Volume No. 3 Issue No.7
April 2008
President
Remarks
What has the PTA done for
Bellows Spring during the 3rd quarter of this school year?
If you volunteered to help
with any of the above events or programs, THANK YOU! Without you these events
& programs would not have run as smoothly. We still have more to accomplish
this year! Contact me at beachgirl1227@verizon.net to let me
know how you would like to help.
We are still looking for
volunteers for Teacher Appreciation Week (held the week of May 5th-9th).
Much time and energy goes into making this week long event special for the
staff. If you are willing to help,
even for an hour, please contact Jeanette Haupt at jrhaupt@comcast.net or Karen Broughton at
kbroughton6@comcast.net.
Lastly, planning for next
year continues. We still need committee chairs (or co-chairs) for Fall Festival
and International Night. Committee members are needed for just about every
committee. Find something that interests you and make the commitment NOW to
become more involved. Your child and all the other children at Bellows Spring
will benefit from your involvement!
Laurie Lerman
PTA President
The Bellows Spring PTA Executive Board is looking for
energetic, creative, positive people to serve on the 2008-2009 PTA Executive
Board and contribute to the continued success of our school.
The following positions will be on the ballot:
Elected positions are held for one year. Position descriptions are available in the
school office.
Nominate yourself or someone else no later than April
25th. (If you nominate
someone else, he/she must agree to the nomination.) The nomination forms are
available in the school office. A
slate of officers will be posted no later than May 2nd; voting will
take place at the Enrichment Fair on May 14th. If you have questions, please contact
Melissa Dimrock at lissa1173@aol.com.
MSDE's AskUsNow! Program Celebrates Five Years of Helping
to Answer Thousands of Questions.
The Maryland State Department of Education's Division
of Library Development and Services along with Maryland libraries celebrated
the fifth anniversary of AskUsNow!.
The unusual service has answered more than 230,000 questions, from the
serious to the wacky, since it was launched in 2003.
Maryland's AskUsNow! is one of the first of its kind
in the nation, implementing a 24-hour online answer service that has become a
model for many other libraries and state projects nationwide.
AskUsNow! offers free online service that provides
answers to questions, research guidance, and help in navigating the Internet
24/7. Trained librarians have answered questions like:
Would a refrigerator work in outer space?
It
seems a refrigerator has been patented for use on the space shuttle. (http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2001/12/011210072013.htm)
Why is
the sky blue?
The blue color of the sky is due to Rayleigh scattering. As light moves
through the atmosphere, most of the longer wavelengths pass straight through.
Little of the red, orange, and yellow light is affected by the air; however,
much of the shorter wavelength light is absorbed by gas molecules. The absorbed
blue light is then radiated in different directions and gets scattered all
around the sky. Since you see the blue light from everywhere overhead, the sky looks
blue.
(http://www.sciencemadesimple.com/sky_blue.html)
How many licks does it take to get to the center of a
Tootsie Pop?
While the answer varies, according
to one experiment the average licks to the center were 252.
(http://www.tootsie.com/memoriesLicksMachine.html)
The librarians have found that the top requested
information involves how to set up and carry out science projects, as well as
inquiries related to history, literature, math, and art/music.
AskUsNow! has been recognized by the U.S. Department
of Education's Virtual Reference Desk Project as an outstanding online
information service. This project is funded by the Institute of Museum and Library
Services, Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grant funds, through the
Maryland State Department of Education's Division of Library Development and
Services. The services are
provided by partner libraries.
AskUsNow! is accessed through the website www.askusnow.info,
or by selecting the bright yellow AskUsNow! icon on partner library web sites.
For more information visit the Maryland State Department of Education's website
at www.marylandpublicschools.org.
Shake off the winter
doldrums, take advantage of the warmer weather, and ease your whole family back
into a regular exercise routine.
Remember, consistency in exercising is more important
than intensity.
Mark Your Calendar at
BSES
Bellows
Spring PTA publishes PTA News
Tell us what you think. Have recommendations on newsletter topics? Email Julie Stokes at jstokes@rwd.com
*A special thank you to
Hubbard Funeral Home, Inc. for sponsoring this newsletter.*