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FAQs
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Q: How can I help out at the Fun Fair? A: Great question! There are 6 ways for families to take part:
1. Purchase your tickets and wristbands BEFORE Fun Fair.
2. Sign up to volunteer for Fun Fair.
3. Donate to your grade's basket raffle.
4.Bake something delicious for the bake sale.
5.Buy ticket for the teacher raffles.
6. Come on Saturday March 15th and have FUN!
Click here for direct links to the items above!
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Chesterbrook PTA Digest PLUS
February 2014
Dear Chesterbrook Families,
The Fun Fair is just around the corner. A big thank you to Jennifer Von Elm, Hope Perlish and the rest of the Fun Fair team for all their work to make this event possible! But they can't do it alone - if you haven't done so already, please sign up to help.
Thank you also to Nancy Stuckwisch and the families who represented nearly 20 countries at our recent International Night. If you enjoyed International Night or the many other events and programs sponsored by the PTA, please consider volunteering to help next year. Many of our longtime volunteers are moving on and we are looking for parents to fill these openings. The Nominating Committee (Elizabeth Hale, Kathleen Weil, and Amanda Abraham) is working on the slate of officers for next year, as well as filling all our various volunteer positions. If you are interested in volunteering or would like more information, please contact them at nominating@chesterbrookpta.org.
Although it is hard to believe with the winter weather of late, summer will be here before we know it and along with it, Summer Quest 2014. We apologize that all the snow days have delayed our launch this year, but we hope to have the schedule and other information out soon, with registration to follow. Stay tuned for more details.
Kate Garcia
Chesterbrook PTA President
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Upcoming Events
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- Wednesday, February 26 = Math Night for 5th & 6th Gr. Parents, 7 p.m.
- Friday, February 28 = 4th Gr. Colonial Day, Spirit Day - Decades Day
- Monday, March 3 = Read Across America Day
- Thursday, March 6 = Jorgensen Class Play at 9 & 2
- Friday, March 7 = Family Fun Bingo Night 6-8 p.m.
- Saturday, March 8 = District Art Show at Lake Braddock
- Tuesday, March 11 = 5th Gr. SOL's, Kindergarten Orientation 7-8 p.m., PTA Meeting 8:45 a.m.
- Wednesday, March 12 = 4th & 6th Grade Choral Concert 2:10 & 7 p.m., 5th Gr. SOL's
- Thursday, March 13 = 3rd Gr. to Colvin Run Mill 9:30-12:45, Byline
- Saturday, March 15 = FUN FAIR!!! 10-2
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Principal Fuqua Celebrates 15 Years with CES!
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Chesterbrook Elementary has come a long way since 1906, when it was a simple building in Linway Park run by a single schoolmarm. She continued to dedicate her time to the schoolchildren of the area after her marriage, and in the 1920's the school moved to its current location when her family donated the land for a two-room building.
This year, Chesterbrook Elementary celebrates the milestone of another agent of change, Principal Robert Fuqua. Fifteen years ago, he came to Chesterbrook as a Principal's Intern to Principal Jane Rice. He had previously been an Advanced Academic Resource Teacher at Haycock ES, West Springfield ES, Rosehill ES and Fairhill ES. He was also a regional music teacher. There was no Assistant Principal position for Chesterbrook Elementary then.
When Mr. Fuqua arrived, he and Ms. Jane Rice went straight to work on several of the wonderful programs that our students enjoy today. As it turned out, Principal Rice and Principal Fuqua shared many similarities: both believed in advanced academic and special education programs, which enabled them to work seamlessly for years on important projects. After his first year as an intern, Mr. Fuqua was named Assistant Principal. In 2006, Principal Jane Rice retired and Principal Fuqua took the helm.
When Principal Fuqua joined the staff in 1999, Chesterbrook was quite different physically. The building was in the middle of a major renovation/addition project. Mr. Fuqua and Ms. Rice shared a desk and the office had only one phone. Today, Chesterbrook's facilities are impressive with a large open, media center, a computer lab, state-of-the-art tools for the teachers and our own television production facility.
