Sligo Creek Elementary School

PTA Newsletter
Its your child. Its your school. Its your PTA!
Volume 13, Issue 7 Friday, February 10, 2012

Mark Your Calendars!

Upcoming PTA Meetings
Tuesday, March 6 (7-8:30 PM) Wednesday, April 11 (7-8:30 PM)

Come Tonight to the Valentine's Day Sock Hop!!! 6:30-8:00 PTA News & Upcoming Events
PM in the Gym

Upcoming SCES Events

Thursday, Feb. 16: PTA Science Speaker (7 PM; SCES cafeteria) Monday, Feb. 20: No School (Presidents Day) Wednesday, Feb. 22: Immersion Open House (9:30 AM) Thursday, Feb. 23: Kindergarten Musical (6:30 PM; SCES Gym) Friday, Feb. 24: World Culture Day Tuesday, Feb. 28: Kindergarten Musical (2:15-3:00 PM; SCES Gym) Tuesday, Feb. 28: Outdoor Classroom charette (7:30 PM; SSIMS media center) Friday, March 2: Early Release Day
SCES PTA meetings and events are open to everyone. PTA meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month at 7:00 PM. Free babysitting is provided for toilet-trained children that are 3 years or older.

Staff Gift Fund Thank you to everyone who generously donated to

the Staff Gift Fund last December. In total, we raised $4,837 this year. This impressive amount shows how much we appreciate all that the teachers and staff do for our children. The fund will pay for things like filtered water in the staff lounge and a gift card for every staff member. But we are most pleased to report that we have raised enough to buy a new copy machinesomething our teachers have been telling us is very much needed!

World Culture Day on February 24th

World Culture Day is a school day devoted to the study of foreign countries and their culture. The PTA establishes "countries" throughout the school building. On a rotating schedule, classes visit a selection of the countries offered. Thank you to the many parents who have agreed to 'host' a country. We also need many volunteers to help run the event. Please contact us (worldculturesces@yahoo.com) if you can come help out on Feb. 24th from 9:00-1:30. Everyone is encouraged (but not required) to dress in clothing representing his or her heritage, or a heritage he/she has learned about. Those wearing clothes of a specific heritage will participate in the "Parade of Nations' which will kick off the days events.

Science Night Please join us at 7 PM

on Thursday, Feb. 16, in the cafeteria, for our next Guest Scientist night featuring Kathryn Mills, a behavioral neuroscientist at NIH. She'll talk about how children's brains develop into adult brains, which part of our noggins direct what part of our behavior, and how it is that a human brain generates enough electricity to power a light bulb.

Outdoor Classroom On Tuesday, Feb. 28, at 7:30 PM in the SSIMS

media center, the PTA will host a planning charette to gather early ideas and feedback on the proposed outdoor classroom, which will be constructed in the large courtyard shared by SCES and SSIMS. The meeting is designed in part to prioritize design elements of an outdoor classroom. We encourage SCES and SSIMS parents, teachers, and staff to attend and voice your thoughts about what will be great resource for our kids.

WANTED: PHOTOS of SCHOOL EVENTS FOR THE SCHOOL YEARBOOK!!!

Do you have photos of the Winter Wonderland Social, the Science Play Date, a class field trip, or any other school event this year? If so, we would love to put them in the school yearbook. Parents, please send your photos to the Yearbook editor and 4th grade teacher, Ms. Wright at:

