MVES 2012 Art & Writing Contest: “If only it could talk…”

The 2012 Art & Writing Contest has the most open and fun theme EVER! As always, students can go wherever their creativity leads them in writing, illustrating and taking pictures that reflect the theme.

Entry Categories:

• Literature (submitted on 8.5 x 11” paper handwritten or in an easy to read font)
• Visual Arts (may not exceed 11 inches by 14  inches, including a mat)
• Photography (entries may not exceed 11 inches by 14 inches, including the mat. NO tri fold boards, please.)

General Guidelines:

• Theme: “If only it could talk…”
• MVES Students only
• No more than 2 entries in each category per student
• Each work of art needs a separate entry form

Age categories:

• Preschool through Second Grade
• Third Grade through Fifth Grade

Document Downloads:

• MVES 2012 Art & Writing Contest Flyer
• 2012 Entry Form
• Literature Rules
• Photography Rules
• Visual Arts Rules

This information can be found on the MVES PTO website at www.mountainviewpto.org. Entries with their entry form can be turned in at the office. All entrants receive a Certificate of Participation.  All entries will be on display at the MVES Talent Show and award winners in each category and age division will be announced that evening!

DEADLINE FOR ALL ENTRIES IS WEDNESDAY February 22, 2012

Just a little something
to say you love them today.
Order a Valentine Gram Smencil and your child will say “hurray!”

“SMENCIL” (a scented pencil in a special case) will be attached to the hearts on the Valentine Gram Form. Return completed form with $2 to MVES by February 8th. Please limit one per child. Students may send Valentine Grams to MVES Staff and Teachers.

Click Here to Download the Valentine Gram Form.

Don’t miss the chance to tell PWCS what you think

How do you rate your child’s school and the education programs in our county?  The Prince William County School Board wants to know. All parents or guardians of students enrolled in Prince William County Public Schools were mailed a survey in English or Spanish on January 13 to measure parent satisfaction and determine how well the School Division is meeting the instructional needs of students.

The February 3 deadline for returning the survey is approaching fast.  Don’t miss this opportunity.

Parents with children enrolled in more than one school, received a survey for each school.

Parents of PWCS students who did not receive a survey or misplaced the one that was mailed, can contact the Office of Program Evaluation at 703.791.7277 for a replacement.

*****

No pierda la oportunidad de expresar su opinión acerca de PWCS

¿Qué opina usted de la escuela de su hijo y de los programas educativos de nuestro condado? La Junta Escolar del Condado de Prince William quisiera saber su opinión. Una encuesta en inglés o español fue enviada por correo el 13 de enero a todos los padres o guardianes de estudiantes matriculados en las Escuelas Públicas del Condado de Prince William. El propósito de la encuesta es enterarnos del nivel de satisfacción por parte de los padres y determinar si la División Escolar hace bien en satisfacer las necesidades educativas de los estudiantes.

La fecha límite para entregar la encuesta llega muy pronto.  No pierda esta oportunidad.

Los padres que tienen hijos matriculados en más de una escuela han recibido una encuesta de cada escuela.

Los padres de estudiantes matriculados en PWCS que no han recibido o que han perdido la encuesta que fue enviada por correo pueden contactar a la Oficina de Evaluación de Programas al 703.791.7277 para obtener otra copia.

Gracias por tomar el tiempo de expresar su opinión importante.

• Please encourage a quality performance.
• Performances are restricted to 1 1/2 minutes.
• Students are limited to one act (exceptions being participating in a class performance or if aiding a sibling).
• Singing to the Karaoke version of the chosen song is strongly suggested.
• All act content chosen must be appropriate for K thru 5 grade levels. Please vet your child’s music, choosing songs with appropriate content. (We feel terrible having to tell a child their chosen song can’t be used!!)
• Bring any music required for your act on a CD at the time of audition. A copy will be made then for use in the show.
• Music cannot be edited by show volunteers.

For more information on the MVES Talent Show and how to register, please visit http://www.mountainviewpto.org/events/talent-show-auction/.

A message from our talent show chairperson:

Dear Parents,

[Above] is a portion of the Talent Show Information posted on the website.

