Dragon's Breath Newsletter

March 13, 2023

Important Dates

3/21 - Dining for DuFief at Dogfish Head Alehouse

3/27 - Deadline for Illustrated Essay Submissions

3/30 - Career Day

4/1 - Read-A-Thon Begins

4/11 - PTA Meeting

4/11 - Deadline for Yearbook Cover Submissions

4/22 - School Beautification Day

4/29 - Dragonfest (Rain date: 5/6)

4/29 - Wootton's 50th Anniversary Celebration

**Corrected the dates for illustrated essay and yearbook cover submissions.**

Tuesday, April 11th is our next PTA meeting at 7:00 pm on Zoom.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/7296235187?pwd=T0xMbkxxV3NySXB2TXU1Uk5vc1hhdz09

Meeting ID: 729 623 5187

Passcode: dragons

Are you interesting in serving on the PTA Board next year?

If so, please email Dan: dufiefpta@gmail.com

The Board needs a new President, Vice President of Educational Programs,

Vice President of Social Events, Vice President of Community Events, and Treasurer.

To all of you who came out to Rockville Town Center and skated and dined out. It was a wonderful experience for many families. We raised $655 from Rockville Ice Skating and $286.87 from Five Guys!

Thank you to Wendy Eldred and Tracy Weatherford for organizing the Science Fair! We'd also like to thank the volunteers, visitors, and guest groups: The Wootton HS Girls Who Code Club and the Quince Orchard Engineering and Robotics Club!

DuFief Science Fair 2022-2023

A shout out to all DuFief Dragon Presenters! You did an amazing job and we all learned a lot from your presentations!

Save the Date: Beautification Day - April 22

Please help us spruce up our school campus! We will need help mulching, planting, and making our school look welcoming. More details to follow! Additionally, if you are spring cleaning and come across any large planters, small benches, open bags of soil, please consider donating it to the school. We will be adding a new mulch island in front of the school and are looking for some items to make it inviting. If you have donations, please email Dan: dufiefpta@gmail.com or Wendy dufiefscience@gmail.com

This is your monthly reminder to upload photos for the yearbook, including any taken during the Valentine's Day parties! THE DEADLINE FOR UPLOADING PHOTOS OF YOUR CHILD(REN) IS APRIL 15TH. After that date, the upload feature will be locked and additional photos will not be accepted.

Please visit Entourage Yearbooks' website, listed below, to upload photos OR download the Entourage Link app to your smartphone (it's so much easier, just be sure to only select one category of photos at a time for upload; you can't upload First Day of School AND Valentine's Day, etc. photos at once, you must do them by event). Call the yearbook chair, Betty Ball, if you have questions at 612-432-0101.

PLEASE NOTE: If you're uploading via the website, it will only work from a computer with Chrome. If you're using your phone, you must use the app. If you try to upload photos via a Chrome app on your smartphone, it just won't work.

Finally, we need a yearbook volunteer for 3rd grade. Some computer skills required. It's about a 5 hour commitment, give or take, from home at your own pace between now and May 1st.

https://link.entourageyearbooks.com/find_school.asp

A Reminder from our PTA Treasurer!

Dear Parents and Teachers,

We would like to remind you that the PTA fiscal year ends in June. Please submit your reimbursement request prior to June 15th in order to receive your reimbursement on time. Thank you!

Don’t miss Wootton’s 50th Anniversary Celebration!

The event will take place on Saturday, April 29 from 7:00pm-10:00pm at Lakewood Country Club in Rockville. Join us for light appetizers and dessert, music, live performances, silent auction, presentations and more.

Sponsorships are available if you own a business or know a business that may be interested in supporting Wootton: 50^th Anniversary Sponsorship. For questions about sponsorships, contact Brian Rabin at ptsa_president@tswoottonhs.org. Donations are needed for the silent auction that will accompany the event. If you or someone you know wishes to donate, please send a message to woottonfundraising@tswoottonhs.org. All proceeds to benefit Wootton High School.

Please share your Wootton High School photos for the slideshow that will be playing throughout the event by uploading to this shared drive: Share Wootton’s Photos

Buy your tickets today—Wootton’s 50^th Tickets.

WHAT: Girls on the Run is a transformational physical activity based positive youth development program. We teach life skills through dynamic, interactive lessons and running games. The goal of the program is to unleash confidence through accomplishment while establishing a lifetime appreciation of health and fitness. Completing a 5K on May 20nd, 2023, gives them a tangible opportunity to apply all that they have learned.

WHO: The program is open to girls in 3rd – 5th Grade

WHERE: Tuesday and Friday 7:30am to 8:50 am (first bell), Drop off at “kiss & ride” blacktop.

WHEN: The team will meet twice per week for 10 weeks, starting the week of March 12th to May. 20thth.

COST:

$187.50 – Standard fee

$120 – Coach/Daughter registration

$100 – Families that qualify for reduced meals through MCPS FARMS Program

$20 – Families that qualify for free meals through the MCPS FARMS Program and/or have a household income under $40K

** Full Financial assistance is available for families experience financial hardships**

REGISTER: Program Details - 3rd - 5th Grade | GOTR Montgomery County Maryland (girlsontherunofmoco.org) - Don’t wait sign up TODAY!

