Gator News - Schools

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Volume 4, Issue 9
June 2014
Gator News
46060 Millstone Landing Rd Lexington Park, Maryland 20653
SUMMER OFFICE HOURS: MONDAY—THURSDAY, 9:00am-2:00pm
J U N E
I M P O R T A N T
E V E N T S
PHONE: 301-863-4064 FAX: 301-863-4072
2nd Gr. Portfolio Night
5:30pm
2nd
3 yr. old EOY Program
10:00 & 1:30
3rd
Pre-K & Head Start EOY
Celebration
6th
5th Grade Dance
6:00-8:00
6th
Last Day for Head Start
Students
9th
2 Hr Early Dismissal
No PM Pre-K
10th &
11th
4th Qtr Awards Program
9:30
11th
5th Gr. Promotion 9:30
12th
Last Day of School
2 Hr Early Dismissal
No AM or PM Pre-K
P r i n c i p a l ’ s
P a p e r
C l i p
With June upon us, this school year is quickly coming to an
end. I hope this has been a positive and productive year for your child(ren).
This year has been packed with scientific explorations, long-term transdisciplinary projects, lots of math practice, and reading, reading, and more reading! As we approach summer, please be sure to have your child(ren) read
every day. Research has shown that children who do not read and practice
math skills during the summer lose some of the progress made during the
school year. Teachers will be sending home summer activities and suggestions to assist you.
Also during the summer, children are outside a lot more often.
Please be sure to remind your child(ren) to wear helmets and to practice
safety when riding bicycles.
Also, the Lexington Park Library has many events throughout the
summer, including a Green Holly Spirit Day on June 16th, 4:00-6:00 p.m. This
is a great way to kick off summer reading. In addition, Mrs. Brooks, our
librarian, has provided every student a reading log to encourage students to
keep up their reading. If the school-wide goal is met, Mrs. Champion and I
will dance the hula. I am sure it will be quite amusing.
12th
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Principal’s Paper Clip
1
Nurse’s Note
2
Counselor’s Corner
2
Attendance Matters
3
Summer Reading Challenge
4
Recycling News
4
4th & 5th Grade Math
Competition
5
Christmas in APR: Team GHES
5
Sandbox Learning: Getting
Ready for Summer
6
I am very proud of the accomplishments of our students this year.
Please join us for the last awards assembly for students in kindergarten
through fourth grade on June 11th. It will begin at 9:30. The fifth-grade
Promotion Ceremony will begin at 9:30 on June 12th. On both occasions, we
will not be seating guests until 9:00. Please do NOT arrive before that time,
as you will be asked to wait outside. The lobby is small and becomes
congested. Also, we will need to wait for all of the buses to clear their lot to
accommodate guest parking. I thank you in advance for your cooperation.
Each year we conduct a Title I survey. Please go to our website at
http://schools.smcps.org/ghes/ to complete your survey. We have paper
copies in the front office if you do not have Internet access. As always, we
need your input to help us plan for next year. I have enjoyed this year with
your children and have some wonderful memories. Thank you for sharing
your children with us. Have a safe and relaxing summer. I will see you in
August.
Principal Adams
P a g e
2
N u r s e ’ s
N o t e
G a t o r
N e w s
****** For those students who have medications at school, including over the counter medications like Motrin and Tylenol,
they must be picked up by June 12th at 2:30pm. If they are not picked up, they will be disposed of according to St. Mary’s
County School policy. They may not be saved for the next school year or sent home on the bus with students. A new doctor’s
order form is needed for each new school year. ******
****** Any student entering KG now needs 2 Varicella (Chickenpox) vaccines******
Spring and summer brings:
Pollen and allergy symptoms. Children who have seasonal allergic rhinitis or hay fever can be seen doing “the allergic salute”,
rubbing the end of their nose, complaining of itchy noses, eyes, throats, sneezing and stuffy noses. They can also be irritable,
tired, depressed and have a loss of appetite. Talk to your doctor or a pharmacist to find out which antihistamine may work best
for your child.
An increase in accidents from outside activities and sports. Review safety rules with your children and enforce the use of helmets and knee and elbow pads.