In an effort to insure our program is not only appropriate for all age levels, but one which we can all be proud of as an event indicative of the quality of our school, we are making the extra effort this year to vet all music as soon as it is submitted.   Lessons learned from last year, we don’t want to wait until the last minute to discover a song cannot be used.

Most of us today are unaware of the sexual content, foul language and offensive/derogatory terms used by some popular entertainers.  Even some group names cannot be published in our program…LMFAO for example.

Please help us keep our show at a  pinnacle level of quality by submitting songs that do not have to be edited for content.  Simply submitting 90 “clean” seconds of an inappropriate song makes it extremely difficult for us, the volunteers, to objectively approve songs and retain the high standard we have set.

We know it is frustrating.  We do not enjoy having to tell anyone their chosen song cannot be used.  We have taken a conservative position because this is a program for children, by children.  Please support us in the decision to go “overboard,” and prove that we can produce a show with high standards.

Thank you.

Martha Cutsinger
[MVES parent and talent show volunteer]

• Is the current structure of the PTO meeting the school and family needs?
• Should the PTO be primarily a fundraising organization? School spirit organization? Something else?
• What is the vision for MVES and how does the PTO support that vision?

January 31, 2012 PTO Membership Meeting Agenda
MVES Library
4:00 PM Welcome Members
4:05 PM Review current PTO Mission Statement and 2011-2012 Goals
4:15 PM    Open Forum Discussion

4:15 Administration Input
4:30 Teacher/Staff Input
4:45 Parent Input

5:00 PM    Adjourn

Your input is critical to shaping the structure of the future PTO. A strong elementary school promotes lifelong learners, a strong community, and certainly strong property values.

To encourage meeting participation, the PTO will have volunteers watching younger children in a nearby room. You must RSVP to info@mountainviewpto.org by Friday, January 27th with the number of your children and ages to make sure we have enough volunteers.

Please plan on attending this meeting and helping to plan the future of the MVES PTO!

Sincerely,

Candi Helmlinger
PTO President

We’re still looking for volunteers for the following:

• Art & Writing Contest – 2 more volunteers needed.
• Silent Auction – 4 volunteers needed – attend 1 meeting (TBD) and the Talent Show Rehearsal and Talent Show.
• Talent Show – MANY volunteers needed – contact us right away!
• Valentine Grams – 2 volunteers needed to collect and sort the grams before they are smencilled (flyer has not gone out yet)
• Souper Bowl Teacher Appreciation Lunch – thank you all that volunteered! The teachers are going to have a fabulous lunch! Please contact Maria Procter if you would like to send in a food donation for the event.
• Brick Sales/Landscape Committee – volunteers are needed to help organize brick sales and encourage class tree plantings based on an approved landscape plan. Contact Candi Helmlinger if you can help.

Thanks for Jumping In!

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS THE LAST INSTALL UNTIL 2014 – the opportunity to purchase a brick will be every-other-year starting this year.

Some additional ideas:

• 5th Graders can leave a permanent mark of their time at MVES!
• Kindergarteners can enjoy for years to come!
• Classes can buy a brick for their teacher for Teacher Appreciation Week (must purchase now)
• Grandparents can buy a brick for a birthday or graduation gift
• School friends can buy a brick together
• A sports team can buy a brick to celebrate their season
• Businesses can buy a brick to show their support for MVES

Be creative!

Click here to download the Student Brick Order form.

All proceeds go towards purchasing bricks, installation, and trees. Orders must be in by March 2nd—late orders will be returned. Bricks will be installed around Earth Day 2012 along the front walk into school.

PLEASE NOTE: The MVES brick program will now be offered every-other-year. After this sale, the next opportunity is Spring 2014. Don’t delay!

Get etched in stone today!

To purchase a 4X8 permanent, personalized brick, please complete the form and return to MVES with a check for $50 per brick (includes brick, engraving, shipping, and installation). Checks should be made out to MVES PTO and attached to form. 100% of your contribution goes to the landscape initiative—bricks, benches, trees, tree id labels, picnic tables and more!
To order a brick for your business or to pay by credit card, visit http://www.mountainviewpto.org/spirit-wear/sponsor-a-brick/

Please follow these steps to “A Cougar Star is Born” Talent Show:

STEP 1: Register your child by email at mvestalentshow@gmail.com. from an email address to be used as your contact email address. Please follow this example exactly, using commas between information:

Name, Grade, Teacher, Type of Act (Sing, Dance, Karate, Announcing,etc.), Song Name, Artist , Parent/Guardian Name, contact phone number(s)

Names, Grades of any other students in Act.

