Churchill Chatter - Issue 17, January 3, 2018
In This Week’s Issue:
- Thank you from the CRS staff for our special Secret Snowman treats
- Setting S.M.A.R.T. goals for 2018
- Technology and Digital Citizenship Resources
- Principal’s Coffee and PTA meeting on January 10
- PTA Winter ASAs begin January 8
- Spelling Bee and Geo Bee coming soon
- Calendar of upcoming events
Thank You from the CRS Staff!
Mr. Craig-Kuhn, Ms. Perry and Mrs. Haines are delighted with their Churchill blankets -- perfect for a cold winter's day.
The week before winter
break all of the CRS teachers and staff were treated to goodies from a band of
holiday elves. Imagine arriving at work
on one of the coldest days of the school year (who would know how cold it would
be in January!) and finding a beautiful box with glitter and bows, containing
not only a warm and beautiful CRS blanket, but a generous gift card as
well. All of us were wowed with the thoughtfulness
of the PTA Staff Appreciation Committee for helping us make our holidays more
festive. A very special thank you is
extended to Kristi West, Madelyn Orfitelli and Catherine Paschkewitz and to all
the room parents for coordinating this wonderful surprise. Our sincere thanks also to the generosity of all
the students, parents and alumni who made this possible and the many elves who
delivered all the goodies.
Thank you for making our
holidays more festive. Our warmest
wishes for a happy new year!
Don Hutzel and the Churchill
Road Staff
Thank you and Happy New Year from the CRS Staff - dressed in their holiday finest the day before winter break!
Helping Others
As part of their holiday celebration before winter break, sixth graders created dog blankets for Lost Dog Rescue.
Wellness: S.M.A.R.T. Goals for 2018
During Colonial Day, a fourth grader is putting the pieces in place to build something great; and that is exactly what we need to do to achieve our goals.
The energy of a new year—a clean slate—encourages many of us to
embark on new goals, create resolutions, or to make big changes. The best goals
are S.M.A.R.T—Specific, Measureable, Attainable, Rewarding, and
Time-Based. Eating healthier, exercising more, learning another language,
or playing a new instrument are admirable, broad goals, but they are not
S.M.A.R.T. resolutions. Eating a green vegetable a day for a month is
specific, measureable, attainable, rewarding (your body will appreciate it),
and time-based. Similarly, hiking for an hour once a month with your
family is S.M.A.R.T., as is practicing piano for one hour a day for a week or
reading a chapter book each week for a month. Take time this week to
think of a simple S.M.A.R.T. goal that your future self will thank you for
taking the time to accomplish. In addition to being S.M.A.R.T. make sure
it is a goal you care about and are excited to accomplish. Good luck with your
2018 goals!
Holiday Technology and
Digital Citizenship Message to Families
During
the holidays, many families likely made technology purchases for their
children. The Instructional Services Department has prepared messages for
schools to send to their families that will provide supportive resources and
encourage them to establish technology rules and expectations and discuss
digital citizenship at home. Use your GSuite account to access a News You
Choose message and a selection
of social media messages.
Cheer
Winners of the Week
Congratulations to our
Churchill Cheer winners for the week of December 11. Cheers are given to students
who follow the four R’s. Churchill Cheer winners are: Caroline Su (K); Gabriel Jemio
(1st); Aaliyah Khan
(2nd); Annisa
Kusumaningtyas (3rd); and Armaan Sethi
(4th). Our good citizenship winners are Ariaana Downing
(5th) and Riley Purcell
(6th). Our teacher winner is Mrs.
Wallace. Remember, at CRS we follow the four R’s. We respect
ourselves, we respect others, we respect property, we respect the Earth, and we
are responsible.
Principal's
Coffee & PTA Meeting on January 10
Join Mr. Hutzel for his January Principal’s Coffee from
8:00-8:45 a.m. on Wednesday, January 10 in the CRS exploratory arts
room. Take this opportunity to speak with Mr. Hutzel about topics of
interest. Stay for the January PTA meeting, which begins at 8:45 a.m.
Mark your calendar for the remaining Principal’s Coffees and PTA
Meetings (all Wednesdays): February 14, March 14, April 11, May 9, and June 13. These events are
informal gatherings that provide a forum for discussions about school and
school system news and events.
