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In this issue
Field Day
PTA Openings
Going Green
School Outreach
Summer Quest
Kindergarten Playdates
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List
Like us on Facebook
Gold and Platinum Business Friends


Hier and Haines
FAQs
Question: What do I need to do about school supply kits for next year? A friend from another school said they now order before school is out.

Answer: Good question, especially as we are changing our system a bit for next fall. In order to cut down on administrative tasks, we are asking families to order their kits a little earlier this year, exact date still to be determined. WE WILL NOT BE SELLING SUPPLY KITS AT OPEN HOUSE, so you must order before that. The good news is that you will be able to order online anytime, 24/7! We expect to have all purchased kits in teachers' classrooms by Open House. We cannot sell kits after the deadline, nor will regularly available items be sold after the start of school (exceptions: assignment notebooks and recorders).

 

Check out our FAQs section on the website and end any questions to  Ask Chester and we'll answer them here and/or on the website.
Chesterbrook PTA Weekly Digest

No. 29, May 21, 2012    

 

     

  • SOLs, May 14-25, Please be quiet around the school!
  • Spirit Day, Wear a Sports Jersey, Friday, May 25
  • Memorial Day Holiday, Monday, May 28 
  • Cultural Arts performance, May 31, K-3 8:45 am, 4-6 9:45 am
  • End of Year Art Show at McLean HS, June 5-7 
  • 5th Global Awareness Day and 2 pm Choral Concert, Thursday, June 7 
  • Field Day and the Brain Show, Friday, June 8 
  • The Brain Show Family Edition, Friday, June 8, 6 pm  
  • 1st and 5th grade end of year parties, Monday, June 11
  • 4th grade end of year party, Tuesday, June 12 
  • PTA Election, Tuesday, June 12, 7 pm
  • Band Concert, Tuesday, June 12, 9:45 am and 7 pm
  • 2nd grade end of year party, Wednesday, June 13 
  • Strings Concert, Wednesday, June 13, 2 and 7 pm 
  • 6th grade party, Thursday, June 14
  • 3rd grade end of year party, Friday, June 15
  • Moving Up Ceremony, Friday, June 15, 8:45 am  
  • LAST DAY OF SCHOOL--NEW DATE! Friday, June 15, 3:20 pm (full day). Mark your calendars that there is NO SCHOOL now on June 18 or 19 for students.    

 

If you have any receipts for PTA reimbursement, please submit them as soon as possible. 

 

Note: A camera was left on the playground during the QR Code photograph event. Please let Linda Barnard in the front office know if you have lost one and what kind it is. 

  

Field Day

Volunteers are needed to run the 2012 Chesterbrook Field Day stations on Friday, June 8th.  This is a really fun event for first through sixth grade students (and the parent volunteers).  Please note, kindergartners will have their own event, Kindergarten Olympics, on June 14th and volunteers are being recruited through the kindergarten classes for that separate event.   

     

Field Day is always a huge success because of the strong parent involvement that we receive at Chesterbrook.  Volunteers will be grouped together for events.  Please arrive at the school at 8:30 for the a.m. session and at 12:00 for the p.m. session, sign in at the school's front office, and then head to the gym for instructions. Field Day Times are:

  • 1st - 3rd Grade 8:30 am - 11am
  • 4th - 6th  Grade 12:00 pm - 2:30 pm

Each station will run a few different activities.  Volunteers must be able to run the activity from start to finish in either the morning or afternoon.  If you have kids in both the lower grades (1-3) and upper grade (4-6), we'd love to have you volunteer for both sessions.   

  

Sign up NOW via www.signupgenius.com/go/field44.  We also would like to have volunteers walk with the classrooms, so if you find all the slots filled up please come to the school, sign in at the school's front office, go to your child's classroom, and you can help aid with class management, organization and cheering on your kids. Thanks so much for making Field Day a great success!!  

 

**Rain date is scheduled for Thursday, June 14th.

PTA 2012-2013 Openings
We are still looking to fill a few critical positions on the PTA Board for next year. Big thanks to those who contacted us last week! But don't wait for us to find you! We don't know who is ready to step up until you tell us. Please review and consider any ways you can help and contact Beth Mahood with questions.

Weekly Digest Editor(s): Prepares and sends weekly email to PTA members about upcoming Chesterbrook events and noteworthy news. This can be done by several editors, alternating weeks or separating aspects of production. We are open to suggestions on how to simplify or lessen the load for anyone who steps forward! For more information please contact [email protected].  

 

Hospitality: Co-Chair needed to help coordinate several events for school staff throughout the year: Back to School Night supper, Holiday treats, Teacher Appreciation Luncheon. This position allows for a ton of creativity and can be taken in many directions in the future. We have a graduating parent who has done this job for many years and would love to have someone start gradually and spend some time "in training" over the next year. Please contact [email protected] for more information.

Box Tops for Education: Coordinates flyer and email notification, collection, and submission of Box Tops twice yearly.

Fun Fair: Looking for interested volunteers to join the Fun Fair committee to help plan and coordinate next year's event.  Wide range of volunteer opportunities available. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Auction:
Still looking for a few more auction team members to spread out our work. We are trying to make some changes in how we run the auction and welcome all new ideas! If you have questions, please contact Julia Nelson.

After School Drama Manager: Coordinates with instructor on schedule, assists webmaster with registration and emergency forms. Does not require attendance at drama classes.

Special Education Coordinator: Coordinates informational programs for special education families and teachers. This is a very loosely defined job and allows for alot of flexibility and creativity on the part of the coordinator.

Cultural Diversity Liaison: Again, this is a position that has not been filled in some time. In the past, the liaison has worked with ESOL and students new to our country and their families to help navigate school programs and processes and to act as a resource for any questions and concerns.
Going Green
recycling one recycling twoThe cafeteria is still inviting parent volunteers to stop in for lunch as our kids learn the smoothest way to sort their lunch trays for recycling. The kids have done a wonderful job and come so far on this project. Feel free to come in and join your child for lunch and then help support and monitor the disposal line as they and their fellow class mates clean up.
Times are:
  • Mondays, 10:15 am - 12:45 pm
  • Tuesday-Friday, 11 am - 1:45 pm

Any extra time you can devote is a great help. The kids are starting to get the hang of it all, but especially in the earlier lunch periods with the younger grades, we can help improve the flow of traffic. It is really fun to see their enthusiasm. You can also help at home by reminding your children about why we recycle and remind them to participate at school.  

School Outreach Spring Collection
The PTA School Outreach Committee will begin its Spring collection of new or gently used school supplies and grocery giftcards for students at schools within the McLean HS pyramid, as well as Carlin Springs in Arlington. We are not collecting clothing at this time.
 
Specific requests include:
  • Pencils
  • Children's scissors
  • Black ball point pens
  • Colored markers (fine and wide)
  • Jumbo glue sticks
  • Wide-ruled composition notebooks
  • Hand sanitizer
  • Kleenex
Please leave donations in the marked bins outside the Library beginning Monday, April 30th through the end of May. Please contact Emily Ludwikowski with any questions. We will continue collecting school supplies through June to be sent to a program in Nicaragua.
summerquestSummer Quest Registration Open
SummerQuest
The 2012 Summer Quest camp registration is open and classes are filling. However, we are at the point at which we must cancel camps that have not met minimum enrollment. The Directors will be contacting those in cancelled camps and ask them to make another selection, and then we will transfer your registration. Thank you for your patience!

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
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 [email protected] 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.
Like us on FacebookCheck out the Chesterbrook PTA Facebook page! We'll keep you up to date and in the know! 

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.