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President's Remarks
Our January 12 PTA Meeting is the start of the Annual Chesterbrook PTA Executive Officers Recruiting Campaign. Here is the schedule for this important project:
- January 12 PTA Meeting (8:30 AM): Nominate Nominating Committee (Need three PTA Members for this special committee.)
- February 9 PTA Meeting (7:30 PM): Elect Nominating Committee
- May 11 PTA Meeting (7:30 PM): Nominate 2010-2011 Executive Officers
- June 15 PTA Meeting (7:00 PM): Elect 2010-2011 Executive Officers
In the past four or so years, the Executive Board of Chesterbrook PTA has improved the way we do business. These improvements include:
- PayPal credit card payment processing system
- Much improved website (See Below.)
- Online Family Directory that is the primary source for Paper-Based Family Directory
- Friday Digest (See Below.)
- Online Chronicle
- Spring Parent Survey
- Online Auction through BiddingForGood (See Below.)
- Reduced reliance on paper flyers
Our goals with these improvements were to increase the efficiency of the way we do business:
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Using PayPal means less handling of paper checks; checkwriters, their children, PTA chairs and officers don't have to worry about the "chain of custody."
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The improved website allows us to create webforms that make signing up for afterschool classes easier. The calendar keeps everyone informed about upcoming events.
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The Online and Paper-Based Family Directories are a great way for families to arrange playdates -- try using the email and Google Maps features in the Online Family Directory. The Online Family Directory is our source of email addresses for the Chronicle/Friday Digest, the Spring Parent Survey and our Online Auction.
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The Spring Parent Survey is an important tool we use to gather your opinions and feedback as we plan for the next school year. We know not everyone can make the PTA meetings, but we also know that many of you want to share your opinion. QuestionPro is our vendor. They offer FREE access to their software to qualifying non-profit organizations.
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The Online Auction is an efficient fundraising program that allows a few people to manage a very impressive website with items available to suit all budgets. That said, we remain dependent on the entire Chesterbrook PTA community to help us during our current solicitation season. More on this in the coming weeks.
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We've slowly moved away from paper flyers sent home in Thursday envelopes.
The Chesterbrook PTA Executive Officers will meet on Tuesday, December 8 to discuss our follow-on project to the bylaws review from last year which is to develop a Guide For Operating Chesterbrook PTA. It will probably be heavily reliant on guides published by the National and Virginia PTAs and will reside on our improved website.
This is a long way of saying that potential candidates to take over as El Jefe, the Big Cheese, the Boss -- PTA President -- will have plenty of resources from which to draw to do a great job as she or he leads the PTA into the second decade of the 21st century.
Greg Brandon, Chesterbrook PTA President
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Talk, Talk, Talk
By: Greg Brandon
This species of talk goes by another name: Lobbying. Not necessarily a bad word, unless . . . I'll just leave it there.
As far as our FCPS budget woes are concerned, here is a list of the things I believe our politicians should be talking and doing something about:
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No Child Left Behind (NCLB): The ever-tightening Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) goals need to be frozen at the current level or rolled back to the 2006 level. Virginia's Approved State Accountability Plan promises the U.S. Department of Education that 100% of Virginia students will be proficient in Reading and Mathematics by the end of the 2013-2014 school year (see page 41). FCPS and other school districts must shift scarce resources from certain schools to other schools in order to reach this lofty goal.
- NCLB, part 2: Reduce the amount of compliance reporting that NCLB requires. This costs money, although the FCPS budget documents do not record the cost.
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Virginia Corporate Income Tax: Virginia's corporate tax is a flat rate 6%, the lowest in our region. Chambers of Commerce and Economic Development Authorities are quick to acknowledge the importance of first-rate public education systems. Are they as quick to abandon a locale when taxes increase? Seems like it is never a good time to raise corporate income taxes but always a good time to lower them. I sincerely doubt that boosting the Virginia corporate income tax to 6.5 or 7% would negatively affect the Commonwealth's Gross Domestic Product. I'm equally certain that lowering the tax to 1% or increasing it to, say, 12% would indeed negatively affect GDP.
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Cigarette Tax: Virginia's cigarette tax, 30 cents/pack, is rated the 49th lowest in the nation. Shameful, in my opinion. Ohio, at $1.25/pack, is ranked 25th. A few days ago, Virginia restaurants and bars went smokeless. Lets build on that by tripling the cigarette tax and earmarking half of the revenue raised to public education.
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Dillon Rule: Our Fairfax County Richmond Caucus really needs to work on this. Its galling that Richmond prevents our Fairfax County government from managing our revenue-raising capabilities. Dillon Rule is opposite of Home Rule.
