SPOTLIGHT Articles
Congratulations Patti Twigg, MCCPTA Communications Chair and Listservs
Moderator!
Board of Education Honored Distinguished Service Award Winners on Thursday, October 23, 2008
Patti Twigg is an advocate on behalf of excellence in education for all children in the school system. Over the past decade, she has been not only an active PTSA parent, but also a PTSA president, a special needs chair, a cluster representative and a cluster coordinator, along with accepting numerous other assignments within MCPS and state-level PTSAs. Twigg has testified countless times before the Board of Education and the County Council on issues that affect education. One of her notable contributions has been in championing and implementing the use of listservs. She has coordinated and moderated e-mail groups and participated in writing new rules and guidelines to govern the use of listserv by local PTSAs.
The complete award winner list:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/press/index.aspx?pagetype=showrelease&id=2409
Watch Award Ceremony
The Distinguished Service Awards will air on Ch. 34 (Comcast), Ch. 36 (Verizon FiOS), and Ch. 89 (RCN).
Fri., 10/24 at 8 p.m.
Sat., 10/25 and Sun., 10/26 at 7 p.m.
Wed., 10/29 at 8 p.m.
Sat., 11/1 and Sun., 11/2 at 7 p.m.
Congratulations Charles R. Drew ES
AEMS ALLIANCE ANNOUNCES
For Immediate Release: October 1, 2008
Three Maryland Schools Receive National Award
• Berlin Intermediate School, Worcester County Public Schools
• Charles R. Drew Elementary, Montgomery County Public Schools
•
Winters Mill High School, Carroll County Public Schools
Recipients of the 2007-2008
John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts
National Schools of Distinction
in Arts Education Award
BALTIMORE - The Arts Education in Maryland Schools (AEMS) Alliance and The Kennedy Center Alliance for Arts Education Network (KCAAEN) congratulate the recipients of the John F. Kennedy national awards program honoring outstanding school arts programs. The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts National Schools of Distinction in Arts Education Award is presented each year to five schools from throughout the United States that have made the arts an essential part of their students' education. For the first time in the history of the Kennedy Center awards program, three of the five schools chosen for this prestigious national recognition are from one state. The three Maryland winners will receive a monetary award to support their arts education programs and may be invited to perform at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. These schools will be honored during the AEMS Alliance Cultural Arts For Education (CAFE) Conference in the spring of 2009:
Berlin Intermediate School, Worcester County Public Schools, Grades 4-6,
Berlin, Maryland
Dr. Charles R. Drew Elementary School, Montgomery County Public Schools Grades K-5, Silver Spring, Maryland
Winters Mill High School, Carroll County Public Schools, Grades 9-12,
Westminster, Maryland
The winners of the award were selected from the schools nominated by their State Alliance for Arts Education. The award is presented to individual public schools that have ensured a creative educational environment for outstanding student achievement by providing high-quality opportunities for learning in and throuigh the arts
MCPS Back to School Fair
MCCPTA was in the house—or on the blacktop—at the August 16th, MCPS Back to School Fair. Membership Chair April Keyes and I had a great time talking to parents about PTA while applying tattoos and handing out hundreds of pencils emblazoned “Join your local PTA.”
We were there to promote PTA membership and it was interesting that many parents told us that they hadn’t previously joined the PTA at their child’s school because they didn’t have the time to get involved with PTA. April and I took a page from Maryland PTA’s idea of tiered membership and informed people that you didn’t need to make a commitment of time to join the PTA. We explained that PTAs support all the students at a school regardless of whether their parents are members or not and so joining the PTA is the first step toward supporting their child’s education regardless of whether they could make a commitment of time. Most PTAs provide information to all parents; provide cultural arts and enrichment to all students; and support all staff. Once it was explained that membership didn’t mean a big commitment of time many parents told us that they would join their local PTA.
