| From Our Head of School | |  . |
I have four truly wonderful announcements to share with you for BITS this week! First, as Middle School Science Teacher Lynda Forman shared last week, The Barnesville School has been certified as a 2011 Maryland Green School by the Maryland Association for Environmental and Outdoor Education. Interim Coordinator Joanne Schmader praised our school for “inspiring [her] with Barnesville’s work on environmental issue instruction, professional development, best management practices, and school-community partnerships.” This makes Barnesville the 2nd independent school in Montgomery County to receive this recognition. We will be attending the Maryland Green Schools Youth Summit in June to receive our award. If you haven’t taken a look at our application, please visit our website. Next, as part of our efforts toward expanding our science and environmental education, we will be holding a ribbon cutting for our Low Ropes Course on Tuesday, April 26th at 3:30 pm (weather permitting). Alumni Austin Fiedler ’07 and Reed Milbrath ’07 completed this outdoor learning space for our students as their Eagle Scout projects. Please feel free to join us next Tuesday out past the Athletic Field in the wooded area as we open this space for our teachers and students to use. After the ribbon cutting, Reed and Austin will educate our teachers in how to use the stations with their students. Third, if you hadn’t already heard through the grapevine, we are incredibly happy to welcome to this year’s Gala our Division Director Emeritus Ann Kupferberg and her husband Steve. Ann will be speaking on behalf of our faculty and staff in a special appeal to support our beloved teachers. Through the wonderful donations already received on her behalf, we’ve been most fortunate to start restoring important benefits, and we hope that her appeal allows us to continue this crucial work. We look forward to seeing Ann and Steve at our Gala! And if you’ve missed the deadline for sending in your RSVP for the Gala, please contact Nicole Campbell right away. Finally, as we look to events coming up this May, I am pleased to share with you that we will be taking a brand new approach to Arts & Academics Night (coming on Thursday, May 26th at 7 pm). Starting this year, we will be exploring a particular academic theme for our performances and classroom displays. This year’s theme will be Noche de Latina, so you can expect Spanish language and culture to be on display throughout the school. Keep an eye out for details from Sra. Zeppos and Sra. Campos in the days to come. We’re very excited about the change in format, and who knows – maybe next year we’ll have some mathematic songs and displays! John Huber PS – In our next BITS, I’ll share the results of our first annual Parent Campus Climate Survey. Many thanks to the hundreds of parents who shared their fedback!
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| Advancement | | SmartBoard donation makes learning FUN! A Barnesville School education is all about interactive and experiential learning and making education fun. A recent donation of two SmartBoards by Michael Parsons, Apex Home Loans Chairman and current Barnesville parent, has enhanced the educational experience that Barnesville School provides. A SmartBoard looks very similar to a whiteboard. It hangs on the classroom wall and is about the same size as the old fashioned chalkboard. But, that’s where the similarities end. SmartBoard technology is the chalkboard turned into a modern day computer touch-screen. Users can manipulate information while standing at the SmartBoard and multiple users can manipulate information on the screen from their desks. The data on the SmartBoard can even be saved. “Our hopes in making this SmartBoard donation was to provide the students of Barnesville with an enjoyable experience while maximizing their educational opportunities,” said Mr. Parsons. Installed in two classrooms, students ranging from third grade to eighth grade and their teachers use the newly donated SmartBoards. “I am able to utilize the technology differently based on the subject matter and the age of the children,” said Natasha Nikitina. Natasha teaches third through fifth grade science as well as math and reading. “The younger students love the writing features of the SmartBoards. For older students, we are able to avail ourselves of a wider range of internet sites. Many of these sites provide interactive opportunities that reinforce the subject matter.” Various virtual writing tools including pen, pencil, highlighters of various colors and markers can be selected by the SmartBoard user. These features allow for more immediate feedback and provide a clearer understanding of the lesson at hand. According to fourth grader Emily, if students are learning the different systems of the human body, Mrs. Nikitina can use different colors for each system. “So, if she wants to show the circulatory system versus the respiratory system she can do it with different colors and we can see it as she’s drawing it,” said Emily. SmartBoard technology in the classroom allows interactive learning to occur. Recently, the fourth grade science class used the SmartBoards to virtually dissect a salmon prior to working on the real thing. “On the screen, they were able to touch and “grab” the correct tools, point to the various fish organs and place them on the dissection plate. I found that the virtual experience made them much more effective when it came to the real task,” said Nikitina. A variety of SmartBoard features expand the tools available to support children who have different learning styles. “Some kids are visual learners. Others are audio learners,” said Mrs. Nikitina. SmartBoard technology has audio capability as well as enhanced visual features. With Barnesville’s new SmartBoard technology, pictures can be made bigger and, according to third grader, Isabelle, “It has good picture quality!” Fifth grader, Madelyn, thinks the experiences she’s gained using the SmartBoard will be very helpful in her future. “It’s a higher level use of technology. I think it will be much easier for me when the time comes to step up to the next level of technology use in my education.” John Huber, Head of The Barnesville School voiced his thanks by saying, “The gift we’ve received from Apex Home Loans and the Parsons Family has expanded our educational opportunities. Our teachers have already embraced the technology. We see this gift as the next step in our educational and strategic growth. We are deeply grateful to Apex Home Loans and the Parsons Family for their support and generosity in achieving this vision.” ~Georganna Glen, Director of Advancement | |
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| | Upcoming Events | | 4/21 | 1:30 Dismissal |
| 4/22 | Good Friday-No School for Students |
| | 4/28 | Boys' Lacrosse @ St. Andrew's Episcopal | 2:45 PM |
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4/28 |
Girls' Lacrosse vs. St. Andrew's Episcopal | 3:00 PM | | 4/29 | Parent Conferences-Noon Dismissal for Students |
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| From the BPC | | Thank You!
