November 2, 2012
Greetings!
I would like to extend a Happy Fall Greeting to everyone ! The first marking period is over and students will be
receiving their report cards on Friday, November 16, 2012. We look forward to meeting with parents on November
19th and 20th during parent-teacher conferences. Be sure to attend this very important conference to discuss your child’s
progress with his/her teacher.
Anne Arundel County Public Library
We have an excellent partnership with the Annapolis Public Library on West Street. Just recently we had a family
games night and had over 60 people in attendance. We had a wonderful time with our families playing fun games.
Thank you to the librarians for providing this opportunity!
Thank You!
Mr. Chis Acosta, our Physical Education Teacher, has worked hard over the past few years to encourage students to
make healthy choices in eating and exercise. For all his efforts, Mr. Acosta’s program was nationally recognized in the
Fuel Up To Play 60 program. As one of twenty-five schools in the nation, the only school in Maryland, Mr. Acosta has
won a very cool prize for the students at Annapolis Elementary. We are very proud of Mr. Acosta for his efforts in
helping the students to be healthy!
Thank you to Mary Grace Gallagher for organizing the Mighty Milers program. Mrs. Gallagher not only volunteered
her time to help organize the program, she was there each session to supply our students with snacks and water, as well
as cheer them on to reach their goal. We appreciate Mrs. Gallagher for sponsoring this program. We look forward to
the event on November 13th beginning at 4:45 p.m. at Annapolis High School.
Lost and Found
There is a box of misplaced items of our students located in the main office. If your child is missing something, please
have them visit the main office to see if the item is there.
Annapolis Bus Company
I would like to extend a thank you to the Annapolis Bus Company for supporting our efforts with the “Harvest for the
Hungry” Campaign. The company donated a bus to park on our lot, giving us a spot to collect the food donations. We
appreciate their support!
Sincerely,
Sue Myers,
Treasure Hunter
Principal
Anne Arundel County Public Schools Non-Discrimination Statement
The Anne Arundel County Public School System does not discriminate on the basis of race, sex, age, national origin, religion, disability, sexual orientation, or familial
status in matters affecting employment or in providing access to programs. Questions regarding non-discrimination should be directed to Mr. Leslie N. Stanton,
Specialist in Human Relations, Anne Arundel County Public Schools, 2644 Riva Road, Annapolis, MD 21401; telephone 410-222-5318; TDD 410-222-5500.
Parent – Teacher Conferences
Be Prepared!
Parent-teacher conferences present an excellent opportunity to find out how your child is
adjusting to the new school year and to get to know her teachers. Here are some general
hints on how to have a successful conference.
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Talk to Your Child
o Ask your child if there is anything that he would like you to discuss with the teacher.
Be Prepared
o Jot down everything that you want to talk about at the conference.
Be On Time
o Arrive promptly or a few minutes early.
Listen to What the Teacher Has to Say
o Be open-minded to suggestions from the teacher.
Tell Your Child What You Discussed
o Take notes about what has been discussed to share with your child.
Stay Within Your Conference Time
o Do not stay beyond your allotted time. Teachers have a new conference every 20
minutes.
Bullying Survey / Community Survey
Please join us in creating a safe and welcoming learning environment in our school by participating in the 2012
School Year Bullying Survey.
You can find it at http://survey.aacps.org or on the Anne Arundel County Public Schools website at
http://www.aacps.org. The survey will be available from November 12th – December 21st .
Your insight and support will help our school identify areas of concern and address them. You are an important
partner in this effort and we value your input.
Your special parent pass code is ha95ps.
The community survey will be available to parents during parent-teacher conferences. Thank you for
participating.
Book Buddies Reading Club – for grades 2-4
Thursday, November 8 at 4:30
A special book club for young readers with discussions, games, crafts and a snack. Newcomers
always welcome!
Catwings by Ursula Le Guin
Mrs. Jane Tabby cannot explain why all four of her kittens were born with wings. But when life on the
city streets becomes too dangerous, they discover that they can fly away from the city slums of their
birth. And one day, they do. But not even their mother could have foreseen the hazards of country
living. - Amazon.com
Read Some Terrific Writing From Our Third Grade Students!
Spelling Word Story About Halloween By Camden Shultz
Halloween is a scary night. This night is full of scary frights. You might
just get scared. Your face will turn plain white. Monsters will jump out at
you. You think he gnaws on brains! And when he speaks, you think
you’re what he claims. You walk a little farther and then you’ll figure out,
you’re passing a broken sign that says “Beware! GET OUT!” When you
get to the next house you’ll knock on the howling door, and get a scare and
stare, stare, stare. You’ll finally say “NO MORE!”
