Post on 30-May-2020
PANTHER BEAT
Perry Hall Middle School PTSA
December 2006/January 2007
PTSA Web site: www.perryhallmiddleschoolptsa.org
PTSA Board Members
2006-07
President:
Terri Smith
410.256.5482
1st VP:
Teri Bibeault
410.592.2693
2nd VP:
Sharon Rogowski
410.256.3776
Treasurer:
John Wisniewski
410.529.7134
Rec. Secretary:
Bonni Wittstadt
410.529.5232
Corr. Secretary:
Kathy Case
410.256.2902
Editor:
Barb Hurn
410.529.0577
Gavin1234@comcast.net
In this issue:
• PTSA Student Recognition
Awards - October 2006 • Honor Roll Gold Card
First Quarter • Homework Can Help
Parents Learn About Their Children
• Thank You PHMS Volun-
teers • PTA Council of Baltimore
County Important Dates • Giant Food A+ Bonus
Bucks Program • Maryland PTA Achieve-
ment Award • and much more
A Message From the President
It’s a Wonderful Life is a holiday classic.
Just about everyone knows the story of
George Bailey, a down-and-out business
and family man who has the opportunity
to see what life in his community would
be like if he had never been born. When
we think about all the PTSA at Perry Hall
Middle School accomplishes year after
year, it’s sad to imagine what the
school and community would be
like if the PTSA “had never
been born.” It is difficult for us
to even imagine what our school
would be like without PTSA. After
all, PTA/PTSA has been a part of
Perry Hall Middle School for dec-
ades. It’s all we’ve ever known.
All the schools around us have
PTAs. As a matter of fact, every
middle school in Baltimore
County has an active PTA/PTSA.
We sometimes take for granted
all that this organization does for
our school and our community.
The atmosphere and environment would
be so much different. Just think—parents
and other caring adults would not have a
collective voice advocating for children
and public education. We would not have
the organizational structure to coordinate
the efforts of almost 200 volunteers each
year. We would not offer scholarships for
graduating alumni. We would not have
the cultural and curriculum enhancing
assemblies that our PTSA is fortunate to
be able to sponsor each year. We would
not have the funds to reimburse faculty
for classroom instructional enhancement
materials. We would not be able to subsi-
dize the student planners provided to
each student at the start of each year. We
would not have the means or organiza-
tional structure to conduct our many fam-
ily involvement events like our fam-
ily BINGO and Star Search Tal-
ent Show. We would not have the
means or organizational structure to
continue our many student academic
and character recognition programs,
teacher appreciation events or year-
end grade level activities. And the
list goes on. Without PTSA, our
school would be a much different
school. Fortunately, PHMS with-
out PTSA is, like Bedford Falls,
just fiction. Not only do we have a
PTSA, we have a very active and
successful PTSA.
Thank you for continuing to sup-
port the PTSA here at Perry Hall Middle
School. We will need everyone’s continued
support for our two upcoming fundrais-
ers—Enjoy the City coupon books and Joe
Corbi’s pizza kits. Our nominating com-
mittee was appointed at the December 5,
2006 PTSA Board meeting and will be
looking for parents to fill several commit-
tee and officer positions for next year (see
Nominating Committee article in this is-
sue.) Thank you for all you do for Perry
Hall Middle School.
Have a wonderful holiday!
Reminders:
The next PTSA Executive Board
Meeting is Tuesday, January 9, 2007
at 7:00 p.m. in the meeting room.
Article Deadline....
for the February 2007 issue of the
Panther Beat is January 17, 2007.
PAGE 2 PANTHER BEAT DECEMBER 2006 / JANUARY 2007
PTSA Student Recognition Awards, October 2006 PTSA Student Recognition Awards are given to Perry Hall Middle School students who have
shown outstanding achievements or efforts. Each month teachers are asked to nominate
students for this award. This month 81 students received a “red bag” award. Congratulations!
Shereen Ahmed
Brittani Archer
Aleena Aspervil
Bryan Augstein
Jacob Bach
Taylor Baker
Emily Behnke
Jeffrey Berger, Jr.
Angela Bonsignore
Anthony Brooks
Staffaon Brown
Maci Buddemeyer
Kory Conn
Jerome Cosby
Nick Cotsoradis
Kristina Craven
Rachel Day
Nicole Dell
Melissa Downs
Kelly Drury
William Eichhorn
Philomina Ejimofor
Mike Evans
Kimberly Fernandez
Brendon Gallagher
Anthony German
Brittany Graves
Jamie Greer
Austin Haberkam
Laura Karant
Nicole Harris
Mike Hayes
Avondre Henderson
Jordan Hebsberger
Nathan Heselbach
Brandon Hogan
Brandon Hurn
Samantha Hruz
Kaitlyn Katrinak
Jamie Kidwell
Martin Lee
Shannon Lowry
Eric Lucas
Holly Lundy
Eric Magarin
Heather Manning
David Marsh
Tim Marsh
Sharise Marshall
Samantha Mast
Eric McCleary
Andrew McSorley
Krista Mitchell
Sean Nelson, Jr.
