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Francis Scott Key Elementary
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Past Key
Calendar & Announcements 6/908-6/12/08 Mon 6/9
– Fillmore Open House for
Kindergarten, 1:30 pm, 1819 35th St NW. Tues
6/10 – Fifth Grade Graduation, 10:30 am, auditorium. Wed 6/11
– Trash Free Lunch Day. Thu 6/12 – Ivy
Caldito Day, 9:30-10 am, auditorium. In case you haven’t heard, our
beloved 1st grade teacher is retiring. GOING,
GOING, GONE! ONLY A FEW PTA VACANCIES LEFT! Please see if any of the committees in the below list interest you, and if so, kindly contact Christy Halvorson Ross at cross at parkmont.org. Vacant positions: Hospitality (3), July 4th Float (This is less than a month away! Please help Key have a strong presence in the parade!), Information Technology, Science Fair, Winter After School Enrichment (1 on-site volunteer), World Family (1), Corporate Gifts, Spring Auction (2) 6/2/08-6/6/08 Mon 6/2 – Calling All Library Books! If your child
has not already returned their outstanding library books, please make sure
they do so this week. Getting them in
now saves Ms. Hayes a lot of paperwork with reminders and lost book notices. Ward 3 Education Forum, 6:30 pm, Murch Elementary School, 4810 36th St NW. Co-sponsored by Ward 3 Councilmember Mary
Cheh and the D.C. State Board of Education, this is an opportunity for
parents to add their voice to help – build a world-class education system. Wed 6/4 – Trash Free Lunch Day. Thu 6/5 – Pilot FLES Program ends.* Fillmore Open House for 1st-2nd Grade, 1:30 pm, 1819 35th St NW. .
Fri 6/6 – Palm Class Planet Play 9:15 am, auditorium.
Don’t know much – bout Greek mythology? The K-1 class will knock your sandals off with their celestial
show. End of Year Potluck Picnic, 6:30 _ 8 pm, blacktop. With less
than a week left of school, the long good-bye begins. Please join the whole Key community for
our annual potluck event (last names A-M bring salad/side dish and N-Z bring
dessert). Pizza and drinks will be
for sale. Please email Michele Keegan
at Michele at bookcase.com to volunteer your help selling pizza, set-up and
clean-up. A gentle reminder on
etiquette/playground rules:
Any dishes left behind will be stored in the staff
lounge until they are claimed. Coming Up: Mon 6/9 – Fillmore Open House for Kindergarten, 1:30 pm, 1819 35th St NW.
Tues 6/10 – Fifth Grade Graduation, 10:30 am, auditorium.
Thur 6/12 – LAST DAY OF SCHOOL, dismissal at 12:15 (after lunch).
* The Foreign Language (FLES)
pilot program offered to our K and 1st graders this spring was a tremendous
success. In light of this the Key PTA
will expand the program in school year 2008-09 with two semesters, the first
beginning October 2008. Introductory
Spanish** will be offered to grades K-1 and Level I Spanish will be offered
to grades 2-3 and 4-5. Classes will
be offered in the morning (7:45 am to 8:30 am) and afternoon (3:30 pm to 4:15
pm) two days per week, as long as there are at least 10 students per
class. The days of the week have yet
to be determined. Maximum class size
for the Introductory classes is 12.
Maximum class size for the Level I classes is 18. Further information, including tuition, as
well as registration forms will be available in September 2008. **
Depending on the availability of FLES teachers AND if there is sufficient
interest, a French class and a Chinese class may be offered as well. THE PTA NEEDS YOU! Our thanks to the many of you (37!) who have already stepped forward
and agreed to be a leader for the PTA in the 2008-9 school year. The whole
Key School body appreciates the work you will put into your volunteer
position. There are still a number of
committee leadership positions available, and we'd love to have your help.
It's great fun being involved, and spending more time at Key and with other
parents, teachers and in many cases, students. Please see if any of the
committees in the below list interest you, and if so, kindly contact Christy
Halvorson Ross at cross at parkmont.org. Vacant positions: Holiday Secret Shop (2) Hospitality (3) July 4th Float (ASAP!) Public Relations Webmaster Information Technology Science Resource Winter After School Enrichment (1 on-site volunteer) World Family (1) Corporate Gifts Spring Auction (2) 5/27/08-5/30/08 IS SPIRIT WEEK! Tues 5/27
– Pajama & Crazy Hair Day. The
kids gleefully parade in their jammies and experiment with that hair product
you bought & didn’t know quite how to use (just test it first to be sure
it washes out – eventually). Ever the
good sports, teachers often join in (so don’t be shocked when you see them). Passport Tuesday to Namibia, 1:30 pm, school auditorium. Wed 5/28 – Twin Day. Didn’t
have two? Don’t despair* - encourage
your child to recruit one or more (triplets trump twins)! If DeVito and Schwarzenegger can pull it
off, anyone can. Trash Free Lunch Day. Thu 5/29 – Crazy Hat & Dress Day. Key Festival Evening at Fillmore, 7 pm, 1819 35th St NW. Come
see the 3rd-5th grade dance and drama students perform. Fri 5/23 – Red, White & Blue Day (that’s apparel - discourage any face paint). Best choice is athletic wear as it’s also
Field Day (see below). Field Day, 9 am - noon, blacktop. Once again
the RED Team challenges the BLUE team for school-wide bragging rights. Don’t miss the 5th graders v. the staff in
the final Tug-Of-War event. We can
always use volunteers so if you have the morning free just show up in clothes
you don’t mind getting wet. 5th Grade Talent Show, 1:30 pm, school auditorium. Our
graduating class will bring more talent to the Key School stage than you’ll
ever find on American Idol. Think
we’re exaggerating? Maybe we are, but
you’ll have to come and see for yourself. Coming Soon: Fri 6/6 - End of Year Pizza and Potluck Picnic, 6:30 - 8 pm, blacktop. Please come and celebrate our end of year event. Pizza and drinks will be for sale. We encourage everyone to bring a potluck
dish. Families with last names A-M
bring salad/side dish and families with last names N-Z bring dessert. We need volunteers to help sell pizza.
Please email Michele Keegan at Michele at
bookcase.com if you are interested in
volunteering. Stay tuned for more details... One on One Basketball will be running a U6 Summer
Basketball League on Saturdays
starting in mid-June for an 8 week season.
For more information go to www.1on1basketball.com/dc or call Renee King at 202-244-2255. Yes, it’s true: Mothers of twins secretly pity all
you singleton parents. ·
Bios of the nominees for LSRT SY 2008-2009 ·
Proposed PTA
Budget SY 2008-09 The PTA Nominating
Committee, composed of members Catherine Stirling, Michelle Mundt and Patti
Sulser, are pleased to announce the following slate of nominees for two-year
term positions that begin in SY 08-09: Co-President Paige Chabora Recording
Secretaries Pete and Susan
Kaminskas * LSRT Member Lauren Goodyear Schramm LSRT Member Bill Bravman The following members
will complete the second year of their two-year terms in SY 08-09: Co-President Christy Halvorson
Ross Treasurer Julie Scott Correspondence
Secretary Jen Felten LSRT Member Mike Bailey LSRT Member Mike Kubzansky Election of the new officers will be held at our final
General PTA Meeting on Wednesday, May 21, 6:30 pm. Members may make nominations from the
floor provided the nominee accepts and such nomination is then seconded. *
LSRT: The Local School Restructuring
Team is comprised of four parents elected by the parent body, teacher
representatives, the principal and administrative staff and one community
member. Each of the parent team
members serves a two-year term. Team
members agree on and provide recommendations and advice on resource
allocation, administrative matters and school programs. NEXT WEEK AT KEY 5/17/08- 5/24/08 Sat 5/17 – Girls on the Run 5K Race, 8 am, Hains Point, East Potomac Park. Coaches Joly, Ogiltree and Bergantino have
been getting our girls revved up for this big event! Mon 5/19 – Fillmore Spring Concert, 7 pm, UDC Auditorium. Come hear the 3rd-5th grade Key Chorus and musicians perform. Wed 5/21 – Trash Free Lunch Day. LSRT Elections, 8: 30 am and 3:15 pm, school
blacktop. If you are unable to attend the General Membership Meeting
later in the evening, be sure to complete a ballot at drop-off or
pick-up. Look for volunteers with
clipboards. Bios of our two LSRT
nominees, Bill Bravman and Lauren Goodyear Schramm, are on the school website
(www.keyschooldc.org). PTA General Membership Meeting, 6:30 - 8 pm, school
auditorium. We will elect new PTA officers, complete
the LSRT Member elections and discuss and approve the proposed budget for
next year. Please go to the school
website at www.keyschooldc.org to review the minutes of the prior meeting, see the
proposed budget and the slate of nominees.