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Restaurant/Meals Tax: But for the Dillon Rule, Fairfax County could have a restaurant/meals tax. Arlington County has a 4% restaurant/meals tax . . . and great restaurants. As it is, there is some talk about putting a restaurant/meals tax to a voter referendum.
Please consider the above list a letter-writing menu. The Dillon Rule/Home Rule debate may appeal to some parents. NCLB reform may appeal to other parents. I would like to think that raising the cigarette tax appeals to all parents.
Courtesy copies (with a short cover letter) to other politicians can be a powerful tool as you engage in your own letter/email writing campaign. For instance, if you write to State Senator Janet Howell about the cigarette tax or Dillon Rule, sending courtesy copies to Chairman Bulova and Supervisor Foust is a nice touch. Adding a courtesy copy to School Board Member Jane Strauss in your letter to Senator Warner about NCLB tells her something important. |
 Write, Write, Write!
By: Greg Brandon
The Virginia PTA has an excellent tool that will help you as your write letters to your National and Commonwealth Elected Representatives. Click HERE To Go To The Take Action Page. I suggest that you either email them or write a letter and fax it to them. I would avoid using the USPS to send them a letter because of the time delay as the letters go through enhanced security inspections. They also do not like opening documents attached to emails because of computer security issues.
Fairfax County residents have two supervisors, the chairman and their district supervisor:
Chairman, At-Large, Sharon Bulova
Government Center
12000 Government Center Parkway
Suite 530
Fairfax, VA 22035
Phone: (703)324-2321
Fax: (703)324-3955
McLean Governmental Center
Balls Hill Road
McLean, VA 22101
Phone: (703)356-0551
Fax: (703)821-4275
Fairfax County residents have four school school board members, three at-large members and their district school board member:
Fairfax County School Board
8115 Gatehouse Road
Suite 5400
Falls Church, VA 22042
Phone: (571)423-1075
Fax: (571)423-1067 |
" Fairfax County is moving forward on providing residents with more financial transparency. The term "financial transparency" describes efforts to make comprehensive, unfiltered information available to everyone, enabling a clear view of the government's operations and how tax dollars are spent. While the county has provided financial information online for years, consolidating it on this Web page is the first step toward greater transparency. You will find financial reports, budgets, annual audits, procurement contracts and staff compensation plans. More work needs to be done and this page will be updated to provide more data. The county is in the first phases of a multi-year effort to install an Enterprise Resource Planning system that will provide an extensive financial database and make possible access to transaction level."
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| PTA SPONSORED ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES |
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After-School Activity: Yoga with YoKid . . . Stretch Your Limits
Want to improve your child's concentration, focus, self-confidence, self-discipline, patience, tolerance and stress management skills? Try yoga!
YoKid students learn:
- Balance, strength, and flexibility through movements and postures specific to each student's age and development.
- An awareness of their body and its connection to physical activity, nutrition and overall health.
- Calming postures and breathing exercises to use in and out of school.
- Cooperation through group and partner exercises.
Students should wear clothing appropriate for movement. These classes will be taught by Sophia Brock, a certified yoga instructor with YoKid. Sticky mats will be provided for students to use during class. Students will be encouraged to drink water from the water fountain during class.
Grades K-2:
Days: Wednesdays (10-week session)
First Class: January 13, 2010
Last Class: March 17, 2010
Time: 3:25 - 4:25 PM
Location: Cafeteria
Enrollment Fee: $100*
Minimum 10 / Maximum 12 Students
Grades 3-6:
Days: Thursdays (10-week session)
First Class: January 14, 2010
Last Class: March 18, 2010
Time: 3:25 - 4:25 PM
Location: Cafeteria
Enrollment Fee: $100*
Minimum 10 / Maximum 15 Students
Enrollment requires:
- Completed registration form and payment;
- Completed YoKid Liability Release and Permission to Use Photographs;
- Confirmation of all enrollment requirements.
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PTA Science Appreciation
By: Kate Garcia, PTA Science Appreciation Chair
In early November, Chesterbrook students once again enjoyed presentations by the Maryland Science Center's Traveling Science Program.
The Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade were treated to mind boggling demonstrations with unexpected outcomes in a program called "Brain Benders." They learned that a person can walk through paper, how to use the power of air to put a drinking straw through a potato and lift a student volunteer, and that an egg can support a 10 pound weight. They were captivated by demonstrations of air pressure that prevented a volunteer from moving his arms and legs when standing in a vacuum bag and in the finale, powered a pencil through a piece of wood.
The Third and Fourth Grades learned all about electricity in "Arcs and Sparks" - including how electricity is generated and controlled. Student volunteers helped demonstrate DC and AC currents, as well as how lemons and humans can be batteries. They learned about which materials are conductors of electricity and which materials are insulators. In one of the highlights of the show, several volunteers learned the hard way that humans are conductors. In the finale, a spectacular demonstration of Faraday's cage showed why inside a car is one of the safest places in a lightening storm.