FCPS Calendar for 2018-19
In December, the School Board
approved the calendar for the 2018-19 school year. The first day of school will
be on Tuesday, August 28. New to the calendar will be a 3-day Thanksgiving
Break. School will be closed on Wed, November 21. There will still be a 2-week
Winter Break, but students will be in school through December 21. School will
be closed December 24-January 4 and re-open on January 7, 2019. You can view
the entire calendar here: https://www.fcps.edu/news/fairfax-county-school-board-adopts-2018-19-standard-school-year-calendar
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
Wednesday, January 10
Principal’s Coffee, Exploratory Arts Room, 8:00-8:45 AM
PTA Meeting, Exploratory Arts Room, 8:45-9:45 AM
Friday, January 12
Level IV AAP Referrals Due (for students currently in grades 2-6)
Monday, January 15
Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Holiday - School Closed
Thursday, January 18
Team and Club Photography
Thursday, January 25
SCA Sports Team/Jersey Spirit Day
Family Fitness Day, 8:00-8:20 AM
2-Hour Early Dismissal at 1:20 PM (End of Quarter 2)
Friday, January 26 and Monday, January 29
Student Holidays
Check the Google calendar on the CRS website for event dates later in the school year: http://www2.fcps.edu/ChurchillRoadES/.
Winter ASAs Begin Next Week
The After School Activities program starts its Winter
session next week – please remind your student about their ASA schedule and
review the dismissal procedures at http://www.churchillroadpta.org/after-school-activities-asa
for clubs & classes through Enrichment Matters, if you need to reach the
On-Site Coordinator please email asa-attendance@churchillroadpta.org.
Note: Pick-ups more than 10 minutes late will incur a $25 late pick-up fee.
Other Clubs: Dismissal procedures for Bobcat Theater, Drumline, Math Enrichment
and Science Olympiad B will be provided by the teachers leading those clubs and
any attendance or pick-up related matters should be communicated directly with
the club teachers.
Register for the Spelling Bee!
The CRS PTA is hosting the Spelling Bee for students in grades 3-6. The spelling bee will be conducted in two phases:
- The written test will be conducted on Friday, February 9, after school.
- The Oral Spelling Bee will be conducted on Monday, February 26, after school.
- The winner of the Spelling Bee will represent Churchill Road at the Fairfax County Spelling Bee on March 18!
To enroll, please complete the on-line registration on the PTA website at http://www.churchillroadpta.org/spelling-bee and send in $5 per student to the Spelling Bee envelope in the front office (checks made out to “CRS PTA” and ensure your child’s name is on the memo line of the check or on the envelope if you send cash). The enrollment deadline is Friday, Feb 2, 2018.
Once we receive your registration, you will receive the study materials and more details via email. Please contact Cathy Witkop at cwitkop@gmail.com with any questions!
Geography Bee
Once again Churchill Road 4th through 6th-grade
students will be participating in the National Geographic, National Geography
Bee Competition. Students will be taking the preliminary assessment with their
homeroom classes on Friday, January 12th. The top 10 students from
the preliminary assessment will take part in the school championship on Friday,
January 19th from 1:30-2:30 p.m. (parent invitations will be sent to
those who child makes it). Studying is not required, however if your child
would like to study for this competition, study materials may be accessed by going to this website: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/bee/study/. Questions? Contact CRS teacher sponsors
Nicholas Kilpatrick, nfkilpatrick@fcps.edu,
or Devon Rook, darook@fcps.edu.
Links
to PTA News
Link
to the CRS PTA homepage:
http://www.churchillroadpta.org/
Link
to the PTA Week-at-a-Glance:
https://cresp.memberclicks.net/crs-pta-week-a-glance
As
outlined by FCPS Regulation 1367.2, school principals shall offer options to
nonprofit organizations that want to make their materials available to students
and parents. At Churchill Road, non-profit organizations will be permitted to
send home flyers in the take home folder 4 times during the year. The dates for
the 2017-2018 school year are the weeks of October 2, December 4, March
5 and May 14. These fliers must be related to the school’s educational
mission and be age-appropriate. Community organizations must submit their
materials in advance to the school’s principal and must include the disclaimer
“These materials are neither sponsored nor endorsed by the Fairfax County
School Board, the Superintendent, or this School.” Once approved, the
organization will be required to make the copies necessary for distribution. Any
questions can be directed to Kim Moran, Churchill Road's Public Relations
Liaison.
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