 As
the 2009-2010 PTA President for Terraset Elementary School, I would
like to welcome you to another school year. The PTA is already
hard at work to help make great things happen for our students.
The Terraset PTA is an all-volunteer organization that exists to
support our kids in their education. To learn more about our
organization, I encourage you to visit our web site at www.terrasetpta.org -- and thanks for signing up for TouchPoint - now we are confident you are up-to-date with what is going on. Over the next few weeks, I encourage you to look for:
- PTA Membership Forms coming to you via your child's Tuesday Packet (also available online)
- Information about this year's volunteer drive, Three4Me -- we
are asking each parent to pledge three hours of time to the school and
children. We know that all of you lead busy lives, so there will
many opportunities (big and small) to help.
- The gift wrap fundraising campaign information. Last year's campaign raised a record $9,000 dollars for our school!
Our first PTA meeting of the year
will be held at 6:15pm on Tuesday, September 22nd in the Terraset
Cafeteria (right before Back-to-School Night). It's so
important that you be there to show your support for the school and
your children, the stronger the organization, the stronger the school
will be! So, we look forward to seeing you there!
If you have any questions or ideas to share, please feel free to contact me. I look forward to meeting each of you.
Sincerely,
Stephanie Randall
PTA President, Terraset
Stephanie.randall@verizon.net
If there is information that you would like to see included in this publication, please send us your thoughts.
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| Innisbrook Gift Wrap Sale Kick-off Tuesday! |
 The
Innisbrook kick-off is this Tuesday, September 15th! The catalogs
will be going home in the Tuesday packets and the kids will start to
hear about the campaign on WTER - the school's in-house TV station. So,
don't forget to read through the catalog, help your kids get their
orders, and submit them on time.
There is some extra fun this year too. For each grade level, one
catalog will have a "you win" slip. If your child finds that
slip, he or she may come up to the office and turn it in to Mrs.
Jenkins for a prize.
Secondly, if you arrive at Back to School
Night and bring a slip of paper with the page number and name of their
favorite gift wrap, it will be entered in a raffle... that night
only! So join in the fun and have your note ready to take to
Back to School Night!
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| Welcome to Terraset's New Staff |
 A
number of new staff have joined Terraset this year. Make sure you get
to meet them at Back To School Night on Tuesday, September 22nd.
Ms Shannon Clements, Psychologist
Ms Robin Dodd, Grade 4 Teacher
Ms Tulla Doherty, FLES/Spanish Teacher
Ms Leslie Griffin, Speech Teacher
Mr James Grumbach, Special ED Team
Ms Kimberley Mathews, ESOL Teacher
Ms Kristina Roman, PSL
Ms Andrea Segovia, Office Assistant
Ms Carrie Smiley, Gifted & Talented Teacher
Also, Ms Peggy O'Connel will be the music
teacher for the next couple of months, until Mrs Goldman returns. Did
you hear that Mrs Goldman now has a baby girl, Natalie Shoshana?
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| Back To School Night Basics |
Adapted from an online article By Toby Leah Bochan for Scholastic Parents
If a picture is worth a thousand words,
then visiting in person must equal about a million. That's why most
schools host back-to-school nights shortly after the beginning of the
year. Take advantage of this opportunity to see the world your child
inhabits every day and meet the people in charge. It's one of the best
ways to begin to build that all-important home-school connection.
What to Expect
When: 7pm Tuesday, September 22nd
Who: You'll be able to meet
your child's teachers and aides, the principal, nurse, and other staff
members, and of course your fellow parents. Typically, this is an
adults-only night, so book a sitter.
Where: The evening begins with an introduction in the cafeteria. Then you'll meet with your children's teachers.
What: The event gives you a
glimpse of your child's daily life at school and an opportunity to
learn about the curriculum. You can also sign up to join the PTA.
Why: Research shows that
parent involvement in schools helps students achieve more and schools
thrive. And joining the PTA is a great way to have a voice in school
issues and decisions.
Visiting the Classroom
Many teachers will have you sit in your child's seat. It makes it
easier for them to keep track of which child goes with which parent -
especially since a parent may not share the same last name as their
child. Plus, you get the opportunity to see the world of the classroom
as your child does every day.
Your child's teacher will give an overview of the students' daily
routines, schedules, goals, and activities - some of this may already
be written on the blackboard when you get there so the teacher can dive
right into the meat of things. You will also hear about homework
policies, discipline plans, the standards they hope to achieve, any
textbooks that may be used, and any other important information
such as parent view on BlackBoard.
At each point, your child's teacher will likely stop and take any
questions you have about the world of the classroom. Now's your chance
to ask general questions and to clarify anything you find confusing.
However, this is not a time to discuss your child's individual needs or
progress - save that for parent/teacher conferences when the teacher
knows your child better and can talk with you one-on-one.
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| Whole Foods Market Helping Terraset Again! |
Another opportunity for generosity and Whole Foods jump right in!
Vernon James, the
manager of the Reston Whole Foods Market, contacted us last week to say
that they wanted to make a donation to our lunch program.
True to his word, on Friday, four cases of Peanut Butter and four cases
of Fruit Spread arrived at the school.
Over 40% of Terraset
students are on the free, or reduced, lunch program. This donation
will certainly make a difference for many of our kids!
