IMPORTANT DATES:

September 24              Drama Auditions, 3:15 p.m.
September 24              Michael Fowlin, Atholton High School, 7:00 p.m.
September 25              Community Drum Circle, 7:00 p.m.
            September 27              Back to School Night, 7:00 p.m.
            October 2                    PICTURE DAY
            October 5                    Progress Reports go home
            October 17                  PTA Executive Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m.
            October 19                  MSTA Convention, schools closed for students

INTRAMURAL SCHEDULE
STUDENTS MUST HAVE A SIGNED PERMISSION SLIP ON FILE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE
SIGN-UP SHEETS ARE POSTED IN THE CAFETERIA

Football                       9/27, 10/4, 10/11
Art Club                       Thursdays                    started 9/20
Soccer                         10/25; 10/30; 11/6; and 11/8
Imani Club                    10/16; 11/13; 12/11; 1/8; 2/5;/ 2/26; 4/15; 5/20 and 6/10
Coed Basketball            1/11; 1/29; 1/31 and 2/7
            Jazz Band                    Wednesdays                 starting 10/10
Please note: Intramurals are from 3:10 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Dear Friends and Families of Lime Kiln Middle School,

Please join us for Back to School Night next Thursday night from 7-9 p.m. We will hold the initial PTA general meeting to approve the annual budget. Following the general meeting, parents will be able to follow their student’s schedule to meet the teachers.
We look forward to seeing all of you!

Last year, Howard County kicked off a countywide initiative, “Choosing Civility.” The focus is how we can connect effectively with each other at home, at work, and in our daily encounters. Written by P. M. Forni, the cofounder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project, the book, Choosing Civility, offers twenty-five rules of considerate conduct. In my weekly faculty newsletter, I write a column devoted to one of the 25 rules. Below you will find the second two columns.

On September 24th at 7 p.m. at Atholton High School, Dr. Michael Fowlin will be back to perform “You Don’t Know Me Until You Know Me.” This incredibly dynamic performance deals with issues of race, discrimination, violence prevention, personal identity to name a few. I encourage you to attend.

Sincerely,
Brenda Thomas

Our students of the week are: Ben Yumkas, Natalie Tran, Alex Kim, Kate Kamischke, Josh Martin, Blake Willis, Dillon Shearer, Emily Glass and Conor Lineberry.

THE RULES OF CIVILITY

Think the Best.

“Thinking the best of others is a decent thing to do and a way of keeping a source of healthful innocence in our lives. When we approach others assuming that they are good, honest, and sensitive, we often encourage them to be just that.
In my role as a teacher, my drive & enthusiasm in the classroom owe much to my assumption that all of my students are essentially good human beings, interested in the pursuit of knowledge, and willing to work hard. Believing that they are good, I want to be good for them. I feel challenged to match their excellence. Am I deluding myself in thinking the best of them? At time, perhaps I am. But what really counts is that almost all of them will rise to the occasion, riding the tide of my trust….They will begin to become what I think they are. This is one of teachers’ greatest rewards.”
P. M. Forni, Cofounder of the Johns Hopkins Civility Project

Listen

What prevents us from doing a good job of listening is that instead of focusing on other people, we focus on ourselves and our own needs.

A colleague tells me over the phone that she went to Florida for a vacation. Instead of asking her how her vacation was, I hasten to tell her how I feel about Florida. I tell her what I like to do when I’m there and finally, I break the fascinating news that I was there two years ago, didn’t go last winter, but hope to return the next. The result: my colleague’s experience & feelings get lost completely in my self-centered rambling.

This disregard-and-proceed pattern is very common in the workplace, especially among competitive people.

Good listing has three basic components. When you are ready to listen: 1) plan your listening; 2) show that you are listening; 3) be a cooperative listener.

Community Drum Circle…Lime Kiln's monthly Community Drum circle will be starting up again on Tuesday September 25. We begin around 7pm and finish around 8:30. Instruments are provided, no experience is necessary. Come experience the joy of finding the rhythm that you didn't know you had. All ages and levels of experience are very welcome. Bring your family and friends. We meet in the music room. See you September 25th!
Nellie T. Hill, Vocal Music Director

Sixth Grade Information…Mrs. Dugan's classes have been completing a decimal unit. Please review computation with decimals as well as the quickness of all basic facts through the 9 tables. Students have been using a spiral format in math for organization. Please review all information in the spiral, especially the notes taken in class. That will greatly benefit your child. Your child should attach all math papers into their spiral for review and practice. There will be a notebook quiz next week on the organization of the spiral. Please continue to check teacherweb and teacherEase for information about the math class. Thank you for your continued support in our math program.