Messy Room Description By Jake White
There were winged worms from out of the carpet trying to look for some tasty food to eat. The
nasty socks made a very nasty smell so when the children got home they all blew chunks.
Summarizing
Who
What
Where
When
Why
By Isabella Cibrian
Junie B., Grace, Warren, and their friends
Junie B. Jones, Grace and their friends were fighting over Warren to be
their boyfriend.
At their school
Morning
Because they thought he was cute
Wolf in School By Kyree Fowlkes
If a wolf is in our room it would be howling and it would bite people.
It will run away. We will have to find him. At recess he will play tag.
Omar’s Idea of a perfect school By Omar Hassan
My idea of a perfect school would be a school with a pool, whirlpool, and a tub that has jets to
make bubbles. There will be no teachers. The school would have an animal room. The school
would have a gym room, a water park, and a soccer field. The school would have a rollercoaster
too. The school would have a TV and video game room.
Arick’s Pumpkin Poem By Arick
Pumpkins are fat.
Unless they’re really flat.
Man, I wish I had a patch.
Pop a knife in and
Kapes are made of pumpkins.
In if you might find
Nuckles in it!!
House
Life of Halloween Pumpkin By Rachel Neumann
Pick me love me get the right one.
Up and up until I’ve grown.
My face is lit with sun and shine.
Pay for me and our friendship is mine!
Keep me forever and you will feel good!
It is now time to make a fright
Now it is time to say goodnight!
Rian’s Best Friend by Rian Cully
I admire my best friend, Dakota. She is very funny, very silly, and very friendly. You will like
to have a friend like Dakota ! One day before my birthday, I invited her but she could not make
it so next year I might invite her if I have a party. We might go swimming or go skating!
Sometimes we fuss but we fix it!
Attention Students and Parents!
Despite our crazy school schedule changes…
Annapolis Elementary School’s
Spirit Days!
Will Continue!!
Monday, Nov 5th: Crazy Hair Day
Wednesday, Nov 7th: Sports/Jersey Day
****Bring in cans of soup for the food drive “Soup-er-bowl”!****
Counselor’s Corner
Dear Parents and Guardians,
Harvest for the Hungry: STUFF THE BUS!!
We have one more week to STUFF THE BUS that has been donated to AES with food for the Harvest for the
Hungry food drive! Thank you to all parents and families who contributed so far, the donation collection is
impressive already! The students have been learning about citizenship and helping others in their
community throughout this food drive. Thanks again for your support!
Attention All 5th Grade Parents:
Applications for the Performing and Visual Arts Program (PVA), the IB Middle Years Program, and the AVID
Program are due on November 30th! All program applications can be accessed through the county
website, www.aacps.org/magnet or www.aacps.org/avid .
Parents are invited to use the school’s computer lab at our open house on Tuesday, November 13th, at
6pm (before the PTA meeting) or by appointment for your convenience. The computer lab will also be
available during parent-teacher conferences to complete the application as well. I will be contacting
individual families to support you in this process, but please get in touch at any time with questions or
concerns. Please continue to check your child’s take-home folder for updates and information!
Bullying Survey:
All 4th and 5th grade students will be completing the AACPS Bullying Survey this month to help with our
school’s prevention and intervention programs. Parents from all grades are encouraged to complete the
parent survey between November 12th and Decmeber 21st. Please visit http://survey.aacps.org and enter
the passcode: ha95ps from home or at school during this month’s parent/teacher conferences. Thanks in
advance for your participation!
Preparing for a Parent/Teacher Conference:
To prepare for a conference, you may want to jot down questions beforehand such as:
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What are my child’s strongest and weakest subjects?
In subjects where my child needs to grow, how, together, can we provide that help?
How will I know if my child is doing okay or is falling behind?
Is my child working up to his/her ability?
How does my child get along with classmates? With you?
Is my child’s homework turned in on time, in completed form and well done?
How much time should my child spend on homework each night?
How is best to communicate with you about my concerns regarding my child’s progress?
As always, I am available to assist you or your child. Thank you for your continued support!
Sincerely,
Andrea Beckman
School Counselor
ambeckman@aacps.org
The National Elementary Honor Society was established in 2008 by the National Association of Secondary
and Elementary school principals with two primary purposes; to recognize students who have achieved
academic excellence and demonstrated responsibility in their lives, and to engage those students, through the
work of the chapter, in service and leadership activities.