The Fifth and Sixth graders enjoyed a dazzling demonstration of light in a program called "Light Fantastic" - learning along the way about the electromagnetic spectrum and the properties of ultraviolet, visible and infrared light. In a series of humorous demonstrations, volunteers helped illustrate how light is both a particle and a wave. A favorite segment involved student volunteers holding closed tube lights (containing neon and argon gases) while the presenters activated them with a power source to theme from Star Wars.
Students also saw first hand how light has evolved from fire to lasers in 100 years - and were invited to think about where we will be in another 100 years. The program culminated in a laser light show. Teachers and parents have reported that students were still talking about the shows days later. The PTA looks forward to bringing more science assemblies to the school.
Those students who really enjoyed the traveling programs also might enjoy a visit to the MarylandScienceCenter, located in BaltimoreMaryland (www.mdsci.org). In addition to their regular exhibits (on such topics as the human body, dinosaurs, the Chesapeake Bay and space) and traveling exhibits, they have regularly scheduled shows on their Demo Stage similar to the programs that visited Chesterbrook. |
Passport Days
By: Brigitte Trono, PTA Passport Days Chair
On November 17 and 19, 2009, Chesterbrook students traveled to Albania, France and Portugal. Ed Peartree spoke about Albania and how this tiny country has a long history and a language unlike any other. Jennifer and Drew Clark got the children involved in a coloring project of Portuguese ceramics and explained about the "carnation" revolution which was a peaceful battle in Portugal's quest for independence.
Kristin Cabral shared facts and made comparisons between France and the US. The children were impressed with pictures of the "hall of mirrors" in the Palace of Versailles and enjoyed learning about the EiffelTower.
The next Passport presentations are scheduled for February 9 and February 11, 2010. If you are interested in participating please contact Brigitte Trono via email brigittetrono@mac.com
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PTA Cultural Arts
Chesterbrook students will attend a presentation of The Spilling Ink Project on December 15th (8:45 am for K-3rd graders and 9:45 am for 4-6th graders).
"The Spilling Ink Project" weaves memorable tales from Indian folklore and mythology that unfold through traditional South Indian classical dance forms. An intricate language of hand gestures combined with dramatic facial expressions takes audiences on a colorful journey to India. Melodic music including rhythmic percussion, colorful costuming along with narration in English embellishes the program. An interactive way for all ages to learn about India and its culture, the program features renowned artists Nalini Prakash and Vijay Palaparty from India and the United States, whose performances and outreach programs have toured internationally.
Afternoon Kindergarten students, younger siblings, parents, and caregivers are always welcome to attend our Cultural Arts Programs. Hope to see you there!
Brigette Peterson, PTA Cultural Arts Chair
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PTA Membership at 84%
By: Gina Manning
On behalf of the Chesterbrook PTA I would like to extend an enthusiastic thank you to all of the 351 families who have joined the PTA to date! As of November 25, 84% of our families have joined.
As always, we are looking for 100% participation in the PTA, so if you're one of the families who have yet to join, please consider doing so. It's easy -- just fill out a PTA Membership Dues Form and send it along with a check via backpack mail to Gina Manning, VP of Membership. Memberships are $20 for a family membership and $10 for an individual one.
Please Click HERE To Join At The $20 Family Membership Rate
By joining the PTA, you are investing in our children and making a difference at Chesterbook Elementary. Did you know that the cultural events, science appreciation, field trips, Discovery Gardens, Passport Days, and purchases of classroom materials and equipment are all made possible in whole or part because of the PTA? And that is only a sampling of the many education enrichment activities your PTA dues help provide.
In addition, by joining the PTA, members receive a FREE copy of the fantastic Chesterbrook family directory. With the winter break coming up, these "must-have" directories will be especially handy for planning play dates.
If you have any questions about PTA membership, please contact me at membership@chesterbrook.org. Thank you! |
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 The Auction is Coming! The Auction is Coming! Will you help?
Ø Will you make a donation of an item or a service or ask someone with whom you do business to dos?
Ø Will you consider making a contribution of $250, $500 or $1,000 or ask someone to do so?
Ø We have a huge list of businesses we'd like to contact, perhaps including a business that you frequent. Will you send a few emails or knock on some doors?
If so, please contact Greg Brandon or Julia Nelson at auctions@chesterbroook.org
Chesterbrook Elementary School has served the children of our area for over a century, providing a dynamic environment where academic excellence, character, independent thinking, citizenship, and respect for others are valued. The future is bright for our school, and we invite you to be a part of it.
