march 2011 - lcps

Smart’s Mill Middle School www.lcps.org/smarts

March

2011

Will Waldman, Principal Brion Bell, Assistant Principal

David Shaffer, Assistant Principal

850 North King Street Leesburg, VA 20176

Website: www.lcps.org/smarts

Main: 571-252-2030 Absentee: 571-252-2032

Fax: 571-252-2043

Important Dates… March 1 – 6th Grade Awards Ceremony (7pm) March 2 – Interims go home March 2 – 7th Grade Awards Ceremony (7pm) March 3 – LCPS Regional Spelling Bee @Stone Bridge 6:30pm March 4 – 8th Grade Awards Ceremony (7pm) March 7 – Pizza with the New Principal (6pm) with PTA

Meeting to follow @ (7pm) March 8 – Writing SOL (Multiple Choice) March 9 – Writing SOL (Essay) March 10 – Book Club “Trash” Smart’s Library (7pm) March 11 – Business Partnership Breakfast @ National Conference Center @ 7:30am March 15 – Tornado Drill March 18 – Career Day March 21 – Journey Through Hallowed Ground Assembly March 28 – Bus Evacuation Drills March 28 – 8th Graders Visit Tuscarora March 31 – Character Counts @ 2:45pm

SMMS Administration

Secretary……………..…Kellie Goossens Secretary……………………..Jill Burkhard Bookkeeper…………………Lisa Sobhani Parent Liaison…….……Melina Leisure Nurse………………………………Patti Gloe House A (8th Grade) Dean…………………..Patricia O’Connell Counselor…………………..Amy Kolcum Secretary…………………….Gina Veschi House B (7th Grade) Dean…………………….Kathleen Luckett Counselor……………….….John Laycock Secretary……………..…..……Vicki Smith House C (6th Grade) Dean……………………….Kate Splendore Counselor………………….Maria O’Brien Secretary……………………….…Tina Wall

Come have pizza with our Principal on March 7th

http://www.lcps.org/smarts


A note from Smart’s Mill’s New Principal, Mr. Will Waldman:

Dear Parents, Students, and Staff,

I am so proud and excited to have been chosen to be the next Principal of Smart’s Mill Middle School.

Even though I have only been here a few days, I am already impressed by the students and staff. Their

friendliness and commitment to education is apparent.

I come to Smart’s Mill most recently from Sterling Middle where I was one of the two assistant

principals. Before that, I was a dean at Belmont Ridge, and I started my career in Loudoun teaching at

Seneca Ridge where I primarily taught Civics and History. In total, I have fifteen years of experience

either in the classroom or as an administrator, all of which has been in middle school. I have earned

degrees in Political Science and Criminal Justice, and originally aspired to be a lawyer or work in the

criminal justice field. However, I married a teacher and she was that catalyst that started me down the

road to a becoming an educator. I received my Master’s in Middle Level education from James Madison

University and began my teaching career immediately after graduation. While teaching I began

coursework on my second Master’s degree in Administration and Supervision. I truly love being in

education, and especially education at the middle school.

I have two daughters. My eldest daughter is an eighth grade student at Harmony Middle and my

youngest is a second grader at Round Hill elementary. As a parent of students in Loudoun County Public

Schools, I know the quality of education that they receive is impressive, but it is only as good as the

support my wife and I give our children at home, and although they have extracurricular activities that I

never miss, they understand that I also have my “school kids” who I must support in their academics and

extracurricular activities.

When I saw the opening for Smart’s Mill, I thought that whoever gets this job will have very big shoes to

fill. I greatly respect Eric Stewart and the staff for the school that they have created. I know from the

school’s website, annual report, and state school report card that Smart’s is an exceptional school. It is a

school that has been honored at the state and national level, it is also a school where the teachers are

honored for their professionalism and dedication to teaching, and finally it is a school where the

students achieve both academically and socially.

As the new principal of Smart’s Mill, I will spend a great deal of time getting to know the school, its staff,

the students, and the parents. I am actively meeting with staff and students, and invite any parent to

contact me via telephone or email. I am looking forward to the upcoming Cornerstone awards nights

and the “Pizza with the Principal” that the PTA has arranged to be held on March 7th, immediately

preceding the scheduled PTA meeting. I know that as we learn more about each other and about this

great school, we will be able to continue the good traditions and build on new ideas to grow as a school,

as professionals, and as individuals.

Thank you,

Will Waldman


If you need assistance due to a disability to enable you to participate meaningfully in any meeting or event at Smart’ Mill, please contact David Shaffer at 571-252-2030 at least five working days prior to that event.

School Hours

School hours are 8:40 a.m. to 3:28 p.m. The building will be open for students at 8:20 a.m. The Main Office hours are 8:10 a.m. to 4:40 p.m.

