Calvin Coolidge School
P.T.O. Minutes
April 2, 2008
www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/ptohome.html
The meeting was opened with the flag salute and Marni Scanlon welcomed the membership at 9:17am.
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Upcoming Events for April |
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Looking Ahead to May |
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2nd
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PTO meeting at 9:15 am |
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6th
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Staff Appreciation Lunch |
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11th
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Theme Day |
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7th
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PTO meeting at 9:15 am |
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12th
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Economy Shop 60th |
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9th
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Plant Sale (Pick up) |
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30th
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Bike Rally (3rd & 4th Grades) |
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15th
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Friendship Dinner |
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28th
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Spring Musical 7pm |
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29th |
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Spring Musical 2 & 7pm |
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MARNI SCANLON
Upcoming Meetings & Events:
Next Board of Education Meeting is on May 5th (reorganization), 8:00 pm at Eisenhower.
Next Coordinating Council Meeting is May29th, at the Larkin House..
Spring Plant Sales Orders are due for pick up on May 9th.
Thank you: To Jill Pecore and Eileen Roman for chairing Family Night Bingo, everyone had a good time. Also, to Dawn Coleman for Family Volunteer Night.
Changes to by-laws : The changes were voted on and approved by the membership
Newsletter:
You should be receiving the newsletter if you have signed up. If you have not
signed up to receive it, you may do so on the Coolidge school website at http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/index.html.
Please, also sign up your spouses' work email address as well. If you have signed up and have not received it, it may be due to it going to your bulk mail or spam folder. Please check this out before contacting us. If you need to contact us, please email Cara Goodrich at coolidgePTO@wyckoffschools.org.
Going Green!!
We are looking for a volunteer to be a representative for an environmental committee and to bring ideas to the school in an effort to "go green". Please let Marni Scanlon know if you are interested.
Interested in Being a Fifth Grade Rep for School Year 2008-09??
We are in need of 3 Fifth Grade Reps. Job will be a little different than in previous years. Duties will include organizing fifth grade NYC trip and producing a yearbook. Please let Marni Scanlon know if you are interested.
Crossing Guards
Our town is in need of substitute crossing guards. Please check out the town website to apply. http://wyckoff-nj.com/crossingapp.html
Please sign up for igive.com. The stores you purchase items from online will give a percentage back to the school.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MEGAN ALYWARD
Coolidge Directory:
Directories are still available for $1.00 each.
Corrections for the directory will be posted shortly.
SECOND
VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
VALERIE STEINER AND JILL SUSSMAN
Innisbrook:
You may still participate in helping our school raise more money throughout the year by purchasing from the Innisbrook website at http://www.innisbrook.com/NewIcom/homepage.cfm our school number is 101301. Our school receives 50% profit.
School Spritwear:
We still have some items available for purchase. Please let us know if you are interested.
Grocery Gift Cards:
Envelopes are due April 18th. If you do not receive an envelope this month please stop by the office or contact us. Anyone wishing to give us post dated checks till the end of the year can do so. Congratulations to Janice Tanis for winning the basket of Coolidge Spirit wear. Chairs: We still
for the following committees.
THIRD PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MICHAEL ANDRULLI
Second graders made a presentation.
TREASURERŐS REPORT: NANCY ZANKI
Financial Report from February 1, - February 29, 2008 was approved by the PTO. If you would like to view the reports they are in the PTO box in the school office.
Reimbursement:
If you apply for reimbursement, your check will be left in the PTO box in the front office.
SECRETARY'S REPORT: MARNI HESS
March minutes were circulated and approved.
When attending a PTO meeting please sign yourself in on the attendance list. The minutes from the previous month will be circulated, please initial any area that might quote you. * From now on the PTO Minutes will only be electronically posted. We will let you know through the newsletter when they are posted. Please also check the PTO WEB site.
CO-TREASURER'S
REPORT: MARY ALLAIN &
BERNADETTE RAGUSEO
A third check was dispersed for $980.00. Please consign or donate spring merchandise. If you want to continue to volunteer at the shop next year please highlight your name on the list at the shop. There was a generous donation to the shop of computers. These computers will be updated to keep track of shop business.
