TATEM TIMES

TATEM TIMES
January 2007
Issue 4
A Letter from the Principal…
January Calendar
Dear Parents and Friends of Tatem School:
1/12 Parent Playground
Training at
8:45 a.m. (library)
1/15 Martin Luther King
Day; School Closed
1/17 PTA Meeting at
8:45 a.m. (library);
PAC Meeting at
3:30 p.m. (library)
1/27 Family Skating
Night at 6:30 p.m.
(Cherry Hill Skating
Center)
I hope this letter finds you and your family well, and that your holidays were filled with peace
and happiness. It continues to be an honor and pleasure to work with all members of the
Tatem school community in helping to create the best possible educational experiences for
our children.
To that end, I have developed school goals that have been shared at a variety of gatherings,
including PTA meetings, Principal Advisory Meetings, and Coffee with the Principal. These
goals are also available for review on my community e-board. You may directly access this
file by visiting http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.us/tatem/BuildingGoals06-07.htm. During the
mid-point of each year, I would like to provide the community with an update on the progress
that we are making towards our goals. The success we have experienced is directly
attributed to the dedicated teachers, amazing students, and supportive parents that make
up this great school community.
Goal #1: To continue the development of a positive school environment.
•
•
•
•
•
The Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program, which focused on how to effectively
address bullying and teasing, was implemented. This approach involved parents,
students, and the entire faculty in helping to empower students to address these and
related issues, while building a foundation of adult support and guidance.
A character education “word of the month” was established. January’s word of the
month is Respect. A morning announcement program has also begun. During the
announcement, a student reflection on the word of the month is read. You can view
www.mrsome
of
the
submissions
on
my
e-board
at
priolo.haddonfield.site.eboard.com (click the Char. Ed. Tab). Here is a list of
upcoming words of the month: February-Responsibility, March—Caring, April—
Cooperation, May—Honesty, June—Fairness.
Nearly 100 Good Citizenship Awards have been presented to students since
September.
Tatem’s Parent Playground Program is in “full swing.” Our volunteer list is near 30
parents, and training sessions will continue throughout the school-year to help build
that list.
Our after-school Enrichment for All classes are filled to capacity! Our plan is to offer a
second session of programs in the spring.
Goal #2: All students achieve at high levels of performance.
•
Teachers at Tatem continue to engage in a variety of professional development
opportunities to help support a high quality of instruction in the classroom. For
example, recent discussions at faculty meetings have focused on mathematics and
writing instruction. The faculty has continued its book study of Making Sense:
Teaching and Learning Math with Conceptual Understanding. In addition, we have
held sessions on implementing the writer’s workshop. Several of our faculty members
have attended workshops by Lucy Calkins, and 6 faculty members will attend a
similar training in February. All of our teachers will participate in Professional
Development Week, which is February 20-23.
(continued ►►►)
TATEM TIMES
January 2007
Page 2
A Letter from the Principal (continued)
•
•
To help use student performance data to guide and inform our instruction, as well as
measure individual student progress, we continue to administer a variety of methods
to gauge student performance.
This includes periodic writing and reading
assessments. For the first time this year, we administered an early literacy assessment
called the DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills). This data is helping
our teachers to ensure that instruction is tailored to meet the needs of the individual
students.
One of the district goals this school year is to design a learning plan for each
elementary student. This system will address each student’s individual strengths and
areas in need of improvement that may be passed on from year to year. We are
currently reviewing a draft of this document that has been developed. Once this
process is completed, the document and procedural recommendation will be sent to
the board for review.
Goal #3: Demonstrate a purposeful attention to curriculum, instruction, and assessment data,
with a focus on student writing.
•
•
As referenced above, nearly 100% of our teachers have attended professional
development on the implementation of the Writer’s Workshop.
In all of our
classrooms, students are experiencing a renewed focus on learning the craft of
writing. In grades K-2, teachers are implementing the Units of Study for Primary Writing,
and in grade 3-5, we are piloting the use of Units of Study for Teaching Writing. Both of
these programs were developed by Dr. Lucy Calkins. One of the ways we will help to
measure the effectiveness of these programs is through the analysis of student data in
the form of pre- and post- writing assessments.
During the month of January, acclaimed author and illustrator DyAnne DiSalvo will be
conducting a Writer In Residence program for all of our classes in grades 3-5. Ms.
DiSalvo will be teaching two sessions about writing instruction to each class, along with
a whole group assembly for our third-fifth graders. This program is being funded
collaboratively by Tatem’s PTA and the Board of Education.
Goal #4: Integrate the use of technology into the classroom and as a communication tool
with the school community.
