Churchill Chatter - Issue 32, April 25, 2018
In This Week’s Issue:
- SOL testing information, including links to student study resources, practice test and additional information
- Science Olympiad A and B results
- International Parade of Cuisines and Fashion Show, this Friday, April 27
- Cinco de Derby on Saturday, May 5
- Earth Day Assembly
- Calendar of Upcoming Events
SOL Testing Preparation
Churchill Road students in grades 3-6 will be taking the Virginia Standards of Learning (SOL) tests May 15th to May 25th (see complete
schedule on our homepage). We would greatly appreciate it if you would not schedule doctor or dentist appointments or family trips during this time period and ensure that students arrive to school on time (by 8:35 AM) on the morning of the tests.
Study resources, practice tests, and additional information are available on our "For Students" page (use “Full Menu”, then “For Students” from our homepage). This page includes links to information from the Virginia Department of Education (VDOE), including how to install TestNav 8 testing environment on your home computer, and previously released SOL tests. In addition, there are links to two sites (SOL Pass and Jefferson Lab) that present content related questions for students to answer. SOL Pass offers a variety of practice activities for the 5th grade science and 4th grade VA studies SOLs, but does require a password. The password for SOL Pass is "churchill".
Teachers will also be conducting SOL review with their classes as we approach the testing window and will provide time for students to become familiar with the interface and tools available in our testing software, TestNav.
CRS Science Olympiad B Team Success!
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 Congratulations to the Churchill Road Science Olympiad Division B team for their success at the Division B State Final Tournament on April 14. A total of 26 teams qualified for this tournament following Regional competition: 18 middle school teams and 8 elementary school teams. Overall, the Churchill team placed 7th – the highest rank achieved by an elementary school and ahead of many middle schools.
Churchill’s team of 19 students participated in 25 different events that range from life sciences to engineering topics. The Division B events are designed to challenge the science knowledge of middle school students, making them so much more challenging for 5th and 6th graders. The Churchill students ranked in the top ten in 14 events; they were awarded individual medals in 9 events:
1st place – Fast Facts
3rd place – Roller Coaster
4th place – Road Scholar, and Code Analysis
5th place – Crime Busters, Hovercraft, and Potions & Poisons
6th place – Optics, and Towers
Kudos to all students for the outstanding team and individual results obtained at the State tournament. And a big thank you to all parent mentors who guided the Churchill students – it took many, many hours of dedicated support from all families participating in this club. And a special thank you to those parents who volunteered at the tournaments – VASO is a fully volunteer run organization and without help from parents these tournaments would not exist.
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Kudos to CRS Science Olympiad A Team
On Saturday, April 21, Churchill Road’s Science Olympiad Division A team competed with other Division A teams at BASIS Independent School in McLean. It was a long day for the students (and parents), but the Churchill Team did a fantastic job, earning a total of 17 medals, from 11 out of the 20 events in which they competed. Among the awards:
1st place – Astronomy, Chopper Challenge, Tower Building and Weather or Not
2nd place – Gunk and Straw Egg Drop
3rd place – Gunk and Straw Egg Drop
The students also won medals in: Barge, Optics, Pentathlon, Herpetology, and Write it, Do it.
Congratulations to all of the students on their achievements. A special thank you to team sponsor, Luz Panduro, and to the many parent mentors and volunteers who worked hard to make this event a success.
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CRS Earth Day Assembly
Churchill Road celebrated Earth Day with a schoolwide
assembly highlighting student and staff knowledge of sound “green”
practices. Teams of teachers competed in
a special version of Eco Family Feud while more teams of teachers competed
against one another to correctly identify items that could be recycled versus
those that could not. The student crowd
thoroughly enjoyed seeing their teachers do their best to answer the questions
correctly. Sixth grade eco-patrols even
created videos showcasing some the sound environmentally friendly activities
that are practiced at the school. Thank
you to CRS teachers Meghan Brown, Jordan Craig-Kuhn, Nicholas Kilpatrick and
Mary-Lynn Robosky for organizing this fun and informative event!
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Wellness: Benefits of Celebrating Milestones and Goals
CRS staff members on the 60th Anniversary Fall Festival were overjoyed that all their hard work paid off!
Celebrating milestones and goals achieved provide us the opportunity to take a much-needed break to reflect, to consider new targets, and to build confidence for the future. Both mini-celebrations for daily wins and big celebrations for major milestones boost our overall wellbeing. Celebrating promotes an attitude of gratitude and, according to research, celebrations help to boost energy, reduce stress, and encourage progress toward academic, interpersonal, and health-based goals.