Sunburns. Slip on a shirt, slap on a hat and slop on that sunscreen!!!
Stinging insects. Things that attract them are fabrics with bright colors and prints, scented lotions and oils, blossoms on trees,
plants, fermenting fruit, garbage cans, uncovered foods outdoors, old wood and dead logs, dripping faucets, standing water and
increased levels of carbon dioxide (running away causes this). A normal reaction is redness and swelling at the site that lasts a
few hours. Remove the stinger and apply a cold compress. A localized reaction is one that spreads past the site and may last
several days. Call your doctor for this and a systemic reaction which can occur five minutes to one hour after the sting and may
include breathing difficulty, abdominal cramps, swelling of the throat, headache, dizziness, nausea or hives and can be life
threatening. Benadryl may decrease the symptoms but medical attention is needed immediately and you need to call 911.
Have a safe and healthy summer!
Kathleen Tippett, RN
301-863-4064
Counselor’s Corner
I can't believe the year is almost over! I want to be sure all students have a fun and safe summer. Please take time
to sit down with your child and talk about safety. The following are some safety tips to review with your child:
Stranger Danger: Never talk to strangers. Never approach a car you don't know. Run away and tell if a stranger approaches you. If a stranger tries to grab you, drop to the ground and start screaming to bring attention to yourself. Develop a
secret password between you and your child in the case you will need to have someone pick them up who they don't
know.
Cyber Safety: Don't give out any personal information online. Monitor all of your child's web activity. Do not chat with
strangers online.
Bicycle Safety: Always wear a helmet! You can't put a cast on your brain.
Water Safety: Don't go where you can't touch the bottom unless you are allowed. Always swim with a buddy. Swim in
sight of the lifeguard.
Gun Safety: Don't ever touch a gun. Always assume a gun is loaded. If any child (friend or relative) is touching a gun you
must tell an adult. The only person allowed to touch a gun is the gun's owner.
It has been a wonderful year and a pleasure to work with all of our amazing children at Green Holly Elementary School. I
hope everyone has a fantastic summer!
See you in the fall!
Ms. Swick :)
V o l u m e
4 ,
I ss u e
9
A t t e n d a n c e
P a g e
School attendance has a huge impact on a student’s academic success starting in prekindergarten and continuing through high school. Even as children grow older and more independent, families
play a key role in making sure students get to school safely every day. Regular and consistent attendance
is necessary for student achievement, graduation, and college and career readiness.
Teacher
Attendance %
May 2014
Garrett
72.5
Greer
87.5
Rocchio
87.6
Adams
92.4
Schettini
92.3
Blair
92.2
Hartlaub
91.4
Slavings
84.9
Harden
97.1
Deemer
Shriver
95.1
94.2
Cikovic
93.9
Thompson
92.9
Willis
96.6
Monteith
96.6
Robertson
96.7
Kimler
96.4
Court summons;
Viverette
97.6
Hazardous weather conditions;
Scherer
96.4
Merry
90.5
Work if approved or sponsored by the
school;
Ash
98.7
Simpson
94.0
Musolino
95.4
Alvey
93.5
Suspensions;
Buehler
97.0
West
95.6
Lack of authorized transportation;
and
Barnes
96.0
Cook
95.7
Total
93.2%
Documentation of an absence must be
sent to school within three days of the absence, either with a written note, phone call,
email, or through the school website portal.
The following reasons are deemed lawful absences:
Death in the immediate family;
Student illness, for which the principal may require a physician’s certificate;
Observance of a religious holiday;
State of emergency;
Other circumstance, which in the
judgment of the principal, constitutes
a sufficient cause for absence from
school.
3
Scholastic Summer Reading
Green Holly is participating in the Scholastic Summer Reading Challenge. The challenge begins on May 5
and ends on September 5. Record the minutes you read each day in your Reading Log. Go online to
Scholastic and record your minutes online. Earn virtual prizes. Download the Scholastic Reading App on
your iPad Android or Apple tablet or phone. Use the timer then record your minutes. http://
www.scholastic.com/apps/scholasticreadingtimer Each student in the current Pre-Kindergarten through
4th grade will be enrolled in the challenge and given log-in information.
