Calvin Coolidge School
P.T.O. Minutes
May 7, 2008
www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/ptohome.html
The meeting was opened with the flag salute and Marni Scanlon welcomed the membership at 9:19am.
|
Upcoming Events for May |
|
Looking Ahead to June |
||||||
|
6th
|
|
Staff Appreciation Lunch |
4th |
|
PTO meeting and Thank You brunch 9:15 am |
|
||
|
7th
|
|
PTO meeting at 9:15 am |
5th
|
|
4th & 5th Grade Band Concert |
|
||
|
9th
|
|
Plant Sale (Pick up) |
9th
|
|
Art Show 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm |
|
||
|
15th
|
|
Friendship Dinner) |
12th
|
|
Field Day |
|
||
|
21st
|
|
Fifth Grade Trip |
13th
|
|
Flag Day Celebration |
|
||
|
28th |
|
Spring Musical 7pm |
16th |
|
Field Day (Rain Date) |
|
||
|
29th |
|
Spring Musical 2 & 7pm |
17th |
|
Kindergarten Celebration |
|
||
|
|
|
|
18th |
|
Awards Assm. 10:00 am |
|
||
|
|
|
|
20th |
|
Last Day of School (min. day) |
|
||
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
||
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..
PTO meeting and Thank You brunch 9:15 am, June 4th.
Thank you: To everyone for their support on passing the budget.
Also, to everyone that helped make Theme Day a success.
The teachers truly enjoyed Staff Appreciation Day. Thanks to everyone that
participated.
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 2 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.
Anyone wishing to go on any class trips must sign up to chair a committee. Class parents automatically attend.
Box Top Contest
We are having a box top contest. Please collect and send in box tops from General Foods cereals and other products such as Zip lock Bags. We will be awarding a free recess for the success of this contest.
We are presently working on the wish list for this year. We will announce the items that will be voted on at the next meeting. We should have a better idea of the excess money we have from our budget to spend after the May Dinner.
A vote was requested by Jeanine Rossi to supply the fifth grade students with towels and a bag. This was passed by the PTO membership.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MEGAN ALYWARD
Coolidge Directory:
Free Directories are available in the office .
The Committee Volunteer Sheets have gone home. Please sign up. If you have any questions please contact me.
SECOND
VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
VALERIE STEINER AND JILL SUSSMAN
Grocery Gift Cards:
The last month of our grocery gift card program is approaching. 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.Chairs: We still
for the following committees.
THIRD PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MICHAEL ANDRULLI
No presentation due to testing.
TREASURERŐS REPORT: NANCY ZANKI
Financial Report from March 1, - March 31, 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
Thank you to Coolidge for attending the Economy Shop 60th Anniversary Party. The Economy Shop has had a very successful year. With 467 accounts up by 79 accounts from last year. Coming up will be 1/2 price sale and fill your bag for $5.00. 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. The Townwide Garage sale is May 17th. 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 current board
of officers were re-elected by the PTO for the school year 2008-2009.
Playground Committee: Christina Gori & Stephanie Raccioppi
We are looking to complete the next phase of the playground, which would include the stage area. 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.
May Dinner: Anna Manfredi and Jen Manteau
The Dinner is May 15th. May dinner is our PTO's # 1 fundraiser of the year.
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.
Our trip to NYC is set. The students will be having lunch at ESPN Zone and they will be seeing the play Wicked.
Also we need help for Pizza Lunch, please let us know if you would like to help by contacting Maria Russo.
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 10:10am
Attendance: 27
TEACHERS REPORTS FROM April
Wow, April came and went, how did that happen? The Kindergarten classes welcomed in the last vowel, Ms. E and her exercise energy!
There are so many words that can be made with "e" in the middle; bed, hen, jet. Of course, the students now have the capability of making words with all five vowels! Mr. G also made an appearance and we learned how important it is to keep our world clean, just in time for Earth Day. We have enjoyed having our district Literacy Consultant, Shelly Klein, visit our classrooms to share reading lessons with our Kindergarten students.
In science, the subject was PAPER. The children learned about how paper is made and used their five senses to describe different types of paper. The students made paper collages and even made their own paper!!
