Wednesday, November 6 Churchill Chatter School Newsletter

Churchill Chatter - Issue 11, November 6, 2019


In This Week's Issue

  • Join us for our annual Thanksgiving luncheon on November 11; volunteers needed
  • Nominate a CRS staff member for the FCPS Outstanding Employee Awards
  • Getting to Know Churchill: Megan Brown, Sixth Grade Teacher
  • Toothbrush drive thank you
  • Literary Character Spirit Day on Tuesday, November 12
  • CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
  • CRS PTA News - Reflections Contest winners, Book Fair 11/11-15, CRS tote bags on sale

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Thanksgiving Luncheon on Monday, November 11

Join Us and Volunteer

This coming Monday, November 11, 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. 

A few volunteers are still 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


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).


Getting to Know Churchill:  Megan Brown,
Sixth Grade Teacher

Megan Brown

Sixth grade teacher Megan Brown and her fiance, with dogs Kyzer and Maya at the venue for their wedding -- one year from today.

Sixth-grade teacher Megan Brown’s palpable energy, enthusiasm for learning, and general zest for life feels a lot like someone who grew up in an amusement park and, she did. Well, to be more exact, she grew up about five minutes away from Hershey Park. Ms. Brown still enjoys returning to Hershey, Pennsylvania, also known as the “Sweetest Place on Earth,” to visit family and friends.

As an only child, with just three cousins, Ms. Brown hails from a fairly small family, but they made a big impact. Her father was an engineer and her mother’s commitment to education is what inspired Ms. Brown to pursue teaching. Her mother recently retired after an incredible thirty-five years in education!

Ms. Brown’s family has always enjoyed boating together and she spent many wonderful weekends when she was growing up making memories with family and friends boating in the Chesapeake Bay. Her family even embarked on an adventurous trip from Baltimore to the Outer Banks by boat—quite a long trek and loads of fun!

Growing up, Ms. Brown was  involved in athletics and sports continue to be something she enjoys. As a kid she played basketball, soccer, softball, volleyball, and field hockey. She played basketball and volleyball throughout high school and recreationally in college. Ms. Brown has also worked with kids serving as a coach and camp counselor.

Ms. Brown started at CRS in the fall of 2016, when she was a student teacher completing her Master’s degree from James Madison University. She student taught for the first half of the school year in third and sixth grade classrooms. Ms. Brown was thrilled to officially begin as a staff member at CRS in the fall of 2017. This school year marks her third year as a sixth grade teacher; some of the third grade students she taught as a student teacher are now her sixth graders.😁

Ms. Brown truly appreciates the people she works with each day, the CRS community, and, of course, the students! Ms. Brown feels CRS is a special place and she is grateful to be part of such a supportive community.

In addition to helping prepare sixth graders for success in middle school and beyond, you may have seen Ms. Brown’s fun and encouraging hosting of the spelling bee with Ms. Diorio, her energetic bingo calling during one of CRS’s annual bingo nights, or her charismatic assistance with the auction at the CRS 5k last spring. She is also involved with local animal rescues, which she enjoys. She admits it is a struggle not to adopt more dogs; Ms. Brown already has two dogs, Kyzer and Maya, which she adopted with her fiancé (their wedding is actually one year from today). Ms. Brown also has a plan to visit all fifty states. Her dad is striving for the same goal and only has Hawaii left to visit.

Ms. Brown, we are so thankful you are a part of the CRS team! We love that you contribute in the classroom, support your colleagues, and assist the CRS community to be the sweetest place to go to school!😉


Thank you for a Successful Toothbrush Drive

toothbrush drive

Our alumnus' toothbrush collection was a huge success.

Thank you so much for the successful drive at Churchill Road last week.  We received nearly 400 toothbrushes, 18 packages of dental floss, 34 tubes of toothpaste and 9 bottles of mouthwash!  We have partnered with Langley High School who will re-package the toothbrushes for easy transport through their community service program called Saxon Service. 


Halloween Happenings

finger

Our annual Halloween Parade was full of fairies and superheroes, royalty and characters of all kinds. Our third grade team, in anticipation of the NATS World Series win, dressed as a family of sharks!

sharks

Go NATS from the third grade sharks!

king

"King" Hutzel and his court at the parade.


Wellness: Benefits of Gratitude

Mr. Hutzel's retirement

Our CRS custodial staff expressed their gratitude for Mr. Hutzel by having a surprise dinner for him in honor of his upcoming retirement. What a handsome group!

One of the simplest ways to improve quality of life is by cultivating an attitude of gratitude. By acknowledging the kind ways friends, colleagues, teachers, or family help to make our day, week, or life better, expressing gratitude not only makes the recipient feel appreciated, but also improves our own health. Gratitude reduces stress and toxic emotions, such as frustration or regret, while also increasing happiness, empathy, and self-esteem. Grateful individuals exercise more, are more likely to schedule regular check-ups, sleep better, and report fewer aches and pains. 