Childcare for ages 3 and up will be provided - $3 per slice of pizza
and juice provided. Please rsvp to Christy
Ross at cross at parkmont.org no later than Tuesday 5/20 so we can get an accurate
headcount for childcare. Fri 5/23 – World Family Day, 9 am - noon, blacktop. Join us
for this very popular annual school event when our kids travel the globe without
ever leaving the Palisades. From
Australia to Ecuador to Latvia and stops in between, this promises to be a
whirlwind tour. We need at least 2
more contributors to host a table of activities, games, lessons, music, dance
- anything the children can do for at least 10 minutes - that reflects YOUR
country of origin. It's a ton of fun and the kids always love their trip
around the world in one morning! We
also need volunteers to help man the tables. Please contact Maria 202 944 8642 or Emma 202 460 2602. Coming Soon: Mon 5/26 – Memorial Day - no school. Thu 5/29 – Key Festival Evening at Fillmore, 7 pm, 1819 35th St NW. 3rd-5th grade dance and
drama students perform. 5/11/08- 5/17/08 Tues 5/13 – PTA Executive Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm, school conference room. Wed 5/14 – 5th Grade
Field Trip to Gettysburg. (Know what “four score and seven” adds up
to before they ask). Trash Free Lunch Day. Thu 5/15 – The
Hawaiian Show’s 30th Anniversary Performance, 9:30 am. The Pacific
islands transport to the school auditorium for a Key School Classic. Hibiscus and hula and everything Hawaiian
(except Don Ho) brought to you by the Linden/Caldito classes. Fri 5/16 – Parent/Teacher Conferences - No School. Folger Library Junior
Shakespeare Festival, 9:30 am - 1:30 pm, Elizabethan Theatre, 201 E. Capitol Street SE. Key’s Shakespeare class will share the
magic of The Bard’s language by performing on stage. Sat 5/17 – Girls on
the Run 5K Race, 8 am, Hains Point,
East Potomac Park. Our fleet 3rd-5th
grade femmes have been training for weeks - come cheer them on! Coming Soon: Mon 5/19 – Fillmore
Spring Concert, 7 pm, UDC Auditorium. 3rd-5th graders will perform instrumental
music (strings and band) and the Key chorus sings! Thu 5/29 – Key
Festival Evening at Fillmore, 7 pm,
1819 35th St NW. 3rd-5th dance and
drama students perform. 5/4/08- 5/10/08
StepAfrika! at 2 pm, school auditorium. The children will be entertained by this exciting dance group. The presentation is part of the Performing Arts Series. 4/26/08- 5/4/08 Sat 4/26 – Hazardous Waste Collection and
Electronics Recycling Day, 8 - 10
am, school parking lot. The Green
Committee will be collecting materials from any Key School family in the Key
School parking lot. There will be a charge of $5 dollars for each delivery to
cover the cost of the truck used to bring all materials to Carter Barron. (Any
money left over will go to support the Green Committee.) Tues 4/29 – Science testing for 5th graders. Book Fair, 8 am – 6:30 pm school gymnasium, brought to us by Bookworm Bookfairs. See class visit schedule below. Parents who can attend during their
child’s class visit (pre-K through 1st) to assist them with selections are
encouraged to do so. Send your child
to school with sufficient cash to make purchases (or they can prepare a “wish
list.”) Checks and credit cards will
be accepted from ADULTS ONLY. Pizza Party, 5 – 6:30 pm. Browse the
Book Fair selections and feed the kids at the same time! Wed 4/30 – Composition testing for 4th graders. Book Fair, 8:30 am – 6:30 pm. Trash Free Lunch Day. Thur 5/1 – Book Fair, 8:30 am – 2 pm. Book Fair Class Visit Schedule: Tuesday, April 29,
2008 9 – 9:30 am Browne 9:45 – 10:15
am Linden 10:45 – 11:15
am Rosen 11:30 – noon Caldito 1:05 – 1:35
pm Harrar 1:45 – 2:15
pm Young, Flaherty 2:30 – 3 pm Palm Wednesday, April 30, 2008 9 – 9:30 am Scholem, Flaherty 9:45 – 10:15
am Wanielista, Flaherty 10:30 – 11 am Spencer 11:30 – noon Moroney, Ogiltree 1:05 – 1:35
pm Yeck 1:50 – 2:20
pm Foster 2:30 – 3 pm Bergantino, Ogiltree Mahlet Gebre (5th) and Mei Nathan (3rd) were our student reporters in this week’s NW Current
School Dispatches. Read
it (p 11 of 22). RECYCLE FOR SCIENCE! Don’t toss
those oatmeal canisters, Pringles cans, CUBE Kleenex boxes, egg cartons, paper
towel tubes or tea boxes. Instead send them in to Ms. Johnson for a second
life in the science lab. It’s a great time to join Upromise and to start
saving for college. Plus you can
take advantage of this special offer: Get $10 in your Upromise® account when
you join and shop online through Upromise by 4/30/08*. Join now for free at www.upromise.com/springoffer. Upromise is a
FREE service that helps families save money for college by doing all the
things they do every day _ shopping online, buying groceries, filling the
tank, booking travel, you name it.
More than 8 million members have already joined Upromise. Many of
America’s leading companies offer Upromise contributions because they believe
all kids should have a chance to go to college. And because they want to earn your loyalty as a customer, they
include: 550+ leading online retailers ;40,000+ retail stores and
services; 21,000+ grocery and drug stores; 8,000+ restaurants; And you can
designate rebate dollars to Key School (ID # 2632558439)! So why not get in
on a good thing? Upromise is free and easy to join. Do it now this special
offer is just for the spring! Enroll
in Upromise now and get $10 in your Upromise account when you shop online
through Upromise before 4/30/08*.
Learn more at www.upromise.com/springoffer. You can get
money back for college with these great companies and hundreds more! * The $10 enrollment contribution
offer available for new valid Upromise members only. To get your $10
contribution, you must visit the web site listed on this flier, enroll on the
page you are taken to and then make one (1) qualifying online purchase
through Upromise.com by 4/30/08. Purchases made with the following online
retailers are excluded from this offer: Amazon.com, Avis, Bed Bath &
Beyond, Butterfield Blooms, Budget, Cryo-Cell, Eddie Bauer, Eddie Bauer
Outlet, Florist.com, Flowers U.S.A., FTD.com, Gift Sense, RedEnvelope,
Sharper Image and Upromise Cruises. Offer expires 4/30/08. Your $10
contribution will be deposited in your Upromise account within 90 days of
making your qualified purchase. One
reward per member. We reserve the right to revoke this offer if we determine,
in our sole discretion, that your Upromise enrollment was duplicative, invalid
or submitted in bad faith. We reserve the right to revoke this promotional
offer at any time without notice. It’s also never too late to sign up at www.IGive.com and donate retail rebate dollars to Key
School! 4/21/08- 4/27/08 Tues 4/21
– DCCAS testing begins for 3rd-5th graders (thru 4/25). Make sure they get a power breakfast and
plenty of sleep the night before! Wed 4/23 –
Administrative Professionals Day.
We’ll be honoring our very own irreplaceable, incomparable Ms. Cheeks.
Trash Free Lunch Day. Fri 4/25 –
World Family Pot Luck, 7 - 10 pm.
Hosted by Maria Emanuel and Emma Rigney. Please join us for an International Parents Potluck Party. You can bring your favorite country dish
or a bottle of wine (or both) to share.
This will be an opportunity for Key’s World Family Day participants
and volunteers to meet and discuss plans for the event (scheduled for
5/23). (If you are not participating
in the World Family Day, no problem-come and enjoy Margaret’s Caribbean Rum
Punch and Ecuadorian Shrimp Ceviche!)
RSVP to Maria Emanuel at email at mariaemanuel
at starpower.net. Sat 4/26 –
Hazardous Waste Collection and Electronics Recycling Day, 8 - 10 am, Key
School parking lot. Thanks to members
of the Green Committee, who’ve arranged for our convenience to collect these
materials from any Key School family in the school parking lot. There will be
a charge of $5 dollars for each delivery to cover the cost of the truck used
to bring all materials to Carter Barron. (Any money left over will go to
support the Green Committee.) We hope this will encourage many of us to get
rid of our unwanted hazardous waste and electronics! PLEASE NOTE: - For specific information on what items are
acceptable, please go to www.dpw.dc.gov. - All hazardous waste containers must be
sealed and leak free. - Please do not bring glass containers
or fluorescent bulbs. Spring Book Fair coming up April 29 thru May 1. We need
parent volunteers to help children with selections and checking out. If you have time to spare, please contact
Anne Ourand at www.anneourand
at verizon.net RECYCLE FOR SCIENCE! Ms. Johnson would
appreciate it if you can hold onto these left over cartons and boxes and
bring them into her classroom: Oatmeal cylindrical canisters, Pringle cans,
CUBE Kleenex boxes, egg cartons, paper towel tubes and tea boxes. Thank you. We are still collecting for the Dale Ammeson
Memorial Fund. If you wish to
make a contribution please send your check to: Julie Scott, PTA Treasurer, 5001 Dana Pl NW, Washington DC 20016,
or you may drop it in the Treasurer’s drawer in the back of the main
office. Checks should be payable to
“Key School PTA” with “Ammeson Memorial Fund” in the memo line. 4/13/08- 4/20/08 Wed 4/16 – DC Emancipation Day - No School. World Family Day has been rescheduled from 18 Aprio a 23 Mayo. The Book Fair is coming, the Book Fair is coming & April 29 thru May
1. We need parent volunteers to help
children with selections and checking out.
If you have time to spare, please contact Anne Ourand at www.anneourand at
verizon.net Baby Alert
– Congratulations to the Mello family.
Valerie (Browne Pre-K) has a new baby brother, Jackson. Did you know?
Thanks to the Green Committee the PTA will be bulk ordering all
classroom supplies for SY 2008-2009!
This means you won’t have to scour the retail stores for that last
Elmer’s Jumbo Glue Stick. That’s 200+ fewer cars on the road making round
trips to Baileys Crossroads and Rockville looking for Fiskar scissors and
Crayola Washable Markers. It also
means we save money on sales taxes and retail markups. AND we get rebate dollars back! Win Win
Wynn*. More information will be
included in next year’s Registration Packets. *Our sly tribute to Wynn Calder, Green Committee Chair. 4/7/08- 4/13/08 Tues 4/8
– Class Picture Day! Prepare
now for that battle about why the stained, ripped t-shirt is not a good
choice for being immortalized.
Payment due on picture day ($10.50 per copy payable to “LifeTouch”). PTA Executive Committee Meeting, 7:30 pm main office conference room. Wed 4/9
– Trash Free Lunch Day Fri 4/11
– The Wild Zappers, part of the Performing Art Series, 1:30 and 2:30
pm (back-to-back performances), school auditorium. Sun 4/13
– Spring Grounds Clean-up, 9 am - noon.
Bring your shovels, brooms, garden gloves, wheel barrows and under-age
labor - there’s enough work for everyone!
Rain date: Sunday 4/20, same time.
Questions, contact Wendy Lynch at www.wendylynch4522 at comcast.net. 3/31/08- 4/6/08 Mon 3/31 –
Spanish FLES morning classes begin (Mondays and Fridays for enrollees only)
Tues 4/1 –
Spanish FLES afternoon classes begin (Tuesdays and Thursdays for enrollees
only) Wed 4/2 –
Trash Free Lunch Day Fri 4/4 –
½ Day of School (Record Keeping), dismissal at 12:15 (after lunch) New Security
Measures at Key. We are
implementing a new process for visitors to sign in and out in the main lobby.
The process will increase security and efficiency in the building. Anyone who
arrives after school has begun must sign-in at the security desk and pick up
a visitor’s pass to wear any time they are in the building. If you are
bringing your child to school late or dropping off a lunchbox, the security
guard will take your child to class or the lunchbox to the room. If there is
no one at the security desk, then check in at the office before going
anywhere else in the building. Our goal is to minimize traffic/disruptions
and ensure that we are aware of everyone in the building. We appreciate your
cooperation and support in keeping our school safe. Thank you. Spend a few minutes signing up at igive.com to
support Key School! Igive
allows you to shop online as you usually do, but percentages of your
purchases are contributed to a charity of your choice. Each month, with ONLY
14 users signed up, we are raising about $50 a month for Key from igive.com.
Imagine if we could double or triple that! There are just a few simple steps
to join:
Thank you for your support! 3/10/08- 3/16/08 Tues 3/11 – Executive
Committee Meeting 7:30 pm school conference room. Wed 3/12 – Trash
Free Lunch Day. Thur 3/13 – Class
auction projects due in school cafeteria between 2:30 - 3 pm. Come and preview all the spectacular
masterpieces! (Those responsible for
the projects, please be sure to arrange for delivery of the projects to the
Freemyer household - 2015 48th St - before 5 pm on Friday). Fri 3/14 – Introductory
Foreign Language Classes enrollment forms and tuition due (place in
“PTA-FLES” drawer in back of office).
