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President's Remarks
What more can I say except, Thank You! What a spectacular five weeks of fundraising! In case you missed it last week, here are the gross revenues:
Online Auction: $41,600
Sponsorships: 7,000
Donations: 975
Fun Fair: 26,767
Total: $76,342
Expenses are estimated at $16,000 leaving $60,000 for PTA Programs that benefit our Students, Teachers, School and Families. This is about 15% better than the average for the past three years, due mainly to . . .
- An increase in the number of affordable items available on our Online Auction.
- A 600% increase in the amount raised through corporate and family sponsorships.
- More donations through the Online Auction.
None of this would have been possible if not for our generous Chesterbrook Families. Not only did you donate items to the Online Auction and Fun Fair but you then turned around and bought the stuff back by participating as bidders in the Auction and attending the Fun Fair.
Most of our Online Auction sponsors (see sidebar) are Chesterbrook parents.
My thanks to the Online Auction Team, including the platoon of solicitors, foremost among them . . .
- Roger Moskowitz. Roger's business and personal connections are legendary! I would estimate that Roger's donor development is responsible for at least 55% of the net profits over the past several years.
- Lori Boerner also solicited many donations and went beyond the call of duty by completing donor forms for the donors and collecting the items from them!
- Betty Ende was also responsible for quite a few donations.
- Kevin McCarthy for working the McLean businesses.
- Melinda Miller for building a list of generous business donors over the span on the last several auctions. Melinda's donor development is responsible for at least 30% of the net profits over the past few years.
- Dale Lumme for adding sizzle with ATK's two Shuttle Launch packages.
- Pam Freedman and Delia Swigart for proofreading. Pam and Delia proofread EVERY auction item promptly and provided excellent feedback for improvement!
- Delia Swigart for producing and mailing ALL of the thank you notes to donors.
- Eleanor Gollob for her support and counsel.
- Susan Luce for building the framework for the online auction through her chairmanship in 2008 and 2009; and for her consulting with us these last few months.
- Bob Nelson for his excellent work developing the sponsorship program.
And, of course, Julia Nelson who organized and managed the process through thick and thin. Julia surely and steadily built the auction list every week. Trees in her living room did not deter Julia. Snow? Could NOT stop Julia. Thanks, Julia.
On the Fun Fair side of the house, my thanks to our Co-Chairs, Candace Soberman and Melinda Settles, for putting on an amazing community event! Candace and Melinda's organizational and operational skills were put to good use as they ran a very smooth operation.
- Kim Osborne for the Balloon Raffle. She canvassed local businesses for coupons and prepared the envelopes. Many thanks to all the Chesterbrook families for your generous donations!
- Margaret Kaplan for coordinating all the Room Parents in the recruitment of volunteers to run the Fair.
- And, of course, all of the Room Parents who recruited our volunteers.
- Laurie Plishker and Kathy Maalouf for co-chairing the Teacher Raffle with Erin Robinson. A big thank you to the Teachers who donated their time and talent for the many fun and interesting items that were part of the Teacher Raffle.
- Ann-Marie Turnage for taking care of ticket pre-sales, which helped get the kids to their favorite activities quickly without waiting in line.
- Olivia Trible, Gretchen Govan, and Grace O'Grady for another great job with the Class Basket Raffle. A special thanks to all of the Chesterbrook Families who donated items to fill those baskets. (This is Olivia's last year at Chesterbrook.)
- Beth Raymond and Kristin Tiscione for managing the food sales operation and cafeteria volunteers. (This is Kristin's last year at Chesterbrook.)
- Jenn Clark, Gina Manning and Kim Johnson for their gorgeous presentation of the Bake Sale. (Jenn and Drew are moving to Illinois for a few years.) What kind of a Bake Sale would we have if not for the all of the delicious goodies that Chesterbrook Families donated? Thanks also to Roger Moskowitz who arranged for the McCormick and Schmick's apple pies. The Chesterbrook Starbuck's donated the coffee.
- Kim Johnson also catered the Hospitality Suite.
