Dolphins Splash Dolphin Splash edited by: Mao-Fen Yu, Jacqueline Ruttimann, Sudeshna Mandal and Rachael Dorfman. Layout: Victoria Scott Dear Travilah Parents, February is the month of love and luck. Both Valentines Day and Lunar New Year celebrations have just passed, but our Lunar New Year celebration is set on February 25--we are holding our Family Fun Night/PTA Board and Chairs Get Together Night the same evening at Pacifica Caf at Kentlands. Come help make it a day filled with Fortune Cookie kind of fun! In the February PTA meeting, the Travilah staffs Parent Outreach Committee presented MCPS Assessments and Tests at a Glance. This discussion helped our parents gain an insight of various tests, as well as the upcoming PARCC test (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers). Whew! Weve passed the new bylaws in January to add an NAACP seat on the board. In February meeting, we officially welcomed our NAACP Council Representative Krista Dates to join the board. I have felt truly honored to serve as the PTA president. As we have passed half of our school year, I feel lucky that I found Rachel Dorfman as my co-president. We will work together to better serve our children and community. It was such a thrill to see the students celebrating Valentines Day in their classes last week. We are very fortunate to have such a caring community in which so many parent volunteers came out to plan and support these fun-filled parties. In that same vein, we continue to be grateful for your support which has allowed the PTA to provide Promethean Boards to the music and art rooms. Additionally, with the PARCC tests approaching in March, we are pleased that your generosity allowed the PTA to provide extra Chrome Books to the school. This allows students to spend time practicing typing and practicing the format of the PARCC assessment, as well as having additional computers to use for instructional purposes in the classroom.. Hope everyone has a prosperous new year! ! ! Sincerely yours, Mao-Fen Yu & Rachel Dorfman Presidents Note February 2015 February 25WednesdayLunar New Year CelebrationYear of the LAMB! February 27FridayPlanning and GradesEarly release day K-12; students dismissed after 12:55p March 3TuesdayPTA Meeting7:00pm 8:00pm; Media Center March 6FridayMovie Night7:00pm 8:30pm; AP Room March 20FridayPTA Newsletter Distribution (Advertising Deadline 3/13/15) March 26Thursday3rd marking period ends March 27FridayPlanning and GradesNo school for students Calendar of Events PTA Board of Directors President Mao-Fen Yu Vice President for Programs Yoonie Min Co-Vice Presidents for Fundraising Rachel Dorfman and Dawn Houle Co-Vice Presidents for Services Zhen Yuan and Kimberly Euler Community Service Representative Sue Potts Secretary Ines Millard Treasurer Sonal Shah Volunteer Coordinator Jiaqiang/Johnny Ren MCCPTA Delegates George Sellers and Adela Firoozfar Wootton Cluster Rep Beth Ann Bergsmark Edell Contacts Business Outreach Lana Bleik NAACP Representative Krista Dates Travilah Happenings Coffee Talk Craving caffeine and communication? Stop by and chat up Travilahs prinicipal, Mrs. Shenk, and staff at the Principals Coffee and Conversation series. The first seminar in the Principals Coffee and Conversation series took place last Friday from 10 am to 11:30 am. The topic was Building a Robust Vocabulary. This stimulating seminar centered on the importance of vocabulary, the methods that are used at Travilah to enhance a students lexicon, and the activities parents could do at home to boost their child/childrens vocabulary. Online resources and links can be found on the parent outreach site (aka Parents/PTA) on Travilah Elementary Schools homepage, The second Coffee will occur on March 13, with the topic of Math. A third Coffee is scheduled for May 15 and will feature Technology. A Big Flip of the Dolphin Tail Goes to Many thanks to everyone who helps the PTA continue its tradition of providing thoughtful programming each and every month! This month, the PTA wishes to sincerely thank: Jill Prater for all her help in organizing and overseeing our annual Spelling Bee! What a success! Kris Sellman for updating our sign in the frigid weather! All the Room Parents for the amazing Valentines Day parties! Go Green! Travilah is a nationally- awarded Green school, our PTA newsletter will follow the footsteps. Starting from the January issue, Dolphins Splash will use the existing opt-out list for our distribution. We will stillthe digital version to everyone, but will not be distributing the paper version to those who have signed up for opt-out. If you want to sign up for opt-out, please contact Rachel Dorfman at At the February PTA meeting, Mrs. Shapiro, along with many other staff and teachers, led a discussion of the various assessments and tests given to our students at Travilah. It was an educational presentation for parents who learned about the three different MAP (Measurement of Academic Progress) tests, the criteria used to determine gifted and talented identification, and details about the new PARCC (Partnership for Assessment of Readiness for College and Careers) test. The full presentation