Greenbriar West PTA - December 2011

I wanted to let you know that we recently renewed our subscription to SOLpass. This internet resource provides teachers with a vast assortment of instructional materials that will help reinforce SOL concepts in social studies and science for grades 3-6. This subscription also allows you to access the website from home. Please visit SOLpass at: http://www.solpass.org. Click on “Elementary School,” choose a specific grade level, then enter your child’s Blackboard password to use this resource.

Message from the PTA President

December 2011

Once again GBW volunteers have been doing some wonderful things having an impact on students and families! November was a busy month of activities. GBW had the chance to honor Veterans at our annual Veteran's Day Meet and Greet. Thanks to Michael Tress for organizing a wonderful event.

And naturally, our Thanksgiving Lunch is a major event each year with students and families alike.Our cafeteria Chairperson, Catherine Metzinger and all the volunteers helped get everybody fed and moving through the cafeteria.

Mrs. Cleveland Works From the Roof

Mrs. Cleveland and Ms. Campbell enjoyed working from the roof on Monday, Nov. 28 as a reward for meeting the PTA's fall fundraising goal.

Mrs. Mrs. Mrs.

SCA Holiday Food Drive 2011

Monday, Nov 14 – Friday, Dec 16

Greenbriar West’s SCA is sponsoring a Holiday Food Drive as a school-wide service learning project. We will collect food for neighbors in our community who need assistance or may be homeless. During the course of the drive, students will learn about the causes for hunger in our area. All items will be donated to Western Fairfax Christian Ministries / Community Food Bank.

GBW’s International Night Needs You!!

Calling all volunteers, please! If you love educating others about a foreign culture or talking about your latest vacation to a faraway land, then GBW’s International Night needs you! To date, volunteers for International Night have been very low. In order to make it a successful night for our students, we need your help. International Night will be January 19, 2012. Please contact me if you would like to participate. We will also allow for a few group performances throughout the event – please contact Katherine Virdi, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. as soon as possible to schedule your group performance – please no individual performances.

For more information about GBW’s International Night, please contact Katherine Virdi, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 703/626-4598.

We encourage you and your family to come participate and celebrate the diversity of the GBW community.

1st grade’s Pumpkin Math Day!

Pumpkin math photo

AAP News

REFERRALS for FULL-TIME ADVANCED ACADEMIC PLACEMENT LEVEL IV (Grades 2–7)

Parents or guardians of students not in the second grade screening pool may initiate the full-time AAP (Level IV) screening process by completing and submitting an AAP Level IV Referral Form to the local school principal no later than February 3, 2012. No late referrals will be accepted. Second graders not in the pool and all third through seventh graders are screened only by referral. Forms are available on the AAP website (www.fcps.edu/IS/aap). Please note: Parents or guardians of students who are in the 2nd grade pool will be notified by the school. Students who are not in the 2nd grade pool will not receive notification. The benchmark score used to create the 2nd grade pool will be published on the Advanced Academic Programs website mid-January.)

Questions and Concerns?

Please email This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , AAP Resource Specialist

Thanksgiving Luncheon

Thanksgiving photo

Art News

During the winter break, be on the lookout for the Children’s Edition of the local newspaper Centre View. Works of art are submitted by every school in the Chantilly, Fair Oaks, Fair Lakes, and Oak Hill communities. The art is always outstanding! Next time you are at school, check out the hallways; the displays change constantly.

Speaking of displays, we are in need of parent volunteers who can come in to help keep our hallways filled with beautiful student art work.A constant rotation of parents helping to take down work, mat work, and hang work would be greatly appreciated. Please call or e-mail Mrs. Kocen or Mrs. French if you are able to volunteer in this way.No artistic ability is required for this!

Please remember to remind your children not to wear their best or favorite outfits on their art day.

Nancy Kocen and Tammy French, GBW Art Teachers

Veterans Day Visitors at GBW

veterans day photo

Counselors’ Corner

art icon

The theme for December Guidance Lessons is, “Be Kind – Reach Out and Give to theCommunity”. In that spirit, our lessons will focus on showing responsibility to the community by participating in service learning projects. Students will also learn about ways to show kindness and compassion to others who need help.

ESOL News

Now that the excitement of a new year is starting to wear off, it would be a good time for parents to check and see if little adjustments can be made at home to better reinforce good study habits. Some suggestions are:

Set aside a special time to read to, or with, your child in English or your home language
Set limits on the amount of time watching television or playing video games
Create a learning area for homework and to store school items
Subscribe to a children’s magazine
Visit the library regularly

Also, please remember that anytime you would like to have a conversation with your child’s teacher for any reason, either in person, or by phone, an interpreter can be provided. Just contact the school or teacher and the arrangements will be made for you. Additionally, Greenbriar West has Korean and Spanish parent liaisons available for any questions you may have.

