The LuxLetter
A Publication of the Luxmanor PTA
What’s Up
This Month
September 3
Back to School Night
7:00 p.m.
September 7
No School
September 8
PTA Meeting &
Volunteer Fair
7:30 p.m.
September 11
Back to School Picnic
6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
September 14
No School
September 16
Parent Meet & Greet
Breakfast
9:00 – 10:00 a.m.
Silver Diner –
“Run the Diner”
5:30-8:30 p.m.
September 17
ESOL Back to School
Night, 7:00 p.m.
September 22
Room Parent Meeting
9:30 a.m.
September 23
No School
Sept. 28-Oct. 2
New Book Fair
September 30
Book Fair Night Hours
6:30-8:00 p.m.
Teacher Read Aloud
and Pajama Party
7:00-7:30 p.m.
August/September 2015 Issue
From the PTA President
Welcome to the 2015 – 2016 school year at Luxmanor ES! I hope everyone has
had a wonderful summer and that all of our new and returning families are ready
and excited to be getting back to school. This year, I am looking forward to
serving again as PTA President for the fifth time and my fifteenth year at
Luxmanor and I can’t believe that I will still have one more year to go here when
this year is done! I’ve been at Luxmanor as the school went from a small school
of under 200 students, with only 2 small classes in every grade, to a school with
over 450 students with a new addition and additional portables to accommodate
our growing size. I’ve also been here through the multiple changes in principals,
teachers and staff that are inevitable at every school, and I continue to be
impressed with the care and education that my 4 children have received.
I would like to encourage all parents to join the Luxmanor School Listserve if
you have not done so already. It is an important communication tool within
our school community. It is used during the school year and all year round to
post announcements and information about school events, schedules, procedures,
etc. To join, please visit the Luxmanor ES web site at
http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/luxmanores/index.aspx. There is
a link and an explanatory pdf document to guide you through the process. If you
have any problems, you can contact our listserve moderator, Robert Oshinsky, at
[email protected].
Hopefully, all of you had the opportunity to attend the Open House and Popsicle
Party to kick-off the new school year. I would like to say “Thank You!” to
Runaka Anderson for organizing the party again this year and making sure all
the kids had yummy popsicles!
In the next several weeks, there will be some more events that you don’t want to
miss. First, there will be Back to School Night on Thursday, September 3rd. All
parents are invited to attend to meet your child’s teacher and hear about what their
class will be doing this year. The teachers will typically have sign up sheets that
night for Parent-Teacher Conferences, which will be held on November 11th and
12th this year. This is also when parents can sign up to be a Room Parent for their
child’s class or to volunteer in the classroom. It’s also a great opportunity to meet
some of the other parents from your child’s class.
Second, our first PTA meeting of the year will be on Tuesday, September 8th at
7:30 pm in the Media Center, along with our Annual Volunteer Fair. This is an
opportunity for you to hear about the various PTA activities for the coming year,
and to sign up to volunteer to be a part of them. No PTA activity would be
possible without our dedicated Luxmanor parents. We are so lucky to have a
strong parent base of volunteers, but we always need more and I welcome all of
you to become a part of that base and to strengthen it!
(continued on next page)
The LuxLetter, Page 2
The LuxLetter
Published monthly
during the school
year by the
Luxmanor PTA
***
Principal
Ryan Forkert
Assistant Principal
David Nguyen
PTA President
Debby Orsak
PTA PresidentElect
Marcie Peters
Newsletter Editor
Debby Orsak
Submissions
Deadline
The 20th of every
month.
E-mail submissions to
[email protected]
Or place in the
LuxLetter box in the
School Office.
All submissions are
welcome!
August/September 2015
(continued from previous page)
Third, join us for our annual Back to School Picnic on Friday, September
11th from 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm. This event is held out on the fields behind the
school and gives the kids an opportunity to play with new and old friends. It
also gives the parents an opportunity to meet new families and visit with old
friends. Lori Scherr, our Vice President, has been planning this event and
will distribute a flyer with more information. Look for the flyer in your
child’s backpack in the days to come!
