Special Edition

This newsletter highlights the

school committees that school

staff and parents are encour-

aged to join. It also features

the after-school activities

(clubs) that are available for

our students. Please read on,

and let your children partici-

pate.

Important Announcements

Visit our school website

for school information and

announcements:

www.baltimorecityschools.

org/205

Be always in the know

about your children’s pro-

gress. Login to Parent Por-

tal: pp.bcpss.org

Special Thanks to...

* Bromwell Press for printing

our newsletter.

Official Newsletter of Woodhome Elementary/Middle School #205

December 2011 Volume 13, Issue 1

From the Principal’s Desktop Dear Woodhome Family:

We would like to extend a hearty holiday greeting to you

and your families. We hope that this extended vacation

will be a time of coming together with family and friends

and relaxation. It is also a wonderful time to read for en-

joyment. Setting aside time to read to younger children or

encouraging older children to read is a great way to rein-

force the pleasure of literacy.

As the new calendar year approaches, we, the administra-

tion would like to encourage you and your child to be a

part of the many opportunities at our school. In this edi-

tion of the Warbler Newsletter, some of these opportuni-

ties are highlighted, such as school committees and clubs

that could be of interest to your family. We all have hid-

den talents and interests. Perhaps you would like to learn

about another culture, then you might want to consider the

Spanish club or the Diversity Committee. Maybe you have

an interest in technology, then consider joining the tech-

nology committee. Are you athletic? We have sports clubs,

such as our new girls’ soccer team. Would you like to in-

crease your brain power? Think about our Chess Club or

the National Academic League (NAL). Make one of your

New Year’s resolutions be to get involved with your school.

You are always welcome here.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Shontel Douglas, Principal

Ms. Debra Moore, Assistant Principal

Woodhome Warbler

ATTENDANCE COMMITTEE Ms. Patty Christy is the atten-dance monitor for the school and the chair of the atten-dance committee. This com-mittee keeps an eye on ab-sences and tardiness. When a student reaches 3-5 absences, a letter will be sent home to the parents addressing the issue. When the student has 6-10 absences, they are re-ferred to SST and another letter goes home. Once the absences are at 15 occur-rences, the parent is referred to the Dept. of Attendance and Truancy for court ac-tion. Our meeting is every Tuesday of the month. Weekly and quarterly incen-tives are offered for improved attendance and tardiness, such as classroom recognition for the class with the most perfect attendance.

TECHNOLOGY COMMITTEE The Technology Committee is headed by Mrs. Anna Lumibao,

Technology Teacher. It is responsible for keeping up the school

website, writing and editing the on-line school newsletter, and

monitoring technology resources throughout the building. We

meet once a month, every fourth Tuesday at 2.45 p.m. in the com-

puter lab (Rm.109). We welcome new members. There is no pre-

requisite, just a willingness to learn.

CULTURAL DIVERSITY COMMITTEE Ms. Christine Hild, Pre-K teacher, heads the Cultural Diversity Committee. The meeting is on the first Mon-day of the month at 2:45 p.m. in Ms. Hild’s room (136). We will plan activities that increase student achievement while educating students about different cultures and ethnicities. Activities also in-clude women's history and a Spanish club.

ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT COMMITTEE The Academic Achievement Committee, headed by Mrs. Adele Wilson and Mrs. Chris-tine Hild, consists of teachers and parents who meet on the first Thursday of the month in Mrs. Hild’s room (136) from 2:45-3:45 p.m. Some of the activities we are responsible for planning are the Dramatic Reading Festival, School-Wide Reading Challenge, Achieve-ment Awards, Science Fair, Math Bee, and promoting reading and Math and Science MSA.

8TH GRADE ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE Hello, I am Ms. Rose Hansen, chair of the 8th grade commit-tee. We are asking for parent volunteers to assist with plan-ning and executing the closing exercises and field trips/activities in June. Parents and or volunteers do not have to be of 8th graders. Any help is greatly appreciated. The first meeting will be held in mid March to begin the planning process. Any questions or vol-unteers can contact me or Mr. H. Thanks!

SCIENCE FAIR COMMITTEE The Science Fair Committee consists of teachers, parents and members of the community with a background in science/education. The Science Fair is for students in grades 1 to 8 and is aligned for participation in the Mor-gan University Science/Math/Engineering Fair. Ms. Beverly McDer-mott, 2nd Grade Teacher, is chairing the committee for grades 1 to 5 and Ms. Zenaida San Felipe, Middle School Science Teacher, is chairing for middle school. We need parents and teachers to help with set-up, clean-up, monitoring, and various other jobs. Please contact Ms. McDermott if you are able to help.

SOCIAL/HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE Social/Hospitality committee is headed by Ms. Margie Lewis, 1st Grade Teacher. The committee hosts monthly breakfasts and lunches for members and the staffs' enjoyment and socialization. We also host social gatherings, and re-spond to bereaved staff members, have a birthday club, celebrate staff members going out on maternity leave, and have special desserts and treats for holidays. We like to en-courage socialization and fellowship throughout the staff.

