Ashburton Elementary School 6314 Lone Oak Drive, Bethesda, MD 20817 * 301-571-6959

PRINCIPAL’S NEWS June, 2008

Dear Ashburton Parents/Guardians,

June always brings with it reflections on the past year and changes for the new school year. I’ve had a wonderful first year as principal, getting to know Ashburton students and families. I am very pleased with how our students follow the Ashburton Expectations and how many successes we have had this year. I am most grateful for our parents, who are always supportive and volunteer to help whenever we need them. Most recently, we had many parents participate in Career Day and an incredible turn-out of parents that volunteered for our field days. We know that a number of parents are volunteering for the fifth grade dance, helping teachers plan end-of-school parties/picnics, as well as many hours devoted to the ‘weather-shortened’ spring book fair. I want to thank the PTA leaders for their commitment to our students and school, especially the parents whose last child is moving on—Jim and Linda Parker, Sabrina Weger, Rengin Gore and the officers who are finishing their terms, Mark Rashid and Diane Jentilet. I look forward to working with Amy Cohen and the new Board next year. Thank you for all you do! As the year comes to a close, we are busy planning for next year. I want to share with you some anticipated changes, but caution that due to Ashburton’s ever-changing enrollment and a very tight operating budget this year, these could be tentative. We anticipate having eight sections of PEP, four of Kindergarten, four of Grade 1, four of Grade 2, four of Grade 3, and three each of Grades 4 and 5. Student enrollment will necessitate some staff changes: Ms. Jen Lillis will teach first grade and Ms. Kymberli Richey will teach second grade next year. We will still have our three Learning and Academics Disabilities (LAD) resource teachers, with LAD students in Grades 1-5 included in the general education classes as a more inclusive model. The fourth and fifth grades will have classrooms in the new addition, along with Ms. Peters’ kindergarten class and Ms. Killian’s K/1 LAD homeroom. Look for information in the summer letter about touring the new addition and volunteering to help teachers unpack. We have several staff members leaving us: Ms. Marjorie Blanc, part-time ESOL teacher, will return to her home school and we will welcome Ms. Megan Scanlon to Ashburton. Ms. Sharon Sarisohn, Reading Initiative teacher, will move to a school closer to her home. Mrs. Kristen Bogacki, PEP teacher, will also teach closer to home in Fairfax, and we’ve hired Ms. Lisa Diamond from Clopper Mill to teach PEP next year. Ms. Heather Lucas, PEP Speech Pathologist, is leaving to work in private practice and Ms. Lisa Seligson will replace her. Mr. Andrew Mlynarski will be teaching full-time at Bradley Hills, and Ms. Lillian Hasko will fill that position. We wish those who are leaving well and will miss them. We welcome the new staff to Ashburton. In August we will mail you a packet with more information about staffing—please note that this summer we have a number of teachers getting married and some names will change. Congratulations to Rachel Perla who married Michael Ralles this past weekend. This packet will also contain lunch and bus information and a calendar.

Calendar Updates- June 9- RESCHEDULED Instrumental Music Concerts 9:45 a.m. & 7:30 p.m.

June 10- 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony 9:15 a.m. & Pool Party June 11- Academic Awards Ceremonies:

Grades K-2 9:10 a.m. Grades 3-5 1:50 p.m.

June 11- Last day of school for PEP June 12- Last day of school for students; early dismissal at 12:35 p.m. June 19- Report Cards mailed from Central Office August 26- First Day of the 2008-09 School Year

Please work with your child to complete the summer math and reading packets that your child will bring home. Read with them, make frequent trips to the library for new books, and encourage them to keep their brains busy!

Ms. Cino and I wish you a most pleasant summer and look forward to seeing to see you next year!

Sincerely,

Charlene Eroh, Principal

Construction Update- The building is nearly completed inside with just a few things left to do. Most of the summer will be spent doing the modifications to the interior of the old building, which includes a PEP room, two office/observation rooms, converting the teacher’s lounge into part of a larger PEP room, and an office, making the current art room into an office and the connecting hallway. The contractor plans on breaking through as soon as teachers are finished on June 13th. There is also some work to be done by MCPS staff to connect our computer network. Outside, there is a lot of work to be done—the completion of the PEP playground and new walkway on the north side of the building; and after the portables are removed, grading and replanting the field, installation of the three new playgrounds, repair of the blacktop, new sidewalks and installation of the new parent drop-off and parking lot. All this by the time school starts again in the fall; the addition is on track to be completed by mid-August. We will be busy moving our teachers into the new spaces as soon as approvals are completed. Look for information in the summer mailing about volunteer day to help teachers unpack doing the week before school starts.

