Family Science Night Fun!

There was a great turnout at Terraset's Family Science Night on Thursday, May 7th. The Children's Science Center brought its Museum Without Walls Mobile Lab to Terraset. With over 15 exploratory stations, Terraset students enjoyed some hands-on science thanks to a number of volunteers— coordinated by Mrs. Standiford, Terraset's Advanced Academics Resource Teacher— from both the school and the Children's Science Center. A big thanks to Metaswitch Networks! Their sponsorship AND volunteer help contributed to a very successful night.

Mrs. Standiford, Terraset's Advanced
Academics Resource Teacher, Coordinated
Family Science Night. She was supported by
many Terraset teachers!

Joe Weeden, Senior Director with Metaswitch Networks, explains 
Bernoulli's principle and the aerodynamics of uplift.

Big crowd enjoys the science and the chance to
catchup with each other

First grader, Noah D., demonstrates his determination by
engineering an impressive structure.

Eric Johnson shows his fifth grade daughter, Darcy, his style
with his high-tech paper plane. It flew through three hoops!

Ms Childers helps third grader, Lachlan W., set up
his investigation.

Third grader Gigi C-G. predicts the outcome of an experiement.
Pictured with her mom, Katie Guy.

Katie F. and Elizabeth A., sixth graders, accept the challenge
to make something round from something straight!




Fifth grader Finn W. and third grader, Keegan P.
test the forces of gravity



Fourth grader, Zach M., works on engineering his tower.

Metaswitch Networks Support STEM at Terraset ES

Reston, VA - April 8, 2015. Metaswitch Networks, a leading network software provider, is reaching out to collaborate with some much younger partners. Metaswitch Networks has over 30 years’ experience in providing high performance software to the communications industry. They know firsthand the importance of developing responsive and adaptive solutions to problems and want to support a new generation of thinkers in this challenge.

 “We want to make a difference in our immediate community” said Joe Weeden, Senior Director of Metaswitch Networks. “Many of us live locally and will have— if we don’t already— children at Terraset Elementary School. This seemed like the right place to start.” So, Weeden began to reach out. He spoke with teachers, parents and of course Terraset Principal, Lindsay Trout, to learn more about how he and his team could help within the school. Metaswitch did not just want to throw money at a problem, they wanted to be involved in the community by volunteering their expertise. At the same time, Terraset teachers were looking for ways to enhance their students’ experience of technology and engineering in the classroom. “This relationship [with Metaswitch Networks] will not only help fund more STEM based activities at Terraset, but will bring real world experience into our students’ classrooms!” Trout explained.

Mr. Shriman Gurung, Senior Director Solution Engineering,
Metaswitch Networks, explains the Engineering Design
Process to third grade students at Terraset ES.

STEM – science, technology, engineering and mathematics – teaches thinking that promotes creativity and collaborative problem solving. While science and math are long standing components of an elementary school curriculum, the STEM approach encourages cross-curriculum studies to include effective communication and even public speaking. This was best evidenced recently by one of the early collaborative efforts between Metaswitch and Terraset. A Project Based Learning activity, in which Mr. Shriman Gurung, Senior Director Solution Engineering, Metaswitch Networks, introduced third grade students to the process of solving problems through engineering. Working with Diane Standiford, the Advanced Academics Resource Teacher at Terraset, and third grade teachers, the activity culminated in an Invention Convention where students presented models of machines they designed to solve problems they had identified in various Fairy Tales.

Other ways in which Metaswitch Networks will support Terraset’s STEM programs include: funding the Family Science Night to be held on May 7th when the Children’s Science Museum will bring their Mobile Science Lab to the school and Metaswitch personnel will join volunteers in demonstrating various science stations; supporting Terraset’s Tiger Math Club by providing end-of-year awards this year and volunteering at monthly club meetings next year; also, Metaswitch engineers have volunteered to offer ad-hoc lessons at a teacher's request.

Importantly, Metaswitch is working with Terraset staff to introduce an ongoing STEM program at Terraset to supplement current math and science curriculum. “We are on board with these excellent and exciting ideas” Trout told us. On hearing about the Metaswitch donations, Traci Waller, a Terraset parent said “This is tremendous! We are truly grateful and know the school will put it to great use.”