On Wednesday, September 16th, we will have our Parents Meet & Greet
Breakfast from 9:00 am – 10:00 am in the school’s All-Purpose Room
arranged by our Diversity Chair, Nermine Demopolous. It is wonderful
opportunity for “old” parents to help welcome new parents to our wonderful
school community.
We will also have our fall Silver Diner “Run the Diner” fundraising event on
Wednesday, September 16th from 5:30 pm – 8:30 pm coordinated by our
Vice President, Lori Scherr. Come out and enjoy dinner and dessert with
family and friends, and also raise a little money for Luxmanor!
Finally, with all of the welcoming events behind us, we move from
September to October with our New Book Fair, which will be from
September 28th – October 2nd. Co-Chairs Stacey Cooperman, Sangita
Pradhan and Sheri Weiss are already working on the event and will need a
lot of volunteers to help them not only work at the fair, but also to do set up
on Friday, September 25th and break down on Friday, October 2nd. We will
also have the Teacher Read Aloud on the night that the Book Fair is open,
Wednesday, September 30th. You can bring your children to the evening
hours and shop while they are enjoying stories read by some of our own
Luxmanor teachers!
I’m really looking forward to serving as your PTA President again this year
and working with the PTA Executive Board and all of the committees to
make this another wonderful year at Luxmanor ES! I hope to see all of you
at Back to School Night, the PTA Meeting and Volunteer Fair, and the Back
to School Picnic!
Debby Orsak, PTA President
***
Luxmanor
Elementary School
6201 Tilden Lane
Rockville, MD 20852
PHONE:
301-230-5914
FAX:
301-230-5917
www.mcps.k12.md.us/
schools/luxmanores
BACK TO SCHOOL NIGHT!
Thursday, September 3, 2015
7:00 p.m.
**Go straight to your child’s classroom **
Complete your PTA Membership Form and return it at or before Back to
School Night and pick up your Luxmanor PTA Calendar that night!
The LuxLetter, Page 3
August/September 2015
Luxmanor Elementary School’s
Annual Back to School Picnic
Friday, September 11, 2015
6:00 - 7:30 pm
Luxmanor Elementary School Fields
Come enjoy a fun evening (rain or shine)
catching up with old friends and meeting new ones!
It’s also a great opportunity to meet
your child’s classmates and their families.
You are welcome to bring your own picnic dinner,
or even better, take the night off from cooking:
Potomac Pizza will be providing pizza, salad and drinks for
sale, and Carmen’s Italian Ice will be selling yummy Italian
ice and custard.
(A portion of your purchase will be donated back to the Luxmanor PTA.)
Please feel free to bring a blanket to sit on and
a ball or frisbee for the kids to play with. There will also be a
special activity for the kids and parents but each child will need to
wear sneakers!!
Please contact Lori Scherr at [email protected]
with any questions or to volunteer with setup or clean up.
Looking forward to seeing you there!!!
The LuxLetter, Page 4
August/September 2015
******************************************************************************************
PTA Meeting and
Volunteer Fair
Tuesday, September 8, 2015
7:30 p.m.
Luxmanor ES Media Center
Please come to the 1st PTA Meeting of the 2015 – 2016 school year! We will
be voting on the PTA budget for this year.
At the end of the meeting, we will have a brief description of the PTA
committees and have sign up sheets for people to volunteer to work on the
committees.
There will be babysitting and pizza provided for Luxmanor students in the
teachers lounge.
*********************************************************************
*
Please join Luxmanor Elementary School
on Wednesday, September 16th
from 5:30-8:30 PM
for our fall “RUN THE DINER” Fundraiser
at the Silver Diner
12276 Rockville Pike
Rockville, MD 20852
20% will be donated back to our school AND if you use your FREE Eat
Well, Do Well card (linked to Luxmanor ES) an additional 5% will be
donated.
Scholastic Book Fair!
Book
Fair:
1-5,
Bring your family and
friends.
