| From Our Head of School | | 
Normally my last Bits message of the year is pretty simple – best wishes for the season, safe travels, etc. But this year, I have three important items to share, so here’s hoping at least a few of our community members are reading this message before heading out on vacation! 1. This past weekend, Barnesville alumnus Austin Fiedler ’07 built three outdoor low ropes stations as part of his Eagle Scout project. Our new low ropes course, located in the wooded area below the soccer field, has both horizontal and vertical “spider webs” as well as a balance box. I’ll place some photos on my candid page. This is a great addition to our campus as we seek Green School certification. This spring, Austin will return to teach our faculty about the stations, and we anticipate even more stations being built by other Barnesville graduates working on their Eagle Scout badges. Many thanks to Mary Jane Sheppard for working with Austin on this outstanding project, and to Barnesville alumni parent and former trustee Doug Fielder for his support as well. 2. I call upon all of our parents to nominate their favorite PreK-5th grade teachers (including specials teachers) for the $2,500 Shirley J. Lowrie “Thank You For Teaching” Award. All Montgomery County PreK through 5th teachers who work at Independent Education member schools (such as Barnesville) are eligible for this cash award, to be given directly to the chosen teacher. To be nominated, teachers must have submitted three letters of recommendation and a cover form signed by me no later than March 11, 2011. We have a special connection to the award’s namesake, as Shirley was the mother of Lynn Longley, parent of two Barnesville alumni (Perri '09 and Kevin '06) and wife of former board chair Steve Longley. Please visit Independent Education’s website (www.independenteducation.org/news) to download a nomination form. 3. A quick reminder that my annual Coffees with the Head will begin the first Friday back from break. Our first coffee for EC-K parents will be held on Friday, Jan. 7th. This is a great opportunity for our parents to ask general questions about Barnesville. Parents are welcome to drop in any time between 7:30 and 9:00 (there is no set start time), and RSVPs are not required. I look forward to talking with you! And with that – safe travels, and enjoy your Winter Break! John Huber |  |
| What's Happening in the Classroom | | This year, our students once again adopted families from The Dwelling Place and Frederick Rescue Mission. Each class was given and family and holiday gifts were donated by the class to give these families a special holiday season. Thank you to our Student Council for helping to gather the gifts and deliver them to our adopted families. Best wishes to you during Winter Break!
~Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School | |
| EC-PK-8th Grade Holiday Buddies | | Buddy Groups have paired up before Winter Break to work on group holiday activities. EC, PK, and 8th Grade worked together decorating cookies! | |
| Math Problem of the Month | | A bowl contains 100 pieces of colored candy: 48 green, 30 red, 12 yellow, and 10 blue. They are all wrapped in foil, so you do not know the color of any piece of candy. What is the fewest number of pieces you must take to be sure that you have at least 15 pieces of the same color? | |
| Admissions | | Happy Holidays from the Admissions Office!
While enjoying your well deserved winter break, don't forget to share with your friends and neighbors the joy of a Barnesville School education! You could be eligible for $1,000 for supporting our Referral Campaign! You should have received the campaign details last week, along with two Referral cards, via kid's mail. If not, click here, for the Referral Campaign flyer.
Also, be sure to invite prospective families to join us at our upcoming Open House:
It's a wonderful opportunity to spend time with our Head of School, John Huber and fellow administrators and get a personalized tour with one of our fabulous parent volunteers!
Calling all younger sibilings! Save the date! We will be hosting a "Priority Candidate" coffee on January 26, 2011 from 8:00 - 9:00 am. This will be an Admissions information session for current families, faculty, Board members and alumni who have admissions candidates for next school year. More details to follow!
Have a wonderful winter break!
~Susanne Johnson, Director of Admissions
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| | Upcoming Events | |
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12/17 |
Ann Kupferberg Student Farewell Party |
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12/17 |
Noon Dismissal-Winter Break |
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1/3 |
Classes Resume |
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1/7 |
EC-K Coffee with the Head of School |
7:30 AM |
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1/7 |
Boys Basketball vs.MD School for the Deaf |
4:00 PM |
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1/8 |
SSAT Exam |
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| From the BPC | | Winter Wearables Drive
As of today we have donated 21 coats, 7 scarves, 6 sets of gloves, 3 pairs of boots, and 4 hats to Coat and Toy in Damascus. Please remember that TOMORROW is our deadline-please bring in any other donations before Winter Break. | |
| Facilities and Transportation | | Winter is upon us, and it is very likely there will be
school cancellations and/or delays due to inclement weather. For most instances, we follow Montgomery County Public School decisions; however all the weather scenarios can be found in the Student Handbook on pages 17 and 18.
A phone blast will be used if our circumstances differs
from that of MCPS.
Do not hesitate to call me if you have any questions.
Have a great, safe, holiday season, and the Facility Group
will see you on January 3, 2011. ~Bernie Weintraub, Director of Facilities and Transportation | |
| Communication, Marketing & Special Events | | Reusable Bags Each family should have received a reusable bag during this week. Please use this bag as you do your holiday shopping or while running errands. Help promote the school simply by bringing this bag along with you! 
Happy Holidays to everyone from the Gala Committee! Don't forget, while you're out doing your last minute shopping, pick up an extra gift card (or two!) for our Family Fun Night Raffle. We will continue to collect all ads and donations through February 1st.
Join us for our next Gala planning meeting on January 12, immediately following morning carpool. Location to be announced.
~Nicole Campbell, Director of Communications and Marketing | |
| Advancement | | Last minute shopping through Amazon.com!! Shopping through Amazon.com? Use the link on Barnesville's website! Barnesville will receive up to 15% of your total purchase cost! Tell everyone you know – family members, friends, neighbors, Santa’s elves – if they use this link they can purchase gifts for those on their list while at the same time support the students of Barnesville School! HO, HO, HO!! And Happy Holidays! ~Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement | |
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