PTSA Newsletter 2008­09, Vol. 9, December 2008 President’s Letter Hi, everyone! It's that time again ­ the holidays are officially here! I wish every­
one a happy, healthy holiday Kathy Moffett season. You should be receiving the PTSA’s annual fundraising letter in the mail soon. Please consider donating whatever amount you feel comfortable with. Your contributions are 100 percent tax deductible and 100 percent of the money directly benefits Tilden Middle School's students, staff and teachers. It is our largest fundraising effort and a large part of our operating budget. We count on your sup­
port to continue to bring you fun, age appro­
priate activities like Movie Night, clubs transportation and the 8th grade promotion ceremony. A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of at­
tending the Tilden Middle School Drama Club's presentation of "The Tilden Twilight Zone." We have some very talented students who just may be headed for Hollywood someday. Fantastic job everyone; I give it 2 thumbs up! Congratulations are in order for PE teacher Mr. Slatkin and his wife on the birth of their new baby! Many blessings to you and your family. On Tuesday, December 9th we will hold a shortened PTSA meeting at 6:00 p.m. in the media center prior to the Winter Con­
cert. Please try to join us, especially 8th grade parents, as we will have Rosemary Suckow ­Science Resource teacher from WJ on hand presenting the AP science curricu­
lum at WJ. Eighth graders will be selecting their science course toward the end of the month. We are tentatively planning a family bowl­
ing night for January so stay tuned for details ­ date and time TBD. Please have a safe holiday season and I will see you next month! From Principal Baker’s Desk Dear Tilden Community, I write this December PTSA newsletter with a joyful heart as I reflect on the generous spirit of our Tilden community. Our Jennifer Baker students, staff and parents have come to­
gether on several projects that will benefit (Continued, page 2) December PTSA Meeting
Tuesday, Dec. 9th, 6:00 p.m. Tilden Media Center (prior to the Winter Concert) AP science curriculum at WJ Rosemary Suckow, Science Resource teacher tion to our supporting services staff who work so hard to assure the smooth running of our school in the cafeteria, building services, me­
President Kathy Moffett 301­929­8828 [email protected] dia center, main office and counseling. This year our benevolent supporting services staff Vice President Susan Verner 301­984­5942 had unanimously decided to forgo their pre­
[email protected] sents and donate the money to the Tilden Vice President Melissa Keller 301­881­2837 Families in Need Fund. The administration [email protected] has pledged to match their donation. Along Treasurer Suzanne Fanaroff 301­231­5949
with our parent’s donations and the donations [email protected]
of other staff members, we will be able to buy holiday gifts for many students. We work with Secretary Kelly Ann Dorfman 301­717­4160
[email protected] the families to target exactly what their chil­
dren need and desire. It is not too late to send MCCPTA Ted Feifer 301­468­5680 in donations to this fund. Please make your Delegate & [email protected] PTSA Special Needs Liaison checks out to Tilden Middle School and write, “Tilden Families in Need Fund,” in the memo MCCPTA Cate Hammaker 301­770­3048 portion of your check; 100 percent of your do­
Delegate [email protected] nation will go to Tilden students. From Principal Baker’s Desk (Continued) Earlier in the year a staff member asked me many others. This is the time of the year what we could do for one of the many local when we reflect on the past months and shelters. She was concerned because the shel­
look ahead to the future, but for some, it is ters in the Washington, D.C., metropolitan area a time of struggle. How we come together will not be receiving millions of dollars from in generosity may actually make a huge Fannie Mae due to their own economic crisis. difference in the lives of others. I would We decided to feed 150 men at the Rockville like to highlight some of the wonderful Men’s Shelter on Gude Drive on the second things that are going on in our building to Wednesday of each month. Twenty­two of our assist others who may not be as fortunate. staff members donate casseroles, dessert, bread and salad in order to help make this happen. In Each year just before the winter break our the large scheme of things it is a small token, school gives out small tokens of apprecia­ but it means a lot to the residents of the shelter to be provided with a hot meal in the middle of Attention 8th graders! the week. A former Tilden parent helps us co­
In February, Tilden will host an evening dis­
ordinate with the shelter each month. PTSA Officers cussion forum for 8th graders who have ap­
plied to the APEX Program at WJ, the Math­
Science­Computer Science Magnet at Mont­
gomery Blair, the Richard Montgomery Inter­
national Baccalaureate Magnet and/or the Poolesville Global Ecology House. Contact Susan Berkowitz ([email protected]) for more information and stay tuned for further details. 2 Our students, not to be outdone by parents and staff, have also joined in the effort to help oth­
