IMPORTANT DATES:

November 24 & 25      Parent-teacher Conferences, Schools close 3 hours early
            November 25               Community Drum Circle
            November 26               Parent-teacher Conferences. Schools closed for students.
            November 27 *& 28     Thanksgiving Holiday. All schools and offices closed.
            December 2                  GOTTA EAT…Ledo’s Pizza, Fulton
            December 15                Interim Progress Reports issued.
            December 22                Winter Break starts.    Schools closed.
            January 5                     School starts.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING FROM OUR FAMILY TO YOURS

INTRAMURALS

Art Club                       In Progress.

Bridge                          In Progress.
Imani Club                    12/02, 1/27, 2/24, 3/24, 4/28, and 5/26.

YEARBOOK INFORMATION
ORDER FORMS WENT HOME WITH REPORT CARDS
ORDER BEFORE JANUARY 20TH, $25.00
AFTER JANUARY 20TH, $28.00

Dear Friends and Families of Lime Kiln Middle School,

Thanks to all of you who were able to visit Lime Kiln during American Education Week. We are always happy to welcome you. Next week is Parent Teacher Conference Week. Although most of the times slots are taken, our teachers are certainly available by phone or email to consult with you. The guidance department can also be very helpful in setting up conferences. Also, if you have scheduled an appointment and are unable to make it or feel it is not necessary, please delete your time or call guidance to cancel.

Thanks to our PTA moms who came in this week to reward our Honor Roll students. Mrs. Slayton arranged for all of these students to have a piece of pizza and lemonade at the end of the day. Thanks to Mrs. Slayton and her able crew!

Congratulations to the LKMS Debate Team who participated in their first debate of the year at Harper’s Choice Middle School. Many of the Howard County schools participated and Lime Kiln placed first! Thanks to Mrs. Spillman and Mrs. Roepcke for their hard work. Kudos to Deep Singh, Albert Liu, Thomas Bagley, Christina Darwish, Katherine Malanoski, Taylor Paek, Daniel Rosenberry and Payal Pubbi!

We would also like to salute 7th grader, Tiffany Kan! Her poster was selected as the First Place winner at the Middle Level in the 2008 Fair Housing Calendar Poster Contest sponsored by the Howard County Human Rights Commission. It will be prominently featured in the Commission’s 2009 Fair Housing Calendar.

We are grateful for the tremendous support this community gave the Walk for Hope. Next week, Mr. Keddell will present a check for over $5,000 to Dr. Emens of the Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center and to Chris Warner, CEO of EarthTreks and world class mountain climber.

We look forward to seeing you next week during conferences and wish everyone a very special holiday.

Sincerely,
Brenda Thomas

Our students of the week are: Judy Lee, Colin Frazier, Sydney Sanial, Ryan Lee, Christine Abraham, Gonzo Gonzales, Ellis Champion, and Stephen Bork.

News from 8th Grade English:
Mrs. Clemens English students will be using core plus time to become familiar with the type of language arts questions on the PSAT and SAT. The program is a series of six mini-lessons that will help students to become aware of what's ahead for them. The program will continue through the second and third quarter.

"SAT Question of the Day"
In lesson one of the SAT core plus program, students learned about ways to improve their scores on the PSAT and SAT. One great way is to sign up for a free service offered by the writers of the SAT, the "Question of the Day." To sign up, just go to www.collegeboard.com and click on the "SAT Question of the Day" link. You will receive a typical question with answer and explanation every day, sent to the e-mail you provide at registration.

8th Grade GT English News
GT English students are in the middle of the gothic classic, Frankenstein. They will end their study in a few weeks with a dramatic trial of Dr. Frankenstein. The charge: Victor Frankenstein is responsible for the crimes that happened in the book. Will he be found guilty or not? Watch for further news on this question!

Community Drum Circle at Lime Kiln on Tuesday, November 25, 2008 7-8:30pm in the music room.

Come celebrate with family and friends at the community drum circle. Drop in when you can. All ages are very welcome and instruments are provided. If you are coming in for conferences stop by and drum with us. Find out how you can relieve stress, find the rhythm you thought you never had, and have a great time. Drum Circles can be simply defined as "A group of people who are working together to create in- the-moment music using drums and percussion instruments." Meet in the Music Room from 7 -8:30 pm, Nellie Hill

Attention All Spellers! The Spelling Bee is upon us once again! So, be prepared to befriend your dictionary and spell the night away!

