Mill Run Register
Newsletter for Mill Run Elementary Volume 49 January 2015 Mr. Vickers’ Views: January At-A-Glance It would be very easy for me to write a message for each of the next several months that focuses on this being my final Holiday Sing-along Jan. 5: (or fill-in whatever big event falls during that given month) as your School Resumes principal; but I’ll reserve that right for late May instead. Whatever deep emo ons I may be feeling, and I assure you that there are Jan. 7: many, it would be improper for me to focus on these when so many Mt. Lion Pride Citizenship Breakfast @ 7:50 am amazing things are happening around us at this wonderful school (by invitation) and in this loving community. Loudoun BOS recognizes our Home Depot friends for their dedication to Loudoun schools @ 6:00 p.m. Let me start by thanking all of you for giving so generously in this Jan. 9: year’s campaign to help those in our own community who are less fortunate. Not only did you fill up the Warming Tree with lovely hats, BINGO Night (doors open @ 6:30/ games begin @ scarves, gloves, and mi ens, but we also received many new and 7:00 p.m.) lightly worn winter coats to share. Our community also filled 75 Jan. 13: Xerox paper boxes with canned and boxed goods which were passed- PTO Board Meeting in Lounge @ 2:50 pm. on to Loudoun Interfaith and LINK in November. To top that, we Jan. 15: provided nine of our Mill Run families with the complete makings of Yearbook order forms sent home turkey meals for Thanksgiving. Perhaps, most remarkably, through our coin drop, the sale of our yellow “Love Starts at Home” bracelets, Jan. 19: the Run for Fun, and our PTO’s gi card dona on program, we raised Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday/ NO SCHOOL $4,200 which was converted to food, clothing, and gasoline gi Jan. 20: cards. These will be distributed to many of our families each month Games From Around the World assemblies @ 8:30, for the remainder of the school year. This was all part of our focus 9:45, & 11:45 a.m. on the differences between our “wants” and our “needs.” We Jan. 21: believe that this is an important dis nc on to make for our children, and OUR community has responded to our local needs in its typical, Mill Run Spelling Bee @ 1:00 in gym exceedingly generous manner. Thanks for your grace! Jan. 22: Looking forward to January, the month of Dr. Mar n Luther King, Jr.’s Specials run on Monday schedule birth, every Mill Run student will write a poem or essay that relates Jan. 23: to his transcendent “I Have a Dream” speech. These literary pieces Final day of 2nd grading period will be posted throughout Mill Run during the month of February, so Jan. 26: you will definitely wish to stop by to peruse our hallways to learn Moveable Student Holiday/ Teacher work day about the aspira ons and dreams of our children. Jan. 27-30: I truly hope that the New Year brings you great happiness and Book Swap during regularly scheduled library times health. Have a blessed winter break, and I look forward to seeing 5th grade Band Intro Night @ Eagle Ridge MS @ you in 2015! 6:30 p.m. As always, I sincerely thank you for your fullest support and Jan. 29: especially for sharing your wonderful children with us. Classroom lists for Valentines sent home Most respec ully, Paul L. Vickers Principal Don’t forget our annual Snowman Contest!!! Congratulations to Mill Run’s November Super Citizens!! Each month teachers select one student from their class who has demonstrated character traits that are consistent with creating a respectful and caring school climate.
Nina Keltz Shiloh Fatuma-Olsen Stephen Wyviorka Joey Greenlund Vaishnavi Sagi Darden Peterson Wya Witherington Vikas Kancharla Damian LoSchiavo Haylie Ehlert Ava Moore Ryan Theiss Sienna Page Natalie Seminario Sammie Haagsma Jack Chiodini Geneve Nathan Kailyn Fe erman Akshaya Sreekanth Dana Aziz Elizabeth Leininger Alayna Brumberg Carson Moore Alyssa VanLandingham Suhas Merla Parker Peterson Daniel Flynn Lilly Kopeck Clayton Lobb Claire Getsy Blake Pe bone Rachel DelNegro Shea Tyo Hannah Louis Camilla Madonna Patricio Anduaga Noah Mar n Fazil Abdul-Lateef Reese Harris Olivia Vincent
Cornely’s Conversation
Dear Parent/Guardian:
During the period from February 2nd through February 20th, second grade students in Loudoun County Public Schools will take the online Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT), Form 7, Level 8. The CogAT measures general and specific cognitive skills that allow a student to learn new tasks or solve problems in the absence of direct instruction. Students’ reasoning abilities are measured by three different batteries, or groups of test items: the Verbal Battery, the Quantitative Battery, and the Non-Verbal Battery. Each battery is comprised of three subtests. Students will complete all nine subtests, three per day, on three consecutive school days. The daily test administration period is untimed, however each day’s administration period should not exceed 90 minutes.
