Churchill Chatter - Issue 33, May 8, 2019
In This Week's Issue
- Churchill Road Received NOVA District PTA Award for Family Engagement
- Getting to Know Churchill: Spotlight on Instructional Assistant Greg Butler
- CRS 6th grader receives Helping Hand Award
- Volunteer appreciation luncheon scheduled for May 23
- Request for Field Day volunteers
- CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
- CRS PTA News - Science Night recap, Backyard BBQ tickets on sale now, 6th grade party details and yearbook sales
CRS Honored with NOVA District PTA Award for Family Engagement
Aaccepting the awardfor CRS are Mrs. Cho, Mrs. Scarano, CRS PTA President Kristi West, NOVA District PTA Director Debbie Kilpatrick (four pictured on far right).
On Sunday, May 5 the CRS PTA received the NOVA District PTA Award for Family Engagement for sponsoring the Multicultural Reading Project, a collaborative effort between CRS parent Michelle Meeyoung Cho (3rd grader Michaella Park's mom), our ESOL teacher Mrs. Anne Scarano, and our librarian, Mrs. Sari Warren. Mrs. Cho’s project is designed to develop global perspectives of culturally and linguistically diverse students and brings family members into CRS classrooms to read books in their native languages and English. Students participate in a lesson about the story and a discussion of culture. The CRS PTA has sponsored the program by awarding a grant to purchase books to be shared in the classrooms and available for check out in the school library.
Congratulations to Mrs. Cho and Mrs. Scarano on a successful launch of this program and for receiving this prestigious award. The program has also been nominated to receive a grant at the VA State PTA; the winner will be announced later this summer.
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Getting to Know Churchill: Greg Butler,
Instructional Assistant
Mr. Butler and one of his favorite four-legged friends.
Your students likely know Greg Butler from the classroom. If you walk the Raymond and Churchill intersection for drop off or pick up, you might know Mr. Butler as the friendly, welcoming face of CRS. Dogs know Mr. Butler as the generous friend with a pocket of dog treats!
Mr. Butler was born in Alexandria, Virginia. He graduated from Thomas Edison HS in 1965 and from Virginia Tech in 1970 with a BS in Business (Management). He has lived his entire life in Alexandria. He has been married to his wife Lindy for 35 years; they have three children (Andy 34, Caity 32, and Rob 27), as well as three grandsons (Aiden 13, Mason 12, and Rhys 10).
After spending 12 years in the banking industry as a Branch Manager then as a Data Processing Manager with Burke and Herbert Bank (see photo at left -- Mr. Butler is on far right, celebrating the bank's first computer), Mr. Butler tried his hand at several other lines of work, including 14 years with Duron and Sherwin Williams Paint where he managed a retail/contractor store and sales. Mr. Butler retired from Sherwin Williams in August 2012. Mr. Butler started substitute teaching with FCPS in October 2012. A number of his assignments were at CRS. He thoroughly enjoyed working at CRS and he was offered a full time position as a General Education Instructional Assistant. Mr. Butler noted it probably took him all of three seconds to accept the offer and the rest of the story is, as they say, history.
This is Mr. Butler’s sixth year at CRS. He considers it a privilege to work closely with remarkable teachers and staff; he explained that watching them work day in and day out with their respective teams and the international mix of students has, without a doubt, given him a new perspective and appreciation of the teaching profession. He feels truly blessed to have this opportunity. Mr. Butler is amazed at how much he has learned; he appreciates the many different customs, life perspectives, and future ambitions of the students.
Mr. Butler wanted to give a shout-out to our Assistant Principal, Jen Niccolls, for allowing him to monitor Raymond Avenue both in the morning and afternoon when all other positions are rotated among the staff. When he worked at Burke and Herbert Bank he thought it was really interesting that the tellers kept dog biscuits behind the teller counter as a treat for the customers’ dogs when they brought them into the bank lobby. This gave him the idea to do the same for all the dogs that help to walk our students to and from school everyday. The dogs have become well trained over the past couple of years and look for Mr. Butler every day. Mr. Butler has heard the dogs are totally bummed when he is not there. Mr. Butler really enjoys talking (as time permits) with the kids and parents while monitoring this area.
During his free time Mr. Butler enjoys playing golf, reading, and remodeling his house (as needed). He and his wife try to get to the Outer Banks as often as possible in addition to vacationing on Maui as time and funds permit.
Mr. Butler, we are thrilled that in less than three seconds you committed to a future with CRS. We appreciate your kindhearted attitude in the classroom and on the daily approach and departure from school. You get a big thumbs up, and paws up from CRS’s four-legged friends, for helping to make CRS a special place.
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6th Grader Honored with Helping Hands Award
Congratulations to 6th grader Jaydon S. on receiving the Helping Hands Award from the Great Falls Optimist Club. Jaydon is always willing to lend a hand at school and serves as a bus safety patrol. Outside of school, he spends his Sundays serving as a teaching assistant at Northern Virginia Experimental Chinese School and teaching younger students how to do the Chinese Yo-Yo as part of their club.
Thank you to Ms. DeLuca for accompanying Jaydon and his parents to the awards ceremony.
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We Love Our Volunteers!
The teachers and staff at CRS would like to thank all the volunteers who do so much to support us every day. Please join us for a relaxing luncheon of salads and sweets on Thursday, May 23 during your child’s lunchtime. All of us at Churchill enjoy the opportunity to treat the volunteers who have helped throughout the year. We could not do it without you!
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Scouts Plant Flower Garden Near Kiss & Ride
 Over the last weekend of April, the girls of Troop 50013 planted a lovely garden by the school’s Kiss and Ride area. Thank you to Troop 50013 for beautifying the school.
