PTSA Newsletter
2008-09, Vol. 9, February 2009
crafts, or performing a traditional song or
dance from your country.
President’s Letter
Brrrrr! I hope everyone has managed to stay warm this very
chilly month. Despite the cold, I
am sure that the warm hearted
spirit of the Tilden community
will make two upcoming charity
events fabulously successful.
Our efforts to organize a family bowling
night met with a stumbling block – price!
Instead, we will hold a family ice skating
(Continued page 4)
Kathy Moffett
The first is our very own charity basketball
game to be held on Friday, February 27th.
Doors open at 6:30pm – come out and see
our brave Tilden teachers and staff as they
face-off against the firefighters. It’s always
a fun night and pizza and drinks will be
available for sale. If you would like to volunteer to help with this event please email
Lisa Kaeser at L_kaeser@yahoo. com. Proceeds will benefit 50/50 the Tilden families
in need fund and the firefighters.
The second event, the 2009 High School Battle of the Bands is sponsored by Val Carter’s
organization, Community Cupcakes, in partnership with Hungry for Music. It will be
held at Walter Johnson High School Saturday, February 28th. Gently used musical
instruments will be collected at this event to
benefit children in various musical programs
across the country. If you would like to help
contact: [email protected] .
International Night organizers are looking
for volunteers for Friday March, 13th.
Please see the flyer on Tilden’s website or at
the end of this newsletter if you can contribute by preparing ethnic foods,
From Principal Baker’s Desk
Dear Tilden Community,
Jack Nicklaus once said,
―Achievement is largely the
product of steadily raising one's
levels of aspiration and expecta- Jennifer Baker
tion.‖ With the closing of 2nd
quarter I am pleased to report that our student achievement is strong. We have 63
percent of our students on the honor roll and
many students, while not quite there yet,
have improved their grades significantly
from the first quarter marks. An additional
85 out of 705 students had a straight A record for second quarter. While I realize that
(Continued, page 2)
February PTSA Meeting
Tuesday, Feb. 10th, 7:00 p.m.
Tilden Media Center
“Keys to Success”
Jennifer Page
Tilden Staff Development
PTSA Officers
President
Kathy Moffett
301-929-8828
[email protected]
Vice President Susan Verner
301-984-5942
[email protected]
Vice President Melissa Keller
301-881-2837
[email protected]
Treasurer
Suzanne Fanaroff
301-231-5949
[email protected]
Secretary
Kelly Ann Dorfman 301-717-4160
[email protected]
MCCPTA
Ted Feifer
Delegate &
PTSA Special Needs Liaison
MCCPTA
Delegate
301-468-5680
[email protected]
Cate Hammaker
301-770-3048
[email protected]
From Principal Baker’s Desk
(Continued)
exam time can be stressful at the end of the
semester, our students overwhelmingly
passed their exams with flying colors and
seemed to move onto the second semester
seamlessly. I attribute these successes to
excellent teachers with high expectations
who care deeply about the students, strong
parental support at home, and a solid work
ethic among our students. I am sure that
the second semester will prove to be
equivalent in excellence.
While pondering student success, this year
The Maryland School Assessment (MSA)
test begins on Monday, March 16, 2009.
This test is an important measure of student
performance and, simultaneously, the
school’s performance. The No Child Left
Behind Act mandates that students in middle school be tested in reading and math at
all three grade levels. Each year the targets, which are set by the State of Maryland, are increasing in terms of the number
of students that are expected to be on grade
2
level for reading and math. There are many
categories in which schools must meet targets.
For example, some of the categories include:
Attendance, African American, Hispanic,
Asian, American Indian, Caucasian, and special populations such as Special Education and
English Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL).
As a school, Tilden Middle School does well
in meeting the targets. Last year we had significant gains in all of the above mentioned
categories, but we still have some gaps to
close. We meet regularly in teams to discuss
ways in which we can increase student
achievement and are making solid progress. I
am pleased with our achievement levels to date
and feel confident that our gains will continue
as we strive for success.
While student achievement is always foremost
in our minds, our students have a lot more to
offer than academic talent. They excel in
many different and unique ways. We hope
that you will join us on Friday, March 13, 2008
for our second annual Tilden Middle School
International Night. This will be a night
where food and artifacts from many different
countries will be featured as well as native
dance and song. It is a great way to highlight
the wonderful diversity and unique talents of
our Tilden students. We are still seeking more
participants to represent countries at the event.
Please notify Eva Winer at
[email protected] if you are interested.
I wish all of our families a wonderful
February!
Student Service Learning (SSL) Tips
Give a Little Time...Make a Big Difference
Progress toward the SSL graduation requirement can be checked on quarterly report cards.
An immediate follow-up with the school-based SSL coordinator is recommended for any
inconsistencies.
All SSL forms (MCPS Form 560-50 Request for SSL Preapproval, and
560-51 SSL Activity Verification) may be downloaded from the website www.mcpsssl.org.
They should be completed legibly in ink before submission to, Ms. Stasko in room A 138,
the school-based SSL coordinator.
