PTA eNews

The show is only a week away so everyone please rehearse your acts. Remember the dress rehearsal is January 17 starting at 6 p.m. at Richard Montgomery High school. The show is the very next night, Friday Jan.18 at 7 p.m. at Richard Montgomery High School.

We're looking for a few back stage moms or dads to help supervise the middle schoolers who will be helping with the show. We need at least two strong adults to move the piano a couple of times. Please email Tonya Greenspan if you are able to help.

Lego Afterschool Class is Full

The Play-Well TEKnologies LEGO® building program for students in grades K-2 began January 9. The class registration is full. Students registered should be dismissed at 3:05 and go to room 210 for the LEGO class. They will have "free build" time and snack until class begins at 3:30 p.m. Please send a simple snack for the LEGO class. Please pick your child up promptly at 5 p.m. We hope they enjoy the class!

An Early Elementary Spanish Class is Coming to Ritchie Park!

Starting in January, Language Stars will be offering an early elementary Spanish program on Tuesday from 3:15-4:15 p.m. at Ritchie Park. This class will be open to children in grades K-3 (note that it is geared towards the younger children, but it is fine for 3rd graders to enroll). Language Stars offers a high quality language program that benefits families and students.

The class will run for 18 weeks and tuition is $376 for the semester. A 10% sibling discount is available. To enroll in the class, visit languagestarsatschool.com or call 866-557-8277. If you have any questions, feel free to contact the PTA Coordinator for this class, Joana Conklin.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

January's Restaurant Night will be sponsored by Dominos pizza in Potomac Woods Plaza on Thursday, January 17. Delivery or carry out. Be sure to say you are with Ritchie Park.

RM Cluster Community Day and Town Hall is an opportunity for Dr. Starr to spend a day meeting with staff, visiting schools, and hearing from parents. The RM Cluster Community Day will be Jan. 28. It will culminate with a Town Hall event at 7:30 p.m. at Richard Montgomery High School, where the parents and others in the school community can ask questions and share thoughts and ideas. Free childcare and interpretation services will be available at the Town Hall meetings.

Math Curriculum Information Night will be Wednesday, Jan. 30 from 7-9 p.m. at the Carver Educational Services Center auditorium. You will learn about what's new and how the math curriculum 2.0 reflects the new Common Core State Standards adopted in Maryland and MCPS, math instruction and homework expectations in elementary and secondary Curriculum 2.0, and how acceleration, challenges, and support are implemented within the 2.0 framework. More info on the flyer.

WAYS TO VOLUNTEER

Volunteer for the MCCPTA: Would you like to be more involved in helping to formulate education policy in the county? MCCPTA, the county council of PTAs, is seeing individuals who would like to take on a leadership role in supporting the three-fold mission of PTA:

To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in our schools, in the community, and before governmental agencies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children.
To assist parents in developing the skills they need to rear and protect their children, and
To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools of this nation.

The MCCPTA Nominating Committee is currently in the process of soliciting nominees for the following MCCPTA Leadership positions for 2013-14:

President
Vice President for Educational Issues
Vice President for Administration
Vice President for Programs
Vice President for Legislation
Treasurer
Recording Secretary for Board of Directors Meetings
Recording Secretary, Delegate Assemblies
Area Vice Presidents
Cluster Coordinators

This is a great way to have an impact on issues that affect children all over the county in addition to the students at Ritchie Park. If you have any questions, please contact Jennifer Young or Cheryl Moss Herman, who are currently two of the RM Cluster Coordinators.

Upload Photos for the Yearbook for 2012/2013 school events that you already took or will be taking. This will be done through a community upload site reserved for our school for which you only need to create an account and upload the pictures you want into the appropriate folder. The site is https://community.lifetouch.com/ and the "Community Image Upload Site Access Code" is NGJCME.

FUNDRAISING FORUM

On October 31 we mailed over 6,000 boxtops. Our next deadline is February 14. Please keep collecting and sending your boxtops to school.

Don't forget to check the BoxTops Marketplace online every time you shop online. This way the school gets a percentage of your purchase. Log onto Box Tops for Education when you are shopping on the internet for those January sales. A certain number of pink squares are credited to the RPES account. Here is the list of the OVER 250 participating stores.

ADVOCACY CORNER
The Board of Education is seeking nominees for the Sixteenth Annual Awards for Distinguished Service to Public Education in Montgomery County. The Board will be giving awards in each of the following categories: Community Individual, Community Group, Business, Montgomery County Public School Staff, School Service Volunteer, and Individual Pioneer. This is your opportunity to recognize and show appreciation to those who make a difference in the lives and education of our children. So, please submit nominations as soon as possible, but no later than February 1, 2013. Click here to download the nomination form.

Operating Budget Hearings: On Thursday, January 17, the RM Cluster will be giving its testimony before the Board of Education on Superintendent Starr's recommended operating budget for FY2014. The recommended budget for 2.2 billion dollars (click here: http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/budget/fy2014/superintendent/) maintains the same level of funding per student that MCPS spend last year and also requests funding to support priority initiatives and to restore some of the cuts made in prior years. For example, there are requests for more instrumental music teachers for elementary school students, more professional development for teachers on Curriculum 2.0 in elementary school and the common core state standards in secondary school, an increase in the number of math teachers for accelerated instruction, a math implementation team to improve the capacity of teachers to provide mathematics instruction to students of all abilities, and 30 middle school focus teachers who will work with students struggling in mathematics and reading. If you have any comments on the proposed budget, please contact Jennifer Young, RPES Delegate and RM Cluster Coordinator, who will be presenting the RM Cluster testimony.

Community Action Forum on School Safety and Emergency Preparedness: On January 16 from 7-9 PM at Carver Educational Services Center Auditorum, MCCPTA is bringing together top decision makers in Montgomery County to discuss how to make our schools safer. This is a rare opportunity for us all to have an open, honest and productive discussion concerning school safety and emergency preparedness, in light of the tragic school shooting in Newtown, CT. Bring your questions and concerns; it's time for courageous conversations. For more information, see the flyer.

For more information please contact Susan Burkinshaw at 301.758.6995 or susan.burkinshaw@verizon.net, or Donna Pfeiffer at 301.370.3200 or donnapfeiffer@gmail.com.

Respect Responsibility Caring Cooperation Honesty Moral Courage