Pilot Spanish classes offered to K and 1st graders only. If you need a form contact Caroline
Wolverton at 202-965-6570 or carolinellw at
comcast.net. Sat 3/15 – KEY
NIGHT OUT, 6:30 – 11 pm. Our annual
spring auction gets under way at the National Press Club, 529 14th St NW (one
block from Metro Center). Tickets $70
at the door. Bring your plastic
(checks accepted too)! 3/3/08- 3/9/08 Mon 3/3 – Science Fair Week Begins! Wed 3/5 – Science projects due and Trash Free Lunch
Day Thu 3/6 – Dinner with an Artist, 7pm to benefit the Fillmore Arts Center. Send questions to amasters at annemastersdesign.com, “DWAA 2008” in subject line or call Anne Masters at
202.337.3748. Fri 3/7 – Science Fair Night, 6 -8 pm school
auditorium. Wrapping up the week, this is a wonderous
event showcasing our evolving young scientists and their impressive grasp of
the scientific method of inquiry.
Pizza and adult food will be served.
Volunteers still needed to dish out pizza and help set up projects in
the afternoon. Please contact Cindy
Bouchez at cbouchez at skgf.com if you can help. Sun 3/9 – Daylight Saving Time begins. Fifth graders David Winkler and Anders Assarsson were our student reporters in this week’s NW
Current School Dispatches. See the
reprint at www.keyschooldc.org/dispatches.pdf. 2/25/08-
3/2/08 Wed 2/27 – PTA General Membership Meeting, 6:30-7 pm school cafeteria. The meeting will be paperless; therefore
please review the last meeting minutes and
updated budget prior to the meeting. Results and
recommendations of the Foreign Language Committee will be discussed (see
below). Childcare available for
children 3 and up comes with pizza at $3/slice. Please RSVP to cross at
parkmont.org no later than Tuesday nite
with headcount of children and # of pizza slices. Internet Safety Program, 7-8:30 pm (immediately following the general meeting)
presented by NetSmartz. Go to http://www.netsmartz.org to learn more. Trash Free Lunch Day Thu 2/28 – City Collegiate Charter School Open House, 6 – 7:30 pm, 2001 S Street NW. Learn more at http://www.citycollegiatepcs.org. Fri 2/29 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – No School. Coming Up:
Auction Raffle Tickets Still On Sale -- Raffle tickets are still available at the cost
of $50, for a chance to win $5,000! The
raffle raises $5,000 for Key School. Look for one of these sellers on the
blacktop: Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan, Margie Palm, Jennifer Felten, Windsor
Freemyer, Ece Gimer, Marissa Rauch, Julie Scott, Margarita Reygada, Christy
Ross, Susan Kaminskas, Susan Messina, Mari Bailey, Michelle Mundt, Ellen
Maxwell, Lisa Sterling, and Arthur Jackson. If you want a ticket, but are
unable to get to the school, please email Windsor Freemyer at Windsor at
w2consulting.net and she will get them to you. The Foreign Language Exploratory Committee is please to report the results of the parent
survey conducted last month. Below is
a summary. For complete results go to
http://www.keyschooldc.org/surveyresults.pdf. Summary of Survey Results
Recommendations: Based on high level of
support, Key will offer a Pilot Extracurricular Foreign Language
Program through the Montgomery County FLES Program. Following is an outline:
Enrollment forms
will go home with K and 1st graders by mid-March. Key To-Do List (Week of 2/19) See Results
from the Foreign Language Survey (Feb. 20th) See Budget update
(for next Wed.'s General PTA meeting) See Auction
Forms
(donation letter, request form and
advertising form) ·
Tuesday: Bring/send in auction donation form ·
Wednesday: Send in RSVP card for Key Night Out ·
Thursday: Buy auction Raffle ticket from room parent (win $5000!) ·
Friday: Hmmm, that Ace Beverage wasn’t too helpful when I
called the first time. Try again to
donate a bottle of wine: 202.966.4444 (mention key school auction and/or ask
for Steve) Mon 2/18 – Presidents’ Day - No School. Tues 2/19 – PTA Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 pm Wed 2/20 – Trash free lunch day. Coming Up –
Auction Raffle Tickets Still On Sale -- Raffle tickets are still available at the cost
of $50, for a chance to win $5,000!
The raffle raises $5,000 for Key School. Look for one of these sellers
on the blacktop: Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan, Margie Palm, Jennifer Felten,
Windsor Freemyer, Ece Gimer, Marissa Rauch, Julie Scott, Margarita Reygada,
Christy Ross, Susan Kaminskas, Susan Messina, Mari Bailey, Michelle Mundt,
Ellen Maxwell, Lisa Sterling, and Arthur Jackson. If you want a ticket, but
are unable to get to the school, please email Windsor Freemyer at Windsor at
w2consulting.net and she will get them to you. Last week
fourth grader Priscilla Felten and fifth grader Grace Dickinson were our
student reporters in NW Current School Dispatches. This week Halle Beshouri (4th) and
Mahlet Gebre (5th) made their debut.
If you missed either dispatch, see the reprint. 2/11/08- 2/17/08 Key To-Do List
Tues 2/12 – Fillmore night at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum, 6:30 pm - 9 pm. Grades 3-5. Evening includes interactive talk How Big is Big and IMAX®
3D film Space Station 3D. Wed 2/13 – Trash free lunch day. Key School Open House 9-11 am. Key will
hold its final open house for the year (just in time for pre-K and K
registration, which started Feb. 4th). The open house is an opportunity for
prospective parents to tour the facility, observe classes, and meet Key
School staff and parents. Please
mention the open house to any interested families that you know. We also need tour guides to lead groups of
people around the school and answer questions (cheat sheets will be
provided!). If you are interested in
helping, please contact Michelle Mundt at (202)966-8674 or michellemundt at verizon.net. City Collegiate Charter School Open House, 6 pm-7:30 pm, 2001 S St. NW. Learn more about the academically rigorous
middle school program (grades 6-8) next year at their new location in Dupont Circle. New Faces at Key – Maybe you’ve seen them (or maybe your kids do a better job of keeping you
informed than ours do). Two student
interns have joined the Key staff to help out both Mr. Coltons and Ms.
Hayes. Assisting in PE is Walker Bush,
a student from the Lab School. In the
Library/computer lab we have Joshua Merriweather for one more week, a student
from the Field School. Coming Up:
Auction Raffle Tickets Still On Sale -- Raffle tickets are still available at the cost
of $50, for a chance to win $5,000!
The raffle raises $5,000 for Key School. Look for one of these sellers
on the blacktop: Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan, Margie Palm, Jennifer Felten,
Windsor Freemyer, Ece Gimer, Marissa Rauch, Julie Scott, Margarita Reygada,
Christy Ross, Susan Kaminskas, Susan Messina, Mari Bailey, Michelle Mundt,
Ellen Maxwell, Lisa Sterling, and Arthur Jackson. If you want a ticket, but
are unable to get to the school, please email Windsor Freemyer at Windsor at
w2consulting.net and she will get them to you. A+BONUSBUCKS ART CONTEST! Deadline: February 15, 2008 GIANT is calling all “budding artists” in grades K
through 5! Let the artist choose & use pencils,
crayons, markers or paint to depict how your school could use the A+
BonusBucks you earn. All entries will
be reviewed and five finalists from grades K-2 and five finalists from grades
3-5 will be selected. How to Enter:
Create a drawing/painting on how your school could use their A+ BonusBucks
(Print artist’s first name, school name/address/phone number and
teacher/grade level on the back of your entry). Entry must be on an 8.5_ x 11_ sheet of paper, no
photographs, and delivered to Jennie McDonnell (look for the Retail Rebate
file drawer in the back of the school’s main office) no later than
2/14/08. Prizes: Finalists and
Winners will be posted on the web on or around March 2nd. One (1) Grand Prize winner from K-2 group
and one (1) winner from 3-5 group will receive a $100 Savings Bond, a
_Classroom Party_ ($100 GIANT Gift Card to purchase party food and supplies),
PLUS 2500 A+ BonusBucks Points for their school. Each of the remaining eight (8) Finalists_ school will receive
1,000 A+ BonusBucks Points for their school.
Make sure you Print child’s first name, school name/address/phone
number and teacher/grade level on the back of your entry. If you have any additional questions or
require further information, please contact Jennie McDonnell at jenniemcmiller at aol.com. 2/4/08- 2/10/08 Wed 2/6 – Trash free lunch day. Auction Raffle Tickets Now On Sale -- Raffle tickets are now available at the cost of
$50, for a chance to win $5,000! The odds are 1 in 300, which is much better
than the Powerball. The raffle also raises $5,000 for Key School. Look for
one of these sellers on the blacktop: Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan, Margie
Palm, Jennifer Felten, Windsor Freemyer, Ece Gimer, Marissa Rauch, Julie
Scott, Margarita Reygada, Christy Ross, Susan Kaminskas, Susan Messina, Mari
Bailey, Michelle Mundt, Ellen Maxwell, Lisa Sterling, and Arthur Jackson. If
you want a ticket, but are unable to get to the school, please email Windsor
Freemyer at Windsor at w2consulting.net and she will get them to you. Coming Up - Fillmore night at the Smithsonian Air
and Space Museum, Tuesday, February
12, 2008, 6:30 pm - 9 pm. Evening includes
interactive talk How Big is Big and IMAX® 3D film Space Station 3D. If you have not returned your registration form yet, complete it and get it in! Key To-Do List
1/28/08- 2/1/08 Wed 1/30 – Trash free lunch day. Hardy Middle School Open House, 9:30 – 11 am, 1401 Brentwood Parkway, NE. Thur 1/31 – Registration forms due for Fillmore
night at the Smithsonian Air and
Space Museum (that_s the pink flyer that went home 1/24). The event is Tuesday, February 12, 2008,
6:30 pm - 9 pm. Evening includes
interactive talk How Big is Big and IMAX® 3D film Space Station 3D,
the first ever that transports audiences to the International Space Station
to experience life in space. Floating
along with the first men and women to inhabit the new station, audiences
literally feel a part of the mission taking place 220 miles above Earth. Spring Auction Update – Raffle Tickets Now On Sale! Raffle tickets are now available at the cost of $50,
for a chance to win $5,000! The odds are 1 in 300, which is much better than
the Powerball. The raffle also raises $5,000 for Key School. Look for one of
these sellers on the blacktop: Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan, Margie Palm,
Jennifer Felten, Julie Scott, Margarita Reygada, Christy Ross, Susan
Kaminskas, Susan Messina, Mari Bailey, Michelle Mundt, and Ellen Maxwell. If
you are available to sell tickets, please email Michele Keegan at Michele at bookcase.com. You can't win
if you don't buy a ticket! A Morning Snow Brigade in the Making - A new initiative is underway. Let us help ourselves navigate the steps
and doorways at Key School on mornings when a nighttime snow has accumulated
on school surfaces but not caused a school closing. We are calling upon parents to sign up to be early morning
shovelers of steps and doorways.
Here’s how you can help.
Please send your name and email address to Greg Mize at gemproductions at mac.com before February 1st.
