Sligo Creek Elementary School

PTA Newsletter
Its your child. Its your school. Its your PTA!
Volume 13, Issue 6 Friday, January 13, 2012

Mark Your Calendars!

Upcoming PTA Meetings
February 7, 2012 (7-8:30 PM) March 6, 2012 (7-8:30 PM)

News from the PTA

Valentine's Day Sock Hop on Friday, February 10th from
6:30-8:00 PM. The PTA is planning an evening of Valentines Day fun with dancing, dinner, and dessert. We need many volunteers to help and to contribute baked goods. Please contact Susan Dahiya (susandahiya@verizon.net) if you can help in any way.

Upcoming SCES Events

Monday, Jan. 16: No school (MLK holiday) Tuesday, Jan. 19: PTA Science Speaker CANCELLED Tuesday, Jan. 31: Immersion Open House Wednesday, Feb. 1: Black History Month Assemblies (1:15 and 2:15 PM in the gym) Friday, Feb. 10: Valentines Day Sock Hop (6:30 8:00 PM in the gym) Thursday, Feb. 16: PTA Science Speaker Wednesday, Feb. 22: Immersion Open House (9:30 AM) Friday, Feb. 24: World Culture Day Tuesday, Feb. 28: Outdoor Classroom Charette (7 or 7:30 PM) Thursday, March 29: Immersion Open House (9:30 AM)

Science Speakers:

There will be no science speaker this month. Unfortunately, our January PTA science speaker (scheduled for Thursday, January 19th) has had to cancel. The PTA science speakers will resume in February, on Thursday, February 16th.

Bylaws Update: Further revised PTA bylaws were

circulated on the listserv and posted on the PTA bulletin board outside the office. They will be voted on at the next PTA general meeting on February 7th. The Montgomery County Council of PTAs requested these further revisions to keep up with current bylaw requirements and to ensure that terms that had been crossed off when our bylaws were approved in 2008 were put back in. In addition, we were asked to include an amendment that specifically states the names of our Vice-Presidents and their responsibilities. This proposed amendment is included as well.

SCES PTA meetings and events are open to everyone. PTA meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month in the Gym at 7:00 PM. Free babysitting is provided for toilet-trained children that are 3 years or older.

Mini Grants:

The PTA executive committee has approved 2 new mini grants for our staff. One mini grant is for the 2nd grade team to purchase math workbooks (in English & French) that will ensure that our teachers have much-needed additional support to meet the demands of Curriculum 2.0 as they face the unique challenge of teaching the new curriculum for the first time. The second mini grant is for Stacy Miller, SCES Reading Specialist, to purchase a school-wide site license to Starfall, an online primary reading website which has activities in English & French that strengthen reading skills.

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

Did you take photos at 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, Welcome back! We hope that you had a wonderful winter break. Believe it or not, we are already thinking about and beginning to plan for next year. We all are thinking the same thingcan January already be here? There seem to be many questions related to the new Curriculum 2.0 as well as mathematics. If you havent explored the new curriculum, I encourage you to visit the web site http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/2.0/framework.aspx If you want to learn more about the Curriculum 2.0, the next Parent Academy (closest to Sligo Creek) will be held on Feb. 23, 2012 from 7:00-8:30 pm at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School. Additionally, many questions have come up related to math and the changes in mathematics as a result of the Curriculum 2.0. An excellent parent resource can be found at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/math/ This link states , The goal of the Montgomery County Public Schools pre-K-12 mathematics program is for all students to achieve mathematical proficiency by developing both conceptual understanding and procedural fluency. The end result is the ability to think and reason mathematically and use mathematics to solve problems in authentic contexts. In the past, students perhaps understood how to solve a problem without understanding why it was solved that way. Students were not able to apply their knowledge to solve real world problems. A great deal of research determined that it is important for students to spend more time becoming proficient with concepts and understand how numbers work together. The link also goes on to say, Mathematics is a tool we use to understand and interpret our world. In our increasingly technological economy, those who can understand and apply mathematics have significantly enhanced opportunities to achieve success in continuing education and in life. The key to opening the door to these opportunities is a deep understanding of important mathematical concepts and procedures. The end result is that acceleration in mathematics is going to look different in the future. We want to insure that students have a deep mathematical understanding and not just a surface knowledge of math. The new curriculum is designed to focus on fewer concepts and allows time to gain a deep understanding of those concepts. Changes have been made in the math curriculum that provide acceleration within the grade level curriculum. We will continue to provide information related to all of our programs both now and in the future. We look forward to seeing great academic progress in our children as we move into the second half of the year. 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.

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Black History Month Assemblies

On Wednesday, February 1, 2012, in honor of Black History Month, the Cultural Arts Committee of the PTA is sponsoring two assemblies featuring Discovery Theater, the Smithsonian Institutions theater for children. The theatrical performance is titled How Old is a Hero and tells the stories of three young activists Ernest Green of the Little Rock Nine, the first black student to graduate from an integrated high school; Claudette Colvin, who refused to give up her bus seat before Rosa Parks; and Ruby Bridges, who won equal rights before she could read. The show features moving archival Civil Rights recordings. The assemblies will be at 1:15 and 2:15 in the SCES gym. The PTA is providing the funding for these assemblies. As always, parents are welcome to attend these events!

Coming Soon: WORLD CULTURE DAY FEB 24th!

