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Pinewood Elementary School Herald Page

Franchesca Brown, Principal

Terry Davis, Assistant Principal

Laura Nossel, Editor

February is always a celebratory month at

Pinewood! We will celebrate the 100th day of

school, our Black Saga team competes in a county

competition, and its National Counselor’s Week.

With Black History Month, we commemorate and

honor the works and accomplishments of African

Americans with the Black Saga team members.

They share important facts with us daily on the

morning announcements. Our monthly Spirit Day,

February 6th, marks the 100th day of school. Wear

your school colors, green and white, and bring in

a $1.00 bill, which equals 100 pennies, to benefit

the American Heart Association.

February is also a great time to express

our love and gratitude to our parents and com-

munity members that have supported us. Volun-

teers spend countless hours working to help us

make learning exciting and enduring.

A huge part of our success is due to the

on-going efforts of the Pinewood PTA members

who work tirelessly to create a strong communi-

cation and supportive bond between home and

school. Under the leadership of our PTA Presi-

dent, Mrs. Julie Hubbard, our PTA meetings are

informative and offer a myriad of opportunities

to support our school’s success. Please enjoy

the letter from our PTA President on page 2.

I extend a warm thank you to Mrs. Neer

and her team of parents who implement the Ad-

ventures in Art program in our classrooms. Our

fitness endeavors, like the Trick or Trot and the

Family Fit Night were huge successes thanks in

part to Mrs. Hubbard, Mrs. Obaza, and their

team of parents. Also, thank you to Mrs. DiBiasi,

Mrs. Linhard, and Ms. Lee for coordinating the

Scorecard celebration.

Building and maintaining a positive and

friendly climate is extremely important to the

culture we embrace here at Pinewood; Mrs.

Hartman and her team continue to support this

endeavor with spirit wear. PJ the penguin is also

a valuable part of our school spirit initiatives. I

would be remiss if I did not take time to thank

the Sunshine Committee, Mrs. Mueller, and

other PTA members who coordinate wonderful

treats for the staff. I would also like to thank

Mrs. Esslinger for hosting new family parent

tours. During this school year, we have trained

over 240 parents and they have recorded over

5,000 volunteer hours. Our volunteer program

reflects the commitment of our parents who make

Pinewood’s instructional program one of the best

in Baltimore County.

In addition to the parents mentioned so

far, a sincere thank you is extended to Ms. Ferrer

for increasing the number of PTA memberships;

and many thanks for all of the classroom events

which are led by Mrs. Massengill and her roster

of room parents. We are awaiting the results of

the National PTA Reflections Program entries.

Thanks to Mrs. Classen for coordinating this pro-

gram. These

are just a few examples of how parents support

our school. There are so many more unsung he-

roes, who continue to contribute their time and

talents, each day. If you have not already done so,

please consider joining the PTA. The membership

is $10.00 per person. All are welcome to join,

including grandparents, family, and friends.

For sure, there are few better experiences

for a child than one shared with a caring vol-

unteer. I honor your dedication to volunteer-

ism and I send my heartfelt thanks and apprecia-

tion to all of you. Happy Valentine’s Day!Happy Valentine’s Day!Happy Valentine’s Day!Happy Valentine’s Day!

From the Principal, Franchesca Brown

February 5, 2015

A message from the PTA

2

Proud

Penguins

3

General

Information

4

Health &

Guidance

5

Related

Arts

5 –7

Pinewood

Happenings

8

Pinewood

Information

9

Pinewood

Calendar

10

Inside this

issue:

On the web

pinewoodes.bcps.org

200 Rickswood Road

Timonium, MD 21093

Phone 410-887-7663

Fax 410-252-1962

Arts Integration

February gets off to a rockin’ start as Ms. Seward and

Mrs. Pilson bring Drums Alive to

our students. Be on the lookout for field trips at

every grade level to provide the children cultural

opportunities. On February 19th, our grade four

students will visit Goucher College for a produc-

tion exploring the life of Harriet Tubman. On Feb-

ruary 27th, the last Friday in February, Pinewood

will hold its second annual “Believe Big” mug

decorating activity. This was great fun last year

and promises to be as uplifting and enjoyable

this year … information will be coming soon.