Please make sure we have your correct address, with proper documentation if you’ve moved, so that you will receive report cards after June 19, the summer mailing in early August, and a special mailing from Ms. Eroh.

Please call ahead if you need to stop by the school office this summer. Due to interior construction, much of the building will be closed off and the office staff may have a few days that we’re asked to be out of the building as well. Rockville Day Care (RDCA) will relocate to Bradley Hills Elementary School again this summer.

We did a great job recycling this year-keep thinking about recycling by keeping your copy of your summer homework and not asking for a second copy to save paper!

Awards and Recognition Ceremonies June 11, 2008

9:10 a.m. for K-2 All-Purpose Room 1:50 p.m. for grades 3-5 Gym

In our final awards ceremonies of the year, Soaring Star, Academic and Principal’s Awards will be given in addition to several special awards and recognition certificates.

Pre School Education Program

PEP

Another school year is quickly coming to an end; it’s hard to believe how quickly this one has flown by! Our final theme for this year will be Under the Sea, which will last for 2 weeks and hopefully get everyone in the mood for summer with thoughts of the beach, sea and sand, and of course all of those wonderful creatures that live under the water. We will be talking about various beach and water themed activities and animals including fish, whales, crabs, starfish, and more. Please see more detailed information below. Thank you for your continued support throughout the year! Theme: Under the Sea June 2nd– June 11th Vocabulary: water, ocean, sea, sand, beach, fish, whale, crab, lobster, sea star, starfish, seahorse, seaweed, coral, stingray, wave, towel, beach, sandcastle, shell, sunscreen. Some Suggested Reading: The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister Hooray for Fish by Lucy Cousins Fishy Tales a DK Learning Book Just Grandma and Me by Mercer Mayer To the Beach by Linda Ashman Spot Goes to the Beach by Eric Hill Songs: Five Fish Swimming in the Sea Five Little Fishies Sample of Possible Activities: Art/Craft/Fine Motor Activities:

• ocean bottle • rainbow fish art • egg carton sea creatures • whale lunch bag • beach scene • fish paper plate • aquariums

Math & Science Activities:

• ocean number book, • sorting shells/fish by color/shape, • fish dot-to-dot, • ocean number book, • sensory/water table

Play & Games:

• ABSeas (children use magnetic fishing pole to fish for letters, numbers, etc)

• Play dough with fish/beach themed cookie cutters

• Play area is set up like an ocean or beach w/ ocean animals, towels, buckets, etc

Cooking/Snack:

• octopus hotdog, • fish in the ocean (frosting on a

graham cracker w/ fish crackers or fruit snacks),

• starfish cookies,

• beach bowl (crushed cookies at the bottom, vanilla pudding dyed blue)

Suggestions for Home:

Take your child to the library and check out picture books about the sea and the beach.· Set up a sandbox at your house. Bury shells and toy sea creatures and have your child hunt for the items. Take a trip to the aquarium or beach!

Reminders: The last day of school is Wednesday, June 11th. Thank you for a wonderful year! Enjoy the summer! The PEP Team June Happenings in Kindergarten Reading/ Language Arts

We will finish out our Kindergarten year talking about the seasonal change to summer, summer safety, and friendship. We will be completing the big book series and will prepare for first grade by practicing first grade sight words, text features, and story elements.

Writing We just finished writing our own books, so be sure to read your child’s book with them. They are very proud of their hard work! Math We will continue to review counting and identifying money. We will also practice using concrete objects to show different ways to add and subtract a given set. Science and Social Studies We had a very successful Career Day on May 23rd, where our students met a Montgomery County police officer and were able to ask him many questions about his job. We will be wrapping up with our unit of Balls and Ramps by identifying balls we know and making our own ramps. Have a great summer! First Grade News

Dear First Grade Families, Wow! Spring has flown by!! As June begins, we thought that we would let you know about some of the exciting things that will be going on in school! Reading: We are continuing our intensive review of all of the words that we’ve studied

this year. We will conclude the year with our author study of Arnold Lobel.

