PTSA Newsletter 2008-09
President’s Letter
This month will be another
busy month at Tilden Middle
School.
Our annual Scholastic Book
fair is running this week from Kathy Moffett
Monday, May 11, through Friday, May
15, in the Media Center from 7:30 a.m.
until 3 p.m. The book fair will also be
open Wednesday and Thursday evenings during the Festival of Arts and
Choral/Instrumental concerts. Many,
many thanks to Cheryl Lopez for organizing this event. Stop by and stock up
on summer reading materials while supporting your PTSA.
Our final PTSA meeting for this year,
“Everything you wanted to know about
ninth grade but were afraid to ask,” will
be held Tuesday, May 12, at 7 p.m., in
the Media Center. What's Walter Johnson High School really like? We'll have
next year's WJ ninth grade administrator,
a WJ guidance counselor, current WJ
students and parents on hand to answer
your questions. Eighth graders and their
parents in particular are encouraged to
attend.
We will be electing next year's board officers so please try to stay for the business meeting immediately following the
presentation.
(Continued on page 2)
Volume 10, May 2009
Principal’s Message
Author Louis L’Amour once
wrote, “The trail is the thing,
not the end of the trail.
Travel too fast and you miss
all you are traveling for.’’
Jennifer Baker
As we near the end of this
year’s trail it is amazing how swiftly the
year is coming to a close. However,
when I look back, it is clear that as we
have traveled along we definitely did not
miss our target or the reasons we are
here at Tilden.
Middle school is a time for children to explore all of the possibilities that life and
school have to offer. While our staff provided an excellent learning environment
that was challenging for all students, we
were also able to offer a variety of extracurricular enhancements to our existing
program this year.
The MCPS middle school reform
(Continued on page 3)
________________________________
May PTSA Meeting
Tuesday, May 12, 7 p.m.
Tilden Media Center
“Everything you wanted to know
about ninth grade but were
afraid to ask”
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
301-468-5680
Delegate/Special Needs Liaison [email protected]
MCCPTA
Cate Hammaker
301-770-3048
Delegate
[email protected]
____________________________________________
Newsletter Editors: Cynthia Suen, Jonathan D. Salant
[email protected], [email protected]
President’s Column
(Continued)
Tilden Middle School Drama Club will
be presenting their rendition of the musical "Cats" for what is sure to be a fun
evening. Come see the show Friday
and Saturday evenings, May 29 and
30.
Congratulations to Tilden Middle
School sixth graders Annie Schmidt,
Charlie Fisher, and Juan Jose Mariategui for their teams' advancement to
the Destination Imagination Global Finals to be held May 20-23 at the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Destination Imagination is a national program that teaches creative teamwork
and problem solving. We wish them
the best of luck in the finals.
— Kathy Moffett, PTSA President
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Mile of Champions Coming
We hope the rain is finally behind us and
that blue skies will prevail for our annual
Mile of Champions. We’d like to share the
beautiful spring weather with our parents,
students and entire school staff.
Come and experience this all-school event
on Friday, May 22, at 9 a.m. (Rain date
May 29.) This assembly has the student
body sitting on our bleachers cheering
alongside the parents and staff members
as they encourage our school’s top runners as they race around the stadium
track.
The students with the fastest scores
throughout the year for their gender and
grade will be invited to compete. They will
be bringing a letter home inviting their parents to attend the big race. There will be
music, and an award presentation at the
end of the ceremony.
Our special thanks to the PTSA for providing our stylish “Mile of Champions” T-shirts
for all the runners. Our thanks also go out
to the parents, staff and administration for
their continued support of our special day.
We hope to see you there for this exciting
event to help us celebrate and congratulate the outstanding effort of these young
ladies and gentlemen.
Please join us in congratulating the following students for the month of April: William
Bailey, Brian Bermudez, Kyle Clarkson,
Harrison Cope, Dafne Dilsez, Daniel
Flesch, Julio Gamarra, Kim Guiao, Greg
Kim, Kyle Lopez, Jackson Nail, Taylor
Ratcliffe, Madison Roll, Julia Roh, Emily
Smith and Michael Spak.
—Charlene Jehle, PE/ARTS Specialist
Principal’s Message
(Continued)
has also brought exciting technology to our
classrooms, training for our teachers and a
variety of new course offerings. Next year,
we will have seven additional courses to
add to our selection for students. We have
already installed eight additional Promethean Boards. This puts the engaging new
technology into almost every single academic classroom in the school.
The encroaching end of the year is a busy
time for our staff and students. Teachers
are preparing for final exams and unit
tests. Students are studying hard as they
approach the home stretch and their excitement is building as they look forward to
summer. They are also preparing for the
spring concerts, science fair, Cats, our
spring musical, and the eighth grade promotion ceremony. All of these culminating
events are chances for our students to
shine and show how they have grown
throughout this school year. It is a wonderful chance for the adults in their lives to
see how they have grown, matured and
changed in just a few short months.
climb.’’
