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| A Newsletter for the Belle View Elementary School Community | December 2010 |
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Dear Belle View Parents,
As the holiday season approaches we would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff, parents, students and community for the tremendous support we receive on a daily basis. Thank you volunteers for the countless hours helping our children. Thank you community members for supporting our school. Thank you parents for providing such wonderful home support. Thank you students for coming to school daily ready and eager to learn. Lastly, thank you staff members for providing Belle View's students a world class education. We wouldn't be the great school we are without you. We wish you and your family a restful and relaxing winter break. Best wishes for the upcoming year. Proud Principals of the Belle View Bobcats,
Tom Kuntz Eleanor Contreras
Principal Assistant Principal
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Thanksgiving Lunch November 18th
 There was no shortage of food or festivities during Belle View's annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. Hour after hour the cafeteria clamored with the joyful sounds and smells of our school sharing a meal in celebration of the holiday. Turkey, dressing, cranberry sauce and even pumpkin flavored frozen yogurt was piled high onto the trays of hungry students by our very own Administrative Staff, along with various teachers, and the ever present cafeteria crew.
The day was a beautiful testament to Belle View's sense of family and community. Everyone in attendance brought a smile, a hug or a handshake for their tablemates, as we gave thanks for the splendor of Belle View and all the many beautiful moments shared within it's walls.
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Junior Great Books Needs YOU!
Junior Great Books gets Great kids thinking Great thoughts. Volunteers still needed to lead 3rd and 4th grade discussion groups
If you like working with our students and would be interested in becoming a Junior Great Books volunteer, please email Talley Fulghum at Talleyful@verizon.net Questions? Call Talley at 703.768.8232. |
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Everyone Needs a Buddy Sometime
 When you go for a swim or a walk in the wilderness or even venture down the halls of an elementary school, it is recommended that you take a buddy with you. Everyone knows that to use the buddy system is a good way to stay safe and have more fun.
What you may not know is that we have some very special buddies at Belle View. Last year the inclusion committee at Belle View introduced a buddy system to support our  students with special needs who wanted to participate in the PTA after-school programs. So far this year we have had four students volunteer their time to the program. We would like to say thank you to Pilar, Jo Jo, Leah, and Rachael for being wonderful buddies and excellent role models. |
Gardening Day
The Outdoor Classroom Committee is sponsoring another gardening day on December 6 from 1:30-4:00. Meet at the playground, bring your tools, gloves and lots of excitement. We will be mulching, building, and winterizing.
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Ho Ho Hope you Participated!
Savings on things you do every day!Thank you for making our Entertainment Book sales a success. We have some books left for sale at the Book Fair if you need any more for Christmas gifts. Purchases can also be made online by visiting www.entertainment.com.
Belle View will receive the same profit with online ordering. Just be sure to provide the account number to friends and family placing online orders.
Students who sold 2 or more Entertainment Coupon books are invited to participate on December 10 in a special Games2u event!
For questions regarding ordering The Entertainment coupon book or about this fundraiser, please contact the program coordinator, Crystal DeBerry, 703-660-1395.
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Walking Wednesdays 
Some mornings start like every other, I wake the boys, start the breakfast, burn the toast, make the lunches, yell at the boys to eat their burned toast, feed the dog, yell at the boys to not forget their lunches and hurry out the door. Yes some mornings start out in chaos, but on Wednesday mornings we walk, and as soon as we step out the door, the mood changes. Lately the mornings have been crisp and beautiful. Maybe it is the fresh air or the sunshine, but when we enter the woods and start down the path to the school the conversation is different. The chaos subsides and the quiet noises of the woods are only interrupted by a question or observation. We walk together exchanging ideas. Sometimes we run into fellow walkers on the path, and the walk becomes a race. By the time we reach the school I wonder why I don't do this everyday.  At the front of the school we are greeted by more fellow walkers, quite a few that do make the trek everyday. Some have younger siblings in tow. Some are dressed for their morning run. All seem very happy with the start of their day.  Walking Wednesdays is new to Belle View this year, and is just one of the ways that students are encouraged to increase their physical activity during the week. Look for other good ideas to come from the school's Wellness Committee lead by Jessica Earley, Belle View 3rd Grade teacher.
