UPCOMING EVENTS
Friday, Sept. 21
Loyalty Card Sign Up due
Friday, Sept. 28
Last day to send in Sept. volunteer hours
Monday, Oct. 1
Mixed Bag Fundraiser Kicks-off
Tuesday, Oct. 2
7 p.m. Volunteer Orientation
7:30 p.m. PTA Meeting
Friday, Oct. 5
5:30-8 p.m. Pizza Bingo
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HELPFUL LINKS
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2012-13 PTA Officers and Board of Directors President - Eric Williams |
A BIG THANK YOU TO...
- Maria Doyle for organizing a fun restaurant night at Elevation Burger. Lots of RPES families came.
Submit Your Sept. Volunteer Hours
Send in your hours to Teresa Williams. MCPS tracks the number of volunteer hours donated at each school.
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Loyalty Card Programs
Loyalty Card Sign-ups due on 9/21. Win a Ice Pop party for your child's class. Contact Steve Schuck for more info.
School ID: 58180
(school 6557768)
(school 7852)
(school 00762 Rockville)
(school 219478) Harris Teeter Shoppers Get an extra 50 bonus Box Tops for our school by purchasing 8 participating* Box Top products in one shopping trip between 9/19 and 9/25 with your VIC card. Click here for more details.
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Who Will Be Our 200th Member?
There are currently 158 members of our PTA. A big thank you to all of our members both new and old. If you have not yet joined the PTA, I sincerely urge you to. By now you have heard ad nauseam all of the benefits of being a member (if you want a little reminder, feel free to reach out to me and I will sing the PTA's praises for you.) With class Halloween parties on the horizon, if you have yet to fill out your membership form, with the class party and staff appreciation contributions, it would be a great time to do so. Please let me know if you have any questions and I can't wait to see who our 200th member will be! Annual membership is $15 per person and a form can be downloaded here. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Marquette Heaven.
Verify Your School Directory Info
You should have received an e-mail providing specific log-in information and instructions on how to verify/edit your family information on-line. Please check your mail "spam or junk" folder if you don't see it, and if you still can't find it, contact Directory Coordinator, Jennifer Young. For those families that did not receive an email and have not yet submitted a directory form, please fill out the directory form, return it to school, labeled "RPES Directory," or e-mail the information directly to Jennifer. All information must be provided by October 1 or we cannot guarantee that your family information will be included in the directory. In addition, if your company would like to advertise in the directory, please fill out the advertising form and return to Jennifer Young.
Sign Up for LEGOŽ Engineering FUNdamentals
Does your child love to play with LEGOŽ? Power up your engineering skills with Play-Well TEKnologies and over 100,000 pieces of LEGOŽ! Apply real-world concepts through engineer-designed projects such as arch bridges, skyscrapers, motorized cars, and the Battletrack! Design and build as never before, and explore your craziest ideas in a supportive environment with an experienced instructor. This class is coming to RPES for students in Grades 3-5 on Wednesdays, Oct 3rd - Dec 19th from 3:30 - 5pm. Sign up on-line. We need an in-class parent volunteer. Please contact Maria Doyle (doylemjcz@gmail.com) if you are interested. We hope your future engineers can join us for some fun LEGOŽ learning! |
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MARK YOUR CALENDARS
Volunteer Orientation and Oct. PTA Meeting
Tuesday, Oct. 2, Volunteer Orientation at 7 p.m. in the APR (All Purpose Room) and PTA Meeting at 7:30 p.m.
Hope to see many of you there as Ms. Long provides important information about volunteering in-school this year. The Orientation session should last about 20 minutes. Orientation is required for all volunteers in the classroom, school, and for lunch and recess. Once you have completed Orientation, you are ready to volunteer!
The October PTA Meeting starts right after Volunteer Orientation. Information-packed updates from Ms. Long, important advocacy issues, and event committees will be shared. Don't miss it! Complimentary child care will be provided for toilet-trained children ages 3 and older in the Music Room from 7-9 p.m.
Ritchie Park loves it's volunteers! Come meet new people at the PTA Meeting and get involved at your child's school! Hope to see everyone at the meeting
Pizza Bingo Friday, Oct. 5 from 5:30-8 p.m. in the Trumpet Room at St. Raphael's Catholic Church (across the street). Bring the whole family for a fun night of bingo and fabulous prizes for all ages.
- Our own Ritchie Park teachers will call bingo games with great prizes for the winners!
- Pizza will be sold by Potomac Pizza, drinks, tasty snacks, and ice cream sundae bar provided by the 5th Grade Promotion Team.