Principals Letter
Dear Parents, We are continually thankful for your volunteer efforts at Sligo Creek. With the reduction in the budget, we are certainly in need of your support. We currently have approximately 20 volunteers working with our reading specialist to support students in reading. The volunteers usually spend about 10-15 minutes with a student reinforcing basic reading skills. We have seen a great deal of progress as a result of your work. Thank you so much. We are working with Ms. Lightfoot to install our 5th grade legacy project. All 5th graders had an opportunity to create a design on paper they had made. The project took several weeks and is now ready to be installed. You will be amazed at what our students have created. As I am watching the weather today, I am reminded that many parents call the schools when the weather is of concern. There is a quick way to obtain the latest information regarding school closings or emergencies. If you have not signed up for Alert MCPS, you might want to consider this. Alert MCPS is a way that you can receive text messages or e-mail from Montgomery County Public Schools during weather-related emergencies and other major events that impact school system operations. Alert MCPS is administered by Montgomery County Public Schools and is part of the Montgomery County Alert System. Go to http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/emergency/alertmcps.aspx At that site, there is a link to sign you up for these announcements. We have many activities coming up not only in February but for the remainder of the year. We are trying to communicate via email. If we do not have all of your current contact information, please send Ms. Matthews an email so we can update our records. There is a lot going on with our academic program. We continue to provide acceleration and remediation to meet the needs of our students. At any time, please feel free to contact your childs teacher to discuss your childs progress. We value your partnership as we all have the same goal for children. We are all working hard to deliver an exemplary instructional program. Thank you for being an invaluable part of our team. Sincerely, Diantha R. Swift

Wilnetria_Wright@m cpsmd.org.

Visit us on the Web at our PTA website: www.scespta.org There you will find information about PTA meetings, events, volunteer opportunities, and useful links and resources.

The 2nd Annual Salamander Stride Fun Run!

This year, the Salamander Stride will be on the afternoon of April 20th. For this fun fundraising event, SCES students will collect pledges and then will be running around the quarter-mile track behind SCES and SSIMS. More details will be forthcoming soon, so please mark your calendars now, as we'd like to have as many parents at the Stride as we can, as cheerleaders, helpers, or both!

P a g e |2

Join the PTA Environment & Outdoors Committee

The Environment & Outdoors (E&O) Committee within the PTA was established in 2010 by a group of parents at Sligo Creek Elementary School to improve the quality and quantity of opportunities for connecting children with nature and improve their understanding of the environment through education, experiential learning (field trips and other outdoor experiences), and participating in (including initiating or hosting!) environmental events and activities. The Committee strives to assist teachers in understanding and applying the Environmental Literacy Standards and Bylaws required by the Maryland State Department of Education and supports and fosters all things environmental within the SCES community. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact Kim Marshall McLean, Chair, at kimmarshall66@yahoo.com.
Our philosophy is: "In the end, we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand only what we are taught." Baba Dioum

Donations Needed for Staff Lunch on March 2

The PTA Staff Appreciation Committee is looking for donations of hot dishes, salads, drinks and desserts for the March 2nd staff luncheon (also an early release day). Please contact scesappreciation@yahoo.com if you can help out.

It's Box Tops for Education collection time again! Please send your unexpired pink Box Tops into school in an envelope or ziplock baggie marked "PTA Fundraising Box Tops" and I'll do the rest. The next deadline is March 1st, so the sooner you send them in, the better. We've raised nearly $300 this school year already. Keep up the good work and thank you for contributing. Lisa Tunick (Ian Becker 4-FI Kellinger)

!!! CALLING ALL ART HELPERS !!!

Ms. Lightfoot needs parent help to hang our students' art on the bulletin boards around the school and to install some of our 5th grade legacy art projects. Parents are needed on Mondays from 3:15pm -3:45pm, and Thursdays from 9:30-11:00 am. Kids are always welcome to volunteer right along with their parents! The Montgomery County Board of Education is coming to a meeting at Sligo Creek ES on February 16th, and wed love to have some of this art up and on display before then. If youre able to help out at any of these times, for just 20-30 minutes, our art department would really appreciate it! If you have any questions, please call or email Ms. Lightfoot (Carol_P_Lightfoot@mcpsmd.org or 301 562-2722).

