Churchill Chatter - Issue 10, October 30, 2019
In This Week's Issue
- Join us for our annual Thanksgiving luncheon on November 11; volunteers needed
- Getting to Know Churchill: Christine Alvarez, Third Grade Teacher
- Nominate a CRS Employee for an FCPS Employee of the Year Award
- Return Student-Parent Survey (Impact Aid) Forms Now
- President's Own Marine Band String Duo Performs at CRS
- CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
- CRS PTA News - Book Fair Poster contest and raffle winners, call for volunteers and book fair details
Thanksgiving Luncheon on Monday, November 11
Join Us and Volunteer
Monday, November 11th is the CRS Thanksgiving Day Luncheon! Please join your child and their class in celebrating Thanksgiving Lunch. Check out the Thanksgiving Lunch Schedule to see when your child will be in the cafeteria.
Volunteers are needed to help out in the cafeteria and to serve food. We would be very THANKFUL for your help: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4ca9a72aa7fa7-thanksgiving
|
CRS First Graders Say #FinishtheFight!
First graders created their own "W" for the win during PE class to help the NATs #FinishtheFight.
Getting to Know Churchill: Christine Alvarez,
Third Grade Teacher
Third grade teacher Christine Alvarez
Which Churchill Road teacher can both catch her own dinner and prepare it with the finesse of a Cordon Blue chef? If you guessed third grade teacher Christine Alvarez, you would be correct. A native of Southern California, Mrs. Alvarez has fond memories of deep-sea fishing for yellow and blue fin tuna, Dorado, white sea bass, Marlin and swordfish with her dad and brother (her mom got sea sick). She won many tournaments and awards including Jr. Angler of the year and first marlin for a junior.
Later in life, she had the opportunity to live out her dream of going to culinary school, attending Le Cordon Bleu College of Culinary Arts Las Vegas. For Mrs. Alvarez, “It was absolutely amazing and I had the opportunity to work with some incredible celebrity chefs like David Burke and Charlie Palmer. I became the Lead Garde Manger Chef at David Burke, a fine dining restaurant that was located in the Venetian Hotel, in the winter of 2007. It was such a fast paced and high energy environment and I learned so much from shucking oysters and cutting up whole chickens to cleaning and fileting whole fish and making fresh pasta. We also made incredible sauces and dressings and used ingredients that I had never seen before to elevate dishes in such an elegant way.”
Mrs. Alvarez’s love of teaching came about naturally. Both of her parents were teachers; her mom was a college professor in Business Education and her dad was a high school college/career counselor and varsity coach. She graduated from the University of San Diego with a B.A. in Liberal Studies with an emphasis in special education and received an M.A. in Education with an emphasis in English from San Diego State University. Prior to coming to Churchill Road, Mrs. Alvarez taught second, third and fourth grades, then took about 5 years off to raise her family.
Mrs. Alvarez joined Churchill Road in 2017, and has been teaching third grade the entire time. She loves having the opportunity to support her team this year as grade level lead: “Working with them makes coming to work such a pleasure.” Even after teaching for several years already, she has learned so much about working with students and making their experience here a positive and rewarding one. Being at Churchill Road has been amazing and Mrs. Alvarez has been able to share her love for the Culinary Arts in the summers by sponsoring a cooking camp, Kid’s Kitchen, for the past two years. Seeing the look on the kid’s faces as they cook something they never have before and actually love it is worth every minute of preparation.
When not at school, Mrs. Alvarez enjoys spending time with her husband and two daughters, who love to play softball, dance, travel and watch movies. She has a creative streak and enjoys making wreaths and signs. To satisfy her culinary interests, she makes it a point to try eating at Michelin Star restaurants. Her favorite so far is Plume and next on her list is Fiola!!
Coming from California, Mrs. Alvarez loves the Washington area because of all the history here and the change of seasons. Fall is her favorite with all of the changing colors, although she also loves winter because the snow is a novelty for her.
We hope that Mrs. Alvarez never tires of the Washington area and remains at Churchill Road to inspire her students through her love of teaching and cooking.