Remember…”the arts are about joy. They are

about the experience of being moved, of having one’s life enriched, of discovering our capacity to feel. If that was all they did, they would warrant a generous place at our table.” - Elliott W. Eisner, Stanford University

Pinewood Pinewood Pinewood Pinewood

HeraldHeraldHeraldHerald

75%

Pinewood Elementary School Herald Page 2

If you haven’t had your ID scanned, please stop by the office the next time you are at

Pinewood and we would be glad to do this for you. Thank you for your cooperation.

February, 2015

Dear Pinewood Parents and Teachers,

We hope you have had a wonderful Holiday season and have been enjoying the New Year! As we are starting off on

the second half of the school year, I wanted to take this time to reconnect with all our Pinewood Families and reiterate

our goals, needs and accomplishments.

The 2014 / 2015 school year has already been a great PTA success, we have successfully launched and completed

numerous PTA sponsored events, some of which were brand new to Pinewood Elementary School. Here are just a few examples of how your direct donation dollars support our Pinewood PTA;

Welcome Back to School Teacher/Admin Breakfast: The PTA donated and served breakfast to our wonderful PES Teachers and Administration in August to help ease them back into the school year.

Kindergarten Fire & Ice: We began the year with a fun-filled, informative event, led by the Chestnut Ridge Volun-teer Fire Fighters, which welcomed the almost 100 new kindergartens and their families to our Pinewood Family.

Trick or Trot: Over 300 Pinewood family members joined us for an exciting new haunted obstacle race on a beauti-ful fall afternoon. Students/families jumped, climbed, ran, crawled, skipped, hurdled, their way through 10 ob-

stacles before finishing up and grabbing some great sandwiches generously donated by Jersey Mike’s sub

shops.

American Education Week: Our PTA volunteers helped facilitate, organize, and welcome the numerous family members who visited PES throughout the week. We provided light refreshments, information on the PTA, and

had Spirit Wear apparel for sale.

Write On! December heralded the kick-off of our annual Write On program. Numerous students have contributed their original works of literature to be published and distributed by June. Stay tuned for the annual cover contest

details!

Adventures in Art: Our Adventures in Art program successfully completed the fall project where each student cre-ated a unique coat of arms illustrating what makes themselves and/or their families unique. This project was

thoughtfully imagined with the help of our resident Art Guru, Mr. Lebowitz, in an effort to support and tie into the

Pinewood Arts integration program. Another great program is planned for the spring!

Again, these are just a few examples of the numerous programs and initiatives sponsored by our PTA. Our hope is that we are able to continue providing this level of support for the remainder of the year and this is where we need

your help...

Today, we are 75% closer to our Membership and Direct Donation goals. However, in order to bridge the gap to

100%, we need your support. If you haven’t already joined the PTA, please consider becoming a member. Our goal

is to have an individual PTA member for every child at Pinewood. Additionally, we hope you will participate in our

tax-deductible Direct Donation campaign, which supports all the above mentioned activities and more. Our sug-gested donation is $45.00 per student BUT we would be grateful for ANY amount donated. Membership and Direct

Donation information can be found at www.pinewoodpta/forms.

Should you have any questions regarding this information please contact me at [email protected] at your con-

venience, I would be grateful for the opportunity to speak to you.

Thank you for your time and on behalf of the Pinewood PTA, we hope you and your child(ren) continue to have a re-

warding and successful school year! Julie Hubbard, PTA President


Proud Proud Proud Proud

PenguinsPenguinsPenguinsPenguins

Ryan J. Artist of the Month

Congratulations to the following

students

who were chosen from all the st

udents

who were recognized during th

e month

of December for being “Prepa

red, Po-

lite, and Persistent.” They had l

unch with

Mrs. Brown: Aiden Z., Gus H., H

anjun K.,

Spencer B., Matthew B,, and Lia

m T.