Jeremy DePalma, ESOL Specialist

Fun in the Sun

Students enjoying reading books outdoors in the warm fall weather!

Courtyard photo

GBW Fall Book Fair

Book Fair photo

General Music News

Our First grade students will present their grade-level performance, “Happy Holidays”, on Dec. 9 at 9:30 am. Parents are invited to attend.

On Dec. 13, the Sixth Grade Chorus, along with the Greenbriar Winds Ensemble and the GBW Advanced 6^th Grade Strings Ensemble will present their Winter Concert at 2:30 pm for students and 7:00 pm for parents and family.

In General Music classes, students will be focusing on grade-level composers, learning about and reviewing musical concepts, and creating interpretive movement. All students will talk about and practice proper concert behavior. We will also learn about orchestral instruments and instrument families. During the last week of school in December, students will participate in grade-level Holiday Sing-a-longs.

By Laurie Barber and Bene’ Dodd

¡Hablemos español!

The children at GBW continue learning and having fun with the weekly Spanish vocabulary contest. Upper and lower graders are competing for the weekly prize of the “Sombrero de la Sabiduría.”

Physical Education - News That’s Fit to Print!

The second quarter in PE finds the students well into physical fitness! 4^th-6^th grade students have been participating in the Virginia Wellness-Related Fitness tests which focus on the four components of fitness: Cardiorespiratory Endurance, Muscle Strength and Endurance, Flexibility and Body Composition. Students will bring home test results and will work on setting goals for improvement. Body Composition is not tested in school; it will be a homework assignment that will need your assistance! This quarter we will continue fitness activities, participate in Stack Up 2011, the Guinness World Record Sport Stacking event and on throwing and catching.

Speed Stack Photos

Speed Stack photo

RC Corner – December 2011

Learning about Self-Control

From an article by Chip Woods, author of Yardsticks

Standing up with self-control is the one of the five key CARES skills underlying Responsive Classroom practice that help build positive proactive attributes in children both socially and academically. The other four are cooperation, assertion, responsibility and empathy.

Yearbook Contest

We would like to thank all the students who submitted art work for the Yearbook Cover Contest; you did such a great job. It was a difficult choice for the judges but after much deliberation winners were picked. The front cover winner is 6th grader Chloe Tran and the back cover is third grader Elyse Ladia. Several cover designs will also be displayed throughout the yearbook.

Chess Club News: December 2011

GBW Chess Club Players @ the Halloween Gambit Chess Tournament, Virginia Run Elementary, Centreville - Sat. Oct. 29^th

We swept the 1st place K-12 team trophy. Our first team accomplishment for this year. Way to go GBW !!!

On the 1st snow day of the season, GBW's players weren't waiting for the snow but eagerly waiting for the pairings to be posted for the next round. Round after round - we swept the 1st place team trophy as well as several individual trophy's at the Halloween Gambit Tournament. Great participation and excellent results overall. Seventeen players of the 122 participants were from GBW! Several beginners kicked-off their 1st tournament play at this event and performed well to their surprise.

Honor Roll: 1st Quarter All A

Honor Roll: 1st Quarter All A-B

Food and Nutrition Services

ChooseMyPlate is the new food icon based on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans. The Guidelines encourage all Americans to eat a healthy diet and be physically active.

Parents: Managing your Child’s Lunch Account

Here are some friendly reminders to help your child with the Cafeteria experience.

Each day, our Cafeteria offers treats (ice cream, cookies, popcorn) to students in Grades 1-6 to purchase in addition to their lunch.Kindergarteners are not allowed to purchase treats at this time.

FAQ’s about lunch accounts

I don’t wish for my child to purchase treats, just lunch. Or I don’t wish for my older child to purchase a “double deal” lunch for an extra $1.75

Please contact Lynne Dillon, our GBW Food Service Manager at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 703-633-6700. Please provide your child’s full name (no nicknames), teacher and grade in your email.

I wish to come to the Cafeteria to add money to my child’s lunch account.

The Cafeteria accepts cash and checks. You may also send in a check with your child. Make checks out to the GBW Food Services (not the PTA). Please put your child’s full name and teacher’s name / grade in the memo line.

I wish to add money to my child’s account with a credit card.

Go to MyLunchMoney.com.There is a service fee charged.

I wish to reimburse the PTA for a lunch they purchased for my child.

Please use the envelope provided by the PTA.Clearly label payment as PTA Lunch Card Reimbursement.

By Catherine Metzinger, PTA Cafeteria Chair

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