The Murch Mustang Express September 11, 2009

The Murch

Mustang Express

September 11, 2009

Greetings!

Thank you for attending Back to School Night this week! It was a pleasure to have so many of you come out to meet me and your child's teacher and, through your presence, show your support for the educational program at Murch. We do not take your time or the effort after a busy day for granted, and we hope that you had all of your questions answered.

Students do not come to school on Friday, September 18, which is a professional-development day for teachers. What exactly does that mean? In next Friday's case, it means the rollout of IMPACT, a new staff evaluation system going into effect throughout DCPS. Given the profound impact that all school-based personnel have on the children of Washington, DC, IMPACT will provide each staff member with ways to identify strengths and key opportunities for growth, access to professional development, and strategies to increase efficacy. For teachers, the new evaluation system provides opportunities to be observed and receive feedback in the classroom from Master Teachers assigned by the central office. Everyone who works in a District school will be covered under the new IMPACT assessment system, although, of course, each position has a distinct set of performance criteria.

Not receiving Connect Ed messages on Thursday nights? The problem may be that your primary telephone number does not have a 202 area code so Connect Ed skips you. In that case, you can catch up on all my audio bulletins from the past several weeks by visiting the "Principal's Corner" on the Murch Web site.

As always, thank you for all you do for us and for your children-who, by the way, have done an incredible job earning their first 100 Horseshoes and, as a result, their first theme day. I can't wait to see what teams show up for Sports Jersey Day on Friday!

Please continue to talk with me on the playground, call me, or email me with feedback and suggestions. The partnership we have with our Murch parents is one of our greatest strengths!

--Dawn Ellis, Principal

Visit my Principal's Corner on the Murch website for regular updates.

Playground

Ribbon-cutting Rescheduled

Join Mayor Adrian Fenty at 9 a.m. Tuesday, September 15, as he officially "opens" the new Murch playground and sports fields. (Keep fingers crossed for good weather.) Also, check out the Construction Cam chronicle: The Making of the Murch Playground.
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H.S.A. Update

Happy Friday!

Last week your child brought home an informational packet for the Home School Association's SOS Campaign. Please take a moment to read it carefully. The SOS Campaign is the HSA's single biggest annual fundraiser, and it funds our most important efforts -- paying for direct support to your child's classroom. Your tax-deductible financial contribution pays for three of Murch's classroom aides, who enable differentiated instruction to meet the needs of all children. Your donation also provides for important instructional support in the form of curricular and classroom materials, as well as partnerships with outside educational and cultural organizations. In addition, SOS funds a permanent substitute teacher, ensuring stability, continuity and high-quality instruction when teachers are absent. This year, your SOS contribution will also provide lunch and recess aides to enable teachers to spend more time on instructional planning and to maximize children's safety and well-being on the playground.

You have been asked to contribute at least $323 per child you have at Murch. Please give what you can. Your participation is more important than the amount you contribute. We are aiming for 100 percent of Murch families to return their SOS forms. The SOS Campaign will continue through October, which is SOS Month. But please don't hesitate -- make your contribution now. Contact Karin Perkins, Alison Howard, or Julie York with any questions.

A smaller but perennial favorite HSA fundraiser -- Sally Foster -- starts this week. Details are below and please look for packets in your child's backpack today. Many thanks to Chris Mahoney for taking charge of Sally Foster again this year.

Finally, it was wonderful meeting so many new families at both Back-to-School Nights. The commitment of Murch families is critical to our school's success, and we are eager to work with all of you through the HSA. Please don't forget to pay your HSA dues. Your membership is important.
--Alison Howard and Karin Perkins, co-presidents

Health

Flu Shot Clinic

Seasonal flu shots (not H1N1) will be available from 3 to 4:30 p.m., Thursday, Sept. 24 in the Murch teachers' lounge. Cost: $24; preservative-free, $30. Make checks payable to: Capitol Travel Medicine. Besides filling out and signing a consent form, available through Nurse Wright, parents/guardians must be present or send a note with an adult authorizing Capitol Travel Medicine to administer the vaccine. For more info, contact Nurse Wright.

Join Murch's Art Blog

Find out what your child is working on in art by signing up for art teacher Miriam Cutelis's art blog.

Gift Wrap Sale Sept. 11 - Oct. 2

Sally Forth!

All the Who's presents, ribbons and wrappings! The tags and the tinsel, the trimmings, the trappings! Beautifully wrapped presents, the smell of fresh-baked cookies--are the holidays here already? Not quite, but the annual Sally Foster gift wrap fundraiser kicks off today, and this year Murch students are also selling cookie dough from Classic Cookie.

The H.S.A. earns up to 50 percent of the proceeds for every item sold, so don't be a Grinch-participate! Besides, there will be prizes from Sally Foster for different levels of sales earnings and a special Murch raffle prize.

Students can even earn prize credit for Internet orders by out-of-town family and friends (for gift wrap, not cookie dough, alas) September 2 through October 7 by having their parents register them at www.sallyfoster.com. Our group account number is 499225. Each online order will be shipped directly to customers. Online shipping fees are nominal, but orders over $70 receive free shipping.

Look for a packet with order forms and catalogs in backpacks today. Local orders are due October 2 and goods will be available for pick up in early November, in

plenty of time for the holidays. The HSA prefers that each family write only one check per student-salesperson to represent the entire student's order. Please make checks payable to Murch HSA. For more info, contact Sally Foster chair Chris Mahoney.

Murch Directory

Contact Info Forms Due Sept. 18

Everyone should have received an Update Form for the 2009-2010 Murch Directory in their child's backpack last week. Please fill them out and return them by September 18. The free Directory is vital for every Murch family, whether it's to look up the phone number for your child's newest friend or to decide how many Valentines to prepare for the class party. You can provide as much or as little information as you like, but we need to hear from you before we go to press. Returning families should check the information on the form for any inaccuracies. If there are no changes, just check the box at the top. Contact Phyllis Jordan for more information.

Send A Special Message All Year Long

For business owners, a commercial ad in the Murch Directory is an excellent way to support both our school and your business. The Directory puts your message in the hands of Murch families who use the Directory every day. Many families keep the old ones for years!

Advertising in the Directory isn't just for businesses--commemorative Special Message Ads are also a fun and creative way to make a contribution to Murch. Cheer on your favorite team or club, send your good wishes to our new principal and assistant principal, celebrate the new playground--with a rendering by the family artist! Special message ads cost $80 - $200. For more info, contact Jane Solomon. All contracts due September 25th.

Shop for Murch

You can raise money for Murch through the eScrip program in three easy steps. 1) Register your Safeway card, using Murch's designation number: 11873273. Even if you've previously registered your Safeway card, you need to renew your commitment every school year. 2) Sign up your credit & debit/ATM cards and shop at participating merchants, who donate a percentage of your purchase to our school. eScrip merchants include Nordstrom, Macy's, American Airlines, Drugstore.com, Sears, and many more including 700+ online partners. 3) When you dine at thousands of restaurants around the country, pay your bill with a credit or debit card that's registered with eScrip and up to 5% of your total bill-including tip!-- will be donated to our school. Locally, earn yet more cash for our school by patronizing participating restaurants in DC and in Bethesda.

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