Math: We are continuing our exploration of fractions and money. We will also continue our work on application and problem solving with estimation and rounding with money. The last day of school is Thursday, June 12th. We will be having our End of the Year Picnic on the blacktop from 11:15-12:00 p.m. We hope you can come! Please let your child’s classroom teacher know if you are planning to attend.

If you have any questions, please contact us (301-571-6959). We have enjoyed you collaboration and support this year! Sincerely, The First Grade Team

Town News from Second Grade

Reading We will continue to focus on informational text and writing summaries using a topic sentence, at least 3 details, and a concluding sentence. Please have your child continue to read over the summer. Also, continue to ask them comprehension questions about what they are reading. Writer’s Workshop We will finish writing poems using free verse, alliteration, repetition, and personification. We will also finish writing our own folktale. Summer is a great time to practice writing. Your child can write a letter to a friend or teacher, write about their day, write a letter to persuade you to take them to a movie or amusement park, or write a poem about

a place they went to over the summer.

Science We will end the year completing more hands-on experiments involving liquids. We have worked on creating and observing many different liquids throughout the unit. Math All math classes are finishing the last unit. Please make sure your child continues to practice basic addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division facts. Also, make sure your child works on their math packet! We have had a wonderful year teaching your children. Thank you for your support. Have a terrific summer! -Ms. Bouquet, Ms. Canard, Ms. Fox, Ms. Lillis & Ms. Von Lunz

Third Grade June Newsletter

It’s hard to believe it, but it is June

already! The school year has flown by! We have had a great year of learning this year and we are so proud of all of our third graders! Third graders worked very hard on their Wax Museum projects and their author’s conference books. The results were amazing and every student should be proud of their accomplishments. Math: In math, students have completed Unit 6 and will be taking their unit test the first week in June. The students have worked really hard in math this year and the teachers are pleased with their progress. Students will spend the remainder of the year

reviewing past concepts. Be on the look-out for the math summer packet which will include review materials and preview materials for 4th grade. Science: We are wrapping up our study of sound in Science. Students will be sharing their homemade musical instrument with their homeroom class on June 6. Students will demonstrate how the pitch of the instrument can change.

Reading:

In Reading, students are engaged in an author study. The author is Cynthia Rylant. You may want to check out some of the books by this author in the public library. The students worked very hard on their Poetry Anthologies and the results were creative and inspiring.

Remember that report cards will

be mailed directly to parents, so be sure to keep an eye out for them later in June. Students will bring home report card comments and their 4th grade supply list on the last day of school. Students will also be bringing home their summer Math and Reading packets. Please make sure your child completes these packets over the summer to ensure an easy transition into 4th grade. We suggest reviewing the Math packet about a week before school starts in order to refresh your child’s memory about what has been learned. We also strongly encourage students to practice multiplication and division facts over the summer. Please make sure your child is reading over the summer every day! We can’t stress enough the importance of maintaining these skills in order to be ready for 4th grade.

Thank you all once again for all the help and support you’ve given us during this year. We hope you and your family have a safe and restful summer! Sincerely, Katie Butler, Becki Segal, Brooke von Lunz, Sean White, Susan Zeccardi News 4 You

Wow! Is it June already? Where did the time go? During the remaining weeks of school, here is what we will be covering:

Language Arts

As our school year comes to a close, we are taking time to assess our reading interpretation, grammar skills, and written expression. Writing and evaluating persuasive paragraphs are still ongoing. Our books for the Authors’ Conference were inspirational; the fourth grade students were very proud of their efforts. Students shared their books with their peers as well as students in the first grade. Remember to encourage your children to read, read, read and write, write, write this summer. Every student has contributed to a list of recommended summer reading books. Enjoy!

Mathematics During the last couple of weeks of school, we will be reviewing mathematical concepts covered this year. Students are encouraged to keep up with the studying of their basic math facts, and to complete the summer math packets to be better prepared for fifth grade!

It’s been a privilege having your child with us this year. We wish them all the best! Have a wonderful summer! We know they will make us proud as they enter fifth grade!