Parents were very pleased when we explained that joining a local PTA also made them a member of MCCPTA. The idea that their membership could help give a stronger voice to MCCPTA was very appealing to them. We described some of the advocacy efforts MCCPTA has made in recent years and explained that it makes a difference when we testify to the County Executive, County Council, and School Board to be able to say that we have 50,000 members. We also pointed out that it gives their own local PTA a stronger voice when membership increases—it makes a difference when the PTA president can tell the principal he/she is speaking on behalf of hundreds of parents rather than dozens.
The fair was very well attended and there were lots of activities for young children as well as a DJ and entertainment crew for the older students. There was lots of free food and a raffle which culminated with raffling off a desktop computer. There were many informational booths and April and I are both looking forward to returning next summer.
- Jane de Winter
Congratulations to our MCPS Volunteer Winners!
MCPS Division of Family and Community Partnerships
Click to see which schools had the most volunteer hours recorded this school year (2007-2008)!
» Congratulations to our Volunteer Winners!
Sally K. Ride and Target Announce “Look What I Read!! I’m Right on Target!!”
Sally K. Ride Elementary School, the SKR PTA, and Target are proud to announce a partnership that sponsored a reading incentive program encouraging children to read on a daily basis. The main goal of this program was to show children that reading is fun, important, and should be part of their every day lives. Too often, reading is considered a chore. One method used to combat this attitude was to encourage children to read whatever interested them, either alone or with a friend or adult, without the pressure of concurrent instruction.
The program also tried to change the fundamental way that reading is encouraged. Children are very social beings, yet reading is usually a solitary task and therefore, it is not an activity that caters to their natural tendencies. However, talking about books that children read can be a very social activity. Children share their thoughts about their favorite cartoon, game, TV star, or sports hero, but they seldom talk about books. This program attempted to add books to the list of things about which children talk. To accomplish this, the children were encouraged to talk about the books they read with family, friends, and teachers. As an optional activity, children were given a rating form on which they could rate the books they read and share what they thought in age-appropriate terms that included “Awesome!” or “Boring!”. SKR teachers did a phenomenal job in promoting participation in the incentive program and providing time for discussion of the books that their students read.
A total of 276 students completed the incentive and rated 183 books. Amazingly, of the 183 books rated, only 12 were read by more than one student showing the wonderful diversity and plethora of books that SKR children read. The SKR PTA made a compilation of these books and the ratings and provided them to teachers and parents.
All students who completed the incentive were rewarded with the opportunity to choose a Scholastic book as their prize, the cost of which was primarily covered by a generous grant from Target. Perhaps the greatest proof that this incentive was a success was that after children took their prize books back to class, numerous teachers remarked that they had some difficulty getting children to put down the books so that the teachers could continue lessons. Even the children who did not complete the incentive sat with someone who had and together they read the new book. The irony of teachers telling children to stop reading was not lost on SKR staff or parents!
The staff at SKR, the SKR PTA, and Target are all very excited about the success of this program. The title “Look What I Read!” is meant to convey the pride in reading so many different books while “I’m right on Target!” is an obvious play on the name of the financial sponsor that shows that SKR children are right on target in reading every day.
PTA Workshop at Wayside Elementary School
We recently had Debbie Fink lead a two day workshop for third graders at Wayside Elementary School. Mrs. Fink worked with approximately 100 students celebrating National Poetry Week with a workshop entitled, There Once was a Limerick.
The two day seminar was structured with a learning/thinking day on the first day and hands on writing on the second. The first day’s focus was setting the stage through The Gift of Writing: Going from Inspiration to Publication. Mrs. Fink tailored the program to incorporate our third grade teachers’ requirements which were to help the students with creative writing and to work with them on something outside of the regular MCPS curriculum. Providing an overview of poetry styles and genres, Mrs. Fink discussed emotions in poetry and focused on rhyming poetry. She got the kids involved by having them read quotes about poetry by great poets. The kids really enjoyed Mrs. Fink’s Limericks’ Rhythm and Rhyme in which she taught limericks through movement.
