2010: Student Events at NASA

Information parents can use!

Provided by

Nesa Herring of PGCPS

2010 Green Aviation Student Competition NASA invites students to propose ideas and designs for future aircraft that use less fuel, produce fewer harmful emissions and make less noise. High school individuals or teams are asked to submit a well-documented paper and a short video. Top-scoring video entries may be aired on NASA Web sites, and students may win a trip to an aviation event. Entrants must be full-time students at accredited secondary institutions. Entries must be submitted by May 1, 2010, or Dec. 15, 2010.

Space Day 2010 Space Day takes place on May 7, 2010, and events are planned nationwide to celebrate. The fun continues on May 8, 2010, with the Space Day Family Day event taking place in Washington, D.C. Space Day promotes mathematics, science, technology and engineering education by nurturing young peoples' enthusiasm for the wonders of the universe and inspiring them to continue the stellar work of today's space explorers.

Free Lecture -- Phoenix's Arctic Adventure For five months in 2008, the Phoenix spacecraft studied a northern arctic plain of Mars to understand the history of water in the planet's polar regions. On June 3, 2010, Peter Smith of the University of Arizona will discuss what Phoenix taught us about water, climate cycles and habitability on Mars. The lecture begins at 8 p.m. at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Come early for a Meet the Lecturer question and answer. The lecture will be webcast live.

Hubble 3D Movie Blasts into IMAX® and IMAX® 3D Theatres Take the ultimate field trip! Through the power of IMAX® 3-D, journey through distant galaxies to explore the mysteries of our celestial surroundings, accompany space-walking astronauts as they attempt the most difficult tasks in NASA history, and experience never-before-seen 3-D flights through Hubble imagery. Classroom activities inspired by the film are available for downloading. Exclusive IMAX engagements began on March 19, 2010.

Hitch a Ride on the Glory Satellite Do you want to hitch a ride on NASA's next climate monitoring satellite? Join the Glory mission, which will launch no earlier than Oct. 1, 2010, by surfing over to the Send Your Name Around the Earth Web page. Names will be recorded on a microchip built into the satellite, and you will get a printable certificate from NASA acknowledging your participation. There are already 226,323 names on the chip, but there's still plenty of room. You may not submit your name more than once.

Send Your Name to Mars NASA invites you to submit your name to be included on a microchip that will be sent to Mars as part of NASA's Mars Science Laboratory mission, scheduled to launch in 2011. The Mars Science Laboratory is a rover that will assess whether Mars ever was, or still is, an environment able to support microbial life. Participants can print a certificate of participation and view a map showing where other contributors are from.

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From Earth to the Universe" Exhibit "From Earth to the Universe" is a collection of astronomical images that showcase the most dramatic views of the universe. The images represent the incredible variety of astronomical objects that are known to exist -- planets, comets, stars, nebulae, galaxies and the clusters in which they congregate -- and are being exhibited in over 250 locations throughout the world in 2009 and 2010. Over 60 countries are scheduled to host a FETTU exhibit.

Student Opportunity: Odyssey of the Mind The Earth Observing System Project Science Office is sponsoring an Odyssey of the Mind Long-Term Problem -- Earth Trek. Teams will design and build a small vehicle that will visit four locations. Each time it leaves a location, the vehicle will look different. After leaving one of the locations, it will appear to be a group of vehicles traveling together. The team's performance will incorporate the visits to the locations, the environments and the changes in appearance of the vehicle.

An EduSocial Network for the Engaged Parent and Dedicated Educator

If you are an engaged parent who aspires to be active in the academic lives of their children and would like to connect with other parents who have a similar affinity please consider joining our Parents and PGCPS Network. The network is an EduSocial Network for the Engaged Parent and Dedicated Educator where there is discussion around the issues relating to parents.

To join follow the link below:

http://parentsandpgcps.ning.com/

The Prince Georges County Parents' and Teachers Association (PGCPTA) Council

The Prince Georges County Parents' and Teachers Association (PGCPTA) Council, is extending an invitation to all parent leaders PTA/PTSA/PTO as well as your general membership and parents to attend the General Membership Meeting of the Prince Georges' County Parent and Teachers Association Council, Inc. on Tuesday, April 27 at 7:00 pm at Largo High School 505 Largo Rd, Upper Marlboro, MD 20772.

