mes press - Valley Central School District
Transcription
mes press - Valley Central School District
MES PRESS M o n t g o m e r y E l e m e n t a r y S c h o o l V a l l e y C e n t r a l S c h o o l D i s t r i c t P R I N C I PA L’ S C O R N E R Dear Families, December came and went very quickly. The building was buzzing with energy and our students participated in an array of fun and educational activities. I want to thank everyone for their continued generosity in supporting members of our community in need of assistance. Mrs. Stout does an outstanding job coordinating the annual food and toy drive. Montgomery Elementary was able to provide gifts and food for approximately 25 families. We could not do this without the assistance of our community. The ME PTA once again hosted our annual “Tree Lighting Ceremony”. It was a beautiful night and everyone had a magnificent time. I want to thank Mrs. Jachimiak for leading us in the caroling and the ME PTA for providing hot chocolate and holiday craft making, as well as the parents who brought in snacks for us to share. I would also like to thank my husband, Mike Quill, for getting all those lights on our gigantic tree. It was an amazing night and I appreciate the efforts of all the volunteers who made this possible. We are so happy to have music back in the curriculum. Our Winter Concert was phenomenal. I was so impressed with the students’ spectacular performance. They certainly got us all in the holiday spirit. Mrs. Jachimiak and Mr. Antonelli are to be commended on their hard work and dedication in preparing the students for this night. This year a group of MES first grade students went to the Montgomery Nursing Home to provide some uplifting entertainment for the seniors residing at the home. The students did an amazing job of singing several traditional Christmas carols. At Montgomery Elementary School we believe in giving back to the community. I would like to thank the ME PTA for providing us with the History’s Alive Assembly. The students learned a great deal about Thomas Edison, from the famous inventor himself. One important lesson they learned is that we can learn a great deal from our mistakes and to never give up. Our second assembly takes place in January and we are very excited to learn how superhero comics are created during the “Science of a Superhero” presentation. On January 14th we will hold another Family Math Night. This is a wonderful opportunity to experience first-hand what is being taught in the classroom each day. Parents and children work together, under the direction of a classroom teacher, to perform math activities. Look for the reminders that will be coming home and be sure to send in the RSVP. As the cold weather starts to settle in, I would like to review our procedures and expectations regarding outdoor recess. Factoring in the wind chill, our students will participate in outdoor recess when the air temperature is 20 degrees or higher, and if there is no significant precipitation falling from the sky. Please send your child(ren) to school dressed for the cold weather with a warm jacket, hat and gloves. Please make sure all outdoor gear is labeled with your child(ren)’s name. It is up to the parents to provide the appropriate outdoor gear as we do not have a large supply of jackets in the nurse’s office. If you are experiencing a financial hardship, please contact the nurse so that she may be able to provide you with the outdoor clothing your child(ren) need to stay warm this winter. Cold weather also brings around the potential for two hour delays, early dismissals and school closings. Please make sure you have the appropriate contact information on file at school so that we may contact you in the event of a weather emergency. You should also review your alternate plan with your child(ren) in case bad weather causes an adjustment to the school schedule. I wish all of you a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year. Respectfully, Marianne Serratore Calendar Highlights January 2015 Jan. 1-2-Winter Recess continues NO SCHOOL Jan. 12 &26-BOE Mtg. 7:00pm CO Jan.13 & 27-Banking Day Jan.14-K-5 Math Night Jan. 17-K of C Free Throw Championship 10:00am12:00 pm Jan.19-Martin Luther King Jr. Day NO SCHOOL Jan. 20-PTA Reflections Ceremony 7:00pm Jan. 23-Hobby Fair 7:00pm Jan. 30-Family Fun Night 7:00pm February 2015 Feb. 2-6 PTA Winter Book Fair Feb. 9&23-BOE Mtg.7:00pm CO Feb. 10 & 24 Banking Day Feb.13-16-President’s Weekend NO SCHOOL Feb. 17-PTA Mtg. 7:00pm Feb.19-20– 5th Grade Drama Production of SHREK 7:00pm 141 Union Street Montgomery, NY 12549 Phone: 845-457-2400 Main Office: ext-14511 Attendance: ext-14507 Online: www.valleycentralschools.org January 2015 Assistant Principal’s Page Mr. Matthew Canino [email protected]/457-2400 X14520 Montgomery Elementary School Be a Bucket Filler, NOT a Bucket Dipper!!! A New Year’s Resolution! In declaring a New Year’s resolution, children can set personal and/or academic goals to identify a target for their own success. Setting goals is a child’s first step to success. Our students, at Montgomery