Now Accepting Nominations for
FCPS Employee of the Year Awards!
Our community has the opportunity to nominate CRS staff for the Outstanding Employee Awards! To learn more about the categories or to submit a nomination for Churchill Road Elementary Outstanding Employee, please go to: https://churchillroades.fcps.edu/nominations. You may nominate an employee in any of the following categories:
- Outstanding Teacher
- Outstanding New Teacher
- Outstanding Principal
- Outstanding Leader
- Outstanding Operational Employee
- Outstanding Professional Employee
Churchill Road staff that are nominated will be recognized later this year and will have a chance to be acknowledged on a county level.
Note: The deadline to submit a nomination is Wednesday, November 13th. If you have any questions, please contact Rachael Dierman (3rd grade teacher/ rkdierman@fcsp.edu) or Sara DeLuca (6th grade teacher/ssdeluca@fcps.edu).
Student-Parent Survey for Federal Impact Aid -- Complete Forms Now
The Federal Impact Aid survey form went home in your child’s October 23 VIP folder. The completed, signed and dated form was due back to your child’s teacher by last Friday, October 25, 2019. If you have already returned a completed form for each of your children, thank you. If you have not yet done so, please complete the form and return it to your child's teacher as soon as possible.
Filling out the form is very straightforward. For each child attending Churchill Road, please complete Section 1, 2 or 3 (as appropriate), sign, date, and return the survey to your child's homeroom teacher. All results are CONFIDENTIAL.
Thank you for supporting this important survey.
President's Own Marine Band String Duo Performs at CRS
On Wednesday, October 23, fourth, fifth and sixth graders were treated to a performance by The President's Own United States Marine String Duo. The duo entertained the students with classics and original music written specifically for the violin and bass. The students loved the performance and enjoyed learning about the music as well as more about the performers' other duties playing for the President and visiting heads of state at White House functions.
Wellness: Benefits of Music
Spooky musicians were a hit at last year's Halloween Parade.
Music is a consistent element in our lives; many tune into the radio as they get ready in the morning or on their commute, practice an instrument at home, pump up favorite songs while working out, appreciate the soundtrack accompanying a film, or sing in the shower. Music has a way of improving our mood and our enjoyment of daily activities. Research has proven that in addition to elevating mood, music reduces anxiety, helps aid memory, improves sleep, enhances visual and verbal skills, reduces pain, and boosts the immune system.
We are fortunate CRS has a vibrant music program from kindergarten through sixth grade. Tomorrow CRS strings students will provide fabulous Halloween music to help set the mood for our Halloween parade of cats, wizards, robots, and more. Feel free to join the fun to watch the parade and enjoy the music on Thursday morning at the CRS track.
Learning about Fall
Mrs. Williams' students create their own stores about fall events while "reading" a wordless book.
Cheer Winners of the Week
Congratulations to our Churchill Cheer winners for the week of October 21. Cheers are given to students who follow the four R’s. This week’s winners are: Hermoine Burkin (K); Amelia Newell (Grade 1); Soraya Ahmad (Grade 2); Nia Siguineau Brutus (Grade 3); and Chrystiana Robinson (Grade 4). Our winners for Spanish are: Michael Dittamo (K-2) and Arabella Benedetti (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.
Calendar Reminder
Schools will be closed for students on Monday, November 4 and Tuesday, November 5, for teacher work days. This Friday, November 1, is the end of the first quarter and will be a full day. There is no early release. Classes will resume on Wednesday, November 6. If your student will be absent additional days surrounding these dates, please call the CRS 24-hour attendance line, 703-288-8484, or email the school at churchillattendance@fcps.edu.
College Knowledge Sooner
Thursday, November 7th
6:30pm – 8:30pm
(Free Event – Advance Registration Required – see below)
On November 7, Fairfax County Association for the Gifted (FCAG) is pleased to host Dr. Nancy Levonian of Lives Under Construction as she compares options for enriching the high school years in preparation for college. Join us as we discuss how to learn college-level material early by self-study, AP resources, college classes in high school, and early college.