As you may know, each year the Chesterbrook PTA Online Auction is held to raise funds to support vital curriculum enhancements in our school that would otherwise not be funded. These programs include Art Appreciation, Multi-Cultural Events, Science Appreciation, Strategies Lab and Language Arts Workshops. We are particularly proud of our DiscoveryGardens which provide a hands-on, interactive learning environment to improve the science curriculum in all grades. The success of our 2009 Online Auction allowed the PTA to purchase more than $12,000 worth of refurbished laptop computers and memory upgrades for existing desktop computers.
Our 2010 Online Auction will open on Sunday, February 14 and close on Sunday, March 7. We are contacting you today to ask you to support our auction by making a donation of goods, services or a financial contribution.
Through the use of BiddingForGood/cMarket, we put all of our items online which enables us contact and attract so many more bidders than the 480 families and 75 faculty and staff members who are part of our Chesterbrook community. Over 300 items will be featured online, and monetary donations in the amount of $250 or more will be recognized on our PTA and Auction website.
Please take a look at our Donor/Sponsor Agreement Form for more details regarding donations and/or the benefits of being a sponsor.
(PDF) http://www.chesterbrook.org/files/AuctionFormPDF.pdf
(Word) http://www.chesterbrook.org/files/AuctionFormWord.pdf
We look forward to working with you for our shared community benefit. Please complete the form, return the original to us with your donation and keep a copy for your records.
If you have any questions, please contact one of us at auctions@chesterbrook.org
Thank you,
Greg Brandon Julia Nelson
President, Chesterbrook PTA Auction Co-Chair
and Auction Co-Chair | |
Book Fair a Record-Breaking Success!
Chesterbrook's annual Book Fair was held last month and was a wild success! The Book Fair grossed nearly $26,000! This is far beyond anyone's memory of sales in recent years. The library made a profit of nearly $6,500 that Mrs. Moseley can use for anything the library needs. At the recent FCPS librarians meeting, she learned that the library materials budget for next year may be eliminated entirely so the Book Fair profit is essential. The money will go toward replacing worn-out books and buying new materials to support the library's dual mission of supporting the curriculum and providing enjoyable reading for students. Mrs. Moseley says, "a big, double thank you to all those who bought something from the Book Fair!"
The books are provided by Bookworm, a local company, with input from Mrs. Moseley and other teachers. We sold everything from picture books and books for early readers to books for older readers and adults, from games and activity books to non-fiction and Chinese books. Bestsellers included The Miniature Book of Miniature Golf, My Chincoteague Pony, and Star Wars II Cookbook. We reordered from Bookworm books that sold out early; many came in before the Fair ended and most came within the next week. We hope you were able to take care of some of your holiday shopping early.
Our special events also broke records! Pajama Night brought a capacity crowd in the library and standing room only in the Pod where Mrs. Moseley read stories and we served cookies and milk. We had almost as many people attend costume night and far more kids in costume than in the past. All kids who came in costume received a treat bag and apple cider.
Over 50 parents and 10 middle and high school students volunteered to help with the Book Fair. Most volunteers worked about 3 hours, and many helped on several different days. Volunteers set up the library for the sale, helped kindergarteners and first graders write their wish lists (and tried to remind the kids what "wish list" means), sold books, tracked down wish list books for parents, and packed up the remaining stock. Thank you! We couldn't pull this off year after year without such a dedicated and enthusiastic group! A special thanks also goes to Mrs. Moseley and Mrs. Park for all the extra hours they logged.
We are also happy to report that over 200 books were donated to teachers' classrooms. These are books teachers might otherwise have to use their own money to buy and they truly appreciate the generosity of Chesterbrook students and families.
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Amazon.com
Holiday Shopping . . . Yep! Try Children's Books on Amazon and save a trip to Tysons Corner. Access Amazon.com through these links or the carousel on the Chesterbrook PTA homepage and AmazonAssociates will donate a portion of the profit to the PTA. Make it simple and bookmark or add the link to your favorites. That way, you will always be sure to use our AmazonAssociates link to do your Amazon.com shopping. |
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 Great Sally Foster Offers!
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50% Off All Clearance Center Items!
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Receive A FREE Gift ($20 value) When You Enter The
Promo Code SF09HOL1 To Place Your Order!
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Chesterbrook PTA Will Be Credited With The Order.
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Items Will Be Shipped Directly To You! Place orders by December 10, and receive before the Holiday.
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Orders Over $70 Are Shipped FREE!
All You Have To Do Is Click HERE Sally Foster Gift Wrap & Gifts, Add Items To Your Shopping Cart. When You Check Out, Enter Our Chesterbrook PTA Account Number -- 0503995 -- And Pay With Your Credit Card.
