CO-PRESIDENTS’ NEWS by Michelle Cochran & Martha Saccocio

 The 2006-7 HSA Executive Committee would like to express its gratitude to Martha Saccocio and Michelle Cochran, our outgoing co-presidents, for the terrific leadership they've provided in the HSA and in the broader school community. Thanks in large part to Martha and Michelle, the HSA raised record amounts of funds in the past two school years, generating a surplus that the Murch community can now devote to a number of potential capital improvements or new activities, and the school's educational resources, physical plant, and landscape have been upgraded in numerous ways. HSA co-president is a full-time job, and we've all benefited from Martha's and Michelle's dedication, creativity, and sacrifices. We thank them.

Carolyne Albert-Garvey, Jen Closser, Rachel Garrett, Gayle Hager, Norma Hart, Alison Howard, Susan Rees,Tracy Stannard, Joan Timony, David Weiner, Alok Yadav

On behalf of the entire Murch community – and on the occasion of their imminent departure from Washington – the HSA wishes to convey its gratitude to Karen Ball and David Von Drehle for their contributions to Murch over the past several years. Our children and their teachers have all benefited immensely from Karen’s and David’s efforts to raise money to enrich the school. Among other things, Murch parents can thank Karen and David for the beautifully restored cupola crowning the Murch building and the courtyard full of commemorative bricks, two initiatives in which Karen played a leading role, and for thousands of dollars raised through auction items they either solicited or that David hawked during live auctions. We are sorry to see Karen, David, and their children leave, but we wish them all the best in their new home in Kansas City, where a very fortunate elementary school awaits them.

Murch Kids at the Department of the Interior. Last Thursday was amazing! We went to the Department of the Interior and got to represent Murch at a press conference. We helped the Secretary of the Interior, Dirk Kempthorne, launch a film about the future of the national parks. The purpose of the film is to reach out to kids across the nation and get them off the computer and into the national parks. The CD-ROM is part of a report that went to the President outlining a plan to clean up the parks for the centennial of the National Park Service in 2016, which will be when we graduate from high school! After the press conference the Secretary Kempthorne invited us to have lunch with him in his office. It was awesome! You can see part of the film at www.doi.gov under the title Centennial Initiative. Submitted by Avery Schonberger and Carl Stewart

Butterfly Garden:  Parents, please volunteer to water the butterfly garden for one week during this summer. All the thirsty plants and butterflies thank you. The sign up sheet and directions are hanging  outside Mrs. Timony’s  classroom door, Room 210.

You’d make a great teacher. Have you ever heard this? Or have you ever thought about teaching? If so, now is a good time to find out more information about how to become a substitute teacher. If you have a college degree (associate’s with 60 credits or more, or bachelor’s, in any field), you are eligible to become a substitute teacher in DC. Attend a meeting to find out about the certification process at a meeting being held at Murch next week. You will also learn what is expected of our substitute teachers and hear some classroom management tips. Murch Library, Wed., June 13 from 3:30-4:30  pm. Babysitting will be provided. If you need babysitting, please RSVP to sallyseppanen@comcast.net. You can bring your children to the Murch gym at 3:15 pm

Principal’s Corner by Carolyne Albert-Garvey

The close of the school year is just a few days away. What a busy year it has been! We have many things to be proud of and the implementation of the Writers Workshop is at the very top of my personal list. Not only do parents stop and tell me about their child writing stories, poetry and books at home, but students stop by my office or talk to me when I visit their classroom and tell me about their writing. “I'm working on a non-fiction piece now.” (k student) “Using mentor texts really helps me decide on how I want to end my story.” (4th grader) “I write poetry and songs at home on the weekends but now I need a guitar.” (1st grader) “I really need to add more detail to this piece before I publish.” (3rd grader) “My teacher has taught me so many writing strategies that now I have a hard time publishing because I just want to keep making it better.” (5th grader) As you can see, students have responded positively to the newly adopted program. I want to thank parents for supporting the program even though it required teachers to be absent one or two days a month for training. Special thanks the Murch teachers for the top-notch implementation of the program. It just would not have happened without the high level of dedication and hard work that I’ve seen this year. Using the workshop model requires a whole different level of planning. It’s just plain hard to do. One of the trainers from New York wrote: Your Principal had told me before my visit that you were all working really hard at Writing Workshop in your classrooms, and I didn’t honestly dream that she was SO right! I can’t believe how in less than one year, you have come together to put some consistent content and practice in place. I haven’t been in that many schools (NYC and across the country) like yours. Thank you teachers for your outstanding work this year!
 