ers. This year our students have collected an enormous amount for canned and dry goods to give to a local food bank. Their contributions were well­received and will help many who may otherwise go hungry. They did not stop with food collection. Currently, the students (Continued, page 3) Tilden in the Twilight Zone? Tilden’s Drama Club presented “The Tilden Twilight Zone to packed houses in November. From Principal Baker’s Desk and the parent community. (Continued) Guatama Buddha once said, “Teach this triple are in the process of collecting money to go truth to all: A generous heart, kind of speech, towards the purchase of hats, scarves and and a life of service and compassion are the gloves. Each day the big jar is passed around things which renew humanity. As you can see the cafeteria during lunch and our kids contrib­ our Tilden community exemplifies the quote ute what they can towards the fund, all the above. Of course, we always keep our focus while planning their next charitable event. on our most important job, educating our stu­
dents, but it is fantastic to reflect on other ac­
Our students, your children, understand that they have a lot compared to others and I have complishments when they benefit so many oth­
ers. I wish all of our families a wonderful holi­
only listed what is happening in our school. There is so much more going on with the kids day season and a very Happy New Year! outside of the school. Many of our students SAVE THE DATE work in homeless shelters or food banks. They also participate in hundreds of other commu­
Friday, April 17th, 7:45 ­ 11:30 a.m. nity service activities. A large portion of our Tilden’s Annual 8th Grade Career Day students already have many more community If you would like to be a speaker or volunteer service hours than the 75 necessary for high to help plan this event, please contact Pam school graduation. Their work is a brilliant tes­ Marquez, [email protected], timony to the generous spirit our young people 301­581­0570. 3 Department Updates Math Investigations into Math This week we fin­
ished the 2nd unit of IM. Next , we will study Geometry: Transformations & Con­
structions. If you still have your three­panel at school, please take it home by Friday, December, 19. Any remaining projects will be dis­
carded by the winter break. Algebra General reminders: 1. Bring your graphing calculator to class everyday. 2. Keep a spare set of AAA batteries in school in case your batteries run low. 3. All students in middle school who are enrolled in Algebra 1 MUST pass the final exam in June in order to earn high school credit. We have completed the third unit of Algebra 1. On December 8, we will start Unit 4, Systems of Linear Equations & Inequalities. This unit can be referred to in the textbook chapter lessons 7­1 through 7­5. Honors Geometry In Honors Geometry, we are currently proving properties of special quadrilaterals in two column proofs. Students have learned how to use the idea of congruent triangles to draw conclusions about shapes made up of triangles. We will apply these skills to proofs about compass and straight­ 4 edge constructions as well as coordinate geometry proofs. We are also beginning to prepare for the semester exam which be­
gins January 20th. Family and Consumer Sciences (FACS) The sixth grade class has been busy making wonderful creations as we have gotten into our baking unit. We recently made home­
made muffins and just completed gourmet crepes. This class has been very adventur­
ous with recipe selections and I look for­
ward upcoming labs. Nutrition and food label analysis has and will be continued through out the quarter. The seventh grade recently made holiday pumpkin muffins. They were a great suc­
cess, and we will be getting into more diffi­
cult baking labs as well as nutrition and proper eating analysis. Personal budgeting and finance is being introduced to the stu­
dents. The eighth grade made an entire holiday meal, turkey and all as well as homemade pies. Soon the students will be working on the cultures and cuisines unit. Each group picks a country, researches that country and then prepares foods that represent the chosen area for all their classmates to sam­
ple. This is a wonderful way to try new foods as well as learn about other areas of the world. Per­
sonal budgeting and finance has been introduced and practiced as the quarter continues. Creative Communications The creative communica­
tions students have been working hard on reading and creating poetry. We have done rhyming po­
ems and just completed the free verse poems. Next is Limericks and than humorous poetry. The poems look and sound wonderful. Next semester the students will be working on the newspaper unit where each student will write articles to create their own newspaper. We will wrap up the year with the pop­up/memory books. I look for­
ward to seeing the creativity generated by the students! Student Government Association (SGA) The SGA has been busy this year! Our canned food drive was a huge success. Our staff and students donated a large amount of food to help feed local families. Way to go Tilden! We are currently collecting donations to support a local shelter so that new coats and scarves can be purchased for the children of the shelter. The officers have been working hard and attending county middle school meetings, they are very involved in making a difference. The dance was wonderful; all the students seemed to have a great time. Our next dance is Friday, January 9th. As always we need chaperones, if interested please contact Amy Tucker here at Tilden. Upcoming events include the candy gram sales. All proceeds go to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation and Pennies for Patients to help support the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. SGA is a great way to get involved; all students are encouraged to join the fun! English All 8th grade students have started their study of Animal Farm by George Or­