Thank you,

Mrs. Brenner, Miss Perla

Mrs. Weaver, Mrs. Davis

Fifth Grade’s Fabulous News The fifth graders have continued to work very hard during the fourth quarter and they have continued to keep very busy! We had a wonderful trip to Philadelphia, we had a visit from former Ashburton students (6th graders), and took a tour of North Bethesda! There are also a lot of activities just around the corner: June 10th: Promotion Ceremony @ 9:15 a.m.; pool party to follow June 11th: Awards Assembly

At the promotion ceremony, all students will be receiving a certificate of completion, and many awards will be given out as well. Two of these awards are the President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Excellence and the President’s Award for Outstanding Academic Achievement. These awards are based on criteria set by the President’s Education Awards Program. Students that will be receiving the award for Outstanding Academic Excellence have earned a GPA (Grade Point Average) of a 3.5 or above between 4th and 5th grades. On top of that, they have scored equal to or above a 432 (advanced) on the math section of the 4th grade MSA, and scored equal to or above a 437 (advanced) on the reading section of the 4th grade MSA. Students that will be receiving the award for Outstanding Academic Achievement have earned a GPA of a 3.5 or above

between 4th and 5th grades. On top of that, they have scored advanced on one subject of the 4th grade MSA and proficient on the other subject of the 4th grade MSA. There is also a lot going on inside the classrooms… Math Fifth grade math students are finishing their final Unit, Unit 6: Probability and Mathematical Operations. They have been exploring the likelihood of a variety of events to occur, as well as diving into algebra with writing expressions and equations, and studying the order of operations in mathematical sentences. The unit assessment will be given on Wednesday, June 4th. After unit 6 is complete, the students will be working on creating colorful tessellations that they learned about during unit 5. Math A students are also completing their final unit, Unit 5: Probability. They too have been exploring the likelihood of events, as well as the connection between area and probability. The unit assessment will be on Friday, June 6th. Please be on the look-out for summer packets, as they will be coming home with your child shortly. The math packets will be due to your child’s math teacher, at North Bethesda, in the fall. Over the summer, all math students should also continue working on basic facts so that they are strong for 6th grade! Language Arts The students are putting their finishing touches on their Ashburton Memories, demonstrating not only what they have learned about memoir, but also how much fun it is to reflect on special memories of their school times. In the process,

they are demonstrating the growth they have made as writers by using the six traits of writing, taking their work through the full writing process, and engaging their creative minds. In reading, we are completing our work with the William and Mary novels. This unit continues to provide the students with the opportunity to focus on how change permeates the novels and to analyze the forces behind and sources of change in the respective stories. As we wrap up the year in language arts and in the midst of all of the activities commemorating their completing their elementary years, the classes will be performing. Ms. Powers' classes will be presenting their memoir projects. The students will become their authors and present speeches highlighting the experiences, achievements, and influential people that the author encountered. Ms. Killory's classes will be presenting their small group plays. The teachers will also reflect on the year with the students, who will receive their portfolios filled with this year's writing projects! Science In science, students are completing the electricity and magnetism unit, which will follow with an assessment. For the last few days of class, the students will be working in groups to create their own electromagnets! Please be sure to return all science textbooks to Ms. Richey. Social Studies The students are completing our unit “Creating a New Nation”. They have all

analyzed sources surrounding the events of Shay’s Rebellion. The Articles of Confederation were out and the Constitution was in! The students will be studying the Constitutional Convention, the ratification of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, as well as the women’s right to vote. We hope that the fifth graders have a wonderful summer and we wish them all the best of luck in middle school! Thanks, The Fifth Grade Team Reading Corner -Ms. Weigle It’s hard to believe that the end of the school year is almost here. It’s time to start thinking about which books you want to read, instead of which books you need to read. I’ve already started my list. Have you? If you are having trouble getting started, here is a great website that can help you. It is http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/content/libraries/index.asp. This brings you to the Montgomery County Libraries’ web site. Click on “Kids” in the column on the left. This will take you to another menu where you can click on “Catch the Reading Bug” (the reading theme for this summer), fun stuff, good reads, etc. These lead to lists of good books to read, books that are read to you (you need a library card number for

this), ideas for writing, and many other fun things. The website has many interesting things to explore, but don’t forget to go to your library and explore the books. Also, students need to go to the library to join the summer reading program, “Catch the Reading Bug.” They can join between June 12 and July 31 and receive a Summer Reading Log. As students read throughout the summer, they can earn 3 prizes and a coupon for a free book from Barnes and Noble. Special events are also happening at libraries this summer. They are listed on this website. Seven special events are at the Davis library. Of course, reading isn’t just about books. Don’t forget newspapers and magazines. The Washington Post has the “Kids’ Page” during the week and “The Mini Page” on Sunday. I’ve found many articles in these pages that have caught my eye. While you are at the library, look at the children’s magazines. There is usually an interesting variety – something for everyone. Ashburton will also continue to encourage reading this summer. Students are asked to write the titles of books they read during the summer on a form in their summer packet. When they bring the form back to school in the fall, they will receive a reward. I hope everyone has a great summer and has fun reading. Remember, the more children read, the better readers they will become.