Karly Oliver
Chris Olson
Aidan Pare
Quintin Partlow
Ashley Peterson
Connor Porter
Vincent Pugliese
Alexandria Raab
Amy Reddy
Jarrett Rettman
Leanna Ritson
Carey Scott
Colleen Shipley
Griffin Shirley
Sam Smith
Rodney Spears
Alexandra Spiroff
Tier-Log Ton-Nu
Alvin Tsieh
Andrea Washington
Neil Westdorp
Erin Winters
Janna Wisniewski
Gene Yang
Kevin Yelton
Kaitlyn Yost
Blair Zagurski
Honor Roll Gold Card First Quarter
The Gold Card Program is designed to honor students who achieve Balti-
more County Honor Roll Status. Perry Hall Middle School was proud to
award 788 students out of 1,494 students with this distinction.
Students eligible for the honor roll must have A’s and B’s with the maxi-
mum of one C that will be offset by at least one A. Students with a D or E
on their report card are automatically ineligible for the honor roll that quar-
ter.
Keep up the good work Panthers!
Debbie Lundy
Gold Card Chairperson
First Quarter Honor Roll
Grade 6: 258 53%
Grade 7: 274 58%
Grade 8: 256 48%
DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 PANTHER BEAT PAGE 3
Market Day - Order to Win in January! Remember that freezer we won in Oc-
tober for having such an awesome
sale? Well, it could be YOURS! Every
$50 in Market Day products ordered
in January gets you a chance to win
the freezer. So, if you order $150 in
products, you get 3 chances to win!
Not everyone NEEDS a freezer, but
you could always sell it and keep the
cash! Paper orders must be turned in
by January 9th to the 6th grade office.
(Please do not attach payment.) You
may bring cash or a check with you to
the sale pick up or you can place your
order online at www.marketday.com
by 12 noon, January 11th. (You can
prepay with a credit card or pay at the
sale pick up.) The sale pick up will be
in the cafeteria on Wednesday, Janu-
ary 17th from 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
The remainder of the sale dates for the school year are as follows:
Month Order sheets to school Internet orders by Sale date
12:00 noon (pick up 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.)
January January 9th January 11th January 17th
February February 6th February 8th February 14th
March March 6th March 8th March 14th
April March 27th March 29th April 4th
May May 11th May 15th May 21st
June June 5th June 7th June 13th
Also, we understand things can come
up that may prevent you from picking
up your order. Please recognize that
no-shows place an inconvenience on a
number of people. You must make
arrangements with a friend or family
member to come pick up your order if
you cannot do it yourself. Our volun-
teers, unfortunately, do not have room
to store your order for you in their
freezers (they order lots of food, too)
and there is only a very limited space
available in the school freezer. Please
call/e-mail our chairperson, Laurie
Finckel, with any questions, com-
ments, concerns at 410.661.1338 or
lfinckel@printmanage.com. Eat
(Market Day), Drink (Market Day)
and be merry!
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
Homework Can Help Parents Learn About Their Children Homework is not usually thought of as a fun activity.
But, parents can help make homework a more pleasant
experience.
First, parents can give children time to unwind after
school before they start doing homework. Par-
ents can also consider rewarding their child
for good work, for example, letting the child
decide what they want to bring for lunch the
next day. Remember that if you reward good
work, there should be penalties for not doing
homework.
Parents can also experiment with creative
ways to find out their child’s learning style.
Some children learn best through visual aids, such as
flash cards or graphic illustration of concepts. Some stu-
dents respond to sound, such as singing or rhyming, to
memorize ideas or recall what they’ve learned. You may
find that your child learns best using “manipulatives,”
which are objects such as building blocks that are held or
moved. Some children learn kinetically, which means it’s
easiest for them to learn if they move.
Finally, there are a couple keys to helping your child with
homework. First, do not give your child the
answers or correct all their homework mis-
takes. The key is for the child to find the an-
swers and work through the problems. Parents
can step in for assistance when the child does
not understand or needs someone to practice
with. The best thing a parent can do is to offer
support and encouragement.
Visit the Student Achievement area of the Na-
tional PTA’s Web site, www.pta.org, for more information
about improving your child’s schools success.
Reprinted with permission from “The PTA Parent, October 20, 2006”,
National PTA Web site, www.pta.org
PAGE 4 PANTHER BEAT DECEMBER 2006 / JANUARY 2007
Thank You PHMS Volunteers! The PTSA would like to recognize and thank the following individuals for their
contributions to Perry Hall Middle School and the PTSA.
