Principal’s Notes from Nottingham – November 15, 2017

Right education should help the student, not only to develop his capacities, but to understand his own highest interest.
– J. Krishnamurti

Dear Parents/Guardians,

Arlington Public Schools issued the following news release:
Acceptable Use Policy (Technology/1:1 Device) Community Discussion
Community Can Provide Input In-Person and Online from Nov. 15-Dec. 1
APS is hosting a community discussion on the Acceptable Use Policy (Technology/1:1 Device) today Wed, Nov. 15 from 7-9 p.m., at Washington-Lee High School.
https://www.apsva.us/post/acceptable-use-policy-technology11-device-community-discussion-nov-15/

Bluegrass & Boots
I look forward to seeing staff and parents/guardians at the Nottingham Fall Social & Auction this Saturday, November 18th at the Knights of Columbus. Kudos and thanks to co-chairs of the event, Daniele Herndon and Meredith Chistolini as well as Lauren Conklin, chair of the Auction Committee. They have been dedicating countless hours to ensure a good time had by all! I’ve enjoyed following our teachers’ Twitter feeds to see the creativity of their auction pieces. This week, our fifth graders have been wearing ties in honor of our Harry Potter themed auction items. I’m not sure who is more interested in those items, our Knights or their parents/ guardians.

Treats for Troops
Kudos to all Knights, but especially to members of our Nottingham SCA, who led the collection of donated Halloween candy for “Treats for Troops!” Tuesday, Nov. 6, I joined SCA members, and SCA Co-Chairs Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Zipfel as they had fun and worked collaboratively to sort and box the candy. We were glad to have a member of the US Coast Guard, NTM dad, Mr. Mauger join the group.
Notes of appreciation were tucked inside the boxes which at final count totaled 21 boxes of candy! Thanks to Mrs. Moore and Mrs. Zipfel who delivered our “Treats for Troops” to Mr. Chris Duffley, Director of Service to the Armed Forces at the American Red Cross in Fairfax. He was impressed with the amount of treats collected as well as the effort and service of our SCA members. He shared that he was, “Happy to deliver these treats to our troops.”

Elementary Honors Chorus Auditions:
Kudos to our musically inclined Knights! The following Knights were selected amongst close to 200 students that auditioned for the Elementary Honors Chorus this year.
Ajay A.
Lola G.
Polina H.
Meredith L.
Libby S.

Lost and Found
Please encourage your child to take a moment to look through the Lost and Found items in the hallway near the library this week. We will be donating unclaimed items on November 21st to a local shelter.

Teacher of Year (TOY)
It is that time of year again when we call for nominations to select Nottingham’s 2018 Teacher of the Year! Nottingham’s nominee will then be placed in contention to be selected as Arlington’s Teacher of the Year.

Attached to this APS Talk you will find a copy of the Nottingham Teacher of the Year Nomination Form. If you wish to nominate a teacher for this honor, complete the form and return it to Nottingham via Mardi Moorman no later than Monday, November 27. She can be reached at 703-228-8339 or email: mardi.moorman@apsva.us. Our instructional lead teachers serve as the nominating/selection committee. Together they will review the nominations and select one candidate. All qualifications listed in the Department of Education official document will be considered during the voting process.

Qualifications of Nominees
• Individuals who are planning to retire at the end of the current school year are not eligible.
• Teachers, librarians, guidance counselors, reading specialists or technology specialists who transfer to administrative or supervisory positions for the next school year are not eligible.
• A person cannot nominate himself/herself.
• Nominees must have three consecutive years of successful, full-time experience in the Arlington Public Schools in one of the eligible categories (teacher, librarian, guidance counselor, reading specialist or technology specialist) by the end of the 2016-17 school year.
• Nominees must be on full-time active duty teaching status during the entire 2017-18 school year.
• Nominees should be strong participants in their own schools’ activities.
• Forms, supporting statements, and letters of support should be typed or word-processed; essays should be double-spaced.
• All forms and other documents must be free of borders and artistic embellishments.

Our timeline calls for a quick turn-around to submit nominations for consideration. The Nomination Committee will meet and vote to select our TOY at the November 30th Lead Teacher’s meeting. Stacy Rosenthal, as the PTA President, will serve as the community member on the selection committee. We look forward to sharing the announcement of Nottingham’s 2018 Teacher of the Year.

See you Saturday evening. I’m looking forward to a great reason to wear my cowboy boots and kick up my heels!

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

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