Elementary, are encouraged to have high expectations for their academic achievement and set goals to improve upon their own academic abilities. It is understood that all children are different and have varied capabilities, but if children believe in themselves, their accomplishments will be never-ending. Parents can help their children have more success in life and in school by investing the time to teach them how to set and reach goals. A future goal may be to earn a college scholarship, but today it may be as simple as getting ready for school independently. Think of it as a time investment. Break the task process into baby steps. You are teaching your child the fundamentals as they accomplish a step by step process of skill building. Your tasks are to teach, be a role model, and reinforce each productive behavior step. If you positively reinforce each skill along the way you will enjoy the bonus of building your child’s self-confidence. It can be simpler than you think. To assist you on this journey, the following website can be a useful resource. Nine Steps to Teach Your Child Goal Setting; please go to http://kamaron.org/ Parenting-Education for more information.) During this New Year, the Montgomery Elementary faculty/staff will continue to love, cherish and embrace the individuality of each student while challenging them to do their very best and believe in themselves. Good luck and have fun on your goal setting adventure in 2015!!! January AntiBullying Initiatives Mix-It-Up at Lunch: Grades 2/3 Grades K-5: Interactive Read Alouds Grades K-5: Character Education Videos During Lunch Character Badges displayed on Super Students bulletin board Character Education daily announcements Bucket Filler reminders! Musical Notes Congratulations to our first graders on a beautiful job preparing their Senior Center holiday program! Thank you to everyone who came out to carol for our tree lighting on December 12th. Also, congratulations to all our performers in the fabulous Winter Concert! We are proud of all of you and would like to recognize all of our speakers and soloists as well! We finished out the month with our Montgomery Elementary School Sing- Along! What a great way to spread Holiday cheer, singing loud for all to hear! We have so much to look forward to in January. There will continue to be opportunity for any vocalist or instrumentalist to perform solos in music class. We have enjoyed learning to sing into the microphone and appropriate audience behavior as well. The primary ages will continue to sing on solfeggio (do, re, mi) using kodaly hand signs to nursery and folk songs. We will be learning about the elements of a musical production as our fifth grade's performance of this year's musical, SHREK, approaches. The fourth and fifth graders will be learning about Mariachi and Caribbean styles of music. They will be preparing performances in small teams to represent what they learn. Your children are a pleasure to teach! Thank you for supporting all of their musical endeavors! Marianne Jachimiak TEAMWORK – MAKE IT YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION! It may not yet be 2015 when you read this, but I wish all our families a Happy New Year! Our character trait of the month is TEAMWORK and our 3rd graders are writing and reading their announcements for January. We are all familiar with teamwork being defined as: cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause. Here at MES, we are a team working together to help each student be successful! And students are working together to help each other whether it be to complete a class project, learn a new game at recess, or show good sportsmanship while participating in Physical Education class. Let’s help our children learn the true meaning of what it takes to be a good team member. This includes practicing positive teamwork habits, such as: open communication (which allows everyone to be able to share their ideas and opinions); respect (all members must be respectful toward each other); problem solving (to be able to learn how to resolve conflicts and work smoothly together even during rough times) and a common goal (the team can resolve problems and work through disagreements toward the end goal). All of this takes practice and knowledge, but remember that T*E*A*M = Together Everyone Achieves More! Melinda Sulzbach LET’S HEAR IT FOR SOAP A study in Michigan has found that school-age children who wash their hands four or more times during the day are less likely to get sick than their classmates. Those who washed up suffered 24 percent fewer sick days from colds and flu and 50 percent fewer sick days due to stomach illnesses. Hand washing is the best way for adults to avoid spreading infectious diseases too. (Source: University of California at Berkeley Wellness Letter.) HAND SANITIZERS Please do not send your children to school with hand sanitizers. They are alcohol based and some students are highly allergic. The District has installed non-alcohol sanitizers in strategic areas throughout the school for student use. Classroom teachers also