PTSA Newsletter 2008­09, Vol. 9, November 2008 President’s Letter Greetings everyone! At last month's PTSA meeting Principal Baker did a fabulous job of expanding our Kathy Moffett understanding of the Middle School Reform Initiative. A question­and­
answer session provided answers to curricu­
lum questions on the new courses offered as part of the initiative. Ms. Baker also provided a live vote demonstration using the Prome­
thean boards similar to the way they are used with our kids on a daily basis. Suzanne Fanaroff presented a preliminary budget, which we will be voting on at the upcoming PTSA meeting on Tuesday. Briefly, I outlined what has been occurring in our cluster. All schools in our cluster, across the board, are reporting increased en­
rollment, particularly at the elementary school level. The White Flint Sector Development Plan also was an important topic at the cluster meeting with the increase in housing units triggering the need for the placement of a new elementary school somewhere in the cluster area. This site is to be determined and a subcommittee reporting back on this spe­
cific issue was created. Thank you to Debby Orsak who has agreed to represent us at future cluster meetings and Ellen Paul who will be keeping us informed on the develop­
ment issues with the placement of the new school and the White Flint Sector Plan. At this month's PTSA meeting we will be presenting the ever popular Math Pathways topic. There is usually a lot of confusion about what math class your child should be taking or what options are available to your child in middle school and beyond. This meeting should help clarify for parents what the choices are and how they are navigated through middle school to high school. Please join us November 11th at 7 p.m. in the (Continued, page 3) From Principal Baker’s Desk Dear Tilden Community, First quarter has already flown by and we are well into the rhythm of the school year. We packed a lot of learning into Jennifer Baker the first part of this year and all of our stu­
dents seem to have successfully transitioned into the next grade and phase of their lives. Our parents enjoyed Parent Visitation Day with close to 300 people coming in for a (Continued, page 3) November PTSA Meeting
Tuesday, November 11,
7:00 p.m.
Tilden Media Center
Math Pathways provide a safe place for kids to just have fun. Our first dance was held last Friday, November President Kathy Moffett 301­929­8828 [email protected] 7th and was a great success! The DJ was able to tap right into the hearts of the students. He had Vice President Susan Verner 301­984­5942 them doing line dances and dancing to both [email protected] classic and contemporary music with all of the Vice President Melissa Keller 301­881­2837 enthusiasm that only a middle school child can [email protected] bring to the dance floor. The game room also Treasurer Suzanne Fanaroff 301­231­5949
was a favorite spot during the evening. [email protected]
Students had many choices ranging from air hockey, board games and cards, to Dance, Secretary Kelly Ann Dorfman 301­717­4160
[email protected] Dance Revolution. Overall, the night was a complete success. I appreciate the organiza­
MCCPTA Ted Feifer 301­468­5680 tion and volunteerism that went into creating a Delegate & [email protected] PTSA Special Needs Liaison great venue for our students to mingle and come together. MCCPTA Cate Hammaker 301­770­3048 Delegate [email protected] With the holidays rapidly approaching, and many social and family events pending, I am From Principal Baker’s Desk also acutely aware of the fact that some of our (Continued) Tilden families are struggling financially. For­
peek into the daily life of their child at tunately, thanks to many generous donations school. It is always our pleasure to host the from the Tilden community and our wonderful community and we appreciate how over­
staff, our school is able to provide some sup­
whelmingly complimentary parents were of port in the form of food and gifts during the our excellent staff. By the time you receive holiday season. If you wish to contribute, this letter we will have already hosted more please send a check to the main office with Tilden families for parent conferences. “Tilden Families in Need Fund” in the memo Our partnership is ongoing as we all strive section. One hundred percent of your donation for greater student success and opportunity will go towards helping a child who attends for growth. our school enjoy the holidays, purchase school supplies, or attend a field trip. We are truly Socializing and positive peer interactions grateful for your continued support. are certainly areas in which all middle school children have room for develop­
I would like to wish you and your family a ment. For our students, it ranks highest in wonderful Thanksgiving. May the bountiful what is most vital in their lives. Nothing feast of family and friends grace your house. else trumps friends and socializing in im­
portance to the kids. As the adults realize, Save the Date! for our children, each day is a delicate bal­