They,October
too, can link
their2012
card(s) to our school.
The LuxLetter, Page 5
August/September 2015
NEW BOOK FAIR SEPTEMBER 28 – OCTOBER 2
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!
Please help with:
-set up on Friday 9/25
-book selection and checkout during fair hours (see below)
-take down on Friday 10/2
To volunteer, contact Sheri Weiss at [email protected] or 301- 881-2633.
For other questions, contact Stacey Cooperman at [email protected] or Sangita
Pradhan at [email protected]
Book Fair Schedule:
Mon. 9/28 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (students will visit book fair with their classes)
Tues. 9/29 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. (students will visit book fair with their classes)
Wed. 9/30 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
6:30 p.m. – 8:00 p.m. (open for students/parents/grandparents/etc.)
7:00 p.m. – 7:30 p.m. (Teacher Read Aloud and Pajama Party)
Thurs. 10/1 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Friday 10/2 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
The LuxLetter, Page 6
August/September 2015
LUXMANOR PTA 2015-2016
Executive Board Officers
Office
President
President Elect
Vice President
Recording Secretary
Corresponding Secretary
Treasurer
MCCPTA Delegates
(2)
Diversity Chair
Office Holder
Debby Orsak
Marcie Peters
Lori Scherr
Debbie Berger
Ilene Steinberg
Rachel Singer
Wendy HookmanVassa
Rebecca Rudich
Nermine Demopolous
Phone
301-770-2289
301-770-4346
301-230-1435
301-793-0711
301-564-5111
301-564-6267
301-564-6044
Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Chair/s
Debra Cohen
Lesley Potash
Stacey Moses
Debby Orsak
Wendy Rhein
Kate Bradshaw
Barbara McGolrick
Bruce Dincin
Robyn Rogers
Phone
301-530-6334
301-468-2922
240-753-0033
301-770-2289
404-290-1751
301-230-5914
301-230-5914
301-530-6120
301-770-5668
Ryan Forkert
VACANT
Sharon Plotnick
Michelle Raynes
Cynthia King
Wendy HookmanVassa
Nermine
Demopolous
Sheila Franks
Robert Oshinsky
Barbara McGolrick
301-230-5914 [email protected]
301-564-1963 [email protected]
240-888-9789 [email protected]
Committee Chairs
Committee
Bake Sales
Calendar
Cluster Representative
Community Outreach
Cultural Arts
Directory
FAB Dads
Family Disco Night/Red &
White Dance
Fifth Grade Events
Fun Fair
Geography
Bowl
Health & Safety
International Night
Kindergarten Orientation
Listserv Moderator
Luxbucks
Luxletter
301-897-7395
301-816-0676
301-828-6205
301-564-6044
Email
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
240-888-9789 [email protected]
301-231-7677 [email protected]
301-493-6018 [email protected]
301-230-5914 [email protected]
The LuxLetter, Page 7
Membership
New Book Fairs
Open House Popsicle Party
Room Parent Coordinator
School Supply Kits
Science Fair
Silent Auction
Spirit Wear
Square One Art
Teacher Appreciation
UNICEF Drive
Used Book Fair
Variety Show
Webmaster
August/September 2015
Debbie Corwin
Stacey Cooperman
Sangita Pradhan
Sheri Weiss
Runaka Anderson
Debby Orsak
Cynthia King
Ashlei Lowery
VACANT
Kate Proger
Runaka Anderson
Beth Bobb
Karen Greenfeld
Wendy Rhein
Sutton Ragheb
Marc Israel
Amy Kleponis
301-881-4097
301-255-0032
301-984-4171
301-881-2633
240-543-4531
301-770-2289
301-828-6205
210-323-2243
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
301-881-3909
240-543-4531
301-468-8940
301-881-8234
404-290-1751
301-770-4034
301-806-7043
301-230-5914
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
[email protected]
Please let the Chairs know if you would like to help with their committee by calling
or emailing them directly. To volunteer for a vacant position, please email Debby
Orsak at [email protected].