- Betty Ende for managing the Cake Walk purchases. She worked with the Chesterbrook Safeway to get a good deal on the price of the cakes. Betty also managed the team of Chesterbrook student volunteers who decorated the cakes.
- Julie Murphy for purchasing the candies and spending days counting and putting items in the tennis ball cans for the Guesstimates.
- Vicki Gilmer for purchasing the prizes and stocking Pick-A-Pocket vests and managing the Lollipop trees.
- Brigette Trono for running the Prize Room.
- Ken and Zoe Dirks for taking care of setting up and breaking down the game rooms and coordinating operations.
- Diane Ross for making the many signs to keep the crowd informed and moving in the right direction.
- Gretchen Van der Veer who ran the Volunteer Check-In Desk.
- Beth Mahood for running the backroom operation with the help of Laura Przypyszny and a crack team of accountants.
- Our Talented Teachers for helping with Pick-A-Pocket, Balloon Raffle, and Teachers' Raffle. The Teachers' Raffles had many fun and interesting items.
- Al Nascimi, Lan Ong, and Chau Nguyen for helping with set-up and clean-up.
- Isabel Mancilla who opened up her kitchen to us.
- We also thank the Kindergarten, 5th Grade, and 6th Grade Teachers and Mrs. Moseley for the use of their classrooms and the Library.
Linda Barnard, Nancy Thomas, Debbie Pereira, and Kay Park for their help with the Online Auction and the Fun Fair. They accepted, protected, and directed all of the stuff delivered to the school.
Let's see . . . who am I forgetting? Oh, yeah, Principal Bob Fuqua and Assistant Principal Michelle Paper who trusted us with their school house, approved all of those Online Auction and Fun Fair flyers, and were supportive and appreciative of our efforts.
And finally, thanks to the many parent and student volunteers from McLean HS and Longfellow MS and even some from Chesterbrook who helped with setup, ticket sales, face painting, running games, redeeming prizes, selling food, and finally clean-up. We couldn't do this without you!
On to the next important item: We need to fill the following leadership/management positions for the 2010-2011 school year:
Family Fun Events School Outreach Chair
School Kits Chair Science Appreciation Chair
Gift Wrap Co-Chair Cultural Diversity Liaison
Website Editor Friday Digest Editor
FLEX Program Coordinator Yearbook Editor
Chipmunk Avenue Manager
Chairpersons of Standing Committees are also PTA Board Members which means they participate directly in the decisionmaking process. Our annual budget is more than $200,000 which is nothing to sneeze at!
Last thing: Look for the Spring Parent Survey in April. This is your chance to register your opinions about the PTA's operations and priorities. We appreciate the confidence you place in our leadership team but we also want -- nay, need -- to hear from you.
Greg Brandon, Chesterbrook PTA President
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Fun Fair Bake Sale a Huge Success!
Gina Manning and Jennifer Clark would like to send an enthusiastic and heartfelt thank you to all the fantastic, creative bakers, as well as our fantastic volunteers, for making this year's Fun Fair Bake Sale the most successful one to date! From the "space alien" and "pink piggy" cupcakes to homemade cakes, pecan pies, dulce de leche-filled cookies, chocolate-dipped strawberries, banana split cupcakes, hot cross buns, those famous McCormick & Schmick's apple pies, our list of sweet treats stretched a mile long (far too long to mention them all here). We couldn't have done it without your generous donations...not to mention your generous purchases. Thank you Chesterbrook families!
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| PTA SPONSORED ENRICHMENT ACTIVITIES |
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Summer Quest 2010 Registration In Progress 
CLASSES ADDED:
Summer Strings Spectacular for Rising K through 7th graders. Pre-requisite: 2 years strings experience. SQWK1AM-11, SQWK1PM-10, SQWK2AM-12 and SQWK2PM-11.