Pinewood Aut

hor Celebrati

on Breakfast

On February 3rd, our Black Saga team went to Dumbar-

ton Middle school to showcase their knowledge. The

students have been working very hard, and we correctly

answered 7 out of the 11 questions. We are still awaiting

our scoring placement. Stay tuned for more news to

come. Pictured from left to right Lindsey H., Sofia L., and

Ava W. Thanks to Ms. Adkins and Mrs. Westerberg for

coaching our students. Teams of students, representing 29 Baltimore County

Public Schools elementary and middle schools, will

compete in three regional competitions to determine

which teams will advance to the countywide Black Saga

finals. Culminating each year during Black History

Month, the Black Saga Competition challenges students

with a variety of questions related to the African-

American experience.


Schools Close 3 hours

early on 2/13 at 12:15 pm.

Lunch Account Pre-Payment

Please take advantage of the SNAP program to deposit money to your child’s lunch account. It is

important to fill out the pre-payment form, checks preferred,

with your child’s name (NO NICKNAMES). If you need to

send cash, please put it in an envelope with the pre-payment

form. Additional copies of this form are available in the school office.

CafeteriaCafeteriaCafeteriaCafeteria Mark your Mark your Mark your Mark your

CalendarCalendarCalendarCalendar

NEW FAMILY TOUR

February 25, 2015

9:30 am

Please contact Mrs. Esslinger at

[email protected] for further information and to RSVP. Adults only.

Schools-out.com

Is a free public service

website to email parents

directly about unex-

pected changes in the

school schedule. The

schools-out.com web site

is tied directly to Balti-

more County Public

Schools and is updated

by BCPS staff. The BCPS

website www.bcps.org

provides the most defini-

tive information about

unexpected changes in

school scheduling. Par-

ents may also call 410-

887-5555 for information.

Vision &

Hearing

Screening

Volunteers are needed to

help escort students to the

health suite for vision and

hearing screening April 16,

17, 20, 21, 22, 2015. Stu-dents in grades, K,1,4 and

all new students to BCPS

will be screened. If you

have a student in grades

2,3,or 5 that you would like

added to the list or can as-

sist with escorting students,

please contact Mrs. Frankle

at [email protected].

Thank you.

Information on the BCPS

Stakeholder survey has

been sent home. We want

to hear from you. The sur-

vey will be available online

from January 30 through

February 28 at the BCPS

Web site (www.bcps.org),

A message from Dr. Dance

can be accessed at

https://vimeo.com/116695825.

Pinewood Elementary

Kindergarten

Registration

for the 2015–2016

school year

will be held on

April 17th & May 18th,

2015

from 9 A.M. — 3 P.M.

by appointment only.

Please contact the school office

at 410-887-7663 to schedule an

appointment and to pick-up the

registration packet.


From your School Nurse From your School Nurse From your School Nurse From your School Nurse

Mrs. Pam FrankleMrs. Pam FrankleMrs. Pam FrankleMrs. Pam Frankle

Guidance Counselor’s CornerGuidance Counselor’s CornerGuidance Counselor’s CornerGuidance Counselor’s Corner

By Mrs. Linda Reines NCC, LCPCBy Mrs. Linda Reines NCC, LCPCBy Mrs. Linda Reines NCC, LCPCBy Mrs. Linda Reines NCC, LCPC

Physical Education Physical Education Physical Education Physical Education

by Pat Pilson by Pat Pilson by Pat Pilson by Pat Pilson

Mr. Matthew May, a member of the Hunt Valley Rotary Club and a Pinewood parent was the guest speaker at an assembly for the 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade students on January 12th. He ex-plained the history of the Rotary Club to the students and also informed them about a poster contest that is being sponsored by the Rotary Club of Maryland. The poster contest is called the “The Four-Way Test.” It is an extension of Pinewood’s Code of Conduct and it reinforces problem solving skills. There are four components of The Four-Way Test to think about when making a decision.

They are: 1. Is it the truth?