Greg will then create a listserv whereby he will send night-before or
day-of-school notice to list members to show up with shovels in hand at 7
a.m. to give just 20 minutes of shoveling labor. Please commit to this simple way to give
our limited custodial staff more ability to help our students and parents
arrive at school safely. The Wiz is coming!!!! The Duke Ellington School of the Arts will present a fabulous production of the 1975 Broadway
hit, The Wiz. This will truly be a
great show, and the location and price for something of this quality don't
get any better. Tickets are going
fast - 3 shows are already sold out - so don't delay. Dates and Time:
Location: The Ellington Theatre, 3500 R Street, NW,
Washington, DC 20007 Tickets are $20 ($15 for age 12 and under) Contact the Ellington box office at 202-337-4825 or
visit our website at www.ellingtonschool.org to purchase online. 1/21/08- 1/27/08 Mon 1/21 –
Martin Luther King, Jr. Day - No school. Wed 1/23 – Hardy Middle School Open House, 9:30-11 am, 1401 Brentwood Parkway, NE. Trash free lunch day (again)! Thur 1/24 – Deadline for next issue of Keynotes.
Send submissions to nick at nickkeenan.com. Remember, this issue will include a list of
members in good standing! (Need a dues form? Go to www.keyschooldc.org/ptadues.pdf). Fri 1/25 – ½ Day School – 12:15 pm dismissal (after lunch). Fifth grade transition event, 1:00-3:00pm at
Fillmore. For fifth graders that attend Fillmore and feed into Hardy
Middle School, this is an opportunity to meet and interact while having
fun! In addition, Fillmore is going to
have a separate room set up for parents to meet and mingle while their kids
are playing games. Even if you’re not
sure if your child will go to Hardy, this will be a fun activity - Stoddert
and Hyde are both nearby neighborhood schools and as our kids’ universes grow
larger, they’ll likely interact in sports or other activities. Foreign Language Survey completion deadline. www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227BH5R822G! Science Fair News – Calling all archeologists, biologists, chemists, geologists,
meteorologists, physicists, zoologists and other science-y people -- mark
your calendars for Science Fair Night, Friday March 7! We need
parent volunteers with a science background willing to be a resource for
students doing their Science Fair projects.
We also need you to help us contact people who are willing and
qualified to serve as judges. Judges
should have a science background (sorry, no parents). The judges will be treated to a nice
breakfast, delicious lunch and refreshing beverages! Contact Cindy
Bouchez at cbouchez at skgf.com, Laurie Wolfert at olwolfert
at aol.com, or Amy Johnson at akjohnson3 at yahoo.com. Drop-off Etiquette – it’s time for a reminder! We regularly
hear from horrified parents who’ve observed some risky, inconsiderate drop-off
habits. Please remember to obey all traffic laws and school safety
rules when dropping off your precious ones in the morning. Of
particular note:
Remember, your neighbors are watching! Periodical
Recycling! The PTA continues to collect used periodicals for reuse by
the school staff. Just send your recent publications (less that 3 mos.
old if monthly, less that 1 mo. old if weekly – no catalogs please) to school
in your child’s backpack or drop them off in the teacher’s lounge. 1/14/08- 1/20/08 Mon 1/14 – Winter After School Enrichment Program begins.
Classes from 3:15 to 4:30 pm (pick-up is from the classroom). We need two parent volunteers for each
day of the week from 3:15 - 3:30 pm to pass out snacks and assist teachers in
collecting their students. Please
contact Lena Nirk at gregorynirk3 (at) verizon.net
if you’re available to help. (After School Enrichment Schedule) Wed 1/16 – LSRT Meeting - 8 am school conference
room. Trash Free Lunch Day. We had a
very successful first event and the kids got a sense of how much they throw
away at a typical school meal. Thank
you for your help and support. We are
excited to announce that Key will make this a regular weekly event to raise
greater awareness. This event is intended to get us all thinking about the
myriad ways we can reduce our daily trash over the long term so please don’t
feel you have to throw things away at home in order to pack a 100% trash free
lunch box- aim to reduce where it makes sense. A few simple tips: ·
Buy larger bags of
snacks & foods instead of individual-packs, and put them in reusable
containers (ziplock bags can also be reused, particularly if used for dry
foods). ·
Small plastic water
bottles are reusable in the short term.
Steel or aluminum bottles will last for years. ·
Some students bring in
silverware or durable plasticware and cloth napkins and take them home every
day. ·
Once you have made the
leap and started using small reusable containers or tupperwares, it is easy
to make EVERY day a trash-free lunch day! Check out www.reusablebags.com for a variety of alternative containers. Think creatively but don’t feel pressure
to be perfect! Don’t
forget to complete the Foreign Language Survey at www.zoomerang.com/survey.zgi?p=WEB227BH5R822G by January 25th! Key End of Year
Wrap-Up Fillmore
night at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – Save the date! Mark it down in your new 2008 calendar
right now! You and your kids (3rd
through 5th graders) won’t want to miss this exclusive Fillmore night at the
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 (6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.) Tour around a bit on your own, then enjoy
an interactive talk How Big is Big? It’s a big, often intimidating universe
out there. How do we even begin to
fathom objects and distances that dwarf anything we’ve ever experienced? Take a magical journey from spaceship
Earth to points unknown. Then, watch
Space Station 3D, the first ever IMAX® 3D space film that transports
audiences to the International Space Station to experience life in space. Floating along the first men and women to
inhabit the new station, audiences literally feel a part of the mission
taking place 220 miles above Earth.
Directed and filmed by astronauts in space. Look for registration forms in
January! PTA Dues
Reminder - With the end of the year fast approaching, please consider
making your 2007 tax-deductible contribution to the Key School PTA! Key School relies heavily on our PTA to
cover the costs of many things, including teachers, aides, salaries,
classroom supplies, textbooks and field trips. While the PTA spends a lot of time and effort on fundraising to
augment our budget, dues are critical for meeting those budget needs. For the 2007-08 year we projected $33,000
in dues collections and have reached $29,855 to date. Our dues are modest by area standards (our
sister school, Horace Mann, charges dues of $1,200 per family and enjoys a
90% participation rate!) This year
we implemented a new minimum annual dues amount of $5/member for those
who cannot afford the suggested dues amount of $100/family, plus a
requested contribution of $75 per child enrolled to help us fairly cover the
costs of each classroom’s needs. We
are grateful to the 50% of Key families that have paid their dues and will
honor this year’s contributors by publishing a roster* of our supporters in
the January 2008 issue of Keynotes. Please remember ALL the children at Key benefit from
the generosity of our members. Dues
forms are available at www.keyschooldc.org/ptadues.pdf. If you are
unsure if you’ve paid your dues this year, check with Jen Felten (Felten at aol.com).
Have a wonderful winter break! Key School PTA ·
Amounts will NOT be published. Fillmore
night at the Smithsonian Air and Space Museum – Save the date! Mark it down in your new 2008 calendar
right now! You and your kids (3rd
through 5th graders) won’t want to miss this exclusive Fillmore night at the
Smithsonian Air and Space Museum.
Tuesday, February 12, 2008 (6:30 p.m. until 9:00 p.m.) Tour around a bit on your own, then enjoy
an interactive talk How Big is Big? It’s a big, often intimidating universe
out there. How do we even begin to
fathom objects and distances that dwarf anything we’ve ever experienced? Take a magical journey from spaceship Earth
to points unknown. Then, watch Space
Station 3D, the first ever IMAX® 3D space film that transports audiences to
the International Space Station to experience life in space. Floating along the first men and women to
inhabit the new station, audiences literally feel a part of the mission
taking place 220 miles above Earth.
Directed and filmed by astronauts in space. Look for registration forms in
January! PTA Dues
Reminder - With the end of the year fast approaching, please consider
making your 2007 tax-deductible contribution to the Key School PTA! Key School relies heavily on our PTA to
cover the costs of many things, including teachers, aides, salaries,
classroom supplies, textbooks and field trips. While the PTA spends a lot of time and effort on fundraising to
augment our budget, dues are critical for meeting those budget needs. For the 2007-08 year we projected $33,000
in dues collections and have reached $29,855 to date. Our dues are modest by area standards (our
sister school, Horace Mann, charges dues of $1,200 per family and enjoys a
90% participation rate!) This year
we implemented a new minimum annual dues amount of $5/member for those
who cannot afford the suggested dues amount of $100/family, plus a
requested contribution of $75 per child enrolled to help us fairly cover the
costs of each classroom’s needs. We
are grateful to the 50% of Key families that have paid their dues and will
honor this year’s contributors by publishing a roster* of our supporters in
the January 2008 issue of Keynotes. Please remember ALL the children at Key benefit from
the generosity of our members. Dues
forms are available at www.keyschooldc.org/ptadues.pdf. If you are
unsure if you’ve paid your dues this year, check with Jen Felten (Felten at aol.com).
Have a wonderful winter break! Key School PTA * Amounts will NOT be published. 12/15/07 - 1/6/08 Hardy Middle School Open
Houses (1/16, 1/23, and 1/30) more info – and notes from "Life After Key". Sat 12/15 – WHEELS FOR
AFRICA 10 am – 2 pm Key school parking lot. This local group is collecting old/used bikes of any size to
ship to charities and non-governmental organizations in several African
countries. It is a tax deductible organization and you will get a receipt
when you donate a bike. Questions,
contact Dixie Duncan. Sun 12/16 – Palisades
Luminary Night 6 – 11 pm. Neighbors will offer a
warm welcome to the holiday season by lighting luminary lanterns on their
front porches and walkways. It’s a wonderful night for an evening walk with
friends or family, an open house or to mingle with friends and
neighbors. Luminary lantern sets will
be sold from the front porch of 5814 Sherier Pl through Dec. 15 most afternoons/evenings.
All proceeds will benefit the Palisades Community Fund. Wed 12/19 – Trash Free Lunch Day! Beyond our efforts to recycle
at Key, the Green Committee has been thinking about how to encourage an ethic
of reducing and reusing resources, since recycling should in many ways be considered
a last resort. Having a regular trash free lunch day is a simple way to get
everyone (including staff, students and parents) to think about how much gets
thrown away at a typical school meal. This is not as difficult as it
may sound. Specific suggestions on reuseable containers, bags, etc.,
will be sent out to families before next Wednesday. Families are
invited to do their best in this effort. We understand that those kids
who purchase lunch, or receive the free/reduced lunches, may only be able to
participate in spirit. Mr. Landeryou will acknowledge this next
Wednesday when he addresses all the kids at lunch and explains the purpose of
the meal. Sat 12/22/07 – Sun 1/6/08, Winter Break – No school. Mon 12/31 – Deadline for tax
deductible contributions to Key School!
Haven’t
paid your dues yet? It’s not too
late. Dues form available at. The
Kindergartners & First Graders put their artistic talents to good use at Fillmore
and made cards that will benefit research for kids with neuroblastoma.
This project came to us through MaryAnn Svec (Stevie and Robbie,
K). We’ll let you know when the cards
go on sale where they can be purchased online.
Cassie Dixon (5th) and Alexa Zartman-Ball (3rd)
were our student reporters in this week’s Northwest
Current School Dispatches (www.keyschooldc.org/dispatches). 12/8/07 - 12/15/07 Sat 12/8 & Sun 12/9 – Christmas Tree Sale, 10am - 4pm Key school parking lot turns into a
winter wonderland! Don't wait, the best trees go first (as do the ever
popular kissing balls). This event is
guaranteed to put you in the holiday spirit.
