| From Our Head of School | |
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Following on the theme of my last Tidbits message, I’d like to report to you how our 8th graders did on their secondary school acceptances. As we seek to prepare our young men and women to enter into high school, we work diligently to ensure that our 8th graders have choices as they consider their next school setting.
100% of private school applications were accepted. Students received acceptances at St. Andrew’s Episcopal School, Sandy Spring Friends School, Our Lady of Good Counsel High School, Glenelg School, Worcester Prep, and Mount Saint Joseph High School.
53% of competitive public magnet applications were accepted. Students were admitted to all three Poolesville High School magnet programs (Global Ecology, Humanities, and Science, Math, & Computer Science). We expect this percentage to rise as students on waiting lists gain acceptance in the weeks to come. This places Barnesville as the most successful independent school feeder to the magnet program, and we rank well above the 15% acceptance rate for all students.
Now begins the difficult task for our 8th graders and their parents to make a final school selection. We will be providing our parents with guidance and help as we can during this process. And, as the parent of an 8th grader, I will be navigating this path as well, confident that whatever the outcome may be, my son will be well prepared for 9th grade and beyond.
John Huber |  |
| What's Happening in the Classroom? | | - Kindergarten had a great field trip on Wednesday, March 9th to George Mason University to see a presentation of Aesop's Fables.
- The eighth grade students headed to Washington, D.C. today to tour the Holocaust Museum which supports their study of 20th Century American History.
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Fourth Grade took a trip to Kraushaar Auditorium on the campus of Goucher College in Towson, Md. to watch the play "Freedom Train" to support their social studies curriculum.
- The third grade held their annual "Book Train Parade" today. Each student read a biography on a famous person and then created a shoebox train representing their character. They then dressed up as their famous person and presented a speech to the audience, sharing many of their accomplishments.
~Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School | |
| Pre-K Star of the Week | | Rayn was our next Star of the Week in Pre-K. Rayn has many interests and taught us about volcanoes, monster trucks, construction vehicles, and the planets in our solar system. Rayn also loves karate and goes each week to learn the different moves. Rayn's instructor came in to help Rayn demonstrate some of these moves. Rayn even broke a board with his foot! It was a fun week, Rayn!!! | |
| Library | | Maryland Black-eyed Susan Award
 . | The Black-eyed Susan (BES) reading program will be coming to an end on April 22nd. If your children are looking for something to read over spring break, encourage them to read Black-eyed Susan books. We have copies in the library and you can find them in bookstores and public libraries. BES lists are available in our library or at the website of the Maryland Association of School Librarians: http://www.maslmd.org/awards_nominees.php.
After spring break several faculty members will facilitate book discussions of the most popular titles. Here are just a few of the titles that have sparked strong interest in the Middle School; Compound by Stephanie A. Bodeen, Boost by Kathy Mackel and When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead.
The Lower School students are enjoying the picture books that travel by book bag to each classroom. They are quite proud to secretly vote for their favorite title.
The BES reading program begins again in early June. Look for these titles to encourage reading during the summer months.
Galileo's Journal
The Barnesville School will be hosting an author visit for Grades 3-5 through science classes and the library program on April 7th. Our visitor is Jeanne Pettenati, who will present her picture book Galileo’s Journal, 1609-1610. The book relates the period of time in Galileo’s life when he makes his own telescope and uncovers through his observations, analyses some of the mysteries of our solar system. She expands on the book by teaching what is happening today in astronomy. You can purchase the book via the publisher’s website (http://www.charlesbridge.com/) or from your favorite bookstore. Ms. Pettenati will be glad to sign the copies the students bring to school.
~Cindy Barr, Librarian | |
| Admissions | | The Admissions Office is hosting an Open House on Saturday, March 12, 2011 at 9:30 am. This is a wonderful opportunity for prospective families to meet John Huber, Head of School and Vickie Roos, Assistant Head of School as well as get a tour of our facilities. Please invite your friends and neighbors to join us!
~Susanne Johnson, Director of Admissions | |
| Communication, Marketing & Special Events | | Thanks to everyone for a fantastic Family Fun Night and congratulations to all of the winners! If you still haven't picked up your prize, please stop by Nicole Campbell's office. Here's a list of the families who won the prizes with the most raffle tickets:
Apple iPod Touch -- Jensen Family Xbox 360 with Kinect -- Sinnott Family Donuts for a Year -- Brown Family Star Wars Lego -- Russin Family Harry Potter Lego -- Goldberg Family Kanani American Girl Doll of the Year -- Katzker Family DC United Soccer Tickets -- Nichols Family Bose Quiet Comfort Headphones -- Greenawalt Family Nintendo DSi -- Sinnott Family Money -- Hegarty Family Xbox -- Rutsch Family Candy Basket -- Hegarty Family iPad -- Tull Family
Now that Family Fun Night is over, it's time to look ahead to the Gala. We're still collecting commemorative ads, so grab your favorite family photo, and send it in! ~Nicole Campbell, Director of Communications and Marketing | |
| Auxiliary Programs | |
Last Call for SPRING BREAK CHILD CARE!
We are offering child care Tuesday, March 22th - Thursday, March 24th from 9-3. Please email me by March 11th to register. Space is limited.
