings, rather than questioning them.
Finally, give them their wish in a fantasy by saying something like "I wish I could make everyone in the fourth grade be friends with you", or "I wish I could change Daddy's job so he doesn't have to travel." Sometimes just having someone acknowledge how much the child wants something makesit easier to bear.
But more important than the words you use, is your attitude. If your attitude is not one of compassion, the child will see it as phony or manipulative. When your words carry real feelings of empathy they speak directly to the child's heart.
The final theme I want to share with you is of EMPOWERING your children to seek out their own solutions, and find answers to their problems. For instance, if the child is worried about a parent taking a plane trip, you might ask, "What could you do so you won't worry so much about Daddy flying?" The child might come up with some ideas about regular phone contact or looking on a map to see exactly where Daddy is flying. If your child's first response is "I don't know," encourage him to take some time to think about it, maybe even suggesting that you'll ask him later that day. Only if necessary, prompt solutions with hints.
A huge issue that we are all facing right now is a loss of control over our destiny. We just have no idea what we could be facing in the coming days, weeks and months. Children may feel this lack of control even more. By giving children the power to find solutions, and challenging them to come up with their own answers, they regain some sense of control over their own lives.
So...emphasizing FAMILY, VALIDATION of feelings, and EMPOWERING our children to find creative solutions...hopefully emphasizing these themes in your homes will help minimize the emotional effects of the recent disasters.
It's time to plan and schedule the fall counseling groups. Groups will start the week of October 15. Here is an overview of the groups I will start with:
· Banana Splitz - for children dealing with parental separation or divorce
· Rainbows - group for students coping with temporary difficult times
· Get Organized - a group that focuses on improving academic success
· Boys or Girls Club - a friendship group to work on improving social skills
· Cool Down - a group to work on stress management strategies
Attached to this issue of From All of Us is a flier with detailed descriptions, and a form to send back if you would like your child to participate in any of the groups. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions.
Please come to the fall cleanup of the front of NCC school next Wednesday, October 10, 9:30-12:30 (or any part). Bring your kids! The school will be open for bathroom visits and water. Also bring your favorite gardening tools and gloves. No experience necessary. Contact Sarah Klontz (301-656-0644) or Pat Mirsky (301-654-0692) for more information.
Only 2 weeks to go before the big NCC Book Fair.
It will be held Monday -Friday, October 22-26 and will be open to
students, teachers, staff and parents.
We urge everyone to visit the Book Fair. Fair hours will be posted in next week's From All of Us and in the NCC office. It's a great way to get a jump on your holiday shopping and a chance to buy a book for your child's teacher or specialist. If you can't attend in person, you can still make a donation – look for further notices in backpack mail.
Please remember the Book Fair needs you! If you haven't already returned you volunteer sign-up sheet, please do so ASAP or contact Debra Weinreich at (301) 933-8069 or daniru1@yahoo.com.
Due to the enthusiasm and cooperation of everyone involved, the Walk to School Day event went off without a hitch! Mrs. Greene and staff greeted busses; parent volunteers organized the students into groups and accompanied them on their walk to school; Mr. Stapleton from MCPS Transportation directed bus traffic; NCC patrols directed student traffic; Chevy Chase Land Co., and Chevy Chase Market provided oversight to keep the parking lot clear; Margo Stanton, County Traffic Safety Coordinator coordinated the Fire and Rescue personnel who came to support our efforts. Thanks to everyone who helped. It was poetry in motion!
The Cluster planning meeting was held on Sunday,
September 23. We met with
representatives from each of the cluster schools and the cluster coordinators to
discuss the year ahead. Some of the
cluster priorities involve increased communication and sharing
among cluster schools: events involving the whole cluster; the sharing
of School Improvement Plans; all working together to help the B-CC move.
Others involve improving our image: developing school
histories to educate the BOE; promoting the wonderful things about our cluster
schools. Others have to do with keeping
up the pressure for academic rigor and smaller class size: keeping the
pre-IB program at Westland on track; get all-day K; encouraging the use of more
IAs in classrooms. Still others
have to do with continuing to press for budgetary goals: gyms in all
schools; keeping school modernizations on schedule; additions for Westland and
B-CC.
There are also many important issues in the current school year, largely having to do with curriculum revisions, budgetary challenges faced by MCPS, and ever-increasing county population. The MCPS goal of raising the bar and closing the gap remains, but the challenge will be to meet it with increased population and reduced funding. We now have approximately 137,000 students in Montgomery County schools. After analyzing the 2000 census, MCPS has noted that its student population has increased most dramatically through immigration. Fifty percent of all immigrants to the state of Maryland are coming to Montgomery County. This tremendous growth, especially in the communities that may need extra resources to learn (ESOL, etc) will tax our facilities and resources, especially when we are trying to keep class sizes small, in already crowded buildings.