P a g e |3

Application Process for the Elementary Immersion Program

The immersion lottery process application dates will be February 1 to April 13, 2012. Parents may participate in the lottery process using the Elementary Immersion Interest Form, which will be available February 1, 2012, with directions and information on the MCPS website at www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/specialprograms/admissi ons/immersion Even if you already have a child in the program, you must still follow the immersion lottery process in order to enroll a sibling. Please call Mme Thompson or email if you have any questions: 301562-2722 or Nellie_J_Thompson@mcpsmd.org

NOAA Open House

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is holding an Open House in the NOAA Science Center on Feb. 11 with several activities for kids. It is open to the public (adults need to bring a photo ID to enter the facility). The NOAA Science Center is located at 1301 EastWest Highway in Silver Spring. Information on this event is available at http://preserveamerica.noaa. gov/open_house.html.

Application Process for the Middle School Immersion Program at SSIMS

This is for current 5th grade French Immersion students only. If your 5th grader is planning on continuing the Immersion program at SSIMS, you must fill out a COSA (Change Of School Assignment) and submit it between February 1st and April 1st, 2012.

French Immersion News: Camp!

Mark your calendars: the French Immersion Camp is back again! As in the past, we will have two sessions. Session 1 from June 18 June 29 and session 2 from July 2 July 13. If you have not yet received a camp application, please see Mme Thompson or the main office. I look forward to many happy campers.

The Kindergarten Musical, SQUIRM! is Coming Soon!

Join the wiggles and squiggles as the Itsy Bitsy Spider, Daddy Long Legs, Hook Worm, Snake and a host of other critters take over the stage. Thats what SQUIRM! A Wiggle, Squiggly Musical is all about celebrating the things that make us squirm and discovering that most of those things are in some way, good for us. All of our Kindergarten Students will be performing in this musical. The first performance will be on Thursday, February 23, 2012, at 6:30 p.m., and the second performance will be (school assembly for all First Grade Students) on Tuesday, February 28, 2012 from 2:15 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Kindergarten Grade Parents, Families and Friends and invited to both performances. All performances will occur in the Sligo Creek ES Gymnasium. Everyone is looking forward to this delightful production! Good luck Kindergarten Students!

P a g e |4

The MCPS Fifth Grade Honors Chorus Rehearsals Begin Tuesday, February 14, 2012
We are proud to announce that five of our Fifth Grade Students have been selected to participate in the 2012 MCPS Fifth Grade Honors Chorus. These selected students are: Will Donaldson, Alex Gramaglia, Marlena Tyldesley, Ally Ratkowski-Howe and Belen Floreza

CONGRATULATIONS!
The MCPS Honors Chorus was formed in 1982, by the MCPS Department of Curriculum and Instruction, to bring together talented children of various backgrounds to study and perform choral music representing a wide variety of historical eras and cultures, and to achieve the following objectives:

To provide a challenging performance opportunity for elementary students in the highest grade (5th or 6th) with outstanding singing ability. To help students develop and refine choral singing skills and enhance their ability to read music. To reinforce the curriculum framework objectives for the elementary schools by providing opportunities for teachers to observe exemplary choral teaching techniques.

The first rehearsal of the 2012 MCPS 5th Grade Honors Chorus will be Tuesday, Feb. 14, from 7:15- 8:45 PM, at Sligo Creek Elementary School. All selected 5th grade students are expected to attend this rehearsal. Best wishes to our selected fifth grade students! Keep up the great work!

SLIGO CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 500 Schuyler Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910 301.562.2722 www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sligocreekes/ PTA Web site: www.scespta.org Comments? Questions? Send them to the Newsletter Editor: Newsletter@scespta.org

SCES PTA Officers Diane Kelleher,co- President Stuart Kern, co-President Andrew Schulman, Treasurer Alice Vorosmarti, Secretary Susan Dahiya, Vice President for Events & Fundraising Debbie Boger, Vice President for Communication & Outreach Gabe Gonzalez, Vice President for Academic Support

Missed the PTA meeting? Catch up by reading the minutes online. Go to our PTA website to find current and archived meeting minutes. (Scroll down for the most current minutes.) http://www.scespta.org/pta-meetings.html

P a g e |5