Back To School Night

Today is the annual back-to-school night for Freedom Elementary School, the fall ritual in which the children stay home and parents come to school to meet the staff, hear an inspiring message from the principal and tour the building.Scratch that last option about a tour -- this year, crowding has forced Freedom to have back-to-school night a few miles down the road at Oklahoma Road Middle School.For one thing, Freedom can't fit all its parents into the cafeteria comfortably.But the truly impossible situation is the parking lot, which would be inadequate even if the school wasn't 200 students over capacity, said Ginger Halvorsen, PTA president.

If you have a child in school, a big part of your life must revolve around the school. Your involvement will help your child to thrive and achieve more than without that support. Be sure to attend Back-to-School night if at all possible and get involved with PTA at each school level.. Back-to-School night for River Hill High School is Sept. 19. Parents of ninth-graders should report to the auditorium at 6:30 p.m. All parents should be in the child's 1st period class at 7 p.m. The River Hill High School class of 2015 will be looking for hungry parents eager to exchange donations for baked goods.

Across Baltimore County, schools will begin holding Back-to-Schoolnight activities, some starting as early as this week. The events give parents a way of learning about their child's school, its upcoming events, volunteer and involvement activities, and other facets of school life. The following is the schedule for Baltimore County Public Schools in the Towson, Lutherville, Timonium and Cockeysville areas. Elementary Schools Cromwell Valley Elementary School, 825 Providence Road, Towson - Sneak-a-Peek at Your Seat, kindergarten to grade five, Aug. 23, 4-5 p.m.; Family Picnic, Aug. 23, 5 p.m.;Back-to-School night, kindergarten to grade five, Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m. • 410-887-4888.

Across Baltimore County, schools will begin holding Back-to-Schoolnight activities, some starting as early as this week. The events give parents a way of learning about their child's school, its upcoming events, volunteer and involvement activities, and other facets of school life. The following is the schedule for Baltimore County Public Schools in the Towson, Lutherville, Timonium and Cockeysville areas. Elementary Schools Cromwell Valley Elementary School, 825 Providence Road, Towson - Sneak-a-Peek at Your Seat, kindergarten to grade five, Aug. 23, 4-5 p.m.; Family Picnic, Aug. 23, 5 p.m.;Back-to-School night, kindergarten to grade five, Aug. 28, 6:30 p.m. • 410-887-4888.

FireMount Airy: Firefighters from Mount Airy and Winfield responded at 2: 03 a.m. Friday to a truck fire in the 2800 block of Timber Ridge Court. Fire marshals determined that the fire originated in the engine compartment of a 1999 Ford F-350 pickup truck and was accidental. A 1976 Dodge pickup truck also was burned. Damage was estimated at $43,000. Units were out 1 1/4 hours. School newsWinfield Elementary: Back-to-school night for third, fourth and fifth grades will be at 7 tomorrow. Information: 410-795-6701.

FOR CHILDREN, September marks the beginning of the new year.The Julian calendar's designation of Jan. 1 as New Year's Day may be convenient -- an excuse for a bash on a long winter night -- but September is the time for special beginnings: a new school or grade, new clothes, new books, new friends.So now that the truly best season of the year is upon us, here's some of the news from the neighborhood.Pam Butler, Bollman Bridge Elementary's principal, is pleased that the school's PTA is holding an informal back-to-school picnic.

The South River girls soccer team has been told to forfeit last month's win against Southern of Harwood because the team's coaches left the game at halftime to attend a back-to-school night. Michael Walsh, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Public School system, confirmed yesterday that the Board of Arbitrators ordered the Seahawks to forfeit the 5-0 victory on Sept. 20. "It was decided that the game would be forfeited," Walsh said. "That's all I can say." The infraction occurred during halftime of the game when South River head coach Keith Fontaine and assistant coach John Camm left to attend a back-to-school night at Crofton Middle School where they both teach.

The language of diplomacy has nothing on the language of back-to-school night, that annual mid-September ritual that calls on parents to show (or in some cases, feign) interest in their children's education. While it's generally understood that when the Chinese, for instance, say a U.N. proposal is a "good idea" what they really mean is that the Security Council can take a flying leap, the average parent may find the shaded meanings of school-based English are far less easily discerned.

NOW THAT schools are back in session, it's time for back-to-school nights.Odenton Elementary School, 1290 Odenton Road, will be open from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tonight for the parents of kindergartners through second-graders and from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. tomorrow night for the parents of third- through fifth-graders.The school is holding the event on two nights to prevent crowding in the halls and classrooms.The PTA will conduct a brief business meeting to vote on its budget for the new school year at tonight's open house only.

School Board Broke Pledge on Respect for Minorities"The Board of Education of Harford County requires that educational programs for all schools be planned to include experiences which develop understanding and appreciation of both sexes as well as ethnic and cultural minorities." This quote and all other quotes in this letter are from the "Harford County Public School System Five-Year Plan for Education that is Multicultural."The Jewish community of Harford County is both an ethnic and a cultural minority.

