James Island O`Quinn Newsletter

October/November 2013
James Island O’Quinn
Newsletter
Parents Guild President: Kristen Mulholland
As fall arrives (and hopefully cooler
weather), I hope everyone has settled
into a routine for the school year. The
Parents Guild (PG) started off the year
with our annual volunteer registration at
open house, the Sip ‘N Sob drop-in for
parents, and Parent’s Night. It was nice
to meet many of you at these events.
Important Dates:
October/November
10/7
Parents Guild meeting @ 6 pm
Our first big PG event will be the Halloween Carnival on October 30-31. This
event requires a lot of volunteers to run successfully so I hope you volunteer if you have
the time. We look forward to seeing you at the carnival. This fall, the PG is also promoting our fundraisers—O’Quinn t-shirts, directories, and holiday wreaths. We would
greatly appreciate your support! In November, we will have our annual Book Fair. The
Book Fair will be held on November 11-15. Please stop by to purchase books for your
child/children or to fulfill their teacher’s wish list.
I would like to thank the PG Board, committee chairs, and volunteers! Without your
support and generous donations we would not be able to do all we do for our teachers,
staff, and students. I encourage each of you to volunteer, get involved in your child’s
school, meet new people and develop new friendships.
Wishing you all a wonderful fall season,
Kristen
10/18
Field Day—All 5K at
Porter-Gaud Stadium
10/21-22
Fall Break—school closed
10/30-31
Halloween Carnival*
11/04
Parents Guild Meeting @ 6 pm
11/08
Conference Day—5K
Extended Hours Open
11/11-15
Box Tops for Education
We have teamed up with Porter-Gaud to earn cash for James Island O’Quinn through
the Box Tops for Education Program. Look for the pink Box Top on hundreds of participating products. Each Box Top helps earn money for our school.
It’s as simple as 1-2-3! 1. Buy your favorite Box Tops products. 2. Cut out the Box Top from each package. 3. Drop off
your Box Tops in the bin in the office labeled Box
Tops. James Island O’Quinn will then receive a check for the
Box Tops collected.
Learn about more ways to help our school on the last page
of the newsletter.
Scholastic Book Fair
11/21
First Thanksgiving Play at
Porter-Gaud—5K
11/25-26
Thanksgiving Feast*
11/27-29
Thanksgiving Holiday—school
closed
*see teacher for class details
Character Critters
Classroom Updates from your Teachers
2K
It’s a good time to be in the 2’s at O’Quinn! We start off the month with Community
Helpers. The children always enjoy visiting the fire truck and having our parents come
in to share about their professions. The Two’s will also be very busy learning about
nocturnal animals, spiders and decorating our rooms with “Spooktacular” Halloween
projects.
During the Season of Sharing we talk about being thankful for our family and friends.
We will sing fall songs and learn all about Thanksgiving food so that we can cook
some for Daddy and Mommy! We will have our Thanksgiving Feasts on Monday &
Tuesday, November 19 & 20. Look for details for your child’s classroom feast to be
posted soon.
Being a good citizen by:
Cooperating
Obeying the rules
Respecting people in
charge
Not littering
3K
Our theme for the 3’s during October will be “Under the Full Moon”. The classes will
talk about their nightly routines while learning about what can be seen in the night
sky. We will also learn about nocturnal animals and even a nocturnal plant. Dr. Jean
will be with us on October 15th to sing songs with us. We are thrilled to be having her
come to the school. The month will end with Halloween crafts and pumpkin projects
to get us ready for our annual PTO Halloween carnival.
In November we will focus on “Harvesting a Healthy Feast”. We will discuss how
fruits and vegetables are grown and how we need to eat them everyday to grow up
healthy and strong. We will also go on a walking field trip to Publix where the children will get a tour of the store. We will have a canned food drive so we can promote
sharing and giving. After collecting our canned food, we will sort and count the items.
Our Thanksgiving Feast will be in the form of a picnic where we will encourage all
packed lunches from home to be
healthy.
