May 14, 2012 - PTA Weekly News Flash
Table of Contents
Latest News:
Our Children:
PTA Reminders:
- PTA Board Seeks Comment on Proposed Playground Sunshades
- Opportunity to be a host family for CGES visiting teachers
- Announcing the 2012-2013 PTA Board
- Field Day - Friday, June 8th
- PTA Fundraising Drive
- MCCPTA Leadership Skills Seminar - Wed., June 6
- BOE Seeks Comment on Informational Material Policy
Latest News
Get your CGES Field Day Shirts |
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Show your CGES Grade spirit, by ordering the CGES Field Day shirt for only $6.
Grade colors are:
- Head Start/Kindergarten: Yellow
- 1st Grade: Red
- 2nd Grade: Orange
- 3rd Grade: Green
- 4th Grade: Blue
- 5th Grade: Black
If you want to order a shirt, please complete the order form HERE and return it no later than May 18th. Orders cannot be accepted after May 18th.
If you do not want to order a CGES shirt, just wear the grade color on field day, June 8th. Not sure of the type of color? Ex: 3rd grade is Green, which includes all the variations of green: lime green, ever green, hunter green, etc.
From the Media Center: |
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We are in desperate need of HELP - Kindergarten Orientation |
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The Kindergarten Orientation for rising Kindergarten students will be held on May 24th and 25th. Current Kindergarten students will not have classes either day.
The Kindergarten team will need your help to make these days a success. Volunteers are needed to greet, take photos, print pictures, glue pictures to name tags and assist with setting up snacks for each session. There are 4 sessions on both the 24th and the 25th. Volunteers are needed starting at 8am for the 8:30 session and helping through the last session at 1:30. Volunteers can help per session (8:30, 10, 12, and 1:30), half day, full day, both days or even just for an hour. So far only 4 people have signed up to help - we are in need of at least 4 more!! Please send an email to: info@cgespta.org if you are able to assist.
Please help welcome the new families and students to our school by volunteering your time!
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Community Dinner - Buffalo Wild Wings, next Wednesday (5/23) |
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CGES Run Club |
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Congratulations to the College Gardens Run Club participants, who logged 26.2 miles between March and May, as part of the Montgomery County Road Runners Club Kids Marathon Program. Here are some of the runners before racing their final 1.2 miles at the Kids on the Run race last Saturday! Congratulations to all of our Run Club participants! And a special thank you to Ms. Gilbert who came to many of our practices and cheered on the club runners at the finish line on Saturday! See you in the fall!
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Attention 5th Grade Families! |
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This year, the 5th graders have opted to make both a gift to the school and a gift to the wider community. Their gift to the school will be books for the media center. We're collecting donations, which will be given to the media center staff to purchase new books -- each book purchased will include a book plate stating that it was a gift from the 5th grade class of 2012. Please submit cash or check (payable to CGES) in an envelope marked "media center gift" no later than Friday, May 25. Contributions of any amount are welcome.
The 5th grade gift to the community will be a non-perishable food drive for Manna Food Center in Rockville. Students are encouraged to collect food items from family, neighbors and friends. Bring all food donations to the front hallway of the school no later than Friday, May 25. We will be looking for parent volunteers to help load the food donations into cars and transport it to Manna during the week of May 28.
For questions, more information, or to help with the food transportation, please contact Andrea Hall at andreainrockville@yahoo.com.
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Our Children (This week's feature article)
"Schools, Parents, and Social and Emotional Learning - Ten Things You Can Do at Home" by Collaborative for Academic, Social ,and Emotional Learning (CASEL) |
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- Focus on strengths. When your child brings home a test, talk first about what he or she did well. Then talk about what can be improved. Praise specific strengths. Don’t just criticize things that were done wrong.
- Follow up with consequences for misbehavior. Sometimes parents say things in anger that don’t curb the behavior in the long run. You might say, “Because of what you did, no television for a month.” Both you and your child know that after one or two days the TV will go back on. Decide on consequences that are fair, and then carry them out.
- Ask children how they feel. When you ask your child about his or her feelings, the message is that feelings matter and you care.
PTA Reminders
The PTA Board seeks your comment on a proposed plan to purchase 3 playground sunshades as a gift to the schoolThank you to everyone who has voted so far. We are extending this one more week to have as many voices heard as possible. |
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In 2010, our PTA Gift Committee presented their top suggestion for a one-time gift purchase to improve our school - a Playground Shade Structure. This suggestion was made in response to a number of parents who have voiced ongoing concern about the lack of adequate shade for our children on our school’s playgrounds.
Two years later, the PTA now has a quote from the only vendor approved by MCPS to install shade structures on school playgrounds – a company called “GameTime.” The PTA requested a quote to install a total of three 10’ x 10’ shade structures – two would be located side-by-side adjacent to the basketball courts, near the bottom of the path leading to the lower playground, and one would be located within the fenced area of the upper playground by the kindergarten classrooms. Principal Ewald fully supports this plan and recommended the 10’ x 10’ size, as this will be easiest for school staff to manage and store during inclement weather. The shade fabric itself would be removed for potential snowstorms or high winds. These shade structures are heavy-duty and would be permanent additions to the playgrounds and last for years, possibly decades, to come.
