Monocacy Valley Montessori Public Charter School

Parent Newsletter
MVMPCS CALENDAR:
Fri., 1/18Prospective Parent Tour, 9:15 a.m.; End of Term 2 Mon., 1/21School Closed , Martin Luther King Jr. Birthday Observance Tues., 1/221/23No School for Students, Professional Development for Staff Wed., 1/30Ms. Shannons Student Recital, 5:00 p.m., Sanctuary Fri., 2/14th Annual MMCI Dinner & Talent Showmore details to follow! Thurs., 2/72 hour early dismissal at 1:45 p.m. for Teacher Work Session; no After Care.

January 10, 2013

FROM THE PRINCIPAL

Hello Families, With the tragedy in Connecticut, all schools are reviewing safety and security policies. At MVMPCS, student safety is our top priority. Below are the changes in the school's security policy. When visiting MVMPCS: Visitors and volunteers should enter and exit the building through the main entrance only. Ring the buzzer to the right of the door. Stand in front of the door so you can be seen on the camera. The camera is located inside the building. Office staff will greet you and ask the following : a. State your name (first and last) b. Purpose for entrance into the school Once your information is verified, you will be instructed to come in and report to the front office. If you are dropping something off for your child, you will be instructed to leave it in the office. Your child will be called to the front office to pick it up. If you are picking up your child early, he will be called to meet you in the front office. All volunteers and visitors must sign in at the front office and will receive a badge that must be worn while you are in the building. For security reasons, we are asking that parents not go to classrooms once school has begun at 9:00 or before dismissal time unless you have an appointment with the teacher for an observation, conference or to volunteer in the classroom. Please do not open any exterior doors. Alert the front office so they may verify who the person is before they enter the building.

ONLY 3 WEEKS UNTIL...MMCIS 4TH ANNUAL

DINNER & TALENT SHOW FRIDAY, FEB. 1, 2013 Participants must attend both rehearsals. (Contact Dina Karakus if you are unable to attend both.) Performers using music, please bring your music CD at the start of the 1st rehearsal. 1st Rehearsal January 11 - 3pm sanctuary 2nd Rehearsal January 25 - 3pm sanctuary Dinner/Talent Show, Feb 1st 2013 5:30 pm Dinner 6:30 pm Show New this year door prizes and raffle! Any questions? Email dinakarakus@hotmail.com
MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR CELEBRATION TUESDAY, JANUARY 15 THOMAS JOHNSON HIGH SCHOOL, 7:00 P.M. Congratulations to Collin Mood, our MLK Award Recipient this year. Collin was chosen by our middle school teachers because he demonstrates the leadership qualities of Dr. King. Please consider attending this FCPS celebration in support of Collin and the other students who exemplify the pillars of good character. OPEN INVITATION TO ATTEND STUDENT RECITALS Ms. Shannon is pleased to announce that there will be a recurring recital program held at MVMPCS for her private instrumental and vocal students. The first recital will be on Wednesday, January 30th at 5:00 p.m. in the Sanctuary. The school doors will open at 4:45 p.m. All students, parents, and teachers are invited. There will be a suggested donation of $5.00 collected at the door. Some of Ms. Shannon's students are current MVMPCS students, or alumni who are playing piano, flute, and singing. The program will range from classical to Disney to musical theatre, and should take no longer than an hour.

Please continue to help us to maintain the highest level of security for everyone at MVMPCS. Thank you for your understanding and support. Have a wonderful weekend, Cita

MVMPCS NEWSLETTER
ANNOUNCING 5TH GRADE HONORS CHORUS AUDITIONS WEDNESDAY, FEB. 16 FROM 4:004:45 P.M. Ms. Shannon will be holding auditions for 5th grade honors chorus this year. There are only two slots available and we have many talented singers. You must be able to sing the Star Spangled Banner from memory at the audition and be able to match pitch, sing vocal scales, and clap a short rhythm. PLEASE PICK UP AN AUDITION PACKET ACROSS FROM THE LIBRARY ON THE CHORUS BOARD. Return the form to Ms. Shannons mailbox by the end of the day on Friday, February 11th, 2013. DAY AND TIME: WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 16TH, 2013 AT 4:00 P.M. - 4:45 P.M. REQUIREMENTS: Sing the Star Spangled Banner accapella and from memory. Match Pitch during vocal scales and Echo Clap a short rhythm. ATTENTION MIDDLE SCHOOL PARENTS The 2013-2014 High School Course guides are posted online at www.fcps.org. Copies will be distributed to our MVMPCS 8th grade students as soon as we receive them. In the meantime, feel free to take a look online. Meredith Wallace, A.P. ATTENDANCE INFORMATION:

PAGE 2 NEW ONLINE COMMUNICATION FOR MVMPCS! The Communications Committee along with the GC are excited to announce that we are moving from the Yahoo list-serv to a new forum setting at Google Groups! As of January 1, all school communications will occur on this site, which can be found at: https://groups.google.com/a/mvmpcs.org. There is also a link through the school website at: www.mvmpcs.org under the Parents & Students tab. There are some new features that are now available, including 5 forum groups. You many choose to sign up for 1 group or all groups, but it is your choice. We are strongly encouraging you to sign up for the Urgent News forum. This is where important announcements, such as school closings, building issues, etc... will be posted. Since January 1, 2013, we are no longer utilizing the Yahoo list-serv, so please sign-up with Google as soon as possible. If you have any questions regarding this change or signing up to Google Groups, please email me at communications@mvmpcs.org or Brian Blank at: webmaster@mvmpcs.org Thank you! Regina Chadwick, Communications Committee Chair

STATE REQUIRED STUDENT ATTENDANCE: 94%

MVMPCS ATTENDANCE TO DATE: 95.35%

ROSE.SHAPIRO@FCPS.ORG

ABSENCE NOTES CAN BE EMAILED TO:

VISIT THE EARTH AND SPACE SCIENCE LABS AUSHERMAN PLANETARIUM The FCPS Earth and Space Science Lab's Ausherman Planetarium offers a variety of evening programs throughout the school year. There are shows at 5:30, 6:30, and 7:30 show each night, as follows: Dawn of the Space Age runs Tuesday, January 15 and Thursday, January 24. Re-live the excitement of the early days of space exploration, from the launch of the first artificial satellite Sputnik, to the magnificent lunar landings and privately operated space flights. Be immersed and overwhelmed with this most accurate historic reconstruction of Mans first steps into space. Who were the people taking part in these deathdefying endeavors? Witness their drive, passion and perseverance to explore. Saturn: Jewel of the Heavens runs Tuesday, January 29 and Thursday, February 7. Enjoy a breathtaking journey through one of the most beautiful and majestic planetary systems in space. This original Clark Planetarium production is the first full-dome presentation to take actual images from NASAs CassiniHuygens mission and create a fully immersive 360-degree tour of one of the most amazing planets in our solar system. You may purchase tickets online at https://sites.fcps.org/essl or at the door if they are still available. The lab is next to Lincoln Elementary at 210 Madison Street, Frederick, MD 21701, and has ample parking.