can be found at the Travilah website,under the Parents/PTA link or by going tosting%20Info%20PTA%202014%20Parent%20Outreach%20Final.pdf. Assessments At-A-Glance Educates Parents on Testing at Travilah Next PTA Meeting March 3rd at 7 pm Media Center Childcare provided FREE Basketball Skills Clinics Alley Oop. Brick. Swish. Find out the meaning of these words and improve your basketball game by attending Wootton High Schools series of free basketball skills clinics for elementary and middle schoolers. Each Saturday for the remainder of the basketball season, from 11 am to noon, young ballers are invited to come and work out with Woottons Varsity team and staff. The focus will be on individual offensive skills development, including shooting, passing, dribbling, etc. No need to pre-register..Just show up with your sneakers and a work ethic! Checkmate: Congratulations to the Chess Team of Nathan Pak (Egan), Luke Mei (Emr), and David Chen (Oakes). They placed 4 th in Team Competition in the Greater Mid-Atlantic Scholastic Chess Championship on January 31, Great job! Travilah Chess Team The PTA is seeking an additional parent to volunteer to co-chair the school Talent Show. It is tentatively scheduled for May 7, pending finding another co-chair. If you are available to help, contact Mao-Fen Yu, PTA President, at or Kimberly Euler, co-chair atHelp Needed to Co-Chair Talent Show Have fun with your family AND support the PTA: Join in on the PTA-sponsored Family Fun Nights. Here are the remaining dates and locations for this event: March 10 - Il Porto April 27 - Potomac Pizza (Traville location) May 21 - Gemelli Italian Market and Restaurant Hope to see you and your family there! Family Fun Nights Ms. Boyer and Mr. Tilkins made an amazing card for the PTA to show their appreciation of the PTA purchasing Promethean Boards for the Art and Music rooms. Travilah Elementary School Principal Susan Shenk (left) and PTA President Mao-Fen Yu (right) showcase this card. Promethean Boards January Pictures Andy Oberst (Foley) searches Travilah's hallways and jots down 100 words for the Kindergartener's 100th Day celebration. Travilah's Media Center spread the love on Valentine's Day by handing out to students these special bookmarks. Travilah held their school-wide spelling bee on February 4, featuring 27 classroom spelling winners from Grades 3, 4, and 5. While each of the competitors displayed impressive spelling before a large crowd of their peers and parents, the ultimate winner was 5th grader Keerthi Padmanabhan. Her winning word was "indocile." Keerthi will represent Travilah when she competes in the Regional Bee on March 7 against all participating Montgomery County elementary and middle school winners. Spelling Club Teacher Wanted For PTA's after-school Spelling Club teacher, Jill Prater, is graduating from Travilah and is seeking a replacement. It's actually a very easy job as the kids are well-behaved and excited to learn. It would only require one hour after school on any day that is convenient for you. The PTA covers all your costs and reserves the classroom for you. Ms. Prater would be happy to hand off all the worksheets and descriptions of games she's used in the club as well as answer any questions and be available as a resource to you. Please contact her at if you would be interested in teaching the after-school spelling club next year. Travilah Spelling Bee Travilah PTA presents World Culture Night Travilah All Purpose Room Thursday, March 26, :00 pm 9:00 pm Consider participating in this wonderful event to experience and celebrate the colorful cultural diversity our school has to offer. It is a fun-filled event with lot of kids performances, amazing food from various countries, fellow parents, and Travilah kids dressed up in their traditional outfit you name it! Jump Rope for Heart time is here again. The event for second, third, fourth, and fifth grade will be held on Thursday, February 26. All grades will be participating. Kindergarten and first grade students will be doing their event during their PE class time in between 2/17 and 2/24. This is the first year Kindergarten and first grade have participated. Jump Rope for Heart is a national fundraiser for the American Heart Association. Last year we were able to raise over $10,000. Second-fifth grade permission slips will be due on Friday January 30 th. We ask for flat donations, and encourage students not to go door-to-door soliciting. The donation packet also explains in detail about Jump Rope for Heart and where your donation goes. Students will be placed on teams of about six jumpers. Each jump session will last one hour. Two team members jump at a time switching on the whistle every two minutes. This process continues through out the jump. The third grade will be jumping from 9:35 am-10:35 am. The fourth grade will be jumping from 10:45 am-11:45 am. The fifth graders will be jumping from 12:40 pm-1:40 pm. The second grade will be jumping from 1:55 pm- 2:55 pm. Last year we had a lot of fun! Please encourage your child to participate. Jump Rope for Heart 2015 Important reminders: Donations are due no later than Thursday, February 