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| Gold and Platinum Business Friends | |
if interested in becoming a Friend for the 2013-2014 school year.
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| FAQs | |
Question: Can you explain why we get so many emails from the PTA?
Answer: Ah, well, yes. The short answer is that we do lots of stuff! The long answer is that we made a decision last year to limit our Digests (this publication) to every other week, but stuff often comes up in between those weeks. In that case we send out a short reminder email (the red-themed ones with the apple on the top) that covers just 1 or 2 topics, and are a very quick read. These Digests are a bit longer because they have current and upcoming information. We hope with fewer longer editions that you'll find the time to read them. They do provide lots of important information, including the dates right at the top.
Once a quarter, instead of the Digest for that 2-week periods, we publish our complete Digest PLUS, which includes longer articles about events that have already happened, introductions to new staff members, and other less time-sensitive information, in addition to the upcoming dates and current events. Take your time to read these, as they are always interesting and a quick recap of what's been going on at school.
We did survey families a few years ago, and the group was split relatively evenly between those who would like to receive paper (flyer) reminders and those who prefer email notices -- so we try to reach everyone in the way they prefer!
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Chesterbrook PTA Digest
No.5, September 30, 2013
We have a long Digest this week, but that's because there is so much going on. Be sure to add these events to your calendars!
- Fall Pictures: October 3
- Lavender's orders due: October 4
- McLean 5K Run with the Warriors: October 5
- MPArtfest Children's Walk: October 6
- Custodian Appreciation Week: October 7-11
- Kindergarten Burke Nursery field trip: October 8
- PTA Meeting: October 8, 8:45 am
- Pulcinella Fundraiser Night: October 8, 5-8 pm
- Walk/Bike to School Day: October 9
- Principal's Coffee (topic: AAP): October 9, 9-10 am
- Advanced Academic information night: October 10, 7 pm
- Cultural Diversity Committee Welcome Meeting: October 11, 8:45-10:15 am
- Columbus Day Holiday: October 14
- CogAT testing (2nd grade and new students): October 15-17
- Cafeteria Staff Appreciation Week: October 15-18
- 4th grade NSO concert: October 17
- 6h grade Hemlock field trip: October 18
- Jim Weiss Storytelling Night: October 18, 6:30 pm
- 1st grade Riverbend field trips: October 22 and 24
- 3rd grade Sylvestry field trip: October 24
- 4th grade Jamestown/Williamsburg field trip: October 25
A little birdie told us that many of these events can get some nice press coverage in our local McLean Connection if we submit articles and photos. Let's let everyone know about the fun events for and with Chesterbrook students! |
| Lavender's Fall Fundraiser |  Lavender's catalog sale ends this FRIDAY, October 4. Only four more days!! Check out the great gift ideas for everyone. Don't forget that orders over $75 qualify for free shipping. Orders are delivered the beginning of November, in plenty of time for all the holidays. Please send your order form in with your child on Friday.
Please contact Judy Williams with any questions at 703-442-3984 or at jandjwilliams@yahoo.com. Thanks for supporting the Chesterbrook PTA!
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| McLean 5K, October 5 |  Join Chester the Chipmunk and all your friends at this year's McLean 5k. Students and families can get healthy this fall and support wounded warriors (all proceeds benefit the new Wounded Warrior Transitional Housing at Vinson Hall). Parents, students, administrators, teachers, and families can run the race or sponsor a warrior.
Register at www.mclean5k.com.
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| School Outreach | The PTA School Outreach Committee's fall collection is underway. We work with elementary schools in both Arlington and Fairfax Counties to make sure students and families have what they need. Please consider donating any of the following.
Clothing
- Boys or girls jackets (all sizes - new or gently used);
- Boys or girls long pants (all sizes - new or gently used);
- Boys underwear (all sizes - new); and
- Unisex socks (all sizes - new).
New school supply items
- Glue sticks;
- USB sticks;
- Pocket Folders;
- Large backpacks;
- Marble composition books;
- No. 2 pencils; and
- Single subject wide ruled spiral notebooks.
Food
- School snacks (e.g., pretzels, goldfish, animal crackers or graham crackers); and
- Grocery gift cards.
Please leave your donations in the plastic bin outside the library marked "School Outreach Collection" or send your gift cards via backpack mail to "PTA School Outreach." If you have any questions or would like to help with sorting and delivering the donations, please email Emily Ludwikowski.
