Glenkirk Elementary School

Glenkirk Elementary School
as
VISION: Glenkirk Elementary is the place where everyone wants to be and when you are here you
are your best!
MISSION: Glenkirk Elementary is collaboratively focused on providing high standards of student
achievement in a safe, welcoming community that will inspire lifelong success.
http://pwcs.glenkirk.schoolfusion.us/
8584 Sedge W ren Drive Gainesville, VA 20155 T (703)753-1702 F (703)753-4981
December Newsletter
the parents. Keep the communication open.
With over 1100 students we will try our best to
respond within 24 hours. If you have asked me
a question and you don’t hear back from me,
give me a call.
Principal’s Message
By: Ms. Gilkerson
Happy Holidays everyone! This is one of my
favorite times of the year because it is a time
filled with family and friends. Glenkirk is a place
where that is important. I want to take a
moment and express my gratitude to you the
families of Glenkirk. Your support of your
children’s learning and of our staff has been
exceptional. It means so much to us as we
work hard to make sure every child is receiving
a world class education.
As we look to 2010, please continue
to give your child your attention as
they read each night. Ask them
questions about what they have read.
Let them make up questions about what they
have read to ask you if they read aloud. Help
them practice their math facts to improve their
math fluency.
Also we have made many improvements here
at Glenkirk from suggestions we have had from
Kiss and Ride has definitely
improved this year and we are
hoping to get it even smoother. We
are waiting for the numbered hang tags to
arrive any day. Each family will receive 2 of the
same numbered tag that they will use for their
time here at Glenkirk. We hope this will not only
add security to our process
but also speed up our
process.
Many of you know I am
sponsoring our environmental club called the
“Green Team” We have some projects we are
working on and I need some items.
• large coffee cans with lids (48)
• dryer lint (lots)
• used dryer sheets (lots)
• pine cones (100)
• pop can pulls (lots)
• plastic six pack holder (50+)
Remember to check the radio or
website in case of weather related
school closings. Also make sure
all of your contact information is
correct in case of an early
dismissal due to weather.
Again, I am wishing a wonderful December for
you all!!
Safety Rules for Students and Parents
Please take the time to
read the safety rules and
instructions listed below.
In the interest of all
children we are
requesting your
assistance and support
to insure a safe
environment for all
children who attend schools in Prince William
County. It is only through your cooperation that we
can insure everyone's safety and particularly those
who walk to and from school each day.
Rules for STUDENTS
1. ALWAYS WALK, NOT RUN, you may trip and
hurt yourself or others.
2. ALWAYS walk in groups or pairs if possible.
NEVER walk alone.
3. ALWAYS walk on the sidewalk, NEVER in the
street, on the curb or on other's property.
4. ALWAYS cross at designated crosswalks
whenever possible.
5. ALWAYS stand back from the curb and ALWAYS
look both ways before crossing the street.
6. ALWAYS leave promptly when school is
dismissed and go directly home.
7. ALWAYS listen carefully to the Crossing Guard's
directions when they tell you to CROSS or WAIT.
Also listen to the Safety Patrols very carefully.
8. NEVER walk or play between parked cars.
9. NEVER accept rides, candy or gifts from
strangers.
10. NEVER fight, throw rocks, snowballs or play
with toys ( especially bouncing balls) on the way to
and from school. If you must bring a toy to school
carry it in a bag or your backpack. DO NOT bounce
or throw balls going to and from school.
11. NEVER pet stray animals or allow your pet to
follow you to school. If a stray animal follows you,
WALK SLOWLY, DO NOT RUN, to the nearest
Crossing Guard or Safety Patrol.
12. NEVER take "short cuts" through wooded or
non-populated areas, or trespass on someone
else's property.
13. NEVER use bad language toward the Crossing
Guards, Safety Patrols of anyone else.
14. BICYCLES & SCOOTERS: When riding your
bike or scooter on the sidewalk you MUST get off
and walk it through the crosswalk. When riding your
bike in the street, you MUST remember to STOP
AND OBEY all traffic signs and directions given by
Police and Crossing Guards. You have the same
responsibilities as motorists to follow the rules of the
road.
15. SKATEBOARDS: Must be CARRIED across the
intersection.
