Volume 2, Issue 1
August 2008
ANNE E. MONCURE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
75 Moncure Lane Stafford, Virginia 22556
Bear facts
“Making A Difference Today for Tomorrow”
Mr. Greg Machi – Principal
Word of the Month:
PATIENCE
Calendar of
Events
Kindergarten
Screenings
8/5
8/6
8/13
8/14
Teachers &
Staff Return
8/25
Class Lists
Posted at
5:00 PM
8/27
Open House
A-M 6:30–7:30
N-Z 7:30–8:30
8/28
Labor Day
9/1
First Day of
School
9/2
Mrs. Bonnie Norton – Assistant Principal
Mr. Machi’s Message…
Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,
It’s hard to believe that another summer is rapidly coming to an end.
As Anne E. Moncure’s principal, I can’t say enough about how excited
I am to meet our new and returning BEARS. If we have not met,
please feel free to stop by. I would love to get to know you.
For those of you who I have yet to meet, I would like to share my
educational background. Throughout my first eleven years in Stafford
County, I spent the first chapter of my educational career as a fifth
grade teacher at Hartwood Elementary School. I served as an assistant
principal at Rocky Run Elementary for three and a half years before
coming to Anne E. Moncure last summer. As an educator and
administrator, I strongly believe in the importance of showcasing
student strengths and strengthening individual weaknesses. Each day, I
look forward to helping children reach for their dreams. With that in
mind, I embrace Moncure’s motto: “Making a Difference Today for
Tomorrow.”
Traditionally, maintenance does their magic around Stafford County
each summer. Around the building, we officially have tile in our PE
room and our custodial crew has been working extremely hard to make
Moncure shine. Our exterior has also undergone great changes this
summer as five of our trees were removed from the property. Like
many of you, I was quite saddened by the loss of our cherry trees. No
more spring pink flowers (pink snow). Exterior painting took place,
and next, mulch will spread on our playgrounds and front planting
areas. We will be ready for our BEARS September 2nd.
Please join me in welcoming our new staff members: Tasha Barlow in
First grade; Brenda Mason in Fourth grade; and Tammy Torino has
joined the Moncure Bear team as our Primary Support Teacher. While
it is always sad to see veteran faces move or retire, we are very excited
about new staff members. Congratulations everybody! I’m sure it will
be a great year.
Continue on page 2
PAGE 2
BEAR FACTS
Mr. Machi’s Message… Continued from page 1
Class lists will be placed on our front windows by 5:00 PM, Wednesday, August 27th. Students
missing required medical and/or registration information will be assigned a teacher as records are
completed. Hours have been spent placing children and matching teaching styles with learning
styles. If you know of anyone who has not enrolled their children for school, please encourage them
enroll now, as class size and teacher growth positions can be strenuous, once school begins.
Anne E. Moncure’s Open House has been scheduled for Thursday, August 28th. To avoid parking lot
and hallway congestion, we are splitting our Open House into two sessions this year. Children with
last names beginning with A-M are asked to arrive between 6:30 – 7:30 and children will last names
beginning between N-Z are asked to arrive between 7:30 – 8:30. In addition to meeting our teachers,
our PTO will sell Bear Wear and have volunteer sign-ups. Porter Library will be assigning
memberships, our staff members will provide parents with an opportunity to deposit money in lunch
accounts and register for our car rider system, and other community-based activities. We apologize
in advance for our limited parking, but look forward to seeing you there.
Finally, I would like to thank our PTO for working very hard to plan for the school year. They have
been working diligently to prepare for our Fall Clothing Sale (October 4th), fundraisers, and various
assemblies for our students. Thanks again for your time and dedication. It is appreciated.
Throughout the month of September, we will have various occasions to recognize our student’s
accomplishments and welcome visitors to our building. During the week of September 15th, we will
have grade-specific Back-to-School Nights to address grade level curriculum and expectations. As
we finalize these dates, more information will be passed along. Thanks again for sharing your
children with Anne E. Moncure’s staff and community. I am looking forward to meeting and
working with your children for years to come.
Have a great remainder of the summer!
Greg Machi - Principal
Cafeteria Information
Student Cafeteria Accounts:
Students are encouraged to pre-pay for their meals with
SNAP (School Nutrition Accountability Program). This
Program is the easiest way to ensure that your child has
lunch money each day. Money may be added to student
accounts at any time. However, Monday Mornings are
preferred. Money can be deposited into accounts on Open
House night.