4K
Being fair to others by:
Knowing and following
the rules
Sharing with friends and
family
Not blaming family and
friends
October is “brewing” with fun in the
Fours! We begin with a visit from our
local firefighters, continue with decorations for fall, and conclude with
Halloween Parties and the much anticipated O’Quinn Halloween Carnival! Just when we think we’ve caught
our breath, the next calendar page is November. Crafting totem poles, pouches, and
dream catchers (an all time favorite!) help us develop a greater understanding of
some tribes and their customs before we visit the Charleston Museum on Wednesday, November 6th. The Fours celebrate Thanksgiving with a “Feast of Thanks”.
(More details about our trip to the Museum and our “Feast of Thanks” will be sent
home at a later date.) And, before you know it, December has arrived! Don’t you
wish you were four again?!?
Kindergarten
What a wonderful start we have had to our Kindergarten
year! We spent some time getting to know all about one
another and all about where we live during our “Me on the
Map” unit. After exploring our great state of South Carolina,
we are now moving our focus to habitats and tracks. We’ll
learn about animals that waddle, bound, stride and gallop as
we gear up to make our own tracks on Field Day at PorterGaud on October 18th! During our pumpkin study we’ll incorporate estimating, measuring, patterns, problem solving and
writing. In November, we’ll explore the habitat and characteristics of a turkey and use our imaginations to take a ride
on the Mayflower and see what life was really like for the
Pilgrims as they traveled to America. Let’s not forget about
sights words, journal writing, building friendships and having
fun!
Wreaths will be for sale soon! Be sure to be on the look-out so you can purchase
them in time for the holidays!
Director’s Notes
It’s amazing that we are already into the month of
October. Our “welcome back” decorations are
down and our pumpkins, spiders, and ghosts are
beginning to go up! We are looking forward to
having our James Island Fire Department visit
during Fire Prevention Week and our 5K field day
on October 18. Of course the highlight of the
month is the annual Halloween Carnival on October 30th and 31st.
November will bring leaves and hopefully, cooler
weather. Our Parents Guild Book Fair will be held
on campus during the week of November 1115. Our month will end with a 3 day Thanksgiving
Break, November 27-29. Our teachers continue
to include our “Character Critters” into their
weekly lessons.
In September we focused on Carrie the Caring
Cat, and for the next two months we will add our
friends Cindy the Citizen Crab and Fran the Fair
Frog. We appreciate any review you can provide
at home because parents are the most important
teachers your children have!
Please be sure to let me know if I may be of any
help to you and your family.
Thank you for a wonderful start to the new year.
Sharon
This Month’s Teacher Spotlight, by Rossie Webber
Donna Murphy
Donna Murphy is one of our 5K teachers. She hails from Connecticut although
she and her family have lived in Florida,
Maryland, and California. Her parents
live in Arizona, and Donna has driven
across the country 4 times! Donna’s husband, Chris, works for Marriott hotels and
their son, Elliot, is in the 5th grade at
Stiles Point Elementary School. Donna
worked for the Department of Education
in Washington, D. C. but decided that
office life was not for her!
She met many wonderful teachers while
at the Department of Education and decided that teaching was what she was
meant to do. This is Donna’s second year
at O’Quinn School and we are so happy
that she is here. Although she hopes to
continue teaching for many years, she is
practicing to perfect her performance on
a unicycle and on a surfboard! We hope
she sticks with teaching.
Jaxie Eby
Wedding bells are in sight for
Jacklyn Eby. Soon her name will
change to Ferguson when she
marries Ryan Ferguson in October. Jaxie is originally from Summerville but now resides in West
Ashley. She started at O’Quinn in
the 3’s last year and moved to the
part time 2’s in August, 2013. This
move was a result of a graduate
school course that includes an
internship with Charleston Collegiate School. Jaxie would ultimately like to work in the social
work field with children in hospitals or schools.
Stacy Brown
Stacy Brown is not new to O’Quinn
School. Her son, Harrison, attended
O’Quinn School several years
ago. We are so happy to have Stacy
working with us in the 4’s now. This
is her second year here. Stacy is
originally from Estill, South Carolina
but has lived in Charleston since
1998. Having children of her own
helped Stacy realize that working in
a school was the place for her. She
is a graduate of USC but is a diehard Clemson fan—Go Tigers!!
