koala talk - Cowlishaw Elementary School

KOALA TALK
NEWS FROM THE PTA
Cowlishaw Elementary School
1212 Sanctuary Lane, Naperville, IL 60540
NOVEMBER 2010
Important Phone Numbers:
Office: (630) 428-6100
Fax (630) 428-6101
Attendance (630) 428-6114
A MESSAGE FROM OUR S TUDENT SERVICE COORDINATOR
With the recent tragedies in
the news lately about
bullying and October being
named “Bully Awareness
Month”, there has been an
increase of reports of
bullying occurring not just
at our school but across the
district. I was recently
given the opportunity to
attend a very informative
workshop on bullying at
Aurora University entitled
“It’s Not Just Joking
Around” given by Jodie
Blanco, author of Please
Stop Laughing at Me.
After reading this book
over a year ago, I was
excited to hear her speak as
she relived her experience
with being a victim of very
aggressive bullying from
middle school all the way
through high school and
how she overcame the
ridicule to become a
successful career woman.
It was a remarkable
presentation and one that
taught me much more than I
ever thought.
In reflecting on this
presentation, I came to
realize that not everyone
has the same definition of
what it means to bully. In
researching the school
district’s Bully Prevention
Curriculum, I found “A
Research Definition of
Bullying” by Dan Olweus,
a renowned Norwegian
researcher on Bullying
behavior. Some of the
information included in this
research is:
distinguishable power
differential.
Examples of bullying
included are:
Saying hurtful and
unpleasant things
Inside this issue:
Calendar
2
Mrs. Howicz continued
article
3
LMC
6
Making fun of others
PTA News
4
Using mean and hurtful
nicknames
Holiday Shop
5
Manna News
9
Completely
overlooking someone
Manna Form
10
A person is considered
being bullied when he/she
is “exposed, repeatedly and
over time, to negative
actions on the part of one or
more other persons.
Negative action is when a
person intentionally inflicts
injury or discomfort upon
another person, through
physical contact, through
words or in other ways.”
Deliberately excluding
someone from a group
of friends
Bullying behavior happens
over an extended period of
time to the same student
and there is a
Trying to get other
students to dislike
another person
Hitting, kicking,
pulling hair, pushing or
shutting a person inside
Telling lies
Spreading false rumors
Sending mean notes
~Continued on page 3
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
NOVEMBER 2010
Sun
Mon
1
7
8
14
15
Tue
Wed
2
No School
3
9 5th
10
Grade Band
Night—Hill
Conferences
4:30-8:00
16
17
21
22
23
28
29
30
24
No School
Thu
Fri
4
5 Early
Conferences
4:30-8:00
Game Hour
7:50 am
11
No School
12 Early
18 PTA
19 Early
Reflections
Assembly
Game Hour
7:50 am
25
No
School
26
No School
Sat
6
13
Game Hour
7:50 am
November 2
No School—Conferences
November 9
5th Grade Band Night at Hill M.S. 6:30 pm
November 9
PTA Dinner at Wendy’s
November 11
No School—Veteran’s Day
November 18
Reflections Assembly 6:30 pm
November 24,25,26
No School—Thanksgiving Break
20
27
* early Game Hour is for 1st—5th Graders and a signed form must be turned
in to Mr. Soto.
Next PTA Meeting:
December 9
2 pm
Multi Purpose Room
Each Friday wear
your Cowlishaw
Apparel or the
school colors of
Blue and Green.
Show your School
Spirit!
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
~continued from Page 1—Mrs. Howicz
The information learned from this
research and after listening to a
surviving victim share her account, I
believe we often either misuse or
overuse the word “bullying”. Bullying
behavior is a repetitive behavior that has
an element of power associated with it.
Are students, at times, being
disrespectful to each other? Yes, we do
observe this happening. One way that
we are working on that is through our
COOL TOOLS which are taught
throughout the school. Since the
beginning of the school year, our
teachers have repeatedly taught and
commented on what it means to show
respect to adults and peers within the
school setting. In addition, at the end of
October, we will begin focusing on
Conflict Resolution within our schoolwide COOL TOOL. Many of the
challenges we see happening between
students is the ability to demonstrate
respectful problem solving skills to
resolve conflicts. Often, students who
have not been shown or taught how to
problem solve with respect, resort to
using disrespectful language or
physically aggressive actions toward
others. Is this necessarily bullying
behavior? Not always. It could lead to
bullying behavior if a power differential
is noted; but initially, it often begins
with conflicts and the inability to resolve
them respectfully.
With this information, we continue to
ask of your support to talk with your
children and encourage them to share
with you or a special adult when
something “unnerving” occurs in school.
Without being informed, we cannot help
our children. But please note; the staff at
Cowlishaw is working hard at creating a
safe environment for your children as
well as building on their skills to become
respectful and responsible citizens of the
world.