Many other elementary schools in Fairfax have advanced academic centers, meaning that if your child qualifies, they are selected to go to another school where advanced academics are taught. Chesterbrook is a feeder to Haycock Elementary. Principal Fuqua, along with many other experts in the field, believes that all children benefit from advanced academics and having a center within the school. Alongside the Parent Teacher Association, Mr. Fuqua has worked to obtain grants and funding for our teachers to receive Advanced Academic Endorsements. Within a year of starting the Advanced Academic Program at Chesterbrook, about 35 students were identified as gifted and all but three children opted to stay at the Chesterbrook program instead of going to Haycock. About 75% of teachers at Chesterbrook now have their endorsement or are working on one. Having the AAP in the school lends itself to the sense of community we enjoy.
Another program that has been put in place under Principal Fuqua's tenure is our Chinese language program. In 2006, Congressman Frank Wolf earmarked funds for a grant that would fund a FLES (Foreign Language in Elementary Schools), provided the language was Chinese. The program started with the 2nd grade class in 2006. This year, those students are 7th graders at Longfellow Middle School.
There are countless other programs that we have enjoyed largely due to Principal Fuqua and our strong PTA's partnership. These include our Summer Quest Program, the proceeds from which help fund technology for the school; the Share Program, which gives back to our community; our REACH Program, which has improved students test scores across the board, and many more.
Principal Fuqua, thank you for the past 15 years! Your hard work makes this school a great place to be.
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MHS Pyramid Youth Survey Presentation
| McLean High School Pyramid Youth Survey Presentation
Tuesday, February 25 at 7:00 p.m. in McLean High School Lecture Hall
Dr. Dede Bailer, Fairfax County Psychology Services, will be presenting the data from the latest Youth Survey completed byour McLean children (6th, 8th , 10th and 12th graders). Learn about trends in sleep, sex, drinking, drug use, depression and more. Our school counseling staff and administrators from MHS, Longfellow and all the elementary schools will be there as well ...to supplement our learning. This presentation is intended to give parents the facts they need to talk to their kids about healthy decision making skills. EVEN IF YOU THINK YOUR CHILD IS GOOD AS GOLD, this information will help you understand their school environment and what they see and hear every say.
We tend to have over 125 parents attend this presentation. Knowledge is power!
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Conversation with Dr. Garza
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Dr. Garza's March 4 Meeting at McLean HS
The McLean Citizens Association (of which Michele Pearce is a board member) has scheduled a "Conversation with Dr. Garza" on March 4, 7:00 pm, at McLean HS in the Lecture Hall. (click here for flyer)
March 4 is a great time to ask budget-related questions. By then, FCPS will have a pretty good idea about how much state funding it will receive for FY 2015, which is likely to exceed the amount assumed in the FY 2015 Advertised Budget. In addition, FCPS may have published a regulation to help address class size issues by then, which Dr. Garza has discussed at numerous School Board work sessions and other meetings.
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Rising K Orientation
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Orientation for parents of 2014-2015 Rising Kindergarten students is Tuesday, March 11, 7-8 pm in the school's cafeteria. This parent information meeting will provide an overview of the kindergarten curriculum and help prepare parents of kindergartners for this new chapter in their child's life. Please let your neighbors know about the event!
We also have several parent representatives who are planning playground play dates over the summer for rising kindergartners and their families to meet others. Send an email to kinders@chesterbrookpta.org to get on the mailing list for information and to ask any questions of these seasoned experts!
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| Only 20 Days Until Fun Fair! Only 7 Days left to Purchase Wristbands! | |
Saturday, March 15th from 10 am - 2 pm
Get ready for the most fun event of the year at Chesterbrook! This year's Fun Fair has a winter sports theme. All the favorites will be back--the cupcake walk, moon bounces, guesstimates, lollipop tree, lots of fun games, teacher raffles, basket raffles and a few new surprises too. So come join us for this wonderful community FUNraiser as well as a FUNDraiser for Chesterbrook. All funds raised support a variety of programs sponsored by the PTA.
Click here for details on how to participate in the Fun Fair!
Only 20 Days Until Fun Fair! Only 7 Days left to Purchase Wristbands!
Pre-Sale Ends Sunday, March 2nd
Wristband Pre Sale: Buy one per child for use of unlimited times on the games and moon bounces. Wristbands are limited to three uses for Cupcake Walk, Pick A Pocket and Lollipop Tree. Food is not included in wristband price. Wristband sales end Sunday, March 2nd and will NOT be sold at the door.
Ticket Pre Sales: Tickets are 2 for $1.00. If you order early, you will receive BONUS TICKETS! Tickets will remain 2 for $1.00 at the door, but bonus tickets will NOT be sold.