On the second day, Mrs. Fink focused on writing limericks. She started the day in a brainstorming session so the students could practice the process of writing a limerick. Each student was then given a camera-ready prototype to write their final two limericks along with an illustration. Mrs. Fink is now overseeing the publishing of a poetry book for the students entitled, There Once was a Limerick from Wayside…, so that the children will have a book, published by Harmony Hearth, containing their limericks, illustrations, and some photos from the workshop.
Mrs. Fink brings so much energy and enthusiasm to the workshop that all of the students are touched by it. The students were very upbeat and excited by the whole program and are eagerly awaiting the publication of their book. The teachers were very positive about the experience. One teacher commented, “Debbie was organized, enthusiastic, and knew her stuff. Also, she built on things that the kids have learned without repeating what we’ve done in school.” Another summed up, “I would love to have Debbie back again next year, especially since we now know what to expect. She was very organized and it was apparent that she has a passion for writing. There was a clear beginning, middle, and end to the program and I think the students really enjoyed the process.”
If you have any questions, please email Cheryl Kitt.
Fitness Program at
Jackson Road Elementary School
A little bit of Mahatma Gandhi is alive and well in Silver Spring,
Maryland — or at least his words: "We must be the change we wish to see
in the world." Gandhi's quote inspired veteran art teacher Lisa Gutman
to do something about a problem she was seeing among her students at
Jackson Road Elementary school: poor eating habits and a lack of
physical activity.
So Gutman made a bold move. Through a grant she received from the
Verizon Foundation and the support of Principal Sally Macias, she
developed a program called "Fit to Learn, Fit for Life." The program is
designed to provide a safe, respectful and responsible environment where
elementary school students can exercise, learn proper nutrition and
acquire the skills necessary to lead a healthy lifestyle. The best part
about it? It can easily be integrated into the school day as well as at
home.
The program starts with morning fitness classes in the cafeteria before
the school day begins. Either through DVDs or live guest teachers, such
as local trainer and owner of Fiterrifix Scott Sulkin, kids enjoy
20-minute exercise sessions, featuring hip-hop, yoga, and other
kid-friendly routines. Teachers also get a DVD called "Energy Blasts" for quick exercise breaks in the classroom.
To teach students how to live healthier lives, a dietician from the
Department of Food and Nutrition Services leads discussions about
fitness and nutrition. And, because kids love "stuff," Gutman also
offers students cool program T-shirts, which they wear with pride.
How are students responding to the program?
"They love it," says Gutman. "I've seen a real metamorphosis. Kids are
becoming much more active. Suddenly, in my art class students are
rushing to clean up so that they have time for a quick bit of hip-hop."
Even better, kids are beginning to understand there's more to hip-hop
than just fun moves; they're starting to embrace the link between
exercise and health.
"If you're fit," a first-grader recently told Gutman, "you could live to
be 100 years old!"
More proof of the program's success comes in the form of paper stars
filling up the walls in the school's hallways. On each star, students
describe what they like best about their workouts — strong testimony to
their new-found enjoyment of physical activity. Kids also created a "Fit
to Learn, Fit for Life" cookbook to share with their families, featuring
recipes supplied by a local author.
"We're also in the process of collecting written fitness goals from
every student," says Gutman, "and helping them make plans to reach them."
How does the future of fitness look at Jackson Road Elementary? Strong.
"These days," says Gutman, "the kids are the ones leading the charge for
more fitness activities."
For example, the students decided amongst themselves to start a recess
running club. As a result of their request, a P.E. teacher mapped out a
quarter mile loop for them to run, and a local trainer arrived to head
up their club. Could the next world-famous marathoner be among Jackson
Road's fledgling runners?
To include families, Gutman is working with students from George
Washington University's exercise science program to participate in a
Family Fitness Night. Led by Professor Alex Dickman, the GW students are
working with the kids to set up health and fitness stations for the
families to engage in and creating take home bags of fitness goodies to
keep the momentum going.
Up next is a workout video contest, in which students will develop their
own five-minute fitness routines. Gutman will then choose the best
workouts and combine them into a video for everyone to use. Presently
each morning the halls are lined with students waiting for their
routines to be recorded!