- There will be a gift card raffle and spirit gear sold by the PTA.
- Volunteers are needed. Please contact Maria Doyle (maria@broadsoft.com) or Jeanie Glasser (mjglasser@verizon.net) for more info.
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WAYS TO VOLUNTEER
The Instrumental Music students at Ritchie Park need your help! Once again we are in need of instruments for students to borrow for the year. Do you have a long forgotten instrument taking up space in your attic or basement? Are you finally willing to part with that flute that you haven't played since you were in 5th grade? Please consider donating your instrument, music stand, or accessories to the Instrumental Music program at Ritchie Park. All instrument donations are tax deductible. We are in need of the following instruments: flute, clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, baritone, violin and cello. Please contact Mrs. Kanowith if you would like to make a donation. The future musicians of Ritchie Park thank you!
Donations of hand sanitizers are always needed in the lunch room, especially for classes that have recess before lunch. Lunch & Recess volunteers, please remember to give hand sanitizer to students while they line up to enter the lunch room.
Other Programs needs (Contact Joanne Faulkner for more info):
- Community Service Chair
- Kindergarten Orientation Chair
- LegoŽ Engineering FUNdamentals Coordinator
- FLES Spanish/French/Mandarin Coordinator
Fundraising needs (Contact Kara Hall for more info):
- Co-chair for corporate donations
- Loyalty cards program co-chair
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FUNDRAISING FORUM
PTA Fall Fundraiser: Reusable Bags by Mixed Bag Designs!
Beginning October 1, we are selling reusable bags of all sizes, shapes, colors/patterns and for multiple purposes. They are economical, environmentally friendly, and profits from the sales for directly back to the PTA for the benefit of our kids! Please click on the flyer with more details and look for catalogues to come home in your child's backpack on Friday, Sept. 28. Happy shopping! Co-Chairs: Julie Baron and Lisa Bosse.
Stock up on Spirit Wear!! Ritchie Park Spirit Wear will be sold at select PTA-sponsored events throughout the school year. The next event at which it will be available is Pizza Bingo Night on October 5. Purchasing Spirit Wear at these events is the easiest and quickest way to get it, so come prepared to make your purchase and show your school pride!
 BOX TOPS Help RPES Raise Needed Funds
1) We collect Box Top Rectangles ALL school year plus summer.
2) Visit boxtops4education.com for more information on products etc.
3) Major collection efforts will be in month of October and February because deadlines are on Oct. 31 and Feb. 28. The school receives payment checks twice a year.
4) Boxtops are collected in classrooms. Send them to school in a baggie or envelope.
Thanks to all !!
The Box Top Lady
P.S. Please keep my identity as Roxana Hall (mother of Mia and Eric) a secret to the kids. They enjoy the "mystery"!!
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ADVOCACY CORNERMaryland Education Changes and Reform: You are invited to a conversation about Maryland Education Changes and Reform - A look at the introduction of Common Core Standards and the educational landscape after No Child Left Behind Thursday, September 27, from 6:30pm - 7:30pm in Room 114 (Board Room), Carver Center, 850 Hungerford Drive, Rockville. Featured Speakers will be: Dr. Mary Gable - Assistant State Superintendent, Maryland State Department of Education; Dr. Kimberly Statham - Deputy Superintendent of Teaching, Learning and Programs, MCPS; and Dr. Erick Lang - Associate Superintendent, Curriculum and Instructional Programs, MCPS Big News in Technology: The Montgomery County Board of Education has approved plans for $14.5 million in technology upgrades across the district, including interactive whiteboards (Promethean Boards) for 2,000 elementary classrooms that don't have them. Ritchie Park is the only school in the RM Cluster that currently has no interactive whiteboards. The plan would also equip 101 elementary schools with wireless technology. This MCPS proposal will now go before the County Council for funding. The goal is for every school in the county to be outfitted with wireless networks and all elementary schools to have Prometheans in all classrooms by the start of the next school year. Access to technology for every child is a core concern of PTAs and parents from every corner of Montgomery County. This initiative seeks to eliminate discrepancies between schools and create an equitable, consistent base of technology across our school system.
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COMMUNITYDoes you 1st-5th grade boy want to join Cub Scouts? Come learn all about the fun activities and make new friends. Pack 1280 is starting it's new year out with a pack meeting at Locust Grove Nature Center on Saturday, 10/13, from 5-6pm. **Raindate is Monday, 10/15 at Cold Spring School, 7-8pm. For more information please contact Pack Leader Sam Block.
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