Music Notes - Glenkirk Elementary School

Glenkirk Elementary School
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
By: Ms. Gilkerson
What a snowstorm! It made for
a nice long break and I hope
your family enjoyed some
wonderful time together. Always
remember to check the radio or
website for school closings not only in the
mornings but during the day if bad weather hits.
We may have an early closing and we want to
make sure your child gets home safely.
You should be receiving the Glenkirk Kiss and
Ride hang tags for use when you are picking up
your child in today’s folder. There are directions
included. You will keep these throughout your
child’s tenure at Glenkirk.
The Green Team will
add a meeting on
January 25 at the usual
time. Please make sure
to pick your child up at
5:00 p.m. The Green
Team still needs
o Large coffee cans
o Used drier sheets
o Drier lint
o Pop top rings
o Plastic soda bottle, milk bottles and
water bottles
We appreciate your support.
January 2010 Newsletter
It is with sadness but also best wishes that we
say goodbye to Mrs. Bumbrey as she moves on
to an assistant principal position in Fairfax
County. And to Mrs. Green as she moves to
Detroit MI with her family. We wish them much
success and please read Mrs. Bumbrey’s letter
below.
News You Can Use!
Dear Parents,
I have some exciting news
to share!! I have accepted a
position as the new
Assistant Principal at Eagle
View ES in Fairfax County
Public Schools. I am very
excited to return to my roots
in FCPS and eager to begin
working with the new students and staff I will
have the pleasure of serving this year.
However, I am sad to leave my Glenkirk family
at this time.
I wanted to thank you for sharing your
wonderful children with me over the past two
years.
Best wishes for continued success!
Mrs. Elizabeth R. Bumbrey
GREETINGS PARENTS!
Thank you so much for
your support of the PNC
bank branch at Glenkirk
Elementary. By
encouraging your child's
participation, you are giving them the basic
tools they need for financial success in the
future. They are learning how to save, and they
can view their account on-line to see the
rewards they earn, in interest, by doing so. You
too can take advantage of the great benefits of
a PNC account. We offer free checking
accounts with no minimum balance, no monthly
service charge, special monthly promotions for
a qualifying direct deposit, and NEXT DAY
AVAILABILITY for checks deposited, once your
account has been open for 30 days. Again, we
appreciate your child's participation in the
school bank. From our PNC family to yours,
best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday
season.
Bonnie Gilbert
Bristow Branch Manager
10261 Bristow Center Drive
Bristow, VA 20136
(703)257-5041
*If you are interested in opening a PNC Bank
account for your child, you can access the
forms on Glenkirk’s website.
The bank will be open this Friday!
The Holiday Store was a great success
thanks to all. We
profited over
$4,000.00 to be
used toward
technology and
Glenkirk Gives
Back. Thank you
to all of the
parents,
teachers, and office volunteers who worked
tirelessly running the store. I think the kids had
a blast shopping for their family members. I
look forward to next year and making the store
bigger and better!
Bonnie Bjorkman
Wow, what a great December Glenkirk’s SCA
had! Our third Spirit Day was “Twin Day.” We
saw students and even teachers paired up and
dressed alike. Great job! Stay tuned for our
next spirit day coming this month. SCA was
proud to be part of the coat and mitten drive in
December. The students at Glenkirk did an
outstanding job donating used and new coats
and mittens. There’s no doubt that all of those
donations will help keep plenty of people nice
and warm this winter! The next SCA meeting
will be Friday, January 15th.
Mrs. Kunstel and Mr. Sanfilippo
Diversity Committee
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 Australia. Stroll by every month to see
cultures reflected from around the world.
Our next meeting is planned for January 12,
2010 at 8:20 AM in the library. Please stop by
and join us!
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.
Bookkeeper Notes
*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
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.
school hours.
We thank you for your cooperation!
PTO
Family Events
Family Bingo night was a success as always! A
big thank you to the Bingo Committee and a big
thank you very much to all our
Bingo callers. The students
really love to see which one of
the Glenkirk staff will be there
calling out the numbers. The
next Bingo night is in
February so check the
calendar.
The Glenkirk PTO would like to say have a safe
and enjoyable winter break. We are looking
forward to seeing you all again in 2010.