Because students cannot prepare for the CogAT, they will have the opportunity to become familiar with test items through practice activities. Students will become familiar with the online testing environment via practice questions administered before the first subtest.
Score reports will be sent home to parents/guardians no later than April 10th.
If you have any questions, please contact your child’s school. Veltri’s Vision By: Marisa Veltri, Administrative Intern
It is hard to believe that 2015 is here! Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful and restful holiday season! There are so many things in our lives that we should reflect upon and be grateful for! I know that, without a doubt, I am very thankful and grateful for the opportunity to be a part of our Mill Run family and community! Please remember to continue checking your child(s) yellow Thursday folder, as well as looking at the Calendar of Events on our Mill Run webpage, for the most current and up-to-date information. Staying connected is a very important part of your child(s) education.
Sincerely,
Ma!sa
The Warming Tree is a long-standing Mill Run tradition. In the past, our donations have gone to the Holiday Coalition, Good Shepherd Alliance, and Loudoun Abused Women's Shelter. This year we adopted 2 schools in Sterling.
SCA gathered hats, gloves, scarves, socks, mittens, slippers, new and gently used coats. The generosity of the community was overwhelming and much appreciated. We had the pleasure of dropping off the warming tree items at Sterling Elementary. The appreciation was heart warming. The of ice staff greeted us with claps and cheers. The staff said they will get right to work putting bundles together for the students in need.
Even with the 4 very large boxes that were dropped off the tree had 3 more boxes illed with more warmth to share. Thanks to all that were able to give. It was a great feeling to be able to share with our neighbors of Sterling.
Warmly, Pam Daniel, Susan Curcio, SCA B - I - N - G - O !!
Friday, January 9th is bingo night. Doors open at 5:30 pm
Be on the lookout for the order flyers in Thursday folders. Pizza will be pre-orders only! Sub sandwiches will be available along with snacks and drinks!
Take advantage of the pre-order and have your child registered for the Kid Caller Raffle! Special prizes will be given through out the night and a photo booth will be set up!
A fun night will be had by all!
We hope your family will be able to join us!
When Loudoun County experiences inclement weather conditions the safety of our students and staff is the most important consideration. In the event that weather or other reasons require either closing or delaying the opening of school, plan to receive up to the minute noti ication via e-mail, a cell phone call, or text message by registering with Loudoun Alert. You may register for this free service by accessing the LCPS Closings and Delays page via the “site shortcuts” pull down menu on the Mill Run home page. Parents have shared that often Loudoun Alert reported school closings before TV and radio stations began broadcasting the information. Please plan to use this valuable resource.
Resources for Parents and Students on the Web Mill Run Website: http://www.lcps.org/millrun Loudoun County Public Schools: http://www.lcps.org Library News
Birthday Book Club 2014-2015 We would like to thank the following students for dona ng a new book to the Mill Run Elementary library to celebrate a birthday. If you are interested in dona ng a Birthday Book, informa on can be found on the Library Web Page. December 2014 A Pabolu…You will be my Friend! A Pabolu…Guess Who, Buddy! N. Levy…Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul
Library News Thank you for your dona ons of gently used books in me for the 2nd Annual Book Swap to be held in the library during the month of January. We appreciate your support.
