Terraset PTA, Sunrise Valley PTA and Lake Anne PTA present: SKATE NIGHT!

Join us on Saturday, December 4th from 6:10-8pm at the SkateQuest in Reston.  Come on down and have a fun filled night on the ice with your family!  Practice your fancy triple toe loops or just hang near the edge and keep yourself upright, either way is sure to be a lot of fun and it benefits Terraset, too!

SkateQuest is located at 1800 Michael Faraday Court.  Admission is $8.00 prepaid or $9.00 at the door (includes skate rental).  For more information contact: Julie McHale at namlinh@gmail.com or 703-338-3752.

Jan Jenkins warm smile greets students!

 Picture this: the kids are running late and have to get a Tardy Pass.  Or you are going in to volunteer, or check out your children for a dentist appointment.  One person will help with all of these: Jan Jenkins, Terraset's illustrious office assistant.  She is the first point of contact whenever you get buzzed in at the front door or call the school with a question.

Jan has seen a great many children walk through Terraset's hallways.  In fact, this January will mark her 17th year here at the school.  Not one to sit idle at her desk, Jan not only hands out the tardy passes and buzzes people in, she also keeps track of the children's educational files, answers phones, delivers the plethora of students' forgotten items brought in by hapless parents, loads and unjams copiers and laminators and helps with flyers and other documents for the administrators.  Much to my children's envy, she also gets to change the sign outside the school.  Finally, she puts together the Terragram newsletter that goes home in the Tuesday packets.  Whew!  That's quite a lot!

Since many of the students see Mrs. Jenkins to claim a tardy pass, she has heard quite a few tardy excuses.  I know some of ours have been a little crazy- ranging from a game of Trouble that ran 30 minutes past school opening to just "life getting in the way of timeliness".  But she asserted some students are so consistently late they simply shrug their shoulders abjectly when she asks them why. 

Jan's biggest challenge is keeping her tasks managed while still being able to jump into new projects that pop up unexpectedly.  But she says her wonderful coworkers and students are the best part of her job here.  They keep her coming back every day. 

When she's not at Terraset, Jan enjoys many extra activities.  A comfort food cook, she loves to bake and cook everything from bread to shrimp with linguini to ham and beans.  She also enjoys puzzle type PC games, including Zuma, Zenerchi and Puzzle Quest.  When she's not hanging out with her family she's owned by three cats: Skeeter, Buddy and Crookshanks. 

So next time you come into the school and walk into the front office, you'll be greeted by Jan Jenkins.  More than just the one who gives out Tardy passes, Mrs. Jenkins keeps Terraset parents and students up to date on what's going on in the school!

On Wednesday, October 20^th, the fourth grade classes attended a concert at the Kennedy Center performed by the National Symphony Orchestra.  The theme of the concert was music composed by Beethoven.  The students heard many wonderful selections by the composer and learned many interesting facts.  The students even had a chance to sing along with the National Symphony Orchestra, an opportunity not many people can say they've experienced in their lives! 

 Many different instruments were highlighted as well, giving the students the memorable experience of seeing many intriguing instruments and being privy to a gorgeous violin solo and the piano's haunting rendition of the Moonlight Sonata.  The students were particularly fascinated with the piccolo, a tiny flute-like instrument, and the bassoon with its melodic baritone timbre. 

Mr. Jones' class loves Beethoven!

Another highlight for many students was getting the opportunity to visit the Kennedy Center itself.   The building's main hallway, called the Hall of States, has rows of flags representing every state.  Their multicolored rows had many kids wide eyed and pointing.  It truly made them realize how lucky they were to have the opportunity to attend such a concert.

With so many fabulous sights and sounds to touch the senses, there's no doubt that everyone had a wonderful time!  It is truly impressive that these opportunities are available to our students!

