Sligo Creek Elementary School

PTA Newsletter
Its your child. Its your school. Its your PTA!
Volume 13, Issue 4 Friday, November 4, 2011

Mark Your Calendars!

Upcoming PTA Meetings
December 6 (7-8:30 PM) January 3 (7-8:30 PM)

Highlights from the PTA Meeting

PTA Bylaws At the November 1, 2011 PTA meeting, PTA members discussed the PTA Bylaws which must be updated and reapproved this year in order to be in compliance with the National and Maryland PTAs. There are 2 possible changes: 1) amend the title of PTA President so that it allows for the option of having 2 PTA Presidents (as is the current case). Technically, we are not allowed to have 2 Presidents, but we can have a President and an Executive Vice President or a President and a President Elect. More people were in favor of a President and an Executive VP. The Executive VP would act for the President in their absence and could act as their successor. 2) The other possible change is to add in the option of having an Assistant Treasurer. The would allow for a division of the work load and would increase accountability. Further information on these changes will be posted before they are voted on at the December meeting. Fall Bulb Fundraiser The bulb sale was a great success. We raised nearly $2000. Thank you to everyone who purchased bulbs! Technology The new LCD projectors and document cameras (ELMOs) that were purchased in part by the PTA are in our classrooms and are much appreciated by our teachers.

Upcoming SCES Events

Saturday, Nov. 5: Science Round Robin Monday, Nov. 7 Friday, Nov. 11: Book Fair Thursday, Nov. 10: Early Release; Staff Appreciation Lunch; Parent Conferences Friday, Nov. 11: Early Release; parent conferences Thursday, Nov. 17: PTA Science Speaker Wednesday, Nov. 23: Early Release Thursday, Nov. 24 Friday, Nov. 25: Schools closed for Thanksgiving break Friday, Dec. 9: K-2 Social (Winter Wonderland) Tuesday, Dec. 13: Winter Concert Thursday, Dec. 15: PTA Science Speaker Monday, Dec. 26 Friday, Dec. 30: School closed for Winter Break Monday, Jan. 16: No school (MLK holiday) Tuesday, Jan. 19: PTA Science Speaker SCES PTA meetings and events are open to everyone. PTA meetings are held on the first Tuesday of the month in the Gym at 7:00 PM. Free babysitting is provided for toilet-trained children that are 3 years or older.

Missed the PTA meeting? Catch up by reading the minutes online. Go to our PTA website to find current and archived meeting minutes. http://www.scespta.org/pta-meetings.html

Principals Letter
Photos of the Fall Festival
Did you take photos of this years Fall Festival? If the answer is yes, then we would love to feature them in the Sligo Creek ES yearbook. Please email photos to our yearbook editor, Ms. Wright, at: Wilnetria_Wright@mcp smd.org.

Dear Parents, It was so nice to see so many of you at our Fall Festival. Students enjoyed working on their project in class and were excited to share their work at the parade. I apologize for the communication glitch in starting the parade early. That was an error on our part. We will make sure that does not happen in the future. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to celebrate with us. We are always glad to have you with us anytime. Coming up quickly are parent conferences. If you have not contacted your childs teacher to schedule a conference on November 10 th or November 11th please do so. This is an important time for you to gain insight related to your childs academic progress. We are partners in your childs education and we look forward to chatting with you. We want to make sure that every parent attends a Parent/Teacher conference. Bring your questions, concerns and celebrations! We are now entering the second quarter of the year. We have a great deal of work to do and our resources remain limited. More than ever, we rely on our volunteers. We are still in dire need of a volunteer to coordinate the efforts of our volunteer force. If you have only 30 minutes a week to give to our school, we would welcome it. Please contact our Reading Specialist, Ms. Miller if you have some time to support students as a classroom volunteer. Dismissal at the Grand Staircase is the most efficient ever. We consistently have all students in cars and on their way home by 3:45. If you arrive by 3:40, you should not have to wait in a long line. Please DO NOT park your car and walk to the front entrance to pick your child up. While we understand that waiting in line can be annoying, it hampers the process. If you want to park and pick your child up, they should be picked up at the canopy. Please help us continue to make this a smooth and efficient process. We are most appreciative of the technology that was funded in part by the PTA. Teachers and students are the beneficiaries of document cameras and LCD projectors. The quality of presentations and instruction is greatly enhanced by these gifts. You will see these pieces of equipment used in your childs classroom. Thank you for supporting our instructional program in such an important way. We are moving into the second quarter this week. Like you, we wonder where the time has gone. The farther into the school year we go, it seems that the pace increases. With the decrease in resources, the workload for everyone is a little heavier. During this time of thanksgiving, take a moment and write a note of thanks to your childs teacher. A small gesture of appreciation goes a long way. We are thankful for your support as well. Sincerely, Diantha R. Swift

Visit us on the Web at our PTA website: www.scespta.org There you will find information about PTA meetings, events, volunteer opportunities, and useful links and resources.