26. Please send them in with your son or daughter on that day or before. You can collect checks for donations or do it all online. Just go to:(Just make sure to print out your donation history report and bring that in with your donation packet).Check out this years Ducks incentive!! You do not have to have donations in order to participate. Grades 2-5 have to turn in the permission slip. Grades K and 1 dont need a permission slip because it will be during PE class. The class that has the highest percentage of students donate to at least level 1($5-$15) will win an extra PE class! If there is a tie then it will be which class raised more overall. Any student who raises over $50 will get invited to the PE Popsicle party!! The Popsicle party will be a 50-minute, super fun PE class with popsicles. Jump Rope for Heart 2015 JUMP ROPE FOR HEART 2015 THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 26 TH ITS THAT TIME OF YEAR AGAIN FOR THE KIDS TO STAY HEALTHY AND HELP OTHERS!!! WE ARE IN NEED OF VOLUNTEERS FOR THIS GREAT EVENT. PLEASESUSAN WINSON AT IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN VOLUNTEERING. TIMES: 3 rd grade 9:35-10:35 (6 volunteers) 4 th grade 10:45-11:45 (6 volunteers) 5 th grade 12:40-1:40 (6 volunteers) 2 nd grade 1:55-2:55 (6 volunteers) Friday, February 20, 2015 from 7:00 PM to 8:30 PM Ali & Bird Jewelry (Suzy Balamaci) Backyard Inflatables Bears Quilting Bejeweled by Josephine Bracelets4cancer Brit Am Soccer Academy Burke & Flinn Orthodontics Carol Noboa Champion Martial Arts Academy Corinna Shen Seven Seas Restaurant Eagle Environmental Services Ed Tripp Tennis ElanIndique Expressive Therapy Center Fleet Feet Foundry Fitness Giant Grocery Handmade by Cindi Harris Teeter Higher Level Basketball Camp Huntington Tutoring Kaiser Permanente Kentlands Lebanese Bistro Kicks Karate KOA Sports Kravitz Dentistry Lana Bleik Real Estate Lev Tomashevsky Dentistry Macaroons by Dusti Conner MADE Basketball Margaret Grimes - Babysitter/nanny Mathnasium of Rockville MD Emergency Preparedness MedImmune Meyer Fit My Water Store MyHealthyeChart.com anda Child Care Noha Nakibbaha Kikhia Vendor Thank You List Thank You! We want to send a big thank you to all of the local businesses who have supported the Travilah Elementary PTA over the past couple of years. Please consider these businesses when doing your shopping, dining out, and more! NNotepads4u Pampered Chef (Lynn Grody) Performance Baseball Camps Performance Lacrosse Potomac Horse Center Potomac Pediatrics Potomac Pizza Puntitos Rad2 Orthodontics Red Raider's Softball Richard Chang - FallsGrove Orthodontics RNSolutions Robeks Potomac Robeks Smoothies Robert J. Kelley, DDS Rodan and Fields (Diana Lee) Sababa Israeli Jewelry Sassy n Classy Scentsy Show What Is In Your Heart SPC Financial Studio 310 Sweet Frog Swirl Wine Thabet Orthodontics The Bean Bag Deli and Catering Company The Home Gurus The Princess Shoppe Thirty One Timeless Treasures by Karen TK Sports Camp Village Yoga Westleigh Recreation Club Westleigh Swim Team White Oak Pediatrics Whole Foods Woolworks Wuwei Tai Chi Yoga by Kerri Go toto get more information and see all of our enrichment flyers. Check back often for new programs and events. Become a parent volunteer and learn how to bring new enrichment programs to Travilah Elementary School.http://www.travilahpta.org ThursdayFriday Monday Chess Ongoing 9/22 5/11 Chess Tuesday Busy Bees Art K-5 2/3 3/24 3/31 5/26 Discount available Busy Bees Art K-5 Mad Science 1/27 3/17 Mad Science Learn Now Music: Violin, Drums, Flute & Clarinet Ongoing 9/18 6/4 Learn Now Music: Violin, Drums, Flute & Clarinet DEILab LEGO 2/12 4/2 DEILab LEGO Learn Now Music: Piano and Guitar Ongoing 9/26 6/5 Learn Now Music: Piano and Guitar A great way to thank our advertisers is by letting them know you saw their ad in the Travilah Dolphins Splash. We use the money from our advertisers for PTA-sponsored programs like the Back to School Picnic, Movie Night, and Staff Appreciation. So, the next time you are placing an order, signing up for a class, or making a reservation, tell our advertisers Hey, I saw you in the Travilah Dolphins Splash!. A great way to thank our advertisers is by letting them know you saw their ad in the Travilah Dolphins Splash. We use the money from our advertisers for PTA-sponsored programs like the Back to School Picnic, Movie Night, and Staff Appreciation. So, the next time you are placing an order, signing up for a class, or making a reservation, tell our advertisers Hey, I saw you in the Travilah Dolphins Splash!. Do you have a business? Would you like to see your ad in the Dolphin Splash? Contact Lana Bleik for more Experienced babysitter/nanny available to provide sitting services as needed after school, weekends and overnight in your home. Pickup from school activities also after3:00 pm. Excellent references available. Please contact Margaret Grimes-Hunt at or atExperienced babysitter/nanny available to provide sitting services as needed after school, weekends and overnight in your home. Pickup from school activities also after3:00 pm. Excellent references available. Please contact Margaret Grimes-Hunt at or at