| Upcoming Events | | | 11/6 | Barnesville Open House | 9:30am | | 11/9 | School Picture Make-up Day | |
11/11 | Spring Gala Kickoff | 8am |
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| From the BPC | | Holiday Shop Leadership for Next Year Needed Are you interested in being mentored to become the Holiday Shop chair for next year? Please let Lynn Brown know as soon as possible. As we begin getting ready, we want to include you in all aspects of the process. Innisbrook Wrapping Paper Fundraiser Although our catalog ordering is over you can still support the BPC by ordering wrapping paper online from Innisbrook throughout the holiday season . Orders can be placed online at www.innisbrook.com.
Our school number for your order is 103786 Timely Topics (And other not-to-missed, parent education events coming to you this fall!) NOVEMBER 18th, 7:30 - 9:30 PM Sponsored by The Parent Encouragement Program's Noted Parenting Author Series: Po Bronson, author of NutureShock: New Thinking About Children, will explain why he believes so many of society's current strategies for nurturing children are backfiring! Learn startling findings in all areas of parenting reseach. Tickets are $25 -- at the The Landon School Mondzac Performing Arts Center, Potomac, MD. More info at www.pepparent.com.
DECEMBER 3rd, 8:30 AM to 11 AM Join us at Barnesville for a just-in-time-for-the-holidays workshop on Limit- Setting During the Holiday Season! Learn strategies to help avoid over-indulgence, how to use wish lists to help kids winnow down wants, and preplanning with the family on expectations during the holiday season. Don't miss this two hour workshop with a experienced parent educator from The Parent Encouragement Program. | |
| Advancement | | It looks like 8th grade and 2nd grade are neck-and-neck to be the first class to reach 100% parent participation with this year’s Annual Fund! GO CLASSES, GO!! Parents, if you haven’t seen it yet, below is Ms. Barnhart’s challenge to the 8the grade class to be the first to attain the 100% goal. (You ROCK Ms. Barnhart!) The challenge has been given – will 8th grade be the first to reach it? Find out in next week’s publication of TidBits!! Thank you to all those listed in the Honor Roll of Donors for participating thus far with the Annual Fund. And thank you in advance to all those who are planning to participate! Know that you, our Barnesville parents, faculty, staff and friends are greatly appreciated!
Letter from Ms. Barnhart to the 8th grade parents:
Dear 8th grade parents:
This is the first time in my teaching career where I have the privilege of teaching your child two years in a row. I LOVE this group; they are passionate, energetic, engaged learners. Each student brings something unique to the group and I LOVE that about them. I have watched them grow in many ways and I truly am proud of them. Most recently, I had the pleasure of seeing your children serve food to the Homeless at the Frederick Rescue Mission and assist in stocking their pantry. Also, each student participated in the Barnesville Basement this past weekend. Whether it was helping in the gym or at the Bake Sale, your children put forth a tremendous effort towards community service. The kids love having their parents and teachers participate alongside them (even though they might not readily admit this!)