The Invention Convention

A group of 8-9 year olds sit waiting for their turn. They quietly listen as the previous class finish their presentations. They have been working towards this day for months... thinking, sharing, collaborating, building. They were presented with a challenge. "Can you build a machine to solve a problem?" They did!

On Thursday, March 26th, Mrs. Asbury's and Ms Childers' 3rd graders shared the culmination of months of hard work at Terraset's first Invention Convention. They had been working with their
classroom teachers, along with Mrs. Standiford (Terraset's Advanced Academics Resource Teacher) to solve a problem... to build a machine that would help a fairy tale character at the time of their greatest need! How can we help the Billy Goats Gruff cross that bridge? What can we use to get Jack (aka the Marquis of Carabas in the Puss-in-Boots story) out of the water? Early examples they created were: a get-a-way vehicle using wheels and axles to help the Three Little Pigs; a pulley to rescue Rapunzel; and a screw (Alchimedes Screw) to protect and help Jack and the Beanstalk. Working in teams, the students selected a fairy tale, analyzed the problem and designed a complex machine that would help one of the characters in the story.

Principal Trout listens as Eva
demonstrates her team's invention

This project-based challenge led the students to learn across the curriculum drawing on their abilities to comprehend a story, identify and analyze a problem, think critically about possible solutions, apply their understanding of simple machines, work towards a shared vision, collaborate in designing and constructing their machine, write about their work using both technical writing to note design features and persuasive writing to create a brochure about their product, then finally use their public speaking skills to present their inventions to other students, staff and parents. This combination of language arts, science and engineering served to ensure a multifaceted understanding of a real world problem - albeit the world of fairy tales!

Mr. Shriman Gurung, Senior Director Solution Engineering
with Metaswitch Networks in Reston, explains the
Engineering Design Process

A guest speaker, Mr. Shriman Gurung, Senior Director Solution Engineering with Metaswitch Networks in Reston, explained the Engineering Design Process: identify and define a problem; brainstorm a solution; plan and develop a prototype; test it; improve it! The students used this cycle during their final project.  They recorded and reflected upon their ideas and the creative process using their Inventor's Journals, and used predominantly recyclable materials and craft supplies to construct their inventions.

The convention saw all the students presenting their inventions, answering questions, and glowing with pride as they demonstrated their models of the machines they devised.

A Day in the Life of a WatchDOG

"Your WatchDOGS' day is amazing from the start.  It begins with your very own RESERVED PARKING SPACE when you arrive to HIGH-FIVING KIDS with PrincipalTrout or Assistant Principal Hunstad as buses arrive for the day, to a SPECIAL GUEST APPEARANCE on WTER TV with your child - WatchDOGS Dad's Rule The School." (www.terrasetwatchdogs.com)

It's true... WatchDOGS rule the school! The children get so excited to see any of the "Dads of Great Students" (DOGS) as they roam the hallways. WatchDOGS are fathers, grandfathers, uncles, and other father figures who volunteer for at least one day each school year. During the day, WatchDOGS may read with students, work on flash cards with the kids, play at recess, eat lunch with their child, watch the school entrances and hallways, assist with traffic flow, mentor students, or perform any other assigned activities. They actively engage with not only their child(ren), but other students as well.  

The WatchDOGS program was launched at Terraset in 2012 and has grown from strength to strength each year. The WatchDOGS Hall of Fame now has over 85 photos to salute each visit. We thought you may like to see how our WatchDOGS spend their day... just in case you are thinking about signing up!

On Wednesday, December 17th, 2014, Brian Blase was one of Terraset's WatchDOGS for the day. Here is some insight into his Day.

Brian got to spend some time with his son, Spencer,
in the classroom. Here they are in a music lesson!

Time to help the office staff! Mail deliveries
to all the teachers.

Lunch time! All the kids want to sit next to the
WatchDOG!

Quick moment of quiet in the library... time to
catch up on "real job" email.