Thank you.
The Luxmanor Website
http://www.mcps.k12.md.us/schools/luxmanores
The Luxmanor Website is not only very informative, but also includes links to
numerous educational sites, many of which have fun and educational computer
games for kids. The Website is updated regularly. Be sure to check it out and
add it to your bookmarked sites.
The LuxLetter, Page 8
August/September 2015
The LuxLetter, Page 9
August/September 2015
The LuxLetter, Page 10
August/September 2015
Announcements
Luxbucks
Earn FREE CASH and Equipment for Luxmanor!
Welcome to all new and returning Luxmanor families! School will soon be in full gear, and so are the opportunities for us to help
improve the resources available to our children and teachers. Luxbucks enables us to take advantage of the programs offered by
various businesses/merchants, to that we can earn $$ for the school without spending anything extra…just as a part of our normal
daily routines… Here’s how you can participate:
Keep your eyes open for a flyer in your child’s backpack, fill it out, and I will take care of registering for you at Giant,
Safeway, Harris Teeter and Bloom OR:
1. Register your Giant BonusCard in the A+ BonusBucks Program and designate Luxmanor, School Code 0725. This
program earns CASH to the school. To register on-line go to www.giantfood.com (select A+ Bonus Bucks, Designate Schools).
Last year we earned over $8,000 with this program! EVEN IF YOU REGISTERED LAST YEAR YOU MUST REGISTER
AGAIN THIS YEAR!
2. Register your Safeway Club Card for their Education program and designate Luxmanor, School Code 6531272. AGAIN,
even if you registered last year. YOU MUST RE-REGISTER and DESIGNATE LUXMANOR AGAIN THIS YEAR. To
register go on-line to www.escrip.com. The web site will walk you through the steps to either renew your designation or register
for the first time.
3. Register your Harris Teeter card with me. Send me your VIP number on the back of your store card along with your last
name. I will be glad to key into their website. We earned almost $500 this past year with 57 active cards. I know there must be
more active people to add to our earnings. Everyone must re-register their VIP card every year.
4. Clip/Send General Mills “Box Tops for Education” logos from MANY participating products. Each logo earns 10 cents.
Besides General Mills products, some of the other products are Avery labels, Betty Crocker, Nature Valley, Pillsbury, Yoplait,
Cottonelle, Viva, Poise, Hefty Ziploc, to name a few. Before you send the Kleenex box to your child’s teacher, take off the
labels.
5. On-line shopping, visit Onecause.com and link to some of your favorite stores. Choose Luxmanor to receive on-line
rebate. At least 400 participating merchants will donate a percentage (up to 30%) to Luxmanor.
6. Bloom grocery store now has program to earn school products. So if you forward to me your Bloom number on the back of
your store card along with your last name, I will be glad to key into their website. I know there must be more active people to
add to our earnings. I can’t be the only Luxmanor person who shops at Bloom.
7. Use your Target VISA Card, or apply for one. If you find yourself shopping at Target more these days, this would be a
great time to open a Target account. Target will give us 1% of in store charges and ½ percent anywhere else you use your card.
Apply at www.Target.com or at the store.
This year, with your participation, we have the opportunity again to bring great results. The key is for each family to
register/collect, get the kids involved, and get relatives, friends, co-workers and neighbors to help too! This means free cash for
our school. It’s free. No cost to you! Nothing to sell! Nothing to buy! It’s like recycling … if we don’t do it, we are wasting
valuable resources. We are going to buy stuff anyway, so let’s make it count!
Please call Barbara McGolrick at 301-230-5914 if you have any questions. Thanks for your enthusiastic support and cooperation!
The LuxLetter, Page 11
August/September 2015
Notes From Your
Counselor………………………………………………….gloria silverberg
Welcome to our returning and new students to Luxmanor Elementary School! I am looking forward to
another great year at Luxmanor!
For those of you new to Luxmanor, please allow me to introduce myself and my role as School
Counselor. My role as the School Counselor involves planning and implementing a comprehensive
program that addresses three areas: Academic, Social, and Emotional Development.