•
We have nearly doubled the list of parents on our E-News From Tatem School. This bimonthly e-mail contains the latest information about what is going on at Tatem. If you
don’t
currently
receive
E-News,
please
e-mail
Barbara
Rafferty
at
[email protected]. An archive of all the e-news sent in the past year
and a half can be found on our website.
Goal #5: Implement Student Led Conferences in grades 3-5.
•
Each student in grades 3-5 participated in Student Led Conferences. Following the
conferences, feedback data was gathered from parents, teachers, and students. All
of the data indicated that this was a highly successful initiative, and teachers are
reporting a greater level of student engagement in the teaching and learning
process. According to our responses, 93% percent of parents who returned our survey
rated their conference as excellent or good, and 94% recommended that we
continue this practice in grades 3-5.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at
[email protected] or at 429-0902. I also encourage parents to utilize our public
discussion forum, which is located on my community e-board at http://www.mrpriolo.haddonfield.site.eboard.com.
Go Eagles!
Gino R. Priolo, Principal
;
TATEM TIMES
January 2007
Upcoming PTA
Meeting on
Everyday Math
This month’s PTA meeting, set
for January 17 at 8:30 a.m. in
the library, will include a
discussion led by Debra Licorish
about Everyday Math, including
tips for supporting learning at
home.
Tatem Book Fair
Set for February
7th -9th
Join the fun at the Tatem
Scholastic “Book Fair Beach”
February 7th -9th 2007. This year’s
theme and activities are sure to
get our students excited about
reading. Detailed info about
the “Book Fair Beach” activities
and schedule will be coming
soon in your child’s backpack.
We need help at the Book Fair!
Parent volunteers are need for
February 7th, 8th and 9th,
morning, afternoon and
evening time slots. Please
contact Stephanie Sanger at
[email protected] or 4279182 to schedule your volunteer
time. Thanks for your support in
making our Book Fair a success!
Page 3
Find Out What It
Means to You…
Word of the
Month: RESPECT
Congratulations
on South African
Exhibit
We recognize the importance
that our students experience
service projects that help to
develop social consciousness
and civic responsibility. On
December 19th, Under the
guidance of Mrs. Rosen,
Tatem’s Student Council
completed an exhibit about
South Africa. The objective of
this project was to increase our
knowledge about Africa and
further our relationship with
Kalksteenfontein Primary School
in Cape Town. For the children
of Africa, we successfully raised
enough money to purchase
mosquito nets to prevent
malaria. Malaria kills thousands
of children each year in Africa,
most of them under the age of
five. Congratulations to our
outstanding Student Council for
this fantastic project!
Improving
Student Safety
In an effort to enable our staff
to respond to an emergency,
Mrs. Hererra recently trained six
staff members in CPR. This effort
was targeted so at least one
educational assistant in each
lunch period, as well as one
staff member on each level of
the building, including the main
office, received training.
Please be sure to discuss what
this word means to you and
your family. Engage in
conversation about what
respect “sounds” like and
“looks” like. Check out what
some of our students had to say
about our word of the month—
visit www.mrpriolo.haddonfield.site.eboard.
com and click on the Char. Ed.
tab.
Show Your Eagles
Spirit!
This coming Friday, we are
asking all of the students and
staff at Tatem to show your
Eagles spirit by wearing green
to school—even if you don’t
have any Eagles hats or jerseys,
just wearing green is good
enough and we hope the birds
are victorious this Saturday
against the New Orleans Saints.
So be sure to show your Eagles
spirit on Friday.
TATEM TIMES
January 2007
Page 4
Help Wanted
Tatem Fair Volunteers
Needed! The Tatem Fair is on
Parent Playground
Training—Parents Needed!
Thank you to all of the parents
who volunteered for our Parent
Playground Program. The third
training of the school year will
be held on Friday, January 12 at
8:45 in the library. If you would
like to sign-up to participate in
this program, visit
http://www.haddonfield.k12.nj.
us/tatem/ParentPlaygroundFor
mUpdate.htm to complete the
sign-up. Even if you can give
one day every couple of
weeks, we would love to have
you!
June 2 this year, and although
this may seem far away, we are
in the full swing of planning and
need your help! We need to fill
two key chair positions, the
Silent Auction Chair and the Ad
Book Chair. These Chairs also
can be shared with a friend or
loved one. The Tatem Fair is the
biggest fund raiser for our
school, so if you have the
ability, drive, and time to
dedicate to making this year’s
fair our most successful one yet,
please call Bridget Meyer at
427-0924 to volunteer. Thank
you!