Rules for PARENTS
1. When you drive your child to and from school
PLEASE park on the side where the school is
located. If you must park on the opposite side,
please DO NOT call your child across the street. If
your child must cross to get to your car, have them
cross at the designated crossing with the assistance
of a Crossing Guard.
If a Crossing Guard is unavailable, PLEASE get out
of your car and walk the child across the street.
2. When driving to and from school please SLOW
DOWN and be aware of the children that are
walking. Also, EXPECT DELAYS when driving your
child to and from school. The majority of schools
are not equipped to handle large volumes of traffic
therefore there will be delays.
3. When walking your child to and from school, be
sure to set a good example
yourself by following the proper rules and
procedures. This will teach the
children to walk safely with or without the presence
of an adult. Always use the
assistance of a Crossing Guard where available.
They are there to assist you
and to see to the safety of the children.
News You Can Use!
Please Check the Lost and Found
If your child is missing any coats, gloves, hats,
etc., please make sure you check the Lost &
Found soon! We will be
donating anything that is
still left on the rack to the
local shelter by Tuesday,
December 22nd. Please
check for anything you may
be missing by Friday, Dec. 18th.
Low Cost Groceries at Glenkirk
Glenkirk’s student council is going great! We
continue to have outstanding attendance with
almost everyone on time and ready to go!
Spirit Day – Our second spirit day of the year,
on November 19th, was “Sports Day.” There
were all kinds of teams represented on jerseys,
t-shirts, and sweatshirts. Way to go Glenkirk!
Stay tuned for our next spirit day coming this
month.
Out students and school did a great job helping
collect food for “Operation Turkey.” SCA was
proud to be a part of this great cause. Dates
and additional information will soon be given for
Decembers coat and mitten drive.
Schedule Change! - This month’s SCA meeting
has been changed to Friday the 4th.
Mrs. Kunstel and Mr. Sanfilippo
“With Glenkirk
Elementary serving
as the host, Grace
Church of Gainesville is working with Angel
Food Ministries to offer restaurant-grade
groceries at greatly reduced cost to residents of
the community. Orders are placed throughout
the month at www.angelfoodministries.com,
and can be picked up once a month here at
Glenkirk on a Saturday morning. The first pick
up day is Saturday, November 14th from 1011AM. Angel Food offers fresh meat and
produce as well as an assortment of other
staple food items.
For example a Regular Box costs $30 and is
about an enough food for a family of four for a
week, or a single person for a month. Other
specialty boxes are available including
convenience meals, fruits and vegetables,
allergen-free, etc. For all the information or to
place an order visit
www.angelfoodministries.com or contact
Corey Shepherd at 703-296-4904.”
Diversity Committee
Bookkeeper Notes
The Diversity Committee is pleased to share
the cultural bulletin board (located near the
music room). Each month a different continent
will be featured. Currently, we are focusing on
the culture, people, and traditions which stem
from North America. Stroll by every month to
see cultures reflected from around the world.
Our next meeting is planned for January 28,
2009 at 4:00 pm in the library. Please stop by
and join us!
By: Mrs. Biber
We welcome your checks. If your check is
returned for insufficient funds, we will
electronically present it to
your bank for the face value
plus a $35 processing fee
and any protest or bad check
return fee charged by your
financial institution.
This action will be taken without further notice.
All returned checks referred for collection are
subject to a $35 processing fee, any protest or
bad check return fee charged by your financial
institution, and all other charges, interest and
attorney’s fee allowed by law.
Office Infomation
By: Mrs. Cook & Mrs. Watson
Parents: Please remember that our first
morning bell rings at 8:50 this year and the
Tardy bell rings at 9:00; at
9:01 your child is marked with
an unexcused tardy. We start
to allow children to enter the
building at 8:45. We have
many children here at Glenkirk
Elementary School this year, so please
understand if you are using the Kiss-N-Ride line
it will take extra time to get through.
Once the tardy sign is put out at the curb, you
MUST go park your car and walk your child into
the office to sign them in at the front desk.
Please adjust your schedule accordingly to
ensure your child can arrive to school on time.
Also remember that when dropping off your
child, you must do so via the Kiss-N-Ride line
and pull up to the front of the school.
Thank you so much for your understanding.
*Please do not park in the
administrative parking spaces
provided in the parking lot. These
spots are necessary for the staff to
be able to come and go during
school hours.
We thank you for your cooperation!