O-oh.. sore head! Escort a student to the clinic
for an ice-pack.

Time for PE. First stop, information station for
safety tips from Mr. Costello.

WatchDOGS are a welcome sight in the
hallways. Brian is preparing for his next
round of "hi-fiving".

What a blast to be able to do the monkey bars... with a little
bit of help from one of our WatchDOGS.

This is how you do it Dad!

Bye Spencer's Dad! thanks for coming!

Ideas for Non-Perishable Grocery Donations

With Terraset SCA and Community Services Committee Canned Food Drive on November 10-14, it seems timely to think about what items may be suitable to donate. Here are some ideas!

DRY GOODS: Rice (white and brown) Potatoes Macaroni & Cheese Noodles and Rice Mixes Pasta Powdered milk Soup mixes Beans (dry) Coffee Tea Flour Corn meal Sugar Cereal (hot & cold) Cookies Crackers Mixed nuts CANNED ITEMS (avoid glass please): Large #10 cans as well as single serving sizes often needed, consider low sodium canned goods Soups Tomato sauces Pasta sauces Spaghetti-O’s, ravioli Vegetables: beans, chick peas, corn, peas, etc. Fruits Cooking oil Salad dressings Peanut butter Jelly Baby food/formula Puddings Fruit juice Canned meats – tuna fish, chicken, corned beef hash, salmon

CONDIMENTS: Hot sauce Mayonnaise Mustard Ketchup Parmesan cheese SPICES: Garlic powder Italian spice mix Adobo Sasón SPECIAL NEEDS ITEMS: Low/no salt and low/no sugar items Sugar substitutes TOILETRIES: Shampoo and conditioner Diapers Baby wipes Toilet tissue Disposable razors Kleenex Feminine hygiene products Soap Toothpaste/tooth brushes Deodorant Lotion

New Faces in Terraset ES

Probably your school year routines have started to settle and part of that routine includes time to talk to your children about their day. You may have noticed a few new names being mentioned (or maybe, a few unknown names?). We thought it would be a good idea to put some faces to those names. So, following are some brief introductions to the staff who are new to Terraset for the 2014-2015 school year.

Ms McFeely with some of her students

Firstly, welcome to Jennifer McFeely who will join Mr. Costello on Tuesdays and Thursdays to teach PE. This will be her 9th year of teaching PE. However, she took 4 years off to be at home with her two children (ages 6 and 4). Prior to that she taught Health and PE at Madison High School in Vienna. She has also worked in Middle Schools. This is her first year as an elementary PE teacher having always wanted to work with younger children. "Having children in this age group at home, I understand the importance of physical activity for children." Ms McFeely told us. "Watching the children leave our gym with smiles on their faces is what I find rewarding." she went on to say.  So far, she has enjoyed quit a few highlights at Terraset... "most of them include students really putting forth effort to do their best."  Ms McFeely says that Physical Education should be fun and it should challenge students to learn new fitness skills and activities. "Mr. Costello and I are hoping the children will learn while having fun in our class."

Ms Parker reading with a student

Anna Parker came to Terraset because in her interview, and after visiting the school, she could tell there was a wonderful sense of community. "Everyone was so welcoming, helpful, and enthusiastic about teaching."This will be her second year teaching at elementary school level and so far, a highlight has been getting to meet and learn about her students. "I am looking forward to a wonderful year of learning and growing in 2nd grade!" she told us.

Ms Courtney Meiklejohn

Courtney Meiklejohn is excited to join Terraset as a Kindergarten Teacher. This is her fourth year teaching.having most recently been at  Eagle View ES where she taught for 2 years. She mentioned that a highlight from the beginning of the year  been getting to know her students.

Jennifer Lawrence has joined Terraset as a Special Ed Teacher. She has been working in elementary schools for the past eight years and is looking forward to a new opportunity to teach 4th grade. Ms Lawrence will be co-teaching with Mrs. Glenn this year. When asked to share a highlight from the beginning of the year she instantly said "Meeting Terraset staff members, students and families. Everyone has made me feel welcome!"

