Darcy Krulisky, Campus Director - Edgewood Campus

I hope you all had a chance to attend our "Edgewood-By-The Sea" Open House at the end of February.  We had a large crowd show up to admire newly decorated classrooms, outstanding student work, musical performances, classroom technology demonstrations, and tropical appetizers to complete the beach theme!

Teachers enjoyed teacher grams, gift card drawings, special treats, luncheons, and overall pampering during Teacher Appreciation Month.  The Edgewood Campus Parent Association provided lunches and treats during the last week of February and made everyone feel very special.

They say "March comes in like a lion," and that is particularly true at Edgewood!  There are events galore during the month of March including: Spirit Week, Magazine Drive, JH Science Fair, Spring Pictures, the Fun Run, Writing Proficiency testing, a debate tournament, and the 7^th/8^th grade Academic Pentathlon competition.  I am hoping that our funds raised through the Magazine Drive will allow us to purchase and install a new electronic message board at the front of the school!

Re-enrollment is underway and very successful.  Over 70% of our students are already re-enrolled for the 2009-2010 school year.  Early re-enrollment helps me to determine my staffing needs and classroom supply and book purchases.

During this month, six more classrooms will be outfitted with Promethean boards, document cameras, and active vote systems.  Neo2s will be delivered and ready for use in almost every classroom on campus.  Be sure to ask your child's teacher (or administrator) about this new technology coming very soon.

As always, thank you for your support of the school and for letting us share our days with your amazing children.

At Fairmont, when February rolls around, it means Open House!  Plan to attend on Friday, February 27 from 6-8 PM.  This year our campus theme is "Edgewood-By-the-Sea."  We have some wonderful events and demonstrations planned for this evening.  This is also an opportunity to look into the future and visit the classrooms that your child might inhabit next year!

Fairmont's IT department has been demonstrating a number of forms of technology for the teachers, administration, and parent association board members.  They have collected feedback about how these tools would be integrated into our curriculum and their usefulness to the teachers.  I am happy to announce that Fairmont is providing the Edgewood campus with a number of Promethean Activeboards, document cameras and Renaissance NEO2s, after receiving positive feedback from the teachers.  If you want to know more about these tools, please plan to join us at Open House for a demonstration.  Expect to see them in several selected classrooms by mid-March.

February is also Teacher Appreciation Month.  Edgewood administration takes this month to honor its teachers and staff for the wonderful job that they do.  Teachers will partake in "free dress" Fridays, gift card drawings, luncheons, and special treats and will be the recipients of teacher grams from their appreciative students.  During the last week of the month, the Parent Association also joins in making the teachers and staff feel very special.

I am very proud of the Edgewood staff and their dedication to the children and preparing them for the next level of education.  We are continuously pursuing new tools and methods to help your children to become the best students and citizens that they can be.

At the end of November, we certainly had plenty for which to be thankful.  Students have worked hard to bring home stellar report cards, to succeed in the first debate tournament of the year, to play hard on the volleyball court and on the football field, to get rave reviews for "Willy Wonka Jr.," to support the library through the book fair, to help others through the Jump for Heart, and to make us all proud.

December brings many more opportunities: the chance to help others through the CHOC Toy Drive; to perform in the holiday show; to participate in field trips, spelling bees and assemblies; to be honored on the honor roll; and to enjoy some deserved time with family during the winter break.

I hope you all enjoyed the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.  Our staff worked very hard rehearsing for the production.  Your attendance helped both Edgewood and the Blind Children's Center. 

I want to thank the Edgewood Campus Parent Association Board for all their time and effort on behalf of the school.  The board is planning many more activities for the remainder of the year including a Father-Son Bowling Extravaganza on January 25^th.  They have also been very instrumental in pursuing technology upgrades to benefit all of our classrooms and teachers.  Please attend the Parent Association meeting whenever possible to stay informed and involved.

The school year is going by too quickly.  The next Director's Note will be written for a 2009 edition of the Edgewood Enquirer.  It is my sincere wish that you all have a safe and happy holiday season as 2008 comes to a close.

October was a busy month, and November is shaping up to be the same.  Progress reports were sent home, and the following week parents had the opportunity to meet and conference with their children's teachers.  On the same day, Mrs. DeVane was the hostess of the Kids' Art Fair, where parents were able to purchase frames for their children's artwork.  It was a huge success, thanks to all of you.  Mrs. DeVane's efforts made almost $1200 for the school as a fundraiser.  We are just that much closer to purchasing the outside electronic message board!

Red Ribbon Week brought activities and information about the perils of drug use.  Each day students wore specific outfits to promote being drug-free.  Homerooms created posters and banners to deliver this same message.  Each year I find this message to be more and more necessary.

Mastery testing for Language Arts and Math for grades 1-6 was held and results will be given to teachers to help them pace their curriculums.  We had Picture Day and the annual, well-attended Halloween Parade.  Volleyball and flag football seasons are in full swing and will continue through November.

Mark your November calendars for a Kids' Vote Day, a Book Fair in the Library, the Panoramic Picture Day, Feast Day before Thanksgiving break, and the Murder Mystery Dinner Theater.  We hope you all come to see our staff performing and enjoy a pasta dinner with us!

I am so grateful to our Parent Association board this year for their hard work, great ideas, and very positive attitude!  If you aren't already, become an active member of the Parent Association and join us at the monthly meetings.

As always, I look forward to spending time with your children and helping them to become better students and better citizens.

It was wonderful seeing the new and familiar faces at Parent Night and the Back to School Picnic.  Besides visiting your children's classrooms, I hope you had time to walk around the campus and see our new rain-proofcover over the lunch table area, our new "Home of the Eagles" mural near the basketball court, our new checkerboard tile floor in Allison Hall, and some new carpeting in other classrooms.  We also had a new roof put on Allison Hall, in hopes that we won't have any performance postponements this year!

Put the dates, of our Parent Association meetings on the second Mondays of each month, on your calendars, please.  The Edgewood Campus Parent Association Board members have some wonderful ideas for this coming year.  Become involved and learn more about Edgewood.

Edgewood is hoping to be able to purchase an electronic message board for the front of school, which will be visible to all driving through our driveway.  When you purchase clothes during Used Uniform Sales, or purchase your child's artwork during the Kid's Art Fair, or buy a magazine subscription during the Magazine Drive, note that your contribution is helping us purchase the message board.

Here are a few noteworthy events happening during the month of October:  progress reports go home on October 10th for grades 2-8, parent conferences are held on October 17th (no school that day), and Mastery testing takes place during the week of Oct. 20-24.  Put these on your calendar!

 I look forward to another successful year at Edgewood!