PTSA Newsletter 2009-10
Vol. 11, No. 8, May-June 2010
President’s Letter
Principal’s Message
This marks the last issue
of the Tilden PTSA Newsletter for the 2009-10 school
year.
I’d like to take a moment to Susan Verner
thank our Newsletter Editors Jonathan
Salant and Cynthia Suen for their hard
work putting out the newsletter each
month. We are lucky to have such committed parents to help out with such an
important task, and they have done a
tremendous job.
On that note, I would also like to thank
Wendy Silverman for all her efforts over
the past seven years and particularly the
last two. You may know Wendy as the
chair for our teacher luncheons, but she
has also been responsible for providing
refreshments for monthly staff meetings.
Wendy has done a fabulous job of
showing our teachers how much we appreciate them, and staying within her
budget.
I thank our principal, Jennifer Baker,
for making Tilden such a great place for
our kids to learn and to grow. Through
her guidance, there is a true partnership
between the school and the PTSA for
which we should all be grateful.
I also thank Karen Martinez for serving
as the school’s staff liaison to the PTSA
this year. In that role, Ms. Martinez has
attended every PTSA meeting this meeting year and always has something to
(Continued on page 6)
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 Jennifer Baker
traveling for.‖
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.
The second year of the MCPS middle
school reform initiative has also brought
exciting technology to our classrooms,
training for our teachers and a variety
of new course offerings. All of these
(Continued on page 3)
—--————————————————
PTSA Meeting
Tuesday, May 11, 7 p.m.
Media Center
Last PTSA Meeting of the Year
Transition to Walter Johnson HS
This is the final newsletter of the year.
Have a great summer.
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PTSA Briefs
PTSA Officers 2009-10
President:
Susan Verner
[email protected]
Vice Presidents:
Lela Purtskhvanidze
[email protected]
Melissa Keller
[email protected]
Treasurer:
Cate Hammaker
[email protected]
Secretary:
Leslie Eure
[email protected]
MCCPTA Delegates:
Dave Dennison
[email protected]
Missy Maloney
[email protected]
Newsletter Editors:
Cynthia Suen
[email protected]
Jonathan Salant
[email protected]
301-984-5942
301-648-3240
301-881-2837
301-770-3048
301-881-0527
301-987-0070
301-230-2707
301-530-4690
301-770-3813
PTSA Nominees for 2010-11
The PTSA Nominating Committee proposes the following slate of officers for
the 2010 –11 board. The slate will be
voted on at the May 11 meeting.
President:
Susan Verner
First Vice President:
Suzanne Mozayeni
Second Vice President:
Barbara Ferry
Treasurer:
Cate Hammaker
Secretary:
Debbie Kobernick
MCCPTA Representatives:
Laura Bonetta and Dave Dennison
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PTSA Meeting. The next PTSA meeting is
scheduled for Tuesday, May 11, at 7 p.m.
in the Media Center.
Our last PTSA meeting of the year will
be our very popular Transition to WJ
Panel. Come hear from WJ staff and former Tilden students and parents on what
high school is really like.
After the program, we will have our last
business meeting of the year. Among
other things, we will elect our officers for
next year, and hear the principal’s report.
Huge Thanks. On May 7, during Teacher
Appreciation Week, chair Wendy
Silverman organized another fabulous
teacher luncheon.
The food was plentiful, and included
subs from Harris Teeter and California
Chicken Salad. Also, many parents donated drinks and desserts. Most of all, our
teachers and staff members so appreciate
the event. This Wendy’s last year at Tilden and she will be missed.
Career Day. On April 18, the eighth grade
class at Tilden was treated to a great Career Day. Chair Pam Marquez organized
another fabulous event. The kids were exposed to many different, and diverse, careers, and ended the morning hearing from
Walter Johnson principal Dr. Garran.
This was Pam’s sixth career day at Tilden, and she too will be missed. Thanks
also to Pam’s committee, including Randi
Sadugor and Anne Ackerman.
Pizza Pizza. Thanks to Restaurant Night
chair Becky Hutton for organizing our first
ever Tilden Night at California Pizza
Kitchen, and thanks to the many Tilden
families who ate in or ordered takeout.
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Principal’s Message
(Continued from page 1)
things help to assure that our students
are fully engaged in school and positive
activities.
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; Oklahoma, our spring musical; the eighth
grade promotion ceremony on June 11;
and the eighth grade trip to Smokey Glen
Park on June 15.
This year, our awards ceremony will be
held on June 15 from 8-9:30 a.m. in the
gym. Parents will be notified if their child
is receiving an academic award. All participation awards will be given out to students during a Town Hall meeting on for
each grade level on May 27.
All of these culminating events are
chances for our students to shine and
show how they have grown throughout
this school year. It also 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.
My intention as principal, and the desire of the staff, is to help Tilden to become one of the premier middle schools
in the county. We have made great
strides in the past three years. We could
not prevail without your support and partnership.