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Carlin Springs ES Staff & Students Send Their Thanks
We recently received a very nice letter from Corina Coronel, Principal of Carlin Springs ES and Esmeralda Galeas, Bilingual Resource Assistant. They thanked our families "for the generous donation of coats, books, mittens, gloves, etc . . . [and] for the Home Depot gift card."
Here are three of the nineteen handwritten and illustrated letters from the students:
Dear Chesterbrook Elementary,
Thank you for sending us things that we need. Thank you for sending us coats, gloves, mittens, hats and I hope you will have a nice Thanksgiving. Sincerely, M.
Dear Chesterbrook Elementary,
Thank you for giving us supplies in case we don't have that stuff. If we didn't have those things we would not have anything to keep us warm. Sincerely, J.
Dear Chesterbrook Elementary,
Thank you for giving us the things we need. We like it when you take care of people . . . I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving. You will always be there when we need you. Sincerely, A. |
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Emergency Food Assistance Grocery Gift Card Drive
Benefitting Carlin Springs and Chesterbrook families in need
Collection running
December 14 - December 18
This year, instead of providing holiday meals for needy families, the grocery cards our community donates will be used to provide emergency food assistance for families in crisis. Your donations will help ensure that kids in our community and at Carlin Springs will not go hungry, even if their family's food stamps run out.
Please consider donating grocery gift cards from
Safeway, Giant, and Food Shoppers Warehouse,
in any denomination.
Please send gift cards through backpack mail in an envelope marked,
"Shawna Saaty, PTA/School Outreach" |
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Website Editor, Friday Digest Editor and Email Database Manager Needed
By: Greg Brandon
These three PTA positions/functions can be divided between two or three people or performed by just one person. All three positions/functions are necessary to keep our Chesterbrook communication empire in good working order.
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Website Editor: Prepare stories, calendar events, webforms and other items to keep the website up-to-date and relevant for our parent community. Website stories, events, etc are the primary source for the "top-of-the-list" Friday Digest items. Creating and inserting PayPal "Add to Cart" buttons into certain stories is part of the job. Volunteer will need to learn Drupal, a powerful and FREE open-source content management system that is maintained and developed by thousands of users and developers.
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Friday Digest Editor: Collect information from a variety of sources -- Chesterbrook PTA Chairs and webpage, National, State, District, Council PTAs, McLean Community Center, FCPS, CDC, Smithsonian, various non-profits -- that have interesting and timely items that are of interest to the Chesterbrook Parent Community. FD items can be accumulated over the course of the week to meet the Friday evening deadline. FD can be scheduled for automatic release while your familiy is at the local pizza joint. Learn Constant Contact email system.
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Email Database Manager (EDM): Our email database, which resides within the Chesterbrook PTA website, is an important and valuable asset which requires maintenance. The EDM's busy time of year is August, September and October as new PTA members join and students move up in grade. Making sure the PTA members update their Online Directory Profile/Accounts or updating their profiles/accounts for them is important to make sure the online and paper directories are accurate. Balancing the school's database against the PTA's database assures that all families who want to be included are indeed included. The email database is shared with the Constant Contact email list. The EDM works with the Family Directory Editor.
Good News: These jobs can be done at home wearing bunny slippers or on your laptop at the local Starbucks, your choice.
More Good News: Training is available for all of this. |
Spotlight on School Counselors
By: Elizabeth Ende
This month, I interviewed Chesterbrook's School Counselors. Sue King has worked at Chesterbrook for eleven years. New this year, Casey Loftus, works at Chesterbrook on Tuesday, Wednesday and every other Thursday. You may catch a glimpse of Ms. King's smiling face as she helps with Kiss and Ride or Ms. Loftus' smiling face as she greets students as they enter the school in the mornings. Their office is on the left side of the hall just past the pod. Students frequently stop by in the morning to write messages on their white board.
On a monthly (and sometimes bi-weekly) basis, Ms. King and Ms. Loftus conduct classroom guidance lessons for the students at Chesterbrook. These lessons are a combination of predetermined topics and individual classroom needs. Some topics that will be discussed in classroom guidance lessons this year include anti-bullying strategies, listening skills, goal setting, and conflict resolution. Ms. King and Ms. Loftus also work with referred Chesterbrook students in group and individual counseling settings.
Referrals can come from teachers, students, or parents. Needs assessments of students are also given to teachers to help highlight some students in need of support. The needs assessments contribute to student participation in groups and classroom guidance topics. All of the lessons delivered in both classroom guidance and group counseling are based on the American School Counseling Association's (ASCA) National Standards for School Counseling and the Standards for School Counseling Programs in VirginiaPublic Schools. These standards can be found on the FCPS Chesterbrook Counseling Blackboard 24/7 page.
