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APRIL 2016Horizon ElementaryComet CourierAPRIL EVENTSA MESSAGE FROM THE PRINCIPAL OOKING AHEAD May 2-6Teacher Appreciation WeekGreetings Comets! The third quarter is quickly coming to an end onThursday, April 14. There will be a Student Holiday/Teacher WorkDay on Friday, April 15. Report cards will go home on Wednesday,April 27.As we prepare for the weather to warm up, please be reminded thatclothing worn by students should be appropriate and modest.Spaghetti-strapped shirts/blouses and flip flops are a couple ofexamples of inappropriate attire. Please review the Dress CodeGuidelines which can be found on p. 10 in the 3rd – 5th Agenda books,the Student Handbook, and p.11 of the April Comet Courier. Allstudents have physical education and/or recess each day. Wearinginappropriate footwear can lead to injury and/or non-participation inphysical education classes. We need your help in monitoring theclothing choices that your children make each day. Parents/guardiansmay be contacted in the event a student needs to change inappropriateattire.In the month of May, we will begin the student placement process fornext year’s classes. We invite you, our parents, to share informationabout your child or family that we do not have access to at school thatyou believe would impact your child’s educational placement. Shouldyou choose this option, please complete the Parent PlacementInformation Form for 2016-2017 (found on p. 13) or send me a letter; Irespectfully request that you send your input on or before Friday, May6th. Your input should not request a specific teacher. It is impossibleto grant those kinds of requests and I know that it can be disappointingwhen your child does not get into the classroom of the teacher that yourequest. Please do not approach your child’s current teacher to askwho he/she thinks would be the best teacher for your child. That couldpotentially be an uncomfortable situation for both the parent and/orteacher. Please be assured that a great deal of thought andconsideration goes into placing children into classes at Horizon and wedo our best to make the correct placement choices.We look forward to a fantastic fourth quarter!Wednesday, May 4DARE GraduationSincerely,Jennifer Ewing Thursday, April 7Science Fair Parent Night, 6:30 pmThursday, April 142nd Grade Native Lands Field TripEnd of 3rd QuarterFriday, April 15No School for Students (Teacher WorkDay)Monday, April 18WordMasters ChallengeSpring ASEP StartsWednesday, April 202nd Grade Musical, 8:30 am and 6:30 pmFriday, April 22Comet Walk (Rain Date, April 25)Tuesday, April 26Volunteer Luncheon, 11:30 amSterling Area PEP Event (see flyer, p.6)Thursday, April 284th Grade Egg DropFriday, April 294th Grade Field Trip to Harper’s Ferry(extended day)Horizon Elementary School46665 Broadmore Drive Sterling, VA 20165 Telephone 571.434.3260 Fax 703.444.7418Absentee Line 571.434.3261Absentee Email hrzabsentee@lcps.orgHorizon Elementary School website: www.lcps.org/horizonPrincipal: Mrs. Jennifer EwingBookkeeper: Mrs. Holly BuehlerAssistant Principal: Ms. Stephanie Baran Attendance Secretary: Mrs. Violet Sowa-Badders
Roundin’ up our VolunteersVolunteer LuncheonApril 26, 201611:30 AMPlease RSVP to Amy.Sandridge@lcps.org by April 22ndA HUGE HORIZON SHOUTOUT!Horizon would like to say thank you toEvent Rentals for their donation oftables for our science fair! Event Rentalsis donating, delivering, setting up andbreaking down many of the tables we areusing this year! Please consider them foryour next event.Did you know that you can collectBox Tops all year long? We submitthem twice a year, but you cansend them in any time. Or, youcan hold on to them until the fallfor our next class contest!However you do it, just keepcollecting those box tops!