Upcoming Events:
1/12 PTO Business Meeting 7pm Glenkirk
Library
1/14 Dominos Dough Raiser Night
1/15 Family Movie Night
1/16 5 Below fundraiser weekend
1/26 Box Tops Due
1/26 PTO Spirit Night
For a full calendar of January 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.
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.
The class that brings in the most Box Tops
each month will win a special prize. The
December class that won is Mrs. Johnson’s!!
Congrats…they won free bingo cards, snack
and pop.
The classroom that brings in the most box tops
per student will win FREE popcorn and soda
at the next Movie Night (Jan 15). So bring in
all of the box tops you have at home before the
end of the year!
Proposed changes to the PTO by-laws will be
posted on the website,
http://www.glenkirkpto.org An informational
flyer will come home with your student before
the January PTO business meeting. Please
review these changes and come to the meeting
prepared with comments/concerns and then we
will put this to a vote.
Important dates!
06 Jan 2010
07 Jan 2010
15 Jan 2010
18 Jan 2010
20 Jan 2010
25 Jan 2010
26 Jan 2010
01 Feb 2010
Interims go home
Market Day pick up
7:00 Movie Night
No School! MLK Holiday
½ Day – Conferences
7:00 TPAC
Spirit Night – Five Guys
Teacher Work Day – No School
Specialists’ Speak
There is a new policy on Returned
Checks…please check the website for the
details on this. http://www.glenkirkpto.org
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
What’s new in PE?
Happy New Year from PE Staff!
It's never too late to make a New Year's
Resolution to get fit. Take a walk before
school, do some exercises while you are
watching those morning cartoons or even run
up and down the steps a few extra times. Get
fit... stay healthy!
In PE we are deep into our basketball unit.
Learning how to properly dribble, pass and
shoot the ball is what the new year brings.
Even some fun games are played to practice it
all. Soon we will be pulling out the DDR and
learning some new dance moves with a new
program called GEO Fitness.
Music Notes
January, 2010
Chorus practices EVERY TUESDAY morning
at 8:00AM for 4th-5th grade Singing Knights!
The 5th grade singers who chose to audition for
all-county and all-state had a good learning
experience and were very brave. Eleven
students will be participating in either Prince
William All-County Elementary Chorus in
February or All-Virginia Elementary Chorus in
March.
Chorus practices EVERY THURSDAY
morning at 8:00AM for 3rd grade Golden
Pages. They are learning to sing in harmony
as well as improving vocal techniques.
The Talent Show Committee will have a
meeting on Monday, January 11 at 8:15AM 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. We would
appreciate your input.
On Saturday, January 9, 2010, some 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.
MUSIC CLASSES will have a Music Show and
Tell Day. If they wish to bring something
musical from home to share, they must ask you
for permission. There is a piano and guitar
(and other instruments) at school that they may
use. If they wish to sing with a CD, please
make sure that the words are appropriate for
school. YOUR CLASSROOM teacher will tell
you a few days ahead of time so that your child
can be ready to share if they wish to do so.
School Fusion will also have a list of the days
for Music Show and Tell when the schedule is
ready.
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
Drama is great!!! This month drama classes
are working on creativity. Kindergarten classes
are continuing their hard work on their ABC
book while using creative acting to represent
each letter. 1st grade has been working on
plays and actions about economics and is
beginning a unit on winter. 2nd grade has been
reading plays and is beginning work on winter
and plays to be presented on the 100th day of
school. 3rd grade is working hard on practicing
and presenting plays. 4th and 5th grades are
writing new versions of familiar stories that they
will be performing.
In drama club we have created skits about
bullying that will be used during our class
meetings. We also had an Improv day where
students used all their creative juices to perform
skits on the spot. Next year we will be working
hard on plays for the school, website, and
parents.
friends and establish appropriate ways to
interact with friends.
Study/Organization Buddies: is a study skills
group that focuses on identifying listening skills,
discussing organization, learning how to focus
on class work and cope with distraction, as well
as discuss the importance of following
directions.
Counselors’ Corner
by: Beth Anderson and Annece Flood
Glenkirk Elementary School Counselors
During January and February Glenkirk
Elementary School will be focusing on the
character trait “responsibility”. On February 12th
we will be asking all students to wear red to
celebrate being responsible. What does
responsibility mean? Check out the definition
below!