Unable to go online? Record your minutes in the reading log. You will be given an opportunity to enter
your minutes when you return to school in August.
Ms. Adams and Ms. Champion challenge you to read 2000 minutes this summer. That is a total of
100,000 minutes for all the students at Green Holly.
If we reach our goal of 100,000 points, Ms. Adams and Ms. Champion will dance the hula for the entire
school.
Will you read your 2000 minutes? That is just 20 minutes a day for 100 days. Can you read for more than
2000 minutes? The top ten readers will be on the morning announcements in September. The school
reading the most minutes wins a visit from David Shannon, the author of the No David! books.
When you read every day, YOU win and you help Green Holly win!
Recycling News
We’ve had a great year with recycling plastic bottles and aluminum cans. We recycle in
cooperation with PepsiCo’s Dream Machine Recycle Rally, who encourage and support
schools to help make recycling part of everyday behavior. PepsiCo’s goal is to create partnerships to help increase the US beverage container recycling rate to 50 percent by 2018.
In addition, PepsiCo offers free education to post-9/11 veterans with disabilities to help
them open their own small business while making their dreams come true.
This year Green Holly students and staff have recycled 764 pounds of plastic bottles and
294 pounds of aluminum cans! Thanks to all the families who have saved their recyclables
to aid in our efforts to help the earth and veterans. We hope to continue this recycling
program next year, so keep saving those bottles and cans!
4th and 5th Grade Math Teams
On Saturday, April 26, 2014, the Green Holly 4th and 5th grade math teams competed in the SMECO county
math challenge at Margaret Brent Middle School. The team members worked cooperatively on five challenging
math tasks, and then individually completed forty complicated word problems. Our fourth grade team won fifth
place for the team competition, and Shen Rothermel tied for first place for the 4th grade individual competition.
The teams finished the day with a lightning round of math problems where several of our students won prizes.
The team members were:
Fourth Grade
Alexander Romero
David Wilganowski
Gregory Koebke
Jordan Hutchinson
Shen Rothermel
Zachary Gerkin
Fifth Grade
Destini Ortiz
Emma Mussante
Finn Hildebrandt
Joseph Oakes
Malayah Brown
Ruth Plante
Victoria Davis
The team members worked hard, and they learned many new math concepts while preparing for the competition. Their goals were to learn something they didn’t already know, to have fun, and to do their best. They
achieved all three goals and more. We are very proud of them.
Christmas in April
April 26, 2014 was Christmas in April Day in St. Mary’s County. On this day, the community comes together
to help those in need of home repairs. Material and labor are donated by the wonderful people of this
county. Green Holly Elementary School is a big part of this activity.
The Social Committee held a Causal for a Cause Day. This is where teachers and staff make a donation to a
set cause. Money was donated to Christmas in April to help fund projects.
On Saturday, April 26, a group of teachers and staff worked on a house belonging to an elderly resident.
With failing health, she was unable to do some needed repairs to her home.
GHES was joined by Our Lady’s Church and Honeywell. This group completed the following repairs and jobs:
replaced the front porch and added a ramp for safer access to the home; repaired and replaced the kitchen
floor, added new tile and new hand-crafted cabinets (Thank you Mr. Harden); replaced the toilet with a
higher model; re-caulked the entire bathroom; added rails to the back steps; installed a stackable washer
and dryer; replaced the back door; scraped and painted the exterior of the house; capped the eaves; cleared
the yard of debris; planted a few trees (Thank you Mrs. Evans), and created a wonderful flower bed. Yes, all
of this was done in the course of a day. The rain held off until the job was completed. The homeowner expressed many times how appreciative she was for all who came to work on her house. “Looks like a new
home now”, she exclaimed.
This was the sixth year GHES has had a team with this organization. Team Green Holly consisted of:
G. McFadden and Daughters, K. Evans and G. Evans, G. Evans, P. Williar, F. Williar, E. Willis, L. Willis
(Hollywood Elem.), L. Cook, M. Ash, L. Harden, V. Jones, P. Fenwick, G. Dristofaro, K. Dicristofaro, C. Hartwig,
M. Brown, T. Baker, R. Baker, K. Baker, L. Baker, and T. Simpson.