2. Is it fair to all concerned

3. Will it build goodwill and better friendships?

4. Will it be beneficial to all concerned?

The contest asks the students to demonstrate these 4 ques-tions in a poster using different media, that expresses the main parts of the test. A letter went home explaining the re-quirements to the parents of Pinewood’s 3rd,4th, and 5 grade students. Mrs. Schneyer Reines, Pinewood’s School Coun-selor, and Pinewood’s Guidance helpers put up examples of “The Four Way Test” posters around the school, that had been created by Pinewood students from prior years. The posters will be judged by grade level and the winners will receive a monetary prize. All the posters for The Four Way Test poster contest are due in the office by Monday, March 9. Good luck to all the participants.

Mr. and Mrs. May also presented a dictionary to each third

grade student at Pinewood.

Wow! February already and Spring is

around the corner.

We have some exciting things happening in

PE. In January, our students were very busy

learning to bowl and keep score without

computers. They were challenged to beat

the teacher and got their names on the wall.

During the first week of February, students

will be working on rhythm and performing

routines with drum sticks and exercise

balls.

They then move onto volleyball and the

much awaited volleyball game between the

teachers and the 5th grade students. The

game will be held on February 27th at 2:00

P.M.

Please remind your child to wear or bring

tennis shoes on PE days.

SAVE THE DATE

Tuesday March 3, 2015

6-7 pm before the PTA meeting

Topic: Keeping you and your family safe online

Speaker: Michael Bachman, Director of Information Technology at

Towson University

This program will provide greater awareness of social media safe-

guards, malicious digital behaviors, knowing what informa-

tion you don't want to follow your kids in the future, and

how to preserve data/cyber-security. More information to

follow.


The kindergarteners will design a beauti-

ful February calendar with a Valentine’s Day

theme. We will continue with seasonal lessons

which will include classics such as Little Bear’s

Valentine by Else Holmelund Minarik and Go to

Sleep Groundhog! by Judy Cox. The first graders will be learning note taking skills and using the

Table of Contents, the Index, and text features to

obtain their information. The second graders will

be learning about the life of Ezra Jack Keats and

will understand his motivation to write the classic

stories that are enjoyed by children everywhere.

His story, The Snowy Day, won the Caldecott

Medal for the beautiful pictures, the way he cap-tured the innocence of childhood, and for the abil-

ity of the illustrations to compliment the text. The

students will write and illustrate a sequel in re-

sponse to the story. The third graders will continue

with their Baltimore inquiry by selecting a topic

with their partner to research, taking notes cor-

rectly, and citing their sources. The fourth graders have completed their study of the Dewy Decimal

system and will become members of the Fourth

Grade Reading Club which will allow them to

learn the arrangement of the library by obtaining

books from the different Dewy Decimal Classes.

The fifth graders are just beginning their Revolu-

tionary War Research unit which compliments their classroom curriculum. The students will se-

lect three characters or three events to research

with their partner. The premise is that by studying

the biographies of famous people and important

events, we can learn about the history surrounding

the Revolutionary War.

Recommended Reading

Picture Books: 1. The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog!

by Mo Willems, grades K-2, ©

2004.

2. Goldilocks and the Three Bears, retold by Jan Brett,

grades K-2, © 1987.

Chapter Books:

1. Summer of My German Sol-

dier, by Bette Greene, grades

4-5, ©2003. 2. The Hundred Dresses, by

Eleanor Estes, grades 3-5, ©1972.

Note: The above titles are found in the Pinewood Library as well as the Baltimore County Public

Library NewsLibrary NewsLibrary NewsLibrary News

bybybyby Marilyn LockwoodMarilyn LockwoodMarilyn LockwoodMarilyn Lockwood

The Art Beat by Sheldon Lebowitz

ART NEWS ALL AROUND!

Be sure to stop by the Cockeysville Public Library to see our very first exhibit

by fifty Pinewood School children. A special reception will be held for these children on

Monday, February 9, from 6:30—7:30 p.m.

BELIEVE BIG DECORATING MUG FUNDRAISER

Mark your calendars for Friday evening, February 27, from 6:30—7:30

p.m. This event will give you and your family a chance to purchase a mug, decorate it

beautifully, and have the mug and the money raised go toward the Believe Bug founda-

tion to benefit patients and families affected by cancer. We hope to see you there!