Do what you are supposed to do •
Persevere: keep on trying! • Always do your
best • Use self-control • Be self-disciplined •
Think before you act — consider the
consequences • Be accountable for your
choices
As we begin the new year, the school
counseling department will be starting new
small counseling groups or “lunch bunches”.
Please take a moment to review some of the
groups that we offer. If you think your child
would benefit from participation in one of these
groups, please send us an email!
Boiling Points (Anger Management): is a
group designed to help students learn ways to
control and manage angry feelings in a healthy
way.
Social Butterflies/New Student/Get Along
Gang: is a social skills group. Students explore
how to be a cooperative member of a group,
identify the traits of a good listener, discuss
making “good choices”, discuss way to make
Calming the Butterflies (anxiety): is a group
designed to help students who have difficulties
handling anxiety or stressful situations. The
group is tailored to the specific needs of each
student and includes discussions on test
anxiety.
Choices/Decision Making: is a group
designed to help students make good choices.
Objectives of the group include recognizing
what decisions they make, understanding why
they make certain decisions, and identifying
alternatives they may use.
Deployment: From time to time we have
students at Glenkirk who have parent deployed
overseas. If we have enough students to form a
lunch group we will do so. If not, we offer
individual counseling and support for those
students (if needed).
Banana Splits: is a group for students whose
parents are going through a divorce or are
already divorced. Group topics include helping
the students realize they are not alone
(universality), coping with feelings and learning
how to accept blended families.
Over the Rainbow
(Grief/Loss/Bereavement):is a group designed
to help students who have experienced the loss
of a loved one.
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.
2009-2010
Yearbook Information
Ordering yearbooks for this year will follow the
same process as last year. Families will pay
Lifetouch directly by mail, phone or via
www.ybpay.com. Watch for more information
coming soon…
December Photo Gallery
Remember to keep sending school
photographs to leveccbb@pwcs.edu
Glenkirk’s Holiday Shop 2009
related
tests and the tutorial activities.
• Parents may work with their child on any of
the hundreds of activities provided.
• Links to state websites and other educational
resources are provided to help parents learn
more about a particular school district or state
to which their family may be moving.
Student Online Achievement Resources
Helping you HELP YOUR CHILD succeed in
Math and Reading! Log on TODAY - it's FREE!
www.SoarAtHome.org
SOAR is a FREE WEBSITE that provides
STUDENTS and PARENTS with resources
to…
1) Identify academic strengths and
weaknesses in math and reading.
• Students in grades 3 through 12 have access
to comprehensive and skill specific tests to
help identify skills that students have mastered
and skills where additional instruction might be
needed.
• Assessments are aligned to state learning
standards and immediate feedback is provided
to students and parents.
2) Instruct students in math, reading and
language arts through interactive
tutorials.
• Skill-specific tutorials provide additional
instruction and review for students.
• Lessons are self-guided and have audio
components so students may work
independently
or with their parents.
3) Involve parents by providing educational
resources written specifically for
parents.
• Parents may access their child's account at
any time to see how well they have done on
SOAR is sponsored by the Military Impacted
Schools Association (MISA) in partnership with
the University of Northern Iowa, The Princeton
Review, and Houghton Mifflin. These
organizations have come together to provide
resources to assist with transitioning military
children and the unique challenges they face.
SOAR is A VALUABLE to military families
AND the families of their local communities.
ANYONE can use SOAR for free! If you are a
parent and want to help your child succeed,
then please visit www.SoarAtHome.org and
REGISTER TODAY!
Our hope is that SOAR will help your children
improve in their academic endeavors and
realize greater success in math and reading.
Parents, teachers, and before- and after-school
programs can also use SOAR to reinforce and
review skills, practice what they've learned and
even learn new skills. We envision that parents
will find many ways to u e SOAR throughout the
year. Results of tests or activities taken on
SOAR are not recommended to be listed by
school districts for placement, gifted or special
needs identification, or credit recovery. SOAR
is a non-profit program that helps parents
identify and evaluate their child's strengths and
weaknesses and facilitates learning that is
state-specific and directed toward children's
individual needs in math and reading. The
SOAR program is not designed to be a
predictor of performance on standardized tests
or to be used as a student's primary source of
learning.
QUESTIONS?
Please contact your PWC Parent Facilitator
at SOAR.NOVA@gmail.com