Wednesday, Feb. 6, 2008
Many consider bingo to be a game for senior citizens, played at American Legion halls and Methodist church basements. But on Saturday afternoon, the Connelly School of the Holy Child proved all the doubters wrong.
More than 250 people showed up at the school’s fourth-annual bingo event Saturday, and participants ranged in age from 3 to 83, said Hold Child Director of Development Suzi Montes de Oca.
‘‘It was absolutely phenomenal,” she said. ‘‘We had to get more tables and chairs out because people kept showing up.”
Holy Child raised nearly $3,000 for the Washington Middle School for Girls, a sister school of Holy Child’s in Washington, D.C., Montes de Oca said. The school is dedicated to helping young girls in the District who are at risk of leaving school prematurely.
Both schools, she said, were founded by the Society of Holy Child of Jesus.
The success of the fundraiser, Montes de Oca said, was due in part to bingo’s universal appeal.
‘‘Bingo is a game that can be enjoyed by people of all ages,” she said,” and that was proved Saturday, for a good cause.”
Raising kind kids
Parents who are concerned about raising kind children may consider attending a parent education forum entitled ‘‘Raising Kind Kids,” planned for 7 p.m. Feb. 26 at The Concord-St. Andrew’s Cooperative Nursery School, 5910 Goldsboro Road, Bethesda.
Speaker is Dara Feldman, a former Montgomery County kindergarten teacher, who now works as a Master Facilitator for the Virtues Project, a global grassroots initiative that inspires the practice of virtues in everyday life, will address questions such as: How do I raise my child to have good character? How do I keep from spoiling my child? What do I do if I see my child being cruel? What is a healthy way to discipline my child?
The event is free and open to the public. RSVP via e-mail to register@csacns.org.
Area students setfor brain battle
Students from all over the area will test their neuroscience knowledge today at the Brain Bee, an event sponsored by Society for Neuroscience that tests students’ knowledge on what goes on between the ears.
The winner of the Washington, D.C. regional competition, at the Dana Center in the District, will represent the area at the National Brain Bee, held in March at the University of Maryland, Baltimore and the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda.
Students will be asked questions culled from a 64-page fact packet about the brain and nervous system titled ‘‘Brain Facts.”
The following schools participated: Landon School, Walt Whitman High, Walter Johnson High, Winston Churchill High and Thomas S. Wootton High.
Maryland Public TVsponsors story contest
Students in kindergarten through third grade are encouraged to create and illustrate a short story, for the 14th-annual PBS Reading Rainbow writing contest, sponsored locally by Maryland Public Television.
Prizes will be awarded to three students in each grade level, and four winners will advance to the national competition, where laptop computers and flat-panel TVs will be up for grabs.
All participants will receive a certificate of achievement signed by Reading Rainbow host LeVar Burton. The contest runs through March 21, and entry forms are available at www.thinkport.org⁄familycommunity⁄rr.tp. For more information, call (410) 581-4246.
Host families soughtfor exchange students
AFS International Student Exchange is currently looking for host families for 15 students visiting during the 2008-2009 school year. The students are careful screened, and families without children are also encouraged to host. All students speak English, and families have the opportunity to select which student they think would fit their family the best. For more information, visit www.usa.afs.org, or call 1-800-AFS-INFO.
Share your School Notes about students, teachers and anyone associated with your school. Send press releases and news tips. to Bradford Pearson via e-mail at bpearson@gazette.net, phone at 301-280-3003, fax at 301-670-7183, or snail mail at 9030 Comprint Court, Gaithersburg, MD 20877.