Fitness Gurus Billy Blanks and Denise Austin — watch out!
Here are some tips for increasing the fitness of your student body:
Present exercise as a fun activity.
* Focus on kid-friendly exercises, such as hip-hop.
* Present quick activities that can be done at home as well as at
school.
* Give kids public recognition for accomplishing fitness goals.
* Educate parents and kids about good nutrition.
* Involve parents as much as possible.
* Encourage and empower kids to take fitness programs further.
Hollywood Comes to Paint Branch Winterguard!
On Thursday, March 20, 2008, Paint Branch Winterguard will participate
in the filming of the Hollywood movie "State of Play," directed by Kevin
Macdonald and starring Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams, Russell Crowe, and
Helen Mirren.
The Paint Branch Winterguard members are: Marthe Ambroise, Marly
Diallo, Bernardine Frazer, Christina Heng, Hawi Itana, Meri Kitila,
Amanda Lay, Christine Lay, Renee Reardon, Sierra Reynolds, and Jessica
Tran.
Filming will take place on the steps of the Scottish Rite Temple on 16th
Street, NW, Washington, DC, throughout the day.
The film is based on a BBC mini-series of the same title. In the movie,
a team of investigative reporters work alongside a police detective to
try and solve the murder of a congressman's mistress. The film is
scheduled for release in 2009.
The Winterguard is under the direction of Dawn Simounet and her
assistant Cecilio Alvarez. Ms. Simounet has been the instructor for the
past five years and choreographed the number which will appear in the
film.
The Winterguard is part of the Paint Branch Marching Band under the
direction of Sean Kirchhoff, a 1996 Paint Branch graduate and an alum of
the music program. This is Mr. Kirchhoff's eighth year as a band
director, and his first at his alma mater.
ADVANCEMENT IN SCIENCE …
The Montgomery County Council on Feb. 26 recognized students from Walt Whitman High School in Bethesda for their victory in a battle of scientific and mathematical wits in the recent Maryland Science Bowl state championship. Whitman has now qualified to compete against 67 other teams in the National Science Bowl competition in Chevy Chase in May. Councilmember Roger Berliner presented a proclamation in honor of the team’s success to Damjan Korac, Shantanu Jha, Seth Gordon, Evan Weingarten and team advisor Julie Frank.
Wheaton High School Named National Breakthrough School
January 31, 2008
MCPS
Wheaton High School Named MetLife-NASSP Breakthrough School for Encouraging High Levels of Student Achievement
Wheaton High School has been selected as a MetLife-NASSP Breakthrough School, one of only 10 schools in the nation serving large numbers of students living in poverty that were honored for encouraging high levels of student achievement.
The Breakthrough School program, sponsored by the MetLife Foundation and the National Association of Secondary School Principals (NASSP), showcases middle and high schools that are high achieving or are dramatically improving student achievement. The 10 schools selected as Breakthrough Schools demonstrated continual growth on state assessments over at least three years, specific efforts addressing the achievement gap, equity of student participation in challenging courses, and academic and career-focused learning plans for students.
Wheaton has a diverse student population. Of the 1,324 students who attend, 53.4 percent are Hispanic, 24.2 percent are African American, 11.6 percent are Asian and 10.6 percent are white. Almost 49 percent of Wheaton students receive free and reduced-price meals.
With supports in place—such as access to rigorous coursework for all students, differentiated instruction with multiple assessments, data-based decision making and opportunities for career development—Wheaton is working to close the achievement gap. The number of students who take Advanced Placement classes and exams continues to increase. Wheaton actively recruits students to take Honors classes in their freshman and sophomore years. This year, 61.7 percent of all students are participating in AP and/or Honors classes, with 26 percent enrolled in Advanced Placement classes.
Wheaton offers professional development that supports students’ particular needs. All staff members participate in subject-level Professional Learning Communities (PLCs) that meet at least once a month. Based on data gathered last school year, this year the PLC is focusing on motivating students and looking at implications for instruction.