The journey of educating our students
and children is far from over and there
is much excitement and anticipation of
what is yet to come for our tweens!
--Jennifer Baker, Tilden Principal
Farmland Faculty Retiring
Alberta Fisher and Jane Robbins, fourth
grade teachers at Farmland Elementary
School, and Emily Canter, an instructional
aide, will be retiring this year. Mrs. Fisher
and Ms. Robbins have taught at Farmland
for at least 20 years each. Mrs. Canter has
been at Farmland for around nine
years.
We would love to make this a wonderful
send off for them. To help us in this regard,
we are preparing memory books for each
one, and hope to include as many letters
from former students (and parents} as possible. If you have been taught by, or worked
My intention as principal, and the desire of with, any of these staff members, please
the staff, is to help Tilden to become one take a few minutes to include some
of the premier middle schools in the
thoughts and memories and drop them to
county. We have made great strides in the my attention at the Farmland office or mail
past two years. We could not prevail with- them to me at the school, 7000 Old Gate
out your support and partnership. Our
Rd., Rockville 20852.
heartfelt thanks for the continued assistance we receive from the parent commu- We will be presenting the memory books in
nity. It truly does take a village to educate
early June, so I would like to have any letour children. You are very much appreciters by May 22, before the Memorial Day
ated. Sir Winston Churchill remarked,
’’Every day you may make progress. Every weekend in order to have time to put them
together. Time is running short, so please
step may be fruitful. Yet there will stretch
out before you an ever-lengthening, ever- don't put this on the back burner!
ascending, ever-improving path. You know
--Christina Peters. Fourth Grade Teacher
you will never get to the end of the journey. But this, so far from discouraging,
only adds to the joy and glory of the
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Summer School Registration
Student Government Assn.
Each year, our school sends out summer
school registration forms to students who
may benefit from our programs. Summer
school is not mandatory, but is a great way
for students to keep their skills honed for
the upcoming school year.
If your child has received a form for registration, please turn it in to Ms. Sylvia
Wright no later than Friday, May 22. If you
have any questions about the Tilden summer program, cost or logistics please contact Ms. Wright or Ms. Hammie-Bonner.
The SGA has been very busy. We just
wrapped up the SMOB elections
(student member of the board). Every
student in the school had the
opportunity to vote for the new student
member of the board. This was a
wonderful opportunity for the students to
see how a real election operates. We
had many volunteers to help out with
the election. It was a great success!
Tilden just had its last all -school dance.
We look forward to planning and making
the dances even more fun next year.
The SGA will be organizing an annual
drive to collect school supplies for local
families. Be sure to look for spare pencils, pens, backpacks, binders etc. to
help benefit this wonderful cause.
It is not too late to get involved in SGA.
Come get a jump on next year. All are
welcome and encouraged to join!
—Amy Tucker, Michelle Cassels,
SGA Sponsors
Creative Communications
The CC students have been working diligently on their memory books. The
books are created and decorated in class
with favorite pictures and memories. It is
wonderful to see the enthusiasm in all the
students as they work hard to create these
books.
The newspaper unit was a great
success. The articles were interesting, informative and entertaining to read. I look
forward to reviewing the memory books as
the semester comes to an end.
—Amy Tucker,
Creative Communications Teacher
Scholastic Book Fair
The Scholastic Book Fair will run from
Monday, May 11, through Friday, May 15,
in the Media Center from 7:30 a.m. until 3
p.m. each day. The book fair will also be
open Wednesday and Thursday evenings
during the Festival of Arts and
Choral/Instrumental concerts. This is a
great opportunity to support your school.
-- Cheryl Lopez
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WJ Coaching Staff at Tilden
Walter Johnson High School’s coaching
staff will visit Tilden Middle School on
May 12 to speak to eighth grade students during ``C’’ lunch. On June 16,
WJ administration and student government representatives will talk to students at a morning assembly about getting involved in extra curricular activities.
Student Service Learning (SSL) Tips
Give a Little Time...Make a Big Difference
Students practice positive civic behavior.
Documentation of service performed during the second semester is due to Ms.
Stasko in room A 138 by the Friday before second semester exams begin June 5.
Middle school students who successfully pass select courses and fully participate in
the SSL aspects of those courses will be awarded 10 SSL hours on the final report
card.
High school students who successfully pass the second semester of National, State,
and Local Government and fully participate in the SSL aspects will be awarded 7.5
SSL hours on the final report card.
Frequently asked questions about the MCPS SSL program are answered on the
website at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/departments/ssl/faqs/faq.shtm.