PTO
Family Events
November was another fun filled month for
families at Glenkirk! We had our first movie
night and Monsters vs. Aliens was a big hit!
There were a lot of our families at this movie
night and we hope to see even more at the next
one in January! What better way to spend a
cold January night than watching a movie with
your family and hanging out with your friends.
We were also very happy to welcome The
Harlem Wizards for
the very first Harlem
Wizards vs. Glenkirk
Golden Knights in a
rousing game of
basketball. The
Wizards were a
huge hit and we
hope to have them back again next year.
The PTO would like to say a heartfelt THANK
YOU to all the staff who played, cheered, sang,
trumpeted, and showed up to support as well
as a huge THANK YOU to our students and
parents who came out to watch this event!
This event was
wonderful
because you
all pitched in
and showed
your awesome
school spirit.
The Wizards
were very
impressed with
our turn out
considering it was the first time Glenkirk has
hosted this event.
One last shout out to our incredible Golden
Knights Basketball team:
* Lisa "Slam Dunk" Gilkerson
* "Magic" Liz Bumbrey
* Rusty "Where'd the ball go?" Wild
* "Big Daddy" Ryan Sanfilippo
* Diane "Quick Slam" Fernandez
* Amy "I'm Number One" Hildreth
* Adam "Fancy Feet" Dove
* "Mighty" Dawn Pell
* Brooke "I know the Ref" LeVecchi
* "Killer" Kelly Blake
* "Nothing but Net" Carla Shaw
* "Shhh!" Beth Vigil (I said "Shhh!")
* Nicki "the Bride" Jones
* Christine "I was Jones first" Jones
* Pamela "Rollin'" Rollins
* Kjiersten "Mad Dog" Hodum
* Tiffany "Dr. T" West
* "Big K" Simmon Kim
* Mary "Long Shot" Baker
* Sherri "Rocker" Yaeger
* Sandra "The Artist" Oliver
* "Kamakaze" Flo Richards
* Jennifer "Fast Hands" Robinson
* "Alley Oop" Louise Vincent
Our fabulous coach:
Bouncin' Bonnie
Bjorkman Our fearless
(and fair) ref: Mr.
Bjorkman
Our incredibly talented, hard working,
cheerleading squad:
* Stacey Burroughs
* Jodi Biber
* Amber Melvin
* Beth Kunstel
* Annece Flood
* Sisi Hayes
* Heather Watson
* Jennifer Tracy
* Amy Hildreth
* Gina Townsend
* Melissa Cook
* Jennifer Burke
And last, but not least, our singer Mrs. Johnson
and trumpeter, Mrs. Nancy Anderson.
Upcoming Events:
12/2 Box Tops due Spirit Night
12/3 Market Day Pick Up
12/4 Family Bingo Night
12/8 PTO Meeting
12/10 Dominos Dough Raiser Night
12/19 5 Below fundraiser weekend
For a full calendar of December events, please
visit the PTO webpage
http://www.glenkirkpto.org
Other Reminders
Please remember to keep
sending in your Box Tops! We
are well on track to hitting our
goal for the year, but must
keep bringing them in to get
there. Check out our progress
by visiting the Box Tops board in the school
cafeteria.
The class that brings in the most Box Tops
each month will win a special prize. Mrs.
Silvis’s class was the October winner. Each
student in the class won a free ticket to the
Harlem Wizards game. November’s winning
class (still to be announced) will win free bingo
cards, snack and a drink for Family Bingo Night
in December.
The new contest out from Box Tops is 30 Days
of Thanks…go to the PTO Website,
http://www.glenkirkpto.org for the link to this
program.
And don’t forget to check us out on School
Fusion! You can get to the PTO School Fusion
page by going to http://www.glenkirkpto.org.
Join the page with your School Fusion account
to receive reminders of upcoming events. You
can also find all event flyers, order forms,
meeting minutes, and PTO forms here at any
time. This is a great resource for staying in
touch and supporting your children at Glenkirk
Elementary School.
The PTO is always looking for additional
volunteers to help with planning, coordination,
and support activities around the school. You
can help as little or as much as you like. To
learn more about opportunities and get added
to our mailing list, please contact Tami Harlan
at tami.harlan@comcast.net. Tami will send out
volunteer notices when help is needed – you
can simply sign up when you’re available.
There is no pressure to sign up for anything,
but this is the best way for you to know when
opportunities arise.
