Bushkill Elementary School

Bushkill Elementary
School
October 2015
Volume I, Issue 2
Upcoming Events
October 1-31
Read-A-Thon
October 3
Fall Clean Up and
Clothing Drive
October 5, 7:00pm
PTA Meeting
October 12
BES Night at
Buffalo Wild Wings
October 16, 6-8pm
Harvest Fest
October 30
Book Character
Parade
November 2, 7:00pm
PTA Meeting
November 3
Election Day
Bake Sale
November 4, 6-8pm
Math Night, K & 1st
November 5, 6-8pm
Math Night,
2nd & 3rd grades
Bushkill Elementary
Fall Clean Up Day
Join us on Saturday, October 3, 9am-noon for a day of
fresh air and fun!
Bring the kids and help us keep our school beautiful!!
Please bring wheelbarrows, shovels, rakes, hand pruners,
weed wackers, and leaf blowers along with any other
items you think might assist in cleaning up the flower
beds, courtyards, and Environmental Center.
Start Cleaning out the Closets!!
Our Fall Household Goods and Clothing Drive will also be held
on Saturday, October 3. A full list of items that will be accepted
will be sent home with the students, but they will take almost any
useable item except furniture, books and electronics.
Page 2
Bushkill Elementary School
Principal’s Message
Dear PTA Parents,
The 2015-2016 school year is well underway. It is great to have your children back in school and to
see all of their smiling faces. This year got off to a great start. Hopefully both you and your children
feel the same way. My message for this newsletter is about some of the changes that have taken place
at our school and to make you aware of some important upcoming school events.
I am sure you noticed that we have a new paved parking lot, basketball court and playground area.
The parking spaces in the front of the school were widened so you will no longer have to hold your
breath as you try to squeeze into your car. If you have a chance, please thank a school board
member for approving this much needed project.
This year we also have one new face in our school. The new face is that of Mrs. Marissa Reed
who will be in second grade for this school year. Mrs. Reed was a teacher here at Bushkill
before the fourth and fifth grade left and was relocated at the Intermediate School. She rejoins
the Bushkill staff and brings a wealth of knowledge and experience about reading that will be
very important to our other second and third grade teachers.
I want to thank those who came to the Bushkill Open House and the Fitness Walk. As I alluded to at
the Open House, many parents say school is important. They talk the talk. But it is equally important
to show your children that school is important by attending school events. These not only talk the talk,
these people walk the walk. By the time you read this, the PTA Reading Night will have taken
place. Thank you to LouAnn Fehr who organized it. The next events will include the PTA Harvest
Fest on Friday, October 16 and the Book Character Parade on Friday, October 30 . Another event that
will be fun will be the Nazareth Area Science Project Apple/Train Fest and Haunted Train Ride that
will take place on Saturday, October 24 . The Apple/Train Fest begins at 10:00 am and ends at 4:00
pm. The Haunted Train Rides begin on the same day at 5:00 pm and end at 8:00 pm. All these events
will be fun for both kids and adults.
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Just a reminder that one of the best ways to get involved with our Bushkill School Community is to
attend PTA meetings and/or functions. The Bushkill PTA is run by a very unselfish group of parents
who provide many opportunities for our students, parents and teachers to engage in fun activities. PTA
meetings are scheduled to take place during the 1 Monday of each month. The meetings are held in
our Bushkill library and begin at 7:00 pm. All of the PTA sponsored events can be found on our district calendar or you can go to the PTA Website at bushkillpta.org. If you would like to volunteer or
join a committee you can contact Mrs. Stephanie Baker our PTA President, Mr. Chris Spohn our PTA
Vice President or Jodi Schell, the Volunteer Coordinator for the PTA. They can be contacted by email at [email protected].
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Sincerely,
Gregory E. Shoemaker, Ed.D.
Principal
Page 3
Bushkill Elementary School
Guidance Corner
Mr. Gridley
Who is your school counselor and what does he do?
A new school year often brings with it much change. Such is the case this year at Bushkill Elementary. Many
families are new to our school and have never had the opportunity to meet me. Other families that are not new
to our school may not have ever had the chance to meet me. So this is an excellent opportunity for me to introduce myself and let you know what it is that I do at Bushkill Elementary. If you already know who I am and
what I do, then my hope is that you will learn something new about me or my role through this newsletter.
Let me first introduce myself. My name is Mr. Gridley and as you may have already figured out I am the
school counselor at Bushkill Elementary School. This is my sixth year at Bushkill. Last year was a wonderful
experience as I continued to get to know the students, parents, and teachers that make our school so great. I
have really enjoyed seeing all the familiar faces. Wow, what a difference a few months make. It’s amazing
how the students look and act older after what seems like a few short weeks. I have also greatly enjoyed seeing
the new faces in our school. After meeting many of the new students, I can tell this is going to be another great
year at Bushkill.