At the September 25 MCCPTA meeting on curriculum revision, Dr. Weast outlined his goals for MCPS this year: to increase instructional time (through community groups, full day Kindergarten, summer school, and after school programs); to increase academic rigor; to keep class sizes down; to provide each class with a great teacher; to provide each school with a great principal; to provide proper instructional materials; and to keep building size down.
This year schools begin the system wide curriculum revision process. This revision is for grades K-8th grade and covers core subjects of English, Math, Science and Social Studies. The set of materials that schools will next be receiving are the Curriculum, Assessment and Instructional (CAI) Blueprints in English/language arts, mathematics, science and social studies. The blueprints are intended to serve as a bridge between the curriculum framework adopted by the Board of Education on July 2 and instructional guides and assessment measures which will be developed by next summer. The framework organizes the content of each discipline by standards. The blueprints take the process a step further, organizing standards and performance indicators of each content area into instructional units. Basically, this is a work in progress: an ongoing and long-term one. The revised, NOT NEW, curricula will be introduced, as it is ready to implement. Teachers and professional staff are invited to give input. The target is to develop guides for instruction for elementary and middle schools beginning in 2002-03. For more information, go to the website at: http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/info/curriculum
As the year progresses, we will keep you posted as to which issue we are addressing. Please keep us informed of your concerns.
Oct.
16, 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
The
Special Education Process and the Individual Education Program (IEP)
(offered
in English and Spanish). Designed to give an overview of the MCPS Special
Education evaluation process, this is a must attend for any parent whose child
is having difficulties in school. An overview of the pre-referral procedures,
the special education process, related Federal laws, and the indvidulalized
educational program will be featured. Offered by the Parent Information and
Training Center, 301-657-4969.
Oct.
16, 7:00 - 9:00 PM.
Educacion
Especial: El proceso y el programa de educacion individual (IEP)
(ofrecido
en ingles y espanol). Venga y informase como funciona
Montgomery County Public Schools en cuanto al proceso de identificacion para los
servicios de educacion especial. Se dara una introduccion al proceso de
educaction especial, los leyes federales y el programa educativo individualizado.
Rosemont
Elementary School, 16400 Alden Avenue, Gaithersburg. Ofrecido por el MCPS Centro
de Informacion y Entrenamiento de Padres, para matricularse llama al
301-657-4969.
Nov.
1, 7:30 - 9:30 PM. Section 504:
Eligibility, Strategies and Accommodations.
This
workshop covers 504 Plans and how they are implemented in MCPS.
Emphasis
will be on the process for identifying students with significant attention
deficits and determining eligibility for Section 504 Plans.
Carver Educational Service Center, Auditorium, 850 Hungerford Rd., Rockville.
Offered by MCPS Parent Information and Training Center, call 301-657-4969 for
more information or to register.
Nov.
6 & 13, 7:00 - 10:00 PM.
Understanding
Special Education (U.S.E.). This 6-hour
workshop is designed for parents, teachers and advocates who want to know more
about MCPS Special Education implementation and what IDEA means for their
students. This
will be the only time USE is offered this year.
Rock Terrace School, Library, 390 Martins Ln., Rockville. Offered by the MCPS
Parent Information and Training Center, 301-657-4969.
Nov. 14, 7:30 - 9:30 PM. High Stakes Testing & Implications for Children in Special Education: HSAs & IMAPs. MCPS representatives will present how the HSA (High School Assessments) and IMAP (Independence Mastery Assessment Program) will be used to determine the articulation of students receiving services under IDEA and 504. Rock Terrace School, 390 Martins Ln., Rockville. Offered by the MCCPTA Special Needs Committee, call 301-657-4969 to register or for more information.
This year's SGA sponsors, Nicole Ard and Stacy Robinson have announced the timeline for SGA elections.
Election of SGA officers for the 2001-2002 school year is scheduled for Thursday, October 18. Classroom representatives will be elected the following week. Below is the list of events leading up to Election Day for the candidates:
Monday, October 8 Recess meeting for interested candidates running for President or Vice President (5th and 6th grade only; candidates for President must have at least one year experience as a representative or SGA officer)
Tuesday, October 9 Recess meeting for interested candidates running for Secretary or Treasurer (4th, 5th and 6th grades)
Friday, October 12 Letters of Intent are due to Ms. Robinson and Ms. Ard.
Monday, October 15 Campaigning
Wednesday, October 17 Campaigning
Thursday, October 18 Speeches and Election of Officers
Thursday, October 25 election of classroom representatives
Candidates running for Officer positions will be given the guidelines for campaigning at their recess meetings. Parents are urged to read the guidelines over with your children and help them adhere to the SGA policies.