ASHBURTON PTA NEWSLETTER June 2008

Order Your Engraved Brick: Deadline June 12

The brick order deadline has been extended to June 12, 2008. There is still time to get your order in so don't wait any longer. Leave your legacy at Ashburton with a Personalized Engraved Brick to go in our fabulous new courtyard. This is a great way to recognize a loved one, a teacher, family & friends or a business. Hurry and get your order in! Download your order form from our website at http://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/ashburtones/

Stand for Children Book Drive Underway The Stand for Children book drive will be taking place between May 27th and June 6th. We will be accepting donations of new and used children's books to donate to the Cardoza Community Health Center.

The books will be collected at the Stand for Children book box in the front hallway. The book fair is June 5th and 6th and is a great time to buy some new books to donate as well.

$ GIANT BONUS BUCKS $ We are excited to announce that that Ashburton earned $3379 from Giant Bonus Bucks! We would like to thank the Ashburton community and Giant for continuing to support our students through these efforts. Thank You!

Editor’s Note: With this last issue, I turn the newsletter over to the capable hands of Lien-Anh Van Wagener. I am extremely sad to leave Ashburton. I have enjoyed this fabulous school and can’t believe it’s been 8 years. We are extremely lucky to have some dedication staff, and I want to tell you that I love Ashburton. I love our diversity, and I love our families. I know our students will go far in life. Thank you, Ms. Eroh, Ms. Cino, and the entire Ashburton staff for your dedication and your caring. And if you see me in the hall, just hand me a tissue, because I’ll surely need it. And, I continue to look for that kindergartner to appear on my front doorstep so I can return. See you at NB. Love, Linda Parker and Jim, too

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June, 2008 Hello Again Ashburton Families and Staff! It is JUNE! Can you believe it? We do not know where this year has gone but it has certainly flown by quickly. Just a few more days and summer vacation will be upon us with different schedules and activities to keep us busy. We hope that everyone has a wonderful summer and finds some time to relax and create new memories. After this time of rejuvenation we will see many of you back at Ashburton in the fall to work through another school year together. To the students and families who are moving on to North Bethesda Middle School, or elsewhere, we wish you much success at your new schools and thank you for your participation in the Ashburton community. Our May PTA meeting was held on May 6th. At the meeting Ms. Eroh and Ms. Cino thanked the graduating board members for the contribution to Ashburton over the years. The new PTA board was elected and the membership voted to purchase tables and benches this summer for the new courtyard so that things could be in place for the opening of school in the fall. The PTA meeting was followed by square dancing. We would like to thank Ms. Barr for organizing this event. The dancers were laughing and dancing to the music and fun was had by all. With the arrival of spring, many students have been involved in MSA tests, Terra Nova 2, concerts and field trips. We hope that following the testing with the concerts and trips has helped the students enjoy and realize some of the rewards of their hard work. As many of this year’s board members move on, we would like to say thank you to them for all of their help and guidance in making Ashburton such a great place for our children to learn and grow. These members are: Jim Parker, Rengin Gore, Diane Jentilet, Mark Rashid, Linda Parker, and Sabrina Weger. Our recent “Dine Out With Ashburton” event on Monday, May 12th at the Silver Diner was very successful. We invite everyone to join us for our next event on June 10th at California Tortilla and Baskin Robbins in Cabin John Shopping Center. Remember when you order at California Tortilla that the password is ASHBURTON and to sign the clipboard at Baskin Robbins so that we get credit for your purchases. Also, please join us over the summer for a dine out night (or two). We will be at Ledo’s on July 9th, so bring your family after a day at camp or the pool, or bring a pizza home and keep the kitchen cool. If we are able to schedule another night over the summer, it will be posted on the listserv, so mark your calendars. We would like to thank Rengin Gore, Charlene Patrick, and Lucia Lopez for stepping in and coordinating the last Camp Ashburton of the year, which was held on May 16th in lieu of the International Festival. It was a huge success, very well attended and fun for the children. We also wanted to announce that next year, we will have our first Ashburton Family Night at Cabin John Ice Rink. This event will be held on Saturday, October 11th from 6:30-8pm. Paperless tickets for this event will go on sale closer to the date of the event and more information will follow about the cost of tickets. We welcome students, staff, families and friends of the Ashburton community. Please remember that this is not a drop off event but one where we hope to see families and members of the Ashburton community together having fun on the ice.