Halloween Carnival
It’s that time of year again! Halloween Carnival will be held on October 30th and 31st. This
year, in lieu of toy donations we are asking for a contribution of $3 per child, which can be
paid in the front office or given to your child’s teacher.
We also need lots of parent volunteers to make this event a success so please sign up to
volunteer on the list in the front office or by emailing us at [email protected]. Thank you!
- Heather Davidson and Mollie Dadin (Halloween Carnival co-chairs)
Community Outreach
Thank you to those who contributed to the clothing drive! We
had great success collecting items. The LOR is always in need
of gently used clothing from infant to adult sizes for older
children.
Our first project for MUSC is coming up November 11th22nd. We are collecting change to purchase art supplies for
the children. Please help by donating spare change. There
will be a large jar in the front hallway for collection. We expect this will be a fun way to involve your children in giving to those who are less fortunate!
Both organizations are in need of volunteers. There are opportunities to sign up on each website.
Please don't hesitate to contact Jill Settle, Community Outreach Chair with questions or concerns:
[email protected]
This year we will support : the Lowcountry Orphan Relief (LOR)
www.lowcountryorphanrelief.org
and The MUSC Children's Hospital.
www.musckids.org/childlife/wishlist.htm
O’Quinn Quips
Calling all O’Quinn Parents! We want to hear from you. Please send us a funny quote, saying or quip that your child has shared with you. We’ll list them here and add a little giggle
to your day (let us know if you
want to remain anonymous) .
Email:
[email protected] and
[email protected]
We look forward to sharing them
in the December Newsletter.
Thanks!
Scholastic Book
Fair
The book fair will
be set-up in the
hallway near the
front office. Be
sure to stop by
and stock up the
following dates
and times:
Nov. 11th -15th
7:30 am - 9:00 am
& 3:00 pm - 6:00
pm
Nov. 12th & 13th
11:15 am - 12:45
pm
More ways to support James Island O’Quinn School:
It’s easy to earn money for James Island O’Quinn school! Here are just a few of the
simple steps you can take to ensure that small change adds up to big savings. You’ll
benefit from these as much as the school. Thanks for your support!
Like us on Facebook to stay up to date with all of the latest
news.
Earn money for your favorite school by clipping box tops (see
article on page 1). To learn more about the Box Tops for Education program, please visit http://www.boxtops4education.com/
Link your Vic card to our school at:
https://www.harristeeter.com/other/my_harris_teeter. Tell
friends and grandparents to link us, too!
Please stop by the Customer Service desk at the Harborview
Publix and pick up a card for your keychain. When you check
out, please give the cashier your card to scan.
Please join us in an upcoming Spirit Night at a local restaurant.
Be on the look-out for details that will follow soon!
Mom’s
Night
Contact the Parents Guild
Executive Board Committee
President: Kristen Mulholland
Vice President: Sara Corbett
Treasurer: Mara Read
Secretary: Heather Davidson
Assistant Treasurer: Mary Plunkett
Past President: Candace Jaruzel
Standing Committee Chairs:
Directory: Julie Foster
Halloween Carnival: Mollie Dadin &
Heather Davidson
Social (Fall/Spring): Kristen
Mulholland & Jill Settle
Teacher Appreciation: Rory Couturier
& Leah Ellis
Book Fair: Kelly Duffy
Community Outreach: Jill Settle
Newsletter: Terra Burke & Kyndra
Luce
Fundraising: Sara Corbett
Room Mom Liaison: Heather
Davidson
Out
O’Quinn Moms head out monthly for happy hour. Kristen Mulholland organizes Mom’s Night Out (MNO). Please contact Kristen ([email protected]) if you would like to be added to the
email list.
Target Red Card
Donate up to 1% of your purchases to O’Quinn when you sign up and use the free
Target Debit REDcard. It works just like a check by drawing from your checking
account.
Card benefits include:
1. Save 5% on purchases at target and target .com
2. Free shipping at target.com
3. Extended return policy
4. 1% of all purchases donated to school of choice
5. Cash withdrawal at checkout.
Simply enroll at any register or download and application online and take a blank
check with you when applying in the store. Once your account is established you
can manage your card online, which includes selecting O’Quinn as your school of
choice. For more information visit www.target.com/tcoe or call 1-800-316-6142.