News (Submitted by Carol Carden, 443-506-6561)
415 Edgewood Road, Edgewood, MD 21040, 410-676-1147

Line Dancing.  Line Dancing is back at our Legion as of January 8th  and every Friday night, from 7:00 pm until 11:00 pm.  Cost is $10 at the door and includes draft beer, fountain sodas, pretzels and chips. Line Dance lessons at 8:30 pm, Doors open at 6:00 pm and the kitchen will be open.

BINGO, every Sunday, Doors open at 5:00 pm and play begins at 6:00  pm. Three progressive jackpots.

Bull and Oyster Roast Jan.16th, 3:00 – 7:00 pm. $30/person or $50/couple.  Call for information and tickets (410-676-1147).

American Red Cross Blood Drive Jan 23rd, 12:00 – 4:00 pm.

Valentines Day Dance Feb.13th  Call for information (410-676-1147).
For information contact Carol Carden, (443-506-6561).

Free Programs for all ages at the Edgewood Branch Library
629 Edgewood Road, Edgewood, MD.  410-612-1600

Meetings:
Edgewood Friends Meeting
Monday Jan 11    4:15-5:15 pm

TAG! (Teen Advisory Group)
Make a difference in the library, have your voice heard!
Bring your friends and meet new ones.
Saturday Jan 16    12:00-12:30 pm

Regular Programs:
The Un-Named Book Club
This is not your typical book club. Join us for an interesting time of discussion and discovery. Thoughts and ideas required.
Grade 6-8 Wednesday Jan 13  4:00 pm

Babies Love Books
Playgroup follows for meeting and mingling.
Ages 6-24 months  Friday Jan 29  10:30 am

Edgewood Senior Center
Tuesday Jan 26  10:30 am
Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Game On! @ Your Library
Match your skills against fellow gamers. Play Xbox or Nintendo Wii.
Saturday Jan 23    2:00-4:00 pm  All ages

It’s Story Time!
Wednesday Jan 11-May 31  10:30 am

Kids Monday Night Book Club
Lively reading and activities.
Grades 1 – 3  Monday Jan 25    6:30-7:30 pm

Young Adult Book Discussion
Gather with other teens and have fun discussing some great books.
Grades 9-12   Wednesday Jan 20    4:00-5:00 pm

Yu-Gi-Oh Dueling Club
Activities include beginning instruction, tournaments and free play.
Grades 5 and up   Saturday Jan 16    12:30-4:30 pm

LEAP Programs:
LEAP: Living and Working in Space
Dr. Don Thomas will speak about his experiences as a veteran astronaut with 4 space shuttle missions. What is it like to see the Earth from 200 miles up? How are simple tasks like eating, sleeping and exercise performed in space? Dr. Thomas currently is the director of the Hackerman Academy of Mathematics and Science at Towson University.  Grades 3-8  Tuesday Jan 12    6:30-7:30 pm

LEAP: Technology
An informal time dedicated to building solar powered cars, testing robots and more!  Grades 4-8  Tuesday Jan 12    3:30-4:30 pm

Special and guest programs:
Monkey Around with Curious George
Monday Jan 11  10:30 am  2 Year to K

Poe: Man of Mystery
A lively discussion of the life and times of Edgar Allan Poe and the mysterious circumstances of his death.
Presented by Jeff Korman of the Maryland State Library Resource Center.  Middle school-adult  Wednesday Jan 20  6:30 pm

Resume Writing Workshop
Tutor.com presents Barbara Safani, author of Happy About My Resume: 50 Tips for Building a Better Document to Secure a Brighter Future.  This webinar will teach you key tips for writing powerful resumes that get the attention of hiring managers.
Tuesday Jan 26  2:00 pm    Tutor.com

Freedom’s Crusade: Stories from the Civil Rights Movement
A look at the past with stories about the Civil Rights Movement.
Grades K-3  Wednesday Feb 24  4:00 pm

Underground Railroad in Your Backyard
Explore local sites along the Underground Railroad on the Chesapeake Bay with storyteller William Starke.
Grades 1-adult  Saturday Feb 6  11:00 am

(Input by Arden Case McClune, Chief of Capital Planning and Development, Department of Parks and Recreation, 410-638-3571)
Edgewood High School – Synthetic Field
Synthetic field construction is complete. Use will be restricted until new school construction is complete and opened in the fall of 2010.