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Upcoming PTA Events

Staff Appreciation Lunch on November 10th
Thursday, November 10th at 1:20 pm the PTA will host a Staff Luncheon, and we are seeking the help of 25 parents. We know everyone is quite busy right now, but the SCES PTA has a lovely tradition of honoring the school's staff with a few lunches each year. If you could contribute one or more things from the following list, we would so appreciate it. Main courses (a crock pot of chili or soup, lasagna, baked ziti, enchiladas or rotisserie chicken). What works well is if you can bake it that morning and bring it hot between 12:45 and 1:00 p.m. For crock pots, you can bring it any time and just leave the pot turned on. Bread or rolls Fresh fruit or fruit salad Desserts Beverages Salad fixings

Manna Food Drive

The Sligo Creek Student Council will hold a food drive for Manna Food Center. Each classroom will have a box to collect canned food, and a poster with a list of the type of food needed at Manna. Last year, we raised 184 pounds. Our goal for this year is to raise at least 202 pounds of food. We can do it but we need everybodys help! Our food drive will run from Tuesday, November 1st to Friday December 2nd. Dont forget to send-in donations! Thank you!

A few people are also needed to help set-up at 12:15 pm and clean-up at 2:30 pm (kids are welcome)! November 11th is an early dismissal day and we will hope this will add to our pool of terrific volunteers! In order to sign up to bring an item, please click on the following link: http://www.signupgenius.com/go/november786 (or email scesappreciation@yahoo.com) with your donation. All food can be dropped off in the staff lounge on Thursday morning (anytime between 7-11:00 am). Arrangements can also be made to drop off the goods early-- either at the school or at a volunteer's home. Thanks, we're looking forward to a successful lunch! Staff Appreciation Committee Jennifer Tyler Kathleen Isaacson

Here is a handy list of the food they need most often at Manna
Peanut butter Tuna Fish Canned Fruits and Vegetables Shelf-stable milk Cereal Oatmeal Rice Pasta Beans Canned Tomato Sauce Macaroni and Cheese Soup Baby Food Other canned meat & fish Canned pasta

Save the Date!

The Winter Wonderland Social for Kindergarteners, 1st Graders, 2nd Graders, and their families will be on December 9th from 6:30 8:30 pm. There will be crafts, pizza, and more! Please contact Susan Dahiya (susandahiya@verizon.net) if you can help out with this fun event.

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Countdown to Book Fair!!

The Book Fair starts on Monday, November 7th! We will have both French and English books available for purchase. Each class will have time to visit the Fair but parents and family members are welcome to come any time to browse and buy! We will be open during the following times in the Media Center: Monday, November 7: 8:30 am 4 pm Tuesday, November 8: 8:30 am 4 pm Wednesday, November 9: 8:30 am 4 pm Thursday, November 10: 8:30 am 8 pm (half day) OPEN LATE!!! Friday, November 11: 8:30 am 2 pm (half day) Students will preview the books on Monday and Tuesday with their class. During this time, children may create a wish list of the books they would like to purchase. If you send your child to school with money to purchase books, please do so on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday. Please be sure to check out our Teachers wish lists. This is a wonderful way to enrich a teachers classroom library, especially for our newest teachers. You can purchase books for any classroom. Wish lists will be available at the checkout table at the Fair. We accept cash, checks and most major credit cards. If you send your child to school with cash or a check, please add the 6% MD state sales tax we must charge on all purchases. If you cant make it to school for the Fair, please check out our online Fair at: http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/publish/sligocreek. Online fair purchases will be delivered to the school and sent home in students backpacks. Thanks for helping to make the Book Fair a success!

5th Grade Art Project

On Tuesday, 10/25, all 75 5th grade students walked to Pyramid Atlantic Art Center on Georgia Avenue to participate in a Legacy Project 2012 papermaking workshop. Students prepared paper pulp, poured paper pulp into moulds, and created 3 oversized sheets of paper, as well as receiving a tour of the art center, meeting local artists, and making small explosion books to take home. Mrs. Diantha Swift, our wonderful principal, and Mr. Jose Dominques, Executive Director of Pyramid Atlantic Art Center, met this summer to form a partnership to permit our graduating 5th graders a legacy experience. The project is to create printed handmade paper to be permanently installed in our school building for all to enjoy in the future. Ms. Gretchen Schermerhorn, Artistic Director of Pyramid Atlantic, and her devoted interns lead the workshops as our students, like sponges, soaked up every single moment and experience of the adventure. Thank you very much, Ms. Swift, for your vision in the arts for our 5th graders. Our students are creating memories to last a lifetime!! Ms. Carol Lightfoot, Art Teacher, SCES

SLIGO CREEK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 500 Schuyler Rd, Silver Spring, MD 20910 301.562.2722 www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/sligocreekes/ PTA Web site: www.scespta.org Comments? Questions? Send them to the Newsletter Editor: Newsletter@scespta.org

SCES PTA Officers Diane Kelleher,co- President Stuart Kern, co-President Andrew Schulman, Treasurer Alice Vorosmarti, Secretary Susan Dahiya, Vice President for Events & Fundraising Debbie Boger, Vice President for Communication & Outreach Gabe Gonzalez, Vice President for Academic Support

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