Wreaths, swags, garland, stands, decorations and holiday wrap all on
sale. Put on a logging shirt, grow
yourself a beard and contact Todd (todd.stein at mail.house.gov) or Nick
(nick at nickkeenan.com) to help handle trees. Prefer to put on an apron?
Volunteers are always grateful for snacks during these outdoor shifts. Wed 12/12 – Hardy Middle School Open House, 9:30-11 am, interim campus at 1401 Brentwood
Parkway, NE. Executive Committee meeting 7:30 pm Key school conference room. Fri 12/14 – Holiday Sharing Program, 10am Key school auditorium. Perhaps you've caught them humming
jingles or whispering verses. They've
been practicing. For some children
it's their first ever public performance, for others it's the moment they've
been waiting for since Pre-K to belt out Jingle Bell Rock. And you lucky people get to be the
audience. Broadway can't hold a
candle… Sun 12/15 – WHEELS FOR AFRICA, 10am - 2pm Key school parking lot. This local group is collecting old/used
bikes of any size to ship to charities and non-governmental organizations in
several African countries. It is a tax deductible organization and you will
get a receipt when you donate a bike.
Questions, contact Dixie Duncan 703-919-0570. Birth Announcements - More babies! Nancy,
little sister to Alix (3rd), born Thanksgiving Day. Congratulations to the von Gersdorff Talley family! Fifth graders Pieter Fosburgh and David Winkler were our student reporters in this week's Northwest
Current School
Dispatches. Well done, boys -
thanks for plugging the Tree Sale! Upromise Schools Program Holiday Promotion Earn $25 in your Upromise account, plus, Earn $8 for
our school. It's easy…. 1. Sign up for your free Upromise account
& link to our school. Get $25 in
your Upromise® account when you join Upromise and shop online through
Upromise.com by 12/31/07 (Certain shopping exclusions may apply. See site for details). Here's how-- join for free at www.upromise.com/holidayshopping. When registering, remember to indicate
that you are saving for a school (Key School ID: 2632558439). In addition
to the $25 in your Upromise account, each family that does this will also
earn $8 for our school ($3 for registering and $5 for shopping online within
90 days of registration). Saving for
our school never detracts from your individual Upromise earnings - Shop
online through www.upromise.com/shop during the holidays. Learn about
additional savings such as free shipping, additional discounts, or even earn
more Upromise rewards. Take advantage
of great online retailers such as Magazines.com, Target.com, Bed Bath and
Beyond, iTunes, Shutterfly, eBay, and hundreds more. For questions or further information,
contact: Name: Jennie McDonnell jenniemcmiller at aol.com. Happy Holidays from your friends at Upromise
Schools. NEXT WEEK AT KEY 12/2/07
- 12/9/07 Sun 12/2 – Holiday Secret Shop Wrapping Party 1-4 pm at the home of Sharon and Greg Kuck, 5144 Cathedral Ave. Only 500 more presents to go! Contact Sharon Kuck at 703/517-1266 or email kucks at dnb.com with “Wrapping Party Help” in subject line. Wed 12/5
– Holiday Secret Shop 9 am – 3 pm.
Ready, set, Go
Shopping! For two days the second
floor Art Room transforms into a North Pole trading post. Gifts for all
ages are available for the children to purchase with the help of elf-like
parent volunteers (we’re only using short people with pointy ears…just
kidding…although if you’re tall with round ears,* see Christmas Tree Sale
below). Make sure your child comes to
school with the completed “shopping list,” labels and envelope with
sufficient $ (for children who prefer to make gifts, we will still need the
labels and envelope. Simply write "Make a Gift" on the
outside of the envelope.) “Life After Key” – 7-8:30 pm in school auditorium. Join the LSRT and a panel of current and former Key graduates and their parents for an informal discussion of “Life After Key” concerns and experiences. Please rsvp to LSRT at nickkeenan.com. Thur 12/6 – Holiday Secret Shop 9 am – 4:15 pm Art Room. Fri 12/7 – Parent/Teacher Conferences – No
School. Sat 12/8 & 9 – Christmas Tree Sale 10 am – 4 pm school parking lot. Don’t buy your tree anywhere else! Only here can you get the freshest Maine-grown trees, wreaths & garland (dusted with snow at no extra cost!) We’ll also have stands, decorations and famous Sally Foster holiday wrap on sale. It’s not too late to volunteer to help – contact Todd Stein (todd.stein at mail.house.gov) or Nick Keenan (nick at nickkeenan.com). Birth Announcements – We wish to welcome to the world new additions to the Key community: Mia Sobonja (3.6 kl), new sister to Ivan (2nd) and Ana (Pre-K) Alesia Poliseno, new sister to Virginia (2nd). Congratulations to the families! * For the tall and pointy-eared, keep your calendar open for the Science Fair, tentatively rescheduled to March 7, 2008. Looking for a way to help others this season AND take care
of some gift shopping? Consider
cookiesforkidscancer.org. 11/26/07 - 12/2/07 Wed 11/28 – General PTA Meeting 6:30-8 pm school
cafeteria. Childcare available for children ages 2
and older* during the meeting in the 2nd floor Art Room/common area. Please email us no later than end of
school on Tuesday 11/27 at cross at
parkmont.org with the following
information: (1) how many kids you’re bringing, and (2) how many slices of
pizza to order for them ($3/slice) with “PTA RSVP” in subject line. (* Parents are welcome to bring younger
children into the meeting.) The
minutes from our 10/3/07 meeting are available here. Please review
prior to the meeting (we will have limited copies at the meeting). Thu 11/29 – Keynotes - deadline for submissions
to next issue. Sun 12/2 – Holiday Secret Shop Wrapping Party 1-4 pm at the home of Sharon and Greg Kuck. Get in the holiday spirit, practice your
folds and bows. Contact Sharon Kuck at kucks
at dnb.com with “Wrapping Party Help” in
subject line. Holiday Secret Shop Reminder... The
event is coming up Wednesday 12/5 and Thursday 12/6. Please look for the Instruction sheet that
will be sent home with your child(ren) next week. You will need to aid them in filling in the recipient’ names
and relationship (i.e. Poppy, grandfather). Please return the completed sheet, gift labels and check/cash to
school no later than Wednesday 12/5.
We will also be offering 2 "make a gift" stands for children
who prefer to make a gift instead of buying one (limit 2 gifts). New this year will be gifts children can
buy to donate to Children’s Hospital. Gift Wrappers needed ... it isn't too late to help! If
interested, please email Sharon at kucks at
dnb.com with WRAPPING HELP in the
subject line by 11/26. Shopping Volunteers
... we are still looking for volunteers to staff the Shop. If
interested, email Sharon at kucks at dnb.com with SHOPPING HELP in the subject line by 11/28. Please denote in the body of the message
your preferred day and time. I will
do my best to fit you into the time slot.
Shifts include on 12/5 and 12/6: 9-11, 11-1 and 1-3. Save the Date: Wed 12/5 – “Life After Key” 7-8:30 pm in school
auditorium. The LSRT is hosting an informal evening
providing an opportunity to hear from current and former Key parents (and
their kids) who have experience with various post-elementary public school
system options in D.C. Please rsvp to
LSRT at nickkeenan.com. The Holidays are here! Don’t forget that your grocery shopping can earn money for Key School if you are registered at www.escrip.com
(for Safeway shoppers), and www.giant/A+.com (for Giant shoppers).
Remember that your on-line holiday shopping can also earn money for
the school when you shop through www.upromise.com or www.iGive.com (and isn’t that easier than the mall?) 11/12/07 -11/18/07 Children’s Book Week 2007 Mon. 11/12 – Veterans Day Observed (no school) Tues. 11/13 – Sally Foster catalog orders delivered to school Executive Committee
Meeting 7:30 pm Wed. 11/14 – Key School Fall Open House: 9:00 am to 11:00 am. Prospective
parents have an opportunity to tour the building, observe classes, and meet
Key School staff and parents. Please
be sure to mention the open house to any interested families that you know. We also need tour guides to help - if you
are interested please contact Michelle Mundt at michellemundt
at verizon.net. Spring Auction Committee Meeting – 8:00pm at the Kaminska’s house. The derring-duo Susan and Peter (Randolph
- K) are co-chairing Key’s gala event this year. This is your chance to get involved at the ground level - there
are dozens of tasks large and small that bring the auction to fruition and
everyone has talents to bring to the table.
Auction volunteering is a great way to meet other Key families and is
a lot of fun! Questions, contact
Susan at skaminskas at windsorcommunities.com or Peter at petekam
at verizon.net, 202-362-8885. Thursday 11/15 – Fillmore Back to School Night 6:30 – 8:00 pm, Fillmore Fine Arts Center, 1819
35th St NW. Meet your child’s
teachers, explore the space, and discover your own artistic talents! For more info go to: www.fillmoreartscenter.org. Sat 11/17 – Just One Thing Campaign
(10:00 am to 2:00 pm). Can you give Just One Thing? The Palisades Citizens Association is
supporting a small grass roots charity called A WIDER CIRCLE in its Just One
Thing campaign. This charity’s
mission is to empower people in the Washington DC area to break the cycles of
poverty and poor health. To this end,
they run workshops on healthy eating plans, anger management, self esteem,
stress management and yoga to people in schools, shelters and public
housing. In addition, they collect
usable furniture and household items to give to people in the DC area who are
living in deep poverty. This is where
we can help. On Saturday, November 17
from 10am-2pm they will be driving through the Palisades neighborhood to
collect donations of furniture and household items (in good-excellent
condition, please!!). Please note,
they are not collecting clothing at this time. To schedule a pick-up, call A Wider Circle at
301-657-1010. If you have smaller
items that do not require a pick up, there will be a drop off location set up
at the Key School parking lot that day from 10am-2pm. This is a wonderful opportunity to get
your cleaning done before the holidays and to find Just One Thing (hopefully
more!) for this worth-while organization.
To learn more, visit www.awidercircle.org. Sun 11/18
– Fall
Grounds Cleanup – 9:00 am - noon. Help us spruce up the school grounds. There’s plenty to do from raking leaves, winterizing gardens
and mulching to installing new signs and general cleanup. The more hands we have, the more gets
done! Bring rakes, brooms, gloves,
etc. Library Volunteers needed. We need
more people to come in for 30 - 45 minutes every other week to keep the
library books shelved in order.
Interested volunteers can contact Ellen Maxwell www.ellen.m.maxwell at gmail.com or 202 955-9080. Photos!
Check the website
for recent photos *Every year, the Key School Library sponsors a special program to celebrate Children’s
Book Week. This year’s theme is “Rise
Up Reading!” Please contact our
Librarian, Mrs. Hayes, for more information. (11/5/07 -11/9/07) Auction Volunteer Meeting - All Welcome! – Wed, Nov. 14th at 8pm at
Susan Kaminskas’ – for anyone interested in volunteering for the
auction. Contact Susan with questions
<SKaminskas at
windsorcommunities.com>. Look for the next issue of Keynotes in your child’s backpack. So many photos, so little space! We’ve decided to load all those precious shots onto the school website look for them in the coming weeks. In the interest of internet safety, we will attach neither names nor captions with the photos. Coming soon - Key School Fall Open House, Wednesday, November 14th
9am to 11am. This is a wonderful
opportunity for prospective parents to tour the building, observe classes,
and meet Key School staff and parents.