Wheaton is committed to the concept of smaller learning communities, which allows the school to target all students for academic success. Wheaton has five academies—Academy of Information Technology, Academy of Engineering, Academy of Biosciences and Health Professions, Institute for Global and Cultural Studies, and the Ninth Grade Academy. The four content-specific academies are integrated with course pathways that provide advanced-level instruction. Next year, all incoming freshmen, in addition to attending the Ninth Grade Academy, will participate in another academy during their years at Wheaton.
The high school also partners with the Montgomery County Department of Recreation, which provides tutor funding at the Homework Center, where students can work with teachers across all disciplines. Lunchtime Enrichment is offered every day through the various academic departments and academies.
The school will receive a $5,000 grant and will be featured in an upcoming issue of Principal Leadership magazine. Wheaton and other Breakthrough Schools will be honored at the National Association of Secondary School Principals conference, to be held in San Antonio, Texas, February 22–28, 2008.
November 2007
"The Gift of Writing" at Mill Creek Town ES
Mill Creek Towne ES hosted a local author-in-residence, Debbie Fink, who spent the day meeting with our students, grade by grade, in the Media Center. Mrs. Fink adapted her program, The Gift of Writing: Going from Inspiration to Publication, to meet each grade's reading and writing goals and objectives. She highlights that The Gift of Writing is a metaphor for the writing process ("to write is a gift to both the reader and writer"). To emphasize this metaphor, she brings huge gift boxes, representing the three stages of writing. Student volunteers got to climb into some of these gift boxes as part of her explanation--met with peels of shared laughter! She also uses a visual simile, comparing the three stages of writing to a traffic light. To explain her simile, the gift box for each writing stage is a color of a traffic light: green is for "Inspiration" (Ideas), yellow is for "Perspiration" (exercising caution and sweating the details), and red is for "Publication" (the final product).
Ms. Fink's creative program involves many artistic elements: the visual appeal as described above, as well as music (she played her fiddle), movement (lots of upper body motion), drama, sign language, art, and children's literature. When Mrs. Fink explained the printing process (during "Publication"), she integrated science, art, and math. When she talked about visual literacy, she integrated art and storytelling. Everyone left the Media Center with a smile on their face, and the talk in the halls was very positive, from teachers, students, and staff alike. We at Mill Creek Towne highly recommend "The Gift of Writing" for your students. Next time our students pick up a pencil, they will remember that they have a gift to give, and give, and give . . .
For further questions about the Mill Creek Towne ES experience, please contact Traci Bird, MCTES Cultural Arts Committee, at [301-670-1810].
William Tyler Page Elementary School is a National PTA award recipient in celebration of PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month!
CHICAGO (October 24, 2007) - PTA's national office today announced it will award $500 to 39 PTA schools, and a grand award of $1,000 to one PTA school, to help thousands of students and families celebrate PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month, November.
These PTAs are receiving cash awards to recognize PTA Healthy Lifestyles Month activities they have planned to promote health and wellness and parent involvement in their schools; emphasize the link between involvement and student achievement; and further PTA's mission. Hundreds of PTAs submitted proposals describing different family activities they have planned, such as walkathons, and health fairs, as well as yoga and cooking classes. » Read More
Winston Churchill HS Named National Blue Ribbon School
October 2, 2007
MCPS
Winston Churchill High School is among six Maryland public schools
selected today as a 2007 No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon School by the
U.S. Department of Education. Churchill is the 33rd school in Montgomery
County Public Schools (MCPS) to achieve national blue ribbon status
since 1985.
The No Child Left Behind Blue Ribbon Schools program honors public and
private elementary, middle, and high schools that are either
academically superior or have shown dramatic improvement among
economically disadvantaged students.
Churchill was named on the basis of superior performance on the High
School Assessments in algebra and English, as well as outstanding
performance on SAT and Advanced Placement examinations. Competition for
the National Blue Ribbon included a site visit to the school and
evidence of other outstanding aspects of the school’s program.