Seth Barish
Mary Bateman
Derek Bibeault
Teri Bibeault
Derek Blackner
Vanessa Blackner
Todd Brendel
Karen Brown
Penny Brown
Kyle Brown
Kevin Brown
Toni Carr
Kathy Case
Michelle Cody
Sharon Cody
Kim Colwell
Sue Crispens
Wan Crispens
Becky Cruz
Donna Dajani
Linda Daley
Bonnie Davidson
Melissa Dell
Alyssa Denicolis
Lisa Eisemann
Carol Erpenstein
Megan Erpenstein
Karen Ervin
Lacey Esposito
Tammy Esposito
Laurie Finckel
Diane Gaither
Samantha Garriques
Ceil Gayhardt
Glenda Gilbert
Alex Gilbert
John H. Gregory
Tami Harman
Karen Hosler
Barb Hurn
Brandon Hurn
Terry Koogle
Glenn Kraus
Sheila Kviz
Jackie Lagna
Teresa Lebedda
Diana Lewis
Debbie Lundy
Erica Marousek
Robin Marousek
Brian Martin
Debbie Martin
Tanya Martin
Jenn Mayfield
Paula McDaniel
Rose McQuay
Jacob McQuay
Fran Melchoir
Judi Migliore
Chris Miller
Paula Mumma
Mary Nagle
Wendy Nelson
Jackie Nelson-Becker
Gloria Nethkin
Nicole Nethkin
Linda Neubauer
Robert Newnan
Betty Ogle
Jim Ports
Austin Prusak
Tammy Prusak
Deanna Quigley
Alex Raab
Dana Raab
Jean Repkorwich
Mariann Richardson
Sharon Rogowski
Sharon Sacra
Bonnie Schaffer
Brady Schiefer
Darlene Schiefer
Mary Schmid
Felicia Scott
Kim Seymour
Abbey Sierakowski
Terri Sierakowski
Kisha Simpson
Kirsten Smith
Nancy Smith
Terri Smith
Zachary Smith
Joseph Sunell
Sean Taylor
Tamee Taylor
Vainna Thompson
Dee Truitt
Gayle Turek
James Turek
Kim Vasiliades
Robin Whatley
Pauline Wiggins
Tracy Williams
Randi Winters
Janna Wisniewski
John Wisniewski
Karen Wisniewski
Kate Wisniewski
Bonni Wittstadt
Casey Wittstadt
Lindsey Wolfe
Al Zink
...and all the other people that volunteered for the school in some way and just
forgot to sign the Volunteer Log Book outside the Grade 6 Office.
PTA Council Board of Director Meetings
Board Room, ESS Building, 6601 Charles Street, Tow-
son, 7:30 p.m.
January 4, 2007
February 1, 2007
March 1, 2007
PTA Council General Meeting
January 18, 2007
PTA Council of Baltimore County Important Dates
A special thank you to the following people who have
volunteered to chair a PTSA Committee or program....
Jenn Mayfield - Print Shop,
themayfields2@comcast.net
Felicia Scott - Giant Food A+ Bonus Bucks Pro-
gram, fscott002@yahoo.com
Joe Sunnell - Beautification, jsunell@bcps.org
Welcome PTSA Chairper-sons and Coordinators!
DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 PANTHER BEAT PAGE 5
1 6 6 4
PAGE 6 PANTHER BEAT DECEMBER 2006 / JANUARY 2007
Thank you to all parents who provided
wonderful snacks for American Education
Week. The donations were very generous
and greatly appreciated. Also, special
thanks to Sue Crispens and Wendy Nelson
for helping with set up.
Our PTSA board is made up of a
wide variety of parents and caring
adults. We have moms and dads,
students, faculty and administra-
tors. Some work part-time, some
full-time, and some are stay-at-
home moms. We have a CPA, vet-
erinarian, several teachers, a
nurse, bookkeeper, aerobics in-
structor, librarian, and many other
occupations represented on our
diverse and dedicated board. But
they all have one thing in com-
mon—they all care about the chil-
dren at PHMS and
are committed to
leading this organi-
zation and working
for its success.
Sadly, the following board mem-
bers will no longer have children
attending PHMS and will be roll-
ing off the board:
-Diane Gaither, Sunshine
-Barb Hurn, Newsletter Editor
-Jackie Lagna, Student Rec-
ognition (Red Bag)
-Diana Lewis, PHHS Liaison
and Public Relations
-Debbie Lundy, Gold Scholar
Award
-Bonnie Schaffer, Ways and
Means
-Terri Sierakowski, Hospi-
tality and Volunteer
One officer’s term will expire:
-John Wisniewski, Treasurer
These are all vital positions for
us to fill for next year. Please
consider lending your leader-
ship skills and time. Ideally,
we’d like for the incoming chair
to “shadow” the current chair
for the remainder of the year to
learn the ropes, so please con-
tact Terri Smith at
hawsmith@comcast.net if you
are interested in these or any
board position with the PHMS
PTSA.