~Mary Howicz
Special
Needs
PTA
Mark your calendar for November 16. The
Special Needs PTA will be hosting our
second Resource Fair at Still Middle
School. There will be approximately 45
“vendors” in attendance. The list is too long
to include everyone here, but if you think of
the types of services our families use, you
can visualize the crowd. Special Needs
attorneys, recreational opportunities, various
types of therapists, medical-field
professionals, educators, financial
advisors… the list goes on. We will have a
brief PTA meeting at 6:30, and the resource
Fair will begin immediately afterward. I
hope Cowlishaw Special needs families take
advantage of this great opportunity.
It has been suggested to me that families
may benefit from sharing of resources
together here. So, to get things started, I’m
listing a few of my favorite websites.
http://www.oneplaceforspecialneeds.com/
This is a clearinghouse of information,
services, social opportunities.
http://www.autismillinois.org/
The Autism Society of Illinois.
http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/
autismcc/
Autism Community Connection. Sharing of
advice and information about local events.
http://www.talkaboutcuringautism.org/
index.htm
TACA provides resources, information and
support.
http://www.autism.com/
Autism Research Institute
As I’ve said before, I am an Autism Mom. I
encourage (OK--- ask, plead, beg) other
Special Needs Parents to contact me to
suggest other “Gold Nuggets” to be shared
with the rest of our community here. I
would love to use our newsletter to pass
along information pertinent to other parents.
PLEASE feel very free to contact me!
~Karyn Borden
[email protected]
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
COWLISHAW VALUE CARDS:
The Cowlishaw PTA now offers creditcard-size cards featuring 12 local
businesses (such as IHOP, Papa
John’s Pizza, DQ, Jimmy John's,
Payless Shoes and Sport Clips, to
name a few) offering specials and
discounts on regular purchases!
Get yours now for just $10! Contact
Kim Schwenneker at 630-536-8742 or
[email protected].
Thank you and congratulations to
everyone who participated in the
International Walk To School Day
event this year!
Walkers can be proud of themselves
for doing their part to become more
familiar with their neighborhoods,
reduce noise and air pollution and
traffic congestion, and increase their
physical activity!
Congratulations, walkers!!
Visit our Website
For the very latest-up-to-date
Cowlishaw PTA news……..visit the
Cowlishaw website and click on
PTA on the left side.
http://cowlishaw.ipsd.org/Default.aspx
Cowlishaw PTA Members:
Watch for your copy of the Cowlishaw Elementary
School Directory which will be sent home with your
child this month.
Dinner at Wendy’s!
Thank you and
congratulations
to everyone who
participated in
the events
supporting Red
Ribbon Week
2010! We can all
appreciate the
emphasis on encouraging the
qualities of good character,
including trustworthiness, respect,
responsibility, fairness, caring and
citizenship and we all enjoyed the
fun dress up days and
goodies! We're proud of our
students who follow the Cowlishaw
Rules of Thumb; showing good
character and making good
choices — every day.
Please mark your calendar for Tues.
Nov. 9th for a PTA dinner out at the
Wendy’s located at 1283 Rickert
Dr . Come join your friends from 5-8
p.m. and 15% of the total sales will go directly to the
PTA general fund. No flyer is needed just grab your
friends and neighbors and come on by! The PTA is
really in need of money to keep funding educational
programs, fieldtrips, and classroom initiatives. Coming
out to dinner will help raise funds to support the
PTA and make these programs possible. Thanks and
see you on the 9th!
5
N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
HolIday Shop
Saturday December 11th
10am—2pm
Your students are invited to holiday shop in a fun environment!
Save the date!
Volunteers are needed to assisting the day of our holiday shop. This event allows
students to purchase gifts for friends and family at a very reasonable cost. If you would
like to volunteer, please contact Dana Jacobson (630/548-3005)
[email protected] and Jessica at [email protected] (630/579-1715).
The following are the volunteer shifts available, but feel free to volunteer for more than
one!
1) Friday December 10
4-6 pm
2) Saturday December 11
9:30 am- 12:00 pm
3) Saturday December 11
12:00-3:00 pm
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
NEWS FROM THE LMC
Birthday Book Club 2010—2011
Great start! Our Birthday Book Club 2010-2011 continues to be very successful. As of October 21st we
added 14 students and 2 staff members to our club.
We wish all Cowlishaw students and teachers who are celebrating their birthday a happy day! If you are
visiting our school, please stop by to see our special Cowlishaw's Birthday Book Club bulletin board.
It is never too late to participate in this program. Forms are available in the LMC or you may get the form
online @
http://cowlishaw.ipsd.org/uploads/Cowlishaw%20BBC%20form%202010-2011.pdf
Sarah H.