Tardies and Late Arrivals All Students must be in their classroom by the 8:40 a.m. bell. Any student, arriving to class after the 8:40 a.m. bell, will be considered “tardy” and must sign in at the Main Office and receive a “tardy” pass. A parent/guardian should accompany their student to the Office or send a note with the student when arriving late to school.

Attendance When your child is absent, please call the attendance line at 571-252-2032 to notify the school. For your convenience, this is a 24-hour answering machine. An absence will be unexcused if the school does not receive a note or a phone message from the parent or guardian.

Early Dismissal Please send a note in with your child the morning of an appointment. The student’s house secretary will write a pass to excuse the student at the appropriate time.

Visitor and Volunteer Sign-in All visitors need to stop by the Main Office upon arrival. All visitors are also required to fill out and wear a visitor’s name tag while at SMMS. Please be prepared to show a valid ID.

Moving? New phone number? If you are moving and your child will be attending another school, please notify your child’s counselor as soon as possible. If you have moved and are still within our attendance zone, please remember to stop by the school to fill out a change of address form. We will need to see proof of your new residence. This proof can be a lease, deed, settlement papers or mortgage statement. To change a work or home telephone number, parents/guardians need to contact the attendance secretary at 571-252-2030 or on-line at www.loudoun.k12.va.us/smarts

School Work Requests

When a student misses 3 or more days of school, the parent/guardian may request missed school work from their child’s counselor or house secretary. The class work will be available for pick up on the following day. Please do not request class work on the Absentee Line.

SMMS Grading Scale

98-100 A+ 93-97 A 90-92 A- 87-89 B+ 83-86 B 80-82 B- 77-79 C+

73-76 C 70-72 C- 67-69 D+ 63-66 D 60-62 D- 0-59 F

Interim & 9-Week Marking Period Dates

Interim Date Marking Period Ends

Report Cards Sent Home

Oct. 5&6 Oct. 29 Nov. 10

Dec. 15 & 16 Jan. 21 Feb. 4

March 2 & 3 April 1 April 13

May 17 & 18 June 16 June 22 (mailed)


Meet our new principal at the March PTA meeting

Monday, March 7 at 6:00 p.m. School Library

Here is your chance to meet Mr. Will Waldman, SMMS new principal. The PTA is hosting Pizza with the New Principal beginning at 6:00 p.m. The monthly meeting will follow at 7:00 p.m. During the meeting, Mr. Waldman will talk about his vision for SMMS. The PTA is looking for head count for pizza so please RSVP [email protected] if you are thinking about attending the meeting. Everyone who RSVPs and attends the meeting gets a chance to win a $25 gift card. This is for parents and school staff only. Questions, please contact Therese at [email protected] or 703-946-9807

Each month we’re pleased to highlight the “Thank You’s”, accolades and positive feedback received by our students & staff.

Hello Smarts Mill, I wanted to take the opportunity to say thank you for all the wonderful home-made valentines sent to us from the students of Smart's Mill School. We were not told which class had sent them over, so I trust you will be able to thank the class for us. There were so many that we took the extras over to Heritage Hall Nursing home to share. The residents loved them and appreciate all the young people who care so much. Thank you again and we wish you a Happy Valentine's Day also. Melinda Russo Activities Director Meadow Glen Assisted Living Residence 315 Dry Mill Road, SW Leesburg, Virginia 20175

The Health and Physical Education Department selected students as Maverick Student Athletes of the second

quarter. These students showed excellent effort, enthusiasm, academic performance, and sportsmanship.

Congratulations to the following students:

6th grade – Sarah Domin, Brian Shaw, Nancy Jimenez, and Robert Smart 7th grade -- Sophia Frey, Jacob Blycher, Madelyn Lazorchak, Luis Salinas, Erin King, and Chase McClung 8th grade – Maria Aguilera, Surya Sampath, David Chalmers, and Courtney Radcliff

mailto:[email protected]



The Parent/Student/Staff Evening Book Club is

sponsored by the SMMS Literacy Committee to promote literacy in our

community. We feel it is important to provide a venue where we can

come together around a book (read it, discuss it, and share ideas and

the enjoyment that results from the experience).

Our next book club is Thursday, March 10th from 7-8 pm in the

library. We are reading the book Trash by Andy Mulligan. Contact

SMMS staff member Laura Tucker to sign up.

Activity buses began again on Wednesday, February 23rd. After-school Clubs

also started up at that time. Activity buses will run every Monday, Wednesday and

Thursday until May 26th. An updated Club Calendar has been posted on the SMMS

web site.

This year, SMMS newsletters are available on-line,

at the school website, or by e-mail only!