Mr Brooks

Evan Brooks has recently completed the requirements to be a Licensed School Psychologist and brings to Terraset many years of experience working with children. He worked in multiple elementary schools in Prince George's County as part of his internship last year and after college, he taught grades 5-11 as a Peace Corps volunteer in Ukraine. We asked him what brought him to Terraset? "Tough question!" he responded "I didn't know to which school I would be assigned when I was hired." Mr. Brooks explained "I had always wanted to work in Fairfax County because of its reputation for excellence. After a couple of weeks at Terraset, I think I was placed correctly. The staff is all about teamwork and providing the best for our students. Plus, I think it is exciting to be a part of Terraset during its transformation year." Mr. Brooks will also serve Bull Run ES. We talked about the beginning of the school year and Mr. Brooks said "I love those little moments during the day... they make all the difference. In the first week of school, a young student saw the 'School Psychologist' sign on my door and said to his friend "Mr. Brooks, he's the school physical-ologist."

Ms Skhuja

Anu Skhuja has been working at the elementary school level for three years and has joined the Terraset Staff as an Instructional Assistant. Prior to joining Terraset she was working at Navy Elementary. She came to Terraset because of its diverse population. "I want to reach out to more kids in our community and impart knowledge and good values to them!" she told us. "I have started this school year on a great note. I am touched by the friendliness and caring attitude of my co workers. They check on me on a daily basis to see if I feel settled, if there is anything they can do to make me feel at home." Welcome Ms Sakhuja, we are all looking forward to getting to know you.

Ms Rafat

Adrienne Rafat has joined the Special Education team at Terraset and will be working with the lower grade students. This will be her 10th year teaching. She has taught Kindergarten, 1st, 5th and 6th grades, as well as Special Education for all ages. "Family, diversity, and career growth brought me to Northern Va." Ms Rafat mentioned. "My girls have so many cousins and extended family here, that my husband and I felt it was necessary for them to be near family."  With family and friends in the area, Terraset's reputation for having an inclusive teaching philosophy, and shared concern for building community,  this seemed like a good fit. Apparently the plan worked... while setting up the classroom with two Instructional Assistants who will support Ms Rafat this year, the transition into a new school and change of life was made very easy. "Both ladies are amazing and special to me." 

Ms Skerker with her daughter.

Jennifer Skerker came to Terraset as an Instructional Coach. In this position, she acts as a resource for other teachers, guiding them to resources and methods that may enhance their teaching. She has worked with Fairfax County Public Schools for 14 years including 11 years as a classroom teacher at Keene Mill ES and Colin Powell ES.. "This is my 3rd year as an Instructional Coach." Ms Skerker commented. "I’d also like to add that I am a product of FCPS having graduated from West Springfield HS." We talked about why she came to Terraset and she said "I had heard wonderful things about Terraset for many years now. The amazing leadership, caring staff, and fabulous children are all reasons why I joined the Terraset Family!" Ms Skerker has had many opportunities to get to know the staff and students these past weeks. "I was getting to know some of the students in a Kindergarten class. They immediately wanted to know who I was and what I did. I explained that I’m a teacher, but I don’t have a class of students, so I get to spend time with teachers. A little boy exclaimed, 'That’s so sad. We need to get you a class of your own!”'  And he’s right, because the kids are the reason we all come to work every day!  I’ve since changed my answer when asked what I do."

There are seven other new staff at Terraset. Alisa Bedker (Music Teacher), Jann Canestra (Kindergarten Instructional Assistant), Addrienne Glenn (Fourth Grade Teacher), Patricia Kaffk (Clinic Room Aide), Ann Marie Mochen (School Based Technology Specialist), Melissa Mioni (Strings Teacher), and Sarah Sciolto (Special Ed Instructional Assistant). We hope to catch up with them soon so we can add them to this introduction.

Slow Down Plea From Parents

Ridge Heights Road, Reston VA, is a busy place when school is in! With three schools bordering the street -- Terraset ES, South Lakes HS, and Langston Hughes MS -- there can be a lot of traffic at arrival and dismissal times. Unfortunately, some drivers forget to obey the 25 MPH speed limit.

