| Volunteer BITS | | New to BITS! Each BITS, we'll include volunteer opportunities that are needed over the next few weeks. If you can't commit a lot of time, but could help out for a couple hours, consider one of the following: - We need some volunteers to help out with Family Fun Night! Volunteers are needed to help for decorations, food, set up, clean up, supervising games and crafts. Contact Deb Weiss if you can help out!
- Can you spare an hour in the morning? Help out by covering the School Store! Contact Deb Weiss to sign up!
- Get a "behind the scenes" look at The Barnesville 2010 Holiday Shop! The current Chairperson, Joan Kaminski, has a living room full of presents for the 2010 holiday shop. Due to the volume of items, it would be very helpful to have a few more hands to expedite the process of removing the retail price tags and attaching the Barnesville wholesale price tags!! It's a great one-day volunteer opportunity so grab a friend and join us! -- even if you only have an hour or two to spare. You can contact Joan directly at kamtwins@verizon.net .
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| From the BPC | | Keeping Tabs on Your Child in Today's Internet Society The Barnesville School will be hosting an informative workshop and discussion with Debbie Kovalsky, Internet Safety Consultant for Computer Training Wheels, on February 2nd at 7 pm. Learn how to appropriately keep tabs on your child while they develop more independence. She will explain the ins and outs of IM, Chat, Blogging, Facebook and expose common areas of concern. Ms. Kovalsky will provide you with the tools you need to educate yourself and your children about online dangers. Mark your Calendars- February 2nd at 7 pm. RSVP by clicking here. Contact Janine Huber, janinebhuber@hotmail.com with any questions.
Thank You! Thank you to the many wonderful parents who contributed to the staff luncheon this month. Dishes were prepared by Gay Butz, Kristen Waksberg, Niki Markoff, Michelle Sullivan, Caroline Semancik, Amy Slattery, Lynn Brown, Princina Drazan, Shaun Min, Jan Hyland, Angel Rutsch, Lynn Rassmusen-Walker, Charles Mecenas, and Hannah Dibonge. Special thanks go to John Clark, Kristen Waksberg, and Shaun Min for help with set up and clean up.
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| | | The donation deadline for the Family Fun Night Raffle is fast approaching! We’ll keep collecting donations for the Gala through March, but we need raffle prize donations by February 1. We already have some great prizes! New this week are: - Beach Essentials – Two beach chairs, Vera Bradley towels, and even a Frisbee!
- Scrapbooking Tote – Stylish tote filled with everything you need to start scrapping!
- Webkinz– Not one but TWO great baskets, each with 5 Webkinz and clothing! One has Iguana, Triceratops and similar furry friends and the other has Love Monkey, Glamour Gecko and other sparkly creatures!
- Barbie Basket – Four of your favorite Barbies, furniture, clothing, a Barbie DS game and more!!!
We also need some smaller items that folks will be thrilled to win. Ask your favorite restaurant, ice cream parlor or coffee shop to donate a gift certificate. Bring in a pack of trading cards or other collectables (Pokemon, miniature figurines, etc.) and we’ll combine them with other donations to create fun baskets the kids will love!! | |
| First Saturday in Frederick | | February 6th is First Saturday in Frederick and Ice Sculpture Night. Mrs. Waldhorn invites you to McGuire Fine Arts Gallery on Market Street for an art opening where 9 of her pieces will be on display. Come see ice sculptures and art from 6:30-9pm | |
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| | From Our Head of School | | I have greatly enjoyed talking with many of you over the past few weeks in my Friday “Coffee with the Head” gatherings. And by far, the number one question that has come up in these meetings has been: “what changes will there be in the dress code / uniform for next year?” I had pledged at these coffees to meet with the Uniform / Dress Code Task Force, hear their recommendation, and make my decision by this week’s Bits. And so, to answer this question… I am going to wait just a little bit longer before deciding. Have patience, and I’ll explain why. First, it has become clear that the Task Force would benefit from one final simplified survey in order to clarify the various possibilities. Certainly the Task Force, led by the outstanding Communication & Marketing Director Nicole Campbell, has done a very thorough job in spreading the word. I have been uniformly impressed by the thoughtfulness of their work. Parents, teachers, and administrators have come together with open minds and earnest effort. Yet whenever uniforms and dress codes get talked about in private schools, there’s no such thing as too much communication! More importantly, the Task Force wants to ensure that as many voices as possible can get heard. There’s been an incredibly high response to the first survey, with over 100 replies. But this is a decision that affects virtually everyone – parents who must shop for clothes (uniform or otherwise), teachers who must supervise appropriate dress, and students who must put on appropriate clothes each morning as they prepare for school. If that means taking an extra week to do so, then it’s worth it. So. Let me share with you a little of the work this committee has done. They have met for over four months, and during this time they have reviewed research studies regarding school dress codes and uniforms, surveyed other independent schools, held one-on-one discussions with members of our community, and polled our faculty, parents, and students. In considering this topic, they have sought to make a recommendation that answers the following questions: - does it assure safety in the classroom, on school grounds, and on field trips?