Please continue to cosign shop and donate. Also please volunteer for one of the shifts. See our website to learn more about the Economy Shop.
http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/HDIGIexp/eEconShop.html.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Nominating Committee: Stephanie Raccioppi
The nominating
committee named the current slate of officers for next year. The PTO will take
a vote at the May meeting
Playground Committee: Christina Gori & Stephanie Raccioppi
Engraved bricks are still for sale. We are going to be placing an order within the next month. Please get your order in. Forms for this are online at http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/ptohome.html scroll down the bottom of the page where you see the playground and download the pdf file. Please see Christina or Stephanie if you have any questions.
Theme Day: Melissa Milbank
This years' theme is "World Festival 2008". Each classroom will be transformed into another country or culture. We have 17 workshops. The members of the PTO contributed to the artwork which will be displayed in the new part of the building.
May Dinner: Anna Manfredi and Jen Manteau
Save the date. The Dinner is May 15th. Please have donated items for baskets by April 16th. May dinner is our PTO's # 1 fundraiser of the year. Also anybody wishing to help solicit donations please contact us.
Fifth Grade Reps: Lynn Bruggemann, Jeanine Rossi & Maria Russo
Fifth Grade Moms: We need baby pictures, pictures of your child and group photos from this year for the yearbook. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Playground Partners: Mary Coughlin
We are in need of volunteers. Any one interested, please download the schedule off of the PTO website at: http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/ptohome.html
Cookbook: Diane Clarke & Stacey Frenkel
We are still selling cookbooks. They are $10 each. If you have not seen them they came out beautiful. Please contact us with any questions. You can access the order form on our website at http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/forms/cuisine.htm
Respectfully
Submitted,
Marni Hess
Meeting Adjourned 10:32am
Attendance: 33
TEACHERS REPORTS FROM March
The Kindergarten March came "In like a lion" and so did Mr. L with the longest laugh. He was followed by Ms. W and her wonderful words! A new letter light/vowel, Mr. O, who loves Opposites, helped us make new words by placing /o/ in the middle like; log, box and cot! Our last visit was from a very colorful character, Mr. R and his rainbow ribbons. In science, the children learned about the importance of Water and how Rainbows are formed. The children marked the first day of spring on the calendar, but the weather didn't exactly cooperate" March went out more like a lion! In honor of Read Across America, the students were given a reading assignment to "read" 10 books at home with their families this month. The lists are still coming in, but many of our students were so excited, they went way over the goal of 10 books! April's goal will be 15 books' thanks for your support at home!
In Mathematics the Kindergartners have learned how to use terms like "take away" and "minus" when solving subtraction problems. The classes are taking turns to visit Mrs. Perry"s math classroom to explore measurement in different ways. The student's also had a fun snacking on green mini bagels while they were learning some Irish traditions on St. Patrick's Day! We enjoyed meeting with parents during conferences.
In March the students marched into a busy month in our classrooms. We focused on the reading strategy of "questioning" and "visualizing". Our readers learned that while we read, we ask questions before, during, and after. They also learned how readers visualize during reading. We have read many great stories during our readers workshop to develop these strategies such as Fireflies, Brave Irene, Dr. De Soto, The Paperboy, and Sheila Rae The Brave to mention a few. They continue to read "just right" books and further develop their reading strategies during readers' workshop. We are becoming such great readers and thinkers.
In writers workshop students continue to use great literature to teach phonics, spelling, grammar, and writing skills. In grammar we learned about plural nouns, contractions, adjectives and pronouns.
In Math, the students worked on place value, comparing numbers, and collected data to make graphs. We have also been working very hard to improve our time on their addition and subtraction facts to five. They are doing an amazing job and having lots of fun while they learn.
In Social Studies we learned about a country in Africa named Ghana. We learned many interesting facts, read stories, and watched a video about the life of a child in Ghana. In computers we worked with partners to research interesting facts about Ghana. We also learned that March was Women's History month and read many stories of inspiring and great women in history.
In Health, we learned about the importance of staying healthy, how we can prevent spreading germs, and were visited by our friendly nurse Mrs. Kochaneck. They watched The Sneeze: How Germs Spread and learned proper hand washing techniques. Stay Healthy!
Our Second Graders were very proud to present their Multicultural Program to parents and invited guests. They learned so much about the music, art, geography and other interesting information regarding countries around the world! Many thanks, again, to everyone who helped us create this learning experience!
Cursive Writing lessons remain a popular activity. The boys and girls are making good progress with the uppercase letters.
During our Readers' Workshop time, we have been learning how to make inferences about the characters in our books. We have practiced looking for clues which will help us better understand the feelings and actions of the characters we encounter. We have also found that the illustrator often includes clues in the pictures which accompany the text.