The National Elementary Honor Society chapter of Annapolis Elementary School is a duly chartered and
affiliated chapter of this prestigious national organization. Membership is open to those students who meet
the required standards in two areas of initial evaluation: scholarship (academic achievement) and
responsibility. Standards for selection are established by the national office of NEHS. Students are
selected to be members of NEHS by a committee, appointed by the principal. This group awards the honor of
membership to qualified students.
Students in the fourth and fifth grades are eligible for membership. For the Scholarship criterion, a student
must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.25 or better on a 4.0 scale beginning with the third grade.
Those students who meet this criterion are invited to complete a Candidate’s Form that provides the NEHS
committee with evidence for the candidates’ Responsibility at home, at school, and in the community. A
responsible student is defined in the NEHS handbook as one who demonstrates many positive qualities,
including (but not limited to) high standards of honesty and reliability; a cooperative and supportive
disposition; courtesy, concern, and respect of others; and good citizenship.
In addition, to evaluate a candidate’s level of Responsibility, the committee uses two types of information:
permanent records and faculty input regarding professional reflections on a candidate’s qualities. This
information and the Candidate’s Forms are carefully reviewed by the committee to determine membership. A
majority vote of the committee is necessary for selection. Candidates are notified regarding selection or
non-selection.
Following notification, an induction ceremony is held to recognize all newly selected members. Once inducted,
new members are required to maintain the same level of performance (or better) in all of the criteria that led
to their selection. This obligation includes regular attendance at chapter meetings held during the school
year, and participation in other chapter service projects and activities.
Students or parents who have questions regarding the selection process or membership obligations can
contact the chapter adviser, Mrs. Beckman, at 410-222-1600 or ambeckman@aacps.org .
NOVEMBER, 2012
School Directories should come home with your child next week. We
had high hopes to have them out by Halloween but the time just slipped
away! If you’re feeling left out and still want to join PTA (or if your
address/contact information has changed), you can fill out a membership
application from the PTA website at http://aespta.weebly.com/join-pta.html, get a membership form from the
school office, or just email any contact information changes to the PTA at ilovemyaes@gmail.com.
Box Tops! I hope you are still saving them! There is simply no easier way to raise money for our school than
boxtops. Some schools make $10,000 a year on this. Who can donate boxtops for our school? How about your
grandma, your mailman, the neighbor, and your neighbor’s grandma. Anyone who buys
anything or eats anything with a boxtops for education tab can cut it out and give it to you
to support our school.
November 11th Fundraiser at Red, Red
Wine at 189B Main Street in Annapolis.
All day long enjoy great food in a really fun downtown
atmosphere. Simply tell your server that you are supporting
Annapolis Elementary School and we get 10% of the total bill.
Plan to eat all your meals there on Sunday the 11th. There is a
New Orleans Brunch from 9-2, football specials until 7pm, and
a full dinner menu until midnight.
Mighty Milers has been a great success, with runners increasing their endurance and speed every week. We’ll
wrap up this 6-week, after-school program on November 14 at a track event at Annapolis High School, when
our runners join students from 7 other area schools to run their mile on the big track. Thanks go to coaches Ron
Bowman and Nancy Cooper who volunteered their time for the fifth year in a row, and thanks to Mary Grace
Gallagher for organizing this great athletic activity for our kids (again!).
Next Meeting: WEDNESDAY, November 7th, 7pm at the Stanton Community Center. The address is 92 West
Washington Street; Annapolis, MD 21401. Telephone: 410-295-5519.
Remember to friend us on Facebook. Search for “Annapolis Elementary PTA”. We’ll post lots of goodies,
tips, and links here. Thanks for being a part of the PTA.
Chris Stelzig
2011-2012 PTA President
November 2nd
November 5
Two-Hour Early Dismissal
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Beginning of Second Marking Period
November 6th
Election Day, No School
November 7th
American Journey Through Dance, Whole School Assembly, 2:00 p.m.
November 12 – 16
American Education Week
November 16th
Report Cards go home today!
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November 19th – 20th
Parent – Teacher Conferences
November 21 – 25
No School – Thanksgiving Holiday
November 26th
Vision and Hearing Screening
December 3rd
Flu-Mist Clinic
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December 5
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Two-Hour Early Dismissal
December 13th
Picture Re-Take Day
Winter Concert, 1:30 p.m., 6:30 p.m.
December 14
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Little Nippers Program, Prekindergarten, Maritime Museum
Interim Reports to go home
December 18th
Barn Dance, grades 2 – 5, Culminating Activity for Artist in Residence, Time TBA