Edgewood Recreation Park – New Athletic Field and Parking
The construction work has been awarded to Comer Construction with a bid price of $625,213.  The project has been placed on winter shutdown and construction is expected to begin in early March.

Willoughby Beach Launching Facility
Contractor has completed the improvements to this facility.

Nuttal Avenue Park
Harford County has received a $200,000 grant from the DNR Community Parks and Playground Program for the initial phase of design and site improvements at Nuttal Avenue in Edgewood.  An engineering firm has been engaged to identify existing infrastructure and needed clean up efforts as well as appropriate locations for community amenities.   Concepts have been reviewed and a Community Input Meeting will be scheduled in the coming weeks. Discussions are held with the Department of Public Works regarding the closure of one or more of the public roads.  Community Legacy Grant funds will be sought for FY2011 by the Department of Community Services.

County Councilman Dion Guthrie’s Report
(Input by Diane Burch)

Double Groundbreaking at APG
On December 14th Councilman Guthrie attended a Double Groundbreaking at Aberdeen Proving Ground for the GATE Project.  St. John Properties, in partnership with APG, is developing the Government and Technology Enterprise (GATE), a 2-3 million+ square feet, 400+ acres state-of-the-art research and development and technology business park for both government and non-government users.  This project will generate hundreds of excellent jobs.  Mr. Guthrie is very pleased with this project and will offer information regarding the progress of the construction as time allows.

Renter’s Proposal Meeting
Included in Councilman Guthrie’s always busy schedule is an upcoming meeting regarding renters of properties.  He plans to meet with Shawn Kingston, Director of the Harford County Housing Agency, Omar Simpson and Jansen Robinson, both very involved community constituents, to discuss the need for legislation to require owners to be responsible for their properties.  Any information that develops from this meeting will be shared with Mr. Guthrie’s constituents as soon as it is available.

Legislation in the Works
Bill No. 09-44 (Semiannual Annual Property Tax Service Charge) was introduced at the County Council’s December 1st meeting. This bill will eliminate any service charge associated with the submission of the annual property tax in semiannual installment payments by a property owner; and generally relating to semiannual property tax payments.

Bill No. 09-45 (Solar Energy Tax Credit) was introduced at the County Council’s December 1st meeting.  This bill will set an annual limit on amount of credits granted, of Section 123-44, credit for qualifying energy conservation devices, of Article II, Real Property Tax Credits, of Chapter 123, Finance and Taxation, of the Harford County Code, as amended; to provide for an increase in the tax credit amount as part of the energy initiative.

Bill No. 09-46 (Transportation Plan) was introduced at the County Council’s December 1st meeting.  This bill will provide for the adoption of the 2010 Transportation Plan as part of the Master Plan.  This is an important piece of legislation as, in part, it deals with the widening of Rt. 152 to which Councilman Guthrie is opposed.  Amendments will be introduced.

All three of these bills were up for Public Hearing last Tuesday, January 5, 2010, in the Council Chambers.

New Year, New Cheer
Councilman Guthrie would like to wish everyone a very Happy, Healthy and Safe New Year and let’s hope the New Year will bring a better economy!

MLK Essay Contest.  Attention all Middle and High School students (Public, Independent, Alternative, Home-Schooled) of Cecil and Harford counties! You are invited to enter the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. 2010 Essay contest.  The theme for the essay is to discuss how you are working or would work to promote his message of non-violence, service to all people and strengthening of family and community.  Monetary awards will be presented to the top 3 essays from middle school and from high school entries.  Essay Submission Deadline is Monday, January 25, 2010.  Details regarding the entry application form and other information are found on the attached flyer.