EXAMPLE:

Evans, Kathy, 5, Swanson, Dance, Naturally, Selena Gomez, Evans, Anne and Mike, 703-555-5555, 571-555-5555
Temple, Shirley, 4, Hepburn, Katherine, 5

For more detailed instructions, please click here and follow the instructions.

STEP 2: Upon receipt of your registration, we will reply with the Permission Slip. Please complete, print, SIGN and return to school no later than January 29th. Your child may not participate in Auditions without a signed permission slip. You may also click here to access the slip on the PTO website.

STEP 3: Attend the auditions on the appropriate date. Find your audition time by last name. If there are multiple children in one act, the surname first in the alphabet becomes the “Act Name” for scheduling purposes.

AUDITIONS

Jan. 31st Last Names A-C 4-4:30pm; D-F 4:30-5 pm; G-H 5-5:30 pm.
Feb. 1st Last Names I-K 4-4:30 pm; L-M 4:30-5pm; N-P 5-5:30 pm.
Feb. 2nd Last Names Q-S 4-4:30 pm; T-V 4:30-5 pm; W-Z 5-5:30 pm.

STEP 4: Remember to send in a note to your teacher the morning of your audition stating your child is staying after school. You may also bring your child back if the time is later in the day.

Sign Up for Electronic Updates

Updated information on the talent show will be posted as it comes in to the following sites:

• MVES PTO Facebook Page – “Like” the page to receive updates
• MVES PTO Website – enter your email on the homepage top right corner to receive updates
• Mountain View ES Website – check your settings in your Parent Portal/School Fusion account to make sure you get updates

Dates to Remember

AUDITIONS

Jan. 31st Last Names A-C 4-4:30pm; D-F 4:30-5 pm; G-H 5-5:30 pm.
Feb. 1st Last Names I-K 4-4:30 pm; L-M 4:30-5pm; N-P 5-5:30 pm.
Feb. 2nd Last Names Q-S 4-4:30 pm; T-V 4:30-5 pm; W-Z 5-5:30 pm.

REHEARSAL

March 2nd Talent Show Rehearsals, Battlefield High School, 4-10 PM

MVES TALENT SHOW & SILENT AUCTION

March 3rd MVES Silent Auction, Battlefield High School, bidding starts at 5 PM and ends at the end of Intermission
March 3rd MVES Talent Show, Battlefield High School, doors open at 5:45 PM, show starts at 6 PM

Click Here to download flyer – must present flyer when ordering.

Come on out and EAT MOR CHIKIN!

Date: Thursday, January 12th

Time: 5- 8 PM

Location: Chick-fil-A in Gainesville (eat-in or drive-thru)

NEW THIS YEAR – all communications will be electronic to keep with with the “green” initiatives at MVES. Please open the Permission Form, type in your data (this will help to avoid human errors in spelling), and print the document. You must sign the document and return to school no later than Jan. 29th.

CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD PERMISSION FORM

Updated information on the talent show will be posted as it comes in to the following sites:

• MVES PTO Facebook Page – “Like” the page to receive updates
• MVES PTO Website – enter your email on the homepage top right corner to receive updates
• Mountain View ES Website – check your settings in your Parent Portal/School Fusion account to make sure you get updates

Dates to Remember

AUDITIONS

• Jan. 31st Last Names A-C 4-4:30pm; D-F 4:30-5 pm; G-H 5-5:30 pm.
• Feb. 1st Last Names I-K 4-4:30 pm; L-M 4:30-5pm; N-P 5-5:30 pm.
• Feb. 2nd Last Names Q-S 4-4:30 pm; T-V 4:30-5 pm; W-Z 5-5:30 pm.

 REHEARSAL

• March 2nd Talent Show Rehearsals, Battlefield High School, 4-10 PM

MVES TALENT SHOW & SILENT AUCTION

• March 3rd MVES Silent Auction, Battlefield High School, bidding starts at 5 PM and ends at the end of Intermission
• March 3rd MVES Talent Show, Battlefield High School, doors open at 5:45 PM, show starts at 6 PM