Our work with addition and subtraction (with and without regrouping) has expanded to include three-digit numbers. The boys and girls are gaining a greater understanding of place value.
During our Writers' Workshop time, we have been focusing on the genre of explanatory writing. Our students each chose an activity or skill, which they wanted to explain to another person. Next, they wrote the steps, which would be necessary in order to complete the task. Everyone soon realized that proper sequencing is a necessary part of good direction writing! Once their explanation was completed, they were able to include an illustration to display with their writing.
Our Weather unit recently concluded. The students enjoyed an opportunity to play Weather Jeopardy as they reviewed what they now know about this exciting subject.
We are looking forward to Theme Day. The International theme is of great interest to our students.
Many thanks, in advance, to all of the people who give their time and talent to make this day so memorable!
Third Grade News
ASK 3 testing has ended and third graders eagerly look forward to the warmer weather of spring.
Third graders' reading skills are increasing with the integration of our Spotlight series, balanced literary, and a variety of independent reading programs. This month the genre for Readers' Circle for all three classes is non-fiction. By reading a variety of genres, the children find that there are many different types of books to add to their lists of favorites. Each class was excited to receive a new independent library of leveled books. With the help of teachers, students, and parents the books were quickly ready for circulation.
In Math our focus is on understanding, writing, and comparing fractions and mixed numbers. Students will also learn about customary units of length such as inches, feet, and yards. The metric system is integrated as part of the science curriculum. The study of multiplication facts continues. Practice at home is essential for growth.
In social studies our current unit deals with the different people that make up a community. We will learn about and discuss the reasons people move to a particular place, the important aspects of a variety of cultures, what people have in common, and how we depend on one another. By now our third graders have all selected a community service project. Many have started their work and are finding out that volunteering to help others can be fun as well as rewarding. Community Spirit has also been the focused theme in the Spotlight series.
Writing continues to be a major focus of third grade. Persuasive writing is the most recent type the children are practicing. Students have chosen various social issues for letter writing to persuade others to find ways to protect our earth. It is truly amazing to see how the children have advanced and expanded their abilities in expressing their thoughts. We are focusing on including similes, personification, onomatopoeia, transition words, and "amazing adjectives" to enrich their work.
Third graders are enjoying learning about the respiratory system as they create "ponchos" to wear depicting this system. They are gaining knowledge about the parts and function of each organ as they model their projects. "Cool" is how some children are describing their finished product.
To celebrate Women's History Month, the students are researching a famous woman on the Internet in computer class. Next, they will design a stamp for that woman with important information included on it. The stamps will be displayed near the computer classroom.
Third graders are looking forward to Theme Day, their April vacation, and their field trip on May 16 to West Point. These exciting times will be here before we know it. Happy Spring!
March was a busy month for the fourth graders at Coolidge School. The students worked hard and successfully completed the NJ ASK testing. Once testing was over, we got back to work and completed our Social Studies unit on the landscape of the US. We are now learning the different regions of the US.
In reading we are continuing to practice the strategies and are enjoying our many read alouds, such as Bud Not Buddy and Granny Torrelli Makes Soup. The students reviewed the friendly letter format and enhanced their writing skills by writing a letter to their pen pals. This is part of the 4th grade community service project in which we collected gently used books and made bookmarks for fourth graders in Paterson. The students have been working diligently on a newsletter about a famous woman to celebrate Women's History Month.
In math we worked hard to learn the many concepts of our geometry unit, and continued to work on problem solving.
As the month closes, we look forward to our World Festival Theme Day and a relaxing spring break ahead of us.
Fifth Grade News
This month, our focus in LA/Literacy is non-fiction. Our students have been working hard on writing their persuasive writing pieces using fact, opinion, and bias. They are investigating the pros and cons of the issue of their choice. In reading, they have been determining importance of non-fiction texts.
In Social Studies we are exploring the original thirteen colonies. The students are working independently on a Colonial Coin project, in which they are researching the colonial history of each colony, and designing a penny to depict this rich history.
In Science, the students are learning about the Circulatory and Respiratory Systems.
Physical Education
Presidential Fitness Testing will begin this week for 3rd through 5th graders. Students are encouraged to do their best, and keep a positive attitude about their fitness levels and fitness goals throughout the testing process.
Intramural Scooter Football will be ending Wednesday, April 3rd. Congratulations to all who participated in a great season.