June graduates with 260 or more documented SSL hours receive Certificates of Meritorious
Service from the Maryland State Department of Education and Montgomery County Public
Schools A purple tassel is also given to these students to wear during commencement to
identify them as meritorious service contributors.
SSL is a state graduation requirement. This requirement does
not replace the support that is given to family members,
neighbors, friends or fellow religious organization members.
The SSL website, www.mcpsssl.org is a great source of information about the SSL program that has been approved for Montgomery County Public Schools by the Maryland State Department of Education.
See Ms. Stasko if you have any questions.
Don’t Miss Tilden’s Annual Charity Basketball Game!
Tilden’s annual Charity Basketball Game will
be on Friday, February 27 in the Tilden gym.
Pizza and other refreshments will be available as well as a 50-50 raffle!
The game will feature Tilden’s very own
teachers and administrators playing
the rockem’ sockem
firefighters!
Come out and cheer on the Tilden staff!
Doors will open at
6:30 p.m. Tickets
are just $5 (kids
under 5 free)!
Reminder
Families whose financial status has
changed can apply for free or reduced
meals for their children any time during the
school year. Also, please remember that
the Tilden cafeteria serves breakfast every
morning, and the breakfast is included in
the free/reduced meal plan.
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Donate Your Used Books to the WJ Book Sale
Donate used books now through February 27 to the Walter Johnson High School 5th
Annual Used Book Sale, to be held Saturday March 7 from 9 a.m.
- 2 p.m. Drop off boxed items at the WJHS Main Office weekdays
from 7a.m. - 7p.m., at 6400 Rock Spring Drive in Bethesda.
Books of all reading levels accepted as well as music CDs, movies, and audio books. Not accepted are software, games, textbooks, manuals, encyclopedias, or magazines. Donations are tax
deductible. Email [email protected] with questions.
Make Your Shopping Dollars
Count for Tilden
The 2008-2009 Giant Food's A+ Bonus Bucks
program runs through April 2, 2009. The program requires that you re-designate your choice
of school each year. You can enroll online at
www.giantfood.com/aplus Tilden’s ID # is
00732
Safeway Club Card for Education program
run by E-Scrip requires yearly renewal. Earn up
to 3% of your monthly Safeway purchases for
Tilden and the money is automatically deposited
into the school’s account. Log on to
www.escrip.com to renew or enroll. Tilden’s
ID # is 6632921.
Target’s Take Charge of Education Program
continues year round and donates 1% of REDcard (Target Visa and Target credit card) purchases made at Target and Target.com and 1/2%
of Target Visa purchases made elsewhere, to the
school of your choice. The ID# for Tilden Middle School is 58230. To register, log onto
www.target.com , go to the bottom of the page,
click on
―Community,‖ then
―Education‖, then
―Take Charge of
Education.‖
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Harris Teeter’s Together in Education
Program will donate 5% of a customer’s
Private Label purchases once an account
number is linked to their Harris Teeter VIC
card. To link your card, simply tell the
cashier (during check-out) that you want
Tilden’s account number (7621) linked to
your Harris Teeter VIC card or log onto
www.harristeeter.com and click on the link
in the Together in Education Section.
If you have any questions, contact Shari
Campbell at [email protected] or
301-231-5346.
President’s Letter
(Continued)
night at Cabin John Ice Rink tentatively
scheduled for Saturday evening, March 21.
Pricing will be about $11-12 for 2 hours of
skating and skate rentals. More details to
come — save the date!
Finally, the next PTSA meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, February 10th 7pm.
Our speaker this month is Jennifer Page,
Tilden’s Staff Development Teacher. Jennifer will present "Keys to Success" - focusing on good study skills in reparation
for the MSA's. All are welcome; I hope to
see you there!
A monthly feature for information,
strategies, and/or tips that will help your
child enhance his/her literacy skills.
Boys and Books
Lots of boys have difficulty reading or choose
not to read for pleasure. As a result, boys have
scored lower than girls over the past 30 years
on reading tests (U.S. Department of Education) and two-thirds of special education students in high schools are boys. Boys who
choose not to read frequently lack the complex
verbal, reading, writing, speaking, and reasoning skills needed to excel in high school and
college level courses. Watch out for specific
book suggestions for boys in future issues of
the Literacy Corner. Until then, check out
www.guysread.com.
Test Tips
Help your child tackle tough test questions by
using some of these strategies.
All Test Items – Read the question first. This
helps focus your attention for support to an
Student Transfer Season
Montgomery County parents who wish to request a Change of School Assignment (COSA)
for their children from their home school may
begin that process during the upcoming transfer season, February 1 through April 1, 2009.
Generally speaking, students are expected to
attend their home school. However, assignment changes from one school to another are
permitted under certain limited circumstances,
including
An older sibling attends the requested
school;
A continuation in a feeder pattern from
middle to high school, except when affected by boundary changes;
answer while reading the text.
Essays – Read the question twice to be sure
what is being asked. Make notes or create a
graphic organizer as you read to remember
important ideas to include in your response.
Multiple Choice – Read every choice before selecting an answer and rule out those
you know are wrong or not true. This reduces the possibility of an incorrect response.