Please Label Jackets Now that the weather is getting a bit cooler, please make sure to write your children’s names inside their jackets. You would be surprised how many jackets are left at school each year and never reclaimed. At the end of each year, we wash our lost and found items and give them to charity. We always check for identification labels and return them to the appropriate children first. Please remember that you can find our Lost and Found in the two wardrobe cabinets outside of the gym.
Follow us on Facebook! http://www.facebook.com/MillRunPTO Counselor’s Corner
Happy New Year! We hope that the winter break provided many opportunities for you to be with your family and friends.
The “Character Word” for the month of January is Equality. We want to encourage group and individual responsibility for equality. Expressions like “we are the same because we are all different” and “we all smile in the same language” highlight that message. Academically, students will understand how equality applies to following the rules and paying attention. Socially, the students will understand the concept of equality as it applies to forming friendships, including and understanding students with special needs. Career objectives include applying the concept of equality to accepting other people’s ideas and appreciating differences when working cooperatively to meet goals. Showing respect for all jobs and learning about different types of careers helps to make the connection between education and work. Please ask your children to tell you about what they learned in their guidance lesson.
The next Mountain Lion’s Pride Citizenship Breakfasts will be held on Wednesday, January 7th. When you receive a letter about the Mountain Lion’s Pride Citizenship Breakfast during the winter months, a letter will be attached outlining the plan for winter weather adjustments to the breakfast schedule. A gentle reminder to parents, if you are unable to attend the Mountain Lion’s Pride breakfast when your child is receiving an award, please let the guidance counselors and/or the classroom teacher know. Students feel so sad, and many tears are shed when there is no one to see them receive their award. MIDDLE SCHOOL ALERT On Monday Jan. 26th or Tuesday Jan. 27th at 6:30 Eagle Ridge is hosting Band Instrument Night. Please choose one night to attend with your son/daughter if they plan to play a band or string instrument in 6th gr. If your child plans to sing in Chorus or take Music Lab in 6th gr. they do not attend this night. Parent Information Night for Middle School will be held on Wednesday, February 11th at 6:30 PM at Briar Woods High School this year. Please feel free to contact your grade-level counselor at any time with your questions or concerns so that we may discuss them with you. It is our pleasure to be able to provide support and information to the students and families of Mill Run. Sara Millikin (grades K-2) Michele Kovach (grades 3-5)
THANK YOU!! The Care & Share Committee sends a big THANK YOU to everyone who helped make the 'Holiday Teacher Breakfast' a success on 12/18. We had great participation from our wonderful volunteers, and the teachers really enjoyed everything. Thank you for your generous donations and for taking the time to help. We appreciate you!
The next Care & Share event is 'Nurses Appreciation Week' Jan 12-16. Please consider sending Ms. Zoe Ziegler a note thanking her for all she does for our children. PTO NEWS
Welcome back and Happy New Year!! We hope your family was able to relax and reconnect during winter break. I know many families spent the break battling versions of the flu-we hope everyone is recovered and ready to return to school! During December we enjoyed some our our favorite events including Movie Night and Donuts with Dad. Thank you to Kerri Fornino, Beth Zemcik, Lindsay Hardy and Patti Henricks for all your hard work to make these events great. We also appreciate all our Mill Run families that supported these events by volunteering and attending. We hope you had a great time. We would also like to thank Denise Angelo, Colleen Schmidt, and Diane Greene for all their efforts on our gift card fundraiser. The PTO has a few events coming up this month. Our families can look forward to Bingo night on January 9th. Doors will open at 5:30pm (this is earlier than in the past) to give everyone a chance to get some snacks, subs, and bingo cards. Games will begin at 7:00pm. Our Bingo team has been working hard to make this a great event. We hope that everyone can come out and have a fun evening. Other events happening this month include Nurse Appreciation week January 12th-16th. Take a moment to stop by Ms. Ziegler’s office and let her know how much we appreciate all she does to take care of our students. Our monthly PTO meeting will be on January 13th at 2:50pm. If you’re not able to attend our meeting, the minutes are always available on the PTO tab of Mill Run’s web site. Enrollment for the spring session of After School Activities will be coming up. Look for more information in Thursday folders. We are still seeking a representative to attend the monthly LEAP meetings at the school board building the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00pm. During January’s meeting, the Superintendent will present the proposed budget and have a Q & A session. If you are interested in representing Mill Run, please email me. Planning for the 5th Annual Mountain Lion Carnival in March is underway. We are seeking volunteers for a few committee head positions. If you are interested in being involved with this awesome event, please reach out to myself or Erin Stevens, the carnival chairperson ([email protected]). As part of our mission to continually make the PTO stronger, we have heard your requests and are excited to offer an evening meeting in March. We’ll discuss what the PTO has accomplished this year and what is upcoming. Our hope is that many of our parents who are unavailable after school will be able to attend this evening session. Date and time details will be sent home closer to the event. If you have any questions or topics you would like included, please email me anytime. Thank you for your continued support to make our school one of the best. Kristy McGehee PTO President
Be the change you want to see in the world. -Gandhi Thank You
MRES Landscapes & Outdoor Educa onal Habitats Commi ee works with the administra on and teachers to develop outdoor classroom spaces, habitats and landscapes to provide educa onal environments for science, music and art lessons.