Making Math Fun for Rising 4th & 5th graders. SQWK1AM-12
Basketball for Rising 4th, 5th, 6th & 7th graders. SQWK1PM-11
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New Tool for Room Parents
By: Laurie Plishker
VolunteerSpot.com is a relatively new online system for coordinating volunteers for various activities, and it's free! It can help Room Parents do their jobs and manage any number of functions and events. VolunteerSpot allows an "organizer" to schedule activities or shifts over multiple days and times. The organizer can then invite potential volunteers through an email sent by the system or with a link in a personal email. Volunteers enter the website to a user-friendly calendar that shows all of the options, including which are filled, which still have spaces to fill, and who has already volunteered. It also allows people to sign up to bring something (food, supplies, etc.) Organizers can quickly keep tabs on how many and which slots are filled and where the holes are, as well as print sign-in sheets and rosters. The system allows the organizer to send messages to the group, both volunteers and those who haven't volunteered yet, to notify them of changes in times, new slots, or other information. VolunteerSpot then sends reminders to volunteers of their commitments.
I tried it out for filling Fun Fair volunteer slots for our class. It was really easy to set up the shifts and activities we were assigned. I copied and pasted the class email list into the system and it emailed an invitation. After clicking on the date on the webpage, they saw a list of 7 slots with different times and the Fun Fair activities they could choose. I had 4 volunteers within a couple hours! I used the system to send out a couple reminders that there were slots still open and to thank those who had already signed up. Then VolunteerSpot sent out reminders 2 days before Fun Fair to each volunteer with their time slot and activity.
It was really easy to set up and maintain, and doesn't involve a ton of "reply-all" emails sent around. Parents seemed to think it was easy to use too. We plan to try it out again with a bigger group over multiple days for the Spring Book Fair (June 1-4). Look out for it!
Note: The PTA does not endorse any particular online system. Others available include MySignUp.com (free), Jooners.com (fee-based), and Phonevite (PTA account). |
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Raising Your Child's Social IQ
By: Kim Suringa
Has your child mastered the Friendship Five, those important five skills he or she needs to make and keep friends?
According to local social skills expert Cathi Cohen, these five skills are:
Friendship Skill #1: Good Eye Contact
Friendship Skill #2. Communication and Conversation
Friendship Skill #3. Problem Solving
Friendship Skill #4: Reading Social Signals
Friendship Skill #5: Managing Emotions and Behavior
Cohen is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in private practice with In Step PC and spoke at the Fairfax County Annual Special Education Conference on March 20. Her website is www.insteppc.com. |
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Good Behavior One ... Two ... Three
Fairfax County Public Schools Behavior Intervention Specialists offered a workshop at the Special Education Conference offering behavior tips for parents. They stressed the three P's to good behavior - Prevent, Pre-correct and Predict. While some of their tips seemed conventional, like having something in the car for children to do, others were more innovative.
The FCPS Behavior Intervention Specialists offer regular behavior workshops for parents and can be reached through the Parent Resource Center at 703-204-3941 or http://www.fcps.edu/cco/prc/index.htm.
Celebrate Calm
Kirk Martin, Founder, Celebrate Calm, also offered his recommendations to parents about changing children's behavior. He emphasizes that anxiety from both the parent and the child causes most behavior problems.
Martin speaks regularly in the Washington, D.C. area and has a series of CDs with his tips for parents. For more information, visit www.CelebrateCalm.com.
To Read The Complete Article Please Click HERE. |
Jonathan Mooney Headlines Fairfax County Special Education Conference
By: Kim Suringa
Jonathan Mooney described himself as one of "those kids" who grew up "chilling out with janitors in the hallways;" one of "those kids" who "were always on a first name basis with Shirley, the receptionist in the principal's office;" and one of "those kids" who "grew up hiding in the bathroom to escape reading out loud." Mooney grew up in special education with dyslexia and ADHD. His high school counselor told him he would end up flipping burgers. Instead, he eventually graduated from Brown University, published two books, and established an educational non-profit.
First, children with special needs need to unlearn the belief that they are stupid, crazy or lazy.
Second, children with special needs need to stop being told that they are broken and need to be fixed.
Finally, children with special needs must learn they are different, not deficient.
