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| Gold and Platinum Business Friends | 
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| FAQs | Question: Now that spring is here and the weather is better (though was it really ever bad this year?), I was thinking about fitness and what's going on with all the improvements to our outdoor facilities.
Answer: Good timing--we have a lot going on! We are holding a Grand Opening of the QR Fitness Trail (see below) on Monday, March 26 at 2:30 pm, so come see what that's all about. Plus, we have submitted our work order to update the track surrounding the fields to make it an exact quarter mile and more even terrain. Don't forget that there are a number of Summer Quest camps (see below) with a fitness focus--basketball, soccer, running, bike safety, cheerleading, and flag football, as well as Insect Safari, Chesterbrook Rangers, Into the Wild, Save Our Streams which use our outdoor facilities. In addition, for all these exercise plans, you'll probably need a new Chesterbrook t-shirt (see right). Finally, plans are underway for the next Wounded Warriors run in the fall as well.
Check out our new FAQs section on the website for more as the year goes on. Send any questions to Ask Chester and we'll answer them here and/or on the website.
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Chesterbrook PTA Weekly Digest
No. 23, March 19, 2012
Happy Spring! Please note that our April PTA general membership meeting has been moved to Tuesday, April 17 at 8:30 am. There are lots of events coming up, so keep reading!
- Spring Activities Registration, ongoing, online
- Second Grade Showcase, Thursday, 3/22, 9 am and 2 pm
- Fitness Trail Ribbon Cutting event, 3/26, 2:30 pm, see below
- Spirit Wear orders due, Friday, 3/30, see below
- Spring Break, Monday, 4/2 through Monday, 4/9 (Monday, 4/9 is Teacher Workday)
- Schoolwide Picture, Wednesday, 4/12
- National Volunteers Week, 4/16-4/20
- PTA General Membership Meeting (DATE CHANGE), Tuesday, 4/17, 8:30 am
- Principal's Coffee, Tuesday, 4/17, 2-3 pm
- Administrative Professionals Week, 4/23-4/27
- Spring Book Fair, Monday, 4/23 through Friday, 4/27
- Parent Spring Social, featuring Veronneau, 4/28, 8-11 pm, Vinson Hall Penthouse, see below
Don't forget to complete Chesterbrook's school-wide parent survey!
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| Spring Activities Registration |
There is time to register for Spring Before- and After-School Activities! The PTA is offering spring sessions of drama, science enrichment and fitness warriors that will begin after spring break. Registration began last Thursday for the following on our website :- Drama, grades K-2 Tuesday and 2-5 Wednesday
- Fitness Warriors, grades 1-2 Tuesday and 5-6 Thursday (grade 3-4 is full)
- Science Enrichment, grade 4 Monday (grade 2 and 3 are full)
There are several changes to both drama and science enrichment. The drama age groupings have changed to address the larger demand for younger grades, and second graders will have flexibility to pick either session. The very popular science enrichment will have a new curriculum, Mission Space, and now has an offering for fourth graders! Flyers and details on our website. Please contact After School Activities Chair with additional questions.
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 Spring Spirit Wear Sale |  We are again taking orders for Chesterbrook Elementary spirit wear. Order forms were sent home in Thursday envelopes or may be downloaded here. We are offering the navy and pink t-shirts, the grey hooded sweatshirt, the navy polo shirts, and the car magnet. Color images of the designs may be seen here. Orders are due by Friday, March 30th. Delivery is expected in late April/early May. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Garcia.
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Help Wanted
| Occasional Art Assistance: Looking for a volunteer project that is low stress, low commitment and high value to the kids and the school? Help beautify Chesterbrook with our kids' amazing art! Art teacher Mrs. Kodsi needs occasional--approximately 4 times a year--help with matting  artwork and hanging framed art around the school. Days and times are very flexible, and help is only needed once every few months. We'd love to get a "pool" of potential volunteers to draw from as the needs arise. The work is fun and helps make Chesterbrook a fun, vibrant, warm and welcoming school. If you want to be part of a fun, flexible volunteer project, please contact Gina Manning. [Please note: Chesterbrook's art teachers (Mrs. Kodsi and Miss Cross) still need baby food jars and six ounce plastic yogurt containers for paint projects (not the smaller 4 ounce as the container needs to be easy for a student to hold on to)! If you have any to spare, please send them in with your child or you can drop them off in the front office with a note that they are for the art teachers.]
Now is also the time to step up if you would like to help with PTA activities and events for next year. The Nominating Committee is already working to fill some positions for the fall. However, we don't know you are interested unless you tell us. You do not need to be "nominated" by someone else -- that's what the Nominating Committee is for! If you are itching to get involved, let us know. Contact the Nominating Committee.
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| QR Fitness Trail Grand Opening | Please join us on Monday, March 26 at 2:30 pm at Circuit 1 of the Fitness Trail, located next to the playground for the Grand Opening of the Chesterbrook QR Fitness Trail. Mr. Kohls and Mr. Levesque developed this prototype that infuses QR Code technology and smart phones into fitness. With a QR Code reader on your phone, you will be  directed to fitness instruction videos with workout exercises featuring Miss Brooks and Mr. Levesque. Videos can be changed as needed, and the system can track usage from the school and community.
So dust off your shows, put on your Chesterbrook Spirit Wear, grab for SmartPhone, download a QR Code reader from your app store, and join us for our ribbon cutting to check out this cutting edge fitness trail! FCPS and media VIPs are attending, so come on our and show your Chesterbrook spirit!