Thanks to all parents who purchased items
from Square 1 Art. A percentage of each
purchase helps to support our art program
here at Glenkirk.
Bad Hair Day
Students identified and used
a variety of lines in their
works of art.
What’s new in PE?
We are finishing up our soccer
unit and will move on to DDR
and a new activity involving GEO Fitness. Mats
will be used to teach individual movement.
Important dates!
22 Dec 09
23 Dec 09
24 Dec – 1 Jan 09
4 Jan 09
Interims go home
Early Dismissal – 1:30 PM
Winter Break!
Back to School!
Specialists’ Speak
By: Ms. Oliver
By: Mrs. Biendl
Highlights from the Math/Science Lab...
It’s fun, fun, fun in the Math/Science Lab!
Please continue to check the Math/Science
page on the Glenkirk website to see what is
happening in the lab. If you stop by the school,
check out the bulletin board outside of the lab
to see pictures of our latest lessons.
Music Notes
Music and movement promote whole
brain learning, sequencing skills, and a myriad
of further developmental processes that are
helpful for leading a fulfilling adult life and
foundational for learning in reading, math,
science, and geography. At Glenkirk we
provide two 45-minute music classes each
month for all students. We also offer an
optional, additional music contact time each
week (4 times per month) for 3rd–5th graders.
The 3rd grade Golden Pages Chorus
meets at 8AM every Thursday morning. The
4th-5th grade Singing Knights Chorus meets at
8AM every Tuesday. In chorus, we learn
healthy singing habits through developmentally
appropriate music, which often includes playing
instruments and movement. We present
several concerts each year and have much fun
along the way. If you would like your child join
chorus, NOW is the time. For more information
please e-mail me at andersnk@pwcs.edu or
call at 703-754-1702 and leave a message for
Mrs. Nancy Anderson, Music.
Our choruses gave a delightful concert
on Tuesday, November 17. We sang in
November this year to say thank you to our
Veterans and Armed Service helpers. Our next
full concert at school will be in April. Some fifth
graders will be participating in PWC 5th grade
All-County Chorus in February and others will
be singing in the Virginia All-State Elementary
Chorus in March. All Singing Knights will have
the opportunity to sing at the PWC Arts Festival
on Saturday, April 24 and both choruses will be
invited to sing at the Potomac Nationals Ball
Game in May.
The Talent Show Committee will have a
meeting in early December to review last year’s
work and to set in motion the new work for our
Spring 2010 Show. If you are interested in
being a parent member of that committee,
please contact me immediately because your
input is important.
On Saturday, December 19, 2009, about
20 of our 4th graders will be playing a Mozart
piece in a recorder ensemble with the NOVA
Manassas Symphony Orchestra. Thank you,
Mr. Villani, for making this opportunity available
to us each year. You may visit the orchestra’s
website at www.manassassymphony.org for
details.
Coming in January: 1) a schedule for
your child’s Music Show and Tell Day and
2) School Fusion music classroom videos of
drumming, guitar playing, folk dancing, and Orff
instrument playing with movement..
If you need a list of private music
teachers in the area OR if you would like to be
added to that list, please e-mail me.
Mrs. Nancy Anderson, Music
andersnk@pwcs.edu
Drama Class
In drama class we have been working very
hard. Kindergarten has continued to work very
hard on their alphabet sounds and creation of a
huge ABC book. 1st grade has been learning
about the Thanksgiving holiday and
economics. We have created some great
masks and puppets that we used to share our
poems and plays. 2nd grade has been reading
monologues about famous Americans,
Thanksgiving poems, and acting out various
parts of habitats. 3rd and 4th grade have been
working hard on Thanksgiving songs and
reading plays. 5th grade created movies about
a great book called Twas' the Night before
Thanksgiving and have been working on
reading plays. All of the plays, songs, and
poems from the classes are available on the
Drama website. As the year continues the
plays and dramatic interpretations are going to
continue to get more challenging and require
even more effort! As hard as all the students
have been working, I know they will make great
actors and actresses!!