Ms. King is the adult sponsor for some of the SCA student committees: Welcoming, Character and Community. These committees are open to any 5th or 6th grader who wants to join.
She also runs the Mediation Program. In 4th grade guidance, she does a unit on mediation, so that all students understand the basic format of a mediation as done in FCPS. In 5th grade, students are chosen to be mediators. Ms. King asks 5th grade teachers for suggestions and then asks those students if they are interested in becoming mediators. The student mediators attend workshop 2, Advanced Mediation, at the George Mason Mediation Conference in March of their 5th grade year. As 6th graders, they mediate disputes referred to them by 2nd-5th grade students.
Please read on to find out more about Chesterbrook's School Counselors. |
Meet Casey Loftus and Sue King
Chesterbrook's School Counselors
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Ms. King shares some of her favorite things:
What are some of your favorite projects at Chesterbrook? I enjoy all of the service projects that the SCA committees do. Committee members count and categorize cans, boxes and bags and report on the news show about how well the food collections are going. The Community Committee is recycling juice pouches, printer cartridges and cell phones. The Character Committee is responsible for counting all the Chesterbrook Cheers given out in a week. The progress is tracked for whole school rewards. The most recent award (2009 cheers) resulted in extra recess today. Chesterbrook Cheers are reward slips given to students who are following expectations (respect, responsibility and readiness) in the hallways, cafeteria, and on the playground at recess. Students who receive a slip write their name on the back and then turn the slip in to their homeroom teacher, who collects slips all week then bundles them and sends them to the office. Red Ribbon Week in October is fun, with lots of activities and decorations focusing on making safe, healthy choices. The Valentine Drive is wonderful-students make hand-done Valentine cards for our neighbors at Arleigh Burke and the Sylvestry. Other projects that we'll start this year are student-made films for Positive Behavior Support (better known as Respect, Responsibility and Readiness in the hallways, cafeteria and playground) and films to publicize what the mediators and SCA committees do. I am also really excited about Paint Ms. King's Car! It will be hard to give up the fantastic job students did last spring, but at the Fun Fair in March I will raffle off the chance for another student to paint my car.
What is your favorite type of music? My favorite is folk-rock and folk, especially English or Irish. I also really like Hawaiian music, Girl Scout and campfire songs.
What is your favorite book? I like mysteries and memoirs, but I am also a fan of children's literature--among my favorites are Tuck Everlasting, Caddie Woodlawn, Fudge, the Henry Huggins, Beezus & Ramona Quimby books, the Dark is Rising series, the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder, and Harry Potter (of course).
What is your favorite food? I love Hawaiian food: poi, seaweed salad, steamed pork and fish wrapped in spinach--yum! I also love American food, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Ethiopian, Greek, Middle Eastern, Indian, Italian, French, Mexican, Afghan. Dessert I consider to be a category unto itself!
What is your background? I was born and raised in Hawaii, and my parents and brother and his family still live there. I have two grown daughters, one working in Baltimore and one finishing her senior year at Bowling GreenState in Ohio. My extended family gather in Northern California every July for a reunion, so I have a chance to keep up with 11 nephews, nieces, and cousins ranging in age from 25 (he's getting married in March) to 4 (she wants to be a penguin when she grows up) as well as their parents and grandparents!
What is your favorite thing about Chesterbrook? Working as the school counselor at Chesterbrook is my "dream job." I feel so lucky to be here, at a school that really is a community, where parents and staff work so hard to create and maintain a challenging, fun, and exciting place to learn. |
Ms. Loftus shares some of her favorite things:
What are some of your favorite projects at Chesterbrook? I really enjoy working with the children in small groups. I find that through group work I can get to know the student's personalities, listen to each of their ideas, and help each student grow.
What is your favorite type of music? Right now my favorite types of music are Christmas Carols and Holiday music. I love the joy each song brings! During non-holiday seasons, I mainly like listening to acoustic coffee house type music.
What is your favorite book? Picking my favorite book is tricky! I love to read and try to read a new novel every two weeks. I know it is very counselor-ish, but I really like the Sullivan Crisp novel series. I also like books about modern life. A few recent books I have read and liked include Any Minute, The Time Traveler's Wife, and A Turn in the Road.
What is your favorite food? Like my music, my favorite food changes with the season. Generally, I like Italian and French cuisine. Right now my favorite dish is Red beet gnocchi with crab, which I've found at Extra Virgin in Shirlington. I also love to make creations in the kitchen, and am currently learning how to cook.