World Culture Day is an all-day event, coordinated by parent volunteers (hint, hint), where the children visit various "countries" throughout the day. The "countries" are booths located throughout the school, hosted by parent volunteers. The kids have "passports" that get stamped when they visit a country. At the last World Culture Day, in 2010, we had 30 different countries represented and a fabulous international parade. We wrap up the day with a cultural performance. How you can help: We need folks to volunteer to host country booths. It can be a country of your choice. Someplace you've visited? Someplace you've always wanted to visit? Someplace your grandparents or parents or you are from? Volunteers will do a short 10 minute presentation on the country & often a little project, game, etc. (5-10 min). Please consider helping out with this very fun day. Please email worldculturesces@yahoo.com if you can help. Thanks, Jennifer Love, Wendy Sharp

French Immersion News

French Immersion Open Houses
French Immersion Open Houses are for parents interested in enrolling their children in the French Immersion program at Sligo Creek E.S. for the 2012-2013 school year. The dates are January 31, 2012, February 22, 2012, and March 29, 2012. Sessions begin at 9:30 a.m. with visits to the classrooms. At 10:15 there will be a question and answer period with the principal and the French Immersion coordinator. We encourage everyone who is even considering the possibility of enrolling in French Immersion to attend an Open House and become familiar with the program and its philosophy.

Application Process for the 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/admissions/immersion Even if you already have a child in the program, you must follow the immersion lottery process. Please call Mme Thompson or email if you have any questions: 301-562-2722 Nellie_J_Thompson@mcpsmd.org
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National Geographic Bee

The 2012 National Geographic Bee was held in Sligo Creek E.S. 4 th and 5th grade classrooms during the months of December and January. Congratulations to these class winners:

National Geographic Bee 2012 class winners: William Vorosmarti- Ms. Schrank Auzinea Bacon Ms. Wright Oscar Gonzalez Mme. Kellinger Quinn Buckley Mme Priser Nate Schneller Ms. Clay Joseph Riva-Clement Ms. Clay Anja Prien Mme Falloux Olivia May- Mrs. Perkins Addie McDonough Mme. Dickson
The school competition was held on Thursday, January 5, 2012. At the end of the Preliminary Championship Round, the two finalists were Joseph Riva-Clement and Quinn Buckley. They competed in a very difficult Championship Round and Quinn won, becoming the Sligo Creek E.S. champion! Congratulations, Quinn!!!!! Quinn will now take a written test that will be sent in to the National Geographic Society to determine if he qualifies for the Maryland State Competition. Congratulations to Quinn and we wish him much success! Thanks to all the students and all the teachers of the 4 th and 5th grades for helping to promote geography education by participating in the 2012 National Geographic Bee.

Save the Date for the Outdoor Classroom!

On Tuesday, February 28, the PTA will host a planning charette to gather early ideas, feedback, and comments on the proposed outdoor classroom to be constructed in the large courtyard shared by Sligo Creek and SSIMS. This meeting, which is designed in part to prioritize design elements, will begin at either 7 or 7:30 (exact time TBD) and last for 90 minutes. More details will be coming soon, but please plan to attend and save the date! If you have questions about the planning charette, please contact any member of the planning team: Debbie Boger, Robert Kronenberg, Laurel Bahar, Amy Kenney, Jen Troke, and Elise Stigliano.

DROWNING IN BOOKS!!!
As many of you know, Sligo Creeks Media Assistant position was cut in half for this year. As a result, we are literally drowning in unshelved books. If you have time in your schedule to help with this problem, we would be delighted. Training takes only five to ten minutes and while shelving is not the most exciting of activities, it can be a great way to learn about our collection and get ideas for your childs reading. Please contact Ms. Elkins or Ms. Rosenbusch if you would like to help.

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Upcoming Events at Pyramid Atlantic Art Center & ArtSpring

In September, Pyramid Atlantic partnered with SCES to create a 2012 Legacy Art Project with our 5th graders. Consequently, many of our students and parents are aware of the art center at 8230 Georgia Avenue and their store, ArtSpring, which is now in Takoma Park at 7014-B Westmoreland Avenue. Pyramid Atlantic Art Center and ArtSpring hold workshops and activities for children and adults throughout the year. Some upcoming opportunites are: Saturday, Jan. 14 at 2 PM: Sally Canzoneri: Origami for younger students up to age 8. $20/participant at ArtSpring. Saturday, Jan. 14 at 3:30 PM: Sally Canzoneri: Origami for older students over age 8. $20/participant at ArtSpring. Tuesday, Jan. 17 at 6 PM: Winter Art Showcase in the Silver Spring Civic Building. Pyramid Atlantic had the wonderful opportunity to partner with Community Bridges this year and work with the middle school students in the Jump Start and Glow Girls program. Come and see the beautiful work they created just for you and learn about this fabulous organization. Saturday, Jan. 28 from 1-4 PM: Artist Talk at the Washington Printmakers Gallery at Pyramid Atlantic. Join New York Society of Etcher's founding member Stephen Fredericks for a discussion about intaglio printmaking, his work and the work of other member artists, and the New York Society of Etchers about this fabulous organization. For more information, go to: www.artspringsilverspring.com and www.pyramidatlanticartcenter.org

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. http://www.scespta.org/pta-meetings.html

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