Marlton Elementary School Newsletter http://www.pgcps.org/~marlton

September 8, 2009

Important Dates / 9/21 Building Bridges Performances
9/9 Sally Foster Fundraiser Begins / 9/22 Donuts for Dad 7:00 – 7:45 a.m.
9/10 Picture Day –Wear dress up clothes / 9/22 Sally Foster Fundraiser Ends
9/11 Grandparents’ Day –8:00 –12:30 / 9/25 No School –Professional Day
9/14 Auditions for Annie 2:00 – 4:30 / 9/28 No School –Yom Kippur

Dear Parents,

Reading is the most important skill a person can possess. Everywhere we go and everything we do requires reading. More instructional time is devoted to reading than other school subjects. However, we ask that you partner with us and devote time at home for reading. Read aloud with your children. This can be a great time for talking, relaxing and just being together. You can check for understanding by asking, “Does that make sense to you?”or commenting, “This part sounds important. I’m going to read it aloud again.” With younger children, you can ask questions like, “Do you think that could really happen?” or “What do you think the author wants us to learn?” You can connect the story with other ideas or things that have happened to you in real life. Predicting is a great way to build comprehension. Ask, “What do you think this part of the story is about?” or “I wonder what would happen if..?” We ask that you spend time reading with your child every night. We ask that you read aloud daily with the younger children and share a read aloud with the older children regularly. Make sure every child reads every night.

Sally Foster Fundraiser –The Sally Foster Fundraiser includes wrapping paper, gift bags, sweet treats, cookies and magazines. It is our hope that every student will sell at least $20.00 worth of products. Please share the packet with your neighbors, co-workers and family. Budget cuts have required schools to purchase reading workbooks, test preparation supplemental materials and other instructional tools. The money is also used for technology (printer cartridges, LCD projector light bulbs). The profit from the fundraiser will help defray the costs.YOU MUST COLLECT 6% SALES TAX ON ALL ORDERS.

Picture Day –Students are invited to wear special dress up clothes for their individual pictures. Every child has their picture taken for our school yearbook.Specific information accompanies this newsletter. Parents must select a particular package and prepay for the pictures by Thursday, 9/10/09.

Grandparents’Day –Grandparents are invited to visit Marlton on Friday, 9/11/09, from

8:00 –12:30. We ask them to sit with their grandchild in the classroom and watch them learn. They may also eat lunch with their grandchild.

School Play –This year, our school play will be the musical Annie. Students in grades three through six are invited to audition on Monday, 9/14/09. A special flyer accompanies this newsletter. If selected to participate, the student will attend rehearsals afterschool on Tuesday and Thursday from 2:00 – 4:00. Parents or designee must pick up their child from rehearsal at 4:00. (Carpools should be arranged to help parents.) The play will be performed on Friday, 12/11/09 during the school day and in the evening at 7:00 p.m.

Summer Reading –Ms. Reed, reading specialist, celebrated with 79 students in the school courtyard. They completed and returned their summer reading log by the due date. Congratulations!

Building Bridges –The Blue Sky Puppet Theater will perform Building Bridges for the students on Monday, 9/21/09, in the morning. This program encourages building positive relationships and discourages bullying. The Marlton PTA and school will share the cost of the program.

Donuts for Dad –We are excited to invite our fathers to Donuts for Dad on Tuesday, 9/22/09, from 7:00 –7:45 a.m. Fathers can join their children for a continental breakfast and enjoy the company of their neighboring dads and children. All dads are encouraged to attend this special event.

Nurse Notes:

- Please do not send medications to school unless a medication form is filled out by your child’s doctor. If you have any questions or need medication forms, please call S. Bishop RN at 301-952-7780.

- Children and adults should stay home when sick and should not return to school/work untilthey are fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medications.Send a note to the teacher if the child’s cough requires a hard candy. Please check the CDC website for more information. As always, wash hands frequently with soap and water and cover coughs and sneezes with your elbow.
- Cough drops that have menthol are considered medicine and are not allowed in school without a Doctor’s order. However children may use hard candy, peppermints, jolly ranchers, and other hard candies for sore throats and coughing at the discretion of their teachers. Please talk with your child about how often they should have the candy. A couple candies a day versus several candies an hour is recommended.

- The Mobile Dentists will be at our school on Monday, November 2, 2009 during school hours. Permission slips are being sent home today. Fill the permission slip out and send it right back to school. This is an easy way for your child to receive their dental screening, cleanings and fluoride treatments at school. Sometimes x-rays and sealants are offered. To learn more visit www.mobiledentists.com.

Student Interns –Marlton Elementary School continues its partnership with Bowie State University as a Professional Development School. Five student interns are learning at Marlton Elementary. Their participating teacher is noted in parenthesis. Harold Tolbert (Ms. Sollers), Nicole Herron (Ms. Wilson-Smith) and Ashley Baker (Ms. Soufiane) join us on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Valerie Ball (Ms. Vereen) and Brittany Stewart (Ms. Guartico) are with us Monday through Friday until December. We believe their time at Marlton will be a rewarding and fulfilling experience.

Morning Safety –In the August newsletter that was mailed to households, there was information about morning drop-off procedures. Parents were asked to drive their car to the lower parking lot and discharge their children at the bottom of the steps that lead to the school multipurpose room. A staff member is on duty at the top of the steps until 7:45 a.m. When parents stop their car on Old Colony Drive, there are safety concerns. Our community Prince George’s County Police Officer has observed this situation and shares our concern for safety. The police officer has asked parents that have stopped their cars to drive down to the lower parking lot. The police officer visited the school office and informed us that he will patrol Old Colony Drive in the morning and tickets will be written to those that stop and discharge their children. Please drive your child to the lower parking lot in order for us to maintain a safe environment.

PTA Membership –Parents are invited to join the PTA, $7.00 for the entire year. The PTA supports the children and school by purchasing library books, providing refreshments at the sixth grade promotion ceremony, sharing the cost of special school events and offering fun activities for the family. Many families have already joined.

Lost and Found –Already navy blue sweaters, lunch boxes and assorted jackets have been collected in the lost and found. All outer clothing, lunch boxes and book bags must be labeled with the student’s first and last name. Please use a permanent marker. It is easy to return found items when the name is written on the item. Lost and found items will be donated to Goodwill at the end of every quarter.

National Book Festival – The Library of Congress, 2009 National Book Festival is scheduled for 9/26/09 from 10:00 –5:30 p.m. on the National Mall in Washington DC. There will be presentations and book signings by more than 70 popular authors including authors of children and teen books. More information www.loc.gov.bookfest

Newsletter –The newsletter is distributed every two weeks. It contains special information from the principal, PTA, nurse and counselor. Please check your child’s book bag and read through the newsletter in order to stay current with special information.

Next Newsletter –September 21, 2009