Churchill Chatter - Issue 27, March 14, 2018
In This Week’s Issue:
- Tornado drill scheduled for Tuesday, March 20 at 2:15 PM
- CRS Chess Team places 6th at State tournament
- Langley Honor Society toiletry drive continues through March 23
- Congratulations to our Reflections and Spelling Bee winners
- Spring Picture Day March 16
- Square 1 Art orders due March 19
- Save the date for a Parent Network event on April 19
Tornado Drill Scheduled
On Tuesday, March 20 at 2:15 p.m., our students and staff will take part in a “Tornado Drill”. In the event that widespread severe weather threatens the county or state and a tornado warning is issued to all schools, a real “tornado drill” procedure would be initiated.
The Code of Virginia § 22.1-137.1 requires all public schools to participate in at least one tornado drill each year and FCPS requires the tornado drill to be completed in March of each school year. A tornado drill requires that all students and staff assemble in designated shelter areas, away from windows and doors, and assume a protective position - crouching on their elbows and knees and placing their hands over the back of their heads. On Tuesday, March 20, signs will be posted on the entrance doors indicating that the school is conducting a tornado drill. The doors will be locked and no one will be allowed to enter the school during this time. Similar procedures would be followed in a real situation.
The safety of our students and staff at Churchill Road Elementary School is our top priority. The drill will help ensure that we are able to successfully protect our students during an actual tornado. Please note that this drill is for practice purposes only. Do not hesitate to contact Mr. Hutzel, CRS Principal, at djhutzel@fcps.edu should you have any questions or concerns relative to this issue.
Thank you for your understanding and your cooperation.
CRS Wins Sixth Place in the VA State Championships!!!
Congratulations to the CRS chess club for their stellar work at the 2018 Virginia Scholastic Chess Championship held in Roanoke from March 2 to 4.
Team members Abigail L., James W., and Lang X. worked together to earn CRS sixth place in the K-5 category. Abigail also won 19th and James won 22nd in the individual categories. Justin L. represented CRS in the K-3 category. Well done, students! A big thank you for Mr. Mehler and the after-school chess club!
Wellness: Benefits of Green Foods
This week you may notice
more friends sporting green as we lead up to St. Patrick’s Day. Let the scores
of shamrocks and loads of leprechauns inspire you to add more green foods to
your plate. Think delicious avocados, spinach, broccoli, cucumbers, and edamame,
not green M&Ms or Peeps. Natural green foods are amazing antioxidants that
protect the body from toxins in the environment, as well as toxins in other
foods we eat. Green foods are rich in minerals and contain some of the most
essential nutrients: calcium, magnesium, potassium, and vitamins B, C, E, and
K. Plus, greens contain many nutrients that help protect the immune system and
fight off viruses and bacteria. You are sure to feel lucky by adding a little
more green to your diet!
Fifth Grade Book Groups
Thanks to the efforts of school staff members Jamie Meyers, Sari Warren, Wendy Biliter and Bryn Varhol and fifth grade teachers Jill Hamlin and Meghan Overend, fifth graders have an opportunity to read and discuss books outside the classroom. Every two weeks, a separate book club lunch group, comprised of either boys or girls from each of the five fifth grade classes, meets to share their thoughts on a specific book. All of the students and adults thoroughly enjoy this extra reading time.
 |
 Square 1 Art Orders Due March 19
Square 1 Art is back! Your child’s art was mailed to Square 1 Art, a company that specializes in creating custom products from student artwork and it has been returned with personalized order forms and free stickers! The primary goal of our relationship with this company is to provide you with the opportunity to showcase your student’s artwork on a special item, but a bonus is that one third of the cost directly supports the art program at Churchill Road. The encouragement you show your students as artists allows us to continue to do all the amazing art activities and events you see at CRS. Check out some of the sample products in the library showcase, if you are at school this week. Orders are due Monday, March 19. Please note that no late orders will be accepted.
|
Langley Honor Society Toiletry Drive
Reminder: Langley High School’s National Honor Society toiletry drive for the Embry Rucker Homeless Shelter in Reston continues through Friday, March 23. The items that are being collected include shampoo, toothpaste, deodorant, foot powder, shaving cream, etc. (preferably full size). Boxes to collect the donations are in the front lobby of the school. The families at the shelter appreciate these donations greatly and they truly make a difference in their lives. Thank you!
Cheer
Winners of the Week
Congratulations to our Churchill Cheer winners for the week of March 5. Cheers are given to students who follow the four R’s. Churchill Cheer
winners are: Kristen Jeon (K); Leila Lotfi (1st); Hamati Chaudhuri (2nd); Grace Yuan (3rd); and Charlotte Cannon (4th). Our good citizenship winners are Annika Nyquist (5th)
and William Park (6th).