Our heartfelt thanks for the continued
assistance we receive from the parent
community. It truly does take a village to
educate our children. You are very much
appreciated.
Sir Winston Churchill remarked,
―Every day you may make progress. Yet
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there will stretch out before you an everlengthening, ever-ascending, everimproving path. You know 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 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
Luxmanor Teacher to Retire
If any of your children went to kindergarten at Luxmanor ES, they had the
pleasure of being taught by Mrs. Rehm.
After 24 years of teaching kindergarten at Luxmanor, Mrs. Rehm is retiring
at the end of this school year. When
the bell rings on June 16 and all the
kids are gone, Mrs. Rehm will have said
goodbye to her last class of students.
Please come join current and former
students and families as we reminisce
and remember all the good times from
the adventures in the Loft to the final
fun field trip to the National Gallery of
Art and Roosevelt Island.
A picnic celebration will be held from
6-8 p.m. Friday, June 4, at the Luxmanor athletic field.
Please come help celebrate the 24
years that Mrs. Rehm has been teaching kindergartners at Luxmanor ES.
Potomac Pizza will be available for
purchase and cookies and drinks will be
provided.
There will be a memory book in the
Luxmanor ES front office for everyone
to come and sign. Books will also be at
the picnic. To RSVP, please call 301230-5914 or email Mrs. Kuhlman
([email protected]) by
May 14.
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Mark Your Calendars
May 10-14 — Scholastic Book Fair
May 11 — PTSA Program: Transition to
Walter Johnson High School
June 11 — Eighth Grade promotion
ceremony and celebration.
Scholastic Book Fair May 10-14
Once again, the media center will be
transformed into our own bookstore in May
for the Scholastic Book Fair. The students
will visit the fair with their English classes,
and parents are free to visit the fair at any
time during the school day.
The fair will also be open during the May
PTSA meeting so you can shop then too.
Questions? Contact Committee Chair
Cheryl Lopez at [email protected].
Tilden Cleanup Draws 20 Students
On May 1, KEEP held the annual school
beautification day. Thanks to generous
donations from the Luxmanor Community
Association and Whole Foods, volunteers
had the materials to create new gardens
on the front side of the D-Wing and in the
D-Wing courtyard.
Twenty student volunteers, four teachers, one parent and Ms. Baker worked
hard on a hot, humid day to complete the
project. Please check out the new gardens. They should look great for years.
— Hope Schmidt
algebra teacher, 8th grade team leader
Thanks in Advance for Celebration
The PTSA would like to thank Cindy
Schapiro and Debbie Mahoney for chairing
the eighth grade celebration this year. The
event, which will be held on Friday June
11, is sure to be great.
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Family and Consumer Sciences
As we wind down the year in FACS the
students are working hard to get in all
their favorite recipes.
The sixth grade class recently made
home-made scones. The room smelled
like a true gourmet bakery.
Our current lab is apple delights. This
is a great, quick and nutritious recipe to
make at home with the family.
I encourage all my students to continue
cooking over the summer so that they
can come back next year ready to get
right back into some new and exciting
labs.
The seventh graders are expanding
their recipe portfolio. We have been getting into more detailed labs as we prepare for eighth grade foods. As we continue through the baking unit the students are becoming more involved with
baking techniques.
I look forward to all the exciting labs as
the semester comes to an end.
The eighth grade students recently
completed the home-made pie lab. We
are now planning for our annual Arts
night where we prepare foods for a fabulous bake sale. All proceeds are donated to the Children’s Inn at NIH. This is
a wonderful way for the students to have
fun cooking while raising money for a
great cause.
As we wind down the semester we will
be researching and preparing foods from
different countries. This a great way for
students to try a variety of foods, spices
and flavors from all over the world.
FACS is a wonderful way to meet new
people, prepare new foods, learn about
healthy eating, budget and finance and
over all have fun! I encourage students
to sign up every year! Please feel free to
contact me at any time here at Tilden.
—-Amy Tucker, FACS Teacher
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Student Service Learning (SSL) Notes
Give a Little Time…Make a Big Difference
Students WORK WITH EXISTING ORGANIZATIONS
Religious organizations may be approved for SSL when the focus of meeting needs
in the greater community is done by providing secular activities.
Students may serve on campaigns of individuals running for public office. MCPS
Form 560-50, Request for SSL Preapproval is required in advance of any service.
All forms required to document SSL may be found on the website www.mcpsssl.org
or at any middle or high school. Students are encouraged to make copies of all SSL
documentation.
Documentation of all service performed during the second semester is due to the
SSL coordinator, Ms. Stasko in room A138, by June 4.
—Jane Stasko
Recognizing Physical Education’s Students of the Month
It is time once again to honor our outstanding Physical Education students. We
proudly present our April Students of the Month. Congratulations to our young ladies
and gentlemen who contribute to our program on a daily basis. We honor them and
would like to express our sincere gratitude to this wonderful group of students. Keep
up the good work.