Consider ways to make a difference by addressing real need: Find organizations
and opportunities of interest at http:// www.mcpsssl.org.
—Jane Stasko
Guidance Study Tips for Warmer Weather
With the warm beautiful weather, it is difficult for students to prioritize and focus on
academics, please help your children manage their time that there is time for both
play and study.
Perhaps they could play/relax until 5 p.m., complete the hardest subject homework
(5-5:30 p.m.) followed by the next difficult assignments (5:30-6 p.m.), help with and
consume dinner (6-7 p.m.), tackle the next assignment (7:30-8 p.m.), take a 15minute break, and then complete the fourth assignment from 8:15-8:45 p.m. Some
students have homework in five subjects, if this is the case; use 8:45-9:15 p.m. to
finish.
Students should then pack up their backpack, get ready for bed, and be asleep by
9:30-10:00 p.m. I realize this is much easier said than done, but it is a goal. Happy
Spring!
— Mary Bee Ciminelli, guidance counselor
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FACS Family and Consumer Sciences
All the FACS classes are really improving on their cooking skills. The sixth grade recently made the infamous monkey bread as well as apple delights. All the students
are given copies of the recipes and encouraged to prepare them at home. The seventh graders have really been working hard to create new and exciting labs. We just
completed specialty desserts and will be moving on to more difficult recipes. The
eighth graders recently made the ever so popular fruit fondue lab.
We will be preparing baked goods next week for Arts Night, which takes place
on Wednesday, May 13, at 7 p.m. The baked goods will be sold and all profits will be
donated to the Children's Inn at NIH.
FACS is a great way to meet friends, try new foods, work together in a group, follow
directions and become more independent and responsible. Come join us!
—Amy Tucker, FACS Teacher
Free Volleyball Clinic Scheduled for July 27-28 in Rockville
A Poolesville High School teacher and her husband are sponsoring a free volleyball
clinic in July for rising sixth through ninth graders. The clinic is a memorial to their
daughter, who played volleyball for Wootton High School and passed away unexpectedly in 2005.
The fourth annual Stephanie Gesterling Memorial Volleyball Clinic is scheduled for
July 27-28 at the Rockville Sportsplex.
Stephanie Gesterling was a multi-talented athlete. When she entered high school,
she found her athletic “true love”: volleyball. Stephanie worked very hard to improve
her skills. She attended camps and clinics, practiced often on her own, and played
recreation and club volleyball. She was named captain of the junior varsity volleyball
team in her sophomore season and made varsity in her junior year. She constantly
strived to better herself and was a leader on the court. Her sudden and unexpected
death in the summer of 2005, just before her senior year, affected very deeply her
Wootton teammates as well as many of the other players she had come into contact
with over the years.
In her memory, Stephanie’s parents, with the cooperation and talent of Coach Francis Cornejo, will be sponsoring a free two-evening, “Introduction to Volleyball” clinic
for girls entering sixth through ninth grade who are beginning to play volleyball. The
clinic will run from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the Sportsplex. Space is limited to the first 24
players who sign up. For further information, please visit the Web site
http://vballcamp.homestead.com/ or contact Coach Francis by email at [email protected] or by telephone at (240) 446-7371.
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A monthly feature for information,
strategies, and/or tips that will help your
children enhance their literacy skills.
PREVENT SUMMER
ACADEMIC LOSS
Research shows that students lose
academic skills over the summer
months if they do not read four to
six books. Your child doesn’t need
to be one of the statistics! Locate
books at your local library that
match your child’s reading level and
interests and read every day. Select
one of your childhood favorites and
read it with your child. Read recipes
and cook together. Share your favorite newspaper or magazine articles.
———————————————————-
8th Grade Promotion Coming
The eighth grade promotion ceremony and dance is scheduled for Friday, June 5, at 5:30 p.m. A promotion
ceremony will be followed by a pizza
party and dance.
Want to help or have questions? Contact Debby Orsak at
[email protected]
Build Background
Knowledge
Summer is a great time to create
opportunities and experiences
that expand students’ learning.
Pair day trips or educational programming with books or research.
Take a kayaking lesson or visit an
estuary and discuss the environmental impacts on habitats.
Visit a butterfly or hummingbird
exhibit, read about butterfly or
hummingbird gardens, and plant
one in your yard.
Read about a Civil War battle and
go to a reenactment.
“Paint-your-own-pottery” after
visiting an art museum.
Purchase a book of scary stories
and go on an evening ghost tour.
Visit a comic book show and read
comics together.
Assemble a model after visiting
the Air and Space Museum.
WRITE EVERY WEEK
More college freshman need to take
remedial writing than remedial
reading courses (NCES 2003). Encourage your child to write weekly
letters to relatives or a pen pal in
another country, keep a summer
journal, or record family stories.
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