The Fourth Grade students at this MCPS school visit historic St. Mary’s City to enhance their knowledge of the history of Maryland, just as our own Fourth Grade students do each year. This is in accordance with the MCPS social studies curriculum. However, the cost of the trip per student is often more than families can contribute. Teachers coordinate fundraisers in the spring and donate money, themselves. In the spring of 2011, we agreed to pay for the two buses needed for the trip, dramatically reducing the cost to the students and teachers. As a result, one Fourth Grade teacher reported that this was the first time that every student participated: “I can’t help but be overwhelmed with gratitude for your generous grant. For the first time, we had all permission slips turned in and we did not have to worry about students who could not afford the trip. Everyone was able to experience Historic St. Mary’s City! Thanks again for giving them the opportunity to experience what they have been learning about in reading, writing and social studies. What a gift!” — Shelly Horton Niverth
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Annual Spring Party
What a night!
By any measure, the Spring Party held Saturday, May 7th was a success. More than 100 guests enjoyed delicious food, cold drinks, and the company of friends. The weather stayed dry, permitting everyone to enjoy the evening outside, on the patio of hosts Stacy Winick and Steven Guttentag. Guests happily lingered until after dark. Most importantly, the evening raised almost $16,000 for the Somerset Foundation, through ticket sales, additional donations, and auction. This money will go far to support the Foundation’s many programs and purchases, and helped us reach our fundraising target for the year. With the County Council budget cuts even deeper than expected, there will surely be an impact on Somerset. It is our goal to support Ms. Morris in her efforts to mitigate that impact, and after this successful fundraising event we feel confident in our ability to do so.
Kelly Morris, Amy Shapiro, and the teachers donating their time through the auction need to be both thanked and congratulated for raising $12,000! The Party committee was overwhelmed by their generosity as we planned the event, and then amazed by the generosity of the many bidders who participated.
What a great night, what a great community. Thank you, everyone!
AUCTION RECAP: click here for an updated list of items — there were many wonderful opportunities for your child and friends to do something special with teachers they love! There will be even more exciting choices next year, so stay tuned, and see you then!
Directors approve almost $9000 in grants
Spring 2011: Directors approve almost $9000 in grants to support education at Somerset and another MCPS school, to mitigate impact of budget cuts.
Donating to the Foundation More Important Now Than Ever
A recent front-page TIN article on proposed MCPS school budgets cuts could not have been more clear: This is a very tough time for the county and for our schools.
Montgomery County Executive Isaiah Leggett has proposed over $80 million dollars in cuts to schools, and the school board will be debating the budget at hearings in April. According to Board of Ed president Charles Barclay, “The budget, as proposed by the County Executive, will lead to higher class sizes, staff cuts and other reductions that will affect every classroom in Montgomery County Public Schools.”
The Foundation was started in 1994, at a time when county budget cutbacks also threatened the quality of our children’s education. The Foundation is prohibited from paying for additional teachers, so it cannot reduce class sizes, but it can and does provide critical support for the children of Somerset – and for children in less-advantaged MCPS schools as well.
At the Foundation meeting on March 22, board members voted to support the following three grants, all of which support its mission of academic enrichment, capital improvements, and community outreach:
*A $5000 grant to update the fiction book collection that is used for guided reading groups in kindergarten through third grade. The original collection is 15 years old, incomplete, outdated and insufficient for our increased enrollment.
*$1355.20 for teacher professional development, teachers in all grade levels will learn how to implement a vocabulary curriculum that improves students’ reading comprehension.
*$2600 to underwrite the costs of the Viers Mill Elementary School 4th grade field trip to Historic St. Mary’s. This is the same field trip that our own 4th-graders take, but at Viers Mill, a school which is challenged economically, this trip would not be possible this year without our support. It is difficult for parents to afford the entire cost of the trip (approximately $40 per child) and PTA resources are similarly stretched. Teachers end up sponsoring children.
This year, the Foundation has also supported Family Learning Nights at New Hampshire Estates Elementary School in Silver Spring as well as their Saturday field trip program. The Board also approved a grant to underwrite the costs of the guided reading non-fiction collection here at Somerset, and, together with the Somerset PTA, underwrote the cost of the activity bus that takes the children home after the tutoring clubs. (The county no longer provided this service.)
All of these requests for funding came through our teachers and principal, and all of the money to furnish these grants came from Somerset families, alumni, and friends.
This is a challenging time for all MCPS schools, and we are fortunate to have such an engaged and generous parent community. Thank you.
Guided Reading Books, Non-Fiction
In the Fall of 2010, the directors agreed to provide funds to purchase non-fiction leveled books for guided reading groups in all grades.
The focus of these reading groups will be to increase reading vocabulary, increase oral vocabulary, and improve comprehension as measured by written responses (brief constructed responses, or BCRs). These new materials will give teachers and paraeducators working with reading groups a larger collection from which to offer students guided texts.
Research shows that reading non-fiction text increases students vocabulary which then increases comprehension. Teachers and paraeducators will use these materials to reinforce comprehension through the use of text features. Students will practice constructing brief responses after reading these texts, as a way to both improve and measure comprehension.
Sandra Kalavritinos, Reading Specialist and Test Coordinator, submitted this proposal. She will coordinate the selection and distribution of the new books that will be housed in the Primary Bookroom on the first floor.