Official Chesterbrook PTA Logo
 
In this issue
Fun Fair Kick-Off
Game Night
Inclusive Schools Week
Holiday Treats for the Staff
Registration Update
Shop Amazon This Holiday Season
Friends of Chesterbrook
FCPS Budget
Superintendent's Listening Tour
Technology Survey
Family Directory
Quick Links
Join Our Mailing List
Like us on Facebook
Business Friends
Esquire 2012 logo
JD Callendar 2012 image
JD Callander

Contact
friends@chesterbrookpta.org 
if interested in becoming a Friend for the 2013-2014 school year. 
FAQs
Question: Whoops!  I forgot to send in a greenslip for my daughter's play date, what should I do? 

Answer: Greenslips are very important and are the only way Chesterbrook staff has to ensure that your child gets home or to another destination that you designate.  It is imperative that you send in a greenslip whenever your child's normal means of transportation home will change.  It is also important that you send in a greenslip whenever a child is coming to your home that doesn't normally go there -- we want to be sure that all parents are aware of playdates and consent to them.  If  you need more greenslips, they are available in the office.  Please be sure to have them on hand and use them!! 

If you forget to send in a greenslip, please contact your teacher by e-mail and call the office to let them know. 
Chesterbrook PTA Digest

No.8, November 25, 2013     

 

Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza is visiting every magisterial district to hear attendees concerns and questions about school issues and priorities.  The Dranesville District meeting will be held on Saturday, December 7th at 10 a.m. in the cafeteria at Cooper Middle School located at 977 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA  22101.


Upcoming events:
  • Annual Turkey Trot, Nov. 27
  • 2-hour early release, Nov. 27, 1:20 pm
  • Thanksgiving holidays, Nov. 28-29   
  • Inclusive Schools Week, Dec. 2-6   
  • Fun Fair Kick-off Meeting, Dec. 4, 10 am
  • Superintendent Garza Listening Tour, Dec. 7, 10 am 
  • GameWright Game Night, Dec. 13, 6:30-8:30 pm 
  • Holiday Treats for the Staff, Dec. 17  

 

Fun Fair Kick-Off
Please join Fun Fair Co-Chairs Jennifer Von Elm and Hope Perlish on Wednesday, December 4 at 10 am, as we meet to kick off Fun Fair 2014, which will be held on Saturday, March 15th from 10 to 2.  We are excited to announce our Olympic theme for this year's fair. And we are especially thrilled interest is so high in volunteering for this great event. This is the kids favorite day of the year and it takes a lot of volunteers to make it happen. 

So, please join us to discuss some new ideas for the Fun Fair, meet committee members and see how you can contribute to this event. The planning will begin on Wednesday, December 4th at 10:00 A.M. at Jennifer's house, 1935 Virginia Ave.    

Please feel free to contact Jennifer or Hope at funfair@chesterbrookpta.org with any questions.

 

Chesterbrook Family Fun Game Night, Friday, December 13th

What better way to spend a winter evening than to play games with friends and family!

 

Please join us for a Chesterbrook PTA-sponsored GameWright Game Night in the school cafeteria from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. GameWright, an educational game company, has provided many demo games for all ages to play. Volunteer "game gurus" will circulate to help get the games started. The evening will be relaxing, fun, and you and your kids can practice your problem solving, reading, math, and critical thinking skills together.

 

Games will be available for purchase at 50% off their regular price, so it may also be an opportunity to purchase fun, educational gifts for the holidays. (Rather than run the event as a fund raiser, the PTA has elected to pass along the savings to Chesterbrook families.) Some of the GameWright titles you may already be familiar with are "Castle Keep," "Frog Juice," and "Slamwich." There are games for all ages, so younger and older kids will likely enjoy participating in this Family Fun Event.

 

Please remember that this is a not a drop off event. Parents must stay and supervise their children. 

Inclusive Schools Week

Chesterbrook Elementary School is celebrating Inclusive Schools Week, December 2-6, 2013. The Week highlights the accomplishments of families, schools, and communities who promote inclusive education for all children across the world. The Week celebrates the progress that schools have made in implementing inclusive practices to ensure a quality education for an increasingly diverse student population, including students with disabilities, those from culturally, linguistically diverse backgrounds and those who are economically disadvantaged.

 

The Week is also a wonderful opportunity for educators, students, and parents to discuss what else needs to be done in order to ensure that their schools continue to improve their ability to successfully educate all children. This year's theme is Authentic Inclusion, Increasing Our Comfort Zone! Students will learn about Inclusive Schools Week on the morning news and are encouraged to take part in a new theme for each day of the Week. Every morning on the news, a student will tell us where they are from and saying hello in their native language.

