June 9th

Your PTA in Action

This is a highlight of what your PTA did this past year.

 You should be very proud of what we do for our chilldren, teachers, staff, and each other.

Cashell Cougars Rock!

ACADEMIC ENHANCEMENT ACTIVITIES:
•    Purchased 4 DVD/VCR Players
•    Purchased Chinese Temple Blocks for Music
•    Purchased prizes for Walk to School Day participants
•    Subsidized cost of Patrol Camp for participating students
•    Provided Teacher Funds for classroom book fair purchases, Study Island materials and other classroom supplies
•    Visiting Author Program
•    Fall & Spring Scholastic Bookfairs
•    Pre – K           Visit from Maryland Zoo
•    Kindergarten    Admission to Larriland Farm Pumpkin Patch,
                            Bus transportation to Larriland Farm
                            Shadow Puppet Workshop
•    1st Grade        Bus transportation to Sharps Farm
                            Breadmake Workshop
•    2nd Grade        Mad Science Visit – In Class Fieldtrip
                            Breadmake Workshop
•    3rd Grade        2 Mad Science Visits – In Class Fieldtrip
•    4th Grade        Bus transportation to St.Marys and Annapolis
•    5th Grade        Bus transportation to Mt. Vernon
•    ALL STUDENTS    Einstein Alive Assembly
                                Juggling Workshop
                                MD Art Council – Interact Story Theatre
                                Unified Jazz Ensemble Concert
•    Science Fair
•    Winter and Summer Reading Programs:
            Earn Book Fair Bucks to Buy Free Books
            Keys for Reading

SCHOOL SPIRIT ACTIVITIES:
•    Back to School Picnic
•    Birthday Board
•    Cashell Eats Out Evenings
•    Family Swim Night
•    PTA Dinner
•    5th Grade Graduation & Pool Party
•    End of Year Picnic
•    Staff Appreciation – monthly teacher treats and staff appreciation week
•    Variety Show

OTHER ACTIVITIES:
•    Annual Calendar & Directory
•    Monthly Newsletter
•    24/7 PTA Website
•    Board of Education and County Council Advocacy
•    Assist with packing and unpacking during move to temporary home
•    Parent Encouragement Program guest speaker

Open House Kudos
I hope everyone had as much fun as I did at the Open House for Mrs. Golding and Mrs. Frace.  I want to thank Susan Phillips for organizing the event and the many people who brought food, drinks, memories, and warm smiles.  In saying good-bye and wishing well the people who help make Cashell special, we are reminded of how great a community Cashell is.

Cashell Yearbooks
Yearbooks will be coming home on Monday, Jun 9th.  If you ordered one and did not receive it please call Liz Crickey at 301-774-5131. 
If you would like to purchase one please send $20 via backpack mail to Liz Crickey and she will send one home as soon as possible. 

And a reminder of messages sent out last week:

Mt. Vernon Field Trip Rescheduled
The field trip is rescheduled to Tuesday, June 10th. The teachers called every fifth grade parent to let them know that they were able to reschedule the trip.
Kudos to the 5th grade teachers who came into work today to make all the calls!

Moving On Ceremony Rescheduled
Because the Mt. Vernon trip was moved to Tuesday, the Moving On ceremony is now moved to Wednesday, June 11th.

Car Pool Day to Cashell @ North Lake !
Wednesday, June 11th will be a GREAT day to show your Green Team behavior because three grade levels are having their picnics.  To quote from the experts: 'Parking at school will be a nightmare...'.

May 11th

Cashell PTA Board
The 2008-2009 slate of officers and committee chairs was approved at the May meeting.
One consequence is more email from me. :-)

Cashell Variety Show
We were treated to another wonderful Variety Show Thursday and Friday and a great deal of thanks goes out to everyone who helped!  I've been asked to specifically thank the Hopwood Family for their Gold Sponsorship of the Variety Show which was inadvertently omitted from the program.

Book Fair
The Cashell Book Fair is running this week.  Come on out and see the excellent selection!

Spring Concert
The fourth and fifth grade, strings, bands and chorus will perform Tuesday night, staring at 7 pm.

Cashell Renovation Update
Dennis Cross from MCPS tells us that all demolition permits are in place and we await the next obvious sign-  'the short, black fence' AKA the sediment retention fence. Demolition is expected to commence by the end of May.  Hopefully, we'll get word when the bulldozers will start so we can urge them on.

May 4th

PTA Meeting
Our next meeting is May 6th at 7:30 pm.
We've invited Dennis Cross, from MCPS to update us on what is and will be happening during the Cashell renovation.  We'll also be electing the PTA Officers for next year.
Our neighbors from Cherry Wood and Norbeck Meadows are also invited to hear Mr. Cross, so car pooling is strongly recommended in light of the limited parking options at our temporary home. 
Childcare will be provided.