What is your background? Northern Virginia is home to me, as I grew up in Fairfax County. I recently moved here from Charlottesville, Virginia, and have also lived in Newport News, Virginia. I am very glad to be back home, close to family and long-time friends. |
| ADDITIONAL ITEMS OF INTEREST |
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Smart Boys Using Smart Moves to Reduce Local Traffic
By: Amy Hill
Five Chesterbrook boys and two other McLean students have come up with a ride-sharing website that was featured in the Washington Post last Thursday. Their First Lego League Team, the "NXT Squad" won first place in Robot Design in the regional competition in Chantilly recently. In this year's competition, called "Smart Moves" and featuring transportation issues, the team scored high enough in the other three areas of the competition to advance to the State Championship, to be held in Harrisonburg, VA this weekend. One of these other areas was the competition's Science Project, from which the www.carbuddiesmclean.2biondi.com/Home.html
website idea was born.
The team extends a big "thank you" to all in the Chesterbrook community who participated in the McLean traffic survey sent out a few weeks back. Take a look at the Post article, and scroll down to the flyer (that the boys created) to see some of the survey results, and find out how you can share a ride and get cars off our roads. Using the email address in the flyer, please also let the team know about your local ride-sharing efforts.
Our kids have big ideas about how to reduce traffic around here, and you can help them make it a reality!
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PEATC: Special Education Resource for Parents in the Community
Not far from Chesterbrook Elementary School on N. Washington St. in Falls Church is the Northern Virginia Office of the Parent Education Advocacy Training Center ("PEATC"). PEATC is a Virginia non-profit organization which provides support, education and training to parents and schools in connection with special education.
PEATC staff members speak with parents directly about a child's specific situation. They offer suggestions for handling concerns or issues. PEATC staff members are also experts on the technicalities and legal requirements of the special education process. They routinely answer questions like "Who is a parent allowed to bring to an Individualized Education Program (IEP) meeting?" (The PEATC answer is ANYONE.)
PEATC also provides Web-based and printed resources. The PEATC website, www.peatc.org, contains numerous articles for parents. These include:
· Understanding Inclusion: Internet Resources
· When the Going Gets Tough, It's Time for Partnerships
· IEP Checklist
· Understanding Virginia's SOLs and Graduation for Students with Disabilities
The PEATC website also contains an event calendar which lists numerous events from the area. There is at least one workshop, support group meeting, speech or forum pertaining to special education per week in the DC area.
PEATC also provides assistance to families in the transition from school to life in the community. PEATC's "NEXT STEPS" Transition Program offers eight workshops to assist families with four major goals of transition: employment or additional education; development of social and interpersonal relationships; independent living; and self advocacy.
PEATC also conducts training for parents and teachers.For example, Michelle Frappier, Program Director, presented a workshop at the Virginia PTA conference titled Special Education Support For Your Situation.
She first reviewed the history of the federal Individuals with Disabilities Education Act from 1973 to 2004. This law arose from parents' refusal to institutionalize children with special needs. Parents are entitled to procedural safeguards set forth in federal, state and local law, continued Frappier. There is also no movement in the IEP process without the parent's involvement. Frappier stressed the importance of parents as active IEP members. Above all, parents are the experts on their own children. Finally, Frappier described the special education process as a cycle: Referral, Evaluation, Eligibility, IEP, Instruction and Monitoring and Annual Review.
PEATC advises parents to navigate the special education process in three ways. First, build relationships. Respect and listen to educators. Take the time to communicate with them. Most importantly, urges PEATC, do not go straight to the school principal without speaking with the teacher or other professional first. Second, parents must learn the special education process by researching the process and listening to and asking questions of the professionals involved. Finally, PEATC encourages parents to advocate for their children and be willing to disagree with a program.
Contact Information for PEATC
Phone: 703-923-0010 Email: partners@peatc.org; Website: www.peatc.org; Mail: 100 N. Washington St. #234, Falls Church, VA 22046
PEATC is a resource outside Fairfax County Public Schools. ChesterbrookElementary School has an exceptional special education staff that is always available to answer your questions. In addition, Fairfax County has a large Department of Special Services. You can visit their website at www.fcps.edu/dss to explore the vast special education resources of the County. |
Ask Brook
 Are you new to Chesterbrook (and maybe even the McLean community) and have a question (like What's Greco Day or How do I enroll in mylunchmoney.com) but don't know who to ask? Send an email to askbrook@chesterbrook.org.