It is time for PGCPS and the community to work together to address and resolve critical issues affecting the educational environment of our students. We look forward to having you join us in this endeavor.

Look forward to seeing you!

Motto - “Keeping Our Eyes On the Prize – Our Youth”.

PGCPTA Council members contact information:

Theresa Saunders, President – pgcptac.pres@gmail.com
Carmen Braxton,1st VP - pgcptac.1stvp@gmail.com
Michael Sedgwick, 2nd VP - pgcptac.2ndvp@gmail.com
Rhonda Chandler, Recording Secretary - pgcptac.recsec@gmail.com
Latisha Corey, Corresponding Secretary - pgcptac.corrsec@gmail.com
Felton Magee, Treasurer - pgcptac.treas@gmail.com

Email us - princegeorges@MDPTA.org

Please visit us at http://groups.google.com/group/pgcptac

Sincerely,
Theresa Saunders, President
PGCPTA Council, Inc.

Opening doors with language

Prince George's County Public Schools' Parent Liaison Sandra Butler and members of DuVal High School are supporting the needs of their community through the development of English classes. The classes are designed to help county's Spanish-speaking residents. According to Liz Skalski of the Prince George's Gazette, "The classes began Monday and will be held for one hour every week through June 14 for Spanish-speaking adults who live in the Lanham area to increase their ability to speak, read and write English. The classes, which are taught in English and follow a textbook curriculum, are organized and taught by three members of the Spanish ministry at First Baptist Church of Glenarden in Upper Marlboro. A member of the school's Parent Teacher Student Association attends the church."

To read more on this story click on Liz Skalski.

PGCPS Teacher of the Month: Marsha Forney

Background: Ms. Forney, a native of North Carolina, received her B.A. degree in Mathematics from North Carolina Central University in Durham, North Carolina. She received a M.A. degree in Mathematics from Morgan State University. Ms. Forney has taught for 21 years, of which 13 have been with Prince George’s County Public Schools. Currently, she is a mathematics teacher at Largo High School.

Accomplishments: Ms. Forney serves as the Mathematics Teacher Coordinator. She is a member of the School Planning Management Team. She is a second year participant in the FIRST Grant, and serves on the Evaluation Committee. She was a resident student of the Governor’s Academy held at Towson University.

Principal’s Message: Ms. Forney is a phenomenal educator. She is dedicated to her students and department setting high expectations for all. I have never been more impressed with an instructor’s ability to challenge, instruct, motivate an inspire students the way Ms. Forney does on a daily basis. Ms. Forney has created a classroom community of high expectations; her students know what is expected of them and they deliver every time because they want to make her proud. The staff and students of Largo admire Ms. Forney because she goes above and beyond the call of duty, assisting students, staff, and parents. She is staff member of integrity, her actions speak louder than her words and she cares about what is good for students and the Largo community.

Why I Love Teaching: As early as my high school years, I knew that I wanted to become a teacher. I have an unyielding desire to always want to help. If I can share with others what I have learned or experienced while fulfilling my dream, then I have accomplished my goal. Teaching affords me the opportunity to assist young people into becoming productive citizens. I feel rewarded when I can facilitate learning in an environment that allows children to expand their knowledge base by acquiring the requisite skills for success in future endeavors. I teach because I am sure it is my calling.

PTO: Today's Parent Group of the Year

PTO Today's Parent Group of the Year Contest is an opportunity to showcase your hard workwhile giving your school the chance to win cash and prizes.Maximum Award: $3,000, plus 60 cases of personalized fundraising chocolate ($3,000 value)from World's Finest Chocolate.Eligibility: all parent groups -- PTO, PTA, HSA, PTC, etc.; public and private schools; rural,suburban, and urban schools.Deadline: June 1, 2010.http://www.ptotoday.com/pgy/

Scholar of the Week: Parkdale High School Senior So Mang

Quick Facts Grade: 12GPA: Current 4.85 , Cumulative 4.47

Academics: International Baccalaureate Program

Extra curricular Activities: National Honor Society, Asian Club, Mock Trial, Softball, 4.0 Club, Orchestra, and Youth Group at University Bible Fellowship - She has over 200 hours of Community Service.

