Principal’s Notes from Nottingham – December 6, 2017

Better than a thousand days of diligent study is one day with a great teacher.
  -Japanese Proverb

Dear Parents/Guardians:

It brings me great pleasure to announce Nottingham’s selection for our 2017 Teacher of the Year, Special Education Lead Teacher, Sarah Garrett! Our Teacher of the Year committee met and reviewed attributes of all our peer and parent/guardian generated nominees. Mrs. Garratt is a student of learning herself, having recently graduated from the University of Virginia with a Masters in Reading Education. Daily she can be found conversing with colleagues regarding best instructional strategies to reach Knights on her caseload. Her collaboration within the fourth-grade teachers in their Collaborative Learning Teams is a relative strength, as Mrs. Garratt consistently holds high standards for her learners measured with a dose of care and concern for their identified learning needs. Mrs. Garrett is a respected teacher/leader here at Nottingham, serving as the lead Special Education teacher and a conduit for colleagues for resources to meet struggling learners’ needs.

Please note that all members of the Nottingham Community of Learners, Knights included, may submit a letter of support on Mrs. Garrett’s behalf. Please submit letters of support to my secretary, Mardi Moorman, (703-228-8339, Mardi.moorman@apsva.us <mailto:mardi.moorman@apsva.us> ) either by mail (if you can include an electronic signature) or hand delivery no later than Monday, January 8, 2018. These letters should be originals and must be signed. They should be addressed to: Steven R. Staples, State Superintendent of Public Instruction, Commonwealth of Virginia, P.O. Box 2120, Richmond, VA 23218-2120. Please do not mail or send the letters of support directly to the State Superintendent’s office.

Hour of Code-Global Kickoff

Here at NTM, the Hour of Code is not an hour or a just this week, but instead a month-long endeavor that began earlier this week and will run until winter break. I’ve enjoyed a chance to join Nottingham Librarian, Nicole Gustafson and Regina Koehler, library assistant as they provide their non-device coding opportunities for our Knights! We appreciate their partnership with Mr. Ron Crouse, NTM’s Instructional Technology Coordinator, as they prepare classroom teachers in grades K-5 for this amazing opportunity for our Knights to learn/reinforce basic programming skills and problem-solving in a fun and engaging way. As stated in our Nottingham Mission statement, we acknowledge that our Knights are growing up in a world surrounded by technology. Coding helps our children in developing their analytical thinking, problem-solving and creativity skills. These are lifelong skills for their future! Whatever job fields our Knights enter as adults, their ability to succeed will increasingly hinge on a deep understanding of how technology is integrated into everyday life and problem-solving. Our Coding Team is working with all grade levels to actively work with instructional staff in infusing coding activities into their teaching and learning. Our fundamental foundation is that coding builds problem-solving skills and those skills have both real-life and academic application for our Knights. We trust that our instructional staff will share in our Knights’ enthusiasm that coding is fun, easy, and accessible to learners of all ages.

Nottingham Ice Cream Social, December 3-10 : A word from our PTA

Bring the herd for a fun and tasty gathering. 25% of proceeds will support Nottingham when presented with this flyer found on Peachjar at https://www.peachjar.com/index.php?a=28&b=138&region=24874

Operation Santa Holiday Show: A word from the Arlington County Police Dept.

Join members of the Arlington County Police Department for a public performance of the Operation Santa ‘All I want for Christmas’ holiday show. To celebrate the holiday season and give back to the Arlington County community, members of the police department perform in the Operation Santa holiday show, which features many popular characters including, Santa, Rudolph, the Grinch, and others. This event will offer members of the public an opportunity to experience the show, get to know the officers who make it happen each year and take photos with the characters and officers following the performance: Saturday, December 9 at 11:00 a.m. Nottingham parking lot. This is a free, family-friendly event. Toys will not be distributed at this performance.

Social Worker Request

As the temperature drops, please be on the lookout for a student in your class who does not have a warm coat, hat or gloves, scarf, mittens, etc. Please send elizabeth.brady@apsva.us the estimate for gender and size, and she will use her resources to procure one for those in need.

Help a fellow Nottingham Family! Please consider picking up a Gift Card or two, to brighten the holidays. Gift cards in denominations of $10, $20, or $25 are suggested. Giant, Safeway, Target, Toys R Us or other local stores of your choice. Our Knights are encouraged to use their own money to buy a small gift card (even $5 is helpful!) Please drop off cards in the designated green boxes in the Main Office and at Extended Day by this Friday, December 8th. Cards will be distributed by our school social worker, Elizabeth Brady. Question? Call or email at 703-228-8337/ elizabeth.brady@apsva.us. Thank you for making a difference!

Inclement Weather Information

The winter weather season is upon us, and that means there is always a possibility of school delays and closures. Whenever snow and icy conditions are in the forecast, APS begins preparing to ensure that schools can remain open whenever possible. APS crews communicate closely with County staff to make sure accumulating snow is cleared and icy conditions are treated on bus routes. If a storm occurs during the overnight hours, APS crews monitor road conditions thoroughly and provide updates to the Superintendent.
Throughout the winter season, we encourage staff to be prepared for the possibility of school delays or closures by establishing plans for alternate work arrangements and/or childcare if schools delay opening, close early, or are closed for the whole day. You can get the latest information through multiple communication channels: https://www.apsva.us/post/inclement-weather/

Check your email for an update from School Talk. In addition to the many ways APS notifies the public online and through local media, all APS staff receive a voicemail message by about 5 a.m.
• Follow us on Facebook or Twitter.
• Tune in to updates on major English or Spanish television & radio stations.
• Watch for an announcement on public access television, Verizon Channel 41 or Comcast Channel 70.
• Call our emergency hotline at 703-228-4277.
• Download our APS app to receive notification on your mobile device.

Thank you for being a partner in your child’s education.

Mary Beth Pelosky
Marybeth.pelosky@apsva.us
@NTMPrincipal @NTMKnightsAPS