Last summer we partnered with Piedmont Environmental Council to develop a project to transform the exis ng open space into an expanded outdoor classroom area. As you may have no ced, a large deck was built and has been in use by our classes. In addi on, many trees were planted and we all are looking forward to watching them grow and mature. Rain gardens and pollinator gardens were also installed and are wai ng for spring to bloom. We will con nue addi onal plan ng in the spring and hope to secure funding to install signage. This will be an important component of the educa onal outdoor classroom we have envisioned for Mill Run.
The benefits of this expansion focuses on: • Providing working area to mimic classroom se ng if needed • Crea ng an outdoor landscape to support science learning with hands on ac vi es and observa on • Weather Sta on - designed to support science learning for measuring the speed, temperature and volume with wind and rain gauges as well as rain and snow gauge • Colors with changing seasonal foliage-inspira onal place for arts • Reducing lawn mowing which causes air and noise pollu on. • Shading with increased tree canopy making the outdoor space more pleasant with its cooling effect • Rain gardens and trees to help with storm water runoff from the parking lot • Improving the condi on of the grounds with paths and crea ng natural flow around the gardens
Grant Funding • Dominion Power - $10,000 • Chesapeake Bay Restora on Fund Environmental - $2,500
In Kind Contribu on • Casey Trees, DC- 26 trees • Cris na Lewandowski - Design • Fairfax ReLeaf - 50 tree saplings • Heritage Landscaping Serv. - Discounted Labor • Home Depot – bird feeders, water fountain, weather sta on posts, labor of the deck construc on, equipment • Loudoun County Storm Water Mgmt. - mulch • Loudoun Environmental Stewardship Alliance - Teachers’ Workshop • Merri Proper es- concrete and seeding • South Riding Nurseries-stepping stones
We want to thank Loudoun County Supervisor Shawn Williams and his staff for assis ng us with the required county inspec ons and permits during the construc on of the science and nature deck Breaking Box Tops News!!!
Thank you to all who sent in box tops during the month of October. Mill Run collected 5,032 box tops, bringing in $503.20 for the school. Here are our monthly winners:
1st Place = Posey (189) 2nd Place = Holmes - PM (169) 3rd Place = Vinson (142)
* Please ensure that Box Tops have not expired prior to submitting to your teacher!
Visit http://www.boxtops4education.com for more information. Contact Kim Miller [email protected] with any questions!
Mill Run Spirit Store Hours: Every Thursday Morning, 7:35-7:50am
Come visit to check out new pens and pencils, pencil sharpeners, erasers and more!! The Spirit Store is run by parent volunteers. Children of our volunteers are welcome to help also! If you are interested, please contact Julia Boland. Contact: Julia Boland [email protected] with any questions.
Absentee Phone Line If your child is absent for any reason, please make sure to call the Mill Run Absentee Phone Line, (571) 252-2162, on the day or days your child is not in school. When possible, we would like to receive your call before our work day begins at 7:30 am. Also, please call the absentee number if your child will be tardy that day to prevent a phone call having to be made home. The absentee phone line is available for your use 24 hours a day, everyday. You can also save time and email us about your child’s absence - [email protected] Thanks to your support, our Gift Card Fundraiser raised $5,300 to support classroom learning this year!