National Make a Difference Day, the largest national day of community service, is Saturday, October 26. Visit the website http://daytabank.handsonnetwork.org/ to learn about community service opportunities in our area. |
| Dress for Success Collection | The PTA is partnering with xScion Solutions, Chesterbrook mom Alison Banziger's company, to collect women's clothing to benefit the DC Chapter of Dress for Success. This organization helps disadvantaged women find jobs and also provides them with professional attire. We're asking people to donate new or gently used women's professional clothing including dresses, suits, blouses, pants, shoes, coats, handbags etc. (a full list of items they accept is on the attached flyer). A collection bin will be outside the library until October 25. Please be sure to clean all items and leave on hangers folded nicely.
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Pulcinella Fundraiser Night, October 8
|  Come to dinner on Tuesday, October 8th, 2013 from 5 to 8pm at Pulcinella Italian Host in McLean to support Chesterbrook PTA. Enjoy dinner and know that approximately 70% of the proceeds from food and drink will go to the charity, as long as the diner brings this flyer for the event. This even is co-sponsored by HBC Realty Group, www.HBCRealtyGroup.com. |
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Walk to School Day, October 9
|  Walk/Bike to School events work to create safer routes for walking and bicycling and emphasize the importance of issues such as increasing physical activity among children, pedestrian safety, traffic congestion, concern for the environment and building connections between families, schools and the broader community. Students are encouraged to bike or walk to school that day (where it is safe to do so). Parents are encouraged to accompany their children to school, and to work with their school to assemble bike trains or walking groups for the event.
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PTA Memberships and Family Directory
| Don't forget to join the PTA! You will receive a FREE copy of the Chesterbrook family directory when they are distributed in the next few weeks. This is an essential tool for every household! Go online to the PTA website and purchase your membership there. Families are encouraged to join for $20; however, individual memberships are  available for $10.
Remember, the more you support the PTA, the more the PTA can support our kids. Thank you for your support!
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Box Tops for Education
|  Chesterbrook ES proudly participates in the Box Tops for Education program. Last year our school collected over $1,000 due to our wonderful families who bought items marked with Box Tops coupons, clipped the coupons, and dropped them off in the collection bin across from the school Media Center. Thank you!
The fall submission deadline is Friday, Oct. 18th. If you haven't done so already, please start collecting your Box Tops and drop them off before the deadline. Each coupon is worth ten cents to our school and it quickly adds up. Participation in this school fundraiser couldn't be easier!
Do you have a 6th grader or a child in middle or high school who needs community service hours? I need lots of help trimming the coupons to prepare them for packaging and mailing. If interested, please contact Susie French.
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Cultural Diversity Welcome Meeting, October 11
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- Are you new to Northern Virginia?
- Are you or your child new to this country?
- Do you wish to know more about our school and the neighborhood?
My name is Fenny Hurwitz and I am Chesterbrook PTA's Cultural Diversity Liaison. Together with my fellow volunteers, I would like to offer our support to you and your families. I have a 1st grader at Chesterbrook and a 3 year old at preschool. Because I'm from China and lived in Japan for several years before coming to the U.S., I understand the challenge of moving to another country and recognize that it can be even harder for young children. We'd be very happy to support you and your children so please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or ideas.
We plan to have regular gatherings to provide opportunities for newcomers to ask questions and exchange information. We also welcome those who would like to share their experience of living overseas and introduce another culture to us (children welcome). I think these meetings will be interesting for everyone!
The first meeting is scheduled for the morning of Friday, October 11, from 8:45 to 10:15 am. in the school cafeteria. Please RSVP to Fenny/508-333-7967 or Maiko Yoshioka. We hope you stop by! Thank you and I hope you and your children enjoy everyday in this great community!
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| Information Night on HS Start Times, Oct 16 |  Last spring the FCPS School Board adopted a resolution on the goal of starting high schools after 8 am. Children's National Medical Center (CNMC) awarded a consulting contract by Fairfax County Public Schools to assist it and the School Board with the goal of establishing high school start times at 8:00 AM or later. They have been tasked with developing several workable scenarios to start high schools after 8 am to improve students' mental and physical health, academic performance, and safety. CNMC is reaching out to the community to get input as they develop their scenarios. Judith Owens, MD, MPH, Director of the CNMC Sleep Medicine Department will give a presentation to the McLean's Citizen Association at 7:30 PM on October 16, 2013 at the McLean Community Center, 1234 Ingleside Avenue, McLean.
Dr. Judith Owens is an internationally recognized expert in sleep disorders medicine. She has decades of experience as a sleep clinician and researcher. She has given hundreds of talks to health care providers, policy makers, teachers, parents, and children on sleep health. Dr. Owens has published numerous scientific papers, book chapters, and articles on child and adolescent sleep.