Last year we had so much snow we floundered in it with cold fingers and toes.  This year let's stay in the warmth and enjoy a musical about snow that will warm our hearts, provide some laughs and get us in the mood for winter!  On December 7th The Big Chill, a mini musical put together by music teacher Jonathan Andert and his 5th and 6th grade chorus students, will be sure to delight adults and children.  The show, about a big snow day, will feature 6 original, winter songs with some acting in between.  The students are even playing teachers, which is sure to be a hit! 

Terraset, with its rooftop garden serving as a certified backyard habitat and its history of environmentally friendly solar panels, is really all about outdoor space.  And now, Terraset brings the indoors to the outside with its newest endeavor, our outdoor classroom!

On Tuesday, October 25^th, under a canopy of threatening clouds, Terraset Principal, Ellen Cury and PTA president, Liz Falcone, cut the ribbon, officially opening Terraset's very own outdoor classroom.  Many people attended, including staff members and parents.  While enjoying refreshments and the peaceful surroundings of the gardens, attendees learned what a rich learning environment the new outdoor classroom can provide when complemented with the gardens.  Students and teachers, under the ample shade of a large tree by the seating area, are encouraged to use the outdoor classroom as a place to gather for math, science, and even language arts.   

Ellen Cury and Liz Falcone officially open the new classroom

It takes more than ideas to bring a project to life and the outdoor classroom would not have been able to come to fruition without the assistance and resources from many people and local businesses.  Ellen Cury was on hand to thank many people for their help, including Lorin Randall, the project manager, and Mark Shoff, the site manager.   The materials were provided by Lowe's Toolbox for Education Grant and there were also over twenty volunteers ranging from teachers and parents to high schoolers who put in the man power to build the classroom.  Together, volunteers worked for 10 hours to excavate the area, level the ground, construct the wall and lay the paving that now defines an intimate area which seats 20-30 students.  What a magnificent job! 

If you haven't had a chance to visit the new outdoor classroom and accompanying gardens, take a stroll on over and admire them.  While the garden is at its full beauty in spring and summer, there's always something to appreciate in nature every season of the year.  The students are looking forward to being able to get outside for lessons.  Thanks to all involved for making this beautiful space to enhance learning at our school!

Annual Outback Dinner "Adds Up" to a Great Time!

December 6th is an exciting night at Terraset.  It's the annual Outback Dinner and Math Night!

 Outback has continued to sponsor this popular night even during our financially difficult times.  Money paid towards the Outback dinner goes entirely to the school to help develop and maintain the school's math resources.  Not only that, Outback also supports 5th and 6th grade Honor Students by giving them "joey" cards and also by donating lunch to every child that receives the Math Superstar award.  Outback has been a truly generous business partner for Terraset and our children definitely benefit.

After a delicious Outback dinner in the Terraset cafeteria from 6-7pm, come and enjoy Math Night.  Children can explore tables full of exciting Math games for all ages.  It's a great time to have some fun with numbers! 

Information about the dinner went home in the Tuesday packets.  The Outback dinner is $10 for chicken and steak, $5 for children's hamburger or cheeseburger.  Checks for the dinner are due to your child's teacher by Nov. 30th. 

We have many talented teachers at Terraset and some may say we're a little biased because, after all, Terraset is our school.  However, we have one teacher standing out this month: Mrs. Mary Wehle, our art teacher! 

Recently, Mary's art was displayed in the Richard J. Ernst Community Cultural Center of the Northern Virginia Community College's Annandale Campus.  It is being exhibited as part of the third annual Artist Teacher Exhibition.  Dr. Renee Sandell, a George Mason University School of Art professor, chose Mary's work out of 230 other submissions.  The judges chose a total of 80 pieces to display, based solely on the merit of each work.   

A reception will be held honoring the artists and teachers on November 15th from 6-7:30pm at the Richard J Ernst Community Cultural Center.  However, the art will be displayed until November 20th.  Mrs. Wehle says the gallery is lovely with a variety of pieces to view.  If you're in the area, stop by and see the wonderful talent of our art teacher! 

For more information and for directions to the college, see the Reston Patch article.