My goal is to continue establishing a counseling program that focuses on learning, builds character, and develops skills and competencies necessary to be successful in life. I am also focused on facilitating the academic,
career, and personal/social development of all students at our school. I accomplish this through incorporating
individual counseling, group counseling, and a classroom curriculum.
If you have a question or concern, please contact me at 610-759-1118, extension: 5006. Once again this year I
am at Bushkill Elementary on Mondays, Tuesdays, and every other Wednesday, and then at Lower Nazareth
every other Wednesday as well as every Thursday and Friday. In the event that you are in need of contacting
me on a Thursday, Friday, or Wednesday when I am not in the building, and your concern is something you
would like to have addressed quickly or before I return, you can contact the front office and communicate your
concern to one of our secretaries who will either connect you to Dr. Shoemaker or who will communicate your
concern to Dr. Shoemaker. You can also contact me via e-mail, Monday through Friday, at
[email protected].
I would also like to remind you to visit my website which can be accessed through our school’s webpage. This
will provide you with information regarding parent and student resources, as well as upcoming events.
Speaking of upcoming events, the week of October 26 is going to be Red Ribbon Week, which will focus on
drug and alcohol prevention. The planning for the activities that will be taking place during this week is currently still ongoing. So please check the school’s website for further details, which will be posted once the
planning is complete.
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I am proud to be a member of such a wonderful community. I look forward to another outstanding year at
Bushkill Elementary School.
Holiday Shop
It time to start thinking about the Holidays! We will be opening the Holiday shop again this year. Students will
get the opportunity to purchase presents for loved ones while they visit the shoppe during school hours. We
need your help! We are looking to expand our committee. Currently, we need people to purchase gifts, and
organize inventory. Keep an eye out for a sign up for shoppe volunteers. Please contact Amy Pidgeon
at [email protected] with any questions, or if your interested in helping!
Page 4
Bushkill Elementary School
News from the Nurse . . . . .
Every year, most elementary schools are confronted with pediculosis, commonly known as head lice. Typically we see increases in
cases of head lice during those periods following vacations; any time
children begin to spend greater amounts of time indoors and in
close proximity to one another or at sleepovers.
Early identification of lice and prompt treatment can successfully
prevent the spread of lice to others. Early detection of head lice is
imperative to controlling the spread and the treatment of the condition. It is very important for parents to check their child’s head for
lice on a regular basis. Screening at home helps to preserve the
learning environment and your family’s privacy. Your assistance with
this matter will be much appreciated.
Below you will find detailed instructions for how to check your child
for head lice, and what to do if your child has lice. DO NOT send your
child to class if you suspect he/she has lice; instead, bring them
DIRECTLY to the school nurse.
What to look for:
• Intense itching and scratching of the scalp are main indicators of head lice.
• The presence of lice can be confirmed by close visual inspection under bright light of the hair and scalp.
• Using a tongue depressor or other type of stick, separate the hair into small sections for examination purposes.
• “Nits”, the lice eggs, are whitish or brownish and oval in shape. They are very small—each about the size of a
pinhead—and resemble dandruff. Unlike dandruff, they are sticky and not flakey.
• Lice are small grayish bugs adhering to the hair shafts about 1/4 inch from the scalp. They are often found near
the warmer areas of the scalp, such as near the ears or the nape of the neck.
What to do if nits or lice are found:
• Hats, hair fasteners, linens, towels, backpacks, clothing, etc. should be washed and dried with hot water and
high drying heat for thirty minutes. Although the National Pediculosis Association no longer recommends sealing
items (such as pillows or stuffed animals) in plastic garbage bags for 14 days, it makes some parents feel more
proactive by doing so. Lice are parasites that require a live host in order to survive. Nits will not typically hatch if
they are not on a human host, and a mature louse can only survive about 24 hours off of a human host.
• All carpets, furniture, mattresses, car upholstery, and car seats should be thoroughly vacuumed. (Remember to
seal and dispose of all used vacuum bags.)
• Children should receive treatment for lice. Either call your physician for a prescription or ask the pharmacist for
an over the counter treatment.
• Once your child appears to be nit-free, please continue to check his/her head daily for about a week. The nits
expand as they get ready to hatch, and therefore become more visible. This may account for the recurrence that
is sometimes experienced after a family thinks they’ve been “cured”.
Page 5
Bushkill Elementary School
New Requirements for ALL Volunteers
The Child Protective Services Law (effective 12/31/2014) requires all School Employees, Contractors, and
Volunteers having routine, direct contact with children to obtain new clearances every 60 months (Act 15
of 2015 changed this requirement from 36 months). This includes child abuse, state and federal criminal history checks. Below are instructions for obtaining clearances, all which can be completed online.