CRS has tapped into the benefits of gratitude with gusto. Each month there are special events to thank our amazing staff and teachers; this month third graders' families are treating staff and teachers to a delicious and nutritious soup and salad bar. The upcoming Veterans Day is a nice time to thank those who have served in the military. Monday, November 11 will also provide opportunities to reflect on what we are grateful for at an early CRS Thanksgiving lunch celebration. Of course, you do not need to wait for a special event or holiday to practice gratitude, you can start today by thanking a stranger who holds the door for you, sending an appreciative email or card, and thanking those who you interact with regularly, or those you do not see as often, who have made an impact.   


Langley HS Swim & Dive Team Fundraiser

DATE: November 14, 2019

TIME: 5:00-9:00 PM

PLACE: Pulcinella Restaurant, 6852 Old Dominion Dr., McLean, VA

Enjoy dinner out and support the Langley Swim and Dive team; 20% of proceeds will be donated to the team.


Cheer Winners of the Week

Congratulations to our Churchill Cheer winners for the week of October 28.  Cheers are given to students who follow the four R’s. This week’s winners are: Emilia Martin (K); Nico Glakas (Grade 1); Arsalan Cannon (Grade 2); Luke Hund (Grade 3); and Michelle Lin (Grade 4).  Our winners for Art are: Gus Lehnert (K-2) and Izzy Clingerbrewster (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.


SCA  Literary Character Spirit and PTA Family Fitness Day Next Tuesday

Next Tuesday is the SCA’s Literary Figure Spirit Day and PTA Family Fitness Spirit Day. Celebrate the annual book fair by dressing as your favorite book character. Please join us on Tuesday for Family Fitness Spirit Day as well.   Arrive at school at 8:00 a.m. to enjoy 20 minutes playing on the playground! 

Don't miss out on future spirit days. Mark your calendars now for the remaining Spirit/Family Fitness Days of the school year. 

  • Friday, December 20 -- Holiday Wear Spirit Day
  • Friday, January 24 – Throwback Spirit Day (Dress like a prior decade)
  • Friday, February 1 – Sports Team/Jersey Spirit Day
  • Monday, March 2 -- Dr. Seuss' Birthday (wear black, red and white)
  • Friday, March 27 -- Sports Jersey Spirit Day
  • Friday, April 24 -- Crazy Hair Day
  • Friday, June 7 – Field Day Spirit Day 

CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events

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


pta logo

Congratulations to our Reflections Artists!

The CRS PTA proudly announces our 2019-20 Reflections Art Program contest winners.  Thank you to all of our talented artists for their outstanding submissions.  All entries were reviewed and scored by an independent panel of judges.  We would like to thank the residents of Sunrise Assisted Living McLean for enthusiastically serving as judges for our school PTA.  The competition was robust and the individual expression and emotions of the artists was noted by all.  The Honorable Mentions were numerous! The CRS PTA strongly supports this important National PTA Program celebrating Arts in Education.  All of the First Place winners in each division advance to the Fairfax County Council PTA level of the competition.  Our winners are:

Primary Visual Arts First Place: Finley Sheers
Primary Visual Arts Second Place: Grayson Sheers
Intermediate Visual Arts First Place: Yeeyoung Li
Intermediate Visual Arts Second Place: Danni Marino
Middle Visual Arts First Place: Davanee Li
Middle Visual Arts Second Place: Jason Chang

Primary Literature First Place: Lyla Siddiqui
Primary Literature Second Place: Finley Sheers
Intermediate Literature First Place: Connelly Roberge
Intermediate Literature Second Place: Annika Desai
Middle Literature First Place:  Mia Tripathi
Middle Literature Second Place: Amiti Ganguly

Music Primary Theodore Rosa
Music Intermediate First Place: Annika Desai
Music Intermediate Second Place: Georgia Dougherty
Music Middle First Place: Miqdad Khapra

Primary Photography First Place: Lara Desai
Primary Photography Second Place: Finley Sheers
Intermediate Photography First Place: Annika Desai
Intermediate Photography Second Place: Caden Sheers
Middle Photography First Place: Mia Tripathi
Middle Photography Second Place: Emma Duffy

Special thanks to our Reflections Committee Chair, Mrs. Karen Hall, for volunteering to take on organizing this year's Program.


Get Ready for the Book Fair!

Our annual Book Fair is next week, 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. Join us for evening shopping on Tuesday 11/12, from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Plus food will be on sale – stop by the SCA Pizza sale and Captain Cookie and the Milkman!! 


Tote Bags on Sale!

Order a Churchill Road tote bag and pick it up at the Book Fair – perfect for carrying all your book purchases! Our tote bags are only $5. http://www.churchillroadpta.org/spirit


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.