Churchill Chatter - Issue 16, December 18, 2019
In This Week's Issue
- Mr. Hutzel's Holiday Message to the community
- Retirement reception for Mr. Hutzel and Ms. Sterling on December 18
- Winter Break - December 23 through January 3 -- School closed
- Deadline for Parent AAP referrals is January 9, 2020
- CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
- CRS PTA News - Thank you for the Secret Snowman and Dogwood donations, Winter ASA registration underway, Register for the CRS spelling bee
Happy Holidays!
Incredibly, this is the last Churchill Chatter for 2019! I face this realization with a sense of both melancholy and nostalgia.
In 1999, as Churchill Road’s first assistant principal, I began this weekly school newsletter. I chose to call it the “Churchill Chatter” because I wanted a title that was easy to remember and had a friendly ring to it. In those early days, the newsletter was printed off in hard copy and sent home to families in the Wednesday VIP folders. While we have come a long way since then, the Churchill Chatter remains the voice of our school.
I have used this forum for updates and communications, but after almost 20 years, this edition is my last opportunity to address our community.
On behalf of the entire Churchill Road staff, I would like to thank all of our community for your support, generosity, and partnership and wish you and yours a wonderful Winter Break. We all deserve time to rest, reflect, and enjoy the camaraderie of our friends and family. On a personal note, I would like to express my deep appreciation to the Churchill Road community for the partnership and support I have enjoyed for the past two decades. We truly have a very special community and as I head into retirement, I will always treasure my time at CRS.
Wishing you all the best, now and in the future.....
Don Hutzel
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Retirement Reception for Mr. Hutzel
and Ms. Sterling
You are cordially invited to join students, families and members of the Churchill Road community in celebration of Mr. Hutzel's and Ms. Sterling's retirements on Wednesday, December 18 at 6:00 p.m. in the Churchill Road exploratory arts room. Please take a moment to chat with Mr. Hutzel and enjoy some cake and coffee prior to the 7:00 p.m. band concert.
We look forward to seeing you there!
Holiday Concerts Abound at Churchill
Strings teacher Mrs. Robertson led the students in three rousing holiday concerts earlier this week.
Ms. Judkins' chorus students performed three beautifully choreographed concerts for students and staff yesterday.
Ms. Gutjahr holds a final rehearsal prior to tonight's band concert.
Holiday Spirit Day and Family Fitness Day this Friday, December 20
 Ms. Thatcher, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Lutfi got in the spirit yesterday, and Ms. Thatcher and Ms. Antonio went all out today. Can we tell Ms. Thatcher has lots of holiday spirit?
We know it is a busy week. It is hard to believe it is December, let alone the last week before winter break! But, if you want to eke a little extra fun out of the last day of school before the winter break, please join us on Friday for the final Family Fitness Spirit Day for 2019. Just arrive at school at 8:00 a.m. to enjoy 20 minutes playing in the gym. It is a holiday spirit day so be sure to don your favorite holiday gear! We encourage you to be as festive as possible. The staff will be celebrating by wearing their ugliest holiday sweaters. (Check out the photo to see a preview of Friday's holiday wear spirit day!) We hope you can join us!
School Closed December 23, 2019 to January 3, 2020 for Winter Break
School will be closed December 23, 2019 to January 3, 2020 for Winter Break. Classes will resume on Monday, January 6, 2020. 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. See the complete 2019-20 school year calendar.
Principal and New Families Coffee – January 8
Come meet Churchill Road’s new principal, Ms. Pierson, and learn more about Churchill Road and the many exciting events that will be taking place for the remainder of the school year! Please stay for the PTA meeting immediately following the coffee. Coffee, pastries, and fruit will be served!
Date: Wednesday, 1/8
Time: 8:15 a.m.
Location: Exploratory Arts Room
For: All CRS Parents, with a special welcome to families new to CRS this year!
Questions? Please email the CRS PTA New Family Committee at newfamilies@churchillroadpta.org.
Deadline for AAP Level IV Referrals
This is a friendly reminder that the deadline for submitting referral materials for students in Grades 2-7 for AAP full-time Level IV consideration is no later than January 9, 2020. (Please submit referral materials to the front office, in a sealed envelope.) Parents are welcome to submit early, but no late referrals will be accepted. We advise parents not to wait for pending abilities test scores if they would like their student screened. While the Grade 2 screening pool casts a starting point for screening some students, test scores are only one factor in the eligibility decision.
If you would like more information about Level IV AAP services or the screening process for Level IV, there are two parent presentations available on the AAP public website that have the same information that was shared at our local school information meetings. Please contact, Esther Lee, Churchill Road AART, eclee1@fpcs.edu, if you have any questions.
Please note: On Tuesday, Jan. 7, 2020, 9:00 a.m.-1:00 p.m. in the Churchill Road front lobby, Esther Lee will be providing parents open office hours to drop by on a first come-first serve basis to have your child’s referral packet reviewed for completeness and adherence to submission guidelines. Please review part 2 of the parent presentation (AAP Screening and Identification Video), for details on submission guidelines.
CRS Calendar of Upcoming Events
Wednesday, December 18
Retirement Reception for Mr. Hutzel and Ms. Sterling, Gym, 6 PM
Band Concert for Parents/Community, Gym, 7 PM
Thursday, December 19
Band Concert for K,1,3,6, Gym, 9:15 AM
Band Concert for 2,4,5, Gym, 10 AM
Friday, December 20Friday, December 20
SCA Holiday Party Wear Spirit Day
Family Fitness Day, Gym, 8 AM
December 23 - January 3
Winter Break - School Closed
Monday, January 6, 2020
Classes resume at 8:35 AM
Wednesday, January 8
New Principal and New Family Coffee, EA Room, 8:15 AM
PTA Meeting, EA Room, 8:45-9:45 AM
Thursday, January 9
Level IV AAP Referral Deadline for Parents, COB
Secret Snowman Thanks You!
Thank you to each and every family who helped make this year’s Secret Snowman a huge success! Because of your generous donations, every staff member arrived to school on Friday morning to find a wonderful holiday gift from the families of Churchill Road. Thank you for helping us wish our staff a very happy holiday!
Thank You for All the Holiday Gift Donations!
Loading up all of the wonderful holiday gifts are our cafeteria hostess, Mrs. Rana, Dogwood family liaison Susan Livingood and PTA toy drive chair Heather Capps.
Thanks so much to everyone who donated toys for our annual Dogwood Toy Drive. Because of your generosity, we sent nearly 350 toys, books, and games to Dogwood Elementary for their Parent Holiday Shop. We are truly grateful for all of you, and for the spirit of giving which will bring many smiles to young faces this month. Thanks also to the volunteers who helped sort and pack all those gifts: Chelsea Rao, Mary Rohmiller, Jocelyn Ding, Li Jiang, and Amanda Clark. Thanks also to Kim Moran, who helped us load all those boxes of toys and also volunteered to take the last few that wouldn’t fit in the car!
Winter After School Activities Registration
Registration is open through Wednesday, January 8, at 5 p.m. Classes are filling up so register soon! Classes will begin the week of January 13 (except for Chess Club - the Winter/Spring session starts February 6). https://www.churchillroadpta.org/asa
Spelling Bee
Registration is open for students in grade 3 to 6 to compete in the annual Churchill Road Spelling Bee. The winner will compete in the Fairfax County Spelling Bee. Learn more and register at https://www.churchillroadtpta.org/spelling-bee.
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.
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