This program is for middle and high school students and their parents to learn more about options for advanced study. Free and open to the public with advanced registration. Refreshments will be provided. To register send names of the adults and students who will attend to fcagevents@gmail.com.
Location: Burke Center Library (5935 Freds Oak Road, Burke)
Date/Time: Thursday, November 7th, 6:30 pm to 8:30pm
Questions? FCAGevents@gmail.com
|
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
Thursday, October 31
Spooky Halloween Concert and Parade (K-2), Track, 9:00 a.m.
Monday and Tuesday, November 4 and 5
Teacher Workdays - No School for Students
Monday, November 11
Thanksgiving Luncheon, during student lunch time
Monday, November 11-Friday, November 15
Book Fair, Library, 8:45-4:00 PM
Tuesday, November 12 - Thursday, November 14
NNAT2 Testing for 1st Grades
Gordon (11/12), Jackson (11/13), Lewis (11/14)
Tuesday, November 12
SCA Spirit Day - Literary Figure Day
Book Fair Late Night & Pizza Party, Library/Café, 5:00-8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, November 13
Principal's Coffee, EA Room, 8:00 a.m.
PTA Meeting, EA Room, 8:45 a.m.
Wednesday, November 27-Friday, November 29
Thanksgiving Holiday - School Closed
Oktoberfest Fun!
The third grade teachers enjoying the Oktoberfest luncheon
Many thanks to all of the second grade parents who helped make our Oktoberfest lunch such a success! The staff enjoyed a variety of kielbasas, ham, sauerkraut, roasted potatoes, salads, tasty sides and amazing desserts. Thank you for your donations and for showing our staff how much we appreciate them. A special thank you to PTA Staff Appreciation chair Shelli Bushman for making this event go off flawlessly.
Congratulations to our Book Fair Poster Contest and Raffle Winners!
2019 Book Fair Poster Contest Winners
The results of the Book Fair poster contest are in and just like last year, it was a very difficult decision for our judges. After a lot of review and debate it was determined that the very best posters advertising the CRS Book Fair were submitted by: Grayson S. (K), Hudson D. (1st), Claire F. (2nd), Sophie C. (3rd), Alyson L. (4th), Caden P. (5th), and David C. (6th).
Each winner received a $10 gift certificate to use toward purchases at the Book Fair. In addition, all other students who submitted an entry for the Book Fair poster contest were entered into a drawing for a $10 prize to be used at the book fair. The winners are: William D. (K), Cameron K. (1st), Ellie K. (2nd), Violet V. (3rd), Mai M. (4th), Katherine J. (5th), and Davanee L. (6th). Thanks to everyone who submitted a poster – your work is brightening the halls throughout the first and second floors. Please be sure to check out the artwork the next time you are at school.
Book Fair runs from Monday, November 11 – Friday, November 15. Don’t forget evening shopping on Tuesday, November 12 from 5-8 p.m.
2019 Book Fair Raffle Winners
Book Fair Volunteers Needed!
Have a few hours to spare? The Book Fair committee would love your help! We need volunteers to help with set-up, browsing and buying days to help the kids, buying night, and take-down. https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090a4daaaf2aa20-crsbook4
The Book Fair is Coming
Our annual Book Fair is less than two weeks away, from November 11-15. This is a great way to build your family library, buy gifts for the holidays and make contributions to the classroom libraries. Teachers' classroom wish lists will be posted and gift certificates will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the Fair help support our school library and reading programs.
Class browsing days will be Monday and Tuesday, 11/11-12. Class buying days will be Wednesday to Friday, 11/13-15. The evening event will be TUESDAY, November 12, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. with the SCA Pizza Party and Captain Cookie!! Learn more at http://www.churchillroadpta.org/book-fair
Links to PTA News
Link to the CRS PTA homepage:
http://www.churchillroadpta.org/
Link to the PTA Week-at-a-Glance:
https://churchillroadpta.membershiptoolkit.com/newsletters
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 2019-2020 school year are the weeks of September 16, December 2, March 2 and May 4. 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.
|