6th Grade Entrepreneurs
Chloe and Maddie, sixth graders at Churchill Road, have started a business called Muddy Alien Crafts! They are participating in a craft fair called Acton Children's Business Fair. They will be selling tie dye shirts, glow in the dark putty, friendship bracelets, upcycled yogurt jar candles, and mason jar candles that they made. The fair is from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 11, 2019 in Cleveland Park, 3400 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC. The rain date for the fair is May 18 (still 10:00-1:00). The link to the website for the fair is: https://dcchildrensbusinessfair.org/home. Chloe and Maddie hope to see you there!
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Field Day Help Needed!!
Field day this year will be held on Friday, June 7th! This year’s theme is Marvel Avengers! We are very excited to be offering 18 fun activities related to different Avenger characters.
Field day is divided into an AM block for grades 4-6 and a PM block for grades K-3. We will need parent volunteers to assist at each specific station. The AM block (Grades 4-6) commitment time is from 8:30 AM - 11:00 AM. The PM block (Grades K-3) is from 12:30 PM -2:45 PM.
Responsibilities at your assigned station are to reset the station after each group and briefly review rules for the activity.
If you would like to volunteer for Field Day, please Sign Up Here!
Please contact Ms. Gift at magift@fcps.edu, if you have any questions.
Thank you very much for your help! We look forward to a fun and active day!
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Wellness: Benefits of Staying Hydrated
Fourth graders keep their water handy while at recess.
Do you want to implement an incredibly simple and beneficial health practice into your daily routine? Begin your day by drinking a large glass of water. More than half of our body is composed of water and water is critical to maintaining body temperature, assisting in digestion, and protecting vital organs. When we sleep we may go eight hours without drinking any water or fluids and our body slowly becomes dehydrated. Drinking a glass of water after waking up helps to boost your metabolism and flush out toxins. Our brain tissue is 75% water so it is not surprising that studies have demonstrated that drinking water improves reaction times for cognitive tasks, reduces mood fluctuations, and decreases headaches. Drinking water is even more important on hot days when our bodies lose more water through increased sweating. Maybe you are in the habit of regularly reaching for a glass of water, but, if you are not, use the old rule of about eight glasses a day, more if your day includes lots of activity. Stay hydrated!
Cheer Winners of the Week
Congratulations to our Churchill Cheer winners for the week of April 29. Cheers are given to students who follow the four R’s. Winners are: Cruz Butler (K); George Karavich (1st); Liam Gunn (2nd); Audrey Thoreson (3rd) and Brooke Behrens (4th). The cheer winners for Music are: Spencer Stute (Gr. K-2) and Songyi Pang (Gr. 3-4).
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.
ALL Library Books are Due June 3, 2019
As the end of the school year approaches, we need to collect all of our library materials. All library books are due on June 3, 2019. Please help your students locate all outstanding library materials and return them to the library. You will receive frequent reminders of your child’s overdue books. All books will be overdue on June 4, 2019. If you believe your child has returned the book, we are happy to check the shelves. Lost materials should be reimbursed. Please send in exact payment in the form of cash, checks made payable to Churchill Road School or pay through MySchoolBucks. Questions should be directed to Mrs. Warren at sewarren@fpcs.edu. Thank you for your help!
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
May 14 - 30
SOL Testing
Friday, May 17
Backyard BBQ, 5:30 PM, School Grounds
Thursday, May 23
Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon (during class lunchtimes), EA Room
Monday, May 27
Memorial Day Holiday - School Closed
Friday, May 31
Last Day for the PTA Go Home Note System
Monday, June 3
Band Concert for Community, 7:00 PM, Gym
Tuesday, June 4
Band Concert for K, Grades 1,3 and 5, 9:00-9:45 AM, Gym
Band Concert for Grades 2,4 and 5, 10:00-10:45 AM, Gym
Wednesday, June 5
Principal’s Coffee, 8:00-8:45 AM, Exploratory Arts Room
PTA Meeting, 8:45-9:45 AM, Exploratory Arts Room
Chorus Concert for K, Grades 1,4 and 6, 1:45-2:15 PM, Gym
Chorus Concert for Grades 2,3 and 5, 2:30-3:00 PM, Gym
Chorus Concert for Community, 7:00 PM, Gym
Friday, June 7
Field Day
Thursday, June 13
Early Dismissal at 12:20 PM - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
An Evening of Science Fun!
Families enjoyed getting hands-on with science last week at our Family Science Night! Our 'scientists' had fun defying gravity, playing with magnets, making music with circuits, learning about hearts, and so much more! Thanks to our many amazing volunteers and our partner, the Children's Science Center, for making this event possible!
Backyard Barbeque – Tickets on Sale
Join us for fun and food in the CRS “backyard” on Friday, May 17, from 5:30-8:00 p.m.! BBQ, hot dogs, Rita’s Ice, and fun & games with a DJ! We’ll be having fun rain or shine – the fun moves indoors if it rains. Tickets on sale now – early bird pricing available until midnight this Sunday 5/12. Learn more at http://bit.ly/2VtwLdE.
6th Grade Celebration
6th Grade Families: Our big celebration for 6th grade students will be on June 6! You can find all the details and purchase your student’s ticket online at churchillroadpta.org/6th-grade-party. May 17 is the deadline to register (and to submit baby pictures).
Yearbooks
Need to order a CRS Yearbook? You can order a yearbook for your student on our website at http://bit.ly/2Ap2GR7 – yearbooks will be delivered to your student’s homeroom in June. Inventory is limited – orders are first come, first serve!
Links to PTA News
Link to the CRS PTA homepage:
http://www.churchillroadpta.org/
Link to the PTA Week-at-a-Glance:
https://www.churchillroadpta.org/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 2018-2019 school year are the weeks of September 24, December 3, March 4 and May 13. 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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