Bowlers Wanted! Tatem’s
Bowling League meets every
Tuesday morning at 9:30 a.m. at
the Woodcrest Playdrome. It
costs $8 per week with a large
portion of the proceeds
benefiting Tatem’s PTA.
Babysitting is available for $2
and breakfast is provided once
a month by one of the teams.
Holidays and special occasions
are celebrated--a fun place to
bowl, socialize, and meet other
moms!! Questions??? Call
league President Mimi Butler at
795-4285 or e-mail
[email protected]
Words from an
Old Friend…
Below is an excerpt from a thank
you letter to PTA President
JoAnne Curley from Karry Corbitt.
I hope all is well at Tatem.
Needless to say, I miss being in
Haddonfield, but things here
are extremely busy and I'm
finally to the point where I feel
firmly entrenched in the work.
However, there are days when I
wish I was back in the APR with
the music playing and the
children screaming. Those were
sweet sounds, to say the least.
I wanted to take a moment to
thank all of you for such a
wonderful send-off during the
Tatem Family Dance. I was
overwhelmed and actually
became quite emotional as I
left, to the point where my wife
asked me if I was OK to drive.
Honestly, there have been few
times in my life when I was at a
loss for words in describing my
feelings, but this was certainly
one of those moments. I had
much to share with the children
that evening, but I knew I
wouldn't make it through, so I
made my comments short and
to the point. I hope they
understood and I trust they
know how much I loved being
with them everyday.
I would like to add a bit about
the following morning. I came
in to clean out my office, and
ended up spending most of the
day there.
(continued ►►►)
TATEM TIMES
Words from an
Old Friend
(continued)…
As I prepared to leave in the
afternoon, I heard some noise
out on the field and went over
to the door to see what might
be happening.
To most people, the sight of
some older kids playing football
on a Saturday afternoon
wouldn't hold a lot of meaning.
However, these weren't
ordinary teenagers to me.
These happened to be a group
of former Tatem students, the
very same students who were in
the fifth grade when I started
and are now juniors in High
School. I stood there and
watched without them knowing
for what seemed like a long
time. I thought how significant
it was that the very same
students I first met when I came
were going to be the last ones I
see as I leave. It seemed like six
years passed in the blink of an
eye, and I vividly relived my
part. I will never forget that
moment.
I guess you're figuring out that it
helps me to write about these
things. I hope you'll share this
with the PTA Executive
Committee and include it in the
PTA Newsletter. Not to draw
attention to myself, but to let
everyone know of my deep
love and appreciation for the
Tatem Family, students, parents,
faculty and staff. I will look
back on this portion of my
career as a true indicator of the
correct choice I made to
become a teacher. Tatem was
truly a gift in my life.
(continued ►►►)
January 2007
Speaking of gifts, I want to
thank you as well for the clock,
which I keep on my desk as a
reminder of my Tatem students.
It will occupy a special place in
any office I find myself
throughout the years and I
appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Thanks you again for such a
kind and thoughtful farewell.
--Karry Corbitt
Five Questions
for…Mike Gant
TT: Tell us a few things we
should know about you and
how you came to Tatem...
MG: I live in Lawnside with my
wife and two sons. I began
working in the Haddonfield
School District in 1990. I spent
twelve years at Elizabeth
Haddon before coming to
Tatem.
Page 5
TT: Any things that students or
parents can do to help make
your life easier?
MG: Yes. The students should
try to be more responsible in
making sure that they clean up
after themselves. Everyone
should treat Tatem School as if it
were their home.
TT: What would surprise us to
learn about you?
MG: I am a drummer for the
church that I attend and I have
been married nineteen years.
TT: Your favorite things to do
when not taking care of
Tatem?
MG: I never feel as though
people have enough quality
time available. Having said
that, I like to spend as much
time with my family as I possibly
can.
TT: What are the best and most
challenging parts of your work?
TT: Thanks so much for your
time!!!
MG: The best part of the job is
the fact that I work around
wonderful people that truly
care about one another.
The most challenging part of my
job is trying to help the night
crew keep the building as
clean as possible. It is very
difficult because a tremendous
amount of dirt enters the
building on a daily basis.
♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥
Cupid Strikes at
Tatem!
TT: The funniest or most
interesting assignment (that you
can share with us) during your
time at Tatem???
MG: The funniest assignment
would have to be making hot
chocolate for the kids.
(continued ►►►)
Our congratulations to current
EA Sabrina Cintioli and former
EA Brent Dempsey who rung in
the new year by getting
engaged right in front of Tatem
School (where they met)!
News to Share?
Please send any items
for the February Times
to Maureen Michael at
[email protected] by
January 31st or call 428-4031.
Thanks!