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| Upcoming Events at Chesterbrook |
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First Grade Holiday Celebration Dec 7
Inclusive Schools Week Dec 7 -11
(See We Belong Poster Contest Below)
PTA Morning Meeting 8:45 am Dec 8
6th Grade Strings and Choral Program Dec 10
Next Chesterbrook School Byline Dec 10
Cultural Arts: "The Spilling Ink Project" Dec 15
K-3 8:45 AM
4-6 9:45 AM
Two Hour Early Release Day (1:20 PM) Dec 23
Winter Holidays (School Closed) Dec 24 - Jan 1
First Day Back at School Jan 4 |
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McLean WinterFest, Sunday, Dec. 6th
Join your friends and neighbors on Sunday, Dec. 6, as McLean officially welcomes the holiday season with the second annual community parade, the McLean WinterFest. The parade starts at 4 p.m. on Sunday and spans the 1300 block of Chain Bridge Road - from SunTrust Bank to Rocco's. The parade route includes a heated refreshment tent.
The parade ends with the annual tree lighting ceremony on HolidayIsland. Several Girl Scout and Boy Scout troops from Chesterbrook ES will be marching in the parade. Here's a link to an article from last year's parade:
http://www.mcleanchamber.org/Files/Business%20Newslink_January%202009.pdf |
WE BELONG! A Disability Awareness Poster Contest Sponsored by The Arc of Northern Virginia
Theme: We Belong: People of all disAbilities want to have A Life Like Yours (ALLY). People with all disAbilities want a place to Live, Learn, Work, and Socialize.
Eligibility: Open to the Public for All ages
Submission Dates: December 1 - 23, 2009 (Deadline is December 23rd at 5 pm)
Any media may be used to create a flat or two dimensional effect (paint, crayon, colored pencil, charcoal, stickers, paper or other materials on regular posters. Posters size must be 18" x 22". All posters may be created by an individual or team (individual/team names address and telephone number need to be included in submission).
The Theme: "We Belong" must be on your poster (Please do not use another title)
Younger children may receive help from parents but most of the work should be done by children.
Posters will be judged by a panel of judges and judged on: Disability Awareness Message (50%), Visual Effectiveness(30%), Originality (10%), & Universal Appeal (10%)
Prize: Bus Ride with The Arc to Richmond, VA on 01/18/10 for a reception, Photo with your poster, Complimentary T-Shirt, Poster displayed on the 7th floor of the General Assembly Building in Richmond, VA for 6-8 week show.
Mail/Delivery Location: The Arc of NoVA, 98 N. Washington St, Falls Church, VA22046,
Questions: Please contact Angela Thanyachareon nthanyacha@aol.com or 703-532-3214
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Advertising Guidelines
If you would like to include an ad in the Chronicle, please email editor@chesterbrook.org. In keeping with our goal to support the Chesterbrook community, classified ads must be relevant and fit within these guidelines.
· Ads will be placed on a space available, first come first served basis. We reserve the right to edit or refuse any classified ad.
· Ads are offered free of charge to Chesterbrook students, staff, parents, or alumni.
· For businesses not associated with Chesterbrook students, staff, parents, or alumni, we only consider ads that have an educational value or would be of benefit to our member community. A $10 donation to the PTA is requested with each ad.
Disclaimer The posting of advertising on this site does not constitute or imply an endorsement by the Chesterbrook PTA of the advertiser. The content of all advertisements is that of the advertiser alone and the Chesterbrook PTA does not assume responsibility for such content nor does it verify the accuracy of or exert editorial control over such content. The decision to view and/or act upon any advertising is that of the viewer and the Chesterbrook PTA shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused by or associated in any way with such advertising or any action taken in connection therewith. |
Take the HOME out of
HOMEWORK
Are homework battles turning your kitchen into a war zone?
Learning coach with ADHD experience will shepherd your child through homework assignments during daily group study sessions in McLean.
Sessions include:
· Writing skills
· Math facts, vocabulary and spelling drills
· Reading fluidity
· Taking notes
· Project and report management
Private sessions also available.
Reasonable rates. Limited space.
Call Lisa Gordon at 703-241-7807 |
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Chesterbrook Chronicle Newsletter Disclaimer
The Chesterbrook PTA Chronicle Newsletter may contain external links to non-Chesterbrook ES PTA web sites and access to certain third-party services, which may include, without limitation, social bookmarking services. These external links and services are provided as a convenience, and the Chesterbrook ES PTA is not responsible for the content of any linked web site or use of any third-service service. Any external link to a non-Chesterbrook ES PTA web site or service accessed from the Chesterbrook PTA Chronicle Newsletter is independent from the Chesterbrook ES PTA, and the Chesterbrook ES PTA has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policy, terms of use and practices of such web site or service. Any such web site or service has terms of use and a privacy policy different from the Chesterbrook ES PTA's privacy policy. In addition, an external link to any non-Chesterbrook ES PTA web site or access to a third-party service does not imply that the Chesterbrook ES PTA endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or use of such web site or service. By using any such web site or service, you expressly release the Chesterbrook ES PTA from any liability arising from your use of such third-party web site and service and any related content.
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