- does it help minimize distractions from a focused and active learning environment?
- does it reflect Barnesville’s values of respect and responsibility?
- does it reduce social issues among students?
- does it promote a feeling of school spirit and unity?
- does it positively promote the school to the greater community?
No small order! Please consider these questions as well as you complete your final survey. It will be sent out today via Kids’ Mail tomorrow (Friday), and a link to the survey can be found here, with a hard due date of Tuesday, Feb. 2nd. I ask that you take the time to fill this in and return it soon. And I pledge to hear this committee’s recommendation and publish my decision in the next Bits. Scout’s honor! John Huber
Head of School | |
| Lower School | | Muffins for Haiti The third and sixth graders (buddy classes) would like to send a warm and heartfelt thanks to all of you for our successful "Muffin Sale for Haiti". Due to your kind support, we are excited to announce that we collected $535.00 for this important cause. Pennies for Peace We are also delighted to share with you that our students are participating in a Pennies for Peace campaign from January 15th to March 25th. Pennies for Peace is a service learning program founded by Greg Mortenson, author of the #1 New York Times best seller, Three Cups of Tea. Second grade decorated the "Pennies for Peace" jars with their seventh grade buddies last Wednesday. | |
| Middle School | | Ski Trip Forms are due TOMORROW, JANUARY 29!!! The Middle School ski trip is taking place Friday, Feb. 5th. We'll be saying goodbye to our Peruvian exchange students with a celebratory cake in the ski lodge. Middle School Play January 29th and 30th our Middle School performers will be presenting "Let Him Sleep 'til it's Time for His Funeral." at 7pm in the gym/auditorium. It promises to be an evening full of laughter and fun. Admission is free. Middle School Field Trips Last Friday, our 5th Grade, along with our exchange students, visited Mount Vernon to complement their Social Studies curriculum. The kids enjoyed an extensive tour, the museum, a few short films, lunch, and the gift shop. As part of our Christianity unit, 7th Grade went to the National Cathedral with our Peruvian students. They tried Indian food at a local Indian restaurant in Bethesda, and they visited Ten Thousand Villages, where they bought artifacts from around the world. Renaissance Feast 7th graders complete their Renaissance Exploratory Unit at a feast, where they introduced themselves as characters they researched, and each student prepared an original Renaissance recipe for the feast. Green Acres Dance A reminder that there will be a dance at Green Acres School from 7:30-10pm on Friday, January 28th for 7th and 8th Grade Students, our exchange students and the Siena School. Parents must provide transportation to and from the dance. Mrs. Waldhorn will be chaperoning the dance. The price is $5/student.. | |
| A Note from Mrs. Nave | | Absent/Late/ Leaving early? When your child is absent, you should notify me by phone (voice mail is also good) or email, on the first day of the absence and report the reason for the absence. When it is necessary for your child to be late to school or leave before dismissal due to a health appointment, please send me an email or call me ahead of time. It is the student’s responsibility to check in at the Receptionist’s Office when arriving late to get a tardy slip. Taking this slip to the homeroom lets the teacher know that I know the student has arrived at school and the attendance has been changed from absent to tardy. Karol’s lunch break I usually take my 30 minute break at 1:00. If no volunteer is available, my office is closed. Calls will go to voice mail and getting into the building could be tricky. Tooth box report- just for fun! One first grader lost one tooth on the 19th and another one on the 20th. A second grader's tooth was so loose I pulled it out for her. Another pulled his own tooth on Wednesday. Total for the week: 4 tooth boxes left my office. | |
| Admissions and Advancement | | Shop to Support Barnesville!