The students are: David Chang, Kelly Chartrand, Nick Feng, Jenny Gooden, Nozomi
Horikawa, Alex Lemus, Ilie Lichtenstein, Ryan Mayhew, Noah Nelson, Shelley Oxman,
Scott Salvatore, Ruth Shatkay, John Sturm, Yuan Tian, Paulo Vaca, Isabelle Wjsowicz
and Eileen Zhou.
Students on the Move. Our students are working on their cardiovascular fitness on a
daily basis. They are running laps and participating in fun runs. Check out the map
outside the locker rooms to see just how far the classes have gone.
The fastest runners in all grades will be participating in the annual Mile of Champions on Friday morning, May 14. This all school assembly will showcase our talented
students. It is the PE event of the year, don’t miss it. This year, we’ve had a large
number of students who have completed the mile in under seven minutes. We’ve
even had many runners clock times under six minutes. Come and be wowed, loud,
and proud of our Timberwolves.
Award Time. At the end of the school year, it is time to recognize the achievements of
our students. We will be presenting awards to students who have completed our rigorous Presidential Physical Fitness tests. Those who have passed these challenges are
in an elite group. They are in the top 15 percent of all students in the entire country.
We will also be selecting the All PE Team honorees and the PE Students of the
Year. We have much to celebrate. Please join us for the awards ceremony to honor
the achievements of our fine young people.
—Charlene Jehle
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President’s Message
(Continued from page 1)
contribute to the conversations that take place there, even after a long day teaching
our kids the preterite and imperfect tenses in Spanish.
Tilden Middle School will lose Kathy Terlep, the school’s administrative secretary,
this year to a well-deserved retirement. Kathy has been extremely helpful to the PTSA
for many years and we wish her well. She will truly be missed.
My thanks also go to my fellow board members Melissa Keller, Lela Purtskhvanidze,
Cate Hammaker, Leslie Eure and David Dennison. It has been my pleasure to serve
on the board with each of you this year, and I thank you for giving your valuable time to
the Tilden PTSA.
I would love to be able to name each and every committee chair who gave their time
to the PTSA this year but space is limited. It is great to have so many parents who are
willing to take on a project or program to help the entire Tilden community. My heartfelt thanks go to each and every one of you.
Lastly, as we celebrate Mothers Day, I thank our kids, for they have made us into
mothers and fathers. In our role as parents, because of our kids, we experience joy,
sorrow and everything in between. I know you’ll agree that the job of being a parent is
the most rewarding volunteer work.
School is not over yet, and the end-of- the- semester crunch time will soon be upon
our kids. After that, best wishes to you and your family for a wonderful summer of
learning and growing outside the classroom.
—Susan Verner
Student Government Association Wraps Up a Busy Year
The SGA has been very busy this year.
The representatives and SGA students did a great job running the annual election
for student member of the Board of Education. This is a great undertaking that requires a lot of hours. All the volunteers worked hard to make the voting process run
smoothly. We were quite impressed by the maturity and responsibility displayed by all
the students.
Our final charity of the year is the annual drive for supplies. We are asking for
school supplies to donate to local students in the county. We are collecting everything
from pencils to pens, notebooks, binders, rulers, folders, back packs etc. All donations
can be brought to Ms. Tucker’s room, A133.
We are always looking for more members to get involved with SGA. SGA is a wonderful way to meet new people, help your community and school, and to overall have
fun. All students are encouraged to join. Please do not hesitate to contact us at any
time.
Thank you to all our parents for your help at the dances this year.
Have a great summer.
—-Amy Tucker, Michelle Cassels, SGA sponsors
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Intelligence alone, without wisdom and empathy for suffering, is hollow.
~ John G. Stoessinger
PREVENT SUMMER 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.
Build Background
This Summer
Summer is a great time to create
opportunities and experiences that
expand students’ background knowledge. Pair educational programming
or day trips with books or research.
Take a kayaking lesson or visit an
estuary and discuss the environmental impacts on habitats.
Summer Reading Program Visit a gardening exhibit, read
about butterfly or hummingbird garSign up for the Barnes and Noble Sumdens, and plant one in your yard.
mer Reading Program to earn a free
Read about a Civil War battle and
book.
go to a reenactment.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/
Paint your own pottery after visitsummerreading/
ing an art museum.
Purchase a book of scary stories
and go on an evening ghost tour in
IRA READING RADIO
Alexandria, Virginia.
Attend a comic book show and
Closing the Gap Between Boys
read comics together.
and Girls
Assemble a model after visiting the
Visit the International Reading AssoAir and Space Museum.
ciation’s Reading Radio to hear about
Read about other countries and
the most recent topics affecting literacy
cook recipes from those countries.
education at http://www.reading.org/
Resources/Radio.aspx
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