ARE YOU READY FOR THE COMET WALK?All Horizon students may participate in the Comet Walk on Friday, April 22nd (raindate April 25). A packet of information was sent home a few weeks ago with allthe details. This is the PTA’s biggest fundraiser of the year! Please have yourchildren get donations (cash, check, or online) to support PTA programs atHorizon. Questions? Contact Shanyn Deeds at Shanyn.Deeds@gmail.comThe PTA would like to thank the following sponsors for their generousdonations to Horizon PTA’s Comet Walk:Audi ContractorsAudi DesignersBarakat OrthodonticsBelfort FurnitureC3 Cyber ClubFriends & Family DentistryHavertysHighkicks Taekwondo of SterlingDr. Rick Jackomis DentistryJoe's PizzariaKids First Swim SchoolMajest Martial ArtsThe MeadowsParcel PlusPotomac River Running Store/PR Running ClubVillage Green Day SchoolWegmans
April Notes from the LibraryApril is School Library MonthThe American Library Association has declared April as School Library Month, tocelebrate the important role that libraries play in our student’s education. We provide resources andeducational programs to help our students become empowered with the skills they need to thinkcritically and become life-long learners. Students are taught lessons that help them evaluate theinformation they have around them and to use information effectively so they can navigate thetechnological world they now live within. Here at Horizon Elementary School, we look forward toseeing all of our students during their classes, and welcome them every day as they search forinformation, new books to read, and work to make the library a welcoming place for everyone to visit.National Library Week is celebrated the week of April 10th so don’t forget to visit the publiclibrary as well. They offer many programs and the opportunity to provide your children access toeven more resources and books. April is a great time to look through your book shelves and stop bythe library in order to “Spring” into a new reading adventure.What are we learning?Kindergarten and First Grade – Kindergarten will be reading African folktales and stories based onJapanese characters to support their social studies curriculum on Kenya and Japan. In first grade weare reading about friendship and will begin reading fractured fairy tales and making comparisons tothe original stories.Second Grade – All of the second grade classes will be reviewing dictionary skills and using thealphabet in the library to locate entry and guide words. We are also talking about how important thealphabet is in locating books on the book shelves in the library.Third, Fourth, and Fifth Grade – During library time, we will be using the different books from thereference section of the library to locate information. Students will use atlases, almanacs,dictionaries, thesauri, and encyclopedias to search for facts. Understanding how each referencesource can help them evaluate the information sources and resources available to them.
Music NotesHorizon's Second Grade Class will perform "The Magic Fish & The Little Red Hen" onWednesday, April 20th at 8:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m. There will also be a final dress rehearsal forviewing by the afternoon Kindergarten only on Tuesday, April 19th at 1:30 p.m. Our 2nd graderswill get a chance to show off their acting, narrating, singing, a little dancing, andinstrumental skills in these two dramatized folktales arranged and edited by Ruth Boshkoff. That'sright, this year we will add some percussion instruments like xylophone, cymbals, triangle, drums,and many more into the mix! Please spread the word about this musical to your friends andfamily so that we can get a big crowd to come support our students in this fun rendition of twovery old folktales made new again.Raising courteous, caring, cooperative Comets at home takes a village, patience and many resources!One PBIS-related resource you may like to look into is a book called What do You Stand For? For Kids : AGuide to Building Character.Barbara Lewis walks families through the importance of character and breaks the book into chapters ofpositive character traits. She provides definitions, activities and true stories to learn from. At our homewe sometimes use the “what if” situations for dinner discussions. It’s a nice opportunity to share yourfamily values and guide them through challenging situations before they happen.If you’re interested in learning more about this book on character (or the one for TEENS) you can take alook here: http://tinyurl.com/j7extny .And feel free to reach out if you’re interested in more resources! kpkidwell@yahoo.com
THIRD AND FINAL WORDMASTERS CHALLENGEThe last WordMasters challenge of the 2015-2016 school year is scheduled forApril 18th for interested 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students. Copies of the words areavailable from your child’s teacher. Information about the WordMastersChallenge and resources to help students learn the words and practice for thechallenge are available on the PTA tab of the Horizon website. For moreinformation contact Jodi Van Voorhis at Jodijdc@yahoo.comSpring ASEP (After School Education Program) starts on April 18th!Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursday afternoons and there aresome new classes like Hip Hop Dance, Flag Football, Nature Class andArts and Crafts. Please check out our ASEP website for the full listingwww.horizonelementaryasep.comPOETRY MASTERSPoetry Masters in April celebrates National Poetry Month!Each month a selection of poems is available for children in grades 1-5 to memorize and recite. Any child inthose grades who wishes to participate may pick up the poem selections from the office any time after April 4.He or she will memorize a selected poem for his or her grade category and recite the poem to the poetrycoordinator on Thursday, April 21.In celebration of National Poetry Month, students may choose one poem from the selections, choose a favorite oftheir own, OR try their hand at writing their own poem. Be sure to bring us a copy so that we can read along!During National Poetry Month, April 21 is also Poem in Your Pocket Day. People throughout the United Statescelebrate poetry by selecting a poem, carrying it with them, and sharing it with others throughout the day. Sowhether you participate in Poetry Masters or not, bring a poem in your pocket on April 21 and celebrate yourfavorite poem with others.Congratulations to the following students who successfully recited poems in March:Liam TullyJahzara ShabazzMartin KanchevArianna MartinMonica GoswamiHayden ManorAinsley LoveLacey MartinMathew CogbillColleen MacGoyPranika GaddamJuline SalahiLiam SheridanEdward Christopher Sahar MiakhelEllie Boehmcke
Mr. Paskvan is retiring!Our wonderful custodian, JorgePaskvan, is retiring after manyyears of service to Horizon. Weare hosting a reception for him onThursday, April 14 at 3:00 in theWilliam H. Raye library. Pleasefeel free to join us to wish Mr.Paskvan well in his retirement.Here’s the schedule for Horizon’s ScienceFair/Invention Convention:Project Drop off: Wednesday, April 6th 4-6 PMScience Night: Thursday, April 7th 6:30 - 8:30 in theMulti-Purpose Room (for Parent viewing)Student viewing: Friday during the school dayPlease make arrangements to come take your child’sproject home on Friday afternoon if they can’t do it ontheir own.Hey, Comets! Can you help with Horizon’s Food Rescue Program?You may have heard of Horizon’s Food Rescue Program. We collect uneaten food in the cafeteria that would otherwisebe tossed in the trash and donate it to LINK. The program is in its second year and has been a big success.Parents, you can also help by volunteering to deliver our food to the local shelter. Just go to our sign up genius page rizon1/21784920 and pick a date and time that is good for you! Ifyou have any questions, please contact Amy Sandridge at 571-434-3260.Let’s do our part to help conquer hunger in Loudoun County!Winter Food Drive Thank You!Thank you to all the Caring Comets who donated food to the Comet Council Winter Food Drive! Wecollected a mountain of food for families in need in our community.Congratulations to Ms. Sheehan‘s class who brought in the most food and enjoyed extra raffle tickets forDr. Seuss Bingo night!Thank you to all the classes for your generosity!
DRESS CODEThe primary responsibility for the proper dress and grooming of students rests with the parentor guardian of each student. The school has the responsibility; however, to see that the cleanliness, dress,and grooming of students does not present a danger to the health or safety of themselves or fellowclassmates. Clothing must be in good taste, of a comfortable fit and follow school standards. Studentsshould dress for the “business of school.” Inappropriate attire consists of any clothing that disrupts thelearning environment because it is distracting or ofeensive. Clothing students should refrain from wearing to school: Short/tight skirts, shorts and/or dresses (must be at least fingertip length) halter or spaghetti string tops without a shirt/sweater over it mid-drift tops that expose the stomach area excessively baggy shorts or pants mesh/see-through athletic shirts without a T-shirt underneath clothing that displays inappropriate language, artwork, symbols, alcohol/drugmessages a bandana and/or hat while at school Heelies and/or shoes with wheels Shoes must be worn at all timesChildren must wear sneakers/athletic shoes with solid, rubber soles for all physical education classes.Parents will be called if their child arrives to school dressed inappropriately. It may be necessary for achange of clothing to be brought to school for the child.
Are you moving?For planning purposes, please let us know if your child will not be attending Horizon Elementary nextyear. If you are moving, we wish you the best of luck!!!!Child’s Name:Current Grade:Current Teacher:We will be moving to:New SchoolNew Address if known:Parent SignatureReturn to Mrs. Sowa-Badders, Attendance Secretary. Thanks!
Horizon ElementaryParent Placement Information Form for 2016-17The information you provide will be considered when placing your child in his/her class next year.Please fill out one form for each child. Return to Mrs. Ewing by Friday, May 6, 2016 with your letter.Student Current Teacher Grade NEXT YearCheck the descriptors that apply to your child.Classroom Setting:needs a highly structured classroomneeds strong routinesprefers to work independentlyother:needs a free flowing classroomneeds hands on activitiesprefers group/partner workInstruction and Learning Style:enjoys readingenjoys mathenjoys science and/or social studiesenjoys music and/or artenjoys problem solvingenjoys hands on activitiesis an auditory learneris a visual learnerneeds additional time to complete assignments other:needs frequent opportunities to interact with othersBehavior:is able to work independently without a lot of teacher assistanceneeds close supervision and support from teacheris able to work cooperatively with peersaccepts responsibility for his or her behaviorneeds frequent feedback/reassurance from the teacherneeds to be pushed by teacher to reach potentialable to remain focusedfollows directionscompletes assignmentsis easily frustratedis easily motivatedother:Medical concerns or special needs for consideration:Social needs to consider:What other information should we be aware of regarding your child that will help with their placement for next year?Please note that this form is for informational purposes only and placement with a specific teacher is not guaranteed.