Common Cafeteria Confusion:
Lunch comes with a carton of milk. If juice is selected in
place of milk, a .50 charge is applied to your child’s account.
Dessert is also an extra .50 charge. If you do NOT want your
child to buy these items, please make it clear with them.
Free and Reduced Lunches:
All Stafford County Public Schools offer Free and Reduced
lunches to qualifying students. Reduced lunches are also
available for short-term hardships.
Cafeteria Charges:
Breakfast
$1.10
Lunch
$2.00
Milk
.40
Dessert
.50
Extras
(See Monthly Menu)
Breakfast will N
NO
OT
T be offered
the first day of school
NOTE:
To avoid having your children eat
cheese sandwiches, please check
occasionally to make sure SNAP
accounts have sufficient money.
BEAR FACTS
PAGE 3
Norton’s Notes
Welcome to all Moncure families both familiar ones and ones new to our school. We have an
exciting year ahead as we begin with about half of our students being new to Anne Moncure. I have
just completed my first year as assistant principal at Moncure with Mr. Machi. I am delighted to
once again be a part of the Moncure staff. For those of you, who may not have any information about
me, let me introduce myself or get reacquainted with those families who may already know me.
As I said previously this year will be my second as an assistant principal. The exciting thing about
being assigned to Moncure is that Mr. Machi and I taught one year together ten years ago, and I have
enjoyed once again working with him in our new roles. This begins my twentieth year in Stafford
County Public Schools. Before that I was a paraprofessional for nine years here at Moncure before
becoming a teacher. I have taught third, fourth and fifth grades and served with primary children in
the reading remediation setting. I taught one year at Hartwood Elementary, five years here at
Moncure and three years at Margaret Brent Elementary before returning as assistant principal.
Serving in various parts of the county I have found that kids want to learn and have a desire to do
well no matter where they attend school. I truly believe that we make a difference each day for a
better tomorrow.
I have lived in the Stafford area since 1985. My husband Dave is in the computer field. We have
two grown children. Our daughter Jennifer is a teacher at Ferry Farm Elementary and the mother of
our only grandson. Our son, Steve lives in Scottsdale, AZ as a move coordinator for Hilldrup Movers
here in Stafford. I am a native Virginian from the Roanoke area and attended Virginia Tech; yes I am
a devout HOKIE. I later returned to college earning a master’s degree from Old Dominion
University for my teaching credentials and most recently earned a master’s degree from the
University of Mary Washington in school leadership.
Please come up and introduce yourself to me or get reacquainted. I am
anxious to get our new year off and running doing the absolute best for
your children and as well our Moncure children. I look forward to an
exciting year as we become one blending the students from Widewater
Elementary into the Anne Moncure family of learners.
Sincerely,
Bonnie Norton
Assistant Principal
Early Registration Urged for New Students
What is needed
to Register??
 Original Birth
Certificate
 Current VA Physical
 Social Security Card
 Proof of Residence
If you know of anyone who has a Kindergartner and / or
an older school-age child who has just moved into the area,
please help us by encouraging them to register their child /
children as soon as possible. Our staffing numbers are reflective
of current enrollment numbers. Late Registrations can lead to
severely overcrowded classrooms and possible student classroom
redistribution to accommodate growth teachers.
PAGE 4
BEAR FACTS
PTO Corner
Welcome to Anne E. Moncure Elementary! For those families who are returning, WELCOME BACK!
The Moncure PTO is again on tap for a really busy year. Last year, we achieved the ultimate goal of all nonprofit organizations, an almost $0 balance at year’s end. We are thrilled to have met ALL of the goals we set
forth at the beginning of last year. I think that it is important to give you an idea of where your fundraising
dollars went last year. The PTO scheduled and sponsored The Signature Project; Theatre VI’s Pocahontas and
Hugs and Kisses; Steve Somers, Amazing Teacher; Megan Hicks, Storyteller in addition to the Family Nights,
Movie Night, Fine Arts Night, Family Bingo and the ever popular Spring Fling Family Dance. The PTO
provided $500 to each grade level to spend as they saw fit, we provided a special grants opportunity to all
teachers. In order to qualify for the special grant the requestor needed to provide information including; how
many children would be impacted by this request. We ended up with quite a few requests and were happy to
fulfill requests for grade level readers; in-house field trips; trade libraries; field trip transportation funds and
special supplies. One of our major goals was to improve technology in Moncure. The PTO, through you,
provided 6 Digital overhead (www.elmousa.com) machines along with carts to make them mobile and
projectors. This summer the Smart Classroom was installed. Make sure you see it during Open House! But,
enough about the past!