The PTA Board would like to hear from our members! The total cost for purchase and installation of these shade structures would be $13,679 (again this is the only MCPS approved vendor for this item). This cost could be covered within this year’s (2011-2012) PTA budget. If the PTA votes to move forward on this plan, the shade structures could be installed as early as this fall. Please tell us if you are “in favor”, or “opposed” to this plan to install shade structures on our school’s playgrounds by sending an email to info@cgespta.org, feel free to include comments or questions.
- See the written quote from GameTime.
Color choices may be different than shown in this photo. The picnic tables are not a part of this quote, but may be added later.
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Opportunity to be a host family for CGES visiting teachers |
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Hello CGES Parents,
We have been presented with the opportunity to have two additional visiting teachers join our CGES staff for the 2012-2013 school year. These teachers would work full time at CGES to provide additional direct language lessons, as well as support classroom instruction.
In order to take advantage of this opportunity, we must secure host families for these teachers. Here is what we need:
- A family to provide a bedroom and kitchen access for a visiting teacher
- Families may offer anywhere between 3 months and one year of housing (from August 2012-August 2013)
- It is helpful if the host family is located near public transportation
Benefits include:
- A cultural experience for your family
- Learning the Chinese language, culture, traditions, foods, celebrations
- Creating a lifelong friendship
If there is room on your child's bus, the visiting teacher may ride the school bus with the students. If your child is a car rider, the visiting teacher may ride to and from school with your child(ren).
If you are interested in this opportunity or if you have questions, please contact Molly Murray, Chinese Immersion Coordinator at 301-279-8470 X170 or molly_b_murray@mcpsmd.org
Announcing the 2012-2013 PTA Board |
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At the May PTA meeting, the following PTA members were elected to office beginning July 1st:
President Nicole M. Cathey VP of Communications Eric Van Ryzin VP of Membership Kelly Mendelsohn VP of Fundraising Karen Hagan Treasurer Elizabeth Namugenyi Secretary Megan Heitzmann MCCPTA Representatives (2) Nancy Paul and Matthew Swibel
Field Day - Friday, June 8th |
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From 9:45am until 12:00pm on Friday, June 8th
If you have a sport you loved as a kid, a special talent you’d like to share or simply enjoy being outdoors, please consider this terrific opportunity to help your College Gardens Elementary School!
| Please contact: Mrs. Moore, PE Teacher (301)279-8470 email: Jennell_Moore@mcpsmd.org |
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PTA Fundraising Drive |
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The PTA is doing a Fundraising Drive and needs your support! Any donation amount you can contribute is greatly appreciated.
For donations of $25 or more, donors select one of the following "Thank You" gifts:
or
Choose one (1) certificate from below:
- Branded '72 Barbque
- Buffalo Wild Wings
- California Tortilla
- Fontina Grille
- Mama Wok
- Red Hot & Blue
You can make your tax deductible donation via Paypal. Or, write a check payable to CGES PTA and mail it to CGES PTA, 1700 Yale Place, Rockville, MD 20850. For more information, please email the PTA VP of Fundraising, Linda Sankanung
MCCPTA Leadership Skills Seminar - Wed., June 6 |
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MCCPTA SPRING 2012 LEADERSHIP SKILLS TRAINING
Wednesday, June 6, 2012, 6:30 PM - 9 PM, Walter Johnson High School Cafeteria, 6400 Rock Spring Drive Bethesda, MD 20814
MCCPTA provides quality training as part of your dues payments. All PTA members in Montgomery County are encouraged to attend. There are valuable sessions for all. Anyone interested in helping the PTA support families is encouraged to sign up. Special tools for new and returning officers and committee chairs. (see flyer)
Sign up today at: www.SignUpGenius.com/go/60B054FA5A82E5-mccpta1
BOE Seeks Comment on Informational Material Policy |
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The Montgomery County Board of Education is seeking community comment regarding revisions to Board Policy CNA, Informational Material and Announcements. This policy guides and informs the public and staff about the procedures for displaying and distributing printed informational materials and announcements in schools.
Among the proposed revisions, non-profit organizations would still be allowed to distribute flyers and other printed materials in elementary schools, but such distribution would no longer be permitted in middle schools and high schools. The school system, government agencies and parent-teacher associations would still be allowed to distribute printed informational materials in all schools at any time during the year.
A copy of the draft policy is available through the Department of Public Information and Web Services by calling 301-279-3853. You also can access the documents on the MCPS website.
Individuals who wish to provide comments should respond in writing by Wednesday, May 30, 2012. All responses should be sent to the Office of the Superintendent of Schools, 850 Hungerford Drive, Room 122, Rockville, Maryland 20850 or sent by email to the Board of Education at boe@mcpsmd.org. All responses will be shared with the Board of Education and the Superintendent of Schools.
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Please email news items for the News Flash to info@cgespta.org, and please copy Eric_J_Van_Ryzin@mcpsmd.org, by COB Friday for publication the following Monday morning. |