well. While this text may be complicated in nature, the story is rich with humor and filled with situations that students of all ages can identify with. Please make sure that your child keeps up with the nightly reading. All assignments are based on the novel and stu­
dents cannot be successful if they have not completed the assigned reading. In addition, please assist your child in the reading of this text by reading it with him or her and pre­
viewing the questions from the study guide. Copies of the study guide have been given to each student, but you may print a copy directly from Edline. Physical Education The PE department proudly announces our November students of the month. We would like to express our gratitude to these outstanding students who contribute so much to our program. Their leadership, sportsmanship, and dedication benefit all stu­
dents in the program. Congratulations to them all and keep up the good work. Itai Bezherano Elise Black Aaron Brown Hanna Cha Henry Chih­Heng Nicholas Corrales Marissa Gilman Justin Hom Sun Jung Yu Jung Malik King Melanie Knott Karlo Lazaro Dong Lee Dara Morris Noah Nelson Justin New Drew Ohlrich (Continued, page 6) 5 Physical Education (Continued) Student Service Learning (SSL) Tips Emily Ohanian Annie Schmidt Give a Little Time . . . Hannah Ship Myles Smith Katie Spak Michael Spak Make a Big Difference Melissa Wainaina Kasey Yamashita Students explore careers through high quality Dimitri Xeron service learning. PE Reminder: The PE Department still has a few sweat­
SSL that results in direct action with re­
shirts and sweatpants for sale. If your chil­
cipients includes activities such as serving dren have outgrown their warm clothes from food at a soup kitchen, tutoring a child in last year, they can purchase them from the pe reading or math, and playing the piano for office. They come in handy during the residents of a hospital. colder months. Encourage your children to Consider qualifying for MCPS SSL award remain active throughout the winter season programs: Superintendent's SSL Awards and tell them not to forget to bundle up! or the Certificate of Meritorious Service for high school seniors who have docu­
mented 260 or more hours of SSL. Consider Journalism! Students may earn one service­learning hour for every hour of service outside of This course is for students who want to de­
their instructional day. velop their writing skills, work on the school Civic engagement and political participa­
newspaper, and produce the school yearbook. tion are key goals of SSL. Get involved in Students will learn how to write news stories, service­learning activities at school and in features, editorials, sports stories, and book the community where effective citizenship and movie reviews as well as develop inter­
can be practiced. viewing, proofreading, copy editing, and publication layout and design skills. Don’t forget: January 9, 2009, is the dead­
line for turning in documentation to the SSL In addition to writing and publishing four coordinator, Ms. Stasko, in room A 138, of issues of The Tilden Howl (using Microsoft service performed during the first semester. Publisher), students will use their creative skills to produce the annual yearbook. Stu­
dents will take photographs, write copy, and layout pages to create a timeless memory Reminder from the 7th Grade Team book for their peers. They’ll develop graphic As we near interim time, your 7th grade teach­
design skills by using software designed es­
ers would like to remind students and their par­
pecially for yearbook production. ents to check Edline and make sure that all as­
Guest speakers will provide insights into the signments are turned in by the deadline. Stu­
careers of professional writers, reporters, and dents are encouraged to meet with their teach­
ers during MAP if they have work to make up photographers. The class will also take a field trip to a news­related institution such as or need to re­take a quiz or other assignments. We are here to help ALL students be success­
The Newseum or The Washington Post. ful! A strong interest in writing is the only re­
Happy Holidays from the 7th grade team!. quirement for this year­long elective. 6 Give the Gift of Literacy A monthly feature for information, strategies, and/or tips that will help your child enhance his/her literacy skills. Literacy Ideas From Parents To Parents Post thought­provoking articles, cartoons, or quotations on the refrigerator to encour­
age critical thinking and discussion. Create a family library including classics, award winners, and reference books. Keep a world map handy to discuss cur­
rent events from the news.
Play word games such as Hangman, Bog­
gle®, or Scrabble® and complete cross­
word puzzles as a family. Unplug electronic devices for an hour each night and READ!
Make schoolwork a priority before all other activities to send children the message of its importance. ~ Adapted from Collaborative Literacy, 2007 This holiday season, why not give your child a magazine subscription? Popular magazines for middle school students include: Sports Illustrated Kids – This magazine includes stories about favorite athletes, recommendations for exercise, as well as tips on how to improve various aspects of a number of different sports.
Kids Discover ­ Fact filled, educational, and entertaining, each issue covers a sin­
gle topic in nature, science, or geogra­
phy. For additional topics and ideas, check out the Parents’ Choice reviews at www.parents­
choice.org/award.cfm?
