Dear Parents, What a great night we had at the Starfish Showcase

El
1715 Viola Street
Mandeville, LA 70448
.
985-674-3011
http://marignyelementary.stpsb.org
Dear Parents,
What a great night we had at the Starfish Showcase. We were so happy to see so many
of you join us and share with you some of the skills and concepts your children are
learning. The family learning night also gives us a chance to show you some easy ways to
help reinforce what the students are learning here and practice it at home as well. The
students' art work was also so beautiful lining the halls to create our art gallery. I want
to thank the teachers and staff members who worked so hard to put this great night
together.
I also want to congratulate all the students and teachers for a job well done on the
completion of our Winter Benchmark assessment of DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of
Basic Early Literacy Skills). The students are progressing so nicely on their reading
skills. The students have definitely absorbed the instruction in the classroom coupled
by your commitment and follow up at home. Thanks so much for partnering with us as we
help develop our students into lifelong learners. Remember to continue to read to and
with your child as often as possible. Research tells us that early literacy skills are an
important key to successful students.
With Mardi Gras right around the corner, many classes have been focusing on Louisiana
and our unique customs. As a school we have already had the Black Mardi Gras Indians
here at school. We learned so much about their Mardi Gras traditions and had a lot of
fun. We have planned our own parades here at Marigny. Our Pre-K, Kindergarten and T1 parade will take place on Friday, February 8th at 1:30. We will be parading to Lake
Harbor where their band will play as we travel by. On Thursday, February 7th at 2:30
we will have first grade Shoebox parade at school. Come by and watch us parade.
February 7th
1st Grade Shoebox
Parade 2:30
February 8th
Pre-K, K & T-1
Parade 1:30
February 11 – 15th
Mardi Gras Holidays
February 18th
Back to School
February 20th
Bippo Visits School
February 22nd
Snack Sale
February 26th
PTA General Mtg.
6:30 – Zuckerman,
Conklin & Howell’s
February is known as the month of love and friendship. We just finished our “No Name
Calling Week” sponsored by our K Kids Club. The students focused on positive
interactions with their peers and adults. Here's a quote I found that is perfect for this
time of the year and helps us celebrate each other. "Much of the vitality in a
friendship lies in the honoring of differences, not simply in the enjoyment of
similarities." Enjoy your friends for the special individuals they are. Have a great
month!
Leslie C. Martin, M.Ed.
Principal
Classes performing
February 27th
Terrific Kids
Breakfast
March 1st
Hornets Night for
Marigny
FEBRUARY 2013
Sun.
3
10
Monday
Tuesday
5
4
11
12
Wednesday
6
13
Thursday
Friday
Sat.
1
2
7
8
9
1 Grade
Shoebox
Parade 2:30
Pre-K, K &
T-1 Parade
1:30
14
15
st
16
Mardi Gras Holidays February 11-15
17
18
19
Return to
School
24
25
20
21
Bippo Visits
26
27
PTA Meeting
Terrific
6:30
Kids
Zuckerman,
Breakfast
Conklin &
Howell’s classes
perform
22
23
PTA Snack
Sale
28
1
2
Hornets
Night for
Marigny
Please join us on Friday, March 1st at the New Orleans Arena for
Marigny’s night at the Hornets game. A flier will be sent home to
There will be a Cultural Arts Day
order tickets for you and your family. The deadline to order tickets
planning committee meeting on
is Thursday, February 21st. If enough tickets are sold, we will select
Wednesday, February 20th at
20 students to sit baseline pre-game and watch the players warm-up.
10am. Anyone interested in helping
Please call if you have any questions. This will be a buzzing good time!
with Cultural Arts Day in April is
welcome to attend the meeting.
The PTA continues to be busy during this short month! First Vice President Aleshia Ratliff and I attended
our District meeting and learned about the exciting educational opportunities that await our PTA board
members that will be attending the Louisiana State PTA Convention in Baton Rouge in April. With only a few
months left in this school year, the PTA has already begun looking ahead to next year. We are actively
recruiting people who would be interested in being part of the PTA team for next year. Anyone who is
interested in being a part of the PTA for next year is encouraged to come sit in on our February PTA Board
Meeting on Friday February 22 at 9:30am in the library. Many of us bring our toddlers and babies to this
meeting; so don’t let the lack of a babysitter deter you from attending!
We will be having a General PTA Meeting on Tuesday, February 26 at 6:30 in the gym. Please plan on
attending! At this meeting we will be revealing how many iPads we were able to purchase for the school as a
result of our two Cash for Computers fundraisers. Thank you to all the Starfish and their parents who
donated cash or coins! We will also be electing members of our nominating committee that will compose a
slate of executive officers for the 2013-2014 school year. This slate will be voted on at the April 23rd PTA
meeting.
Have a safe and Happy Mardi Gras!
Julie Faucheux
PTA President
I wanted to remind everyone that daily attendance is vitally important to your child’s academic progress and
social skills here at school. I have been tracking our attendance and I believe we can do better. I know that
there have been some viruses and flu going around, but whenever possible your child should be at school. We
will be sending out letters to parents of children who have missed more than five days of unexcused
absences. It is very important when your child is out sick that you turn in a doctor’s note within 48 hours as
per the St. Tammany Parish School System District Handbook. I would appreciate your help and support in
this area. If you have any questions about your child’s attendance or absences, please call me or Amy Duhon,
our records clerk.
