Tuesday News February 23, 2010
Tuesday 2/23: Gala Committee Meeting, 6 p.m. 604 South Carolina Ave., SE
Thursday 2/25: Box Tops due
Friday 2/26: Joe Corbi orders due
Monday 3/1: No school – parent/teacher conferences
Wednesday 3/3: Math Night for 3rd – 5th grade parents and students, 6:30 p.m.
Thursday 3/11: Brent International Night
Friday 3/19: IMPORTANT: There will be school on 3/19 to make up for the missed days from the snowstorm.
Bionic Principal Coming to Brent: From Dr. Wilhoyte: It seems as if February is health month for me. I cannot begin to thank you for your care and many kindnesses last year this time. My annual “pink ribbon check up” was 100% and I sincerely attribute the healing and recovery to your kind gifts and all the daily joy your children and the families of Brent share. On March 1, I will undergo hip replacement surgery. As I shared with the Chancellor, I intend to be off crutches when she returns to Brent for a meeting on March 17 and be ready to try out for Dancing with the Stars by the end of next month. During my absence, Karen Neal, our special education and after care director, will be acting principal. I will be in touch via e-mail, phone, and Skype after the first few days and in between PT sessions.
Raising the Bar and Closing the Gap: DC CAS Success for All Star Bears: Students working below grade level in reading have been going to school five additional hours every week since December, working hard to be sure to be reading and thinking on grade level for this year’s DC CAS performance in April. During these last few weeks, we also will be working with personalized success plans in mathematics as well. Parents of students in grades 3, 4 and 5 will be receiving personalized practice protocols to make sure we have all done our best to prepare our students to perform at the top of their game!
Parking in Bus-Only Area: Chancellor Rhee and D.C. Council member Tommy Wells worked with Assistant Chief Groomes and asked that the police not ticket cars that are temporarily parked for pick-up and drop-off. However, drivers may never double park on either side of the street and block curbside cars or traffic on North Carolina Avenue.
Math Night for Upper Grade Parents and Students: Parents and students in grades 3 – 5 are invited to Math Night on Wednesday March 3 starting at 6:30 p.m. Come to school for a program of math games and strategies to help you and your students practice math together at home. Please see the attached flyer for more information.
Joe Corbi Deadline: It’s the last week for the Joe Corbi pizza and cookie dough fundraiser. All orders are due by Friday Feb. 26. Please turn in your order form and one check made payable to “Brent PTA” to the Joe Corbi box in the office. (Unfortunately, online ordering does not seem to be working with the company.) Also, please encourage out-of-state relatives and friends to donate pizza through your student to the Capitol Area FoodBank. Thanks for supporting this important fundraiser, which will help fund our continued schoolyard greening efforts.
Music News: The Brent Glee Club has resumed rehearsals on Friday afternoons, from 3:30 – 4:15 p.m. We will be offering beginning guitar on Fridays from 4:30 – 5 p.m. and beginning piano on Fridays from 5:15 – 5:45 p.m. There is a maximum of 10 students per class. Please sign up with Ms. McDowell.
Teacher Appreciation: The Brent PTA is showing its appreciation to our wonderful teachers and staff with a special dinner on Thursday night at the home of Brent parents Ana and Jason Townsend. The staff will enjoy a pot luck feast prepared by parent volunteers plus a chocolate fountain for dessert. The event also includes contests for the staff, who can win prizes including a weekend in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia. Thank you to all of the parents who are helping, and a giant thank you to Brent’s amazing staff!