We will be distributing flyers to the local preschools and posting
signs around the neighborhood, but please be sure to mention the open house
to any interested families that you know.
We also need tour guides to help lead groups of people around the
school and answer questions. If you
are interested in helping, please contact Michelle Mundt at michellemundt at
verizon.net Fifth graders William Ervin and Tomass Pildegovics were our student reporters in this week’s NW Current
School Dispatches. See the reprint. (10/29/07
-11/2/07) (Wed., Oct 31) Halloween Parade, 2:30 pm on school
blacktop. Kids in costume will march
a circuit around the school grounds.
Do not miss this. Pictures can
capture only so much. Plot your
excuse for a long lunch now. Kodak
moments abound. (No weapons allowed, nor violent or gory costumes.) (Thur., 11/1) Homeless Walk – Children
stroll to Palisades Library and back for this annual event to bring attention
to the plight of the homeless in our community. (Fri., 11/2) Half Day – Dismissal at 12:15 pm (after lunch) for
record keeping. Official Enrollment Count.
Don't let them miss school today!
DCPS budget allocations are based on the official head count. Are you looking to get really involved
at Key, meet lots of
people? Are you a good multi-tasker
who plays well with others? Did you
really enjoy planning your Busby Berkeley wedding all those years ago? Have we got a job for you! We are seeking an AUCTION CO-CHAIR to
serve with Susan Kaminskas (Randolph - K).
This is Key's big spring gala.
We already have committed volunteers in place but we need YOU to help
manage the event. Many past chairs have never run an auction before... fear
not, we have lots of experienced worker bees who can help. So please talk with Marie Collins (marie
at nickkeenan.com) or Christy Ross (cross at parkmont.org) if you are
interested. One-On-One Basketball is introducing a Winter U-6 League at The
Lab School. For more information go
to
their website (click on calendar). Fifth graders Alex Opare and Jerome
Murdoch were our
student reporters in this week's NW Current School
Dispatches. See the reprint. 10/21/07 -10/26/07 (Sun 10/21) Harvest
Festival: 12:00 noon - 4:00 pm on
the school blacktop. Games, activities, a DJ, moon bounces, a haunted house*,
food (hamburgers, hot dogs and pizza), balloon artists, a bake sale and a
media/book sale**! Come one come all for a fun filled afternoon with friends
and neighbors. Pre-sale punch cards are already on sale for $10 (they can be
purchased on Sunday for $12). Harvest Festival t-shirts will be available
beginning Friday afternoon for $10 each in kids and adults sizes. Have you
made plans to bake a cake? Celebrity and award-winning chef Ann Amernick will
on hand beginning at 2:00pm to judge the cakes. All Creative Cake
participants receive a Harvest Festival t-shirt. Top prize winners receive
Amernick’s cookbook, The Art of the Dessert. Pre-k - 2nd winner receives a
giant lawn spider in time for Halloween, and the 3rd - 5th grade winner
receives a $50 Fandango Movie Certificate. If you-re interested in
volunteering (bake sale, book sale, and grilling volunteers needed) or need
more information, please contact Caitlin Durkovich at cdurkovich at alisinc.com. See you there! Props Needed for Haunted House. Do you
have a skeleton gathering dust or an ogre just sitting around? We need props for the Haunted House this
Sunday! We especially need scary
adult costumes for the -assistants,- but any kind of spooky paraphernalia
will help. So bring us your spiders,
your ghosts, your coffins, tombstones, candelabrae, chains and Richard Nixon
cutouts. We will be setting up during
the day on Saturday, so you can just drop them off at the school, or you can
contact Nick Keenan at nick at nickkeenan.com to make other arrangements. Through Friday we will continue to collect used
books, cds and dvds for the Children-s Used Book Sale. Look for collection boxes at the
school main entrance. If you have
questions, please contact Lynda Hall at lyndachall
at verizon.net. (Tues 10/23)
Passport Tuesday. “Witajcie!” – Key
kicks off its World Family itinerary with a virtual visit to Poland. This is a school-wide assembly for all
children. (Wed 10/24) National Pledge Against Gun Violence.
During the school day children will be educated in their classrooms about gun
safety issues and will take the Student Pledge. To learn more about this event, please go to http://www.keyschooldc.org/gunpledge.pdf Fri 10/26 LSRT Meeting 8:00 am. Earth-Friendly Friday is a new monthly (?) series introduced by the Green Committee to educate the kids about environmental issues. In tandem with the Performing Arts Program they-ll present locally renowned entertainer Billy B - a performance guaranteed to charm the children with lessons about environmental responsibility. This is a school-wide assembly for all children. Fifth graders Emily
Reynaud, Natalka Jamro and Jenny Li were our student reporters in this week-s
NW Current -School Dispatches – See the reprint on our website at http://www.keyschooldc.org/dispatches1.pdf 10/15/07 -10/21/07 Mon 10/15 – Six Schools Council Meeting 6:30 pm, Fillmore Arts
Center. For information contact Key
Council Reps Linda Reveal at jlsreveal
at starpower.net or Caroline Ervin at ccervin
at rcn.com. Wed 10/17 – Picture Day. Send your darlings in with
bright shiny faces and combed hair (and of course the completed order form
and check). Thur 10/18 – World Family Cocktails and Appetizers 7:30-9:30 pm, hosted
by Emma. Everyone who wants to be
involved or has been involved with the World Family at Key School please
bring a small appetizer and/or bottle of wine! RSVP to emma.rigney at yahoo.com. Keynotes Deadline for submissions to the Nov 1 issue.
Contact Nick Keenan at keynotes
at nickkeenan.com. Fri 10/19 – Sally Foster
gift wrap sale ends. Did you know that 50% of all sales of Sally Foster items come
directly to Key School? We have reached 15% of our sales
goal. Thanks to those who have submitted orders! Support Key
School by choosing your gift wrap, gift bags, chocolates and gift items from the
catalog. The wrap is terrific quality
and value - take a look near the school front door to see some
sample wrapped packages. The chocolates are delicious and will be
a great addition to holiday celebrations. Share your catalog with
friends and family. Use the Seller Section on the website to send
e-mails to those out of town at https://sellersection.entertainment.com/sellerSection/.
Catalog order forms can be returned to your child's teacher or directly
to the box near the guard's desk. On-line orders can be completed at www.sallyfoster.com.
To be sure your child receives prize credit, submit all orders by October 19th.
Catalog orders will be delivered to Key on Tuesday, November 13th.
On-line orders will be shipped directly to the buyer. For full instructions and information go
to www.keyschooldc.org/sallyfoster.pdf. If you have questions, please contact
Norma Ramella at normaramella at yahoo.com or
202-441-531. Sun 10/21 – Key School
Annual Harvest Festival 12 noon to 4:00 pm. Mark your calendars – it’s less than 10 days away!
Activities and prizes for all ages include water balloon baseball,
hole-in-one, fortune telling, two moon bounces and a Haunted House! Food
concessions include burgers, dogs, pizza, and baked treats. The used book
sale is back, with a new addition—used cds and dvds! Look for donation boxes this week near the
front entrance. All donations should be in good shape, fit for buying, and
please no adult books, workbooks, toys or textbooks. Adult and kids CDs and
DVDs welcome. This year’s Creative Cake contest judge is Ann Amernick,
co-owner and pastry chef at Palena and author of the new “The Art of the Dessert” cookbook! Ann will sign books
at the Festival. Grand prize winners and runner-ups will receive a free,
signed copy! Punch card tickets for
activities go on sale 10/15 (at a discount!) – look for volunteers on the
blacktop. Tickets also on sale day of
event. For more information about the
Harvest Festival or for volunteer opportunities, contact Caitlin at (202)
244-2261 or cdurkovich
at alisinc.com. Please
be advised, the LSRT meeting scheduled for Friday, 10/12 has been rescheduled
to Friday, 10/26. Fifth graders
Alexandru Raducanu and Ian Dragulet were our student reporters in this week’s NW Current “School Dispatches.” See the reprint on our website at www.keyschooldc.org/dispatches1.pdf. We’re starting up our periodical recycling
again! Don’t throw away those home
& garden mags, political rags, literary reviews, architectural digests,
or science and nature journals just yet.
If they’re 3 mos. old or less if monthly or 1 mo. old or less if
weekly, the PTA will collect them for our teachers and staff to
reuse. We’ll start collection this
week and continue the first week of each subsequent month. Just send those magazines to school in
your child’s backpack! (Wed 10/3) General PTA
Meeting –
6:30-8:00pm in the school cafeteria. Come and participate in the discussions
and decisions of the PTA. We want to
tell you what we’ve been up to and what we’re planning. Childcare for children ages 2 and older* is
available during the meeting in the 2nd floor Art Room/common area. Please
email us no later than 10/2 at pta
at nickkeenan.com with the following information in the subject line: (1)
how many kids you’re bringing, and (2) how many slices of pizza to order for
them ($3/slice)!
As part of our green campaign,
this will be our first (almost) paperless meeting. The budget
and minutes from our last meeting are available here. Please review
prior to the meeting – only a handful of hard copies will be made
available. First Keynotes issue comes out this week!
Look for it in your child’s backpack.
Fifth graders Jamie Elliott and Cassie Dixon were our student reporters in this week’s NW
Current “School Dispatches.” See the reprint. A
good idea…
Jennie McDonnell signed Key School
for iGive.com – check it out. The site has over 680 brand name stores, a
portion of each online purchase is donated to Key School! Your stores, your
cause, their money. Thursday (9/27)
Back to School Night 7 pm. Mr. Landeryou and the Key staff kick off the
new school year with a presentation for parents. This is an opportunity to meet the staff, visit your kid’s
classroom and hear their teacher discuss curriculum and expectations for the
year. Giant & Safeway cards need to be renewed each year in order for the
school to benefit from your purchases. Giant (including Peapod
delivery): go to www.giantfood.com/aplus and follow prompts School ID # 00169.
Safeway: go to www.escrip.com ,
click on YES RENEW. To sign up
for the first time, to go website and click on 1-Sign Up, School ID#
11873281. If you are not registered
with Escrip but shop at Safeway, please ask cashier for your “10%
Back-to-School” receipts, and drop in the “Retail Rebate” drawer by Oct. 11. Please be advised: Parents may not use the staff parking lot or driveway for any
reason. This includes turning
around, dropping off, or parking.
This rule is imposed for the safety of our students and applies to
every parent. Please also be mindful
of parking restrictions on surrounding streets (no double parking!). Be a good neighbor. Fifth graders Annie Woscoboinik and Grace
Dickinson were our student reporters in this week’s NW Current “School
Dispatches.” See the reprint. Thursday 9/20 LSRT Meeting 8:00 am
WHAT IS THE LSRT? The Local School Restructuring Team is comprised of four parents elected by Key parents who serve along with the school principal and staff to provide recommendations and advice on resource allocation, administrative matters and school programs. Want to learn more? Contact Patti Sulser at psulser at ifc.org or Sylvia Becker at sbecker at kayescholer.com.