This was a hot topic at the Terraset PTA meeting on Monday, September 15th. A parent of a kindergarten student expressed concern that Ridge Heights traffic is often too fast, making it difficult for children to cross! Observing that Terraset is the only school in the area without a Crossing Guard, she contacted FCPS Department of Facilities and Transportation in addition to the Reston Police.

There is a little history here.... some years ago, Terraset requested an additional bus to service students in the school district who live on the west side of Soapstone Drive and north of South Lakes Drive. This bus was allocated at the expense of a crossing guard at the corner of Soapstone and Ridge Heights. Given that there is an underpass on Ridge Heights into Terraset, this seemed to be a reasonable solution. However, at the beginning of the 2014-2015 school year, the underpass was closed due to the school renovation.

Fortunately, the Ridge Heights underpass is now open for arrival and dismissal. In theory! At least three times this week, the underpass gate was not open at 4:15 pm when some walkers were still making their way home. The gate is supposed to remain open through 4:30 pm. One student walking through the meadow behind the Ridge Heights Pool on Friday afternoon exclaimed "The gate was closed! But I found a way around!" Has the gate been closed at any other arrival/dismissal times?

Apparently there has been widespread concern about Crossing Guards in Reston. On September 18th the Fairfax County Chief of Police posted this comment regarding "traffic congestion in and around certain schools".

Given the level of shared concern expressed at its September 15th meeting, Terraset PTA created a committee to further investigate Ridge Heights traffic issues, with a goal to define the extent of the problem and propose possible solutions. The committee will report back to the next PTA meeting on October 7th.

33,395 Bricks Later

Terraset's renovation is progressing at full steam. Since the children have been safely out of the building, the construction crew has had full access for the summer! The playground may have been closed for summer, but what amazing things have happened all around it!

Terraset's original open plan

Designed by McLean based architects, DCS Design, Terraset was conceived with an open plan layout and implemented as an energy conserving building. The resulting design, with two to three feet of earth cover over and around the building, was said to provide energy savings of 70 percent when compared to the average operating costs of other Fairfax County Schools at the time.

The school won the Owens-Corning Energy Award, Institutional category for 1975, and the 1975 Walter Taylor Award from the American Institute of Architects and the American Association of School Administrators, for best educational environment.

Terraset opened in 1977 and has featured in several architectural and environmental reports. However, after 37 years of housing the education of hundreds of students each year, with little in the way of any physical updates, it was time for an overhaul. The Terraset community felt strongly that the unique character of our "set in the Earth" school should be retained. At the same time our educators were eagerly hoping for simple things like "a door" for each classroom.

33,395 blocks, 3,462 tons of stone, and
1,070 man hours

The plan to renovate Terraset was announced late in 2010, with the actual renovation starting in January 2014. Already we have seen massive changes. Half a hill has been removed from the east corner of the school; the south-east side of the school interior has been gutted; and of course we have "Tiger Town" on the new black-top at the back of the school. And the action has stepped up quite a bit this summer. The front parking lot and Kiss and Ride have been totally redesigned and repaved using  33,395 bricks, the foundations for the new Library, Art and Music wing have been laid, the stairs leading down to the courtyard have been demolished and a temporary stair case has been created for access to the roof from the NW side of the school (near door 9). If you have driven past Terraset in the past ten weeks you have probably wondered how it could be possible that our children will be going to school at that site!

Courtyard staircase has gone!

But go to school they will, and they will start to enjoy some of the benefits immediately. Initially, work on the gym was planned for summer 2015, but it has already started. The gym has a new floor, walls, basketball equipment, curtain, lines, and office. However, library space has been reduced so that the new rooms in the area under renovation (south east side) can be completed. It is expected that this first phase of the renovation will be finished in early 2015. At the same time, our new Media Center (library) will be opened.

Removal of footbridge 

It was rumored that a local farmer had bought the foot-bridge that provided access to the school roof from Kiss & Ride. Apparently, it was not viable to remove and reuse the bridge in one piece as originally hoped. However, it looked pretty complete when the cranes lifted it out in early July!