Click here for the quick link to wristband and ticket sales!
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Interest in Glee Club?
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Does your child love to sing? Would he or she like to participate in an after-school Glee Club?
Please help us gauge interest in starting a Glee Club as a new after-school activity by filling out a short online survey. The club would provide students with an opportunity to sing and perform pop and Broadway music in a fun atmosphere, while learning voice technique and musical expression. It would be led Holly Shockey, director of Glee Club LLC.
Holly has been a soloist with the U.S. Army Band for the past 18 years and sings soprano in the Uptown Vocal Jazz Quartet's Grammy-nominated album, "Hustlin' for a Gig." The club would run for approximately 9 weeks in the spring, with the final session serving as a performance.
Please contact Chelsea Fallon if you have any questions.
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Book Drive for Mrs. Brown
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Over the snowy days in January, a faulty heating unit over Mrs. Brown's classroom (3rd grade) caused damage to her classroom, destroying her entire classroom library. Parents have been brainstorming of the ways we can help her to rebuild this library. One idea was to ask families who have older children to look through their bookshelves at home to see if they have any books that their family is finished reading that would be appropriate for 3rd graders. She really needs all levels of books...anything in good shape will be accepted. Most popular in 3rd grade are fact books/Guinness Record Books, series books (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Percy Jackson, etc, comic books, etc.
There is a bin labeled "BOOKS FOR BROWN!" in the hallway across from the library. We would love any donations of appropriate used books. Please do not bring the books directly to Mrs. Brown's classroom as she is still trying to get things situated and we want to help her sift through the books first. We will be collecting through February 28th.
Anything that is deemed not 3rd grade appropriate will be donated to the Chesterbrook library or elsewhere. If you have any questions, please contact Jen Nance at jennance@gmail.com.
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Flat Screen TVs Still Needed for Newsroom
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Did you receive, or treat yourself to, a new smart TV over the holidays, and are you now wondering where to put your old flat screen TV? Or did you already have an old flat screen TV sitting unused in the corner? If so, please considering donating your old TV to our school! Our morning news media room is still using some old bulky tube TV sets to display pictures and scripts. It would be wonderful to replace them with a few flat screen TVs. We need three flat screen TVs between 32" and 40" and three 17" to 20" flat screen Analog TVs or monitors that have white/red/yellow color inputs (also called RCA input).
Don't worry about transport. If it would be difficult for you to bring your old TV to school, our PTA volunteers would be happy to pick it up. Should you have any questions or like to schedule a pickup, please contact Fenny Hurwitz.
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Winter Coat Collection a Success
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Thank you so much to everyone who donated winter coats to our recent collection efforts. I was overwhelmed with how our community came together so quickly to meet this critical need. We donated over 100 new and used winter coats within 2 weeks!
The following is from a nearby school who received some of the coats:
"Thank you very much for the quick response to our request for coats for our students. We had completely run out, and with the recent cold weather, had many families in need of them. Your generous and rapid assistance and deliveries are greatly appreciated."
Thank you,
Emily Ludwikowski
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Business Friends of Chesterbrook
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We invite all Chesterbrook families to participate in our "Friends of Chesterbrook" armchair fundraiser.
With the Online Auction on hiatus this year, this is one of Chesterbrook PTA's primary means to support important academic and cultural needs. We ask for everyone's support of $100 per family to reach our goal, but your gift of any size is appreciated. We can 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 www.chesterbrookpta.org and click on the "Become a Business Friend" tab.
There are two easy ways to give:
1. You can donate online at www.chesterbrookpta.org. Click on "Become a Family Friend" or "Become a Business Friend".
2. 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 at friends@chesterbrookpta.org.
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Looking for an easy way to earn money for the CES PTA? Money that can be spent on all the significant projects of the PTA mentioned above? Here it is: We earn 4% - 10% of your purchase for the PTA if you use the following directions:
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! If your family, friends and co-workers use this link, it also credits back to the PTA, so share the word and tell everyone you know about this fundraising opportunity who orders through Amazon. Email amazon@chesterbrookpta.org if you have questions.
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The Digest PLUS is co-edited by Adrienne West and Laura Zimmitti.
If you have a story idea or any comments, please share them with us at editor@chesterbrookpta.org. Thank you!
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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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