Kindergarteners Our kindergarten friends, in between creating some won-derfully personal clay coat of arms from the Renaissance to represent their own families, are creating some fun farm ani-mal paintings—our first big painting activity of the year. Ask your kindergar-tener how to keep the paintbrushes clean in Mr. Le-bowitz’s art room and you will likely hear the “Pinewood School, one-step-at-a-time, painting rhyme: DIP, DRIP, WIPE THE TIP!

First graders Our Renaissance gob-lets, created by first making a pinch pot (for the cup portion) and then sitting it on a base made of clay coils (for the stem of the goblet) are going to be quite lovely. Balance is key here as the cup portion needs to be supported by the stem, which then needs a bit of a wider base to support the weight of the gob-let itself. All very technical and all very well crafted. Glaze and overglaze will make for a super ceramic finish. Just right for a cup of tea!

Second Graders Second Graders Adding all of the de-tails to our three di-mensional clay figura-tive bust sculptures has helped to make these look more and more like ourselves. During the renaissance, these were popular to immortalize those who could afford to have their portraits pre-served in stone for-ever. Now immortal-ized in clay, our second graders will be painting and decorating with acrylic paint their self-portrait sculptural busts. Details and textures certainly add interest and variety to

the

Third graders Third grade friends are in the process of finishing the most glorious, great, grotesque, grand gar-goyles, popular during the renaissance to guard buildings and to keep evil spirits away. Our gargoyle sculptures are filled with textures and physical features to help describe the sculptures. As they are ready to be fired, the clay goes from greenware to bisqueware. Wait until you get a look at these gargoyles! A little acrylic paint and the gargoyles will be good to go!

Fourth graders Fourth graders are finishing their Hopi Kachina dancers and chalk pastel drawn and blended backgrounds and the regions of the American Southwest will soon be filled with terrific Hopi dancers. Depth, textures, and details make these backgrounds look as if they came straight out of New Mexico, Ari-zona, or Southern Cali-fornia. Next, we’ll ex-plore castles of the renaissance as we cre-ate clay slab relief castles!

Fifth graders Fifth grade friends are definitely not draggin’ their feet when it comes to their wonderful clay sculpture dragons. From scales and tails to spikes and snouts, these sculp-tural fantasy crea-tures convey move-ment and action by how they are posed—this also contributes to bal-ancing the sculpture. A damsel in distress would gladly be res-cued by any of these creative clay creations!


Musical Notes from the desktop of Ms. Godfrey

Students are learning about

and listening to music from the ro-

mantic time period. We are learning

about composers like Schubert, Schu-

mann, and Brahms.

Kindergarteners have been

learning about instrument families.

We are learning about the percussion

family and have worked to separate

instruments into three categories: hit,

shake, and rub. We have also

learned the musical story of “Peter

and the Wolf” by Sergei Prokiev.

First graders have also been

learning about “Peter and the Wolf”

as a way to identify instrument tone

qualities as well as classify instru-

ments in the orchestra. We are also

learning about So and Mi as pitches

that are high and low. We are learn-

ing how to recognize these sounds

and how to make songs with these

pitches.

Second graders are learning

how to read and write rhythms and

are learning about note values. They

are also practicing writing expres-

sive and informational paragraphs

about music. Second graders will

also be using puppets in order to tell

a musical story.

Third graders are playing

pitches B, A, and G on the recorder.

We continue to practice rhythm and

reading notes on the treble staff.

Please remind your child that they

need their recorders each week in

music class along with their music

folder.

Fourth graders are creating a

musical lap book with music expres-

sive and notational symbols. We are

learning about how to have polished

performances and how to create in-

teresting music. They will also con-

tinue to learn about and apply knowl-

edge of harmony

to vocal singing as

they begin 4th

grade choir this

month. Choir will be on rotation day

5.

Fifth graders are comparing

and contrasting musical genres and

are going to practice solfege sight

reading. We are learning about jazz

music, jazz artists, and style tech-

niques like scat singing. We will be-

gin to learn about I, IV, and V chords

as we move into blues music and

practice our own improvisational

singing. After school choir for 5th

grade will begin this month. We will

practice after school on Thursdays

from 3:30-4:30. If your child is inter-

ested, please turn in their forms

ASAP!

