1. Consider volunteering for an open chairperson position.    Volunteers are desperately needed to chair or co-chair the Walking Wednesday Program and Family Socials Committee.  Without volunteers, we cannot continue to offer these programs.   Contact Sheri Buttarazzi, PTA President, if interested.

2. Place your online order for School Supply Packs and discounted Summer Bridge Workbooks before June 30th.  To order online, go to www.Innisbrook.com or call 1-800-334-8461.    Click on the School Supplies link.    Enter our school #113706.    Order the School Supply Pack for your child’s grade for school year 2010-2011.

3. If you have an entering kindergarten student, mark your calendars for K-Time Playtime on Wednesday, August 25th from 4-6pm on the Stoneleigh Elementary School playground.

4. Collect Box Tops!!

5. Sign Up for Email Updates! Enter your email address on the lower right hand corner of the homepage of our website.

6. Consider working with your child over the summer to prepare a submission for Reflections.   2010-2011 Theme:  “Together We Can”

During the Stoneleigh Elementary School PTA Board Meeting on Thursday, May 13, 2010, the Nominating Committee shared the proposed slate of officers for the 2010-2011 school year. The recommended slate of officers are:

President: Sheri Buttarazzi
1st VP Programs: Colleen Mahony
2nd VP Volunteers: Denise Supensky
3rd VP Membership: Ivy McMullen
Secretary: Lisa Reynolds
Treasurer: Fred Kline

Elections and installation of Stoneleigh PTA officers will take place at our last General Membership meeting scheduled to take place immediately preceding the End of Year Picnic on Friday, May 28, 2010 at 6:30 p.m. General Membership will also be asked to vote to approve updated bylaws and the 2010-2011 budget.

This is a special time at Stoneleigh and an opportunity for the students and parents to thank the Stoneleigh Staff for everything they do to make our school so exceptional.

We are asking the students to participate by bringing a small token of appreciation to the teachers and staff each day:

Monday: Card or letter of appreciation
Tuesday: Flower or plant
Wednesday: Drawing or homemade card
Thursday: Piece of fruit
Friday: Candy bar or something sweet

Questions? Contact Lindsay Kinkead at kinkeadsbaltimore@comcast.net.

The Stoneleigh PTA has nominated two of our teachers for special recognition by PTA Council of Baltimore County.

Mrs. Thompson has been nominated to receive our PTA’s Special Recognition Award for her great work as a teacher,  her dedication and hard work with Stoneleigh’s Chess Club, and her support of PTA events such as our Ice Cream Social and Holiday Celebration.

Ms. Blinke has been nominated for “Outstanding Educator of the Year” for her work with the fifth grade instrumental music program.  Did you know that every fifth grader this year played an instrument even though it is not required curriculum in Baltimore County? Be sure to congratulate both teachers the next time you see them.

Mark your calendars! The PTA Council of Baltimore County will hold its annual awards celebration at the general meeting on Thursday, April 29, 2010 at 7:30 pm at Loch Raven High School.  Stoneleigh students, staff and families are all invited to attend.  Show your Stoneleigh Spirit and support of our own Shining Stars, Mrs. Thompson and Ms. Blinke.  We hope to see you there!!

The date said St. Patrick’s Day, but the two “green” assemblies held on March 17 at Stoneleigh Elementary School had little to do with shamrocks and leprechauns.

With the school’s 600 students and staff all wearing green to celebrate the occasion, Stoneleigh’s students learned a lesson appropriate to the spring season: recycling and being good stewards of the environment.

Called “Recycle Mania,” the assemblies – one for primary grades and another for grades 3-5 – brought entertainer Billy B to the Towson school to help students learn about the water cycle and landfills through dance, song, and fun.

“The assembly focused on mainly conservation of resources and recycling, (but) there were multiple environmental topics covered,” said Meaghan Slattery, the school’s technology integration teacher. ”The students loved it and were very engaged.”

The New York-based Billy B of Class Acts, which hosted the assemblies, blended interaction with instruction throughout the performances. The water cycle, for instance, was reenacted using children’s hand and arm motions. Billy B is no stranger to Stoneleigh, having visited the school last year for a production centered on water conservation.

Environmental awareness is no stranger to Stoneleigh Elementary School, either – the school achieved Maryland “Green School” status in May 2009 in recognition of the school’s efforts at recycling, conservation, and incorporating eco-friendly lessons into the school’s activities and classroom instruction.

The March 17 assemblies related to several topics taught among the school’s grade levels as well. Teachers there incorporate environmental awareness into daily activities and directly into the curriculum, with science units about waste management, recycling, the Chesapeake Bay watershed and other environmental topics.

Recently, students in a technology integration class learned about waste management and eating “trash free” meals, which was followed by the school’s annual Trash Free Lunch Week during which children make an effort to bring only recyclable or reusable containers and food items with their lunches. The school also hosts several Green School assemblies, or environmentally related performers/events, during the school year.

Pictures found at http://www.bcps.org/news/2010/0326/.