PLEASE MAKE SURE TO KEEP A COPY OF EACH CLEARANCE FOR YOUR RECORDS.
You must physically bring in your original clearances to the Human Resources office (in the District Office
adjacent to the high school) to verify and copy. They cannot accept any clearances via e-mail or sent in with
a student and they can not be accepted at the school.
For more information about how to obtain these clearances, please visit the PTA page of the Bushkill Elementary Website. Any questions, please email Volunteer Coordinator Jodi Schell at [email protected].
NOTICE for parents/guardians of students with food allergies:
When there is an event involving food and drinks in your child’s classroom you will be notified by the PTA
and/or classroom teacher. Notices are usually sent in the PTA newsletter or flyers. The PTA and staff are
aware of the specific allergies in every grade and they are updated as information changes. There will never
be food containing peanuts or nut products and every food/drink that is at the event MUST have an ingredients label. Prior to the event please remind your child what they can and cannot eat due to their allergies!
If you would like a list of the food and drinks please check the PTA website http://www.bushkillpta.org or
PTA Facebook page www.facebook.com/Bushkillpta. The coordinators must have the list posted 1 week
prior to the event. If the event is not PTA related please contact your child’s teacher for the food and drink
list. Any questions please call the nurse at BES 610-759-1118 Ext. 5103. Thanks for your cooperation to
keep your child safe at school.
Library News
Mrs. Rizzolino
Welcome to another great school year! I am happy to announce that the LIBRARY now has its very own
webpage! Please be sure to “check this out.” The tabs at the top of the page cover a variety of things. I
especially love the tabs titled…projects and what’s new. The project page has 2nd and 3rd grade projects
posted from last school year. The what’s new tab has scrolling pictures of the newest additions to our library collections! That tab will be updated monthly with a few new books.
Thank you to the students and parents that have already participated in the “Where Do You Like to Camp
out and READ?” sharing project. I am asking all students to share a picture of their favorite place to camp
out with a good book. These photos/drawings will be posted in or around the Library to enhance our Reading Challenge this year. The photo/drawing can be submitted at anytime throughout the duration (Oct.Feb.) of the Reading Challenge.
The Reading Challenge… READ S’MORE BOOKS… begins in OCTOBER! Your child will receive a paper and a recording sheet explaining this at the library. A copy of this will be on the school or library web
page too. THANK YOU for encouraging your child to READ, READ and READ S’MORE!
Direct any questions to…[email protected]
Page 6
Newsletter Title
Labels for Education
We are off to a great start! Let's keep this terrific momentum going: Please continue to collect your Labels
for Education and send them in with your student. Also, to ensure each class receives the proper credit,
don't forget to label the envelope with their teacher's name.
Something important to mention: We have recently noticed that certain packages of Goldfish crackers did
not have "Labels for Education" depicted on the UPC. This is still a participating product! Please continue
to cut and save the UPCs from any Pepperidge Farm product, even if the words "Labels for Education" are
not written on them; we will still get credit for those items.
Finally, keep an eye on the bulletin board outside the cafeteria. Labels has joined with Box Tops in the
race to see which class can collect the most! Now, students can see how their class measures up against
other classes in the school. Remember, class prizes and teacher awards will be given out to those who
collect the highest combined total of Box Tops and Labels for Education.
Thank you for your support!
Amy Vituszynski and Heather Sterling
Attention Skiers and Snowboarders
Discount Blue Mountain Tickets
for the 2015/2016 Season
Fall Fun at Bushkill Elementary
Sponsored by the Nazareth Area Science Project
Saturday, October 24
6 VISIT PASS for Non Holiday Monday through
Thursday Anytime
Train and Apple Fest
10:00 a.m.—4:00 p.m.
Train Rides, Games, Music, Vendors, Food
$ 200.00 Lift, Lesson and Rental
$115.00 Lift only
$160.00 Lift and Rental
$160.00 Lift and Lesson
$30.00 Helmet Rental
Haunted Halloween Train Rides
5:30 p.m.—8:30 p.m.
Climb aboard for a frightfully good time with lots of
thrills and shrills in the scenes along the track
If interested, email Kami at [email protected]
More info: www.nazarethscience.org
Fitness Walk
A BIG "THANK YOU" to our BES families for supporting our 2015 Fitness Walk! We raised over $5,000 to
be used for PTA sponsored events including Harvest Fest, RIF book distributions, field trips, and more. The
weather was beautiful and the students had a blast!
2015-2016
Executive Committee
President
Stephanie Baker [email protected]
Vice President
Chris Spohn [email protected]
Secretary
Treasurer
Bill Carlin [email protected]
www.facebook.com/BushkillPTA
http://www.bushkillpta.org