PTSA Newsletter 2010-11
President’s Letter
Though spring officially arrives on March 22, when
March 1 rolls around, that’s
spring to me. I’m sure you
join me in looking forward to Susan Verner
warmer weather and the cherry blossoms.
At the end of the month, the third marking
period will over, and soon we’ll all be
looking ahead to summer. These years
do fly by.
We had a great turnout for the Annual
Tilden Charity Basketball game on Feb.
25. Many thanks to Beth Resnick and her
committee, including Karin Green, Lisa
Fisher, Lisa Kaeser and Missy Williamson, for organizing a great game, and all
of the volunteers who made the night possible. This event is a tradition at Tilden
and it means so much to have loyal volunteers who step up year after year.
On March 3, the Walter Johnson cluster schools were invited to a free screening of the film “Race to Nowhere,” a documentary about education. The event was
co-sponsored by the Tilden PTSA.
I was pleased to see that many Tilden
parents took advantage of this opportunity. The film was thought provoking and
brought some issues to the forefront.
We will be having a discussion of the
film at our PTSA meeting 7 pm March 8.
Whether you saw the film or not, we hope
you will join us. In the end, we all want
what is best for the kids, and we want
them to lead happy, productive lives. We
hope that having an open dialogue will
help further that goal.
(Continued on page 2)
Vol. 12, No. 7, Mar. 2011
Principal’s Message
It is difficult to believe that
March is already here, but
great to dream of warmer
weather in the near future.
I am pleased to be back in
Jennifer Baker
the building after my four
weeks working on a special project up at
the MCPS Central Office. I also took a
week to celebrate my 20th wedding anniversary in Barbados.
It was a true luxury to be able to take a
little time off in February. I heard from
staff, students and parents that Mrs.
McKnight did a fabulous job in my absence.
However, I discovered that the old adage, “Absence makes the heart grow
fonder,” is absolutely true. I have a renewed appreciation for Tilden Middle
School and our community members. It
is wonderful to be back where I belong.
While I was away, our teachers and
students have been working hard on the
curriculum and also preparing for the
testing that begins next week.
The
Maryland School Assessment test in
reading and math begins on Monday,
March 7. Sixth- grade students test on
March 7, 8, 11 and 14. Seventh- and
(Continued on page 5)
PTSA Meeting
Tuesday, March 8, 7 pm
Media Center
Discussion of “Race to Nowhere”
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PTSA Briefs
PTSA Officers 2010-11
President:
Susan Verner
[email protected]
Vice Presidents:
Suzanne Mozayeni
[email protected]
Barbara Ferry
[email protected]
Treasurer:
Cate Hammaker
[email protected]
Secretary:
Debbie Kobernick
[email protected]
MCCPTA Delegates:
Dave Dennison
[email protected]
Laura Bonetta
[email protected]
Newsletter Editors:
Cynthia Suen
[email protected]
Jonathan Salant
[email protected]
301-984-5942
301-984-4025
240-274-2088
301-770-3048
301-770-0044
301-987-0070
301-946-6883
301-530-4690
301-770-3813
President’s Letter (from page 1)
Don’t miss our annual International
Night on Friday, March 11. It is a fabulous
evening where the many nationalities of
Tilden are showcased by our Tilden families. Sample the foods, hear the music
and learn about the many cultures here.
This is the time of year that we start to
look ahead to plan for PTSA leadership for
next year. If you like having an active
PTSA at Tilden that funds much needed
items for classrooms and for the school,
that supports staff and teachers, that provides social and cultural events for students and families, and that does so much
more, I hope you’ll consider helping out.
Email me at [email protected].
Hope to see you at our PTSA meeting
on Tuesday (only three meetings left this
year) and at International Night on Friday.
—Susan Verner
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Upcoming Meeting. The next PTSA
meeting is scheduled for 7 pm Tuesdsy,
March 8, in the Media Center to discuss
the film, “Race to Nowhere, ” which examines the current state of education in our
nation’s public schools. Come join us for a
discussion of the film and the issues it
raises. Principal Baker and Guidance Resource Counselor Julia Williams will be
joining the discussion.
It’s that time to start thinking about next
year’s PTSA leadership. Our bylaws require that we appoint a nominating committee of three PTSA members at our
March meeting to submit a slate of officers
to be approved in May. Interested in helping out? Come to our meeting or email
Susan Verner at [email protected].
Bouncing Ball. The PTSA thanks Beth
Resnick and her committee, including
Karin Green, Lisa Fisher, Lisa Kaeser and
Missy Williamson for organizing a great
game last month. Also thanks to Ms. Cassels and her Xtreme Acro halftime performers who wowed the crowd.
