Churchill Chatter - Issue 28, March 21, 2018
In This Week’s Issue:
- Welcome Acting Assistant Principal Liz Manning
- Author Laura Murray Visits Churchill Road
- Vacation and Family Fitness Spirit Day on March 23
- Spring Break March 26 - April 2, Front Office Closed
- Lockdown Drill scheduled for April 5
- PTA Spring ASAs start April 3
Please Welcome Liz Manning,
Our Acting Assistant Principal
 Dear Churchill Road Community,
As some of you may know, our assistant principal, Jen Niccolls, is taking a leave of absence to address some medical issues. Ms. Niccolls will be on leave for the rest of the school year. Fortunately, Ms. Niccolls’ prognosis is good and we can look forward to welcoming her back at the start of the 2018-2019 school year. In the meantime, I know you join the school staff and me in wishing Ms. Niccolls a speedy and successful recovery.
We are fortunate to have Liz Manning join us as our acting assistant principal for the remainder of the year. She has been both a classroom and Resource Teacher at Spring Hill Elementary School. Ms. Manning has earned her Master’s Degree in School Administration from UVA and plans to move into an administrative position in the next school year. Ms. Manning can be contacted at eamanning1@fcps.edu.
I hope you and your family enjoyed today’s snow day. A snow day at the start of Spring is certainly a unique gift of time. As I write this, it’s dubious that we will have school tomorrow. Spring Break is just a few short days away. I hope all of our school community has a wonderful holiday!
Don Hutzel, Principal
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Author Laura Murray Visits Churchill Road
On Wednesday. March 14, 2018, author Laura Murray visited Churchill Road. She did presentations for the Kindergarten, 1st grade and 2nd grade students. She told them about becoming an author and how they can take adventures from their own lives and turn them into stories. Our students were lucky enough to hear Ms. Murray read her newest book, “The Gingerbread Man and the Leprechaun Loose at School” to them. The students loved the book! Her presentation was engaging and interactive and the students and teachers thoroughly enjoyed it. Thank you to Mrs. Warren for arranging Ms. Murray’s visit and to the PTA for funding it!
Wellness: Benefits of Spending Time in Nature
It's hard to believe Spring is here! Daffodils blooming while sleet is coming down.
Spring is here! The sun is shining longer, flowers are blooming, and kids will soon be swapping heavy winter coats for shorts and t-shirts. Spring encourages us to spend more time outside which can be beneficial for our mental and physical health. Research has demonstrated that spending time in nature can increase energy, reduce stress, and improve an individual’s sense of wellbeing. A University of Michigan study found that a nature break, such as a walk through an arboretum, improved performance on memory and attention tests. Time in nature is also linked to enhanced creativity and researchers have found that being among plants boosts immunity because the phytoncides (airborne chemicals plants release to protect themselves from insects and rotting) also enhance humans’ immune function. Plus, being outside increases physical activity. Sunny spring days with a cool breeze make it so inviting to ride bikes, work in the garden, fly a kite, run, start an impromptu game of tag on the playground, or to take a leisurely walk with a friend. Please join us this Friday for Family Fitness Spirit Day. The theme is vacation wear!
Spring Fest
Saturday, March 31, 10
a.m.–noon
Activity No. 4501.318
$5 per person;
children under 36 months old are free. Registration in advance is required for
all participants. Walk-ins will not be accepted.
New Location!
St. Luke’s School,
7005 Georgetown Pike
For ages 3-8. Spring Fest is a special event that includes
self-guided arts and crafts projects, entertainment, and the opportunity for
your children to get a professional photo with the Bunny. Remember to bring
your Easter basket for our Parent/Child Easter Egg Hunt (10 egg limit). Please
register early! Space is limited.
Find out more and register
at: Spring
Fest.