ance as they navigate through the maze of Nov. 14, 15 — Fall Play emotions invading their thoughts while they are simultaneously learning in the Dec. 11 — Winter Band/Orchestra/ classroom. This is why I love it when the Chorus Concert opportunity arises for our school to 2 PTSA Officers First Dance a Big Hit! Between the DJ and the game room, there was plenty of opportunity for fun at the recent Tilden dance. President’s Letter (Continued) Media Center for this informative subject. The Thanksgiving holiday will quickly be upon us and there is so much to be grateful for this season. I am particularly thankful for the dedicated staff, teachers and the many vol­
unteers that are so gracious with their time and expertise. They truly keep the Tilden community on track for success! Have You Joined the Listserv? Wondering how to keep up with the latest news at Tilden and in the cluster? Join the Til­
den listserv. It’s easy! To join the listserv: 1. Send a blank message to tilden­[email protected]. 2. 3. Send a message to Karen Cole, [email protected], E­Group Mod­
orator, identify yourself (name) and your connection to Tilden so that your subscription may be validated. Register at http://groups.yahoo.com/
group/tilden to be able to post mes­
sages. When you go to that page, you will be prompted to To post, simply send your email to til­
[email protected]. Get connected, stay in­
formed and be involved – your kids will thank you! 3 Department Updates Math Math B We have just finished the first part of Unit 2, dealing with exponents and scientific notation. We are now mov­
ing on to finding squares and square roots, as well as order of operations (otherwise known as PEMDAS). We will then learn about performing operations using inte­
gers. Don’t forget to check Edline for homework assignments, grades, and up­
dates! Lastly, please check to see if your son\daughter’s notebook is organized and if he\she has the necessary supplies. Investigations into Math Our class is in the middle of Unit 2, real number systems. We recently concluded lessons on rational number operations. In the next few weeks, concepts to be studied include powers & exponents, powers of ten, roots & powers, and ratios & propor­
tional reasoning. A unit test will be admin­
istered close to Thanksgiving/early Decem­
ber. As we get closer to completing the unit, an exact date will be given. Algebra We are now applying our knowledge from the previous unit to convert standard form of equations to slope intercept form. From there, we are graphing linear equa­
tions. Please don’t forget to bring your graphing calculator to class! We will be using them! And don’t forget to check Edline for any updates! Lastly, please check to see if your son\daughter’s note­
book is organized and if he\she has the necessary supplies. 4 Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) The sixth grade FACS class has been cooking up a storm. We recently made pita pizzas, no­bake cookies, and vegeta­
ble fajitas. Soon we will be getting into our baking unit. All recipes are great to make at home. The seventh grade students have been prepar­
ing home­made pizza, chicken fajitas and no­
bake cookies. The FACS room smelled and looked like a fine restaurant. The students are improving everyday on their cooking skills! Eighth grade students have really branched out as well, some truly gourmet recipes are being prepared. We just completed the pasta lab, and the stir­fry lab. More meal planning and recipe selections will continue through out the semester. FACS is a great way to meet new friends, prepare wonderful dishes, learn about health and nutrition and have fun! Creative Communications The students in Creative Communications have been working hard planning and pre­
senting their "how to" speeches. It was wonderful to see the many talents and in­
terests of the students. We will soon be going into our poetry unit. Different types of poetry will be read, shared and written by the students. As the semester progresses the class will be reviewing short skits and pantomime. Creative Communications is a wonderful way to meet new friends, share thoughts and ideas, speak in front of an audience, and of course create! Student Government Association (SGA) The SGA has been very busy this month. We wrapped up the elections to choose our new officers. Congratulations to Jimmy Wyderko our new sixth grade representative, Harris Cope the seventh grade representative, Nate Gruber Vice President and Defne Dilsiz President. Thank you to all the students who ran and voted! The canned food drive has been a huge suc­
cess. The Tilden Community pulled together to help support many local families in our area. As always all students are encouraged to join and get involved in SGA. Counseling News As we continue to focus on helping our sixth graders adjust and transition to 6th grade, this month our focus was on study skills and time management. On October 21, 2008 Mrs. Hammie­Bonner visited social studies classes to present information on study skills and time management. The 6th graders learned effec­
tive study and time management skills for successful academic achievement. During her presentation, she covered information on pre­
ferred learning styles, study time, good listen­
ing, finding the main idea in a paragraph, and time management. Each student re­
ceived a copy of a Time­Planning Chart to use to plan their time so that they can get their work done and still participate in out­
side activities. Stu­
dents also received a booklet called Getting Set – A Guide for Middle School Students (and their parent/
guardians), which includes information on time management and a copy of the Time­