A great big thank you to the volunteers who provided food for last week's staff appreciation luncheon. There was an eclectic mix of California inspired dishes that were all delicious! Thank you to Jacqueline, Angel, Susan, Dawn, Brittney, Melissa, Wendy, Princina, Dawn, Caroline, Lynn, Theresa, Jan and Kristen. Staff Appreciation Week is May 2nd through the 6th and the BPC is planning some special events to celebrate our wonderful faculty and staff. On Tuesday, May 3rd, we would like to give the staff a small "break" and are asking for volunteers to assist in the classroom from 12:45 to 1 pm for lower school and from 1:05 to 1:20 for the upper school. Then on Wednesday, May 4th, the staff will be eating together in the Hyatt from 11:30 to 12:30. While they are at lunch, each classroom needs a volunteer to "watch" the class while the children eat lunch in their classroom. Please, if you are able to help, contact Deb Weiss-Collins. | |
| Admissions | | Don't forget -You could be eligible for a $1,000 referral fee!
It continues to be the busy season in the Admission Office! We are pleased to be welcoming several new families who will be joining us in September! Although the priority deadline for applications has passed, the Admissions Office is still accepting applications for next year on a rolling basis. Please be sure to use the referral card program with your friends and neighbors to encourage them to apply. Remember, the referral card waives the $75.00 application fee and you may be eligible for $1,000! A win-win for everyone! ~Susanne Johnson, Director of Admissions | |
| Communication, Marketing & Special Events | | Treat your Lower School child to an afternoon with Ms. Landriau and Mrs. Hamilton on Mrs. Hamilton's farm; help your child hone her field hockey skills with Ms. Barnhart; or how about an afternoon learning all about and making pinatas! All of these Teacher's with Love items and more can be found in the Online Auction. The auction action is really heating up, so get in on the fun. We've added a few new items online as well: pamper your favorite teacher with an extra day off, get the family photo you never seem to find time for with a photography session, or enroll your pre-school aged child in a session at Romp'n Roll in Germantown. There are many great items to be won that can only be found online!
If you haven't gotten your Gala RSVPs in, be sure to do it ASAP. It's going to be a great night, so don't miss out!
We will have plenty of volunteer opportunities over the next couple of weeks, so if you have some extra time, stop in the Communications Office, and we'll put you to work! | |
| A Note from Mrs. Nave | | April Conferences
On April 29th, school will dismiss at noon for the last scheduled parent teacher conferences of the school year. These conferences are open for parents, who will be contacted by their child’s teacher for a meeting. If there are any time slots available on the 26th of April, all others may call me to set an available time to meet with a teacher.
Tooth Box Report – Just for Fun!
To close out the month of March, 4 tooth boxes found happy homes. Sam Katzker (6th) lost his second two in less than a month and 3 first graders took tooth boxes home for the tooth fairy. They were Sean Donohoe, Sydney Bennett and Serena Tataei. Sophia Rikos (2nd) came in from recess on April 4th to see if her tooth was loose enough for me to pull. It was not ready. On April 5th, Sophia came running into my office with the tooth in hand. To complete the last few weeks, Alex Brown (3rd) took home a tooth box on the 14th of April. | |
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