True/False – Look for words such as all,
none, and always. These answers are usually
false.
Without an education, children are
slaves to the world they live in.
~ Gregory Hodge
MAP-R
All students, except those in ESOL 1 and
the LFI program, took the Measures of
Academic Progress – Reading test in late
January through mid February.
A documented hardship situation;
or
A student is selected for an exempt
program.
The Change of School Assignment Information Booklet describes the process and
provides useful information and is available in English and Spanish.
Beginning the first week of February,
COSA forms will be available in schools
and online at
www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/info/
transfer.shtm.
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Department Updates
Family and Consumer Sciences
(FACS)
The new semester is off to a
great start in FACS. The sixth
grade is very excited to start
with the home-made fruit
smoothie lab. Students get to
choose from a variety of fruits
to create a nutritious and wonderful tasting smoothie. I look forward to seeing these wonderful delights. The seventh
grade students are beginning the semester with
home-made muffins. This is a great lab to prepare at home! The eighth grade students will
be preparing home-made pizza. The students
will be making the dough from scratch and
putting on toppings of their choice.
This semester in FACS we will be learning
about banking, writing checks and managing
money. This is a great learning experience to
prepare students for the future!
Creative Communications
The poetry unit in Creative Communications
has been going great! The students have been
creating wonderful, well put together poems.
We will soon be starting our Newspaper project. Students will be writing a variety of articles ranging from sports, school news, local
and world news. The articles will be combined
as students put together their own individual
newspaper. This is a fun and exciting way to
keep up with current events as well as create
and use graphics. I look forward to reading the
many interesting pieces.
SGA-Student Government
Association
The SGA has been working hard this year.
Our winter dance was a huge success. A great
time was had by all! We are gearing up for the
Valentine's candy gram sales. Candy grams
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will be sold during all three lunches and
cost just one dollar. All proceeds go to the
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. Some of our
officers will be attending a Montgomery
County Junior Council meeting in late February. They will be meeting with other
middle school students to discuss and get
involved in activities which that impact
middle school students. SGA is a great
way to get involved, meet new people and
of course have fun! All students are welcome and encouraged to join.
Physical Education
Now is the time of year that we all take stock
and make our new year’s resolutions. We hope
that health and fitness will be on the top of
your list. Our students participated in a series
of fitness tests during the exam periods in
physical education. Our fitnessgram measured
aerobic endurance, muscular strength and endurance as well as flexibility. Students recorded their scores so that they will be able to
monitor their fitness progress throughout the
year. We hope that they share their enthusiasm
with you as they continue to improve!
We would like to honor our January Student of
the Month recipients. Our students exemplify
the best Tilden has to offer. We appreciate
their attitude, dedication, and cooperation.
These children continually lift the level of our
program through their achievement and act as
role models to others. We are very grateful to
have such an outstanding student body. Congratulations to the following students:
William Bailey
Emma Broun
Irina Bukharin
Valerie Campanella
Czarina Campos
Teresa Carvana
Amy Chang
Kevin Cotter
Maddie Guber
Yarden Haham
Vivian Horvath
Jackson Lange
Kyle Lopez
Manuel Ovejas
Nick Plaitas
Julia Rock
Dafni Samuni
Axel Umana
Tayler Williams
Charles Zhang
Community Cupcakes
In partnership with Hungry for Music
Presents
The 2009 High School Battle of the Bands
Please join us on February 28th 2009 at Walter Johnson High School
for this community service event benefiting Hungry for Music.
Twelve high school bands will square off for a chance to win a five
hour studio session Blue House Studio. Community Cupcakes will be
collecting gently used instruments to send to needy students in
the following musical programs:
Timothy House, located in the middle of the Sonora desert of Northwestern Mexico, takes in boys ages 5 to 12 who are orphans, have
been abandoned, or otherwise need a permanent home. Our goal is
not only to provide a safe, loving home, but also mentor the children
to become godly men, faithful husbands, responsible fathers and productive citizens.
"The William E. Doar Jr. Public Charter School for the Performing
Arts in Washington D.C., fosters a safe, creative, enjoyable and culturally sensitive learning environment for all students with the goal
of providing a college preparatory curriculum in both academics and
the performing arts to produce the next generation of leaders for
America and the Global Society."
Miramonte Elementary School in South Central Los Angeles.
More information about this event can be found at:
http://communitycupcakes.com/cupcakes/html/events.html
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Walter Johnson High School
After Prom Breakfast Committee
6400 Rock Spring Drive
Bethesda, MD 20814
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 attending we need your support so that we can provide the transportation, food, t-shirts, 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 contribution 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]
Committee Chairperson
Stacy Benjamin, [email protected]
Fundraiser Co-Chairperson
Terri Romani, [email protected]
Fundraiser Co-Chairperson
________________________________________________________________________________
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
WJHS Prom Breakfast
Return this form, with your check to
After Prom Breakfast Committee
Walter Johnson High School
6400 Rock Spring Drive
Bethesda, MD 20814
Name(s) ____________________________________________Donation Amount ______________
Address _________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Feeder School ___________________________________________________________
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