Horizon Students Honored for Achievement in the ArtsAshley Helfrich (Second Grade), Liliana Rossi (Fifth Grade), and Saba Banaii (Fifth Grade) have beenhonored by the Hunt District PTA for achievement in the 2015-2016 National PTA Reflections arts ineducation program.Ashley Helfrich’s choreography titled "Drag Me Down" received 3rd place in the Primary, DanceChoreography category. Liliana Rossi’s choreography titled “The Duel" came in 1st place in theIntermediate Dance Choreography category and her work is now being judged as part of the VA statecompetition. Saba Banaii's photography titled "My Miniature Scenes" placed 3rd in the IntermediatePhotography category. These awards honor imagination, creativity and interpretation of this year’stheme “Let your Imagination Fly.Please join us in congratulating these students on their achievement!The National PTA Reflections program encourages students of all ages and abilities to explore and beinvolved in the arts. Through the program, PTAs across the country urge students in preschool throughgrade 12 to create and submit original works of art in the medium of their choice— dance choreography,film production, literature, music composition, photography and visual arts. Students are recognized eachyear for their artistic ingenuity to bring the theme to life in a way that is personal and meaningful.2ND GRADE IS COLLECTING USED CRAYONSAs a continuation of our fall Project Based Learning experience, 2nd grade willbe collecting used/broken crayons from the Horizon community. Eachclassroom at Horizon will be placed on a team to see who can collect the mostused crayons. The collection started on March 14th and will continue throughMay 20th. Additional information was sent home the week of March 7th. The2nd grade students would greatly appreciate any crayon donations!
Potomac Falls ClusterClothing DriveSpring has finally arrived and with that comes the annual cleaningout of the closets. We are collecting gently used out-grown clothing, includingshoes and jackets, that are taking up valuable space in your home. Pleasebring only clean, gently used or new items in all sizes to Horizon for ourCluster Clothing Drive.Horizon will collect different items each week of the drive. See theschedule below.Horizon is collecting clothes for distribution to the familieswithin the Sterling community during the month of May.Each cluster school will collect clothes, and will come togetherPotomac Falls High School for a cluster-wide no-sale clothingon Saturday May 21st starting at 9:00 am until 12:00 pm! Help ourstudents and their families, and help your closets.atsaleAll clothes can be dropped off into one of the boxes in the front entranceof Horizon during the month of May.Week 1 (May 2nd to May 6th) Boys Summer clothingWeek 2 (May 9th to May 13th) Girls Summer clothingWeek 3 (May 16th to May 19th) Young Adult and AdultSummer clothingContact Amy Sandridge at Amy.Sandridge@lcps.org with any questions.Thank you for your generosity!
In March, MSAAC held a wonderful Academic Symposium - Putting Educational Equity First.We had an opportunity to visit tables around the room representing a wealth of resources forthe families of Loudoun County.Among those represented were:Parent Resource Center www.lcps.org/prcLCPS Monroe Technology CenterLCPS Gifted EducationPEP (Parents as Educational Partners) www.loudoun.k12.va.us/domain/17411AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) www.lcps.org/page/103504STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, Math, Development) www.steaminc.comMobile Hope www.mobilehopeloudoun.orgLCPS Academies of Loudoun www.loudoun.k12.va.us/Domain/16159And many more! Please contact us if you’re interested in more information or resources.In addition to the community resources, Paul Gorski spoke on equity in education and thecommunity. Equitable education would mean all students had access, opportunity and fairdistribution of implicit and explicit resources. He called on us as administrators, educators,parents and members of the community to work within our “sphere of influence” to recognizeand respond to inequity and help sustain equity. Please reach out to us if you’d like to learnmore or look into his books on Amazon! He is a wonderful and local resource.http://edchange.org/Upcoming Meetings:4/20/165/18/16Meetings are held 7-9pm in the LCPS Administrative Building - 21000 Education Court, AshburnFacebook: www.facebook.com/lcpsmsaacOn the web:
Kids First Swim School Majest Martial Arts The Meadows Parcel Plus Potomac River Running Store/PR Running Club Village Green Day School Wegmans. April Notes from the Library April is School Library Month The American Library Association has declared April as School Library Month, to ce