Nurse Freeman Says Goodbye: From Nurse Freeman: After eleven years of nurturing and providing nursing services to your precious children, I must say goodbye to you and your families. I look back on this time with sheer joy and pleasure as I think about all of the skinned knees that I have bandaged, temperatures I have taken and tears I have calmed. I can say that these past eleven years have been some of the best of my nursing career, and I will always think of Brent and its families with fond memories. Thank you for letting me into your lives and allowing me to do the work that I am passionate about – loving and caring for children. With Love and Gratitude, Garnett Freeman, School Nurse
Nurse James Says Hello: Please welcome Nurse James to Brent. Nurse James grew up in Trinidad and New York City, then spent more than 10 years as a private duty pediatric nurse, helping children with special needs in their homes and school after they returned from the hospital. “I love children and this is such a good experience interacting with them,” she says. “They’re very good at diagnosing themselves.” Nurse James also enjoys all kinds of music – gospel, R&B, calypso, French music and Zouk, a fast-paced French music with a Caribbean beat. Please stop by the nurse’s office and say hello to Nurse James!
Box Tops Deadline: The extended deadline for submitting Box Tops is Thursday Feb. 25. Please put your box tops in an envelope or Ziploc bag clearly marked with your classroom teacher’s name then drop them off in the treasure chest in the front office. The class with the most box tops wins a popcorn party. At the moment, Ms. Zydney’s class is in the lead, but not by much. Ms. Homayoun, McGonagle, Dinkes and Sgroi’s classes are not far behind!
Spring Gala News: The Brent Spring Gala, “Taste of the Hill” is on! Mark your calendars for April 17 starting at 6 p.m. Buy your tickets and raffle tickets now! Contact Daniel Holt at Daniel.holt@mail.house.gov or Julie Santoboni at jsantoboni@gmail.com for tickets. We’re still looking for more auction and raffle items, such as art, vacation home rentals, sport and theater tickets, services, back rubs – anything you don’t need any more but that others might enjoy. Give now – it’s for your school and is tax-deductible. Please contact Bessie Thibodeaux-Belcher (besthib@aol.com) about raffle prize donations or Denise Diggs (denise.diggs@verizon.net) for auction item donations. The next gala committee meeting will be held on Tuesday February 23 at 6 p.m. at 604 South Carolina Ave., SE. Also, you should be hearing from your class’s room parent about contributing to a class basket for the auction. Each class usually picks theme for its basket (such as arts & crafts, children’s books, cooking) and coordinates donations from families in the class. Themes are due by March 3 and completed baskets are due by April 9. Donation forms will be available in the main office. Thank you to everyone for your help!
Letter of Intent Forms: Please return all Letter of Intent Forms by March 1 (instead of the March 19 date listed on the form). We already have one class – Ms. Pierce’s – that has turned in all of its enrollment forms. Copies of the form are in the main office. Please stop by and fill out the form to let the school and DCPS know whether or not your child plans to attend Brent again next year, which will help with our enrollment planning.
Quality Family Time: Intersections American Arts Festival, Atlas Performing Arts Center (1333 H St., NE), Feb. 19 – March 7. Enjoy three weekends of multi-disciplinary arts that celebrate differences and discover commonalities among artists and audiences of diverse races, ages and cultures. See http://intersectionsdc.org for a schedule and list of performers. African American History Program Family Day, Koshland Science Museum (6th and E Sts., NW), Saturday Feb. 27 from 12 – 5 p.m. (rescheduled from the snow). Come to the Koshland for an exciting day of activities to explore the role of math and statistics in the census and everyday life, how racial and cultural perceptions have influenced census results, and the importance of how people define each other and themselves. See www.koshland-science-museum.org. Polar Exploration Family Day, National Archives, Saturday Feb. 27 from 11 a.m. – 2 p.m. Celebrate the opening of the Polar Exploration exhibit with hands-on activities designed for children and their families. See www.archives.gov/dc-metro/events for details. Winter Tree Identification, Rock Creek Park Nature Center (5200 Glover Rd. NW), Sunday Feb. 28 at 2 p.m. Stroll with a ranger along the Woodland Trail and learn the secrets of identifying trees by looking only at the bark. Ages 4 and older. See www.nps.gov/rocr/planyourvisit/ranger-led-programs.htm.
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