As parents, we all have lots of ideas about how to make Murch the best school it can be for our children. The strategic planning process now underway is giving voice to those ideas. Parent participation in strategic planning is vital, and we thank all of you who were able to attend the parent/staff forums that took place this week and last. Your thoughtful input was invaluable. We hope the entire parent body will become engaged as the planning process continues.

Of course, the financial and human resources generously contributed by Murch parents will be a critical element in achieving the goals we set out for the school. It is purely by coincidence that we are sharing our visions for our children's education at the same time as the annual Murch Auction. But it is no coincidence that Murch is the great school it is in part because of the money parents spend each year at the auction. This year's auction theme "Bring on the Blue!" embodies our desire for Murch to be the best it can be, for it to be a place of success and achievement for our kids. Every bid you make at the auction will be a step toward taking Murch to the next level in its service to our children.

We hope to see you Saturday night at the auction and to hear from you during the strategic-planning process. We look forward to sharing goals and dreams with you as part of the wonderful community that is Murch.

 Find out more about the HSA here.

Murch fifth grade Justin Atwood outspelled the competition at the Cluster 3 Bee on Feb. 17, thanks to many hours of practice, word by word, letter by letter.

Since October, three students from Murch have poured over hundreds and hundreds of words. From the commonly misspelled (misspell) to the more obscure (ichthyosaurus), Olivia Barr, Evan Salerno, and Justin Atwood spent many afternoons memorizing and strategizing over the spelling of these words. As the top three spellers from the Murch schoolwide Spelling Bee, all three had the chance to compete at the Cluster 3 Bee.

To prepare they had a list of more than 200 words and tips for spelling words correctly by language of origin (including Arabic, Japanese, and German). The Cluster 3 Bee was held at Feb. 17 and included about 25 students from schools from around Northwest DC including Oyster Adams, Emery, and Brightwood. After about seven rounds the competition was down to Justin and another young man. Justin confidently spelled each word he was given including "adieu" and his winning word -- ??? (You'll have to ask him). Now, Justin will represent Murch on March 20 at the citywide bee, which will be broadcast by NBC 4 Studios. That winner will go on to the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.

--Orly Friedman, 3^rd-grade teacher & spelling bee coach

Getting to Know Ms. Mathur

While being a stay-at-home mom with two children in New Delhi in the 1980s, fourth-grade teacher Asha Mathur had an epiphany. She wanted to go back to school - elementary school, that is. So the former economics scholar earned her teaching degree and began her new career. Here, she tells us the path that led her to Murch in 1993, and why she's the go-to teacher for math.

Where are you from? I have now lived in Gaithersburg, MD, for 11 years. Before that, I lived in Glover Park, here in Washington D.C., for eight years. I have studied in the U.S. as well as in India.  I attended a private Catholic school in New Delhi, where I took O' Levels through the University of Cambridge. Then I went to the University of Delhi, where I earned my bachelor's degree in an honors course in economics, and then completed a master's program in history. When I decided to teach, I went back to school to get my degree in education. Several years later, I had the opportunity to follow my husband to DC, who wanted to go back to school after a 15-year career. I came to the U.S. and earned a second master's degree in elementary education fromAmerican University.

Did you ever work as an economist? Even though I had a degree in economics I did not ever work as an economist. I have been a teacher throughout my career, and I started out by teaching students in India ranging from second to tenth grade for several years. Teaching was the best way to stay involved with the learning and education process as I was bringing up my own children.  

What has been your greatest challenge as a teacher? To assess the needs and strengths of each child, to address each child's learning style to maximize individual learning, and to do this on an ongoing basis throughout the year.      

And what is the greatest reward as a teacher? When students come back after several years, all grown-up, and say to me, "Do you remember me?" and they peek into the classroom and remark on how it's the same or different since they were in there, and they tell me about their accomplishments, it just makes teaching so worthwhile and meaningful.

What makes their experience in your class so memorable? Whenever possible, I like the students to participate in contests and partnerships with local groups. Over the years, my students have participated in National Geographic's JASON project,  which was started by Robert Ballard, now a professor of archaeological oceanography at the University of Rhode Island. He is most famous for his work in underwater archaeology and for the discovery of the wreck of the Titanic in 1985. We have also had a partnership with the Native-American Museum, and some students got to go to Alaska. I have taken students to participate in the city-wide Math 24 contest. My students have had their poems published in the Anthology of Poetry by Young Americans. One year, a student in my class won the Larry Neal Youth Poetry Competition. Every year we do a big project such as starting a garden, a poetry extravaganza, a study of birds, or a study of neighborhood trees.  

And you have a way with teaching math. Yes, over the years several parents and students have come back to tell me that they like how I make math fun and easy to understand. I bring to the table a strong background in math and science. For many years I worked with the Carnegie Institute of Washington to teach math and science summer institutes for DC Public School teachers.

Any other special skills we should know about?  I am, of course, bilingual in English and Hindi. I have learned some French too. I am also pretty good at sewing, embroidery, and knitting.

How has Murch changed in the 17 years you've been here? Murch has continually evolved, as has the community it supports. Yet Murch has always had a very involved and talented community of parents, who have enhanced the learning process for their children much more than we see anywhere else in the city. I would love to see this continue.

What's a change you'd like to see? Additional physical education classes per week.

How do you spend your free time? Invariably I spend a lot of time preparing for my fourth graders, even when I am not at Murch! However, I love to spend time with family, and I love the outdoors. I like to go for long walks, especially at our week-end home in West Virginia. I absolutely love books and I love reading them, and I wish there was more time in the day to do just that.

Finally, how would you finish this sentence: "If I weren't a teacher, I'd be a...."

I don't think I would want to trade this job for anything in the world. 

-- Donna LaPorte Scharpf

 Check out the Staff Page for more Q & As with teachers

Murch parent Kelly Lynch organized the Feb. 22 pre-k teacher appreciation breakfast and was supported by generous Pre-K parents who provided food, supplies, and financial contributions for an espresso bar. Adriano Ciccarello, the owner of Alba coffee, surprised the teachers and staff with his elegant "all-Italian" coffee bar.

"What a fantastic way to start out the week," said pre-K teacher Ms. Wierenga. "The professional barista was a dignifying touch, making us all feel very special. I heard many voices around the building proclaiming that the pre-k breakfast was the best and I, of course, am in full agreement."

Many parents helped with setup and cleanup including Karen Abrams, Olena Yanakova, Nancy Taggart, and Donna Scharpf. Mike Heffner designed a fabulous banner featuring photos of pre-k students and John Wix printed it.

Thanks to all the pre-k parents who contributed to make this event a great success.

--Kelly Callahan-Poe