Also, a huge thanks to our Tilden staff
members on and off the court. The Tilden
team came out to win, and it showed. The
Farmland and Tilden parents were tough
competition and kept the game exciting. Finally, thanks to the Tilden staff
members who came out to help and to
cheer on their colleagues.
Funds raised at the game will be donated to the Tilden Families in Need Fund
to help out those less fortunate in our own
community. This event is a great annual
tradition at Tilden which wouldn’t be possible without the community’s support.
Newsletter Deadlines. All copy is due by
the following dates for that month’s issue:
Apr. 7 and May 6.
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FACS Cooking Up a Storm
International Night Coming Mar. 11
Don’t miss International Night this year.
In just a few short years, International
Night has become a great tradition here at
Tilden. Experience all the cultures and
nationalities that make up the Tilden population. It is a terrific night and we hope to
see you there.
Forms and information in several languages are available at:
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/
uploadedFiles/schools/tildenms/news/
International%20Night%202011.pdf .
Questions? Contact Committee Chair
Karina Sanchez at
[email protected]
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Family and Consumer Sciences classes
have really been working hard to create
some fabulous recipes.
The sixth-grade classes recently completed the vegetable fajita lab and the
perfect pancake lab, we are currently
working on baking wonderful brownies
and cakes to enjoy this week. Many of
the students were surprised to see just
how tasty vegetables can be. The vegetable fajita lab is a wonderful meal to prepare at home for the family.
The seventh-grade students quite enjoyed fruit fondue. There is nothing like
the combination of fresh fruit dipped in
milk chocolate. The FACS room looked
and smelled like a real fondue restaurant.
This is a great and inexpensive way to
get the whole family involved at home. It
is fun as well as tasty. We will soon be
moving into more meal planning-type of
recipes such as vegetable fried rice,
homemade pizza, appetizers and much
more.
The eighth graders turned out some
fabulous quick breads last week, ranging
from chocolate chip muffins to banana
bread to blueberry lemon muffins. The
recipe selections have been quite detailed
and original. These classes will be building on their cooking skills as well as we
get into the stir-fry, pasta, appetizers, and
other selected labs.
Both the seventh and eighth grade
classes have started the financial literacy
unit which includes: check writing, banking, debit cards, credit cards and personal
financial goals. Skills learned in class are
a great way to prepare for the future.
FACS is a wonderful way to meet and
work with other students, obtain essential
life skills and overall have fun.
—Amy Domingos
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Calendar of Events
Tue., Mar. 8, 7 pm: PTSA Meeting – Business Meeting, appoint nominating committee
Fri., Mar. 11, 7 pm: International Night
Wed., Mar. 30: End of Third Marking Period
Thu., Mar. 31: Professional Day, No School
Thu., Apr. 7: Report Cards Distributed
Tue., Apr. 12, 7 pm: PTSA Meeting – approve wish list
Fri., Apr. 15: Career Day
Mon., Apr. 18: Spring Break Begins
Tue., Apr. 26: School Resumes
Tue., May 10, 7 pm: PTSA Meeting – Program: Transition to Walter Johnson HS
Fri., June 10, 5:30 pm: Eighth Grade Promotion Ceremony and Celebration
Student Service Learning (SSL) Notes
Give a Little Time…Make a Big Difference
SSL: Develops Sense of Competence
Spring Break next month is a good time to get involved in service. Address real need
in the community while gaining knowledge, developing skills, and earning SSL hours in
a meaningful way.
Students who have met the graduation requirement of 75 hours by the first Friday in
April of a middle school year will be awarded the Superintendent’s SSL Award. All
documentation must be in to the SSL coordinator, Mrs. Stasko, in room A138, by Friday, April 1, to qualify for 2011.
Seniors who have documented 260 or more SSL hours by the first Friday in April will
be awarded a Certificate of Meritorious Service. All documentation must be in to the
SSL coordinator. Ms. Stasko, in room A138, by Friday, April 1, to qualify for 2011.
Middle School students enrolled in Grade 6 science, Grade 7 English, and Grade 8
social studies will have opportunities to engage in service-learning activities during the
instructional day. Verification of service in these courses is required using MCPS
Form 560-51, Student Service Learning Activity Verification.
When you think about service for which SSL hours are awarded think: preapproved,
nonprofit, tax exempt, organization, public place, secular in nature, adult supervision
(not a parent) and addressing a real need.
—Jane Stasko
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Principal’s Message
(Continued from page 1)
eighth-grade students test on March 9, 10,
15 and 16.
Often, parents ask what the scores are
used for at school. They are used to determine whether or not our school makes
Adequate Yearly Progress in reading and
math. They are also used as one individual data point to determine if your children
are on grade level in reading and math.