The new layout will include over 30 classrooms, with purpose built art rooms and music theaters. We can look forward to a brand new Media Center and a renovated gym. Natural light will be enhanced within the school via windows around the perimeter and an atrium like "cube" at the center can function as an outdoor classroom. All the classrooms will be equipped with up-to-date technologies including integrated audio, WiFi and high-speed Ethernet.

The next twelve months or so will not be easy, but the results promise to be outstanding!

Read-A-Thon Hits Its Target with Buzz Lightyear!

Big celebrations at Terraset ES this week! The students worked hard throughout March at their Read-A-Thon, the school’s big fundraiser for the year. The theme, Find Your Space to Read, encouraged all the kids to join in... along with a promise from Ms. Trout, Terraset's Principal, that she would dress as Buzz Lightyear for a day if they reached their target! With a goal to read 1,000,000 minutes, the Terraset community astounded itself by reading 1.4 million minutes this year. 

Buzz Lightyear (Principal Trout) congratulates winners - click for more photos

But that is not where the amazement ended! As a fundraiser, the Terraset PTA hoped to raise $4,000. What excitement when nearly $9,000 flooded in. Students had approached their parents, extended family and neighbors to sponsor them for this event… and they were not disappointed.

One of the big motivators was a draw for a chromebook. For every $10 raised by a student, a ticket in their name went in the draw. Fourth grader, Myiesha Jones, was the lucky winner of this great prize. As a special surprise, the Read-A-Thon committee also sent this year’s alien mascot home with a second lucky winner, Kindergartner, Samantha Triston.

Twenty-one students got to select from the prize pool due to their great efforts this year!

Prize	Name	Grade
Overall Top Reader	Hannah Lane	6
Overall Top Fundraiser	Alexa Remirez-Greenwood	4
Top Reader - Kindergarten	Charlotte Ober	K
Top Fundraiser - Kindergarten	Tony Villavicencio	K
Special Mention - Outstanding Reader AND Fundraiser	Noah DeGurse	K
Top Reader - 1st Grade	Donovan Stewart	1
Top Fundraiser - 1st Grade	Natalia Remirez-Greenwood	1
Special Mention - Outstanding Reader AND Fundraiser	Logan Konopka	1
Top Reader - 2nd Grade	Brianna Stewart	2
Top Fundraiser - 2nd Grade	Ella Hovermale	2
Special Mention - Outstanding Reader AND Fundraiser	Peyton Penn	2
Top Reader - 3rd Grade	Jeril Antoney	3
Top Fundraiser - 3rd Grade	Kathleen Russell	3
Special Mention - Outstanding Reader AND Fundraiser	Elise Kalinowski	3
Top Reader - 4th Grade	Finnian Wilson	4
Top Fundraiser - 4th Grade	Jack Bobby	4
Special Mention - Outstanding Reader AND Fundraiser	Sebastian Cabrera-Guy	4
Top Reader - 5th Grade	Nicholas Migliara	5
Top Fundraiser - 5th Grade	Katie Falcone	5
Top Reader - 6th Grade	Stephanie Silverio	6
Top Fundraiser - 6th Grade	Carlo Nassar	6

The results were all celebrated via Terraset’s WTER when the Read-A-Thon Awards Show aired Monday morning, April 21^st. Other stellar readers mentioned during the show, in addition to the prize winners, included… no surprises here... Mrs. Stanmyre (Terraset Librarian) and Mrs. Forman (Terraset Reading Specialist) who led our staff stars by reading over 16,000 minutes between them! Stand-out readers among our parents included Diana Tamarez (Donovan and Brianna's mom) and Neil Stobie (Sofie's dad).

Congratulations to all participants and thanks to everyone who helped to make this event such a success. What Terraset Tiger Pride! 

2014 Read-A-Thon: Behind the Scenes

With the 2014 Read-A-Thon Awards Show set for next week, it seems like a good opportunity to reflect on what goes into organizing such a big event!