DRUMS ALIVE!

Mrs. Pilson and I are excited to be teaching DRUMS ALIVE in the gym. The students are combin-

ing their musical knowledge and skills with aerobic

activity and having a GREAT TIME doing so! Drums Alive offers the students the chance to work coop-

eratively and creatively to create and learn routines

that incorporate drumming and movement. All stu-dents at Pinewood will get a chance to participate in

this fun ARTS INTEGRATION activity!

Band and Orchestra News

The 5th graders are hard at work, learning

new music and new skills! I am very excited for our concert in MAY!

3rd and 4th Grade Exploratory

The third and fourth graders have begun the Woodwind Unit, and will be learning simple songs

on the Clarinet. We will also be learning how in-

struments in this family produce and change pitch.

From the desktop of Ms. Seward


Pinewood HappeningsPinewood HappeningsPinewood HappeningsPinewood Happenings


Thank you for saving these items for our school.

PLEASE SUPPORT PINEWOOD!

�Labels for Education — Point Value and UPS is needed

�Box Tops — Bar code is needed

�Office Depot – 5% Back to Schools Program – ID # 70047487

��Target – Take Charge of Education – 1% of purchases – Target.com/tcoe

��Recycle - Please send in your used printer ink cartridges, laser toner cartridges and un-

wanted cell phones

��Soda Tabs – Send your soda can tabs to school to benefit Ronald McDonald House

��GIANT A+ Bonus Bucks – ID # 01103

��Drink Pouches — Please save your drink pouches We receive $.02 per pouch.

��ShopRite Rewards for Education at eScrip.com/ShopRite or by calling 800-931-6258.

Thanks to all the Pinewood families, faculty and staff for saving and sending

in their Box Tops for Education. Pinewood received a check in the amount of

$905.60.

A big thank you as well to Dawn Jemellaro for coordinating this program.

It’s Cold

As winter con-

tinues please re-

member:

• Children should

be dressed ap-

propriately, so they are warm and

comfortable in the building and

warm enough for recess. Please

label your child’s clothing. It

makes it easier to return when it is

lost.

• Please DO NOT drop off children

early in the morning to stand out-

side of our building. The school

doors do not open until 8:30 A.M.

• Please review your emergency

dismissal plan so that your child is

aware of what to do in the event of

an early dismissal.


Mark your calendars.

Spring Break

Schools are Closed

4/2 thru 4/10/15.

February 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 2 National School

Counseling Week

Thank You

Mrs. Reines!

3

4 5 Report Cards go

Home

6 Spirit Day 7

8 9 10

Exhibits of Wonder

6 - 7 pm

11 12 Lincoln’s

Birthday

13

Schools Close 3 hours

early at 12:15 pm

14

Valentines

Day

15 16

Schools Closed

17 18 19 Wellness Day

wear RED

Grade 4 to Goucher

College

20

Bus Evacuation Drill

21

22Washington’s

Birthday

23 24 25

Grade 1 to Irvine

Nature Center

26

Grade 1 to Irvine

Nature Center

27

Believe Big

Make A Mug 6:30 pm

28

March 2015

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Anti-

Bullying Week

2 Happy Birthday

Dr. Seuss

3 Internet

Safety 6 pm

PTA Meeting 7 pm

4 5 6 Spirit Day 7

8 Daylight

Savings

Spring

Forward

9 10 11 12 13 14

15 16 17 18 19 20 Family Fun

Night

First Day of Spring

21

22 23 Ballroom Dancing

Grade 5 all week

SIT 3:30

24 25 Maryland Day 26 27 Ballroom Dancing

Performance

28

29 30 Drama Club

Production

“On the Radio

31 Drama Club

Production

“On the Radio”

PARCC Testing—Grades 3, 4, & 5 - 3/2 through 3/13/15

PARCC Testing—Grades 3, 4, & 5 - 3/2 through 3/13/15

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