We have shared scores this year with
students and helped them learn how to interpret their score. Students say that they
find this information useful. They also like
to know how close they are to the next
level.
In order to help them do their best,
please make sure that your child gets to
school on time, has plenty of sleep the
night before, and eats a healthy breakfast
the morning of their test. These things will
help them be successful on the test.
One of the best ways to see our children
in action is outside of the school day at
some of the many activities we offer after
school.
Our charity basketball game was a lot of
fun this past week. Along with your help,
and the help of many good-hearted basketball players from the school and the
community, we raised about $800 for our
Tilden Families in Need Fund. I want to
thank everyone who participated and
helped with the organization of the event.
Also, please join us for future school
events like our spring musical, Les Miserables on June 3-4, and International Night
March 11. You will certainly see some of
our most creative students shine at these
events. I look forward to seeing you there.
I wish everyone a great March.
—Jennifer Baker
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From the Health Room
Meningococcal disease is a serious infection of the protective lining of the
brain and spinal cord. It can also result
in serious infections or pneumonia.
An estimated 1,400 to 2,800 cases of
meningococcal disease occur in the U.S.
each year. Adolescents die in about 10
percent of cases, even with treatment.
The Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention recommends routine vaccination of all 11- and 12-year-olds with
the
MCV4 vaccine, which protects
against the strains of bacteria that cause
75 percent of meningococcal infections
in people age 11 and older.
—Elizabeth (Betsy) Trotta, RN
SGA Raises Money for Charity
The Student Government Association
has been very busy this year with the
many fundraisers and Montgomery
County Junior Council meetings. We are
now preparing for the annual student
member of the board elections. All middle and high school students will be voting April 13 to elect the new student
member. This is a real election that is
taken very seriously. What a wonderful
opportunity for student voices to be
heard and accounted for.
Our Valentine candygram sales was a
great success.
Sudents raised over
$600 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
We are wrapping up the annual Pennies For Patients fundraiser, which collects money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma society. The first-period class
with the most money gets a pizza party.
Our last all-school dance will take
place on Friday, April 15. All students are
encouraged to attend the fun. Parents,
we are always looking for chaperones, if
interested, please call Mrs. Domingos.
SGA encourages all students to get
involved. It is a great way to help.
—Amy Domingos, Michelle Cassels
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Reading gives us someplace to go when
we have to stay where we are.
~ Mason Cooley
Gross and Gory Books to Entice Reluctant Male Readers
Although outside of the comfort zone of
most parents and teachers, gross and gory
books tend to be the choice of today's reluctant middle school male readers.
Are You Afraid Yet? The Science Behind
Scary Stuff by Stephen James O'Meara.
Classic horror stories presented in blackand-white graphics are used to present scientific concepts.
Knucklehead: Tall Tales and Almost True
Stories of Growing Up Scieszka by Jon
Scieszka. This engaging biography, presented in very short chapters and graphics,
is everything boy.
Oh, Yikes! History’s Grossest Moments by
Terry Sirrell. Full of photographs and illustrations revealing some of history’s less
pleasing ideas and events such as guillotines
and vomitoriums.
What's Eating You? Parasites ---The Inside Story by Nicola Davis. Find out about a
variety of parasites like the flies in a bee's
brain.
Would You Rather . . . ? Gross-Out:
Over 300 Disgusting Dilemmas plus Extra
Pages to Make Up Your Own! by Justin
Heimberg and David Gomberg. Exactly as
the title states, this books present disgusting yet fun choices to ponder.
Adapted from Book Links (May 2009)
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Teens and Writing
Between 88 and 94 percent of parents agree
that good writing skills are more important
today than in previous decades and crucial to
career advancement, but what do teens say
about the impact of text messaging, instant
messaging, e-mails, and social net-working
on their writing skills?
The National Commission on Writing (of
the College Board) and the Pew Research
Center surveyed teens and found the following results:
 Teens do not consider text messaging,
instant messaging, e-mails, and social networking as real writing.
 Although most teens do not believe their
school writing is negatively impacted by
technology, 64 percent report using
shortcuts such as lack of capitalization
and punctuation, abbreviations such as
"LOL", and symbols such as smiley faces
in their school writing assignments.
 Fifty percent of those students surveyed
reported that they wrote between one
paragraph to a page every day in school
 Eighty-two percent said that more time
was required in writing instruction to improve their writing skills
Teens don't believe that using computers for
writing improves the quality of their writing.
You can find the entire report at
http://www.pewinternet.org/Reports/2008/
Writing-Technology-and-Teens.aspx
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