“The National Blue Ribbon is an important recognition that reflects high
expectations and a commitment to excellence,” said Superintendent Jerry
D. Weast. “MCPS is very proud of this achievement earned by the
students, staff, and administrators at Winston Churchill High School.”
This is the first year that Maryland high schools were among the schools
named for this honor under the new Blue Ribbon Schools Award process
that uses performance on state assessments as the primary criterion for
selection. Two public elementary schools, two public middle schools, and
two public high schools were honored. Other winners in addition to
Churchill include schools in Howard and Baltimore counties and Baltimore
City. One nonpublic school in Maryland also received National Blue
Ribbon status—St. Andrew Apostle School in Montgomery County.
Schools selected as National Blue Ribbon winners will be honored at an
awards ceremony in Washington, D.C. in November. For more information on
the program and a list of 2007 winners, visit the link below.
» Blue Ribbon Schools Program
September 2007
Walter Johnson High School Best Buddies Named Top High School Chapter in the World
A ceremony and reception will be held on Monday, September 10, honoring the Best Buddies chapter at Walter Johnson High School. The chapter was named the most outstanding high school chapter in the world by Best Buddies International.
Walter Johnson’s Best Buddies program was selected from program chapters in more than 800 high schools worldwide for its commitment to enhancing the lives of people with intellectual disabilities by providing opportunities for one-on-one friendships. The 2006-2007 school year was the first full year in existence for the chapter, which grew considerably under the leadership and guidance of Walter Johnson students Sara Moss, chapter president, and Eli Lewis, buddy director.
Among the guests at the ceremony will be Board of Education Vice President Shirley Brandman, Board of Education members Patricia O’Neill and Ben Moskowitz, and Superintendent Jerry D. Weast. Christian Metzger, director of Best Buddies for the state of Maryland, will be present, along with several other Best Buddies representatives.
The international program, founded in 1989 by Anthony Kennedy Shriver, pairs general education students (buddy peers) with special education students (buddies) to create one-on-one friendships and expand connections among groups of students with differing abilities.
August 2007
Academy of Finance at Paint Branch High School Receives Award from the National Academy Foundation
The Rebecca F. Baber Academy of Finance program at Paint Branch High School has been honored as one of five most improved National Academy Foundation (NAF) academies in the Mid-Atlantic region.
The award was presented on July 20 by the NAF, in partnership with American Express, to Jeanette Dixon, principal; Rebecca Baber, site coordinator; and Sandra Navidi, program director, at the NAF Institute for Staff Development in Washington, DC. The $5,000 award recognizes the Academy of Finance team’s successful efforts to reach criteria for program excellence, such as graduation rate and percent of placements in paid internships. The award may be used for student scholarships and awards, or for programmatic support.
The Academy of Finance at Paint Branch High School began in 2003 and operates as a "school within a school." It introduces students to the broad career opportunities in the financial services industry and includes paid internships at banks, brokerage houses, and other businesses that deal with finance and accounting practices.
The Academy of Finance also is offered at Albert Einstein, Gaithersburg, Col. Zadok Magruder, Northwest, and Watkins Mill high schools. More than 500 students participate in AOF programs. For more information contact Sandra Navidi at 240-632-6938 or email her.
July 2007
Six MCPS PTAs Receive National PTA Unit Recognition Awards
Congratulations go out to the local PTAs at six Montgomery County Public Schools that were recognized with the Unit Recognition Award for 2006-2007. These PTA units worked to increase their membership, involve parents in the school, and inform parents about issues affecting student achievement or school success. The units also attended a state PTA convention or other state-sponsored event. The six schools are: Clearspring ES PTA, Cloverly ES PTA, Dr. Martin Luther King MS PTSA, Little Bennett ES PTA, Rocky Hill MS PTA and Stonegate PTA.
Congratulations to these schools!
Locals are encouraged to apply for this award. The application form can be found on the Maryland PTA website.
|