As a co-director of a new contract with FCPS, Dr. Owens and her team are charged with community engagement and education program outreach as well as the development of a "Blueprint for Change," a report outlining how the FCPS School Board can achieve its goal of changing school start times for high schools. This presentation will cover normal and abnormal changes in sleep associated with adolescence and detail some of the mental, physical, and cognitive health consequences of these changes. Dr. Owens will also present research on school start times' effects on sleep and related health, academic, and behavioral outcomes. There will be ample time to discuss any questions or concerns that the McLean community might have.
For more information about the Blueprint for Change, please visit http://smartschoolstart.wordpress.com/. |
| Longfellow Family Quiz Night, October 11 |  Show off what your know--or maybe just what you think you know--at Longfellow Middle School's Trivia Night Friday, October 11th at 6:30 p.m. in the school's Lecture Hall. Hosted by the school's Quiz Bowl Club, this fun-filled night is a great opportunity to test your knowledge of history, politics, pop culture, literature, music, geography and more. Your team (of up to five people) will compete not just for bragging rights, but actual prizes! Who doesn't want a Barnes & Noble gift card? Bring your family and friends to create one or more teams. Parents, this may be one of the few times you can actually demonstrate that you still know more than your kid(s)! If you don't have a complete team, you are still welcome--the Quiz Bowl club members will match you up with other guests. The entry cost at the door is $5 per person. Pizza, drinks and baked goods will be available for sale, providing an excellent reason NOT to cook that night! For rising sixth graders attending LMS next fall, it's a great opportunity to check out the school and learn more about LMS' Quiz Bowl team, which is one of LMS' many after school clubs. Led by the very popular and accomplished Mr. Huang, the LMS Quiz Bowl team competes at both the regional and national level, with this event serving as the club's major fundraiser. Again, all our welcome so please come out and support one of Longfellow's most accomplished clubs. It's a really fun way to kick off your Columbus Day weekend so we hope to see you there! |
| SCC Race to Nowhere Followup Speaker, Nov 19 |  Race to Somewhere: Practical Advice for Authentic Success
New York Times bestselling author and noted educator Dr. Madeline Levine comes to our community. She will offer practical advice for
parents based on her books, Price of Privilege and Teach Your Children Well. Dr. Levine's focus is on parenting that leads to
healthier, happier teenagers who attain authentic success. Join the SCC and help start a conversation about solutions on November 19, 7-9 pm at the Alden theater, McLean Community Center. $10 per person. Books available at discount at Books-A-Million (1451 Chain Bridge Road) beginning October 10 and at event. Fundraiser at BAM to benefit the Safe Community Coalition held November 16-17.
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Shop Amazon and Earn Money for Chesterbrook
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Earn 4% - 10% of your purchase for Chesterbrook when you shop at  Amazon.com!
- Visit www.chesterbrookpta.org and click on the Amazon icon on the right to help our school. Always use it to access Amazon before you add items to your cart.
- The more items our community buys, the higher the percentage we earn each month. Every purchase counts...movie downloads, electronics, sports equipment, grocery items, Kindle books, even 99 cent music downloads! Use the link whenever you visit Amazon.
- This is an easy fundraiser for Chesterbrook and it requires nothing more than using our link whenever you shop at Amazon.
- Your support is greatly appreciated. Please participate! Please share this link your family, friends and co-workers.
Email amazon@chesterbrookpta.org if you have questions.
Tell everyone in your household who orders through Amazon!
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 Check out the Chesterbrook PTA Facebook page! We'll keep you up to date and in the know! |
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Chesterbrook PTA Newsletters Disclaimer
The Chesterbrook PTA Newsletter (Weekly Digest and Digest PLUS) may contain external links to non-Chesterbrook ES PTA websites and access to certain third-party services, which may include, without limitation, social bookmarking services. These external links and services are provided as a convenience, and the Chesterbrook ES PTA is not responsible for the content of any linked website or use of any third-service service. Any external link to a non-Chesterbrook ES PTA website or service accessed from the Chesterbrook PTA Newsletter is independent from the Chesterbrook ES PTA, and the Chesterbrook ES PTA has no control over, and assumes no responsibility for, the content, privacy policy, terms of use and practices of such website or service. Any such website or service has terms of use and a privacy policy different from the Chesterbrook ES PTA's privacy policy. In addition, an external link to any non-Chesterbrook ES PTA website or access to a third-party service does not imply that the Chesterbrook ES PTA endorses or accepts any responsibility for the content or use of such website or service. By using any such website or service, you expressly release the Chesterbrook ES PTA from any liability arising from your use of such third-party website and service and any related content. |
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