Chesterbrook PTA Friday Digest

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Pertinent Points for the Week Ahead
from the Chesterbrook PTA

Vol.2, No.18

February 11, 2011

I have begun my last three weekly newsletter drafts with "At the risk of putting the cart before the horse," and then deleting it and saving for next week. But I think I am safe with it now. I am pleased to announce that we are ready to roll out our new Chesterbrook PTA website on Monday. Many thanks to Dana Renz who did all the research on our best option for a vendor, switched products several times to make sure we get what we need, moved over existing text and content, and created all new content. Dana had additional input, advice, and labor from Julie Hay, Lori Boerner, Trisha Downey, Nancy Stuckwisch, Betty Ende, Laura Przypyszny, and Kurt Kohls, so thanks to all! Our aim is to simplify and streamline both what information is available on the website and how you move through it. The new site does away with often-forgotten usernames, using email addresses instead. Once you place an order (Fun Fair products, SummerQuest, Before- and After-School Activities, School Kits, PTA Memberships, Friends Contributions), you will automatically have an account using that email address, which you can use for everything moving forward. We are still working out some kinks in the system but plan to have it rolled out in time to order Fun Fair wristbands and tickets and enroll in SummerQuest camps this coming Monday, February 14 at 6 pm. Watch out then for our opening announcement!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our First Annual International Night! By any measure it was a great success! Thank you to Nancy Stuckwisch and her team and all the families representing the countries. Please remember to watch or record FCPS Red Apple 21 "SchoolScene" on Monday, February 14 at 1 pm, 6 pm, and 10 pm on Channel 21. The producer and videographer attended and shot footage for over an hour--maybe you're a star!

It was great to see some new faces at our general membership PTA meeting last Tuesday. Julia Seroskie of MassMutual, our presenter on financial planning for college, is happy to take additional questions, so please contact her at jseroskie@finsvcs.com.

Please plan to attend this month's Principal's Coffee, featuring our two school counselors, Sue King and Casey Loftus, on Wednesday, February 16 at 10 am in the library. Counselors provide a wide range of services both in and out of classrooms at our school and are a great source of information on many issues affecting our children. Come hear about what they do and how they help all our children. And there's coffee!

Last but certainly not least, start your bidding! Our Auction opens at 4 pm this Sunday! Giant thank yous to Julia Nelson and her team who've put in countless hours preparing for this.

To Do This Week

Bids for the Kids!

Taylor Swift tickets, signed basketballs and hockey sticks, Nationals/Redskins/Caps/Orioles tickets, Cal Ripkin jersey, American Girl doll, JetBlue and Amtrack tickets, golf near and far, restaurants, spas, hotels, Nintendo wii...all these and tons more are ready and waiting for our auction to open Sunday afternoon at 4 pm! And new items are being added every day. Please visit the to preview all of the times.

Thank you for your support and we look forward to your participation in the fundraiser. Of course it is NOT TOO LATE to secure a donations--all you need is the Donor Form. If you have questions, please contact us at auctions@chesterbrook.org.

Sign Up Today for GOTR

Exciting GOTR News for Girls in Grade 3 to 5! We will be having two sections of Girls on the Run this spring! This popular program has been oversubscribed for the last few semesters. This spring, we will be offering two sections -- one coached by Ms. Hauser and Ms. Dillman and one coached by Ms. Myren and Ms. Navarro. Both sections will meet on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons from 3:30 to 4:30 pm. GOTR will begin on March 7 and end on May 20. The 5K will take place at George Mason University on May 15.

GOTR uses an innovative and fun curriculum designed exclusively for pre-teen girls to address specific life skills through the use of games, warm-ups and workouts. The goals of the program are to encourage positive emotional, social, mental, and physical development.

Registration for the GOTR lottery takes place from February 11 until February 17. Please go to www.gotrnova.org to register during that time. While there will be a lottery if necessary, we are hopeful that having two sections will mean that all interested girls will be able to participate. The fee for the program is $165. Financial aid is available.

If you have additional questions, please contact the GOTR PTA manager, Anna Kraus, at 703-533-0674 or akraus@cov.com.

Get Ready for Fun Fair

Fun Fair comes right on the heels of the Online Auction on March 12, and the committee has already been working hard on a new and updated Fair. We have new games, new food (Subway sandwiches, in addition to pizza), new little kid area with its own moonbounce, new vendor area, and the biggest change: all-you-can-play-all-day wristbands (limited for Cake Walk and Pick-a-Pocket wins).

Look out in this week for information from your Room Parent on volunteering on the day of Fun Fair. It takes 6-8 volunteers per class to run the games, food, prizes, and ticket sales, over an above our many committee members. This is a great opportunity to meet other parents and your kids' friends! Since it's on a weekend, it's a time when working moms and dads can volunteer at school as well.

Information on online ordering of wristbands/tickets, cake donations, and Balloon Raffle donations through our new website will be sent out on Monday. For more information, contact the Fun Fair Committee.