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Five months down and five to go! How
has the academic year passed so quickly? The kindergartners will be
celebrating 100 days of school later this month and the sixth graders
must be starting to get very excited (or anxious) about heading off to
middle school!
In the mean time, we are all dealing
with the confusion of snow days, uncertainty of budgets, and our
expectations as another grading period comes to an end. Unfortunately,
these elements are all busying our minds as we try to work out what to
do about Bingo Night this year! This event is one of our major
fundraisers and it looks like we may well have to postpone it because
of another winter storm system expected to pass through our area on
Friday. So please, plan on coming... but
also be prepared for a change of plan! Look for an announcement
regarding a snow date if it is required.
If this all sounds too stressful,
then you should certainly join us for yoga on February 27th. Read on
for the details!
As always, thanks for your ongoing
support of the PTA. We know the school appreciates your efforts and we
are confident that what you are doing continues to help our kids!
If there is
information that you would like to see included in this publication,
please send us
your thoughts.
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| Reflections Success |
 Fairfax
County Council of PTAs has contacted Terraset PTA to share the
following great news regarding the National PTA 2009-10 Reflections
program themed " Beauty Is..." Three of the six
young artists from Terraset, whose work was forwarded to the Council
for further judging, have been recognized!
Phylicia Richardson -
Award Of Merit
Intermediate Division: Film Video
Production
Katie Falcone - Award Of Excellence
Primary Division: Dance
John Hodge - Outstanding
Interpretation
Primary Division: Visual
Art
John Hodge's work has
now progressed to the District Level for Judging!
Thanks to all those who made
Reflections happen at Terraset this year, particularly Renee
Gillanshah. And congratulations to all our wonderful artists at
Terraset! We are so proud of you!
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| BINGO! |
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COME
OUT & HAVE SOME FUN at BINGO NIGHT THIS FRIDAY!
February
5th 6:00 to 8:30PM
(Snow
Date TBA)
Pizza and drinks
- $1 each
Baked
Goods - by donation
Donations
for Prize Baskets still needed!
Bring
donated baked goods with you to Bingo Night!
Volunteers
needed to sell food and drinks or sell tickets at the door.
Questions?
Want to Volunteer?
Contact Kathy
Somer (Kathy.Somer@verizon.net) at 703-716-5905
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| Snow
Days Mean More School! |
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Yesterday's snow
day means the kids will be in school
on Monday, Feb 15th, Presidents' Day!
If we have five
inclement days (one more), the next makeup day will
be Monday, April 12th.
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| Teacher's
Tale: Ms Sue Palatucci |
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by Devon
Boatwright
In the entrance to the school,
almost directly across from the front office, you'll see a cozy looking
room. Inside this room some pretty cool things happen. Children make
friends, they learn to work through conflicts with others, and they
even learn how to use a combination lock before moving onto Jr. High.
Who guides them through these processes? Sue Palatucci, Terraset's
counselor.
 Sue
began her career after receiving her Masters degree from George Mason.
She worked in the special education field in both Loudoun and Fairfax
counties before settling into her role as a counselor at Terraset.
While she has always wanted to be a teacher, it wasn't until she was in
the school system that she realized her strength would lie in
counseling children and helping them through the emotional and social
challenges that interfere with their academic success.
There isn't one specific program title that would even begin to
describe all Sue does for the students at Terraset. However, the most
intriguing is, perhaps, the Peer Mediation Program. In this program,
5th and 6th grade students are trained to help other students work
through conflicts that occur between friends. Students have really
thrived under this program, instituted in the early 1990s, and it has
helped reduce discipline trips to the office.
As well as running the Peer Mediation program, Sue also has friendship
groups that enable children to "discuss friendship related
issues-negotiation, conversation skills, making and keeping friends,
cooperation, sharing, patience...". Far from being a dry lecture, Sue
makes them fun by incorporating arts and crafts, games and hands on
activities. By the end of the session many of the students, who are
grouped by age and similar gender, are bonded and interact outside of
the group.
The Positive Behavior System (PBS) is also co-run by Ms Palatucci. PBS
is a school wide program. If your student has ever received a green
slip, it is because of this program. She also discusses various school
issues. She says, "There isn't a problem I won't try to address if it
comes my way. For the more sensitive areas such as family, divorce,
death, severe behavior issues, severe emotional issues, etc. I would be
in touch with the parents on a regular basis. If something comes my way
that is out of the scope of what I'm designed to work with, I will
recommend to the parent that they seek outside counseling. I have a
great resource of professional therapists, counselors and
psychiatrists."