Celebrations are important not just for individuals, but also for teams. In "The Leadership Challenge", by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, the authors stress that celebrations are critical to teamwork, trust, and shared values in an organization, and are necessary to create an environment of energy, rejuvenation, and fun. Please join the CRS community on May 5th for Cinco de Derby. We are celebrating the 60th anniversary of CRS and our outstanding teachers, staff, and parents who are critical to the development of curious, compassionate, and confident kids. We hope you can join us! Tickets are available at http://www.churchillroadpta.org/crs-60th-anniversary-celebrations.
Cheer
Winners of the Week
Congratulations to our Churchill Cheer winners for the week of April 16. Cheers are given to students who follow the four R’s. Churchill Cheer
winners are: Ryan Seo (K); Kaylin Dinker (1st); Richard Park (2nd); Shanmukha Vandentam (3rd); and Elliot Pomper (4th). Our good citizenship winners are Tony Yeu (5th)
and Will Wynne (6th).
Our teacher winner is Mr. Baumgardner! 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.
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
Friday, April 27
International Parade of Cuisines & Fashion Show, 6:00-8:00 PM, Gym/Stage
Saturday, May 5
Cinco de Derby, 5:30-8:00 PM, Greenhouse Tysons
Wednesday, May 9
Principal's Coffee, 8:00-8:45 AM, Exploratory Arts Room
PTA Meeting, 8:45-9:45 AM, Exploratory Arts Room
Tuesday, May 15 - Friday, May 25
SOL Testing for Students in Grades 3-6
Monday, May 28
Memorial Day Holiday - School Closed
Wednesday, May 30
Strings Concert, 7:00 PM, Gym
Thursday, May 31
Strings Concert for Students in K, Grades 1,3,6, 9:15 AM, Gym
Strings Concert for Students in Grades 2,4,5, 10:15 AM, Gym
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/.
International Parade of Cuisines
& Fashion Show
Get ready for food, fun, fashion & culture at our 24th International Parade of Cuisines this Friday from 6-8 p.m. in the CRS gym. To attend, all you need to do is bring some food! Suggestions for portion sizes: Snacks (8-10 families), Main Course (4-5 families), and Dessert (8-10 families). Note: Label any serving dishes & utensils with your name, plus bring a small card that notes which culture the dish represents and if it contains nuts. http://www.churchillroadpta.org/international-parade-of-cuisines.
Fashion Show Participants: Reminder – the rehearsal is TONIGHT at 6:30 p.m. in the gym.
Teacher Appreciation Week, May 7-11
The CRS PTA Staff Appreciation Committee has planned fun events for the week of May 7-11. You can find all the details and sign-ups to contribute and/or volunteer here: http://www.churchillroadpta.org/staff-appreciation.
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Monday 5/7: Giving Tree (all CRS staff members are invited to choose a gift card from the tree; gift cards donated by CRS families)
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Tuesday 5/8: Fiesta Luncheon (for all CRS staff)
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Wednesday 5/9: Quenching the Thirst for Knowledge Beverage Bar (hot & cold beverages donated by CRS families)
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Thursday 5/10: Students Thank Teachers (students bring cards & artwork for teachers)
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Friday 5/11: Parents Thank Teachers (see our website for ideas on how you can shine gratitude on teachers)
A Delicious
Mediterranean Feast!
 CRS staff were treated to an amazing Mediterranean lunch last week by 4th grade families – with caprese salad, spanakopita, ziti and more! Thanks to hosts Gisela Cid, Brenda Spevak and Kristi West; volunteers Bonnie Myshrall, Chrys Gaitatzes, Amanda Clarke, and Taeko Moriyama; and to all the families that contributed to this tasty event!
 Cinco de Derby
Just one week left to buy your tickets for our 60th anniversary event and spring fundraiser. Join us for a fun evening of tastings, derby games & derby races and help celebrate 60 years of excellence and our wonderful staff at Churchill Road. http://www.churchillroadpta.org/crs-60th-anniversary-celebration.
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Yearbooks on Sale
2017-2018 yearbooks are available to order – learn more http://www.churchillroadpta.org/yearbook.
Save the Date!
Our popular family event,
the CRS Backyard Barbeque, returns Friday, May 18 from 5:30 to 8 p.m. More
details coming soon!
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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