The academic area covers assisting students with study and organizational skills, which are key to
being successful students. The area of social development includes teaching children how to build
social skills, adjust to changes, and to make thoughtful and responsible decisions. The area of
emotional development includes teaching children to explore and understand their feelings, to value
themselves, to make and keep healthy relationships with others, and to problem solve.
A large part of my role is to educate and facilitate student’s positive prosocial peer relationships.
Peer relations contribute significantly to students’ social and cognitive development and to their later
functioning as adults. Friendships are a good predictor for healthy adjustment during the early weeks
of school and making new friend’s supports children’s adjustment in positive directions throughout the
school year. A childhood predictor of adult functioning and psychological health is surprisingly, not
school grades, but rather the quality of childhood peer relationships.
Please allow me to tell you a bit about my professional background. My educational background
includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from The
University of Virginia and a Master of Science degree in Applied Behavioral Counseling and a Master
of Science degree in School Counseling, both from Johns Hopkins University. I have worked in
educational, corporate and private practice settings, doing Career Counseling and Personal
Counseling with college students and adults.
As the counselor at Luxmanor, my objective is to support our school’s mission. My counseling
mission is to provide counseling, advocacy, collaboration, and to facilitate individual and system
change to ensure that every student has the knowledge and skills to reach their highest potential as
caring, responsible, and successful citizens.
The components of Luxmanor’s School Counseling Program include class guidance lessons in
the areas of social-emotional development to students in grades K-5; responsive counseling for
individual students and small groups, individual student planning, parent and teacher
collaboration, and overall school program support. In addition, I coordinate and implement the
5th grade Student Mentors and Conflict Managers Programs, as well as co-sponsor the Student
Government Associationn. Children who share a common concern, such as friendship making or
divorce, are invited to participate in small group counseling sessions with me, for a 4 week period.
Permission forms will arrive in September and are due by September 25 th!
Our school theme this year continues to be “Have You Filled Someone’s Bucket”, which will highlight
our Kindness program. Our goal is to strengthen the student culture of respect and kindness, so our
children can feel good and engage in learning. Kindness Buckets will be in each classroom, to
encourage acts of kindness in school. You will notice Character Stars around the school when
individual students and classes are recognized by their teachers for demonstrating respectful and
The LuxLetter, Page 12
August/September 2015
kind behavior towards others. Mr. Forkert and the whole staff will also be awarding “Stars” for
outstanding class behaviors.
I will be inviting parents and community volunteers to speak to individual classes about their Careers
throughout the year, so please contact me if you are interested in volunteering! The children love to
have their parents speak to their classes, and they are a wonderful audience. Please contact me, via
email me at [email protected]
if you are interested in being a speaker this year!
I am really looking forward to seeing you all at the Family Picnic and Back to School Night. Please
feel free to contact me with any of your concerns or questions. Your input and feedback are very
important to me. You can reach me by telephone at 301-230-5914, by email at
[email protected] or by leaving a note in my mailbox in the front office.
Have a wonderful school year!!!
Gloria Silverberg
Join the Luxmanor Listserv!
We encourage all parents to join the Luxmanor Listserv. It is a free service
designed to foster communication within the school community. It is very good
for posting announcements, soliciting volunteers, and asking questions about
school events, schedules, procedures, and so forth. It is also a good forum to
discuss general school-related issues.
To Join:
 Send a blank email to: [email protected]
 You will receive back almost immediately a confirmation of your request from Yahoo
groups. CHECK YOUR SPAM FOLDER if you do not see it.
 You must confirm your request by responding to this email from Yahoo. Please click
the link under option #1, which takes you to a Yahoo website.
 On the webpage, at the bottom, click on “join the mailing list”.
 You will be asked to provide a comment to the moderator. Please provide your name,
your child’s grade, and their teacher’s name.
 You will receive two welcome emails from the listserv; this is your confirmation that
the request went through.