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| Partnership for Healthier Kids |
 Partnership
for Healthier Kids (PHK) is one of several community health-improvement
initiatives of the Community Health Division of Inova Health System.
PHK has two main school-based programs: an Access to Care program and a
Prevention program.
Families without medical insurance should contact the Access to Care program
at PHK on 703-698-2550. This program is designed to identify
uninsured children and connect them to an appropriate and affordable
source of quality health care services.
From FCPS
|
Everyday steps that can help prevent the transmission of flu viruses:
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze. Throw the tissue in the trash after you use it.
- Wash your hands often with soap and
water, especially after you cough or sneeze. If hands are not visibly
soiled, hand sanitizers containing at least 60 percent alcohol are also
effective.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, or mouth. Germs spread this way.
- Try to avoid close contact with sick people.
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Let's keep schools open to students during this flu season:
-
Keep sick children at home
for at least 24 hours after they no longer have fever without the use
of fever-reducing drugs. Any child who is determined to be sick
while at school will be sent home.
-
Plan now for your children's care
if you or your children become ill with the flu and need to stay
home. Talk to other family members, friends or neighbors about
helping with child care or possibly sharing care in such a situation.
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|
| Become a Health Room Volunteer |
 The Fairfax County Health Department is offering training opportunities for parent volunteers.
Training is essential for anyone working in a school health room.
Direct care and administrative opportunities are available. For more
information, contact the school public health nurse, Mary Joan Shea
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| Math Superstar Program Set to Start! |
Terraset PTA has a long tradition of sponsoring the Math Superstar Program for the school, and we will be starting again on Tuesday, September 22nd.
Every child is encouraged to participate
in this math enrichment program. Teachers will distribute the
worksheets during class time, students complete them, then PTA
volunteers will grade submissions. In all, 25 worksheets will be
distributed throughout the school year and students will earn "stars"
for solving the problems. Math superstars may be rewarded with the
highly coverted Math Superstar T-shirts -- and for outstanding
performers, a private lunch at the Outback Steakhouse!
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| Work With Kids in the Outdoor Classroom! |
 Terraset
children will be volunteering in the garden from 9:15-10:00 in the
morning on pre-arranged dates. We are looking for parents to volunteer
during this time.
The kids will be taking pictures of the
plants and making a book about the garden. We also plan to make markers
for our plants. The first date is 9/24/09. Contact Faye
Codding at milcod@comcast.net or 630-306-1190.
Also, muscles are needed! We
are looking for a few strong folks to move the mulch from the side of
the school up to the butterfly garden. We have a wheel barrow and
shovels-- now we need some help. This can be done at your own
convenience Please contact Faye Codding about this too.
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| The Bus Hiccup! |
by Liz Falcone
"The bus is crazy." said one of our parents on Wednesday. "The first day I think they might have made it on time to school [but the bus was] over 15 minutes late to our stop."
How has your experience of the bus system
been this week? FCPS introduced the new routes to save time and
money, but there were long delays in getting our kids home after school
on Tuesday because the buses were late. Wednesday morning found
teachers having to hold attendance lists until well after 9:30 am
because one bus had still not arrived. Some parents decided to drive
their kids to school when the bus had not arrived by 9:15 am.
If the bus has been late to your stop, either to or from school, PLEASE contact Dean Tistadt, Chief Operating Officer, Department of Facilities and Transportation.
Terraset has no control over the bus system and needs your help to get
the message through that this is just not good enough -- indeed it is
not safe for our young students. "[My 1st grade daughter] arrived
home the first day after 5 pm!" a parent told me "we live 1.4
miles from the school!"
Needless to say, many parents are not happy. But more importantly, this
has been very stressful for students who have had to stand,
possibly in the rain, and wait for the bus. Being stuck on
the bus is not too good either! On Wednesday, some of the older
students said the bus driver passed by their turn several times so they
asked if they could get out and walk home -- there were only
about six stops on their route. Older kids also reported that
some students had to sit four to a seat. When asked, the
transportation department advised that they had two weeks to fix this
issue! That seems a long time to be allowed to operate an over-capacity
bus!
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| Scouting at Terraset |
 Terraset's Cub Scout Pack 32 is holding Join Scouting Night
on Thursday, 9/24 at 6:30 PM. This is an opportunity for boys in grades
1-5 to join our pack and experience the fun of Scouting. Every year,
our Scouts work towards their badges, volunteer for service projects,
build pinewood derby cars, and go camping.
Pictured are John Carr and James Bailey as Tigers Cubs in June, 2008.
There will be a display table at Back to
School Night where parents can get more information. The Girl
Scouts will be there too! So, if you have a child interested in Scouts,
make sure you talk to these two groups.
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| Thursdays in the Garden |
 Come
join other parents, children and neighbors in the butterfly garden
on Thursday evenings from 5:30-7:00. We will meet every Thursday
until October 17.
We frequently find fun things to look at--
from large green grasshoppers to praying mantis eggs. We will be
weeding, watering and transplanting plants. Mulching will also be a
priority before the November rains begin to set in.
Bring children, garden gloves,something to
drink, bug-spray and tools (hand trowels, shovels, rakes, brooms, etc.)
Come for as little or as long as you can stay. If you are interested in
being in a morning group starting at 9:15 please contact Faye
Codding at milcod@comcast.net or 630-306-1190.
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