WHAT’S THE BIG DEAL ABOUT FOOD ALLERGIES? Food allergies are on the rise. Over 30,000 emergency room visits and 200 food allergy related deaths were registered last year in the U.S. It is no surprise that food allergies are quickly a growing concern for parents, teachers, students, healthcare providers, and administrators. There are at least ten Key students with either moderate or severe food allergies that can cause severe reactions including anaphylactic shock, loss of consciousness, and worse. Does your child have a food allergy? Do you have questions about what you can do to prevent an allergic reaction of one of your child’s classmates? Our first Keynotes issue will address this subject in an article by Key parent Chris Simmons. If you have any questions, or would like to contribute to his report (including a master list of Key student allergies), contact Chris at chris at rainmakerz.biz or 202-255-2355.
Hannah Gehan, 5th grader, was our student reporter this week in the NW Current “School Dispatches” section. See article
Misplaced your PTA forms (Dues, Volunteer Sheet, Fillmore)? Email Marie at marie at nickkeenan.com and we’ll send you copies. After
school activities at PTA Executive Committee Meeting 7:30 pm (Wed
9/12) GET READY for Sally
Foster 50% of every
purchase goes directly to Our School Directory and parent
listserv are being finalized this week.
Future PTA weekly bulletins will no longer come home in your child’s
backpack unless you specifically
requested it on your Membership Dues Form. If you have not submitted an email address with your Directory
Form but wish to receive PTA notices electronically please email Marie
Collins at marie at nickkeenan.com. If you require PTA information to be sent
home in your child’s backpack and did not indicate so on the Dues Form,
please contact Marie (202-244-6682). Emergency Contact Forms Ordering Scholastic Books Online
DC Public Schools Comprehensive Assessment System Results
(06-07)
School year calendar for 2007-2008 year released. Tuesday 6/12 – 5th Grade Graduation, 10:30 Thursday 6/14 – School Dismissed at 12:15 Fillmore Report and Donation
Info from Chairwoman Lisa Lindstrom
SUMMER TO-DO LIST: July 4 – March with July 16-August 17 – Register for School! Please remember to visit the office during the dates above to register your kid(s) for next year. Here’s what you’ll need:
Camp Invention® will be held at This year’s program will include:
The program runs 9-3:30 each day. The cost is $199
and snacks and a t-shirt are provided. For more information, contact 2nd grade
teacher, Vicki Wanielista, at v.wanielista at gmail.com. SPIRIT
WEEK starts of Tuesday with Crazy Hair & Dress Day Wednesday
5/30 – Final PTA Meeting
Wednesday
and Thursday 5/30-31 – LSRT Elections Vote for parent representatives to the LSRT before
and after school on the playground and near the Pre-K classrooms; or, vote at
the PTA meeting. (LSRT bios attached
to this e-mail.) Friday
6/1, 6-8 pm – End-of-Year Family Picnic Join the Sunday,
6/3, 3pm – Sports Equipment Swap Got a house full of cleats, shin guards, snow boots
and snow suits that no longer fit?
What about all that sports equipment from long-forgotten teams or
strollers and bouncy seats you’ve long outgrown? Sure you’re planning to give it all away someday, but why
wait? On Sunday, June 3rd from 3pm –
5pm join us on the Blacktop at Introducing
the Green Committee Wynn Calder, father of Sophia (2) and Alexa (K), is
organizing a Key School Green Committee, which will work to improve
environmental health and performance at Key.
Issues to be considered include indoor air quality, use of green
cleaning products, healthier food options, waste reduction and recycling,
energy conservation, etc. Those
interested in participating are invited to contact Wynn at wynncalder at
aol.com. Ideas and suggestions are
welcome. Thursday 5/17 – Science Fair
Friday 5/18 – Parent Teacher Conferences (No School)
Sunday, 5/20 – Spring Grounds Clean-Up – Bring your gloves and clippers and help us give
the grounds their annual spring cleaning Looking Ahead – LSRT Elections LSRT Elections will be held May 24-25. We will be electing parent representatives
for the LSRT, a group made up of the principal, parents and teachers that
advises the principal on matters of school policy including: allocation of
school resources; curriculum; budget decisions and selection of
personnel. If you are interested in
participating, contact Catherine Stirling by Wednesday (3/16) at stirlings at
erols.com Final General PTA Meeting 5/30 – In addition to approving the PTA budget for
07-08, we will be voting on revised bylaws. To review the bylaws in advance click here. We will also elect officers for 07-08. The Nominating Committee, composed of
Caroline Ervin, Margie Palm and Renee Blankenau, is now deliberating possible
candidates to replace outgoing Co-President Catherine Stirling, and for the
position of Correspondence Secretary.
They will present the nominees, along with the following slate of
officers who will serve the second of their two-year terms: Co-President
Marie Collins, Treasurer Julie Scott and Recording Secretaries Todd Stein and
Lori Denham. Nominations may also be
made from the floor during the meeting.
If you wish to contribute to the committee’s deliberations, please
contact Chair Caroline Ervin at ccervin at rcn.com. Sunday, 6/3 – Sports Equipment Swap – Bring your used cleats, balls, helmets and
whatever you’re ready to swap, and pick up next year’s model! For more information, contact Linda Reveal
at lreveal at creativefamilyconnections.com.
WORLD
FAMILY DAY Wednesday, 9-12 – To
volunteer, contact: Emma emma.rigney at yahoo.com or Maria mariaemanuel at
starpower.net See
Updated World Family Program at Key SCIENCE
FAIR DISPLAY BOARDS AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE Boards are available in blue, red, yellow, and
white, and may be purchased from Ms. Crowell in the Science Room for $3 each
during and after school. (Remember,
completed projects are due May 16th!)
For after-hours sales, please contact Nick Keenan nick at
nickkeenan.com. SCIENCE
FAIR VOLUNTEERS NEEDED
Please contact Cindy Bouchez at cbouchez at skgf.com MAGAZINE
COLLECTIONS – Our monthly drive to
collect magazines, journals, etc. for teacher/ staff reuse is under way again
the week of 4/30 - 5/4. Send your old
periodicals (3 mos. old or less if monthly or 1 mo. old or less if weekly) in
your child’s backpack – we’ll be collecting them from the classrooms. NO SCHOOL MONDAY, APRIL 16TH – DC
EMANCIPATION DAY Looking for an activity? Take your kids to the DC
Voting Rights March and Rally! Join the largest voting rights march in the
District's history on Monday, April 16 to fight for full voting
representation in Congress. The march
will begin at Looking ahead: Tuesday, April 24th, 2:00 pm Passport Tuesday to Japan - presented by the
Japanese Embassy. To
all our International Families!
Please consider contributing to the Key School Annual World Family Day
- a morning packed with surprising, international fun for the children! More information will be coming _ but
start thinking now about how you can participate! Contact: Emma: emma.rigney at
yahoo.com or Maria: mariaemanuel at starpower.net School Board elections are coming up on May 1st. Please
take some time to read up on the issues and get to know the candidates. There is a lot at stake!
FIRST OF ALL & WHAT AN AUCTION!!! – Thanks to the whole Key School community for making this event such a success! Not only did we have a great time, but together we netted (drum roll, please&) approximately $80,000 to support Key School. To Michelle Mundt and Windsor Freemyer, their many, many volunteers, especially our charming and loquacious MC, Rebecca Dupin – thank you for your incredible efforts! In what appears to be perfect timing, last year’s auction project, the shade sails, have arrived! Folks are already staking out favorite spots under the canopies. As we approach the summer solstice we’ll be further tweaking the height and angles of the shades to maximize their effect.
Thurs. 7:30 PM – WORLD FAMILY COMMITTEE GET-TOGETHER! – The World Family Committee invites you to an evening get-together at the house of Maria Emanuel. Please bring an international appetizer and/or bottle of wine, and ideas for the up-coming World Family Day (coming up on May 9th, 2007). This great event gives Key School students a chance to travel around the world in a day - visiting – countries - set up outside on the blacktop where they’ll play games, do crafts, and learn about our great international community. If you are planning to come (or would like to learn more about participating in World Family Day) please RSVP to the co-chairs of the World Family Committee: Emma Rigney emma.rigney at yahoo.com and Maria Emanuel mariaemanuel at starpower.net
SCIENCE
FAIR RESOURCES AVAILABLE – Ms. Juliet Crowell, our science resource
teacher, has been working hard selecting and copying science fair project
handouts for the students. Each
handout contains a different science fair project. The handouts contain instructions for a full science fair
project from beginning to end.
Information about the science fair is also available on her bulletin
board outside the science room. Raffle – This is your last chance to take home $5,000! Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan and Margie Palm
are still selling raffle tickets, so bring in your check for $50 made payable
to the Key School PTA! If you can't
get to the blacktop, please contact Michelle Mundt (michellemundt at
verizon.net) or Windsor Freemyer (windsor at w2consulting.net) to make other
arrangements. Wine Cellar – It is not too late to donate a bottle of
wine to the Key School Wine Cellar.
Select a bottle from the list at Addy Bassin’s MacArthur Beverages, or
donate one of your own favorites.
Stop by, visit www.bassins.com or call (202)
338-1433 to place an order. If you
have already purchased a bottle, please send Windsor a quick note so we can
double-check Bassin's records (windsor at w2consulting.net). Donations – Many thanks to the parents, teachers, and staff for all the
wonderful donations to the silent and live auctions! If you turned in a form but have not
delivered the item or gift certificate yet, please bring it to the office
this week or contact Michelle (michellemundt at verizon.net) or Windsor
(windsor at w2consulting.net) to make other arrangements. Class Project Display at the Key School
Gallery – Le Louvre...step
aside! You've heard the rumors and
imagined the final product and now the wait is over! Come view the works of art our children
have created beginning Thursday, March 22 after school. All of the class projects will be on
display in the Key cafeteria beginning about 3pm on Thursday and will remain
there until Friday the 23rd at 3pm.
You won't want to miss this exclusive viewing. Also, please note: if you are responsible
for transporting your class project...it must be delivered to Windsor
Freemyer's house on Friday afternoon. Email her at windsor at
w2consulting.net if you have a problem. No project left behind! ALSO COMING UP Tuesday, March 20 – Passport Tuesday to
Croatia LSRT Parent Survey - Please take a few minutes this week to
complete the LSRT parent survey. You
can click directly to the survey from the PTA website, www.keyschooldc.org. If you don’t have access to the Internet,
Mr. Colton will set you up in the Computer Lab on the second floor near the
library. Raise money for our school, while you save
for college! – We are
pleased to announce that KEY ELEMENTARY SCHOOL is now participating in the
Upromise Schools Program an exciting new fundraising program from Upromise®,
the free service that helps parents save for college. Whether you’re
currently a Upromise member, or join through this program, you can raise
money for our school by participating in select Upromise programs, such as dining
out or shopping online. And as a Upromise member, you can also save for your
child’s college education. It’s a win-win for our school _ and for parents
like you! Learn more about this exciting new funding program by visiting www.upromise.com/schools today! Click
“Link your account to a school.” If
not a member: Click “Join Upromise free,” following instructions for
registration. When done, click
“Member Home Page”, then select “School Fundraising” and select Key from the
menu of schools in your zip code.