3R
Killer Whales by Natalie Lunis
Clay B.
3G
Brian Urlacher by Michael Sandler
Christian Vasquez S.
1H
Ladybugs by Martha E. H. Rustad
Christopher J.
3R
Miss Laney is Zany by Dan Gutman
Nyah W.
3R
Miss Mary is Scary by Dan Gutman
Mrs. Rebstock
4th Grade Teacher
Diamond Willow by Helen Frost
Michaela H.
3G
Keena Ford and the Field Trip Mix Up by Melissa Thompson
Varsha M.
2HO
Kung Fu Panda by Susan Korman
Mr. Klein
5th Grade Teacher
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott
Rohan V.
2HO
Fly Guy Meets fly Girl by Tedd Arnold
Spence V.
3L
Shredderman: Secret Identity by W. Van Drannen
Paige H.
KSW
If you Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff
Huzefa T.
4S
They Red Pyramid by Rick Riordin
Ujjawal A.
KW
You are the First Kid on Mars by Patrick O’Brien
Olivia T.
2MB
Gabriella the Snow Kingdom Fairy by D. Meadows
Isabella G.
KR
Clifford the Champion by Norman Bridwell
BOOK FAIR THANK YOU!
Our first Book Fair this year was a great
success thanks to all of the wonderful and
dedicated volunteers who were able to help us
during the book fair. We couldn’t have done it
without all of you! We would like to add a
special note of thanks to Mrs. Verma for her
extra effort in organizing and scheduling the
book fair volunteers. Proceeds from the Book
Fair are used to purchase books, audio books
(Playaways), Accelerated Reader quizzes, and
software for the LMC. THANK YOU again! …..
LMC Staff
Thank you to all of
the book fair
volunteers:
Mona Verma
Jen Phelan
Amy Wittersheim
Bianca Ballard
Jeiifer Billadeau
Vicky Khairalah
Jeane Kern
Michelle Baker
Anette Dunfee
Sanjila Dhar
Kim Schwenneker
Monica Houston
Ellen Dube
Karpaggam Avidalappan
Lakshmipriya Sukumar
Jill Toole
Danielle Thurmon
Barkha Sharma
Mirmala Chandrasekharan
Sheila Aquino
Mariah Shafer
Dana Jacobson
Vaishali Shah
Usha suresh
Stephanie Dawson
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
NEWS FROM THE LMC
Cowlishaw Parent Library
The Cowlishaw LMC offers thousands of books for children,
but did you know there are hundreds of Parenting Resource
books available to you? Do you ever feel like you need a
second opinion on something or need guidance on how to
explain something to your child? Why purchase a book or
drive to the Public Library when you can get what you need
right here in Cowlishaw’s LMC?
There are books on almost every parenting topic you can
imagine. The resource library is for you, the parent, and offers
diverse choices. Maybe you are in the mood for casual
reading or need help on a specific topic. Whatever the case,
the book is probably here.
Some of the topics include, but are not limited to:
Discipline, Allergies, 100 Best Books for Children, 100 Best
Movies for Families, Autism, Cyber-Safe Kids, Down
Syndrome, Self-Esteem, Gifted Kids, Bullies, Nerds, Divorce,
Homework Talk, Siblings, ADD, Growing and Developing
Bodies, Bright Minds; Poor Grades, Speech and Language,
and Cliques.
There are two easy and confidential check-out options:
1.
You can visit the library, Monday - Friday from 8:30 3:15
and search by title and/or topic. See either Mrs.
Chmielecki or Mrs. Wright for check-out procedures.
2.
Visit Cowlishaw Elementary’s website at http://
cowlishaw.ipsd.org/Default.aspx, go to Web Resources,
For Parents and click on Parent Library by Title OR Parent
Library by Call Number. After you decide on your
selection, call Mrs. Chmielecki at 630-428-6109, or send
her an e-mail at [email protected] and let
her know what book(s) you would like to check-out and
she will send the books home with your child in a sealed
envelope. You can return the books in person or send
them back to school with your child.
Come in and look through the books...you will be amazed with
the selection. The LMC staff is always on the lookout for a
new book, so if there is a book you would like to see in the
Parent Resource Library please feel free to call or send us an
e-mail.
Accelerated Reader News
We are extremely proud to announce that we have
197 students in grades 3-5 who have met their AR
goals in the 1st quarter.
The AR points were based on student’s reading level,
daily minutes each grade should read and on the
number of weeks students attended school in the 1st
quarter. Each student’s picture was taken and
displayed on Accelerated Reader Wanted bulletin
board in the LMC. Also, every student received a small
prize as recognition for a great job.