It is clear Sue loves her job. She loves the unpredictability of her
days and giving the students the tools they need to conquer their
problems and become successful within the school. She strives to "teach
[students] good social skills and work habits which are monumentally
important in having success later in life both personally and
occupationally."
So next time your child brings home
a green slip, or resolves a conflict with a friend, or brings home a
new friend, Sue may very well have helped with the development of the
skills used... skills that will help our kids succeed in all their
endeavors..
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| GRACE
Art Corner: What's up in February? |
There's no GRACE Art this month, but
you may be interested in a couple of exhibits that just
opened, or are opening soon... they seem to be related
to some of our portfolios. The first two
were both written up in the Washington Post last week.
"Georgia O'Keeffe: Abstraction" at The Phillips through May
9 (includes Stieglitz as well)
http://www.phillipscollection.org/exhibitions/current/index.aspx
Enjoy if you go!
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| FCPS
Budget Update |
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Hopefully you
have expressed your opinion about the FCPS Budget to Superintendant
Jack Dale because today the School Board will adopt its 2010-2011
budget.
There is another
level of lobbying still open to you. Recently, former Gov. Kaine
proposed a delay to readjust the funding formula called the LCI (local
composite index), which is the formula used to determine state funding
to our schools. This proposal comes the very year our schools in NOVA,
including Fairfax County, would benefit from an readjusted LCI. An
update to the formula to reflect our current economic conditions would
bring $61 million to Fairfax County schools to save many valuable
programs. (Dr. Dale only requested a $57.8 million increase in his
initial budget proposal.)
Gov. McDonnell has yet to take a
position on whether or not he supports this proposal.
You may want to
contact Governor McDonnell & state-elected officials now to
oppose the proposed LCI delay!
We suggest you keep your message short. Arguments to oppose the delay
include:
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The quality
of K-12 in NOVA is a major economic driver for the region and
Commonwealth which receives significant revenue from NOVA.
-
The proposed
LCI freeze is unfair and divisive.
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The proposed
LCI freeze hurts schools and children in localities with significant
enrollment projections.
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| Tip Sheet for Parents
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Teach Your Child How to
Balance School and Activities
Over scheduling has become a problem
for children today. Between school, sports, music lessons, and clubs,
kids don't get a break. And parents spend more time shuffling children
around than building a good relationship.
The key is to balance schoolwork, outside activities, family time, and
free time. Here's how:
- Cut down on the number of different
activities. Instead, allow your child to explore two activities in
depth.
- Decrease the overall amount of time
your child spends on planned activities. Give him or her more free time
to play and explore on his or her own.
- Don't put pressure on your child
when he or she is playing sports or practicing music. Getting upset
about a missed pass or wrong note won't allow your child to enjoy the
activity.
- Spend more time with your child.
Let him or her just "hang out" and talk to you. Have a family night
once a month to build family relationships.
Note:
Copyright 2010. Reprinted with permission from the Parent Institute.
Additional tip sheets and other resources for parents can be found on
the Family and School Partnerships web site at http://www.fcps.edu/cco/fam/ptips.htm.
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| Call
for Graphic Artists! |
 With the Earth Day Carnival coming up, along
with other ongoing projects, the PTA really needs some help
from any graphic artists that may be a part of our community.
If you are able to volunteer some of
your time for well defined and often relatively small projects, could
you let us know? We would love to hear from you!
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| PTA
Yoga Fundraiser! |
Do you need a little fun and relaxation? Come join us for a special
Terraset parent yoga class. Proceeds will be donated to the Terraset
PTA!
When: Saturday, February 27 at 1
p.m.
Where: BelovedYoga Reston
11872 Sunrise Valley Drive
Reston VA 20191
703-860-9642
Cost: $10 per person
Maryam Oviss, co-owner & Terraset parent will be leading the
class!
RSVP belovedyoga@yahoo.com
www.BelovedYoga.com |
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The
Fairfax County Executive will release its FY 2011 Advertised
Budget Plan on February 23rd. So there is still time to 