Classroom bees will take place during the month of December in your child's English classes. If you would like more information about the bee, see the website below:
http://hclibrary.org/index.php?page=15
This is the Howard County Library website.

Organization
The spelling bees will be organized in the following order:
1) Classroom Spelling Bee- 12/2008
2) LKMS School Spelling Bee- 1/14/09
3) Countywide (Howard County Library) Spelling Bee- 3/13/09
4) National Spelling Bee- May 2009 in Washington, D.C.

Participation by each school will be voluntary. Each school and homeschool association contest will determine the champion speller to be sent to the Howard County Library Spelling Bee. The champion of the Howard County Library Spelling Bee will advance to the finals in Washington, DC.

Timeline
* March 13, 2009: Howard County Library Spelling Bee at Howard High School
* May 2009: National Spelling Bee in Washington, DC

Prizes
Students - The winner of the Howard County Library Spelling Bee will receive a $1,000 scholarship. Second place winner will receive a $750 scholarship. All contestants will receive a certificate.

Mandatory Child Abuse Reporting Training for Chaperones and Volunteers
All individuals who provide services involving access to Howard County Public School System students, either through contract or volunteer services, must be trained and/or receive information in recognizing and reporting child abuse and neglect. If you plan to volunteer in a classroom or to serve as a field trip chaperone, you must complete the five-minute online child abuse training and/or receive training from our Child Abuse Liaison/School Psychologist, Karen Rakshys.

Online training may be accessed as follows:
1. Go to the Howard County Public Schools official website (http://www.hcpss.org)
2. Click on the Parent Community link
3. Click on Child Abuse Training
4. Click on the arrow to begin
5. After the training, close the window
6. Click on Certificate of Completion, print, and sign.
7. Return the completed certificate to Karen Rakshys, School Psychologist/LKMS Child Abuse Liaison

If you prefer, you may contact Karen Rakshys at 410-880-5997 or krakshys@hcpss.org to make an appointment for a brief review of the procedures.

THIS WEEK FROM THE PTA:

THE NEXT GOTTA EAT NIGHT: Mark your calendars now to come out and support the Lime Kiln PTA on Tuesday, Dec. 2nd, from 4:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Ledo Pizza @ 11845 Route 216, Fulton – phone - 301/776-5336. Ledo Pizza will donate 15% of all sales when you eat in or carryout so please bring the attached flier to ensure the proper credit. Thank you!!

HCPSS NEWS: The 2009-10 proposed calendar was presented to the Board of Education last Thursday. The calendar committee (which PTA Council had 2 representatives on) has recommended that spring break be shortened to Thursday, Friday and Monday plus a few other minor revisions. To read the report from the committee, go to Board Docs on the HCPSS website. Here is the direct link: http://www.boarddocs.com/mabe/hcpssmd/Board.nsf/Public?OpenFrameSet
The public hearing for the proposed calendar will be Dec. 11. The Board encourages public participation. Persons may pre-register and are asked to limit their testimony to three minutes. More detailed written testimony is welcomed. Participants are asked to provide 15 written copies of their testimony before or at the time of the hearing. To sign up for a public hearing, call the Board of Education Office at 410-313-7194. Or you can email the Board members at boe@hcpss.org. This is a read only avenue. Or if you wish to write the old fashion way, please send your letter to the Board Chairman and copies will be made for all Board members.

Chairman
Board of Education
Howard County Public School System
10910 Route 108
Ellicott City, MD 21042

STUDY SKILLS PROGRAM (www.stresslesstests.org)
The Stressless Tests Program is accepting registration for its fall study-skills program, which offers students an opportunity to discover their learning styles, develop self-confidence and improve classroom performance.

High school classes meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays for four sessions at Centennial High School. The next session will be Nov. 19 through Dec. 17.

Middle school classes meet from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Mondays at Burleigh Manor Middle School. Classes will be offered Nov. 24 through Dec. 15.

A sliding fee scale is available. Parents are free to choose the payment that is affordable for them: $135, $155 or $185 a session; the fee includes the Study for Success DVD.
For information or registration, please contact Betty Caldwell @ 410-740-4659, or email to betty@stresslesstests.org.