 If you have any problems, you can contact the listserv moderator, Robert Oshinsky, by
emailing to: [email protected]
You do not need to have a yahoo email address to be a part of the listserv, but
you must have a yahoo account.
PLEASE NOTE: IF YOU ARE ALREADY A MEMBER OF THE
LISTSERV, YOU DO NOT NEED TO RESUBSCRIBE.
The LuxLetter, Page 13
August/September 2015
2015-2016 Luxmanor PTA
School Calendar
2015
Aug.
Sept.
Oct.
Nov.
28
31
Open House, 2:00 - 2:45 p.m.
Popsicle Party, 2:45 p.m.
First Day of School
3
7
8
11
14
16
16
17
22
23
28-30
30
Back to School Night, 7:00 p.m.
No School - Labor Day
PTA Meeting & Volunteer Fair, 7:30 p.m.
Back to School Picnic, 6:00 – 7:30 p.m.
No School – Rosh Hashanah
Parents Meet & Greet Breakfast
Silver Diner “Run the Diner” Night
ESOL Back to School Night, 7:00 p.m.
Room Parent Orientation, 9:30 a.m.
No School – Yom Kippur
New Book Fair
Teacher Read Aloud
1-2
2
7
12
16
23
28
29
30
30
New Book Fair
Early Dismissal, 12:55 p.m.
International Walk to School Day
MCPS Open House & PTA Bake Sale
No School, MSEA Convention
FAB Dads Breakfast, 7:45 a.m.
California Tortilla/Baskin Robbins Night
Fall School Picture Day
Halloween Parties and Parade, 2:00 p.m.
1st Marking Period Ends
2
11
No School, Professional Day
Early Dismissal, 12:55 p.m. - Parent
Conferences, Report Cards Distributed
Early Dismissal, 12:55 p.m. - Parent
Conferences, Report Cards Distributed
Early Dismissal, 12:55 p.m., Thanksgiving
Holiday
No School - Thanksgiving Day
No School – Thanksgiving Vacation
12
25
26
27
Dec.
2016
Jan.
1
14
18
22
25
28
No School – Winter Break
Science Fair, 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
No School - Martin Luther King Day
2nd Marking Period Ends
No School – Professional Day
Science Fair (Snow Date), 6:30 – 7:30 p.m.
Feb.
5
3
5
12
15
23-24
26
PTA Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
Report Cards Distributed
Red & White Dance, 7:00 – 9:00 p.m.
Valentine’s Day Parties, 2:15 p.m.
No School – Presidents’ Day
Geography Bowl
Early Dismissal, 12:55 p.m.
Mar.
11
15-16
18
23
24
25-31
International Night, 7-9:00 p.m.
Used Book Fair
Silent Auction (Tentative), 7:30 – 11:00 p.m.
3rd Marking Period Ends
No School – Professional Day
No School – Spring Break
Apr.
1
14
14
18
20
25
26
27
28
29
No School – Spring Break
Report Cards Distributed
Variety Show Act Approval, 3:30 p.m.
Variety Show Rehearsal, 3:30 p.m.
Variety Show Rehearsal, 3:30 p.m.
Variety Show Rehearsal, 3:30 p.m.
No School, Primary Elections
Variety Show Rehearsal, 3:30 p.m.
Variety Show Dress Rehearsal, 3:30 p.m.
Variety Show, 9:00 a.m. and 7:00 p.m.
May
3
4
10
11-13
18
22
30
PTA Meeting, 7:30 p.m.
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
5th Grade Class Picture, 1:45 p.m.
2-for-1 Book Fair
Silver Diner “Run the Diner” Night
Spring Fun Fair, 1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
No School - Memorial Day
June
7
16
PTA General Meeting/Elections, 7:30 p.m.
5th Grade Promotion Ceremony, Clap Out
and Party
Early Dismissal, 12:55 p.m. - Last Day of
School
Report Cards Mailed
1
PTA Meeting
10
Staff Appreciation Luncheon
24-31 No School – Winter Break
17
27