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Game mornings began Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Club 24 will be held on Tuesday mornings each week from 8:30 - 8:55am.
For Information on Club 24 contact Talley Fulgham at tallyful@verizon.net . |
 Hopefully you had a chance during Bobcat Bingo to view the Reflections submissions displayed in the hallway outside the cafeteria. This year we had 27 works of art across the five art categories. We had wonderful judges including a photographer with 30 plus years professional experience, a merited visual artist, as well as two members of the National Symphony Orchestra. The judges scores are used to ascertain which artists from our school go on the the Cluster IV round of submissions, and then potentially on to the county, state, and national programs. Winners in cluster, county, state and national entries will be announced well into the new year.
This Year's Belle View Awardees:
Dance Choreography
Dabney Murphy, Award of Excellence
Music Composition
Julie Sprague, Award of Excellence
Photography
Primary (preschool-grade 2) Leydi Cris Cobo Cordon, Award of Excellence
Intermediate (grade 3-5) Louisa Helmlinger, Outstanding Interpretation
Middle/Junior (grade 6) no submissions
Visual Arts
Primary (preschool-grade 2) Yu Alex Wang, Outstanding Interpretation
Intermediate (grade 3-5) Annabelle O'Bryan, Award of Excellence
Middle/Junior (grade 6) William Cusic, Award of Merit
Everyone's participation will be celebrated on Friday, December 3rd with a breakfast in the library. Each student will receive a certificate of participation for their efforts along with the certificates for awardees in each category. Congratulations to all those who participated in this years program.
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Little things that mean a lot!
If you ever feel like your day is overly busy, come and sit in the school's front office at 9:00am and 3:40pm and you may think your day calm in comparison. Most of us know Donna Powell, Darlene Snyder and Mary Hellwege, who work Belle View's front office. We bring them our children's forgotten lunches and musical instruments. They help us remember what time our children go to lunch or get out of an after-school activity. They are always there for whatever a child or parent may need. Here are some ways we can help make their day run a little more smoothly.
If your child will be tardy or absent form school please call the attendance line (703) 660-8383 as soon as possible. Our office staff checks to insure every child has arrived to school safely. Attendance folders are brought to the front office every morning from each classroom. If a student is not accounted for they are marked unexcused and an automated phone call and email goes to the parent.
Also, if you know your child needs to leave school early, send a note to the teacher in the morning. This will help your child's teacher prepare that student to end their day early, and will help the office insure that your child gets where they need to be quickly.
Remember at dismissal over 500 students have to get to where they are supposed to go. If you need to change your child's routine, Donna, Darlene,or Marry will need to know early enough to make sure your child does not head for a bus when they are supposed ride home with a friend.
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Staff & Teacher Appreciation Breakfast
The next Staff and Teacher Appreciation Breakfast will be Friday, December 17th, at 8:30 a.m.
This breakfast will be hosted by the 3rd and 4th grade classes along with the PTA.
If you have questions or comments about this event, please contact Leslie Fry, the breakfast coordinator by phone, (703) 598-3487 or
email lesliefry@cox.net
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 Reuse. Reduce. Recycle. Belle View Elementary School PTA has created a Recycling Committee to further enhance the recycling program at the school. The students and staff of BVES already take steps to recycle materials at school, but the PTA would like to help increase the recycling efforts in our school and our community in an ongoing and proactive manner. The committee kicked off the year by encouraging the students to celebrate America Recycles Day as a class on November 15th. Our students were encouraged to bring in a signed pledge and a reusable water bottle, which represented one step in reducing the use of plastic in our community. The class with the highest percentage of signed pledges and reusable water bottles was Mrs. McCarl's 2nd grade class. There was a fantastic response to the program throughout the school. Mrs. McCarl's class had 100% participation and won the pizza party. They will also take the field trip to a waste management facility on January 28 and film, with the help of Mr. Tierney, a class documentary about the recycling facility that will be shown on BVTV. Good job Mrs. McCarl's class! |
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Come join our Scholastic Book Fair, Monday through Friday, December 6th through 10th.