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Lockdown Drill Scheduled for April 5
The week after spring break, on Thursday, April 5, at 2:00 p.m., our students and staff will take part in the fourth and final of four annual “Lockdown Drills” for this school year. A lockdown requires that all students and staff remain in classrooms or other designated secure locations that are away from danger and that minimize access and visibility. During the drill, signs will be posted on the entrance doors indicating the school is in lockdown. No one will be allowed into the school at this time. Please take this into consideration if your child is arriving late or has an appointment scheduled for Thursday, April 5. Please do not hesitate to contact Mr. Hutzel, CRS Principal, at djhutzel@fcps.edu should you have any questions or concerns relative to the lockdown drill.
Cheer
Winners of the Week
Congratulations to our Churchill Cheer winners for the week of March 12. Cheers are given to students who follow the four R’s. Churchill Cheer
winners are: Emma Masri (K); Paxton King (1st); Cormac Stephens (2nd); Jillian
Dittamo (3rd); and Larkin Furry (4th). Our good citizenship winners are Adam Levine (5th)
and Luke Iverson (6th).
Our teacher winner is Ms. Overend! 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. The CRS front office will be closed.
-
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!
Vacation and Family Fitness Spirit Days Friday, March 23!
Show your bobcat spirit and dress like you're going on vacation for Vacation Spirit Day this Friday. Also, join us for the PTA's Family
Fitness Day from 8:00-8:20 a.m. on the CRS playground (or gym, in case of
inclement weather). Mark your calendars now for the remaining
Spirit/Family Fitness Days of the school year.
Friday, April 20 -- Earth Day Spirit Day
Friday, May 25 -- Pajama/Stuffed Animal Day
Friday, June 15 -- Color Day Spirit Day
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
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, CRS Front Office Closed
Wednesday, April 11
Principal’s Coffee, 8:00 AM, Exploratory Arts Room
PTA Meeting, 8:45-9:45 AM, Exploratory Arts Room
Friday, April 13
End of Quarter, 2-Hour Early Dismissal at 1:20 PM
Monday, April 16
Teacher Workday – No School for Students
Kindergarten Orientation -- 2:00-3:30 PM, Cafeteria
Friday, April 20
Earth Day Spirit Day
Family Fitness Day, 8:00-8:20 AM, Playground
Tuesday, April 24
AAP Orientation Night, 7:00 PM, Gym
Friday, April 27
International Parade of Cuisines & Fashion Show, 6:00-8:00 PM, Gym/Stage
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/.
Martha’s Table – A LOT of Sandwich Making!
Our community service event was a big success – our dedicated and very enthusiastic student sandwich makers created 2,460 sandwiches last Wednesday after school. Thank you to our coordinators Anastasia Karloutsos and Heather Capps for taking on this event for the first time! Special thanks to Tracy McGowan and Kelly Marino for delivering all these sandwiches to Martha’s Table. And thank you to all the other wonderful parent volunteers who helped make this event possible – Marisha Vasani, Kate Greenberg, Hilary Tabor, Aubrey Midgley, Christie Bushmann, Anna Kim, Shanon Munn, Isabel Zambrano, Meg Poulos, Jennifer Longmeyer-Wood, Heesun Robertson, Sarah Richmond, Yuhan Zhang, Anita Almeida, Faizah Siddiqui, Kristi West, Christie Stute and Catherine Paschkewitz.
A Delicious Bash!
CRS staff were treated to a tasty ‘baked potato bash’ last week by 5th grade families – thank you for the amazing feast! Special thanks to hosts Catherine Haynes and Jenna Yellen for organizing this much enjoyed treat – and thanks also to our set-up/clean-up volunteers Lucy Sun, Hugh Lederman, Leah Uhlmann, and Chelsea Lake.
Our Cinco de Derby
Party is Coming!
Ready for a fabulous evening of derby races, derby games and tastings? We are! Early bird tickets are on sale NOW! Learn more and order your tickets at http://www.churchillroadpta.org/crs-60th-anniversary-celebration. Plus you can contribute to a fund for staff tickets too! Early bird pricing ends April 13.
Spring ASAs Start April 3rd
Don’t forget – our spring session of After School Activities starts right after spring break! Find all the ASA info, including pickup policies, here http://www.churchillroadpta.org/after-school-activities.
Event Reminders
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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