Our teacher winner is Mrs. Lackey! 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.
Attendance
Reminders
- Spring Break is Monday, March 26 to Friday, March 30. There is no school for students and the CRS front office will be closed.
- Monday, April 2 is a student holiday.
-
If your
child will be absent additional days surrounding these dates, please call
the CRS 24-hour attendance line at 703-288-8484, or email churchillattendance@fcps.edu.
Thank you!
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
Friday, March 16
Spring Individual and Group Picture Day
Tuesday, March 20
Annual Tornado Drill, 2:15 PM
Friday, March 23
Vacation Spirit Day
Family Fitness Day, 8:00-8:20 AM, Playground
Monday, March 26 – Friday, March 30
Spring Break - CRS Front Office Closed
Monday, April 2
Teacher Workday – No School for students
Scroll down to "Upcoming Events at Churchill Road Elementary School" on the CRS homepage for event dates later in the school year: https://churchillroades.fcps.edu/.
Parade of Cuisines
NEW DATE – Mark your
calendar for Friday, April 27! Learn more at http://www.churchillroadpta.org/international-parade-of-cuisines.
Famous Women in History Visit Churchill Road
Churchill Road students traveled back in time and met many famous women at last Friday’s Integrated Arts Assembly. The students learned about the lives and important contributions of women including Clara Barton, Helen Keller, Harriet Tubman, Eleanor Roosevelt and Amelia Earhart. Ask your child to tell you one interesting fact about each of these women! Thank you to PTA Integrated Arts Chair Jenna Yellen for coordinating the assembly and to the PTA for sponsoring this event.
Congratulations to our Reflections Artists!
Congratulations from the CRS PTA to all the students who participated in this year's National PTA Reflections - a creative arts program where students are encouraged to reflect on a theme and create an original work of art in one of six categories (dance, music, visual arts, film, literature, or photography. The theme for this year's program is "Within Reach".
All of our CRS student participants were recognized at a reception last week where all the wonderful submissions were on display. The students who received 1st place recognition are:
- Primary (K-2): Catherine R. (Visual Arts), Tyler W. (Literature), Georgia D. (Music)
- Intermediate (3-5): Emma D. (Photography), Phoebe P. (Visual Arts), Lang X. (Literature), Caden P. (Music)
- Middle (6-8): Avni D. (Literature)
Congratulations to our participants Arabella B., Seoyon C., Ryan C., Alexis N., Caden S., Finley S., Lyla S., Rahniya S., Mia T., Robert W., and Ava Z. Information and rules for next year’s program (“Heroes Around Me”) will be available at the pta.org/reflections website this summer.
Spelling Bee Winner Crowned!
 Congratulations to fifth grader Angeline Z. for emerging victorious at the Churchill Road spelling bee by correctly spelling the word “celiac”. It was a tough battle between Angeline and runner-up Anthony X. The winner of the County Spelling Bee will compete in the Scripps National Spelling Bee in May.
Thank you to all the student finalists who studied for this event – a great job by all! Thank you also to teacher sponsors Adam Ali and Sarah Finger for calling at both the written and oral bees and to PTA Spelling Bee Chair Cathy Witkop for organizing this much anticipated annual event.
Smile...Friday 3/16 is Spring Individual and Class
Picture Day!
Get ready to smile...spring individual and class picture day is Friday 3/16. Order forms will be in VIPs. Questions? Contact yearbook@churchillroadpta.org.
Coffee and Conversation:
The Blessing of a Skinned Knee
Thursday, April 19
8:45 – 10:15 AM
Exploratory Arts Room
Join us for an informal discussion based on Clinical Psychologist and child expert Dr. Wendy Mogel’s book, The Blessing of a Skinned Knee. The first of Dr. Mogel’s three books covers how to raise self-reliant, compassionate and ethical children in today’s world.
Presented by CRS Counselor, Jamie Meyers; the CRS Parent Education Committee; and The Safe Community Coalition (SCC), this casual conversation will cover everyday child-rearing issues: dealing with picky eaters, building respect, knowing when to say no and more – all based on Dr. Mogel’s knowledge and decades of helping parents raise confident, well-adjusted children. Whether or not you’ve read any of Dr. Mogel’s books, you’ll gain useful information.
This discussion comes as a precursor to Dr. Wendy Mogel’s upcoming visit to McLean, VA. Learn more here: http://mcleanscc.org.
Please contact SCC Churchill Road Elementary liaison, Kelly Marino, for more information: kellymarino09@gmail.com.
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.
|