Music and Dance Programs Congratulations
Congratulations to the students and teachers who worked so diligently to present excellent musical and dance programs at our Edgewood Schools in December.  This editor was very pleased to see the support of parents and community in their attendance at nearly packed auditoriums.  The debut performance of the Edgewood Evolution Dance Troupe saw 100 dancers learning up to seven different numbers in just a few short weeks.  The original works of dance and creative choreography of Director Ms. Christ and by her inspired students were enthusiastically performed.  Well done!

Evidence that the High School Jazz Band will be beneficiaries of a well trained and impressive Middle School Jazz Band under the tutorage of Mr. Nick Trosclair was clearly shown at the Middle School Winter Concert.  To all of the students (and teachers) who performed at their respective school concerts, we say ’thank you’ and we are looking forward to the Spring concerts!

Edgewood Middle School (input from by Stacy Bryan)
The EMS Family Bulletin is posted on our school website at https://www.edline.net/pages/Edgewood_Middle_School

PARENTS CORNER
As part of our mission to Empower, Inspire, and Achieve TOGETHER it is important that we continue to engage you, our parents and community, in meaningful ways. Engagement includes your participation in school activities as well as the support of the school mission and vision at home. Here are some of the many ways you already engage or could further engage in the learning process. Attend Back to School Night, Open House and Parent Conferences; emphasize “Home” work completion; volunteer for Fundraisers, Team Nights and on Field trips and come to Meetings.

Parents and community members are invited to join the Edgewood Middle School Instructional Leadership Team for an informal Meet and Greet from 6:00 -7:00 pm in the cafeteria on January 25th. These meetings are designed to build relationships among parents, community members, and school leadership. By providing an opportunity for an exchange of ideas, we can truly empower and inspire our children as learners! Immediately following the Meet and Greet, parents are encouraged to stay for the PTSA meeting, where our dedicated PTSA will work with us to create and coordinate opportunities for meaningful engagement in a wide range of activities related to student achievement.   PTSA meetings occur on the 4th Monday of each month. The Meet & Greets are planned in sync with these meetings on one day each quarter so that families can more easily participate in both.  If you ever have a suggestion for a topic for the agenda of either type of meeting, please don’t hesitate to contact our PTSA at emsptsa@gmail.com. Requests will be shared with the school leadership as needed.

Cutting Edge Teachers Make a Difference (by Stacy Bryan and Jessica Reynard)
Ms. Jessica Simmons-Reynard has been a technology teacher at Edgewood Middle School for nearly a decade, and in that time, she’s seen a lot of technology come and go.  One of her passions is cross-curricular integration of technology, and she values the use of the Internet to make those learning experiences both authentic, engaging, and accessible.  Recently, Ms. Simmons-Reynard received national recognition for lesson plans that she submitted.  Entering the contest has been a learning experience for her as she works with other professionals to fine tune the lessons.   Follow this link to see one of her lesson projects:
http://www.quia.com/files/quia/users/reynardj/Bill-Gates-Technology-Project-2009-10.htm
We are sincerely thankful that Ms. Simmons-Reynard is a member of our talented and dedicated staff, and wish her continued success as she submits more lessons to promote technology literacy.

William Paca/Old Post Road Elementary School (input from Carinda Raftery, Family Liaison)
Computer Lab.  The WP/OPR Computer Lab located in the William Paca School will be available for use by parents on January 13th from 6:15 – 7:15 pm.  The Old Post Road School computer lab will be available on Feb 10th from 6:15 – 7:15 pm for use by parents.

Chat n Chews.  Parents are invited to come together to share ideas and thoughts on guided topics with teachers and to enjoy a light breakfast on January 27th from 7:45 – 8:30 am in the WP cafeteria.

PTA.  A General Meeting of the PTA will be held on February 1st at 6:00 pm in the WP media center.  Your attendance will be very welcomed.