Ms. Peterson's classes are finishing up with their review of multiple math concepts and are ready and roaring to go with the new! Buckle your seat belts!

Mr. Baranson's science classes we are working on the unit Weather and Climate. We are also looking at the elements that go into scientific problem solving. While doing both of those we are also learning about safety in the lab and will be creating safety posters. We just completed a lab where students examined the burning times of candles compared to the amount of air it had to burn. Other than that, were not very busy!

Mr. White's science classes have been busing finishing our safety unit and are starting meteorology/weather by running a candle lab on oxygen consumption. Don't worry...no calls to the fire department!

Mr. Glaze's and Ms. Choinski's classes are off to a great start in exploring our world. Students are being introduced to maps, globes, landforms and waterforms. They will then be exposed to the concept of culture. We can't wait to have our students begin some fun projects showing what they have learned.

Ms. Mundy's classes are learning about being STRATEGIC READERS and the plan/strategies one must have in order to be a strategic reader. We've also discussed and are applying test taking strategies. We've visitied the media center and have all checked out books, gotten computer passwords, and have begun our weekly reading logs. We just completed our first vocabulary lesson and have learned about using imagery (pictures) to help us remember the meanings of words. Ask your student about it - it's a strategy that can be applied to vocabulary words in all content areas. We've also started looking at how informational text is organized in the hopes that students can learn to create their own organizers and independently take notes. The strategies taught in reading are life skills and we hope that our students will use these to improve their own comprehension in other classes.

Mrs. Rickard's English classes are putting the finishing touches on their Shades of Summer writing projects! They have been working to create intriquing leads and use imagery to enhance their descriptions. Mrs. Rickard's reading classes are putting all the reading strategies they've learned about into practice as they become active strategic readers. We've also worked on test taking strategies and practiced applying them as well!

In Mrs. Matthews' Engish class, the students have been working on writing "snapshot" moments of a favorite summer memory, and taking it through the writing process. We've also been working on proofreading and editing skills, as well as learning parts of speech.

PTA NEWS

LKMS MAGAZINE DRIVE - We are now on the 4th and final week of the magazine drive. Congratulations go to Ms. El-Baf’s homeroom class for accumulating the most sales in Week 3 and winning the Giant Snake. Competitions for the Donut Party and the Ice Cream party are very close! Keep up the great work so that we can exceed our goal of beating last year’s sales. The sales incentive for this week is The Big Roll. For every two orders you receive a coupon for one roll of the number cube where you can win up to six more coins. Please mark on your calendar that all magazine orders are due on Wednesday, September 26th. NOTE: Coins will be rewarded for all online orders that have not been given credit during the previous weeks. Our final prize day will be Friday, September 28th. Thank you for your continuing effort to support your school!

The PTA MEMBERSHIP DRIVE is underway. Want a chance to win a LeapFrog Fly Pen? They are really cool!! Join the PTA today and have your name submitted into the raffle to win one. Drawing will be at the end of October. The PTA is encouraging every mother AND father of every student to join this year. If you're waiting for Back-to-School Night -- DON'T -- turn your form and dues in today to avoid the crowd. Any questions, contact me -- Jeanne Lineberry at mjcilineb@verizon.net or call me (301) 317-1766. I look forward to seeing your name on our membership roster.

Shop, Save, Earn and Make a Difference.
Lime Kiln’s PTA has invited Neighbor Ride, a volunteer-based non-profit which provides transportation for Howard County’s older residents, to participate in its Sat., October 27th Book Fair at the Daedalus Book Warehouse on Gerwig Lane in Columbia. Volunteers from Lime Kiln and Neighbor Ride will staff a display table from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. at Daedalus to raise money and boost awareness about Neighbor Ride and its volunteer needs. 20% of sale proceeds will be donated to Lime Kiln’s PTA, which will in turn contribute one-half of the money raised to Neighbor Ride, when the coupon below is presented. Please share the coupon with friends, family members, neighbors and colleagues and encourage all to stop by and stock up on books, CDs and DVDs for the summer. Visit www.salebooks.com to check out the quality books and music available at Daedalus for up to 90% off the list price. Contact Colleen Konstanzer at konstanzer@comcast.net to volunteer at the book fair.