You can learn more about Jonathan Mooney, his views and writings at www.jonathanmooney.com. |
Update on the PTA Forgotten Lunch Program
By: Susie French
Chesterbrook Elementary has continued the PTA Forgotten Lunch Program this year. If there are insufficient funds on your child's lunch card to buy a lunch for $2.65, the cafeteria manager will charge the lunch on a sibling's lunch card. Please note that FCPS only subsidizes the first lunch purchased on the card that day, so the second lunch will cost $3.65. If there is insufficient money on the sibling's card or no siblings at Chesterbrook, then the lunch will be charged on the PTA Lunch Card. The cafeteria manager, Isabel Mancilla, records when a child uses the PTA Lunch Card.
NEW THIS YEAR -- If your child has a balance with the PTA Lunch Card, we prefer you reimburse your child's PTA Lunch Card with a check payable to "Chesterbrook PTA" (noting in the memo line PTA Forgotten Lunch Program) as soon as possible. If repayment is not made, the next step is for Isabel to deduct the amount due from payments you make to your child's FCPS lunch card.
If you haven't already, I hope you'll consider setting up an account through www.mylunchmoney.com. This service is not only a great way to ensure that your child(ren)'s lunch card have funds (through automatic debit or reminder emails), but is also a great way for you to monitor the purchases your child has made that week. Remember, the PTA's Forgotten Lunch Program is not intended to subsidize lunches for Chesterbrook students. It ultimately should be a zero cost item in our budget, and we hope that everyone will make an effort to avoid having to use the program at all or, if necessary, make our jobs easier by repaying us quickly. |
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Jump Rope for Heart Event
For the third year, Chesterbrook students took part in Jump Rope for Heart-a jump rope program sponsored by the American Heart Association. Students participated in special jumping events during their regular PE class time on March 23rd and 24th. Earlier in the year, they watched a video from the American Heart Association where they learned about how their heart works and what they can do to prevent heart disease and stroke. Students had the option to raise money for the American Heart Association by collecting donations from family and friends. If you're interested in donating to this event, but didn't get a chance to yet, you can still participate by sending in your envelope by Monday, April 5th. Once the Chesterbrook PTA has tallied the funds, we'll send out a report on how much money was raised. So far this year, Chesterbrook students have raised over $6,500. This will also result in providing Chesterbrook's PE program with $300 in free PE equipment. |
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Thanks Wheat's Landscaping!
Wheat's Landscaping has been busy mulching and cleaning up the flower beds at Chesterbrook. Check out how nice the beds look next time you're at school!
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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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Beauty and the Beast Tea Party and Matinee: Cooper Middle School
Cooper Middle School will present a special matinee of their spring musical, "Beauty and the Beast", on Sunday, April 18th. The matinee will be preceded by a character tea party hosted by Belle, Mrs. Potts, Chip and all of your favorite Beauty and the Beast characters. The character tea party will begin at 1:00 PM at Cooper Middle School on Balls Hill Road in McLean. Cast members will serve punch and cookies and pose for pictures with your students- please bring your own camera. The show starts at 2:00 PM. Tickets for this special tea party and matinee are $8 per child. No reservations are necessary. Tickets for the show for adults are $8. "Beauty and the Beast" is also being presented on Friday and Saturday evenings, April 16th and 17th at 7:00 PM. For further information, please contact Susan Mayman at smayman@verizon.net . |
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Earth Day Grocery Bag Project
Students at Chesterbrook Elementary School can show they care about the environment by participating in the Earth Day Grocery Bag Project. It is an easy, cost-free, environmental awareness project that teams up students and grocery stores to protect our planet. Millions of students and teachers around the world plan will show their commitment to protect our environmental by participating in this project (it's been going on since the early 1990's).
Starting April 7, the Chesterbrook Safeway is providing paper grocery bags to each classroom for students to decorate with messages of environmental awareness (see the suggested ideas below). Some teachers will encourage students to decorate their paper grocery bags in the classroom. All students may decorate their paper grocery bags at home and bring them back to school.
On Tuesday, April 20, the finished grocery bag masterpieces will be collected from the classrooms and taken back to our neighborhood Chesterbrook Safeway store.
On April 22 - Earth Day 2010 - Chesterbrook Safeway customers will start using the grocery bags decorated by Chesterbrook students, taking home both their groceries and the students' environmental messages. Each decorated bag is a reminder that kids care and are doing their part to protect the environment. For some ideas on how students can decorate their grocery bags, see the end of this message.