encourage hand washing throughout the day. The Orange County Health Department has reported that washing hands with soap and water is the best method to combat germs. WINTER IS HERE The cold weather has arrived. However, whenever possible we will be sending students outside for recess. Please be sure that your child comes to school with a warm coat, mittens or gloves, and a hat and boots when necessary. The District procedure is to go outside for recess when the temperature is 20 degrees or above which includes the wind chill factor. We understand your concerns regarding the health of your child when they have colds and coughs etc. If your child has a temporary health issue and you would like him/her to remain inside for recess, we will honor that request with a written note from you for one day. For requests lasting longer than one day, a note will be needed from your doctor stating how long your child will need to remain indoors. If your child has a health issue that is contingent upon a specific temperature threshold, that temperature must be stated in the doctor’s note. FROM THE OFFICE For Snow Days, Cancellations, Delays and/or Early Dismissals, you can check the district website, listen to your radio or call the Valley Central School District’s main telephone number. The following radio stations regularly report school delays and cancellations: WGNY (1220 AM, 103FM & 1340 AM) WBNR (1260AM, 104.7 FM) WRWD (107.3 FM) WHUD (100.7) WPDH (101.5) WRRV (92.7FM, 96.9FM) When calling the District telephone number, 457-2400, you will hear a recorded message from Dr. Hooley. He will give the date and information regarding the school closing or delay. If you hear the normal daily message, school is in session at the regularly scheduled time. All school delays, cancellations and/or Early Dismissals will also be posted on the District website: www.valleycentralschools.org. For 2-Hour Delays - On a regular school day our doors open at 9:00am for students. However, when we have a 2-hour delay, children should not arrive on school grounds prior to 11:00am. when adult supervision is available. Also on days when there is a 2-hour delay, breakfast will not be served and morning Club Kid will be cancelled. Dear Parents, As we prepare for Kindergarten Registration this spring, we’d like your help in gathering student information for our mailing list. If you have a child who will be five years old on or before December 1, 2015, please complete the form below and return it as soon as possible to the main office. If you have a friend or neighbor with a child eligible to enter kindergarten this fall, please share this form with them, or ask them to call the main office of the school their child will attend so that we may add his or her name to our mailing list. If you have any questions about Kindergarten Registration, please call me at (845) 457-2400, ext. 18130. Thank you for your cooperation in helping us identify our incoming kindergarten students… The Class of 2028! Sincerely, Janine Maridou Central Registrar HOLIDAY BASKETS The Health Office would like to extend our sincere appreciation to all who made the “Adopt a Family Program” a wonderful success. This year 25 families will have a brighter holiday because of your generous spirit. A very special “Thank You” to: The Village of Montgomery PBA, The Pony Express Club, St. Mary’s Church, Montgomery Nursery School, Montgomery Elementary PTA, Girl Scout Troop 158, ERA Realty and the Knights of Columbus. We also want to thank our own school families who adopted a family this season. It may be cold outside but Montgomery has a very warm “HEART”. Donna Stout, RN NEWS FROM THE CAFETERIA Please send in separate checks for Breakfast and Lunch. They are two different programs. Breakfast tickets are $1.55 each and lunch tickets are $2.55 each. They can be purchased in increments of 5, 10, 15 or 20 days. Please write your child’s name and their teacher’s name on each check you send in for lunch and/or breakfast. If your child wishes to purchase milk the price is 60 cents per carton. If your child has to charge lunch or has any outstanding lunch/breakfast charges they will not be allowed to buy extras. Students are also not allowed to charge for extras. Please do not send in metal containers of fruit. If the tabs break off we can not open them. Also, please do not send in glass bottles. Thank you for your cooperation. Any questions call 457-2400 ext. 14890. Mrs. Patricia Marron Cafeteria Manager MARK YOUR CALENDAR EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS (Dismissal at 12:10 P.M.) MARCH 18, 2015 January 2015 Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu 1 Fri 2 New Year’s Day Sat 3 WINTER BREAK CONTINUES 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 BOE Meeting 7:00pm CO 18 25 Banking Day 19 20 Martin Luther King Jr. Day No School for Students PTA Reflections Ceremony 7:00 pm 26 27 BOE Mtg. 7:00pm CO Banking Day Family Math Night 6:308:00pm 21 K of C Basketball Free Throw Championship 10:00am12:00pm 22 23 Hobby Fair 28 29 30 Family Fun Night 24 K of C Free Throw Snow Date 31