Tuesday News May 4, 2010
May 3-7: Teacher Appreciation Week
Tuesday 5/4: Meeting for Parents of the Wizard of Oz Cast
Stop by between 5:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Saturday 5/8: Special Bird Event for Brent at the Zoo
Monday 5/10: DC3 Collaborative Schools’ 2nd Annual Art Show Opening Ceremonies, 6:30 p.m. Sumner School, 17th and M Sts., NW
Monday 5/17: Regular School Day (make-up day from the snowstorm)
Monday 5/31: No School – Memorial Day
Brent Receives Prestigious Grant for Chinese Program: Brent will welcome a new exchange teacher from China in August, thanks to the Teachers of Critical Languages Program, funded by the State Department and administered by the American Councils for International Education. Only 17 schools across the United States were chosen (out of many applicants) to host a teacher for 2010-2011. We are extremely grateful to the American Councils for their generous support. We will need volunteers to give a warm Brent welcome to our new teacher in August. If you are interested in having the teacher over for a meal or accompanying her on a sightseeing adventure – or if you have leads on housing for her – please contact Tobie Meyer-Fong (tmeyerf@mindspring.com). Sadly, under the terms of the TCLP grant, our current exchange teacher, Ms. Yifang Yu, will be leaving us at the end of this year. We would like to honor her and Ms. Joanna Lijuan Xu (who teaches pre-k and k Chinese) with a “Brick for Brent.” Denise Diggs is collecting money for this purpose in the office. Please help show appreciation for our fabulous Chinese teachers with a small donation!
Attend a Special Bird Event for Brent This Saturday: To celebrate International Migratory Bird Day, Mr. Mangiaracina has arranged to have a special bird banding demonstration for Brent families at the National Zoo this Saturday, May 8 from 9:30 – 10:30 a.m. Birds will be caught in mist nets, banded and released by trained bird experts with the Migratory Bird Center, which is the best way to really see a wild bird up close. Brent families are also invited to join Mr. Mangiaracina on a morning birdwalk by the zoo at 8:45 a.m. before the banding demonstration. You and your children can participate in either or both of these events, but you must pre-register so we can plan ahead for the event leaders. Please complete the registration form and return it to school no later than Thursday May 6. Details and directions will be sent home to all registered participants. We hope to see you there!
Brent Artists Selected for Citywide Art Show: Six talented Brent students have been selected to represent our school in the DC3 Collaborative Schools’ 2nd Annual Art Show at the Sumner School (17th and M Sts., NW). The exhibit includes artwork by Brent kindergarteners Cian Fitzgerald, Nina Shaw and Ariana Townsend and 4th graders Maribella Alvarado, Jada Carlisle and Danielle Garris. Brent families are invited to the opening reception from 5:30 – 8:30 p.m. on May 10, where the Brent Glee Club will be performing (opening remarks, student performances and refreshments will be at 6:30 p.m.). Everyone is encouraged to attend the opening or see the exhibit throughout the month of May.
Congratulations on the DC-CAS: Congratulations to Brent students and teachers in grades 3-5 for such hard work on the DC-CAS! The students were energized and serious about mastering their tests after working so hard to prepare – and had a huge sense of accomplishment after they were completed. (See photo of third graders working with Ms. Bausmith to get ready for the math test.) Great job, Brent Star Bears!
School Play Update and Meetings: The cast list is up and Brent students are ready to start rehearsing for the Wizard of Oz, Brent’s second annual school play. There will be a meeting for parents of the cast this Tuesday May 4 from 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. If your child has been selected to participate in this year’s play, please stop by sometime during this hour to get important information regarding volunteering, responsibilities of cast/family, and general information on how to help make this wonderful production a success. If you attended the meeting last Friday with Ms. Homayoun, you do not have to attend the meeting this Tuesday. Rehearsals for the play will begin on Wednesday May 5. For more information, please contact Ms. Miller at s.derr@yahoo.com or Ms. Homayoun at all4wski@yahoo.com.
Show Appreciation to Brent’s Teachers: This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week, and it’s a wonderful opportunity to show our thanks to Brent’s amazing teachers and staff. We’ve had an outpouring of support from Brent families who contributed food to the teachers’ breakfast on Monday or signed up to bring food or volunteer to help provide fruit and treats for teachers’ afternoon snacks on Wednesday or the pot-luck staff luncheon on Friday. We’re all set now with volunteers, but you can also show your appreciation for our teachers by bringing in flowers on Tuesday or by having your child bring in a letter, note, card or picture of thanks for their teachers on Thursday. Thanks for all of your help!
Quality Family Time: National Train Day, Union Station, Saturday May 8 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. See train equipment, model train displays, culinary demonstrations, live performances by Rocknoceros and the Ballou High School Marching Band, and other train-themed events. See www.nationaltrainday.com/events/dc for details. Space Day, Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, May 8 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Meet astronauts and experts, hear a live up-link to the International Space Station, see giant LEGO creations and make your own spacecraft, design a 3-D model of a satellite and more. See www.nasm.si.edu for details. Ocean Origami, Smithsonian Museum of Natural History, Saturday May 8 from 1 to 3 p.m. Learn how the ocean is a global system essential to all life and create your own ocean origami. Also, you can get the children’s book Cherry Blossom Friends signed by the author from 2:30 – 5 p.m. See www.mnh.si.edu/calendar.asp. Flumpa and Friends Live, National Aquarium (1401 Constitution Ave., NW), Saturday May 8 at 1 p.m. and at 3 p.m. This rock concert for kids combines music, movement and science fun facts about the wonders of biological, earth, and physical sciences. See www.nationalaquarium.com/calendar_may.html.
Several Short Notes: Playground update: The Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization (OPEFM) is planning on installing the design on the existing soft surface of the playground this summer, and will get back to us regarding further plans for the Phase 2 area (the blacktop). Bricks for Brent: Bricks for Brent are available again, which is a great way to provide a permanent tribute and help support our school. You can buy a 4×8 brick for $85, which includes three lines of text of 18 characters each. The deadline is May 21 and forms are in the office. Contribute to the student newspaper: Any students who would like to contribute articles, photos or illustrations to the Brent Bears News, the student newspaper, are invited to come to Ms. Homayoun’s room on Wednesday mornings at 8:10 a.m. to get assignments for the next issue of the paper. Plenty of paper tubes: Thanks very much for donating your cardboard toilet paper and paper towel tubes to the art department. Ms. Basralian has all the tubes she needs now and doesn’t need any more donations. Enjoy baseball and support nearby school: Help fellow Capitol Hill school, Maury Elementary, with fundraising by buying tickets to the Washington Nationals game against the Orioles on Sunday, May 23 at 1:05 p.m. Tickets are $10 each and seats are located in sections 222-236. Download the ticket order form at www.mauryelementary.com.
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