You Are Just the Person We’re Looking For
Maryland PTA Achievement Award The Perry Hall Middle School
PTSA was presented with a Mary-
land PTA Achievement Award —
Certificate of Distinction at the
Maryland PTA 91st Annual Con-
vention in Ocean City, Maryland
in November. The purpose of this
award is to aid each local unit in
achieving the PTA purpose and to
allow each local unit to report its
accomplishments to Maryland
PTA and become a unit in good
standing. Our PTSA was honored
with the Certification of Distinc-
tion because we met all charter
requirements plus 25 out of 40
possible points for other accom-
plishments in the 2005-2006
school year. We are a great PTSA!
Volunteers: Please continue to sign the Volun-
teer Books in the main lobby each
time you help. Your time is pre-
cious and needs to be docu-
mented. If you have not yet filled
out the Volunteer Application,
please see one of the secretaries.
As always, thank you for the time
you give to the school and the
children.
Sincerely,
Terri Sierakowski
Volunteer Coordinator
Two New PTSA Fundraisers to Kick-off in December The PHMS PTSA is proud to an-
nounce two new and exciting fund-
raisers to kick-off in December:
• Joe Corbi’s pizza kits and
• Enjoy the City discount books
Be on the lookout for fundraising kits
to be sent home with students in De-
cember. We need everyone’s support
so that we can continue all the great
work of the PTSA here at Perry Hall
Middle School.
Thank You Community Partner!
PHMS PTSA would like to acknowledge the
following community partner for their con-
tinued support of PHMS PTSA...
Perry Hall Dunkin
Donuts
Belair Road
DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 PANTHER BEAT PAGE 7
4300 Ebenezer Road Perry Hall, Maryland 21236 Phone: 410.887.5100 Fax: 410.887.5152 Web site: www.perryhallmiddleschoolptsa.org
PTSA Mission
The mission of the PTSA is threefold:
• To support and speak on behalf of children and youth in our
schools, in the community, and before governmental bodies and other organizations that make decisions affecting children; and
• To assist parents in developing the skills they need to raise and
protect their children; and
• To encourage parent and public involvement in the public schools
of this nation.
We’re on the Web Www.perryhallmiddleschoolptsa.org
The Purpose of the PTSA
• To promote the welfare of the children and youth in home,
school, community, and place of worship.
• To raise the standards of home life.
• To secure adequate laws for the care and protection of children
and youth.
• To bring into closer relation the home and the school, that par-
ents and teachers may cooperate intelligently in the education of children and youth.
• To develop between educators and the general public such
united efforts as will secure for all children and youth the highest advantages in physical, mental, social, and spiritual education.
PTSA Calendar of Dates to Remember December 2006
Wednesday, December 13 - Winter
Concert, Grade 7
Thursday, December 14 - Winter
Concert, Grade 8
Thursday, December 14 - School
Newsletter, Pawprints collating
night, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Wednesday, December 20 - Con-
ference Night, 3:30 - 5:30 p.m. Indi-
vidual then Team
Friday, December 22 - Winter
Break begins at end of school day
Monday, December 25 - January
3 - Winter Holiday, Schools Closed
February 2007
Thursday, February 8 - Distribu-
tion of Report Cards
Tuesday, February 13 - PTSA Ex-
ecutive Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.,
meeting room
Wednesday, February 14 - Market
Day Pick-up, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, February 14 - Panther
Beat Article submission deadline
Saturday, February 17 - PTA
Founders’ Day
Monday, February 19 - Presidents
Day - Schools and Offices closed
January 2007
Wednesday, January 3 - Schools
Reopen
Tuesday, January 9 - PTSA Execu-
tive Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., meet-
ing room
Monday, January 15 - Dr. Martin
Luther King, Jr.’s Birthday - Schools
and Offices Closed
Wednesday, January 17 - Market
Day Pick-up, 6:30 - 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, January 17 - Panther
Beat Article submission deadline
Thursday, January 18 - PTA Coun-
cil of Baltimore County General
Meeting
Friday, January 26 - Professional
Development Day for All Schools -
Schools Closed for all students
Other dates to look for: Dates related to the Joe Corbi’s and Enjoy
the City fundraisers (orders due, pick-up dates, etc.) will be sent
home with students and posted on the PTSA Web site.
DECEMBER 2006/JANUARY 2007 PANTHER BEAT PAGE 8