Mathematics has been fun as the Kindergartners learn about the value of pennies, dimes and nickels. As they count the days of the month, "coins" are placed in a "daily deposit" to add up to 30 cents.
One of the highlights of the month was Theme Day! Our students really enjoyed visiting the workshops. We want to thank the PTO and all the volunteers once again for such an outstanding experience.
In April first grade continued reading stories, imagining, visualizing and inferring. Stories included Miss Rumphius, The Salamander Room, Miss Smith's Incredible Storybook, and Whales Song to name a few. Through this literature we continued to teach phonics, spelling, and grammar. This month we used our "just right" books to explore the visualizing and inferring reading strategies.
In Math students continue to work to improve their time on addition and subtraction facts to ten. Students learned about money, counting coins, making change and purchasing school items in our classroom stores.
In Science we completed our unit on oviparous animals. Students learned about the reptiles, birds, amphibians, fish, and insects that hatch from eggs.
During Social Studies we explored Mexico's archaeological ruins, culture/celebrations, and beautiful beaches. We've also learned to count in Spanish!
First Grade celebrated Poetry Month during Writers' Workshop. Students explored poetry scaffolds, found poetry, Haiku, and Cinquain poems. Poetry celebrations with 4th grade friends will culminate the unit in May.
Our Second Graders have had another busy month! Social Studies work has included a study of family heritage. Each class has created their own Nationality Quilt. Each quilt square depicts symbols which are representative of family heritage. These quilts are on display in our hallway. Everyone thoroughly enjoyed our International Luncheon which was held on April 14. Once again, we thank all of our families for the delicious contributions.
The boys and girls have learned all of the uppercase cursive letters. They are very proud of their ability to use these new writing skills! We will spend the remaining portion of the school year practicing the letters which have been introduced.
During our Readers' Workshop time we have been enjoying some great literature. We have also spent time talking about how our thinking changes as we read a story. This strategy of synthesizing is an important way to improve our reading comprehension.
New Math work has included time telling skills. Our students have enjoyed using several interactive websites as they practiced their clock work.
Our insect study is well underway! The boys and girls are busy observing the life cycle of mealworms, milkweed bugs and silkworms. We will soon welcome a new specimen to our growing insect collection.
We recently completed an important letter writing project. Each of our students wrote a letter of appreciation to a Military Service person. These letters have been welcomed by Military Service members who are currently serving abroad.
Our Health topics have involved the study of medicine and drug safety and we are currently learning more about germs and how to avoid them! Mrs. Kochanek will be visiting our classes to share some important information with us.
We all wish to express our appreciation for another successful Theme Day. It was a wonderful experience! Each person came away from that special day with new information and some great memories! We thank the P.T.O. and all of the parents who shared their time and talents.
We also enjoyed the recent Science Day which involved nutrition and systems of the body. The featured speaker provided some great visual presentations of body systems. The Health Barn representative offered a great nutrition review and our students loved the "tasting workshops" which followed.
Third Grade News
Spring is flying by. After a restful vacation, we are ready to finish out the year with some fun activities.
On May 16, we are also going to tour the West Point Military Academy, one of our nation's symbols.
In Computer class with Ms. Levine, we have developed an integrated research project about United States Monuments. Students will research a selected monument using various tools to include the Internet, the media center and books in the classroom. After the information has been gathered and organized, students will create a personalized slide show that will include graphics that the children have retrieved and inserted into their slide show. It is amazing to see this awesome project on-line!
We have begin our Structures of Life investigation. All students will be observing the properties of various seeds from different fruits and vegetables and then creating a class histogram. We will soon be sprouting seeds in containers and further growing them in hydroponic planters. This environmentally smart growing technique is the wave of the future and is currently being used on the space shuttles, in the deserts and in Antarctica. If our students are to be keepers of their earth, they must be cognizant of ecologically safe and efficient ways to provide themselves with food sources. This experience is a good beginning in learning self-reliance. The Crayfish have also arrived much to the enthusiasm of our youngsters. Stay tune for crayfish tails and tales!!!!!!!!!