A big thank you to the following volunteers who helped make our fall gi card program a success this year: Diane Greene, Belinda Ramberg, Colleen Schmidt, Caroline Molthen, Jessica Chestnut and Tammie Berger.
Congratulations to all our raffle winners and thanks to our local businesses for all of their donations!
Early Bird -- $50 to Parallel…Chrissy Bice Staff Raffle -- $25 to Ford’s Fish Shack…Laura Warner Most Cards sold -- $50 to Radiance…Jim Wolslayer All American Steakhouse…Jessica Chestnut Blue Ridge Grill… Leslie Zamer, John Ferrandino, Christine Andretta, Crickett Ruedisueli Broadlands Brickoven Pizza…Stephanie Sonnenfeld Clyde’s…Beth Wise, Meghan Getsy Mali Thai…Angela Rabina Parallel…Naida Broecker, Lisa Gardner Passion Fin…Colleen Hughes, Miho Anderson, Althea Martelino, Erin Louis Radiance…Jennifer Takagi Robeks…Christine Anderson Rubino’s…Srikanth Saladi The Zone… Rachel Harmatuk, Mellany Weaver Zinga…Anna Holden MILL RUN PTO 2014-2015 CULTUR AL ART S PROGRAM Games From Around The World Tuesday – January 20, 2015 (3 shows, all grades 8:30, 9:45, 11:45) World Class children's educator and entertainer Greg Kaler has just returned from a five-month stint of performing school shows across the globe! Greg has brought back some games he learned from the countries where he performed, which he is incorporating into this year’s school assembly. His new show is both fun and educational, and involves many students from the audience. There is an important message in the program as well: the importance of cooperation, if you try your best, you are a winner and if you had fun, you won! The games and activities showcased in the program are from China, Viet Nam, England, Africa, Australia and a new game from America. China...... Taijai Rouliqiu Ball, Flower Sticks and RibbonTwirling Viet Nam...... Jianzi or Da Cau (the national sport) England ...... Shuttleball Africa ...... The Diabolo Australia ...... Boomerangs There are other games and surprises along the way, plus catchy music with each activity. To finish the show Greg offers an activity to everyone who would like to participate! Both students and teachers alike will leave the performance area inspired, entertained, educated, and wishing for more!
If I Ran The Show Monday – March 2, 2015 (3 shows, all grades 8:30, 9:45, 11:45) The new assembly is a play on the titles If I Ran the Circus & If I Ran The Zoo. Books that are expected to be in the show include; The Sneetches, Oh, The Places You’ll Go, Scrambled Eggs Super, The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, and Yertle The Turtle. These are subject to change of course. The assembly runs 40-45 minutes and is suited to elementary school aged children and teachers. Dean Alan uses magic, music, audience participation and other theatrical hi-jinx to bring the books and characters of Dr. Seuss alive. Plus he shares many interesting facts about the how the various stories were created. All in all, it’s a fantastic assembly to get every charged up about reading!
PTO Meetings for the School Year January 13th February 10th March 10th (evening!!) April 14th May 12th
Meetings are held on Tuesdays at 2:50 p.m. in the library at Mill Run.
All are welcome, including children! We encourage your participation and feedback.
If due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to meaningfully participate in any activities listed in this newsletter, please contact Mr. Vickers in the Mill Run office at (571) 252-2160 at least five working days prior to the event. if the event is not at Mill Run, he will direct you to the appropriate resource.
Mill Run Elementary is dedicated to continuous school improvement. A formal School Improvement Plan has been developed by staff, parents, and community members. The plan is reviewed on an ongoing basis. A copy is available in the school office and the school library. You may also call us at (571) 252-2160 to have a copy sent home with your child. We welcome your input!
MILL RUN SCHOOL MOTTO Today... I will do more than I have to, I will treat others as I want to be treated, And I will try to become a better person.
MANY THANKS TO OUR COMMUNITY SPONSORS!