Monday 9:15 am-1:30 pm
Tuesday - Friday 8:45 am-4:00 pm
Tuesday Family/Build-A-Book Night 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
Friday Movie Night 6:00 pm-8:00 pm
The SCA is sponsoring the Family Movie Night on Friday, December 10th from 6-8. Come see The Search for Santa Paws(Rated G) on the big screen in the Belle View cafeteria. Pizza and other concessions will be available, and all proceeds will go to a local charity.
At the Book Fair you will find the latest and finest titles for kids, as well as great books for parents. It is also a great opportunity to shop for gifts for the holidays. To volunteer for the Book Fair, contact Ali Theriot 703-768-7314 or alitheriot@cox.net .
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Klutz Build a Book Comes to Belle View
Tuesday, December 7th
6:00 p.m. Pizza
6:30-7:30 p.m. build-a-book, 7:30-8:00 clean-up
Build a Book is a themed book-building experience. Create a fun holiday keepsake or a unique gift for someone special this holiday season. Cut your foam pieces and patterned papers into seasonal shapes. The possiblities are endless!
Each Kit provides one blank 10-page Klutz wire bound book, one package of assorted foam shapes, googly eyes, assorted designed papers, and one mini pen. Bring scissors, stickers and other items to decorate your books.
This is a fun event to share with a special adult in your life. The PTA will have pizza available for purchase by the slice and drinks as well.
The Cost: $5 per Klutz Build-a Book
$1.00 per pizza slice
$1.00 per drink
A night with family: Priceless
Just a reminder: There are a limited number of books and they will be served on a first come basis.
The Scholastic Book Fair will be open in the library for this event!
Questions? Contact Claudia Helmlinger
claudia.helmlinger@us.army.mil
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Fire Safety at School
Every year our Kindergarten classes get a visit from the Fairfax County Firemen. |
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Annual Fund Drive
As we come to the close of the calendar and tax year, we would like to ask you to contribute to our Annual PTA Fund Drive. Every dollar that you give goes directly to support our school by offsetting the cost of field trips, special events held at school, new books and equipment for our classrooms, and many other needed resources. As the county school budget continues to face serious constraints, we as a community can help support Belle View directly with our donations. Last year our annual fund raised almost $3,000 for Belle View School! Best of all, your donation to the Belle View PTA is tax-deductible! Please complete the form on the Belle View Website and send it along with your check in an envelope marked "Annual PTA Fund Drive" to your child's teacher or drop it off at the school office! Please contact Joyce Neverov, joycewn@gmail.com with any questions. Thank you and Happy Holidays! |
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Student Showcase! |
Poems From Mrs. Luster's Class
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SCA Food Drive
The SCA is running another food drive for needy families in the community. The winter holiday food drive runs from Nov. 29th-Dec. 10th. Please drop off cans or boxes of food in the box located in the front lobby. 408 items were collected during the last food drive. The SCA's goal is to surpass that amount. . |
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Magical Monograms
Embroidered and Monogrammed Products and Services
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balanced careers. successful lives.
mOmentum
{Hire the right people.}
Part-time. Flexible. Smart. Professional. Experienced. Cost-effective.
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The bus stops here!
A Child's Place
Hollin Hall Summer Camp at A Child's Place
1500 Shenandoah Road
Alexandria, VA22308
703-765-8811
Elinor Shemeld, Summer Camp Director
Summer fun begins here when the school year ends.
Registration opens February 1, 2011
Forms will be online or email to have a packet mailed to you.
Junior Camp 6 to 81/2, Senior Camp 8 1/2 to 13
Fields trips every day! | | |
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OFFBOOK Productions
Video Editing Services for Commemorative Videos
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Mason Montague Bavin