Theme Day 2008 was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone. Every venue was eagerly anticipated and visited by our students. They returned to class with a wealth of new knowledge and a keen sense of excitement about their adventures. They also have gained a keen appreciation for the hard work and emphasis on learning that their parents value. To that end, our students have been very busy writing thank you notes to all the presenters that they visited that day.
In Math, our students have learned about Metric Measurement in depth and fractions. Now they will learn about dividing, then multiplying greater numbers. Once again, we can not stress enough that these facts be memorized with automaticity in third grade and maintained with vigilance during the summer.
Creative Writing as always continues to be a major focus for our third grade. Students have been taught the three - paragraph method and are expected to be able to write a well constructed story that includes topic sentences using an appropriate hook, adjectives, similes, details, transitional words to depict time order and rich vocabulary that demonstrates their communication skills. In addition, proper grammar, punctuation and capitalization skills are also expected by the end of third grade. Each student has a green writing portfolio where selected first drafts and final copies are placed. Students have self-monitored their progress throughout the year and have written their own assessments of their growth and progress. As mentioned at Back to School Night, parents are always welcomed to view these folders with their children. At the end of the year, students compile all of their work into a Third Grade Big Book giving them a keepsake of all their growth, hard work, and efforts in Creative Writing.
In Health, we are studying Nutrition and the new food pyramid. We will be having a nutritious luncheon before the end of the school year.
Teacher Appreciation Day was warmly received and appreciated by the third grade students. Once again, we thank the children for their wonderful gifts and cards.
April was a busy month for the fourth graders. It started out with a fun-filled World Festival Theme Day. We appreciate all the time and effort the PTO put forth to make the day special for us. We especially enjoyed seeing our classrooms transformed into countries from all around the world.
In reading we finished our journey to Oregon and learned about the many struggles the pioneers faced along the Oregon Trail. We are continuing to practice the reading strategies and enjoy our independent reading time each day. The students began our unit of the five regions of the United States by learning the states and capitals of the Southeast region.
For science the fourth graders completed our water unit and began our investigations on our new class pets, the Bess Beetles.
In math, we are working on learning the steps of long division and having fun with fractions.
April was poetry month and to celebrate the fourth graders studied many different forms of poetry. We recited and created original cinquains, diamantes, haikus, and visual and free verse poems. Feel free to stop by our hallway to view our work. Our students are looking forward to the many exciting end of the year activities as we complete our last few weeks in fourth grade!
Fifth Grade News
With the New Jersey ASK behind them, fifth graders are looking forward to all of the great learning experiences and fun activities that lie ahead of them for the rest of the year. The students are working hard at home completing their Community Service projects and their Biography Book Reports.
In school, we are working on a Jean Fritz author study, which correlates to their study of the American Revolution. Students will be analyzing their eating habits, and how these habits affect their overall wellness. They will also be studying the new food pyramid as a guide for good nutrition.
In Language Arts/Literacy, students will be immersed in the genre of poetry as they read, analyze, and write their own poetry. We want to take this time to thank the PTO for one of the most memorable Theme Days in history!
Computers
The purpose of Computers in the Wyckoff School District is to infuse technology into the various parts of the curriculum so that the instruction is relevant and engaging. Making a content area curriculum connection to a technology benchmark is vital to our students, their ability to see the connections and to be successful in the technological world of the 21st century.
Between the beginning of April, the 3rd & 4th grade ASK Testing and the excitement of Spring Break- this month just flew by! April in our Computer Lab continues to provide cutting edge learning opportunities for all of our students.
First graders were excited to create graphs using our GraphClub software. This program does much to enhance the children's classroom learning using technology.
Second grade completed their "country" stamps, and has now moved on to an extremely interactive and fun STOP THE CLOCK game. Click on the link on the bottom of my webpage and ask your child to show you how the game works.
Third and fourth grades are in the process of completing or already have completed a Women's History project- either by creating a "stamp" or a newsletter on an individually selected person. I have started to hang them outside the Computer Lab, so come by and take a look.
Finally, fifth grade has been using their Computer time to finish up on a classroom Colonial Coins project. This problem based task uses a multitude of higher order thinking skills. Be sure to ask the kids about all of the cool activities that they are working on in the Computer Lab.