Upcoming Dates
March 20 Principal out for Superintendent’s Meeting
March 21  Responsive Classroom Parent Night, 6:30 pm
March 27   Murch Development Team Meeting, 4:30 pm
March 27   Community Forum on Standardized Testing, 7 pm
March 28   DC BAS & DC CAS Parent Night, 6:30 pm
April 2-9     Spring Break (School resumes on April 10)
April 16       Emancipation Day, NO SCHOOL
April 17-20 DC CAS Testing Grades 3-6 (Math & Reading)

 

CO-PRESIDENTS’ NEWS by Michelle Cochran & Martha Saccocio

The initial totals are in for this year's auction revenues and we have great news. The event raised more than $100,000. A huge thanks goes out to Alison Howard and Heather Pritchard, the two true co-chairs of the event this year. And all the other folks who helped out – you know who you are – thank you as well. It was a true group effort. Finally, thank you to all who attended or supported the event – it would not be a success without all those folks bidding. Next year, we encourage more folks to get involved in what has really become our largest annual fundraiser.

The year is winding down. We hope everyone is enjoying the warming weather. There will be some fun events coming up before the end of the year including International Night (for Pre-K thru 2nd grade), The Murch Musicale Variety Show, and the School Musical. Stay tuned for details on these great community events.

If you have been wondering what happened to the electronic newsletter, it will be back this week. And if there is anyone out there who would like to help with production of the newsletter until the end of the year, we really could use the help. We need someone to pick up the paper copies at the UPS Store at American University, bring them to Murch, and distribute them in the teachers' mailboxes by 11 am on Fridays. The pick up at AU is ready by Thursday evening. If you can help out, please contact one of us for the details.

Michelle Cochran                                                 Martha Saccocio
MichelleCochran@starpower.net                     MarthaNS@aol.com
237.6617                                                                 237.6967

Classroom Connection by Fifth Grade Team, Ms. Otten, Ms. Robinson, and Miss Franklin

Literary opportunities are exploding in 5th grade.  Several weeks ago we had the incredible opportunity to visit with Nancy Fan, the 13-year old author of Swordbird.  It was fascinating for our budding writers to listen to this young author's writing strategies, strategies that often sounded as if they were pulled right from Writers' Workshop.  We returned to Politics and Prose last week to hear Sara Holmes, author of the new young reader's hit Letters from Rapunzel.  Earlier this year 5th grade hosted a group of actors and actresses from the Shakespeare Theater.  These amazing bards led the students in a number of activities that were full of dramatic inspiration, laughter and, of course, learning.  And this week the fifth grade participated in the Washington Theater Project, a series of three theater workshops that will culminate in a live performance of "Junebug" at the Imagination Theater in Bethesda.

With all these literary inspirations, 5th graders wrote some truly remarkable realistic fiction stories for the most recent Writers' Workshop unit. Stop by the bulletin board outside Ms. Jackson's office to read some of them and then wander through the 5th grade museum of African American historical and scientific figures (up and down the stairs between the Library and the 5th grade classrooms.)  In our spare time, students have just completed a unit on fractions - adding, subtracting, common denominators.  In science, things are bubbling with the start of our unit on chemistry and, across the hall, students are packing their covered wagons and joining a wagon train to head West facing excitement and danger on the Oregon Trail.

Martial Arts Class at Murch – From April 10 to June 8, 2007. Master Kim, with over 40 years of experience and an 8th degree black belt, will lead a basic Japanese Jujutsu Martial Arts class for children ages 10-12. Tuesday & Thursday 3:30-4:30 pm.  Fee per student $160.  Contact Master Kim @ 703.350.6215 to register.

Summer Art Camp. Judy Southerland, a longtime Corcoran College of Art and Design professor, is once again offering one-week camp sessions for ages 8-15 this summer from June 11 through July 20. They are held in her Palisades studio. The camp gives kids the opportunity to explore painting, drawing, sculpture and printmaking. No two weeks of the camp are the same. Classes are held from 9:30 am to 3 pm. Extended hours are offered in the mornings from 8:30 to 9:30 am and afternoons from 3 to 5 pm. Contact Judy at 363.9637, 363.0405 or www.judysoutherland.com/artcamp

Embassy family (mother and son) looking to rent a room in Murch/Deal neighborhood starting April 1. Please contact Tracy Zorpette if you have any suggestions,tzorpette@starpower.netor 686.9487.

Little League Baseball/Softball Sign-Up for Spring Season. Our neighborhood little league, Capitol City Little League is an all-volunteer, non-profit, nationally-chartered league offering youth baseball and girls softball for kids in the Murch and Lafayette areas. Baseball is offered for boys and girls, ages 5 –12; and softball is for girls 9 – 16. Teams play in divisions according to their age. No experience is necessary. To register or for more information, visit the CCLL website atwww.CapCityLL.org. If you have any questions, call Murch mom Caroline Chambers at 364.0864.

The Murch Camp Fire USA Club would like to encourage all to participate in Camp Fire USA's Absolutely Incredible Kid Day on March 15. On Absolutely Incredible Kid Day, adults are encouraged to write a letter of love and support to the special children in their lives. A flyer with details will be sent home – you just need a pen and your words to make a difference. For more information and tips, please see http://www.campfireusa.org/a_i_kid_day/tips.html Questions? Contact Eileen Kane, Leader at 686.4152 or Ekane98@aol.com

Si usted llegara o necesita alguna ayuda para traducir algo al espanol contacteme. Sara Villeda: telefono 202.244.7493/email savll@aol.com.