IMPORTANT DATES:

October 9 YOM KIPPUR—Schools and offices closed.

October 17                  MSTA Convention--Schools closed for students.
November 6                 Picture Make-Up Day
November 13                Report Cards issued.
November 17 – 21         American Education Week
November 24 & 25      Parent-teacher Conferences, Schools close 3 hours early
November 26               Parent-teacher Conferences. Schools closed for students.
November 27 *& 28     Thanksgiving Holiday. All schools and offices closed.

INTRAMURALS

            Art Club                       In Progress.
            Flag Football                In Progress, through October 8th.
            Bridge                          Starts October 8, please read information below
            Imani Club                    10/28. 12/02, 1/27, 2/24, 3/24, 4/28, and 5/26.

Dear Friends and Families of Lime Kiln Middle School,

Interim reports were sent home yesterday with the students. Please check TeacherEase
for the most current and accurate information. This marks the middle of the first marking
period. The quarter ends for students on October 31st. That is only four weeks away.

Lime Kiln Middle School has been selected to participate in the 2008 Maryland Youth Tobacco Survey. Approximately 140 students have been randomly selected to take it.
It will be given on Monday, October 20th during second block and will take 30-40 minutes to complete. Permission slips will be coming home the week before the survey’s administration.

“What Moves U” kicks off on Tuesday, October 7th at 10:15 a.m. This is a joint effort by the Ravens and the American Heart Association to motivate our sixth grade students to exercise regularly. This is the second year LKMS has supported this worthwhile event.
More information will be coming home next week.

Sincerely,
Brenda Thomas

Our students of the week are: Teddy LaFemina, Chris Evans, Meridian Kenol, Victoria Timanus, Dean Drumheller, Jackson Phillips, Lauren Dankos, Ian Lineberry and Meagan Poindexter.

FROM THE PTA

Thank you to everyone who participated in the magazine fundraiser this year. It was again very successful.

The PTA extends a tremendous THANK YOU to Kelly Cidre for taking the lead again this year. Also, thank you to Sherri Tatum and Gail Poole-Vaughn who took on numerous pieces of this fundraiser to help Kelly. Of course, we cannot forget to thank all the volunteers who were there on Wednesdays to count the magazine orders and those who were in the school on Fridays to give out the well-deserved prizes. This fundraiser could not have happened without all of you. So, again, thank you so much.

This event is the largest means of funds for the year and is what makes up the majority of the budget for the PTA. We cannot fund all the programs and events without this fundraiser. Next year, the PTA is in need of a group of people to head up the magazine drive. It is not a one-person job. Having 3 or 4 people take the lead makes it much less time consuming. Please consider stepping forward to help the PTA with this. Kelly has this job very well organized and is willing to train and help with the transition. Please contact me at jeanne_lineberry@verizon.net or (301) 317-1766 if you are willing to take this on.

Jeanne Lineberry, PTA President

The PTA would like to thank Janette Wilson, Virginia Bialick and Cheryl Bowley for taking their time to review the financial records from last school year and report their findings to the Executive Board. I am happy to report the records and finances are all in order, this year’s budget has been approved by the PTA's general membership, and we are looking forward to a successful and rewarding school year.

Jeanne Lineberry, PTA President

LKMS PTA - Many thanks to all those parents and teachers who have signed up for the PTA. The early membership support has been outstanding. If you haven't signed up, please do so right away as we are less than 100 members short of our membership goal. If the chaos of the beginning of the year has left you confused about whether you signed up or not, please contact Carol Zimmerman, LKMS membership chairperson, wcrnsz@comcast.net.

Family Fun Committee - If you know how to have fun, you’re the perfect person to chair the LKMS PTA’s Family Fun Committee. The Family Fun Committee Chair (or co-chair) is a great job that comes fully staffed with nearly two dozen volunteers and has a $1,000 budget to control.

This year’s family fun event is a movie night for the whole family held outdoors with the movie shown on a gigantic movie screen.

With advice and help from your fellow members, this committee will:

Select the movie.
Figure out how to keep the committee’s decision a secret from the kids (the movie vendor swears more kids will come if we don’t announce the movie beforehand).
Decide what snacks to sell and what to charge for those snacks.
Schedule the volunteers to sell the snacks.
Account for the expenses and profits.
Act as point of contact between PTA and movie vendor (PTA has already located the company for you).

Benefits of this position include:

Getting to know other wonderful LKMS parents.
Being known as the parent who brought fun to LKMS.
It’s a finite job that’s done once and over pretty quickly.
This job does not involve any classroom visits. Perfect for those whose children complain about the embarrassment of parents being “seen” at school J

If you prefer to work as a team to lighten the workload, two or even three co-chairs can share this position.