Cashell Yearbook
Reminder:  Yearbook order forms are due by May 9^th to get the pre-order price of $17.00.  After that the price is $20.00  If you did not receive an order form you can get one in the office.

2008 Cashell Variety Show

The 2008 Cashell Variety Show, "There's No Place Like Cashell", will be this Thursday, May 8 and Friday, May 9 at 7:00 pm at Redland Middle School.  All tickets need to be purchased prior to the show. No tickets will be available at the door.  Please make sure to pre-order your flowers and professional DVD of this amazing production.  Order forms are in the Variety Show mailbox in the front office at school and they will also be available at the concession table Thursday night.  All cast and crew must be at Redland no later than 6:00 pm.  Any questions regarding tickets please contact Kathy Toscano(thetoscanos@gmail.com) or Liz Crickey(LJCrickey@comcast.net).  See you there!

Also, don't forget to honor your Variety Show performers with a 'Salute to the Stars'!

Any questions, please call Michele Davidson (301-260-0588).

April 27

CASHELL EATS OUT

We have a Cashell Eats Out on Tuesday, April 29 at

California Tortilla from  5:30pm – 9:00pm (say “Go Cougars!”)

and at Cold Stone Creamery from 6:00pm – 9:00pm.

VARIETY SHOW TICKETS
The ticket order form for the Variety Show was sent home in the Wednesday folders last week (April 23).  If you didn’t receive a form or need an additional one, please contact Kathy Toscano at 301-774-2688 or Liz Crickey at 301-774-5131.  This promises to be another spectacular show and you won’t want to miss it!

COUGAR PHOTOMOSAIC POSTERS

The posters are expected to be delivered at the end of this week.  For those who placed an initial order, you will be contacted directly about picking up the poster.  If you have any questions, please contact Ellen Dunn at (301) 570-3544 or at 65pat@prodigy.net.  There will be another order placed in May so you still have one more opportunity to purchase this unique poster!

MCPS Coffee and Conversation

From MCPS:

"The kids are in school and you have a little free time. It’s a perfect opportunity to visit
with the parent and family experts from the Montgomery County Public Schools’ Department of
Communications. The Division of Family and Community Partnerships (DFCP) invites you to
drop in for coffee and conversation on Friday, May 2, anytime between 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.
Bring your questions, find out about programs and services in the school system, and take
home great tips on how to help your child succeed in school. Staff will be available to
show you how to stay connected using Edline and other MCPS web resources. DFCP is located
at 451 Hungerford Drive, Rockville, in Suite 508. For more information, call 301-279-3100."

After School Drama Program Input Request

From County Council PTA:

"Last year MCCPTA-EPI (the organization that provides FLES, HOS, and the
cultural arts showcases) conducted a survey of local PTAs to find out what
other types of after school programs EPI might develop.  In response to the survey,

MCCPTA-EPI is in the beginning stage of developing an after school drama program.

The program developer would be interested in getting input as to what things you

would want in this type of program.

Please respond to Karen James, kboches@erols. com if you have any
suggestions. You may also forward this email to any parents that you know
have expressed interest in this type of program. At this point the program
will likely be aimed at ES students, but input from middle schools is also
welcome."

MCT Celebrates Teacher Appreciation Week
May 5-9, 2008
In celebration of Teacher Appreciation Week, May 5-9, MCT is holding a “Teacher of the Year” contest.
The winner will receive $500 that will be donated to the school of their choice.
To nominate a teacher who has made an impact on you and/or others, please send an email to teacher@mctfcu.org (MCT Federal Credit Union) by May 1 at 12 noon including the following information:
·        Name of teacher
·        School name: where they currently teach or taught at in the past (retirees are eligible too)
·        A brief description of how the teacher has made a positive impact (100 to 150 words)

The winner will be contacted on May 12.
If you have any questions, please email us at teacher@mctfcu.org.

Montgomery County’s Office of Consumer Protection is here to help: 

Identity Theft Problems

Unlicensed Home Improvement Contractors

Auto Repairs and Sales

Deceptive Advertising

Mortgage & Foreclosure Issues

Retail Sales

Complaint Information for Pre-Purchase Decisions

Our webpage provides links to valuable information:  www.montgomerycountymd.gov/consumer

Please contact us if we can be of assistance to you: consumerprotection@montgomerycountymd.gov

(240) 777-3636

April 20

EARTH WEEK AT CASHELL, APRIL 21-25th
The Green Team has a number of fun things planned for our Earth Week celebration next week at Cashell! Most of the activities will be going on during lunch and recess. If you would like to help out, please contact Susan Phillips (301-774-0759, ceronisuch@verizon.net). Volunteers are needed from 11:40 a.m. to 1:40 p.m. Thank you!
    Our Recycling Poster Contest participants will be honored on Monday, and we will also have a coloring contest going on during the week. Coloring pages will be due on Friday morning.
    Please check your child's backpack for the coloring page on Monday, and other special environmental information that will be coming home throughout the week. Happy Earth Day from the Green Team!