  • Monday December 2nd - "Unity Day" and everyone is encouraged to wear their school spirit clothing or the school colors - yellow and blue. We are all Chesterbrook students and all like to be included in making friends, participating in school and having fun together. Chesterbrook is doing a great job including all students - and we can help too!
  • Tuesday December 3rd - "Everyone is Special" - Everyone is encouraged to wear crazy socks to express their uniqueness. Every person is unique, special, one-of-a kind. Show off your individuality with your crazy socks!
  • Wednesday December 4th - "Include Everyone" - Sometimes people make fun of other people who are different than they are. Remember it's not okay to make fun of another student, especially not because of that student's race, background or disability. Today, think about what you can do to include everyone.
  • Thursday December 5th - "Family" - Families play an important role in making a school inclusive. Our families help us do better in school. Remember to thank your family for helping you.
  • Friday, December 6th - "Make a New Friend" - Everybody can make new friends. Sit with a new friend at lunch, learn something about them and remember to smile at them the next time you see them in the hall, at recess or find another time to join them at lunch. Today, make a new friend. Have fun!
Holiday Treats for Chesterbrook Staff
The Hospitality Committee treats the Chesterbrook staff to Holiday treats each year.  This year we will be bringing them treats on Tuesday December 17th.  Please use this Sign-up Genius to sign up to bring a yummy treat to our wonderful staff this Holiday season.
Registration Coming Soon
The winter sessions of many of our before and after school activities will begin as early as mid-January.  We will hold registration for some in December and others in early January.  Stay tuned here and look for flyers in Thursday folders as details become available.  Registration is next week for Science Enrichment for grades 2-4, which will meet after school for starting January 13th with registration by lottery December 5 to 11.  Please visit the PTA website for more information. 
Do Your Holiday Shopping at Amazon and Earn Money for Chesterbrook
Earn 4% - 10% of your purchase for Chesterbrook when you shop at  Amazon.com this Holiday Season!null
  • 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!

Friends of Chesterbrook
With the Online Auction on hiatus this year, this is one of Chesterbrook PTA's primary means to support important academic and school support needs. We ask for everyone's support of $100 per family to reach our goal, but your gift of any size is appreciated. Check out all our donors so far! We can also help determine whether your company participates in a program to match employee donations.
 
Businesses that donate $500 to our "Business Friends of Chesterbrook" program will be recognized on our website and in other ways at school. For more information visit our website and click on the "Become a Business Friend" tab.

There are two easy ways to give:
  • You can donate online on our website: Family Friends or Business Friends.
  • You can donate by check. Please make checks payable to "Chesterbrook PTA" and forward to school via backpack mail or mail it directly to Chesterbrook PTA, 1753 Kirby Road, McLean, VA 22101.
Contact Trisha Downey or Amanda Abraham with any questions.
Citizen's Guide to Understanding the FCPS Budget
From the Fairfax County Council of PTA's newsletter: Under the FCCPTA Logo leadership of Dr. Karen Garza, Superintendent of Fairfax County Public Schools, the Citizen's Guide to Understanding the Budget was "created as a tool for our community to make the Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) annual budget more transparent.  Developing the budget is very important because it reflects the priorities of the FCPS community. As a division, our primary purpose is to support the learning of all students.  [The] guide details FCPS revenues and expenditures, and shows that FCPS is efficient and effective in using public dollars as [FCPS] invest[s] in our children's education. This year, it's especially important to understand the FCPS budget so we can have thoughtful conversations about our priorities. We will face a critical challenge as our revenues have not kept pace with our growth and needs."
Note from Jane Strauss
I invite you come share your thoughts about the school system during a listening tour with Superintendent Dr. Karen Garza.  Dr. Garza is visiting every magisterial district to hear attendees' concerns and questions about school issues and priorities.  The Dranesville District meeting will be held on Saturday, December 7, 2013 at 10:00 a.m. in the cafeteria at Cooper Middle School located at 977 Balls Hill Road, McLean, VA FCPS Logo22101.
  
Please extend this invitation to your community.
 
Jane K. Strauss
Fairfax County School Board
Dranesville District
Speak Up Technology Survey
Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS) is participating in Speak Up, a national online survey about the use of technology in schools. The information collected will help policy makers at the local, state, and national levels, as well as the business community contribute to the national dialogue about science, technology, and preparing students for the 21st century workforce.

FCPS will be participating in the survey from November 25 - December 20. The online survey is open to parents, students in K-12, teachers and staff. It is a voluntary survey and takes approximately 20 minutes to complete.

To take the survey, please visit http://www.fcps.edu/is/news/speakup.shtml. Students will be asked for a secret word (password) when they take the survey. The secret word for students is fcps.

Aggregate survey results for FCPS will be available in February 2014.

Speak Up is an annual research project conducted by Project Tomorrow, a national education nonprofit organization that collects and reports the views of students in K-12, teachers, administrators and parents on 21st century education and technology. For more information about Project Tomorrow, please visit http://www.tomorrow.org/speakup .
Family Directory
The Family Directory has been distributed to all PTA members. If you did not yet join, 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. If you did not receive a directory and believe you did join the PTA, please contact Maryam Redjaee.

Remember, the more you support the PTA, the more the PTA can support our kids. Thank you for your support!
Like us on FacebookCheck out the Chesterbrook PTA Facebook page! We'll keep you up to date and in the know! 

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.