Questions: Please visit www.girlsontherunofmoco.org (or) email Coach Cathy at cathysmailliw@gmail.com

SSL hours available! Students can earn SSL hours for attending.

Other volunteer opportunities for the event include:

Set-up & clean-up
Stocking & straitening the breakfast table (donuts, bagels, coffee, tea, and accoutrements)
Vaccine clinic attendants
Navigators to help participants locate the rooms/sessions
Note takers (to capture general questions only, not personal stories or information)
Floaters (other duties as needed)

Please email Laura@LauraMitchell.org if you can help!

Calling all chess players!

The Chess Club's Spring Session is now being offered. Please see flyer for details.

https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com/assets/05675/Spring-2023-Chess-Club.pdf

From MCCPTA:

The Board of Education recently proposed changes to Policy ABC (Parent and Family Involvement) which guides regulation ABC-RA. It is inviting the public to submit comments on the revisions no later than April 20, 2023. Why should you care? While several of the proposed revisions expand outreach expectations, reinforce commitments to equity and align with National PTA Standards for Family-School Partnerships, others may leave family and student involvement in school improvement efforts to the sole discretion of MCPS (e.g., "as appropriate" language in line 176 and line 253). If family involvement, information sharing and stakeholder participation in school improvement are important to you, please read the proposed revisions to Policy ABC and submit your comments to the Board of Education before the April 20th deadline. The proposed Policy ABC revisions and public comment submission form can be found on this page beneath the video clip on the right-hand side.

AND – including for your benefit, the slides and recording from MCCPTA’s session on the School Improvement Plan we held last Tuesday night about the SIP that includes a little background on what is included and how we got to where we are today…

https://us06web.zoom.us/rec/share/YhYCHAtNgVkC-7u3T-to7y6aqxXIiPfUSKstbe96h85EKsGa8JdJ0vcaXjTdzoXM.j-04FKxV7xauy4ZF

Passcode: K+0eiatx

PowerPoint presentation: https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com/assets/05675/MCCPTA_SIP_Information_Session_2_28_23.pptx

According to a recent poll, Marylanders across the state overwhelmingly want to see healthy school meals available to ALL students, regardless of their parents income. Now, we need Legislators to hear our voices.

On Wednesday, March 15th, advocates from across the state are coming together for an important rally in Annapolis. We must have the Legislature and the Governor hear us!

We know healthy school meals for all improves school performance for all students, reduces stigma, reduces overhead administrative costs, and helps ensure all students are eating healthier meals every day. We would never think about sending kids to school without the books or materials they need to learn - so why not provide the food they need just as much?

Join us for a rally and celebration of healthy school meals for all!

Wednesday, March 15th 2023
6:00p - 8:00p
Lawyers Mall
Annapolis

Need a ride? Busses are available from Baltimore, Prince Georges County, and Montgomery County!

Sign up today!!

With heart,
Katey and Laura, your advocacy partners
http://www.yourethecure.org/

February 2023 Newsletter

https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com/assets/05675/February_2023_Newsletter__1_.pdf

Valentina's family recently posted an update on her journey: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-valen-beat-the-c-word.

Meal train volunteer info for the Solarte family can be found here: https://www.mealtrain.com/trains/08y0d3

Membership

The DuFief ES PTA is an integral part of the school. We are a non-profit volunteer organization which serves to support the students, teachers, and staff at DuFief Elementary School.

I would like to encourage you to join our PTA. Joining the PTA does not mean you have to volunteer or serve as a board member. This allows you the opportunity to participate in the decisions that impacts your child's education.

Click here to join: https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com/home

Directions for joining: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1M6WsNC_Us6PfzHfLKHpHTy50iw33CXy2/view

Currently, we have 57 out of 198 families and 20 staff members who joined or renewed their membership this school year.

Dragon Swag

These two spiritwear shirt designs can be found on our membership website: https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com/store/9813

MCPS - Free, On-Demand Online/Virtual Tutoring Available for All Students, K-12

https://www.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/curriculum/tutoring.aspx

Seasonal Roots

Welcome DuFief Elementary School! Scroll down to join for just $25 + earn a $20 donation for DuFief ES students

Website: https://www.seasonalroots.com/DuFief/

It's time to link your Harris Teeter VIC card to start earning $$ for DuFief Elementary School. VIC cards can be linked to up to 5 schools, but you must sign up each year.

Last school year, 22 families earned $217.91 for DuFief just by linking their VIC card and shopping at Harris Teeter.

Everything DuFief...

DuFief PTA Website:https://www.dufiefpta.org

DuFief PTA Facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/groups/dufiefpta/

DuFief PTA Membership:https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com

DuFief ES:https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/dufiefes

DuFief Green School:https://dufiefgreenschool.weebly.com/

Previous PTA newsletters and emails:https://dufiefpta.membershiptoolkit.com/user_messages

Parent Resources

Montgomery County Public Schools Parent Academy

Contact Your Board

President Dan Kaiser - dufiefpta@gmail.com