Lime Kiln Middle School PTA is seeking a HC DrugFree Representative:
HC DrugFree is trying to get representatives at all the middle schools this year. Most of the communication will be through email with a few meetings. For more information contact myself, Lynn Martins lynn@seibelsrestaurant.com or Laura Smit, Executive Director, HC DrugFree www.hcdrugfree.org
Tel. & Fax: 410-799-4879.

STUDENTS GET CREATIVE WITH THE 2007-2008 REFLECTIONS PROGRAM

"I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY"... is the inspiring theme for the National Reflections Program. Participating students can interpret this theme in 6 creative categories: LITERATURE, PHOTOGRAPHY, VISUAL ARTS (Example: drawing, painting, collage and printmaking), FILM/VIDEO, DANCE and MUSIC! Don't limit yourself to just 1 category! Last year we had a record breaking number of Reflections entries. Each one was unique and they were all phenomenal creative efforts. The judges for our school entries are all professionals in those fields and they were highly impressed by the efforts last year. There are 4 levels of competition where the 4 winners in each category proceed to the next level: first is your school, then county, state and finally national. Award ceremonies and certificates of participation and winner placement are given out at each level. Those dates will be announced. Along with those honors is the extra credit that your teachers give for completed entries by the deadline date. Please ask ALL your teachers whether they are giving extra credit. Simple rule/participation forms will be available in the front office along with a drop box for completed entries and forms. It is extremely important to fill out your Title and brief Artist Statement on your forms. START DATE: OCTOBER 8TH/DEADLINE: DECEMBER 10TH.

Don't hesitate to call with any questions. Be sure to visit: www.pta.org/local_leadership_subprogram_1116958614281.html for more information and to view last years winning entries. The Reflections Committee is looking forward to seeing all your creativity in interpreting the theme "I CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY"...
REFLECTIONS COMMITTEE CHAIR, Judi Neckritz
H443-535-8632 OR jneckritz @comcast.net

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!!!!!

Direct Donations - Direct Donation Letters and Envelopes came home last week and can be sent in with your child to their homeroom teacher. The PTA provides many valuable services for you and your children at Lime Kiln Middle School. To be able to provide these services, the PTA raises money throughout the school year with several different fundraisers. One alternative the PTA offers those families who do not wish to participate in fundraisers is direct donation. The PTA estimates that it spends $60.00 a year for each child on items such as helping to purchase TeacherEase, the grading program so many parents and students rely on, as well as over $10,000 worth of PTA cultural arts events such as drug and smoking awareness. Your donation is completely tax deductible and you will receive a receipt acknowledging your gift. Donations of any size are welcome, and every dollar will be used to support our students and teachers. If you have any questions, please contact Leanne Glueck, lglueck@earthlink.net, 301-604-7150.

FRIDGE NOTE – SAVE THE DATES

Tues, Oct. 2nd Seibel’s LKMS Dine for Charity

Saturday, Oct. 27th LKMS Daedalus Book Fair

Tues, Nov. 13th Cheeburger, Cheeburger “Gotta Eat” Night

Weds, Feb. 27th Three Brothers “Gotta Eat” Night

Watch for details regarding these no-pain/all gain fundraisers in upcoming Leopard’s Tale issues.

Seibels Dine for Charity
For four weeks, from September through October, Seibel’s dining customers will be given a Charity Ballot with their check. Each customer will have the opportunity to select a nonprofit organization or local school from the ballot at each visit. That organization will receive a donation equal to 5% of the amount of the guest’s check. On Tuesday, OCTOBER 2nd, a Special LKMS Night, the PTA will get 10% vs. 5% of sales from customers designating the middle school on their ballot. Be sure to stop by and enjoy a relaxing dinner while helping to raise money for the many programs supported by Lime Kiln’s PTA.

PTA Events for September and October:

SEPTEMBER

      MAGAZINE DRIVE & SPIRIT WEAR

        24    3:00 SIT Meeting
            24    3:15 Drama Auditions
27    Back to School Night

OCTOBER

              2   Gotta Eat Night ‘Seibel’s’
        17    7:00 PTA Meeting
            27   Daedalus Book Fair
            29    3:00 SIT Meeting

COMMUNITY INFORMATION

WLHS BAND PROGRAM…4th Annual Jazz Concert, Saturday, October 6, 7:30 p.m. Jim Rouse Theater @ Wilde Lake High School, 5460 Trumpeter Road, Columbia. For more information, please call 410-997-2070.

Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission…Annual Family Campfire, Friday, October 12, 6:30 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at WSSC’’s Brighton Dam Recreation Area. Please visit www.wscswater.com to register. Click “Family Campfire Event