So, I am writing to ask that you help me! As the "top" class in the school it only seems fitting that we, as the adults, model participation. So, I am hoping you will all make a contribution to the Annual Fund so that the 8th grade class can be the first class to reach 100% participation! The emphasis is on contribution, so the amount does not matter. (I know you can make a verbal pledge by calling Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement at 301-972-0431 ext 235 or you can make a pledge online at Barnesville's website. Here is the link http://www.barnesvilleschool.org/contentPage.aspx?pageId=61628) Leadership starts at the top, so I hope you will join me in this important endeavor! To show you how important this is to me, I will DOUBLE my contribution to the Annual Fund with 100% participation from all of you! With appreciation, Tara Barnhart
8th Grade Lead Teacher Group Percent participation
Board: 100.0
Faculty/Staff: 100.0
Overall Parent Participation: 65.4
Family Participation by Class:
Early Childhood 3's 66.7
Pre-Kindergarten 75.0
Kindergarten 70.6
1st Grade 75.0
2nd Grade 92.0
3rd Grade 63.2
4th Grade 72.2
5th Grade 71.4
6th Grade 56.5
7th Grade 50.0
8th Grade 81.8
*Note: Families with multiple children, who have pledged or contributed, are counted in each of their children’s classes in the Participation by Class section. Honor Roll of 2010-11 Annual Fund Donors as of 11-03-10:
(*) Denotes Barnesville Alumni Mr. and Mrs. Aitan Ameti
Mr. and Mrs. William Amick
Ms. Tara Barnhart
Mrs. Cynthia Barr
Dr. and Mrs. Sean Beinart
Mr. and Mrs. Jason Bennett
Mrs. Linda Birkholz
Dr. and Mrs. Michael Brasch
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Brown
Mr. and Mrs. Thompson Butz
Ms. Nicole Campbell
Ms. Maria Consuelo Campos
Ms. Jordan Chaffman
Ms. Jenny Chiang
Mr. John Clark
Mr. Thomas Germer and Ms. Pamela Chu
Mr. and Mrs. Doug Crawford
Mr. James Diller and Ms. Jolene Houser
Mr. and Mrs. Brett Don
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Donohoe
Ms. Christine Donza
Ms. Elizabeth Doolittle
Mr. and Mrs. Dan Dunkers
Mrs. Ceil Dyke
Mr. and Mrs. R. Timothy Edwards
Mr. and Mrs. Harald Ehrentraut
Mr. James Evans and Ms. Susanne McLean
Ms. Lynda Forman
Mrs. Melanie Gekas
Ms. Barbara Gherman
Mr. Greg Gherman
Ms. Georganna Glen
Mr. and Mrs. Dave Goldberg
Mr. and Mrs. Charles Graham
Mrs. Janet Hamilton
Mr. Douglas Hart
Mr. and Mrs. John Hegarty
Mr. and Mrs. Jason Henderson
Mr. and Mrs. Kyle Hildebrand*
Mr. Mykel Hitselberger and Ms. Claudia Harrington
Mr. and Mrs. Jeff Hoover
Mr. and Mrs. John Huber
Mrs. Susan Hughson
Mr. and Ms. Brian Hundertmark
Mr. and Ms. Randy Hurowitz
Mr. and Mrs. Syed T. Hussain
Mr. and Mrs. Timothy Hyland
Mr. and Mrs. Kirk Jensen
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Johnson III
Mr. Adam Gregory Jones
Mr. and Mrs. Ted Jordan
Mr. and Mrs. Michael Kaminski
Mr. and Mrs. David Katzker
Mrs. Dona Kaufman
Mr. and Mrs. John Kaufmann
Mr. and Mrs. Kevin Kelliher
Mrs. Catherine E. Kennett
Mr. and Mrs. Andrew Klingenstein
Ms. Elaine Koch
Mr. and Ms. Robert Kosasky
Dr. and Mrs. Shyam Krishnan
Mrs. Ann Kupferberg
Mr. Richard Landis and Dr. Julie Landis
Ms. Ellen Landriau
Mr. and Mrs. William Liggett
Mr. and Mrs. Hal Magruder
Mr. and Mrs. Christopher Marett
Mr. and Mrs. Alex Markoff
Mr. Walter Matia and Dr. Pamela Matia
Mrs. Mary Mehala
Mr. and Mrs. Robert Molyneaux
Mr. and Mrs. John Murray
Mr. Joseph Myers and Ms. Beth Andochick-Myers
Dr. and Mrs. Steven Nagel
Mrs. Karol Nave
Mr. and Mrs. William M. Nichols
Mr. and Mrs. Dmitry Nikitina
Mrs. Kathy Noble
Mr. Carl Ohlke and Ms. Mano Koilpillai
Dr. and Mrs. Stephen Pappas, Jr.