Written by Meaghan Slattery, technology integration teacher and Good News Ambassador at Stoneleigh Elementary School, and Charles Herndon, BCPS communications specialist. Photos courtesy of Stoneleigh Elementary School.

Information reprinted from www.BCPS.org.

It’s time to nominate someone (or yourself) to serve on the Stoneleigh PTA executive board.

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The Stoneleigh Elementary PTA Nominating Committee (Colleen Mahony, Ellen Galvez, Sheila Wagner, Trixie Tracey and Sarah Morris) is currently accepting nominations for officer positions on the PTA Executive Board for the 2010-2011 school year. We will consider nominations for any position, but are especially interested in filling the vacant positions.

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• President – Sheri Buttarazzi is eligible to complete her term
• 1st Vice President – Colleen Mahony is eligible to complete her term
• 2nd Vice President – Denise Supensky is eligible to complete her term
• Secretary – Kim Deinlein has completed her term, vacancy
• Treasurer – Fred Kline has completed his term, vacancy
• Membership Chairperson – Sarah Morris is not returning to this position, vacancy

If you are interested, have questions regarding the position and its responsibilities, or would like to put forth a nomination, please contact any member of the nominating committee.    (Colleen Mahony can be reached at stoneleighpta1stvp@gmail.com.  To reach the other members of the Nominating Committee,  please refer to your Student Directory for contact information or go to the contact webpage.)

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The SES PTA Board will vote on the nominees at the meeting on Thursday, May 13, 2009. Nominees will be announced in the May newsletter. The General Membership (all attending SES PTA members) will vote at the End of Year Picnic on May 28. At that time the general membership will also be voting on the proposed PTA Budget for the 2010-2011 school year.

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Thank you for supporting Stoneleigh PTA!

Contact for Stoneleigh’s Shining Stars:   Colleen Mahony (410-377-8429)

Outstanding Educator of the Year. Baltimore County’s “Outstanding Educator of the Year” is no doubt walking the halls of Stoneleigh every day. Without your suggestions, however, that Outstanding Educator will never get recognized. We know we have wonderful staff here. Please send us an email with your thoughts about who should be recognized. Send us your stories, quotes, or vignettes that explain why a particular teacher has really made a difference in your child’s life and should be recognized. We can use these submissions as the basis for our application and help one of Stoneleigh’s own get much deserved recognition. Share your thoughts ASAP with Colleen Mahony at stoneleighpta1stvp@gmail.com or call 410-377-8429. Submissions needed by March 10, 2010.

Volunteer Reviewers Needed for Shining Stars. Do you have a few moments to spare to help our school be recognized for all the hard work it does every day? The PTA needs a few people with a few red pens to read and review Stoneleigh PTA’s Baltimore County Shining Stars award applications. Reviews will be conducted from March 10-17, 2010. Time commitment is minimal. Rewards are great! Contact Colleen Mahony at stoneleighpta1stvp@gmail.com or 410-377-8429 if interested.

Shining Stars Nominees Needed. Best Family-School Partnership, Best PTA Communication, Best Healthy Lifestyles, Best Safety, Best Studedt Recognition, Best Reading Program…..These are just some of the award categories for which Stoneleigh PTA might be awarded “Top Program”. Let us know what you think are Stoneleigh’s best programs and help us win an award. Send thoughts ASAP to stoneleighpta1stvp@gmail.com or call 410-377-8429.

These snowy days present a perfect opportunity for parents to work with our Stoneleigh students on their Gold Blue and Creative, Too submissions.    All students are invited to submit a song, poem, story or drawing. Submissions for GBCT will be accepted until February 26th.      Submission forms and directions are available at our Gold and Blue and Creative, Too webpage.

Attention Fifth Graders! Don’t forget about our cover contest for the next GBCT publication.

SCIENCE FAIR! Now is the time for students to select a science fair topic.  Remember, the best projects involve finding an answer to a question about something that interests your child.   The questions that can be asked and answered using scientific method are typically those that begin with who, what, where, why, when or how.   The topic should be observed, data tracked and the outcome measured.     Approval forms for your student’s science project must be returned to homeroom teachers no later than  February 23rd.  For more information and registration form, visit our school’s parent webpage.

The PTA sponsored Book Fair is coming to Stoneleigh!
February 1 – February 5

Children will be able to visit the Book Fair during their normally scheduled library time.

NEW THIS YEAR – FAMILY BOOK FAIR HOURS! You are welcome to bring your family to the Book Fair on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday (Feb 2-4) from 3:30 -7:00 p.m.

The Book Fair provides a great opportunity for you to help your children find the books they want to read. To keep the momentum going, we’ve created a top 5 list of reasons you don’t want to miss the Book Fair:

1.  You can shop from hundreds of quality books in every price range, interest, and reading level.
2.  You’ll help our school earn books and funds for classrooms and libraries.
3.  You’ll connect with your child’s school reading and literacy initiatives.
4.  You’ll find exclusive, more affordable editions of many of the most popular books sold in retail stores.
5.  And best of all, you and your child will have fun choosing books together.

So don’t miss out – Be sure to visit our Book Fair!