After-school Enrichment
Registration is now open for the Spring Session of After-School Enrichment! We have a limited number of offerings this session. Ms. Patty and Ms. Arnetia from The Black Rock Center for the Arts will be returning with "Meet the Masters" and "Drama Kids." These classes have become quite popular and are great ways for our K-2nd grade students to express their creativity. Garth Seely from LAND will also be returning to Barnesville with his "Outdoor Explorer" class. Classes will be offered for students in grades K-6. Also returning is the very popular "Soccer Shots." Sam Roos will be back with this fun program for our EC-1st grade students. Mrs. Waldhorn will be offering our older students a T-shirt design class. This is another great way for our students to express their creativity. Registration ends on Friday, March 18th. Classes begin the week after Spring Break! Click Here to Register!
Introducing -- Sarge Athletics Youth Conditioning Program!
I am pleased to announce that we have partnered with Sarge Athletics to bring their youth conditioning program to The Barnesville School. Classes will be held Monday-Thursday afternoons. Please email me for more information or to register for this program.
Summer Camp
Have you made you summer plans yet? Barnesville Summer Camp has many new and exciting choices for your child. We have six sessions beginning on June 20th and ending on August 5th. There will be no camp the week of July 4th. We are offering two weeks of Gap Camp this summer. These are special weeks just for Barnesville students. Each day will bring a new off-campus adventure! Space is limited to 15 campers. Please take some time to look at the choices. Early Bird discounts end on March 31st!!! Camps are filling, so register soon!
Please call me (301-972-0341) if you have any questions about our auxilary programs.
~Lynda Forman, Director of Auxiliary Programs | |
| Advancement | | “Free” Cash for Barnesville! Currently, 23 families have registered their Giant card with Barnesville and we’ve earned $500! Imagine what Barnesville would receive if ALL of us registered our shopping cards! “Free” money for Barnesville is “sitting on the table” just waiting to be picked-up! How, you ask? Through your Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter and Target purchases! Each of these stores gives a percentage of your purchases back to the school! But, for Barnesville to realize these “free” funds, your cards must first be registered listing Barnesville as the recipient. The cash is used to support student programs as well as our academic and operational needs. Two ways to register: 1. Click the following links and register your own cards. 2. Let us register your cards for you! In the next few days, volunteers will be walking the carpool line to gather your card information. So, have your Giant, Safeway, Harris Teeter Vic Card or Target card with you! Thank you for supporting Barnesville! Do you shop Amazon.com? Use the link provided on Barnesville’s website and the school will receive a percentage of your purchase! Tell your friends and neighbors! It’s fun and it’s easy! Here’s the link!! Spread the word! ~Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement | |
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| | Upcoming Events | |
| 3/11 |
Spirit Day |
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3/11 |
Faculty In-Service-Noon Dismissal for Students |
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3/12 |
Open House |
9:30 AM |
| 3/16 |
New Parent Visiting Day |
8:30 AM |
| 3/18 |
Noon Dismissal-NO KIDS CLUB |
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| 3/18-3/28 |
Spring Break |
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| From the BPC | |
The BPC would like to offer HUGE thanks to Deb Weiss-Collins, Mrs. Gekas, Debbie Don, Beth Myers, Nicole Campbell and all of the evening's volunteers for all the hard work they put into Family Fun Night. It was a great night and would not have happened without their hard work and efforts. Thank you all so much for everything you did to provide the school with such a fantastic evening of fun. | |
| A Note From Mrs. Nave | | Visitor Passes
Please return any visitor passes that you forgot to leave in my office. Thank you.
Kids Club Reminder There will be no Kids Club on March 18th. Spring Break begins.
Tooth box report- just for fun!
The month of March came in like a lion looking for missing teeth. The first of March two tooth boxes were collected from my office by Amy Germer (3rd) and Johnny Hurowitz (2nd). Anna Morrison (5th) needed a tooth box on March 3rd. | |
| Business Office | | The Barnesville School Business Office is here for your family, the staff, and the faculty of the School. We welcome any feedback you wish to provide and strive to provide commendable service. Email us and tell us what you think.
In an ongoing effort to improve our services to your family, the Barnesville School Business Office is pleased to announce that those of you who are currently enrolled in FACTS Tuition Management this current year, will be automatically re-enrolled for the 2011-2012 school year. Please call 1-866-441-4637 if you have any questions regarding payment plans. For those of you who have never used the system, you will be able to enroll in a monthly payment plan and divide Tuition and Fees expenses into as many as 12 monthly payments over the duration of the school year. The cost to enroll with FACTS is $38. For the 2011-2012 school year, you will also be able to pay your AM/PM/Transportation tuition with FACTS.
In addition, beginning March 15th, the Business Office will be sending you Family Statements and invoices in the mail; as well as a reminder on the last day of that month. Please let us know if you would prefer getting an email. It is our hope to make billing convenient for both your family and the School.
As always, feel free to contact Lise Robinson in the Business Office concerning questions relating to tuition payment and other financial transactions.
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday 8:00 am - 4:30 pm
Some helpful links:
~Lise Robinson, Business Manager and Debbie Patterson, Accounting Assistant
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| Facilities and Transportation | | Family Fun Night was a blast. From facilities, we want to thank those staff members and parents that helped in the set up and, especially, the clean up of this event. Your help was greatly appreciated.  . | As you know, recycled matter is collected once a week, and then taken to the Montgomery County Recycling Center. At that point the collected items are put into their respective containers. Every effort is made on our part at school to deposit the proper recyclable items into their respective bins. A reminder, aluminum cans and plastics should be put into commingled labeled bins, and paper items into the receptacle labeled "paper." We are missing many "Visitor" swipe cards, and if you are in the possession of one, please return it to Karol. ~Bernie Weintraub, Director of Facilities and Transportation | |
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