Principal Selection at Redland
The Redland principal, Carol Weiss,  recently announced that she is retiring.
We received this notice from from Beatrice Hanson, Redland PTA President:
Tomorrow Evening, Monday, April 21st @ 7:00 p.m. in the Redland Middle School media center there will be a very important meeting for the parent community to provide input in the selection of a Principal for Redland Middle School .  Adrian Talley, Montgomery County Community Superintendent will be outlining the principal selection process and discussing the parents’ role on the actual interview team.

We will be asked to fill out a needs survey, for Principal Leadership Skills.  These survey results along with the teacher surveys and the community superintendent’s observations will determine the candidates for the upcoming interviews.

The needs survey is in the form of a scan-tron, with the following 13 choices:
Promotes high student expectations
Maintain a good school climate
Makes changes based on needs
Involves parents
Communicates well
Provides instructional leadership
Promotes professional growth
Has effective interpersonal skills
Believes in participatory management
Is accessible
Maintains staff balance
Uses resources well
Maintains continuity

You will be asked to choose the top 5 that are important for the Redland community.  Please contemplate which 5 characteristics would be most important in serving us.  
There will also be an opportunity to write in any characteristic needs that are not covered in the list above.

There will be an opportunity for parents to serve on the interview panel.  Anyone interested will be asked to fill out a form.  These parents are chosen by Mr. Talley.

I can not tell you enough how important this meeting is.  The number of people in attendance will make an impact on Mr. Talley as to how important we feel about getting a Principal who meets the needs of our community.

Thank you and I do hope to see many of you there.
Beatrice Hanson
RMS PTA President

Free Summer Camp for Military Families
Mrs. Stamoulis passed on the following message she received:
The internet link below is a FREE OPPORTUNITY for military youth to participate in a
Summer Camp Program.
http://www.nmfa.org/site/PageServer?pagename=op_wv_marlinton. The dates
for the camp are 17-23 August 2008 and the ages are 8-15 years old.
Registration will be open thru 5 May 2008.

School Kits
We are going to offer school kits from a new vendor this year.  We chose the vendor based on the opinions of parents who previewed samples at one of our Spring PTA meetings.  Please be on the look out for order forms later this week.

Gifted and Talented Liaisons and Interested Parents
Gifted and Talented Liaisons and Interested Parents Are Invited to
"Differentiating Instruction:  Best Practices in Grouping Strategies and Teacher Preparation"

Thursday, April 24, 2008
7:30-pm to 9:00pm
Walter Johnson HS Cafeteria

·     What is differentiated instruction and how MCPS is using it in our schools?

·     Learn about grouping strategies which are taking place as part of middle school reform

·     See examples of what differentiated instruction should look like in elementary and middle school.
           There will be time to answer questions at the end of the presentation.

Cashell Renovation Update
The following 'lack of progress' notice was provided by
Holly S. Knowles, Assistant Project Manager, J. Vinton Schafer & Sons, Inc
when asked by Mrs. Stamoulis when demolition would occur:

"As of right now we do not have the permits yet.  The Architect and County are still working on it."

Remember, Ms. Knowles is only the messenger. ;-)

April 15

Market Day Pick Up
Pick up is tomorrow, April 16th, from 7-8 pm at Cashell.

PTA Dinner
We need to reschedule the PTA dinner from June 3rd to June 4th.  Please make a note of the change in dates so you can join us as we say Thanks to all of our very many volunteers who were so incredibly helpful this year!

Spring BOGO Book Fair
The Spring Buy One Get One (BOGO) Book Fair will be held May 12th-16th.  We could really use help with this very popular PTA sponsored event.  Please contact Leslie Reed (Preed5@verizon.net ) if you can help.  We'll be sending out letters in April and May with more information.

County Council MCPS Operating Budget Testimony
We will be asking you to write and call your County Council members about your concerns and intentions as deliberations continue about the MCPS operating budget. More details to follow.

The Unified Jazz Ensembl put on a great show for us last Friday night!  Many thanks to our Cultural Arts Committee (Eileen DiMarco and Kathy Toscano) for organizing this for the Cashell community.

April 6

MCPS Operating Budget Testimony
Mrs. Stamoulis and I will be attending the County Council session Monday, April 7th for the MCPS Operating Budget testimony in support of Cashell and as part of the Magruder cluster.

Spring BOGO Book Fair
The Spring Buy One Get One (BOGO) Book Fair will be held May 12th-16th.  We could really use help with this very popular PTA sponsored event.  Please contact Leslie Reed (Preed5@verizon.net ) if you can help.  We'll be sending out letters in April and May with more information.

April 3