There are many others to thank at the end of such a productive school year. Do you know that almost 70 people report to work at Murch every day? Not only do we have a great team of teachers but we have amazing support staff – Special thanks to our office staff, special education coordinator, classroom aides, dedicated aides, custodians, security guards, food service manager and last but not least to all of our highly qualified service providers. You make learning happen for kids everyday!
 
Parent volunteers assisted during filed trips, shared their expertise in classrooms, helped in the library, and much more! Please know how much we have appreciated your involvement and support throughout the year. Special thanks to the dedicated OFFICE CREW and the parents involved with the talent show, foreign language and science programs! Both the members of the HSA Board and MDT have been incredibly hard working. They donated countless hours of their time. Both groups displayed remarkable leadership throughout the year. The advice and guidance that I received from HSA co-chairs Martha Saccocio and Michelle Cochran, and MDT co-chairs Amanda Broun and Vicki Otten had a profound effect on my leadership of the school. HSA and MDT parent and teacher representatives – your service to the school and to our programs was unwavering.
 
To our Murch students – a big thank you for a job well done. Each student has grown in so many ways this year and I'm proud of each one of them. I'm going to miss all of them. Keep up the great work kids (and read for at least 30 minutes a day). Thanks for a great two years.
 
Have a terrific summer! I'll let you know where I end up.

2007-2008 School Registration. Every year new and returning students must enroll/re-enroll in DCPS. The beginning date for this enrollment period is set by the District of Columbia Schools system – July 16, 2007. At that time parents are asked to come to their child's school to complete the Annual Student Enrollment Form. Parents can enroll students between July 16 and the 1st day of school. When you register, be sure to bring the following items with you: Proof of your child’s birth date, documentation required for legal proof of residency, your child's immunization records.

Physicals and Immunizations. Students entering a District Public School for the first time are required to have a physical. Physicals for returning students are required for grades Kindergarten, 1st, 3rd, 5th, 7th, 9th, and 11th. Physicals are to be no more than 150 days old from the start of school. Physical and dental forms can be picked up at Murch or any other District of Columbia Public School. All students must have up-to-date immunizations in order to attend school. NO SHOTS – NO SCHOOL
 
Good News from Nurse Wright! The Immunization Coalition of Washington DC sponsored an appreciation luncheon for DC schools (public, parochial, private, and charter) on May 30, 2007. Eighty schools in District of Columbia were honored including their nurses and health staff for attaining an immunization of 100% for the 2006-2007 school year. Murch achieved the citywide goal and is now a proud member of the “100 Percent Club”. An award was presented to Nurse Caridad Wright.

Community News & Classified

ART CAMP FOR 3-4 YEAR OLDS. Please come and join us for full mornings of art making the first two weeks of June this summer: drawing, painting, collage, printing and clay. Email me if you are interested and I will send you info, nicoleandrewsbrandes@gmail.com

Vacation Bible School. June 25-29 from 9 am – 12 pm at Washington International Church for kids ages 3-12. Theme: SonForce Kids Special Agents on a Mission for God. Bible stories, crafts, skits, games,
songs, snacks. Cost: Free and open to the community!  4420 River Road (at 45th St, NW and River). Contact Susan Pickell (VBS Director) at 301.294.6573 for more information or vbs@internationalchurch.org. Online registration available at www.internationalchurch.org.

Georgia Stockdale, Murch's former art teacher, is offering a 3 day workshop in landscape painting in July. Learn to turn photos of your favorite places into works of art!  Ages 15 to adult.  Contact: georgiastockdale@yahoo.com.

SUMMER CAREGIVER AVAILABLE. Murch pre-k aide, Aruni Hettipola, available for summer childcare for approximately four to six hours a day in the mornings. Please contact me at 686.5455 or jayhettipola@msn.com

NOTE FROM THE EDITOR: The newsletter is sponsored by the HSA, whose purpose is to serve the best interests of the pupils of Murch Elementary School. Members of the Murch community may submit classifieds and announcements, consistent with this mission, to newsletter@murchschool.org, with “Murch Newsletter” on the subject line.  Submissions on behalf of for-profit enterprises will not be considered for publication.