For more information, go to: www.earthdaybags.org. To find out how you can help even more with this project at Chesterbrook ES, contact Nicole Hauser at Nicole.Hauser@fcps.edu, or Tracie Becker at traciebecker@cox.net. |
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 In 2009 hundreds of millions of people around the world showed their support by turning off their lights for one hour. Earth Hour 2010 will continue to be a global call to action to every individual, every business and every community. A call to stand up, to show leadership and be responsible for our future. Pledge your support here and turn off your lights for one hour, Earth Hour, 8.30pm, Saturday, March 27th 2010. It's Showtime! Show what can be done!
Earth Hour is organized by WWF. With almost 5 million supporters and a global network in over 100 countries, it's one of the world's largest and most respected independent conservation organizations. WWF's mission is to stop the degradation of the Earth's natural environment and build a future where people live in harmony with nature. |
Calendar of Recycling/Shredding Events
Shred Documents - March 27th
8a.m. - 11 a.m., Northern VirginiaCommunity College: Annandale Campus, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale
9 a.m. - 2 p.m., SouthCountyGovernmentCenter, 8350 Richmond Highway, Alexandria
10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Landmark Mall, Duke Street Entrance, Alexandria
Electric Sunday TV and Computer Recycling Event - March 28th
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the I-95 Landfill Complex, 9850 Furnace Road, Lorton
Earth Day/Arbor Day Event, - April 24th
11 a.m. - 4 p.m., Northern VirginiaCommunity College, 8333 Little River Turnpike, Annandale. This family fair will feature activities for children, entertainment, food and exhibitors. Document shredding will be available from 9 a.m. - 2 p.m. only. Earth Day/ Arbor Day is sponsored by Clean Fairfax Council, the Fairfax County Solid Waste Management Program and NorthernVirginiaCommunity College.
Electric Sunday TV and Computer Recycling Event - April 25th
10 a.m. - 3 p.m. at the I-66 Transfer Station, 4618 West Ox Road, Fairfax |
| Chesterbrook Calendar |
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Spirit Day-Wear your favorite Sports Clothes Mar 26
Spring Vacation Mar 29 - Apr 2
Sixth Grade Science Fair Apr 6
Earth Day Grocery Bag Project Begins Apr 7
Sixth Grade to Pamplin Park Apr 8
Makeup Snow Day (Full School Day) Apr 12
Fourth Grading Period Begins Apr 13
PTA Executive Board Meeting 8:45 AM
(BYO Breakfast) Apr 13
Parent Coffee for Rising Seventh Graders 9 - 10 AM
(Held at Longfellow MS) Apr 14
Miss Barker's Class Play 9 AM & 2 PM Apr 15
Administrative Professionals Appreciation Week Apr 19 - 23
How to Thrive at Longfellow 7 - 9 PM
(Held at McLean HS) Apr 21
Fifth Grade to Natural History Museum Apr 21
Earth Day Apr 22
School Progress Reports Go Home Apr 22
Sixth Grade Panoramic Picture Day Apr 26
First Grade to Great Falls Park Apr 27
Greco Day Apr 27
Spring Picture Day Apr 28
Miss Butler Class Play 9 AM & 2 PM Apr 29
PTA April Chronicle Published Apr 29 |
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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. |
Artworks Studio B
Offering art camps in
Drawing, Painting, and Mixed Media
In these camps, students are taught to be
keen observers as they develop art skills.
Now Enrolling for
Summer Art Camps with Sue Bikoff,Master of Fine Arts Degree, Exhibiting artist
in U.S. and Overseas, 26 years of
teaching experience in universities and magnet art schools.
www.artworksstudiob.com |
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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School & PTA Partners
The Chesterbrook PTA Executive Committee Offers Our Sincere Thanks To Our School and PTA Partners. |
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A Chesterbrook Grandmother
The Khani Family
The Brandon Family
The Russo Family
The Clancy Family
The Gralla Family
The Chesterbrook PTA Executive Committee Offers Our Sincere Thanks To Our Auction Sponsors. | |