Ashburton PTA Newsletter Page 3

We are always looking for new ideas and volunteers to help with PTA events and school activities. We are all busy but please, if your schedule is tight and you can spare a little time working from home, please contact one of the board members to find the right job for your availability. We also welcome your emails with suggestions for next year. We want to offer events and activities that are well received and replace the rest with new opportunities for all and add new events that sound fun and interesting. Keep your attention towards the list serve and check out the wiki site for new information throughout the upcoming months. As we hear from current chairpersons regarding their ability to continue their positions next year, we will know where we have needs and post that, with a description of responsibilities too. The new PTA board members are as follows: Amy Cohen President Tracy Kalik and Kathy Rose, Co-Administrative Vice Presidents Ellie Damo and Kathy Cooper, Co-Membership Vice Presidents Amy Gallaway, Treasurer Veronica Walgamotte, Secretary Feel free to contact us with your input and suggestions. Regards, Amy and Jim Amy Cohen Jim Parker P.S. This has been an interesting school year for me. I have learned so much more than I thought I would. I began the year, working with Jim as the Co-Administrative Vice President. With the change in the PTA board in January, I became the Co-President. I would like to take this opportunity to thank those people who have assisted me throughout the year, to make my learning curve a smoother ride. Jim Parker, Linda Parker, Rengin Gore, Sabrina Weger, Marney Jacobs, Charlene Eroh, Barb Cino, as well as friends who are PTA Presidents elsewhere in MCPS, and parents at Ashburton, who have offered support, assistance,

and ideas. THANK YOU ALL! Your help is greatly appreciated, and now that I know where to contact you all, look for my emails next year! Have a wonderful summer. Amy ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Get your box tops in for your last chance to win a prize! There will be a random drawing for a cool summer prize on Friday June 6th. PLEASE get all box tops in to the collection box in the main office. Don't forget to write your name and teacher's

name on the back of each one. Have a great summer ... and don't forget to save your box tops all summer long for a back-to-school contest in September!

Ashburton PTA Newsletter Page 4

May 2008 PTA Meeting News

Principal’s Report:

Ms. Eroh and Ms. Cino reported the following: Ms. Cino thanked parents for the treats and especially the

emails for Teacher Appreciation Week. They were very much appreciated by the teachers.

The school requested $3000 for tables and chairs in the courtyard. The members in attendance voted to approve the expenditure, under the condition that funds are available.

The kindergarten orientation was highly attended. Ms. Eroh thanked parents for spreading the word.

There are currently 88 enrolled kindergartners which would allow us to keep our 4 teacher allotment in that grade. 4th and 5th grades have 3 teachers each, the other grades have 4.

Ms. Eroh presented appreciation certificates to outgoing board members: Rengin Gore, Sabrina Weger, Mark Rashid, Diane Jentilet, Linda Parker, and Jim Parker.

Executive Board Report:

The nominees for the 2008-2009 PTA Executive board were approved. President’s Report:

• The Spring Fling coordinator, Joanne Forbes, and the crew of volunteers did an incredible job on the Spring Fling.

• The acting presidents presented outgoing board members with gifts.

Treasurer says "Let’s close the accounts before I'm re-nounced"

Fellow Ashburtons,

Welcome to the end of another school year, the start of a glorious summer, the end of my tutelage (or malfeasance?) of your money, and time to close the books for this year. It’s been exciting to say the least collecting your coins, counting your cash, cashing your checks, and spending your dough! But alas alac, it comes to an end.

Most importantly, it’s time to thank 2 special individuals. I want to thank Diane Jentilet for her previous efforts at putting our organization on a professional financial footing, and Amy Galloway, for her forthrightness and willingness to take on this responsibility on all of our kid's behalf for the coming year. Please take the opportunity to thank the both of them in the near future. Without the checkbook and its keeper, we're merely good intentions.