The 2nd quarter will end on Thursday, January 13,
2011. Congratulations and keep on reading!
3G Nandini, Sanchali, Clay, Grace, Xavier, Colin, Aaliya,
Olivia, Ahmad, Arartik, Annie, Ethan, Demari, Abigail
3K Edna, Marvin, Julianne, Eleanor, Joshua, Daniel, Kristan,
Yash, Jordan
3L Hope, Michael, Surya, Sydnee, Nina, Jordan, Arsalan,
Rachel, Maille, Serenity, Feina, Erik, Cora, Kushal, Diya,
Ladarious, Sahana, Ethan, Arnell, Spence, Nicholas, Darien,
Kyle
3R Amin, Hamza, Julia, Jordyn, Juan, Heinrich, Amita,
Christopher, Jamie, Rowan, Dhruv, Nithi, Anand
4H Darla, Conno,r Alex, Savannah, Neha
4M Sabbie, Amrith, Mikahla, Kellie, Cayley, Abigail, Adrian,
Romaana, Soham, Alexander, Beatriz, Rylee
4R Aayush, Hadi, Arturo Ananya, Varshney, Kevin, Amogh,
Amaar
4S Ben, Niya, Jeramiah, Abigail, Everett, LaJanae, Nicholas,
Trissha, Eric, Kyle, Matthew, D Uriel, Michelle, Racheal,
Isabella, Kody, Ellen, Matthew S. Sadie, Svanik, Huzefa,
Mariah, Imarius, Ryan, Jessica
5G Omlara, Pooja, Shiksha, Trinitee, Eshan, Aura, William,
Luke, Rafay, Harish, Cameron, Mya, Timothy, Leslie,
Michael, Malik, Anirudh, Savan, Hannah, Diksha, Mildrena,
Christian, Dylan, Nikita, Xavier, Abigail, Mitchell, Kendall
5JK Rohan, Varun, Daniel, Connie, Megan, Erla, Jada,
Maxim, Nicholas, Samantha, Minh-Anh, Thomas, Ethan,
Margaret, Jonathan, Dean, Harish, Kayla, Oliver, Sophia,
Shruthi, Jayson, Sneha, Nisa
5RK Pranav, Melissa, Aditya, Zarina, Rohan, Vasuduhasri,
Martin, Jeremy, Lauren, Rokas, Abshar, Tariq, Devansh,
Megh, Liam, Kaylin, Elida
5W Carolina, Hari, Alper, Surina, Emily, Jacob, Saloni,
Spoorthi, Kevin, Angelica, Jeremy, Brianna O., Alyssa, Rahul,
Anchit, Cameron, Brianna S., Robert
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
Get Pies!
5th grade Farewell Fundraiser
Give Pies!
Bakers Square Sweet Returns Cards
Available for purchase from the 5th Grade Farewell
Committee
throughout November & December
The 5th Grade Farewell committee will be selling Bakers Square Sweet Returns Cards
throughout the months of November and December to help raise funds for the 5 th Grade
Farewell class gift.
The cards are $13 each and have “No Expiration” date!
The Sweet Returns cards can be used for one whole FruitabulousTM, Silk or Classic Pie at Bakers
Square. Pies not included in these categories have an additional small up-charge of approximately
$2 at time of pie purchase with the Sweet Returns card (with the exception of cheesecake & carrot
cake).
Use the Sweet Returns Cards to get pies for upcoming holidays & family gatherings or to give pies
as teacher gifts & holiday gifts. You can purchase them now and save them to use for future
holidays and end of the year teacher gifts. Better yet, treat yourself!
You may order your Bakers Square Sweet
Returns Cards by printing out the order form
on the right.
Thank you for your support. We will receive
about 30% of our total Bakers Square Sweet
Returns card sales which will be used toward
the purchase of the 5th grade Farewell Class
Gift.
Bakers Square Sweet Returns Card Order Form
Sweet Returns cards are $13 each
Please make checks payable to: Cowlishaw PTA
(no cash)
Name: _________________________
Phone: _________________________
Email: _____________________
Order amount due: _____________
Please send in the order form along with your
check to school in an envelope marked “5th
Grade Farewell – Bakers Square Fundraiser”
Your Bakers Square Sweet Returns Cards can
be sent home with your child via Backpack
Mail or you may pick them up before or after
school at my house 2519 Blakely Lane,
Naperville.
Thanks ~
Jeanne Kern
5th Grade Farewell Chairperson
# of Sweet Returns cards ordered:________
Marked box at left indicates Bakers Square
Sweet Returns Cards should be sent home
by Backpack Mail.
I will take full responsibility.
Marked box at left indicates Bakers Square
Sweet Returns Cards will be PICKED UP at
2519 Blakely Lane before or after school by
you.
Questions? Jeanne Kern 630-778-1811 or
[email protected]
N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
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N E W S F R OM TH E P T A
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