Choose a % to allocate to Key. LSRT Survey - Please take a few minutes to give
your feedback on how we can improve your family’s experience at Key by taking the LSRT Survey.
AUCTION NEWS
– The spring auction is just two weeks away!
You can still RSVP, but please do so ASAP so that we can provide an
accurate headcount to the caterer.
Remember, because of security there will be no walk-in registrations
this year!
Raffle –
Don't miss your chance to take home $5,000!
Lia Heiden, Michele Keegan and Margie Palm will be selling raffle
tickets on the blacktop before and after school next week, so stop by with
your check for $50 made payable to the Key School PTA! If you can't get to the blacktop, please
contact Michelle Mundt (michellemundt at verizon.net) or Windsor Freemyer
(windsor at w2consulting.net) to make other arrangements. Auction Volunteers – We need a few people with strong backs to help us set up tables
and chairs the morning of the auction.
If you can help between 10:00 and 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 24th,
please contact Michelle Mundt (michellemundt
at verizon.net). We also need
volunteers to help us close the silent and live auctions as well as to help
with check-out at the end of the night.
A contribution of 30 minutes of your time between 7:30 and 10:30 would
make a big difference! If you have
not already signed up and you are interested, please contact Tobey Collins at
202-966-0307 or tobeysc at yahoo.com. Attention Shutterflies: We need more photos! It_s not too late! We
are still looking for digital photos of Key kids AND teachers for the Key
School Slide Show that will be unveiled at the Auction. You can submit them
either on a disk to Michele Keegan or send by email at michele at
bookcase.com. LSRT PARENT SURVEY – The LSRT Parent Survey will close on Friday, March 16th, so please
take a few minutes this week to complete it.
All parents (not just one family representative) are invited to
participate, and we are really interested in your feedback. You can click directly to the survey from
the PTA website, www.keyschooldc.org. If you don_t
have access to the Internet, Mr. Colton will set you up in the Computer Lab
on the second floor near the library. Tuesday, February 27 – Passport Tuesday - Saudi Arabia 1:30 and 2:00 Friday, March 2 – PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES - NO SCHOOL ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Pre-K and Kindergarten Pre-Registration These are the final days for Pre-K and Kindergarten
registration! Parents of new kids
coming in the fall should pre-register him/her by Wednesday. Auction News!
The auction will be here
before you know it. You should have received your invitation by now, so
please don't forget to send in your RSVP card and a check made payable to Key
School PTA by March 5th. March 5th is
also the deadline for advertising in the auction catalog. It's a great way to advertise your
business, thank a teacher, or send a greeting to your children. Advertising forms are available online at
www.keyschooldc.org. Or if you need help creating an ad, contact Polly Johnson
(pollypolliwog at mac.com). For
additional information about catalog advertising, contact Sally Dunkelberger
Daniel (sdunkelberger at maret.org).
And send any other auction related questions to Michelle Mundt
(michellemundt at verizon.net) or Windsor Freemyer (windsor at
w2consulting.net). Tuesday, February 27, 7:30, St. Columba’s Church Public Forum on School Governance and School
Achievement The Ward Three Democratic Committee will hold a
special panel discussion and public forum on public school governance and
student achievement. Tuesday at 7:30
p.m., at St. Columba's Episcopal Church, 4201 Albemarle Street, NW. Panelists will include: Robert Bobb, President of
the DC Board of Education; Kathy Patterson, Former Ward Three DC
councilmember; Victor Reinoso, Deputy Mayor For Education; Darlene T. Allen,
president, DC Congress of PTAs; Mary Levy, Director, Public Education Reform
Project, Washington Lawyer's Committee for Civil Rights and Urban Affairs;
and Mary Filardo, founder and executive director, The 21st Century School
Fund. Additionally, Mayor Fenty is
expected to offer brief remarks preceding the panel discussion and public
forum. If you have any questions,
please feel free to contact Thomas M. Smith, chair of the Ward Three
Democratic Committee, at mfsmith at starpower.net. Raffle Ticket Sales - Each year as part of our Spring Auction, the PTA
sells raffle tickets to Key families, business associates, neighbors,
grandparents, aunts, uncles and others.
This year we are selling 300 tickets at $50.00 a piece. The grand prize is $5,000 and the winner
will be announced on the evening of the Auction, but does not have to be
present to win. We still need
volunteers to help sell these tickets around the Palisades, Key School, etc. Each volunteer only needs to sell 10
tickets, so please consider helping out!
If you'd like to buy tickets and you have not had the chance to do so
at school, please contact Windsor (windsor at w2consulting.net) or Michelle
Mundt (michellemundt at verizon.net). Wednesday, February 21, 9:00 am - Open House for Prospective Parents Tell your friends and neighbors about this
opportunity to tour the school, hear from Mr. Landeryou, and register for
next year. If school is cancelled
because of the weather, this event will be rescheduled. Pre-K and Kindergarten Pre-Registration - February is the month for pre-registration for Pre-K
and Kindergarten for 2007-08. If you
(or your friends or neighbors) intend to send your child to Key next year for
Pre-K, you MUST pre-register him/her during the month of February. Pre-K slots are filling up! Parents of next year’s kindergarteners
(not currently enrolled in Pre-K) need to pre-register their children as
well. Key School Wine Cellar - One of the most popular items at the auction every
year is the Key School Wine Cellar, stocked with fantastic wines donated by
Key School parents. Participation is
easy - Addy Bassin’s MacArthur
Beverages has put together a select list of delicious wines. Stop in, call, or visit www.bassins.com, phone
(202) 338-1433 to place your order. It is an easy way to make a small
contribution to a larger item that will reap big benefits for our school! Tuesday,
February 6, 2:00 – Passport Tuesday visits Afghanistan! Families
are welcome to join in as the students take a fascinating visit to
Afghanistan, courtesy of Nahid Aziz. Friday, February 9 – 100th Day of School! Congratulate
your children on reaching the halfway mark, and watch your children’s
backpacks for information on how your child’s class will be celebrating. ANNOUNCEMENTS:
Take out an ad in the 2007 Auction Catalog! It's a great way to advertise your business or to
send a special greeting. A flyer will
be sent home in the backpacks this week with all the details. Additional forms are available in the
Auction Box in the office or at the new auction homepage. Catalog
ads are a great revenue source for the auction. If you know of a business or individual who might like to
advertise, please give them a form or contact Sally Dunkelberger Daniel
(sdunkelberger at maret.org, 202-939-8811). Open House
– Our next open house for prospective parents will be held on February 14 at
9:00 am. If you are interested in
giving tours, please contact Michele Keegan at Michele at bookcase.com. Science
Fair – This year’s science fair will be held on Thursday, May 17th. Materials will be coming home in backpacks
in the next couple of weeks. Contact
Cindy Bouchez (cbouchez at skgf.com) to volunteer. DATE CHANGE: Our next General PTA Meeting will be held
on March 7th at 6:30 (rescheduled from February 28th). Thursday 2/1 – Fillmore Open House: 10:30 am for 3rd -5th Grades and 1:30 p.m. for 1st
-2nd grades. This is a great
opportunity to see the Fillmore program in action, to have a look at the
temporary space, and to enjoy informal performances by your student(s). Saturday 2/3, 7:30 pm – Key Elementary School Night at
American University Basketball: AU Eagles
vs. Lehigh University at Bender Arena.
One free ticket for each student, additional tickets are $5. Ticket order forms and payment are due to
teachers by Jan 29 (today). You can
call (202) 885-TIXX with questions regarding Key School Night. AUCTION UPDATE (new auction homepage) RAFFLE TICKETS ARE OFFICIALLY ON SALE! Find your friendly ticket seller and BUY THOSE
TICKETS for $50.00 a piece for a chance to win $5,000.00! Or if you can’t find a seller and would
still like to buy a ticket or two, please contact Windsor Freemyer at Windsor
at w2consulting.net or Michelle Mundt at michellemundt at verizon.net and we
can set up a meeting time. If you
would like to volunteer to sell raffle tickets, please contact Lia Heiden at
liaheiden at starpower.net. MERCHANT SOLICITATIONS: Lots of great donations have come in so far –
please keep hitting up your favorite local merchants. Donation forms. Thanks for all your efforts so far – keep
up the good work! PICTURES, PICTURES, PICTURES: Get your digital pictures to Michele Keegan at
Michele at bookcase.com for inclusion in our Auction Slideshow. We are looking for pix of all those
darling Key Schoolers in action. eScrip
Recycling Program: Deposit your old
cell phones and ink cartridges in the box in the front lobby – we’ll send
them to be recycled, and we’ll get money for them!
February 6 at 2:00 pm: Passport Tuesday –
Afghanistan!
February
14 at 9:00 am: Open House for prospective parents. Tell your
friends and neighbors! If you are
interested in giving tours, please contact Michele Keegan at Michele at
bookcase.com. Updated
Key 2007 Calendar After-School Enrichment Program begins this week! Students will be dismissed at 4:30 from the classroom. If your child is NOT enrolled in the Key Extended Hours Program (KEHP), please pick your child up from the classroom at 4:30 sharp! Questions? Contact Lena Nirk at gregorynirk3 at verizon.net or 686-1657. Friday, January 26 – School dismissed at 12:15 AUCTION UPDATE: Progress on our Spring Auction (March
24, 2007 at the French Embassy) is moving along. Thanks to all who came out to our last meeting. Also, we have begun to receive
donations. Thanks to all who have
been actively soliciting. Please grab
a donation form (or two) and hit up your favorite merchants. We want a vast array of items. And if you haven’t done so already, please
sign up to help. Sign ups are by the
front door office and gym doors. We
still need day-of set-up folks, check in/out and raffle ticket sales. If you have any questions or suggestions,
please contact Windsor Freemyer <Windsor at w2consulting.net> or
Michelle Mundt at <michellemundt at verizon.net>. Announcements: Color swatches for the shade sails have been posted in the display
case outside the gymnasium doors.
Check them out! The sails will
go up once the weather heats up this spring.
(Seems a long way off, doesn’t it?) Wednesday,
January 17, 7:00
Announcements
www.keyschooldc.org
Volunteer!
December
17
Tuesday, December 12th ·
Passport Tuesday to · Executive Committee meeting, 7:30
Friday, December 15th, 10:00 · The Holiday Sharing Program is a classic! Charge up the cameras and enjoy performances from each of the classes celebrating this festive time of year.
THANK YOU!!! · To Brenda Lyon and her team of volunteers for treating our kids to a spectacular Secret Shop experience. They had such a great time! ·
To the incredible Nick Keenan and Todd Stein, and the
rest of the Tree Sale crew, for clearing out our inventory in record
time. Not only was the weather perfect, but the sale ran
beautifully. Thanks also go to Starbucks, Café Cantina (Key parents
Margarita Raygada and Hakan Ilhan), and the friendly bakers who kept the sale
workers fed and happy. Looking Ahead ·
Please mark your 2007 calendars with the
REVISED date for the auction. The NEW date is Saturday, March 24th,
2007. Get ready to hit the ground running after winter break! |
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