SCHOOL FAMILY COUNCIL The chair and co-chair of School and Family Council are Ms. Margie Lewis and Ms. Debra Moore, respectively. It acts as a liaison between the school and the community sharing information about what the com-mittees are currently doing, reviewing the budget and other important matters that pertain to the running of the school.

P.B.I.S. - Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports is headed Ms. Kelly Cain, 1st Grade Teacher. It is a process for teaching children appropriate behav-ior and providing the supports necessary to sustain that behavior. PBIS is not a curriculum - it is a framework for systems to identify needs, develop strategies, and evaluate practice toward success.

The PBIS committee fosters positive behavior school-wide by providing a struc-ture and guide for teachers, staff and parents to follow. It is a committee made up of faculty, parents, administration and Baltimore City School personnel. To-gether we establish rules and guidelines to be used school-wide. Our mission is to establish a consistent, school-wide behavior management program that nur-tures students and supports teachers in their pursuit of academic excel-lence. This is done through classroom and school-wide incentives that are given weekly, monthly, quarterly and at year end.

On behalf of game officials Rose Hansen, Jill Schechter, assis-

tant coach Quinton Lawrence, and your Woodhome Flyers Na-tional Academic League Club, I am thrilled to welcome you to

the 2011-2012 National Academic League season! The NAL is a great way for students to reinforce current and past academic skills along with gaining knowledge beyond the classroom by matching wits and competing against other Baltimore City public schools.

We are extremely excited about this year’s Flyers! Our players are loaded with talent and have experience on their side. This year’s Flyers will look to build on the success of the last two years, during which time we finished just one step short of our goal of a city championship. This could be the year!

All games will be played on Wednesdays at 3:30, whether at home or away. Our first game is a practice game right here at “the Nest” (also known as the auditorium) on Wednesday, October 26.

We encourage you to become part of “The Flock” and attend as many games as you can to cheer on our Woodhome Flyers NAL Club! A full schedule is below. We look forward to seeing you at our first game! Let’s Go Flyers!

Rico G. W. Hodgkinson

Woodhome Flyers Head Coach

WOODHOME FLYERS NAL CLUB

SPANISH CLUB

The Spanish Club is a club for students from grades 3 - 8 to en-joy learning about some fun aspects of Hispanic cultures while

learning some Spanish. We will do fun, interactive activities with the students to expose them to the Spanish language and cul-

tures in a low pressure environment. Activities could include

games, art projects, making food, learning about music and dance, having dialogues and more. There will be no tests or

grades. This is not a class!

The club will be held on the following Wednesdays after school

from 2:40 – 3:20 (January 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th, and February 1st, 2012). The room has not yet been determined. Students must

have a signed permission slip. No younger siblings will be admit-

ted. The sponsors of the club are Mrs. Clausen (ESOL Teacher), Mrs. Pinzon (Special Educator), and Mr. Creager (General Educa-

tor). We want to give a special thanks to the PTA for their sup-port!

CHESS CLUB

The Woodhome Middle School Chess Club (Woodhome Warriors) will meet on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 2:30 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. All

middle school students are invited to attend; however, students must have a permission slip signed by a parent or guardian.

The Woodhome Warriors are currently the JV Middle School State Chess Champions for the second straight year and look forward to

another exciting year. See our kids in action on the WJZ TV news website – http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2011/03/31/chess-gains-

popularity-in-city-middle-school-headed-to-national-championships/

Dismissal time procedure: Chess club members will be dismissed at

4:00 p.m. either through the exits next to Ms. Breitmeyer’s room or the front exit.

Mr. William Morrison Chess Master/Certified Chess Coach

MODELING CLUB

Sponsor – Mrs. Holley

The Modeling Club is organized to provide students with an opportunity to express

their creativity through textiles and de-

signs. Through collaboration, students showcase their talents and skills in fashion

and clothing construction to promote awareness of diversity in art and style.

Practice: Every Monday & Friday

2:45 p.m. - 3:15 p.m.

See Mrs. Holley 6-01 in Middle School or Call

(410) 396-6398

ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE CLUB

The Environmental Science Club is re-sponsible for recycling in the school, or-

ganizing beautification of the grounds, and showing others how to take care of

our environment. Students from grades

5 and up are asked to join. This club meets after school every 1st and 3rd

Wednesday for 30 minutes and every 2nd and 4th Wednesday for 60 minutes

in room# 127. Students need to see Ms. Rehberger, Ms. Hansen , or Mrs. Zeiler to

obtain a permission slip.

Game Info: Date Time Competing Against Location

Wed

01-11-12

3:30 p.m. Guilford Woodhome Elem/

Middle School

Wed

01-18-11

3:30 p.m. @ Edgecombe Edgecombe Circle

Elem/Middle

School