And now it’s Amy's reign. And we owe it to Amy to start her off with a clean slate and make her job as easy as possible. Accordingly, please review your records and finalize as soon as possible any financial transactions relating to the 2007-2008 school year. Will you need a check from us soon? Do we owe you money? Is there a bill we need to pay? Are you holding finds for the PTA? What'd ya say? Let’s get all those lost

coins and dollars home to their rightful parents! Please submit to me or the final unsung hero of the story, my faithful deputy Alfred Hun, any last financial transaction prior to the end of June; June 20th if at all possible.

If for whatever reason, a check you wrote to the PTA got lost among your other expenditures or ran afoul of the bank (bounced, D'oh!), we would of course appreciate those accounts being settled as well. There were close to $1,000 of wayward checks in the last 2 years, one for as much as $380. Our collection success rate is single digit.

I'd like to close simply with my thanks for your trust, congratulations to the nominating committee for a job well done, my admiration for the staff and the board I served with, and a grateful thank you for the incoming board for the willingness to lead in the future. And thank you to the parents of Ashburton for being the largest (and I'd like to think most involved) of any school in the cluster. See you all in the halls.

- Mark Rashid, PTA Treasurer pro tempore

HEALTH INFORMATION By Janet Bill RN, School Community Health Nurse

LYME DISEASE

Lyme disease is an infectious disease transmitted by the bite of an infected tiny deer tick. It is difficult to diagnosis because its early symptoms are common ailments such as fever, chills, headache, fatigue, stiff neck, muscle and joint aches and pains and/or swollen lymph nodes. Also, the blood test for the disease is not very reliable in the early stages of the illness. In 60% to 80% of Lyme disease cases, a red circular rash about two or more inches across, often with a “bulls eye” appearance, can be seen at the site of the tick bite. A doctor may treat Lyme disease with antibiotics based on a person’s illness and a history of a tick bite or tick exposure. If treated early with antibiotics, most people diagnosed with Lyme disease have mild symptoms and recover fully without later complications. Untreated, Lyme disease can cause a wide range of symptoms that may involve many body systems such as the nervous system, joints, skin and heart. What can one do to prevent Lyme disease? If possible, avoid walking through wooded, brushy, or grassy places. If you are in possible tick infested areas, wear light colored protective clothing (tucking pant legs into socks and shirts into pants) and closed-toe shoes and use a DEET insect repellant. When you return home, inspect your body head to toe. Remove any non-attached ticks promptly. If you find an attached tick don’t panic because not all ticks carry the disease and, even if they do, it takes about 24 to 48 hours before they can transmit Lyme disease to humans. To remove the tick, use a pair of pointed precision tweezers or you fingers wrapped in tissue. Grasp the tick right where it enters the skin without squeezing the body. Pull firmly and steadily outward without twisting. Do not try to remove the tick with irritants or a hot match. Clean the bite wound with disinfectant and watch for a rash or flu-like symptoms beginning 3 to 32 days after the bite. Contact your medical provider ASAP if you suspect symptoms of Lyme disease. Sources: American Lyme Disease Foundation; Journal of the American Medical Assoc., Vol. 285; Time Magazine 6/25/01; Woman’s Day magazine 5/01; Staying Healthy (School Health publication).

We are fortunate that Walter Johnson’s modernization includes plans to renovate our baseball field and provide our teams some upgrades that are befitting a baseball program in a school with such a rich history of baseball, but further upgrades are necessary. With your help, the WJ baseball families intend to raise $15-20,000 (“ballpark” figure) to create sturdy, cinder-block base dugouts for our new field. This fundraising effort will affect “little sluggers” much more than the current players, given that the field renovation will not be complete for a few years. YOUR children will benefit from the dollars you contribute for dugouts. Please help support the baseball program at WJ for years to come by returning the bottom of this form with a financial contribution. Checks should be made payable to the WJ Booster Club. Your contribution is tax deductible as the WJ Booster Club is a 501c (3) organization under the Internal Revenue Code. Thank you.

Name: _____________________________ Phone: ____________ Email: _____________

Address: __________________________________________________________

*Contribution: Home Run $1000 ____ Triple $500 _____ Double $250 _____

Single $ 100 _____ Sacrifice bunt $ 50 _____ Other _____

Contributors will be distinguished on a “Hall of Fame” plaque prominently displayed in the dugouts

Mail to: Walter Johnson High School Booster Club, Att. Dollars for Dugouts, 6400 Rock Spring Drive, Bethesda MD 20814