Counselors’ Corner
by: Beth Anderson and Annece Flood
Glenkirk Elementary School Counselors
As part of “Glenkirk Gives
Back”, Glenkirk Elementary
School students recently
participated in “Operation
Turkey”. Glenkirk students
collected a grand total of
2,452 food items in just one
week! All of the food collected was donated to
SERVE which will organize and distribute the
food to over 1,400 individuals and families in
our area. The
class bringing in
the top amount
of food was
Mrs. Nourse’s
fifth grade
class who
brought in 412
items! The two
students that
collected the most
food were Nahtalie
Bowdre in Mrs.
Nourse’s class with
94 items and
Kaylee Thomas in
Mrs. Nourse’s class
with 97 items. Both girls set a good example of
how important it is to give back to their
community.
Ms. Flood has been hard at work organizing
this years “Safe at Home/Safe Alone” program
in conjunction with 4-H.
This program is offered to
all 4th grade students and
teaches self-care skills for
staying at home alone.
Although it is each family’s
decision as to when you
allow your child to stay
home alone, this program
equips each student with information on what to
do when the time comes. On Tuesday,
November 24th, Ms. Flood and 11 parent
volunteers spent the day with the 4th grade
students teaching this valuable information.
Please see below for the Prince William
County, Department of Social Services
guidelines for allowing children to stay home
alone, as well as baby-sit:
AGES
0-8
9-11
12-15
16-17
Guidelines for Staying Home Alone
May not be left unsupervised
No more than 1.5 hours alone—days only
May be left alone all day
May be left alone all night or over the
weekend
AGES
12-13
14-15
Babysitting Guidelines
May baby-sit children up to 4 hours
May baby-sit over 4 hours—not overnight
or weekend.
May baby-sit children overnight or over
the weekend.
16-17
During the month of November and December
Glenkirk Elementary School students will be
focusing on the character trait “respect”. Please
take the time to talk with your students about
respect and why it is so important.
The definition of respect is as follows: Treat
others with respect; follow the Golden Rule
• Be tolerant of differences • Use good
manners, not bad language • Be considerate
of the feelings of others • Don’t threaten, hit
or hurt anyone • Deal peacefully with anger,
insults and disagreements
Please don’t hesitate to contact us at any time
with questions or concerns. The fastest way to
contact us is via email at andersea@pwcs.edu
for Beth Anderson and floodax@pwcs.edu for
Annece Flood. You can also contact us by
phone at 703-753-1702.
SanDisk all have a good history and usually last the
students several years of usage.
I need an announcement on the GKES webpage,
what do I do?
If you would like to have a school wide
announcement email to the Glenkirk community
or to be posted on the school webpage, here
are the steps you need to take…
Technology Update
By: Brooke LeVecchi
GKES Website Administrator
leveccbb@pwcs.edu
I am happy to report that we have grown to 550
registered parent users. A big thank you to the
classroom teachers for promoting user registration
during parent conferences in November.
If you are still an unregistered user, please call the
school, or email me so I can help you set up your
account.
Flash drives needed for grades 3, 4,
and 5
It is very important that students have a flash drive
to save their projects on in computer lab. At least 1
Gig is recommended, remember when buying flash
drives or jump drives, you get what you pay for.
Some of the cute drives are cheaply made and
don’t hold up. Brands like Sony, Sansa, and
Email your request to Ms. Gilkerson, in the
subject line please type:
School Wide
Announcement request. After she approves
the message, email the website administrator
leveccbb@pwcs.edu and specify where you
would like the message to be sent or displayed
(email, front page of website, etc).
Students and Teachers are preparing
for online SOL Tests
Students in grades 3, 4, and 5
are starting to prepare for
online testing in the spring.
Students and teachers are
learning about the online
testing tools and what a VA online SOL test
looks like and how to prepare for it. Glenkirk
students will take all spring SOL tests on the
computers. Students can prepare at home by
practicing with similar test sites on the
computer. Another helpful computer
tool would be to use the computer
based calculator. You can find the
calculator on windows based
computers in All Programs Accessories -Calculator. We have
also purchased Study Island which is very
similar to Virginia's online SOL tests.
www.studyisland.com. You can find student
usernames and passwords in their agendas.
November Photo Gallery
Author Jonathan Rand Visits and speaks to 3rd, 4th and
5th Graders
Remember to keep sending school related photographs
to leveccbb@pwcs.edu
THANKS SO MUCH FOR
YOUR GREAT PHOTOS PARENTS & TEACHERS!
1st Quarter STAR Incentive
Operation Turkey
th
Jamestown Field Trip for 4 Grade