Mr. Jerome Parkinson and Ms. Dupe Harris
Mr. and Mrs. Blake Patterson
Mrs. Ann Pause
Mr. and Mrs. William D. Pleasants, III
Mr. and Mrs. Kostas Rikos
Dr. Charles Mecenas and Ms. Siena Roberton
Mr. James Robertson
Ms. Lise Y. Robinson
Mrs. Vickie Roos
Mr. and Mrs. Edward Rothenberg
Mr. and Mrs. David Russin
Mr. and Mrs. Theodore Rutsch
Mr. and Mrs. Alex Sabad
Ms. Deanna Schwartz
Mr. and Mrs. Brian Self
Dr. Yizhong Sha and Ms. Xiao Li
Ms. Mary Jane Sheppard
Mr. and Mrs. Madhu Siddalingaiah
Mrs. Julie Smith
Mr. Steven Smith and Ms. Deena Edwards-Smith
Mr. Jim Snider
Mr. and Mrs. Rogan Stearns
Mr. and Mrs. Richard Strong
Mr. and Mrs. Sean Sullivan
Mr. and Mrs. Ehtesham Tataei
Ms. Nancy Taylor
Ms. Kelly Ratliff Terrell*
Mr. and Mrs. Gary Toth
Mr. and Mrs. Bernie Tull
Mr. and Mrs. Nelson Tyler, II
Mr. and Mrs. Harris Vederman
Mr. and Mrs. Mark Waksberg
Mrs. Mary Waldhorn
Mr. Jef Walker and Ms. Lynne Rasmusen
Mr. Craig Walton and Dr. Dawn Walton
Mr. John Webster and Ms. Joanne Ogaitis
Mr. and Mrs. Bernard Weintraub
Dr. and Mrs. James Wilbur
Mr. and Mrs. Lance Woelfer
Ms. Amanda Womack*
Ms. Betty Woods
Mr. Michael Parsons and Ms. Frances Ybanez-Parsons
Mrs. Daniela Zeppos
Dr. and Mrs. Alexander Zukiwski
Mr. Tom Miller and Ms. Dolores Zumbado
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| | From Our Head of School | | We’re coming on the close of the first trimester, and I have been reflecting on how we seek to engender independence in our students. For our middle schoolers, soon they’ll be completing their final tests and projects of the trimester in preparation for the report cards. I imagine this is leading many parents to ask themselves an often-asked question: when will my child be independent? Meaning, when will they remember to do their homework / study for their tests / organize their lockers / not lose their gym clothes or textbooks or cell phones or all of the above? The only honest answer is, “It depends.” As a school, we can and do provide the tools for independence so that students learn organization and self-sufficiency. We supervise study halls, develop review packets, teach about learning styles, and arrange field trips that help students learn to be self-reliant and overcome boundaries. And recently, we made accessible our middle school gradebooks so that students to track their own progress. But for all this work, there are some limitations. Part of it comes from the variability of human nature – some children seem to be born to use a day planner, others are as random as a lottery. Another part of the equation is how much freedom we give our children. I do know that it is horribly difficult for parents to give their children independence. Tuesday’s “Zits” comic strip summed it up well: the mother says to her teenage son, “Jeremy, you can’t procrastinate like this on your schoolwork!” Jeremy replies, “Why not?” “It’s too much pressure!” answers his mother. Jeremy, merrily tapping on his cell phone, replies, “I work best under pressure.” The final panel shows his mother wide-eyed and clutching her knees, thinking, “I meant that it’s too much pressure on me!” As much as we want our children to grow up, we still yearn for the big bubble of protection, the large safety net to catch them when they fall. It’s understandable - we want what we think is best for our children, and we want them to avoid the same mistakes we made. And, of course, it’s very painful to see our own flaws and foibles mirrored in them, leading us as parents to push even harder to help them avoid the same mistakes that we made. So instead of encouraging our students to monitor their own grades, we end up monitoring them instead, and then their responsibility becomes our responsibility. One thing I do know is that a child’s independence is not a linear process. It has stops and starts, progress is won and lost, and independence can be higher in some areas and lower in others. The child who sometimes forgets his homework might be very good at caring for small children, for example. We don’t always do well by jumping in when lessons can be learned through smaller mistakes. This doesn’t mean getting rid of the safety net entirely, just testing it out every once in a while. I end with a cautionary tale, one I’ve written about before, one that shows if we stop providing opportunities for independence, they can evaporate quickly with the best of intention. The Daily Mail published an article a few years ago chronicling four generations of a family and showing how far each member was permitted to roam without adult supervision at age 8. The great-grandfather was allowed to walk six miles by himself to go fishing, the grandfather could go for a mile in the woods on his own, and the mother was allowed to go to the swimming pool half a mile away. And the son? He’s permitted to go only as far as the end of the street, 300 yards away. If we’re not careful, the world we provide our children can become much more limited and much less interesting than the one we grew up in. John Huber
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| Middle School | | We had a wonderful Halloween and Walk for the Homeless Celebration last Friday, October 29th. Even though it was quite chilly and breezy outside, our children did a wonderful job walking the pumpkin lined path on school property to help raise money for The Dwelling Place and The Frederick Rescue Mission. The middle school students had the opportunity to listen to a member of the Dwelling Place present her road to homelessness and then ask questions. The Frederick Rescue Mission presented a DVD documentary that they created which illustrates what it is like to be homeless in Frederick for 24 hours. The Halloween Buddy Fashion Show was quite a hit with all of the different Halloween costumes. The buddies had such a wonderful time walking up on stage and introducing themselves and then walking down the pumpkin fashion runway in the gym together. I know many wonderful pictures were taken and can be seen on the school’s website. Congratulations to our new 2010-2011 Student Council Officers!