Planning Chart that can be found on page 8. This information will help students choose the things that are most important and do those things first. Parents, you may want to review your child’s list of activities to assist in planning homework /study time. Your child’s schedule should be balanced to allow time for academic and social needs. Success in school depends on how well students plan and manage their time. Seventh graders have dashed through the first quarter of the school year and are ready to seize the next eight weeks of school. Mrs. Ciminelli will be working individually with students whose grades have fallen below a C. The middle school years are “habit forming” years. The habits of writing down home­
work and completing it on a daily basis im­
prove study skills and correlate with better grades. Parents can check Edline regularly to see that their children are completing their assignments. When parents are unsure about an assignment or a grade, they can ask their child to call a classmate or the parent can email the teacher. If parents let their children know that a priority is good grades, children usually respond. Eight graders have been working on high school applications and have been deter­
mined to keep their grades up so they will be competitive applicants. The deadlines for applying to special programs occur in No­
vember so students have been giving their recommendation form requests to their teach­
ers and other forms to Mrs. McMullin. As the first quarter ends, some eighth graders will be working on organization skills and study skills in a small group with the coun­
seling intern, Pam Lever. Others will be (Continued on page 6) 5 Media News Student Service Learning (SSL) Tips Give a Little Time . . . Make a Big Difference Students gain positive attitudes from high­ quality service learning. The Black­Eyed Susan Book Award Pro­
gram is in full swing. This voluntary read­
Check the SSL information on the report ing program encourages Maryland students card. Contact Ms. Stasko, in room A 138, to read several books from a list of nomina­
with any discrepancies. Keep copies of all tions and select their favorite book. Forms SSL documentation. were distributed in English classes on which the students can rate and keep track of the Get involved in the spirit of giving! Con­
date each book was read. Voting will take tact the Ms. Stasko or the Montgomery place in the spring. County Volunteer Center (240­777­2600) for opportunities. Online Resource Spotlight Students may earn SSL hours at school: Novelist K­8 Plus is a new resource to Tilden in selected courses where SSL activities this year. This is a wonderful online data­
achieve instructional objectives and in base that can help students find both fiction school­sponsored clubs and organizations and nonfiction books to read and enjoy. that have a service focus. Searches can be limited by title, author, sub­
ject, plot, series, and Lexile. Each of the School clubs often focus on service using more than 150,000 book entries includes a indirect action. In indirect action, a need picture of the book cover, a summary of the is addressed but students do not meet the book, and reviews when available. The recipients of their service face­to­face. URL, login, and pass­
Examples of indirect service activities in­
word for this and all clude collections of food, clothing, and/or of our other online hygiene items, fundraising, and blood resources are avail­
drives. able on the Media Center page of Edline. Plan now to be involved in SSL activities over Winter break. Look for opportunities on the SSL Web site Counseling News www.mcpsssl.org, listen (Continued) for opportunities pro­
working with Ms. Lever on a career guidance moted at school, or call lesson using the computer based Bridges pro­
the Montgomery gram; this was done with the entire grade County Volunteer Cen­
when they were in the seventh grade. The ter at 240­777­2600. entire eighth grade will shortly be using this program to look at the connection between class choices and careers. 6 Improving Comprehension Try paired reading to help your child un­
derstand what he/she reads. Silently read two or three paragraphs of an article or textbook with your child. Listen to your child summarize the main idea and three details in his or her own words. Offer corrections or additions. Exam­
ple: “We also learned that igneous rocks come from cooling lava.” Switch roles back and forth for every two or three paragraphs until the en­
tire text is read. ~ Reading Connection (2008) A monthly feature for information, strategies, and/or tips that will help your child enhance his/her literacy skills. Books That Hook Readers Your child needs to read 25 books a year at his/her independent reading level. Does your child fight you on this? Take your child to the library or bookstore and look for books in some of these formats: Graphic novels – These books are written in comic­book style and include great vo­
cabulary. They are available as classics, biographies, and on historical topics. Movie­based books – Does your child have a favorite movie or television series? Many books or series are based on these familiar characters. How­to books – These books combine reading with an activity, learning a new skill, or completing a project. FAMILY PEN PALS Consider having your child write about what he/she is learning in school to a rela­
tive in another state or country. This rein­