For more information, or to volunteer, contact PTA Vice President Sheri Tatum at 301-821-5400 and home is 301-854-1582 or Statum1@verizon.net.

EASY MONEY – “Gotta Eat” ‘Fridge Note

Come out and support your Lime Kiln PTA at this year’s “Gotta Eat” nights!

Kloby’s Smokehouse (7500 Montpelier Road-Laurel-301/362-1510): Tuesday, October 21st from 4pm-8pm (10% of all sales will be donated to the Lime Kiln PTA)

Ledo Pizza (11845 Route 216-Fulton-301/776-5336): Tuesday, December 2nd from 4pm-8pm (details to follow)

Box Top$ for Education – Support Lime Kiln Middle School by clipping those box tops and dropping them in the box in the entry way near the office. Each box top is worth 10 cents so start clipping!!!!! First collection will take place in October. For more information, and even money-saving coupons, go to: http://www.boxtops4education.com

COFFEE & CONVERSATION…The Board of Education of Howard County will hold its next Coffee & Conversation on Saturday, October 11, 9:30 – 11:00 am in the Information Center at River Hill High School, 12101 Route 108 in Clarksville.

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

20th Annual Oakland Mills HS Craft Fair, Saturday November 8th from 10am-3pm...FREE ADMISSION
Over 80 vendors to shop from...jewelry, wood crafts, purses, paintings/photography, home decor, personalized items, and much more. Items are priced from $1.00 on up. Something for everyone. Get a jump on finding just the right gift for that special someone.
Delicious lunch items available from the Scorps Cafe and dessert from the home baked goods table. After you make a purchase enter a raffle to win gift certificates to "Let's Dish".

Janet Yarn
Laurel Woods ES
Technology Teacher

The Maryland Public Secondary School’s Athletic Association (MPSSAA) has opened up the 2008 Girl’s Golf Challenge Clinic to eighth grade middle school students. Eighth grade female students may only take part in the clinic portion of the girl’s golf challenge
to be held at Potomac Ridge Golf Course on October 18 at 2 p.m. All golfers shall bring a bagged set of clubs to use. Space is limited and priority will be given to high school athletes first. The attached form contains further information and an entry form to be sent to the MPSSAA office.

We ask you to please distribute this information in your jurisdiction and any questions may be directed to our office.

Sincerely,

Andy Warner
MPSSAA
Assistant Director
Phone: 410-767-0415
Fax: 410-333-3111

National Cyber Security Awareness Month - Top Ten Ways to Stay Safe Online

The Internet is supposed to make our lives better, and for most of us, that's exactly what it does. But the Internet has a dark side, and unless we take the proper precautions, this wonderful tool can end up causing us more harm than good.

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month, and it's a good time to take a hard look how our online behaviors may be putting us in harm's way.

You don't have to be a computer genius to protect yourself online and you don't have to spend a lot of money. By following a few common sense tips, you can make the most out of your Internet experience, while protecting you and your family from online threats.

1) Protect your computer: The best thing you can do to keep the bad guys out of your computer is to use three inexpensive technologies: anti-virus software, anti-spyware software and a firewall. Some security companies provide all three in one easy-to-use package.

2) Protect your identity: On the Internet, your personal data (social security number, birth date, etc.) is extremely valuable and can be used against you. Keep it protected.

3) Protect your children: Children face unique risks on the Internet, and require unique rules and safeguards. Monitor your kids' online activities closely. There are many tools available to help you protect them from online threats.

4) Stay up to date: Those security tools won't do any good unless you keep them up-to-date. You should be able to set them to update automatically. The same goes for your computer itself. It should be set to automatically install security updates.

5) Email safely. Email is a favorite tool of online crooks. Even legitimate-looking messages can be scams. Learn how to filter for "spam" and spot the signs of scam emails.

6) Protect your accounts. Choosing hard-to-guess passwords and changing them regularly can help prevent criminals from getting at your money or personal information.

7) Make copies. Regularly backing up your music, photos and other important files can save you if your computer crashes or is stolen.

8) Know your options. If something does go wrong, there are resources available to help get you back on your feet.

9) Keep informed. Subscribe to the National Cyber Alert System from the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team at www.us-cert.gov. Through the Alert System, you can receive timely information about current cyber security problems to protect home and office computers.

10) Get your School involved. Suggest or sponsor an event at your local school or University designed to increase student and staff cyber security education and awareness. Download EDUCAUSE’s cyber resource kit online at www.educause.edu.

For more information on all of these tips, including detailed guidance on how to protect your computer, your kids and your identity, visit the National Cyber Security Alliance at www.staysafeonline.org or get more information at www.OnGuardOnline.gov .