The Belmont Station Star

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Principal’s Message We have just finished a very busy month at Belmont Station and there is still plenty of excitement in the air. This past month we welcomed more than 900 visitors to Belmont Station during American Education Week. Some of our fifth grade students visited Ashby Ponds for a special Veteran’s Day Program and honored the attendees with a heartfelt performance of our favorite patriotic songs. Our integrated curriculum highlight of American Education Week was the fourth grade Virginia Fair which provided visitors a tour of Colonial Virginia and a musical performance of songs and dances filled with historical facts and flare. Parents and guests in all grades had the opportunity to spend time with the children as they participated in classroom activities and stayed for lunch. Your continual support of all of our school activities is truly appreciated by all of the staff and certainly the children. So with our AEW activities and the Thanksgiving holiday behind us, we move ahead in anticipation of all that has yet to come as we move closer to 2013. Along with our many December activities – shopping, wrapping, decorating, baking – let us not forget to take time to share family

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holiday traditions with the children. They learn so much about the important people in their lives from holiday stories, and nothing makes a child feel more secure than family history. During December, Belmont Station students will learn about many holidays such as Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, Diwali, and Las Pasadas. Our students and staff will provide each other with many opportunities to hear and share family traditions surrounding these important days. What could be more in the spirit of the season than children learning to appreciate different cultures and customs? Another seasonal tradition marks the Belmont Station Patrols kicking off their Winter Service Project. As part of this project, our patrols will be collecting nonperishable food items for needy Loudoun County Families. As in year’s past, we will send the donations to LINK, a Loudoun County group that supports the less fortunate. The patrols will be collecting food items from December 3rd through December 14th. Thank you for sharing and helping make the holidays more pleasant for some of our fellow citizens.

http://www.lcps.org/belmontstation

December 2012 � Belmont Station Elementary � (571) 252-2240

December 2012

Once again this year, we are also going to ask all of our children to make a special card for those recovering in our military hospitals and serving overseas during the holidays. Please encourage the children to write letters and draw pictures of appreciation for these dedicated men and women and send them in with your food donations and we will gladly forward them. Regardless of our political beliefs or loyalties, all of us can appreciate how difficult it is to be away from home, especially during the holidays. May you and yours enjoy all the blessings of this special season. We hope the New Year finds all of you, and especially your wonderful children, healthy and happy. Lori  

SEAC  Volunteer  Needed    We  are  looking  for  a  SEAC  (Special  Education  Advisory  Committee)  representative.  This  would  require  a  parent  to  attend  monthly  meetings  at  the  LCPS  administration  building  and  report  the  information  to  our  PTO  and  to  me  in  order  to  share  this  information  with  our  school  community.  There  is  more  information  about  SEAC  on  the  Belmont  Station  Elementary  home  page  under  the  “Our  School”  tab.  Or,  here  is  the  direct  link-­‐  http://www.loudoun.k12.va.us//Domain/13677  

Please  feel  free  to  contact  Hollie  Wilee,  Belmont  Station  Assistant  Principal,  if  you  have  any  questions  or  would  like  more  information  about  this  opportunity.  

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Enjoy this holiday time with family and friends and please return to Belmont Station ready to learn!

Essays, Themes &

Compositions Beginning next month all students will have a formal writing assignment as part of their weekly homework. The teachers have invested great time and effort teaching the 6+1 traits of writing and providing all children with graphic organizers, rubrics, editing checklists, and even writing paper to make this process a truly valuable learning experience. Good readers – READ and good writers – WRITE. Belmont Station strives to have the BeST of both.

LEAP

The next LEAP meeting will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Wednesday, December 12th. These parent meetings are held once per month. The topic for this meeting is “Internship Possibilities”. The meetings are held at the Administration Building: 21000 Education Court. For further information contact our parent representative: Marna Gettleman at marnacooks@gmail.com

The BeST Election

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Lost and Found With all this “talk” about extra winter clothing, please take the time to label clothing items (jackets, hats, sweatshirts, etc.) with your child’s first and last name. You would be surprised how many jackets are left at school each year and never reclaimed. Periodically, when the lost and found bins are overflowing, we wash our lost and found items and give them to charity. We always check for identification labels and return them to the appropriate children first. The Lost and Found bins are located inside the custodial office just past the cafeteria.

Winter Parties

Please be reminded that Friday, December 21st is the last day of school for 2012 and the day the children will have Winter Parties. The children will return to school on Wednesday, January 2, 2013.

In honor of the 2012 election, Mrs. Smith and the fifth graders were very busy in October and November preparing for Belmont Station’s first “mock” election. After studying the elements of persuasive writing and learning how to write a slogan and jingle, the fifth graders, either individually or in small groups decided on a school rule they wanted to see followed for one day here at Belmont Station! After the speeches were written, they held a primary election in each writing class. The fifth grade students then voted on the most persuasive speech to represent their writing class. These six groups presented their speeches in a big assembly for third, fourth, and fifth grades. After the speeches were given, the students exercised their Belmont Station right to vote. The following morning on the news show the winner was announced and the day the rule would be followed was declared! The winner is…….CRAZY CLOTHES DAY by: Jordan Caron and Morgan Martire. DECEMBER 21st is the day declared to follow this rule! This should be an exciting day for the students and it’s also the last day before winter break. Please emphasize to your child that while the outfit they choose to wear can be crazy, it still must be school and weather appropriate. Wearing shoes appropriate for December weather is also a must. Students in all grades are invited to participate. However, please know that if your child doesn’t want to participate, this activity is completely optional.

If due to a disability, you need assistance to enable you to participate fully in any published school meeting or program, please contact Hollie Wilee at 571-252-2240, at least five working days prior to your planned attendance.

LCPS Parent Resource Center Schedule

Moving on from Elementary to Middle School with an IEP Topics include the role of the case manager, block scheduling, and service delivery Wednesday, December 5 at 7 pm

Moving on from Early Childhood Special Ed. To Kindergarten with an IEP Topics Include the Referral Process and an Overview of the Kindergarten Program Thursday, December 6 at 7 pm (CANCELLED - WILL BE RESCHEDULED) Unless otherwise indicated, events are held at the LCPS Administrative Building 21000 Education Court, Ashburn, 20148

Pre-registration is requested. Call 571-252-2185 to register

Winter Weather Advisory

Winter is quickly approaching and we are expecting our share of runny noses, sore throats, and colds. Please help us keep these symptoms to a minimum by ensuring that your child comes to school with appropriate cold weather gear: hat, gloves, scarf, and certainly a coat. Remember, unless it is raining or well below freezing, the teachers will take the children outside for recess. Also, in the event that weather may necessitate a change in the school schedule, you are encouraged to listen to TV or radio for announcements regarding Loudoun County Public Schools. Loudoun County Public Schools also has the capacity to email and call everyone with important weather and other information. Please be sure you are receiving these ConnectEd messages from the LCPS Public Information Office and from BeST about important events.