forces learning and writing skills while keeping family connections strong. Make Your Holiday Shopping Dollars Count for Tilden Giant Food's A+ Bonus Bucks The program requires that you re­designate your choice of school each year. All you have to do is log on to www.giantfood.com/aplus and re­designate Til­
den Middle School (ID #00732) as your school of choice or dial 1­877­366­2668 to designate over the phone. Safeway Club Card for Education Run by E­Scrip, this program also requires yearly renewal. Earn up to 3% of your monthly Safeway purchases for Tilden and the money is automatically deposited into the schools account. Log on to www.escrip.com to renew or enroll. Tilden’s ID # is 6632921. Target’s Take Charge of Education Continues year round and donates 1% of RED­
card (Target Visa and Target credit card) pur­
chases made at Target and Target.com and 1/2% of Target Visa purchases made else­
where, to the school of your choice. Checks are mailed to the school twice a year, in March and September. The ID# for Tilden Middle School is 58230. To register, log onto www.target.com , click on “community” at the bottom of the page, then “Education” then “Take Charge of Education.” 7 PE Recognizes Outstanding Students Thank you! Each month, the Physical Education Depart­
ment proudly presents a list of outstanding students. We appreciate their contributions to our program. These students exemplify good sportsmanship, leadership, and coopera­
tion. Through their role modeling, our classes are all lifted to a higher level. Parents, please encourage your child to be recognized in this space next month and join us in congratulat­
ing the following students for the months of September and October: Nino Banayot Victoria Kirkman Aaron Broun Dashel Lewis Aaron Brown Stephen Lewis Amy Caplon Ilie Lichtenstein Czarenia Campos Joe Maloney Maddie Chili Fatima Martinez Avial Harrison Cope Kevin Mejia Keith Cotter Monique Mendez Kevin Cotter Jon Ohlrich Leighton Dougherty Ali Oskoui Sumacha Duyn Josh Rappaport Omri Eppel Ben Resnick Maria Esberg Julia Roh Bijan Fardoust Annie Schmidt Gian Flores Jamie Schmidt Maria Garcia Evan Shapiro Leora Gilbert Hanna Ship Nelly Goradelsky Katie Spak Alex Horick Peter Stubin Justin Horn Paul Stubin Sam Jacobson Jimmy Wyderko Sun Jung Destiny Wimbush Kourosh Kalaghchi Kasey Yamashita Jane Kirkman Sandy Yu Thank you and keep up the good work! PE is COOL! We all know that PE is cool. But did you know that some days are downright COLD? During these windy autumn days, be sure to have a sweatshirt and sweatpants in­
cluded with the PE clothing. It is always good to have them in the PE locker just in case they are needed. 8 The PTA Board would like to thank the fol­
lowing families for joining the PTA and mak­
ing monetary donations above and beyond their PTA dues. Money that the PTA receives goes towards funding instructional materials for staff, teacher appreciation activities, parent education/speakers, the directory, cultural arts programs, beautification of our school grounds and other programs. Kim Dettelbach and Steve Sachs Wynn and Steve Gambrill Robert and Renee Dougherty Nathalie and Eric Jourdanet Deedee and Jeremy Jacobsohn Lee Hun Chul Richard Weitzner and Vickie Gaul Karen and John Burgett Lori and Greg Spak Malcom and Noni Byrnes Alla and Leonid Zaslavsky Melissa and Todd Keller Jane and Marty Mangold Risa Guber Cindy and Chris Stauffer Robert Stephen Berry Donna St. George and Jim Haner Kisha and Richard Rogoobar Nasima Nusart and Nam Rahman Wendy and David Silverman Alice Kirkman John and Ellen Godfrey Janet Chory Cynthia Angell Michael and Patricia Hickey Pam and Tony Marquez Pam and Rich Gilman Deborah Henken Nancy and Mike Jacobson Susan Cook and Nick Christakos Pat and Therese Keating Gabrielle Roth and Neil Ditchek Katie and Ted Tennyson Jennifer Chartrand Susan Berkowitz Tilden PTSA needs YOU! Your Tilden PTSA funds many activities and services that benefit your children, and help our staff make Tilden a great place to be, such as:
Cultural Arts programs to enrich the English curriculum
Classroom materials and Wish List items for teachers to enhance
instruction
The Student Directory – one copy given FREE to each Tilden student
After School Activities – something for everybody!
The Tilden PTSA relies on dues and donations to fund the services it offers to
Tilden students and the items it purchases for the school. Please consider
making an optional donation, of any amount, when you join the PTSA.
Parent(s) Name (s) __________________________________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ Zip Code: __________ Home Phone _____________________________________________ Parent (s) e­mail address: _____________________________________________________________________ (Please include your email so we may personally invite you to be on the Tilden list serve) Student’s name(s) _______________ Grade ______________ _______________ ______________ One parent membership @$25.00 _______________ Additional parent membership @$10.00 _______________ Teacher or Staff membership @$10.00 _______________ Donation _______________ Additional Directories @ $5.00 _______________ Total included _______________ Check # _________ Cash: ____ PLEASE MAKE CHECKS PAYABLE TO TILDEN PTSA. THANKS FOR YOUR SUPPORT! Return this form to the school office, or mail it to PTSA Membership, Tilden MS, 11211 Old Georgetown Road, Rockville, MD 20852. 9