It's not too late to register your grocery/store bounus cards to support Barnesville! A percentage of your purchase dollars will be donated back to the school and used to support our Operating Budget. If you haven't already, please register today!
Giant Food A+ BonusBucks Program: Register by calling 1-877-275-2758 OR online at www.giantfood.com/aplus.
Harris Teeter Together in Education Program: Register at check-out OR online at www.harristeeter.com/togetherineducation/linktoyourschool using Barnesville School ID 6276.
Safeway Club Card for Education Program (escrip): Register online at www.escrip.com/program/welcome.jsp.
Target Take Charge of Education Program: Register in-store OR by calling 1-800-316-6142 using Barnesville School ID 7890.
A few minutes of your time can make a difference for your child today!
No time...e-mail your card numbers to the Advancement Office at sjohnson@barnesvilleschool.org and we'll handle it for you! | |
| Business Office | | A couple of reminders from the Business Office - Please keep an eye out for your reenrollment contracts-they will be mailed tomorrow and must be returned before March 1.
- If you would like to get a head start on appying for financial aid for the 2010-2011 school year go the Financial Aid tab on the Admission page of the the schools website and follow the instructions. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to give Marie Mehala a call.
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| Communications and Marketing | | The most important way that prospective families hear about our school is through Word of Mouth-through amazing families like you who share your stories of Barnesville. In addition to your friends and family, we want others to hear these great stories as well, which is why on our website we have a "Why I Love Barnesville " page. Here, you can find testimonials from students and alumni about why Barnesville brings them joy. You can share your stories too! Just fill out the form with an anecdotal tale of your child in the classroom; the reasons you picked Barnesville for your children; or just a story abour your child's teacher. We'd love to hear from you! | |
| Facilities and Transportation | | As you know, the Barnesville Facility group wears many hats. We are very cooperative in providing help when help is needed. This school year Barnesville's AAA road service assisted many of our dear families in providing gasoline for vehicles when running on empty. Especially during the winter months make sure your vehicle is fueled up and has plenty of washer fluid. | |
| Technology | | As our students make their way through the 2009-2010 school year they find themselves doing research in a very green environment, and I’m not referring only to the color of the walls. At the beginning of the school year we opened a new computer lab in the space that we traditionally referred to as the “resource room”. The re-tasked space, now referred to as the “Media Center”, is still used as a meeting place and still has several large tables in the middle of the room, but at the beginning of this school year 18 computer workstations were added to the space. What, you ask, is so special about 18 computer workstations? The answer is – All 18 workstations are powered by only 4 computers called virtual desktop servers. The virtual servers are Dell desktop computers with the addition of hardware and software from Ncomputing, Inc. The Ncomputing upgrades allow each computer to support up to 5 additional keyboard/mouse/monitor sets. The current equipment was quite a bit less expensive than purchasing 18 stand-alone computers and was significantly easier to install. By utilizing the Ncomputing virtual desktop concept rather than the one-computer-one-student model, the school will spend less money to power the computers and to heat and cool the room, thereby reducing both actual costs and our carbon footprint. In addition, we will save time (money) maintaining and upgrading only 4 computers rather than 18. Overall, the new Media Center is a win-win for our students and for the school’s Green effort. | |
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