Please join us for our October book club meeting on Thursday, October 11, 2001 at 12:35 p.m. in Ms. London’s room. Our book this month will be “Woman, An Intimate Geography,” by Natalie Angier. This book was a National Book Award finalist – “a seminal work that will endure as an essential read for anyone interested in how biology affects who we are – as women, as men, and as human beings.” Bring your lunch and any books you would like to suggest for future reads - and join us! Newcomers welcome!
Thank you to all the NCC Walkers who participated in the walkathon. It was a great day! $500,000 was raised by 4,000 walkers to benefit the National Alliance for Autism Research.
Please return the yellow emergency cards to your child's homeroom as soon as possible. We are still missing a few. It is very important that we have the cards for each of our students, especially in an emergency situation. Thank you for your cooperation.
Whether you are new to Montgomery County, moving into a new phase of your child's education, or just wanting to know, this series of informational meetings is designed to help clarify the ins and outs of the Montgomery County Public School system. Here are a few meetings for October and November.
Oct. 23, 7:30 - 9:00 PM. Understanding Montgomery County and MCPS Resource Programs. Dr. Ray Bryant and Mr. Barron Stroud, MCPS, will discuss educational resources in Montgomery County and MCPS. An overview of the Summer Search programs will be given. Kennedy High School, 1901 Randolph Rd., Silver Spring. Co-sponsored by MCPS Dept. of Family and Community Partnerships and the Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs. For Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian interpreters, please call Ms. HyonJu Yi, 301-230-0670. Free childcare. For more information, call Angela Kim, 301-657-4969 or Frank Soo Hoo, 301-279-3100.
Nov 13, 7:30 - 9:00 PM. Financial Aid Information for College. Dr. Herm Davis, National College Scholarship Foundation, will discuss strategies of financing your child's college experience. Scholarship information will be shared. Quince Orchard High School, 15800 Quince Orchard Rd., Gaithersburg. Co-sponsored by MCPS Dept. of Family and Community Partnerships and the Division of ESOL/Bilingual Programs. For Korean, Japanese, Chinese, Vietnamese and Cambodian interpreters, please cal Ms. HyonJu Yi, 301-230-0670. Free childcare. For more information, call Angela Kim, 301-657-4969 or Frank Soo Hoo, 301-279-3100.
Occasional
articles developed by the Department of Health and Human Services School Health
Services and Health Promotion Services. If you would like more information about
Staying Healthy articles, call editors, Kathy Wood, Community Health
Nurse, Health Promotion, 240-777-4227 or Veronica Ramirez, Health Promotion
Specialist, 240-777-1543.
Each year, approximately 1,000 children ages 14 and under die in pedestrian incidents. Another 29,000 are injured in traffic-related situations. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, most young children are struck near their homes in streets or driveways. Help keep children safe by teaching them the following:
· Children under age 10 must never cross the street alone. Always cross with an adult.
· Stop before entering roadways. Children should stop at the curb. If a vehicle or other object is blocking their view of oncoming traffic, children should stop at the outside edge of that object before crossing at a crosswalk.
· Never enter the street from between parked cars or from behind bushes. Darting out accounts for more than half of all childhood pedestrian injuries.
· Look in all directions before crossing the street. Children should be taught to look left, right and left again before crossing. They should continue to look both ways until they have safely crossed the street.
· Obey and recognize all traffic signals and markings. Teach children the meaning of all traffic signs and markers such as pedestrian crossing signals and crosswalks.
· Wear clothing with retro-reflective materials, especially at dawn and dusk to help drivers see.
· Walk, do not run, across the street. Teach kids never to cross diagonally.
· Never play in the street or driveway.
· Always walk on sidewalks, when possible. If there are no sidewalks walk facing oncoming traffic and stay as far to the left as possible.
· Make sure that all vehicles have stopped before crossing the street.
· Attempt to make eye contact with drivers of stopped or turning vehicles, but not assume that the drivers can see them.
· Watch for vehicles turning into or backing out of parking spaces.
· Never enter the street if the "don't walk" signal is on or flashing.
· Be extra careful in rain or snow. Allow extra time and distance for vehicles to stop.
Cross at a corner or crosswalk. If walking at night, make sure you are visible. Children should carry a flashlight and wear retro-reflective materials on clothing so drivers can see them.
Important
From All of Us Info
The deadline for each From All of Us will
be the Wednesday before the Friday publication date.
Submit articles to samhoxie@megapathdsl.net,
FirstClass to Sam Hoxie or leave in the FAOU box in the front office.
Attachments (flyers, notices, etc.) must be in the FAOU box by Friday, before
school (only one copy is needed), or given to me by the deadline.
Please let me know by Wednesday if you are planning an attachment.
Note that many attachments may require prior authorization from Mrs.
Greene. A monthly calendar will be
published each month beginning October 2001.
Please be sure you have updated important dates on the master calendar in
the office, or have contacted me to have items included.
Calendar information will also be updated on the new web calendar at http://www.localendar.com/public/nccpta
-- Sam Hoxie