<b>ROCKLEDGE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL </b>recently held a "Rainbow of Hope" campaign and book drive to help those affected by the Sept. 26 typhoon which hit the Philippines. The typhoon brought the equivalent of one month's rain in 12 hours, causing the worst flooding in the Philippines in more than 40 years. Almost 380,000 people sought shelter in schools, churches and other evacuation shelters.

The homes of nearly 1.9 million people in Manila and surrounding areas were thought to have been flooded as the typhoon struck. Many families lost their homes; many children could not go to school because their schools were either destroyed by the flood or being used as shelters.

As a community of caring, Rockledge Elementary School responded to the call for service by launching a book drive and a Rainbow of Hope campaign. The children received a "rainbow" for every dollar they donated. The "Rainbows of Hope" are displayed in the hallways. Along with the donation, the students wrote notes to Filipino children, expressing their sympathy.

The funds raised from the campaign will help address the immediate need for food, medicine, sanitation and clothing. Most importantly, this effort will contribution to rebuilding the lives of the community in the Philippines.

Students raised $368 and provided six boxes of books. They hope this kind gesture of helping the less fortunate will continue to grow at Rockledge and at other county schools and in the entire nation.

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<b>TULIP GROVE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL</b> had a busy day last Thursday. After class celebrations, fall crafts and a kindergarten nature hike through Tulip Grove's own "pumpkin patch," students rushed home to prepare for the Fall Festival. Led by PTA president Carmie Naleski and committee chairmen Danielle Kuni and Lori Morrow, parent and teen volunteers transformed the school hallways and cafeteria in less than two hours. Pumpkins and witches decorated the walls. Banners were hung. Games and prizes were carefully arranged. Classroom doors were decorated with haunted houses, mummies, spiders, and even Charlie Brown and the Great Pumpkin. The scene was set for one of the PTA's largest family events.

By 6:30 p.m., the crowd of costumed students and their families were anxious to get inside. Many of the students headed straight for the classrooms, eager to fill their trick-or-treat bags with candy. Dozens of teen volunteers from local middle and high schools were on hand to pass out the piles of candy that had been donated over the last few weeks. As the hallways filled, other students ventured into the cafeteria to try their hand at a game of darts, pumpkin bowling or tic-tac-toe. Their efforts were rewarded with a variety of prizes including spider rings, bracelets and vampire teeth. Children also had the chance to get their face painted by a team of artistic volunteers who adorned cheeks with pumpkins, spiders and butterflies.

The biggest prizes of the evening were the spectacular cakes waiting on the cafeteria stage. Over 20 cakes were donated by Tulip Grove families for the cake walk. Emcee Erik Kornmeyer had no trouble finding people willing to spend a dollar for their chance to win. Students and parents alike jumped on a square to play a variation of musical chairs. Each time the music stopped, numbers were eliminated until a winner was left standing. By 8, all of the cakes had been awarded and the PTA had raised money to help fund more activities for the year.

Eventually crowds thinned as the Darth Vaders, ninjas, witches and fairies grew tired. Principal Brian Baudoin wished everyone a good night as they headed home with their bags full of candy and prizes. Just five hours after the decorations had been hung, the cleanup crew had to take them down. With plenty of teens and parents still on hand, games and prizes were packed up in no time. The boxes of pumpkins, skeletons, tombstones and ghosts went back into the closet to wait for next year's festival as Mr. Baudoin commended PTA members on another job well done.

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<b>HOLY TRINITY EPISCOPAL DAY SCHOOL</b>'s annual Halloween celebration was a festive and fun event. Everyone enjoyed the parade and seeing all the creative costumes. Even the teachers were dressed in style. We were glad to have so many parents join us to watch the event, help with classroom activities and cheer on the students. The Discovery classes also celebrated Halloween by talking about the sizes and shapes of pumpkins. They pretended to be pumpkin seeds and "grew" into different sizes in their pumpkin patch. At their wonderful field trip to Greenstreet Gardens, the Explorers went on a hayride, planted pansies, wandered through a corn field and had fun on a bumpy slide and playing with the corn-filled tractor tires.

Kindergartners completed a wonderful pumpkin report that included learning about the different sizes and shapes of a pumpkin, and counting the number of seeds inside. The lower school students worked on Halloween skills games. They enjoy a Pumpkin Sweep relay, Pumpkin Tic-Tac-Toe, Rattle My Bones Skeleton toss, Knock the Cat off the Witch Hat, Ghostbuster Bowling, Soccer Ghoul kick, Mirror, Mirror, and the Eyes Have It. Students traveled from station to station practicing skills used in physical education classes and had lots of fun while learning.

The school will hold its annual open house Wednesday, Nov. 11, from 9 to 11 a.m. Tours will be held at the Bowie campus (grades 1-4) and Glenn Dale campus (preschool/kindergarten and grades 5-8). For information, call 301-262-5355 or e-mail admissions@htrinity.org.

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<b>ST. MATTHEW'S EARLY EDUCATION CENTER </b>had October and Halloween activities abound. The rainy days didn't dampen the students' spirits as they dressed in their Sunday best and smiled for the camera as school pictures were taken. All the school classes were busy finishing up their Halloween art projects, or carving pumpkins to smell and feel the "wet cold, slimy," pulp inside.

Walking down the halls, a visitor could admire pumpkins, jack-o'-lanterns, black cats, ghosts and even an orange mural on the walls. If they happened by Christin Vare's music room, they might find themselves marching along to the "Pumpkin March," or singing along with the catchy tunes of "Pumpkin Jack" or "Mwa Ha Ha" where the children pretended to be scary monsters.

Halloween parades and special class festivities were held at the end of the week. The annual Halloween Carnival was again a big hit. The Silly Spider Walk, Skeleton Hunt, Bat Bump, Spooky Eyeballs, Fishing for Pumpkins, and Goblet Penny Pitching games were just a few of the activities the teachers put together for the students to enjoy. Ending the perfect safe and fun Halloween celebration, the teachers and students were all smiles at St. Matthew's EEC.