President – Eric Kaufmann
Vice President – Jamie Evans
Secretary – Bridgette Kontner
8th Grade Representative – James Huber
7th Grade Representative – Robert Wilbur
6th Grade Representatives – Camie Tyler and Jordan Myers
5th Grade Representatives – Aimee Egwudobi and Ryan Marrett The Student Council will begin their first project on the next couple of weeks which will be organizing and carrying out our Annual Dwelling Place Family Adoption for the holidays. Each homeroom will be adopting a family for the holidays and will be provided with a wish list of items for each family. Once the items are brought in for each family the Student Council will collect and deliver the presents to The Dwelling Place. Our students love participating in this community service project each year and we look forward to providing these families in need with some very special gifts. The 7th grade is getting ready to take off on their class trip to Echo Hill Outdoor School next Monday through Wednesday. Echo Hill is located on Maryland’s Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay and through their programs students learn more about the wonders of nature, the value of history, and the diversity of individual qualities. 8th grade exams are almost here and every 8th grade parent and student should have received the exam schedule via email last week. If you did not receive this email please let me know and I will get the schedule to you. Our 5th and 6th grade students will have an assembly on Monday, November 15th. The assembly is entitled "Ancient Glories" and the presenter will be talking about Greek heroes and monsters. Last Thursday our 7th grade students took a field trip to Medieval Times in Baltimore to support the curriculum in social studies. They were able to take a step back in time with epic battles, jousting tournaments and a royal feast. Just a reminder to all 8th grade parents and students who are applying to the Poolesville Magnet Program that the application deadline is this coming Monday, November 8th. ~Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School | |
| 8th Grade Holiday Fundraiser | | Each year the Eighth grade raises money towards the final trip of their Barnesville Experience. The trip to New York City is both a learning experience, and a final trip with their school family of many years. This year to help fund their trip, the 8th grade is selling cornucopias with live flowers, wreaths, and holiday centerpieces in either red, blue, or fall colors. These lovely floral arrangements will be perfect either as gifts or for your own home celebrations. All arrangements will be delivered to school on either 11/22-23 for fall and Thanksgiving pieces, or 11/30-12/1 for the wreaths and holiday centerpieces. Order details can be found the page attached here. Please support the eighth grade - Thank You! | |
| Lower School | | Last Tuesday, October 26th our 4th grade students took a trip to the Schifferstadt Architectural Museum in Frederick to support their study of colonial America. The first grade took a trip to Mayne’s Farm in Frederick and had a great time in their pumpkin patch and took a wonderful hayride. Our Kindergarten students went to Summer’s Farm in Frederick for their field trip. The tour included a learning program and hayride, plus time for children to explore other farm activities such as the Jumping Pillow, Straw Mountain and more. Our 1st through 4th grade students will have an assembly on Monday, November 15th. The assembly is entitled "Ancient Glories" and the presenter will be talking about Greek heroes and monsters. ~Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School | |
| Admissions | | We are excited for our Open House this weekend, Saturday, November 6th @ 9:30 am! We already have 11 confirmed prospective families registered to attend the information session and to tour our campus with parent volunteers. It’s not too late to invite your friends and neighbors to join us. Word of mouth is our very best marketing tool!
Mark your calendars! Special Barnesville School Spirit Day, Wednesday, November 17th! Our second Admissions Open House of the season is scheduled for November 17 @ 9:30 am. We are requesting that all students and staff wear their Barnesville attire on that day to highlight our fabulous community!