Future Goals: So has applied to Dartmouth College, Amherst College, Harvard Univeristy and Princeton University. She has already been accepted to University of Maryland College Park Honors College. She is interested in pursuing a medical degree.

Interesting Notes: So has scored over 2000 on her SAT exam. She is an accomplished violinist. She has played many solo performances at past graduations. She will also be competing for her Black Belt in Tae Kwon Do this summer.

Board of Education Invites Community To Discuss Public Education

District 1 Board Community Meeting - Tuesday May 4, 2010 at 7pm

Prince George’s County Board of Education Member Rosalind A. Johnson will host a community meeting at Eleanor Roosevelt High School - Tuesday May 4, 7pm. The public is encouraged to join District 1 Board Member Johnson, her colleagues on the Board of Education, elected officials, and community leaders for an open discussion on issues in public education. Spanish translation will be available at all meetings. For more information, please contact the Board Office at 301-952-6115.

Dad's involvement helps kid in school

Source:

THE TIMES OF INDIA

A father, who changes his baby's diapers and keeps a check on the child's day to day activities, is more likely to be more involved in the kid's school years as well, according to a University of Illinois study . The study explores the role of parent involvement on student achievement. "If we want fathers to be involved in school, we need to focus on men building close, loving relationships with their children in the preschool years.

When fathers do this, they're writing a script that says they’re involved in their child’s life, and their expectation is that they’ll go on being involved in that child’s life," said Brent McBride, a professor of Human Development. He focussed on affection as an example of early parent involvement. "That can be as simple as a father winking at his three-year-old child.
If you, as a dad, develop an affectionate way of interacting with your preschooler, later when your child comes home and tells you what he’s done in school that day, the warm, close relationship you’ve built will allow him to approach you with trust, and it will allow you to respond to your child’s enthusiasm or frustration in a positive way," he said. ‘ He added: "If fathers wait to seek a closer relationship with their child until later in the child's life, the moment has passed."

The study was conducted on 390 children and their families from the Child Development Supplement data set of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. When the children were two to five years old, the researchers measured five early parenting behaviours in both parents. The behavioural characteristics were-parent-child household-centred activities, parent-child child-centred activities (for example, reading to kids), parental limit setting, responsibility (such as making doctor’s appointments), and demonstrating affection. Later, they assessed mothers'' and fathers'' involvement in school and the children’s student achievement.

The study showed that the paths are different for mothers and fathers, and it is believed that parents and teachers should acknowledge that and build on these differences. For example, although mothers’ involvement in school-related activities was positively associated with student achievement, fathers'' involvement in such activities had a negative correlation with academic success. "But this occurs because fathers who have established a pattern of being involved early in a child's life are more likely to step in at school (for example, in formal conferences and interaction with teachers) when their child is struggling in the school setting," he said.

However, he explained that parental roles are not scripted for men as they are for women, and expectations aren't as clear-cut, saying: "As long as a father is providing for his children, he's usually considered a good father." "And, although we’re trying to encourage fathers to become more engaged in parenting than they have been, I don’t believe the institutional mechanisms are in place to help that engagement along. Child-care providers and teachers aren’t trained to approach fathers to help them become more involved as parents," he said. He believes the best way to make these changes is to work with child-care providers and educators, so that they broaden their definition of parent to mean more than mothers.

Glenn Dale Elementary's 2nd Annual "W.o.R.M."

Get out your walkin' shoes and check the air in those tires!

Glenn Dale's Walk-or-Ride Marathon is this Saturday, the 24th from 8am to 11am. The 3.5-mile walk will start at the Glenn Dale Community Center (11901 Glenn Dale Blvd) and go along the WB&A Trail.

*Children may ride their bikes, but MUST wear a helmet.

8:00am — On-site Registration beginsYou can also participate in the warm-up session hosted by A-Plus Academy Taekwondo!8:15am — Walk / Ride begins

On-site Registration: $5.00 / person
• Snacks & gift bag for each participant (*while supplies last)
• Health information

• Games & prizes

Funds raised through this program will be used toward after-school enrichment programs at Glenn Dale Elementary. This activity is sponsored by the Glenn Dale Elementary PTA