Please send your e-mail address to [email protected] to receive this monthly newsletter by e-mail

ACADEMY OF SCIENCE

The first information program for current seventh grade students (and their parents)

who are considering applying to the Academy Of Science next year as eighth grade

students is scheduled for Tuesday May 3rd at 7:00 PM in the auditorium at Dominion

High School. There will be an Open House and Information Session in Sept. 2011, with a

specific date TBD. The complete admission calendar for the 2011-2012 academic year

will be posted to the AOS website in May 2011.

Parents need to make prior arrangements for transportation of

students after club activities if they are not riding activity buses. Please use the

student pick up lane when picking your children up after school and after club

activities. The traffic routine is designed for the safety of all students.



– Introduction to Debate for 6th through 8th graders –

Students will learn how to give a great public speech, organize ideas, write a case,

research, refute the other team, and much more.

Classes will be held Wednesday evenings January 26 – March 30 from 5pm until 6pm at Broad Run High School. Register online at http://www.capitol-debate.com (click on

winter programs). Questions may be directed to Ron Bratt at 443-538-4992.

Registered Nurses Needed!

Our school clinics need qualified substitute registered nurses. A qualified candidate must have a current VA

nursing license, a desire to work in a school setting, and the availability to work daytime hours Monday

through Friday during the school year. Nurses can specify one school attendance area in which they are

willing to help or may agree to work in several.

If you are qualified, complete the online application for Loudoun County Public School (LCPS) substitutes

under the “Employment” tab on the LCPS website

https://apply.lcps.org/appentry/?50972510152846Nav=j&NodeID=2197. After your paperwork is

processed by Personnel and you complete a general LCPS orientation, you will be scheduled for training with

Health Services.

Please call Health Services at 571-252-1017 if you have any questions. We look forward to hearing from you!

Career Day Parent Volunteers

Smart’s Mill is pleased to announce that 75 parents will be acting as Career Day presenters here on

Friday, March 18, 2011. Melina Leisure, our parent liaison, contacted over 100 parents and we are

excited and grateful that so many responded generously, enabling us to stage this informative event.

Our intent is to spark interest amongst our students regarding the myriad of careers to which they will be

exposed. Please take a moment and discuss with your son or daughter the various career opportunities

presented to them during Career Day and discuss with them the many career paths open to them.

We hope this is an enjoyable event for our presenters as well as for our students. Thank you in advance

to all the presenters who have so generously agreed to donate their time to speak with our students at

our Career Day.

http://www.capitol-debate.com/

https://apply.lcps.org/appentry/?50972510152846Nav=j&NodeID=2197


Broadlands, VA – The third annual EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival is garnering attention from Fortune 500 companies and area environmental leaders. Organizers of the annual spring event announced presenting sponsorship commitments by Verizon, REHAU and Patriot Disposal for the upcoming April event. “Verizon is proud to renew our commitment to Loudoun’s Earth Day celebrations this year,” said Catherine Hogan, manager of external affairs and government relations at Verizon. "Our company and our employees have been closely linked with Loudoun County and other Northern Virginia communities for more than a century, and we take seriously the need to be responsible stewards of the environment. Verizon’s sustainability program includes a comprehensive host of initiatives, from paperless billing, to recycling of cell phones for victims of domestic violence under our Hopeline program, to providing the networks and services that make telecommuting a viable alternative.” The Broadlands Wildlife Habitat Committee, which puts on the event, expects some 5,000 attendees on April 10th at Clyde’s Willow Creek Farm in Broadlands, VA. Patriot Disposal, which services thousands of Ashburn-area residents and businesses with recycling and trash disposal, is hosting a creative instrument making workshop and a musical number based in New York to bring the message home. “We are thrilled to sponsor a musical performance that combines the arts and science called “Bash the Trash,” said Patriot Disposal owner Jean Poague. “Visitors will have a chance to make a musical instrument out of recyclable materials, participate in a parade and be entertained with a show that hits home the need to reduce, reuse and recycle”. REHAU, a global polymer processing company, is joining Patriot and Verizon as an Earth Day partner in an effort to better educate decision makers on energy-efficient business and home construction options. Dr. Kathleen Saylor, CEO, said “Every day, REHAU promotes environmental stewardship by engineering products for the built environment that reduce energy costs and conserve finite resources. We are proud to observe Earth Day with our support of EarthDay@Loudoun. It’s a wonderful opportunity to join together with others to raise awareness of environmental issues at the local level.” The EarthDay@Loudoun Family Festival will be held on Sunday, April 10th from 11am-4pm.

EarthDay@Loudoun organizers are currently accepting applications for remaining Gold and

Bronze level sponsors. Platinum level sponsors include Van Metre Homes, Clyde’s Willow Creek

Farm, I Am Modern Magazine and 92.5 WINC-FM. For more information on how to be involved,

visit the websites to www.earthdayatloudoun.org or [email protected].

march 2011 - lcps

Documents