Leslie Martin
January was a busy and exciting month! We had our first field trip to Texas Roadhouse where we learned
how a restaurant operates. It was amazing to see behind the scenes and learn how they prepare all of their
tasty treats. We also celebrated learning about math and reading with our families at the Starfish
Showcase. We were so glad to see so many families attend! We hope you enjoyed our wonderful art display as
we transformed the halls of Marigny into an art gallery. We want to say thank you to all of our families who
have sent in beads, candy, and trinkets for our Mardi Gras Parade! We can’t wait for the parade on Friday!
We hope you all have a wonderful and safe Mardi Gras enjoying quality time together as a family!
Our T-1 classes have been working so hard this winter. We have been studying the changes winter brings.
What expressive writings our students have composed in describing this winter season. We had a special
guest to visit on the 100th day of school. Zero the Hero was soooo cool! We had so many fun activities going
on that day in marking our 100th day of school. We read stories and created circle maps to honor Martin
Luther King. We have also created some beautiful art work in Mrs. Watter’s class which will be displayed at
the Starfish Showcase. Get ready to see us parade in our Marigny Mardi Gras Parade! We have lots of fun
activities going on in the month of February!
.
Wow, can you believe we’re already into the second month of the year. Time sure does fly when you’re having
so much fun learning all sorts of new things. The first grade teachers would like to thank everyone for
making our Starfish Showcase and book fair such a success. In February, our first grade starfish displayed
their very own float creations in our float parade. Also, we will also be busy this month with learning all
about our state, Louisiana, and all that it offers. In math, our first graders will be working hard learning
place value and how to write our numerals many different ways. As always, we will be focusing on fluency and
increasing our student’s growth with their reading skills. Continue to go over vocabulary words and read
nightly with your child.
Please cut out his section and return to school.
Yes, I would be interested in…
____ serving on the Nominating Committee to compose the slate of Executive Board Officers for next year
____ serving on the Executive Board for the 2013-2014 school year in the position of
___________________________________________________________________.
( President/Co-President, 1stVP-Membership, 2nd VP- Cultural Arts, Secretary, Treasurer, School LiasonSpecial Awards)
____ serving on the General PTA Board in the position of ____________________Chair.
(Red Shirt Moms, Spooktacular, Santa Breakfast, Restaurant/Fundraiser Nights, Cash/Coin Fundraisers,
Hospitality and Staff Appreciation, Grandparents Week, Dads Club, Room Mom Coordinator, Volunteer
Coordinator-Events, Volunteer Coordinator-Office, Volunteer Coordinator- Library, Box Tops/Labels for
Education, Newletter, Supply Packs, Snack Sales, K-Kids Club, Square 1 Art, Health and Safety, PBS, SAT
Sitter, Website developer/Webmaster, Grant Writer)
_______I am interested in helping out in some way but I’m not sure how.
_______Please tell me more about the position of ______________________________.
_______I would like to learn more about PTA positions and would like to sit in on the Friday, February 22
PTA Board Meeting at 9:30 am in the library.
Name_____________________________________
Email_____________________________________
Phone____________________________________Cell_________________________
Feel free to email us at [email protected] with any questions!
It's that time of year again! Our second box top contest is coming up. Gather up those box tops and send
them in to your child's teacher by Friday, February 22nd. Winning classes will enjoy a popsicle party as a
reward. Don't forget to clip the labels for education and community coffee labels too. All of these help raise
money for your child's school. Every little bit counts. Thanks for your support!
*Please make a note of our next K-Kids Club meeting date: Monday, March, 11th.
*Our February K- Kids Collection Drive is dental supplies (toothpaste, toothbrushes, and dental
floss) to be given to the Keep Dentistry Alive program in Nicaragua. Donations can be sent to
school.
*Please make a note that our March Collection Drive will begin after the Mardi Gras holiday. K-Kids
will be collecting Mardi Gras beads for STARC of Mandeville. Please look for more information to
be sent home soon!
*The Marigny K-Kids are excited to be participating in a new event this year called Relay Recess.
Relay Recess is an event dedicated to supporting the American Cancer Society. The Relay Recess
program is like the ACS Relay for Life event, but it's for elementary school students. The program
consists of these components:
 Education: Students will participate in activities that focus on nutrition, physical activity,
sun safety, and tobacco prevention.
 Fundraising: Students, teachers, parents, and staff can raise funds for the American
Cancer society.

Physical Activity: The Relay Recess program offers a lot of fun ways for students to get
active.
At each of our club meetings, we will be learning about these components as we prepare for the big
event which is scheduled in the spring. Please look for more information to come!
K-Kids Reminders:
*Please have your child show his/her K-Kids spirit by wearing his/her K-Kids t-shirt or pin to school
on our meeting days.
*A permission slip/meeting reminder will be sent home the week before the K-Kids meeting. It
must be signed and returned by the meeting day. Only students with signed permission slips will be
allowed to stay after school for the meeting. Parents will not be called on the day of the meeting.
*Please make a note of our meeting dismissal plan. We have two pick-up areas to alleviate some of
the traffic. Kindergarten and T-1 students will dismiss from the regular carline area in the front
of the school. First grade students and their younger siblings will dismiss from the bus circle which
can be accessed by taking Horace Street off of Hwy. 59. Thank you in advance for your patience
and understanding!
Thank you Ms. Theriot for 33 years of dedication to
education. We will miss you. Happy Retirement!
Congratulations Mrs. Danielle Gullota on being named
Marigny Elementary’s Substitute of the Year.
Congratulations to our
Terrific Kids for the month
of January!
Great job Starfish!