The Baltimore County Public School System hosts back-to-school nights to allow parents and guardians to get to know the school their children will attend. Back-to-School Night activities are planned for these public schools in the area: Arbutus Elementary School — 1300 Sulphur Spring Road, 410-887-1400. Sept. 14, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Bridge Center — 1740 Twin Springs Road, Suites A-D, 410-887-6832, Open House, Sept. 28, 10-11 a.m. Catonsville Center for Alternative Studies — 901 S. Rolling Road, 410-887-0934, Sept.

The language of diplomacy has nothing on the language of back-to-school night, that annual mid-September ritual that calls on parents to show (or in some cases, feign) interest in their children's education. While it's generally understood that when the Chinese, for instance, say a U.N. proposal is a "good idea" what they really mean is that the Security Council can take a flying leap, the average parent may find the shaded meanings of school-based English are far less easily discerned.

Shortly after 6 p.m., parents began trickling into the Homestead/Wakefield Elementary School in Bel Air. Principal Dale Hunsinger and Assistant Principal Eric Laughlin greeted them at the door. A few feet away, a line formed for parents who were asking parent volunteers Lisa Roberts and Kaelyn Lamas about volunteer opportunities. In the classrooms, teachers prepared packets of information, writing notes on chalkboards and preparing overhead projections for the visiting parents. It was back-to-school night, an annual ritual at Homestead/Wakefield that will be repeated at all 51 county schools.

WASHINGTON -- Like most parents of school-age children, I recently attended back-to-school night, when teachers are peppered with parents' questions on school behavior expectations, specific goals for academic achievement and everything in between. Delighted with my daughter's school and the quality of her teachers, I came away with a good sense of their plans to ensure that she will come out with a solid understanding of integers, will never split an infinitive and will surely be enriched by the 20-plus pounds of books and homework in the backpack my 11-year-old will be required to lug home from school each day for the next nine months.

The mother carefully walks her daughter up the school stairs and then points to the left. "Look, it's right there," Mary Holtzner says, motioning to daughter Brittany's new classroom. "How easy is that?" As school starts up again, the Opening Day jitters are back. Nervous schoolchildren wonder whether they'll find their classroom, like their teacher and know some of their classmates. Parents can't help but worry themselves. To ease the concerns, many Baltimore-area schools are increasingly turning to a novel approach: opening their doors early, so the anxious can find their way around, put a face to their teachers' names and see who else will be in their classes.

A FUND-RAISER at Jeffers Hill Elementary School perfectly illustrated the adage, "Every penny counts." During a two-week period that ended this month, schoolchildren emptied pockets and piggy banks and filled a container with more than $260 in change to donate to the American Red Cross disaster relief fund. The change collection was in response to last month's terrorist attacks, which occurred on the day the school was to hold its back-to-school night. PTA member Joanne Andrews was one of several parents who approached PTA President Kelly Carney wanting to involve pupils in helping with the relief effort.

AN ITEM in last week's column gave the wrong information number for the county Department of Recreation and Parks' liberal arts programs for children.The correct number is 410-222-7300.I'm sorry for the inconvenience.It is the time of year when community organizations resume their monthly meetings. Why not make this the year you become involved?Everyone likes to live in a nice community, but it takes work to make the community as nice as you want it. So find out what you can do to help. It doesn't take that much effort, and everyone will benefit.

For parents of school-age children, autumn is a stressful time, beginning with that hellish odyssey known as Back-to-School Night.This is when parents visit their child's classroom and sit hunched at the child's tiny, cramped desk and lose all feeling in their lower backs as the teacher explains what the class hopes to accomplish throughout the new year.The talk is invariably upbeat. With June Cleaver smile firmly in place and eyes glowing like twin coals, the teacher sprinkles her address with phrases such as "new beginning" and "the uniqueness of each student."

The South River girls soccer team has been told to forfeit last month's win against Southern of Harwood because the team's coaches left the game at halftime to attend a back-to-school night. Michael Walsh, a spokesman for the Anne Arundel County Public School system, confirmed yesterday that the Board of Arbitrators ordered the Seahawks to forfeit the 5-0 victory on Sept. 20. "It was decided that the game would be forfeited," Walsh said. "That's all I can say." The infraction occurred during halftime of the game when South River head coach Keith Fontaine and assistant coach John Camm left to attend a back-to-school night at Crofton Middle School where they both teach.

Parents of Wilde Lake Middle School students came out en masse last night to stand up for a school they believe in.With people spilling into the hall at the standing-room-only Back-to-School Night, parents rallied around a school that received a blow when 63 children transferred out of Wilde Lake Middle this year to Lime Kiln Middle School in Fulton.Fifty of those pupils are from the Clemens Crossing neighborhood. Their parents sent them to Lime Kiln because they doubted the quality of education at Wilde Lake Middle.