thePage=magazine&p_code=p_per Minority Scholars Program Begins The 2008­09 Minority Scholars Program (MSP)
started in November. The MSP tutoring sessions have begun and will be held on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 3 ­ 4p.m. in the Media Center. Students wishing to attend these sessions should come prepared with homework and other neces­
sary supplies. This is a great opportunity for stu­
dents to receive support in their academics and also to build relationships with their MSP peers at Walter Johnson. Email any questions about the MSP to program sponsor Kelly Rende at [email protected]. National Geographic Kids – Students learn about wildlife, science, geogra­
phy and protecting the earth’s resources. KEEP Keeps Tilden Beautiful The KEEP Club has been busy beautifying our school grounds this semester. KEEP mem­
bers have helped weed the gardens and maintain the pond in the courtyard. They have also added new plants to the front of the school grounds and worked to fix up our greenhouse and maintain the area around it. KEEP will be taking a vacation during the winter months. We will resume meeting in March, just in time to start planning our annual Chesapeake Bay trip. 7 Tilden Girls on the Run Fourteen Tilden girls participated in the na­
tionally renowned program…..Girls on the Run. Eight graders, Kelsey Hickey and Ashley Murphy, seventh graders, Megan Baldwin, Kerry Keating, Alyse Shulimson and Emily Smith along with sixth graders, Emily Char­
lip, Melanie Cirillo, Jamie Fanaroff, Rotem Kaplan, Elena Estevez, Hannah Sachs, and Emma Verner began training in late Septem­
ber. They participated in a program that in­
volved self discovery and rigorous running. Saturday, November 22 was their big test; a 5K race in which more than 950 Montgomery County girls would participate. It was a frigid morning, but the girls were “psyched” beyond belief. All of the girls finished this rigorous race and received medals. Melanie Cirillo came in first place, and Elena Estevez was second! 1 and 2 out of 950….Wow! Mrs. Verner and Mrs. Stroud thoroughly en­
joyed working and running with all the girls and can’t wait to do it again in the spring. We would all like to thank the many par­
ents who helped us with our training, ran with us on race day and brought delicious snacks on all our training days. Seizure & Epilespy Training Held Early in December, representatives from Epilepsy Foundation provided valuable infor­
mation and training to students and staff on how to assist a person who may be having a seizure. Tilden has a number of students who 8 Learning for Independence (LFI) Needs Your Help! Donate to the Learning for Independence LFI Activity Fund. The Learning for Inde­
pendence program includes students with special needs, who are working on learning functional and independent learning skills. Your donations will help fund community trips and cooking activities for the special needs students in the LFI program at Tilden. Trips include the post office, grocery store, public transportation, National Airport, mu­
seums, etc. Make checks payable to Tilden Middle School (LFI Activity Fund, in memo section) Please contact Leah Arbeter ([email protected]) if you have any questions. Best Buddies Program Plans a Fun­Filled Year The 2008­09 Best Buddies program has started with great success. We have quite a few buddy pairs as well as a good number of associate members. Our next after school meeting is Wednesday, December 17th and the Best Buddies officers have been hard at work planning lots of fun activities for our members. If you would be willing to provide snacks for our Best Buddies activities and meetings please email sponsors Leah Arbeter at [email protected] or Kelly Rende at [email protected]. We ap­
preciate the support of all of our Best Buddies' families. are subject to this medical condition. Topics covered included explanations of sei­
zures, epilepsy, what to do (and what not to do) if someone has a seizure, and the facts and myths about seizures. Walter Johnson High School After Prom Breakfast Committee 6400 Rock Spring Drive Bethesda, MD 20814 December 5, 2008 Walter Johnson After Prom Breakfast 2009 Dear Walter Johnson High School Cluster Community, The Walter Johnson High School PTSA will host its Annual WJ After Prom Breakfast on May 16, 2009 immediately following the Prom. This parent and teacher chaperoned event which is held at WJ provides a safe venue for WJ seniors and their guests to extend the fun of the Prom all night and into the early morning hours. It is free of charge to all WJ seniors and their guests regardless of whether they attend the Prom. Last year’s event was attended by a majority of the seniors. PLEASE JOIN US IN SUPPORTING THIS IMPORTANT EVENT. Since it is free to those attend­
ing we need your support so that we can provide the transportation, food, t­shirts, entertainment and prizes that are necessary to make this an appealing and memorable event for our seniors. This event is funded entirely by contributions. Each and every donation, no matter how large or small, is critical to the success of this important event. If you can make a donation, please complete the form below and return it with your check. Your contri­
bution to the Walter Johnson High School Prom Breakfast is greatly appreciated. We sincerely hope that you can assist us with a donation to make this event a success. Thank you for your support. If you have questions, please contact: Shirley Johnson, [email protected] Stacy Benjamin, [email protected] Committee Chairperson Fundraiser Co­Chairperson Terri Romani, [email protected] Fundraiser Co­Chairperson ________________________________________________________________________________ Yes, I would like to support the WJ After Prom Breakfast, which provides a safe venue for WJ seniors and their guests after the prom. Please make check payable to Return this form, with your check to WJHS Prom Breakfast After Prom Breakfast Committee Walter Johnson High School 6400 Rock Spring Drive Bethesda, MD 20814 Name(s) ____________________________________________Donation Amount ______________ Address _________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________ Feeder School ___________________________________________________________ 9