It’s the start of the 2008/09 school year and it’s time for us to ramp up for another fun year. We’re
looking forward to meeting all the new families who have either moved into Stafford or come over from
Widewater Elementary. The first day of school September 2, we will have a Bagels and Bye Byes gathering at
9am. This is a chance for parents to come in, have some coffee, share some laughs and possibly a few tears
and feel a little more comfortable in the Moncure environment. We will also have our first PTO Board
Meeting that morning. Everyone is welcome to stay meet the Board and hear about what is happening the first
month of school. We’ll start the meeting around 9:45. Please be advised, this is not a recruitment session. We
welcome your comments during the Open Thirty!
At Open House on August 28th Bear families will have the opportunity to view many of the PTO
happenings for the fall. We’ll have information on our first Yankee Candle Fall Fundraising Event. We have
never done this sale before but we took the suggestions of many families last year and installed it as our first
fundraising event of the year. There will be examples of the Fall Bear Wear which will go on sale in October.
Please note that Bear Wear is at cost. This is not a fundraiser! We’ll have a Market Day display to introduce
some to the wonderful world of Market Day foods. We’ll be showcasing our fantastic community partners;
CiCi’s Pizza, Aquia McDonalds, Vocelli Pizza, Giant A+ Bonus Bucks, Target Red Card and Cavalier
Skating. It seems to be the year for new things as we will also be participating in the Adopt a Classroom
program. Girl and Boys Scouts will also have information as well as Porter Library.
Volunteerism is the heart of any organization. Families will have the opportunity to view information
on what types of volunteers are needed and a “job description” for each volunteer event. The PTO works
through a program called PTO Manager in order to electronically communicate with families and allow
families to choose their interests in volunteerism. You can access and sign up for events or “Info Only” at
www.bears05.ptomanager.com. If you need help with the web site, please contact Stephanie Johnson,
President at steph@artcoretech.com.
The Moncure Fall Second Helping Children’s Clothing Sale will take place October 3 and 4. For you
diehards, tags are already on line at www.stafford.moncure.schoolfusion.us under the PTO tab. For those who
are unfamiliar with this sale there are three reasons to participate, first it is to assist our community in
outfitting children for less than a quarter of store prices; second to raise funds for Anne E. Moncure ES and
third to put money back in YOUR pocket! This is a consignment sale of children’s clothing, toys, books,
furniture, electronics, video games and much more. More information will be coming out in September. If you
are not on the mailing list for the Second Helping Clothing Sale, please e-mail your name and address to Heidi
Cox at heidic@iglide.net to be added.
Lastly, we still have two positions available on our PTO Board this year. They are Co-chair for
Fundraising and Volunteer Coordinator. If you are interested in either, please e-mail or call Stephanie Johnson
at steph@artcoretech.com or 540-295-0233.
We are looking forward to a FANTASTIC year! See you on August 28, Open House!
Regards,
Your Moncure PTO
BEAR FACTS
PAGE 5
Stafford County Public Schools
Elementary School Attendance Zone Study / Proposed Options
If you haven’t heard, the county is conducting a study to determine if they should replace, close, or
move schools and programs throughout the county. Based on the age of Anne E. Moncure, we too
are amongst the list of possible school closures. If you would like for your input to be heard, please
contact Stephanie Johnson (PTO President), Julie Wilshusen (PTO Vice President Programs) or Greg
Machi (Principal). As we progress through the process, a committee comprised of various school and
central office administrators and two parent representatives (from each school site) will meet August
21st, and September 18th to further advise our School Board for their October vote.
*Below are the current proposed options being considered by Stafford County Schools.










OPTION A
Build two new 950-capacity schools @
Ferry Farm & Grafton Village.
Close Falmouth, Moncure, & Stafford
Elementary Schools.
Relocate all Pre-K programs and Gari
Melchers programs to old Stafford E.S.
site.
Approximate Cost Savings = $3 Mil
Forecasted E.S. utilization = 97%
OPTION C
Build two new 950-capacity schools @
Ferry Farm & Falmouth.
Close Moncure & Grafton Village
Elementary Schools.
Relocate all Pre-K programs and Gari
Melchers programs to old Grafton
Village E.S. site.