Preparation for the Read-A-Thon started back in November. It can be challenging to get people to step forward to organize an event like this... everyone who has ever been a volunteer knows how much work it can be. But, Jen Schoenborn, Terraset PTA Vice-President, said "I'll do it... but I'll need some help!" At about the same time, Liz Falcone was finishing up a long term assignment and, seeing the "light at the end of the tunnel", thought she would be able to help. Liz had worked with the organizing committee that first brought the Read-A-Thon to Terraset in 2010, and had an idea of what was ahead. Alison Stobie simultaneously offered her assistance having some great ideas for a theme for this year's event!

Brian Davidson

And so the 2014 Read-A-Thon was born! The newly formed committee set about pulling everything together. Brian Davidson was their first target. He had developed the online logging site at read.terrasetpta.org used in previous years. Was he willing to manage it again? Yes! The logging site is hosted by his business, Syzzle Inc., at no cost to the PTA and provides all the back-end functionality required to track and report on the Read-A-Thon progress.

Prize display

"Next we needed to get our prizes organized!" Liz remembered. Heather Thomas had helped with this before, so her name came quickly to mind. Heather's close friend and neighbor, Stephanie Randall, was added to the list. Both generously said yes and went about making a VERY skimpy budget go a long way. The big prizes for top readers and top fundraisers are not so difficult to get, but finding more than 1,750 participation prizes to distribute over the five week event  -- that don't blow the budget -- is no mean feat!

Dome Theater

Of course, the Read-A-Thon is not just a fundraiser... it is a huge community event! Alison Stobie wanted "the kids to experience something they would remember for the rest of their lives." It was time to coordinate with the PTA Assemblies Chair to enhance the edu-tainment component. Having established the "Find Your Space to Read" theme, the Dome Theater was an obvious choice. But... "Can we do it?" asked Liz. It was a full day event that required challenging scheduling to ensure every student got to participate without missing out on lunch, recess, or any of their specials! After several days of studying the school's master schedule and liaising with Kramer Entertainment, a plan developed and the Dome experience was confirmed. In addition, Mrs. Forman saw the Read-A-Thon as an excellent opportunity to arrange an author visit. Coordinating with Heather Thomas, Moira Rose Donohue and Wendy Shang were invited to inspire our tigers in the joys of writing.

View Video

Planning the blast-off needed lots of energy! The Read-A-Thon launch assembly has featured Terraset families from the outset. The first year, the Sogandares and Rose children developed skits to announce the read-a-thon. The following year, the Goetz family -- and all six children -- entertained us with their Mad Scientist sketches. Last year, the Dueno family set out to look for their reading treasure throughout the school pursuing the pirate theme. Who would uphold the "family" tradition this year? Dion Seneca was approached, and after a little persuasion, agreed to work with her kids to launch our space theme! Mission control was pleased!

Class results as each returns from lunch

The reading started in March and the excitement began! The initial reading block was only four days, so the first round of participation prizes hit very quickly. Jennifer Hatch, Erika Pattee and Peter Crowe had all been coerced to help. "It was not hard to convince them" Liz offered "so many Terraset parents are willing to help when they are asked!" Every Friday this team showed up at school to distribute prizes to the 230 or so students who submitted their reading log that week. Soon, the team members became the most popular people in school as the kids looked forward to their little prizes.

One of the great features of this year's Read-A-Thon was the resident Alien. Each day during March it would hide somewhere in the school. The custodians were roped into helping with this, and Mrs. Jenkins happily agreed to distribute the prize coupons to students who found the Alien each day. "Where's the Alien?" became the most frequent greeting offered to Liz Falcone for several weeks she said.

And so the month continued... WTER promotions, press releases, reporting minutes, promoting sponsorship, collecting sponsorship..."I don't know how many times I needed to check that sponsorship total!' Jen Schoenborn exclaimed.  But, it all lead to a FANTASTIC outcome. While we can't announce the results just yet (the Awards Show will be on April 21st) we can tell you that:

• 100% of Terraset students participated
• Over 200 parents, grandparents and staff participated
• We read over 1.4 million minutes
• More than 100 students collected sponsorship

What a juggernaut! This event is one of the biggest undertaken by the Terraset PTA each year. But, it's worth it... we hope!