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Summer Quest Registration Open
|  The 2012 Summer Quest camp registration has been open for a few weeks and classes are filling. However, we are nearing the point at which we must consider cancelling camps that have not met minimum enrollment. Please sign up soon to make sure your camp stays in business! This year camp runs from July 9 for 4 weeks through August 3. Again we have morning and afternoon sessions (children registered for both may bring a lunch) and after camp fun to make a full-day. Cost is $130 per session, plus listed supply fee. The reference chart lists camps by week, with morning (9 am-12pm) or afternoon (1-4 pm), grade levels (rising K through rising 7), camp name, and supply fee. The full program adds a description for each camp. Camp is open to all students regardless of school attending. Please note that because we opted not to password-protect our website, registration is open to ANYONE on the first day. Also, Summer Quest information is available on our Business Friend CampEasy's website this year, so we will have much more publicity and families all over the area can access our information. Chesterbrook students DO NOT get priority placement, so register early! The CampEasy site can help you sort through the Summer Quest options for your multiple kids' interests around your vacation schedule. Get ready for some summer fun! |
Rising Kindergarten Playdates
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We're still collecting contact information for our Rising K Playdate list. Over the summer our coordinators, Carrie Moore and Melissa McManus, will organize several playground playdates so kids (and parents!) can make some new friends before school starts. Please contact kinders@chesterbrookpta.org if you have questions about the playdates or anything about kindergarten. You can also register for the Kinders list, as well as PTA mailings on our website at the Newsletter Sign-Up on the righthand menu. |
| Chesterbrook Friends |  Wow -- we're so happy to have new Friends this week! Thank you to: - The Plaskow Family (Bronze level)
- The Mallard Family (Copper level)
Thanks to these new Friends and all our Friends for helping us close in on our fundraising goal! If you have questions or would like to get involved, contact Bob Nelson. |
| Save the Date - Parent Spring Social - April 28 |
Join us for a night of music, food and fun featuring Chesterbrook's very own Veronneau "an acoustic, song-based group playing Latin Jazz, Gypsy Swing and much more." We have reserved the Penthouse at Vinson Hall for Saturday, April 28, 2012 from 8-11 pm. Located right next to Chesterbrook, the Penthouse offers us a lovely space, food and drinks. Lookout for your invitation in Thursday folders. Book your sitters now!
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FCPS Youth Survey Findings for McLean Pyramid
| Dr. Dede Bailer, FCPS School Psychology Services, will be presenting the 2011 FCPS Youth Survey Results at the McLean High School Pyramid level on May 2nd from 6:30-8 pm in the McLean HS Lecture Hall. This is a unique opportunity for our community to see what our 6th, 8th, 10th and 12th grade students are saying about their behaviors, experiences, and risk and protective factors that influence their well-being.
The 2010-2011 Fairfax County Youth Survey Data will be broken down to illustrate data for just the McLean High School pyramid schools. Data at this level have never been publicly available before! Topics will include: alcohol and other substance usage, nutrition, sleep, bullying, and sexual health (6th graders not surveyed on sexual health topics).
This session is for any parent or staff member who has in interest in better understanding our children in order to help them be healthier and safer. These survey data will provide a lot of information about our youth: some expected, some shocking. How can we help our students if we don't understand what they are experiencing, thinking and feeling? There will be a presentation on the survey results followed by a discussion about what we can do as a community to improve the safety and health of our children, called "Three to Succeed."
Light snacks will be provided given that this presentation will take place during the dinner hour. If you have any questions about this event, please contact Longfellow/MHS parent Wilma Bowers.
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FLEX Summer Language Camp
| The FLEX program will offer Chinese, French, German and Spanish one-week summer language camps at four FCPS elementary schools. These camps are ideal for current FLEX students or newcomers who want to discover fun with languages. Children can begin or continue their world language learning while enjoying crafts, music, and activities, and sharing their experience with new friends. NOTE: These are different than the Spanish and Italian camps we are offering through our own Summer Quest program.
Most camps are from 9 am to noon; German Immersion* is from 10 am - 1 pm. Tuition is $179 per student. Languages include Chinese, French, German, and Spanish for beginning language learners in grades K - 6. Registration opens March 9, 2012 on the FLEX registration website.
Please download required FCPS Emergency Care Form. This form is used during the summer session and is required at the first class.
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Video Fairfax
| The application deadline for the 20th annual Video Fairfax Competition is rapidly approaching. The Video Fairfax program began in 1991 in order to promote student interest in film production by encouraging them to gain more experience in working with the art medium and exploring creative ideas through film. Ultimately, the competition seeks to leave students with a sense of personal accomplishment.
The Video Fairfax program promotes student interest in film and technology by encouraging them to gain experience in working with the art medium and exploring creative ideas and storytelling through film and new media. Winners will receive a cash award and Cox Communications will be making the winning entries available for viewing On Demand.
1st Prize: $500.00
2nd Prize: $200.00
3rd Prize: $100.00
Also new this year, we added more submission categories. We do accept cell phone videos. Be creative! Cash awards will be paid out directly to the winning students and entries will be judged in four grade level categories (K-3, Grade 4-6, Middle School, High School).
Registration deadline is Monday, April 2, 2012. The Awards Ceremony will be held on Friday, May 4, 2012 at the Stacy C. Sherwood Community Center.
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 Check out the Chesterbrook PTA Facebook page! We'll keep you up to date and in the know! |
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Chesterbrook PTA Newsletters Disclaimer
The Chesterbrook PTA Newsletter (Weekly Digest and Digest PLUS) may contain external links to non-Chesterbrook ES PTA websites 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 website or use of any third-service service. Any external link to a non-Chesterbrook ES PTA website or service accessed from the Chesterbrook PTA 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 website or service. Any such website 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 website 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 website or service. By using any such website or service, you expressly release the Chesterbrook ES PTA from any liability arising from your use of such third-party website and service and any related content. |
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