Approximate Cost Savings = $2 Mil
Forecasted E.S. utilization = 91%










OPTION B
Build two new 950-capacity schools @
Ferry Farm & Grafton Village.
Close Falmouth & Stafford Elementary
Schools.
Relocate all Pre-K programs and Gari
Melchers programs to old Stafford E.S.
site.
Approximate Cost Savings = $2 Mil
Forecasted E.S. utilization = 91%
OPTION D
Build two new 950-capacity schools @
Falmouth & Ferry Farm.
Close Grafton Village Elementary
School.
Relocate all Pre-K programs and Gari
Melchers programs to old Grafton
Village E.S. site.
Approximate Cost Savings = $1 Mil
Forecasted E.S. utilization = 86%
We are currently in the process of planning a public information and question
meeting during the week of September 8th. More information to come...
Please forward all inquiries or questions to:
Stephanie Johnson - steph@artcoretech.com
Julie Wilshusen brecnjul@soliden.biz
Greg Machi machigr@staffordschools.net
How Can I Find My Child’s Bus Route?
At the end of August, you will receive a postcard from Stafford County’s Transportation
Department with bus route information. You will also be able to access this information from the Stafford
County Public Schools website: http://stafford.moncure.schoolfusion.us/
August
PAGE 6
Sunday
3
Monday
Tuesday
4
Wednesday
5
Kindergarten
Screenings
10
11
12
6
BEAR FACTS
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1
2
7
8
9
14
15
16
Kindergarten
Screening
13
Kindergarten
Screenings
Kindergarten
Screenings
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
Teachers &
Staff Return
31
Class Lists
Posted @ 5:00
Open House
A-M 6:30
N-Z 7:30
September
PAGE 7
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
1
Labor Day
NO
SCHOOL
7
8
Wednesday
2
BEAR FACTS
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
3
4
5
6
10
11
12
13
18
19
20
26
27
1st
Day of
School
Bagels & Bye Bye
9
Box-Top
Contest
Begins
9/9 – 9/19
14
15
PALS
Begins for
grades 1-3
(Sept 15 –
Oct. 10)
21
22
16
BACK-TOSCHOOL NIGHT
6:30 – 7:30 TBD
7:15 – 8:15 TBD
23
BEAM DAY –
Number and
Number Sense
Early Release
1:00
28
29
30
17
BACK-TOSCHOOL NIGHT
6:30 – 7:30 TBD
7:15 – 8:15 TBD
24
BACK-TOSCHOOL NIGHT
6:30 – 7:30 TBD
7:15 – 8:15 TBD
25
Math Parent
Night
Anne E. Moncure Elementary School
CAR RIDER REGISTRATION
Dear Parents and Guardians,
This form is to be completed if your child / children will be picked up by a car, on a regular
basis this school year. Pick up may occur one day each week, everyday, etc.
Once this registration form is completed and returned, you will be issued a plastic family
number. Please bring this number with you for our afternoon cafeteria pick-up. Matching numbers
will be placed with registered children.
A master list of families will be generated from all submitted registration forms to identify
individuals permitted to pick up students. Students will only be released to adults whose names
appear on this form.
By signing this form, you are giving permission for your child / children to be picked up by
designated adults identified below, without using our office sign-out procedure. Please remember to
write first and last names on this form. Remember to Include yourself, your spouse, relatives,
friends, and child care providers who you grant permission to pick up your children. Your child /
children will NOT be released to anyone whose name is not provided on this form.
If your child is not a regular car rider, you are required to park and come into the office to
sign your child / children out. Children will only be released to individuals who have been given
written authorization to do so by parents and guardians. Office staff members WILL require
identification from any unfamiliar persons seeking to pick up students.
Thank you for your cooperation
Name of Child / Children
Grade
Teacher
Days Car Riders will be Used
_____________________
_____
_______________
M
T
W
TH
F
_____________________
_____
_______________
M
T
W
TH
F
_____________________
_____
_______________
M
T
W
TH
F
_____________________
_____
_______________
M
T
W
TH
F
_____________________
_____
_______________
M
T
W
TH
F
(Please circle all that apply)
Please list who has permission to pick up your children
Name
___________________
Relationship to Students
______________________________
Phone Number
_____________________
___________________
______________________________
_____________________
___________________
______________________________
_____________________
___________________
______________________________
_____________________
_______________________________________
Signature of Parent or Guardian
______________________________
Date