Thank you, in advance, for your support! ~Susanne Johnson, Director of Admissions | |
| Communications, Marketing, and Special Events | | School Picture Makeup Day
Next Tuesday, November 9th, is School Picture Makeup Day. If your child did not have their photo taken during Picture Day in October, this will be your child's opportunity to have their photo taken for the yearbook and the standard package included in tuition-a class photo, 2 5x7's and 8 billfolds. Should you have any questions, please feel free to contact me. Grandparents Day Volunteers are still needed for Grandparents Day! Please contact Angel Rutsch if you're able to help out! Also, be reminded that the RSVP deadline is next Wednesday, November 10th. If your child's grandparents haven't mailed in their reply card, please encourage them to do so as soon as possible! Spring Gala and Auction Please remember that next Thursday, November 11th will be our Spring Gala Kickoff right after carpool! Please join us to learn about our theme and all of the fun things we'll be doing this year!!! ~Nicole Campbell, Director of Communications and Marketing | |
| Auxiliary Programs | | Our next session of available afterschool programs will begin in January. A schedule of activities will be online in before Thanksgiving break-Keep your eyes peeled! ~Lynda Forman, Director of Auxiliary Programs | |
| Facilities and Transportation | | Some of you may not be aware of it, but in 2000 The Barnesville School purchased the corner property that sits across from the school at the southwest corner of Barnesville Road and Peach Tree Road. There were successful percolation tests, and now a well is to be added to this property to more accurately value this important asset. As in the past, we will continue to lease this property to a local farmer for agricultural purposes. So, if in the near future equipment appears in the fields across the street, you will know why. Let me know if you have any questions. Just a reminder, during AM car pool, students should only exit your car onto the sidewalk, and not from the driveway side. ~Bernie Weintraub, Director of Faciltiies and Transportation | |
| Technology | | Last year we put our toe in the water and tried out some new technology from NComputing known as virtual terminals. This technology uses a single computer to power up to 6 monitor/keyboard/mouse sets, all of which have access to the Internet and the Microsoft Office suite. The implementation last year used somewhat aging computers and somewhat old versions of Office and was, therefore, limited in functionality and performance. Over the last two weeks the computers that power these virtual terminals have been upgraded to modern, powerful Dell machines, all of which run Windows 7 and Office 2010, plus the full anti-virus suite from AVG. The new computers allow students to safely use the Internet for research and do so very quickly and efficiently. We've now jumped into the virtual terminal world with both feet and I suspect there's no turning back. It's entirely possible that within the next 2-3 years the school may have only a handful of actual computers but may offer even more computing resources to staff and students than are available today. ~Jim Snider, Technology Director | |
| Business Office | | A Little Knowledge Can Literally Pay Off It may seem frightening when you think of teaching your child about the complex world of finances, but you can help put your child on the right track by encouraging smart habits now. Is it really worth your time and effort to help your child learn about money? Benjamin Franklin once said, "An investment in knowledge always pays the best interest." Answering your child's questions honestly and in terms they'll understand can help them begin life on sound financial footing. SUMMARY - The benefits of teaching your child about money can be both short and long term. Let your child help you determine how to teach them. Use their questions to develop lessons.
- Explain to child that money is earned. Consider paying them for helping with certain chores.
- Use a piggy bank to help teach about savings and interest. Set a savings goal to encourage your child to save some of their allowance. Calculate how much is saved each month and chip in a certain percentage as interest.
- Take your child to the bank to open a savings account requiring a lower minimum deposit. If you extend credit, issue an IOU, set a repayment schedule, and charge interest.
- Review compounding, or the ability of interest to build upon itself.
- Once your child begin earning their own money through part-time jobs, introduce them to investments such as stocks and mutual funds.
CHECKLIST - If they're old enough, help your child set up a plan to save for their own goals (such as a new video game) and other accounts for family goals (such as paying for college).
- Agree on an amount of their savings that you'll "match."
- Schedule time to talk about how investing works and how it may enable people to reach their financial goals faster.
- Talk to your child about good shopping habits. Perhaps you can ask them to clip coupons and let them keep some of the savings.
Helpful Sites:
www.moonjar.com
www.moneyinstructor.com/parents
www.payjr.com/important-lessons-to-teach-your-child-about-money ~Lise Robinson, Business Manager | |
| A Note From Ms. Nave | | Attendance Please remember to call or email me when your child is going to be absent for the day and/or late arriving at school by 9:15 a.m. I send an email to the faculty and staff with the names of those students absent or tardy along with carpool changes. Tooth box report- just for fun! We are keeping the Tooth Fairy busy this year. Four tooth boxes were needed during the last two weeks. Sam Katzker (6th), Lauren Zukiwski (2nd), Alina Nikitina (3rd) and Anjuna Ohlke (2nd) complete the list of students that now have their names on my tooth chart. No tooth needed my helping hand-just a tooth box. | |
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