Calvin Coolidge School
P.T.O. Minutes
October 3, 2007
http://www.wyckoffschools.org
The meeting was opened with the flag salute and Marni Scanlon welcomed the membership
at 9:19am.
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Upcoming Events for October |
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Looking Ahead to November |
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3rd |
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PTO Meeting 9:15am |
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12th |
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PTO meeting 7:00 pm |
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5th |
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Gift Wrap Sale Ends |
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15th |
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Classroom Visitation Day |
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8th |
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Back to School Night grades K-2 |
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16th |
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Science Fair 7:00 pm |
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10th |
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Back to School Night grades 3-5 |
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20th |
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1st Grade Thanksgiving Play/Feast 11:00 am |
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13th |
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Wine Tasting |
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28th |
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Mathletes |
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16th |
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Book Fair (teachers only) |
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17th & 18th |
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Book Fair |
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25th |
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Harvest Festival 3:15pm |
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26th |
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Harvest Festival (rain date) |
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30th |
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Gift Wrap Sale Pick up |
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31st |
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Halloween Parade |
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MARNI SCANLON
Babysitting: Presently we do not have babysitting during PTO meetings due to a lack of space. Using a room for babysitting would displace children and impact classroom instruction at this point. We will communicate when babysitting becomes available again after construction is complete.
Coolidge PTO going paperless: In our attempt to conserve paper, the minutes from the meeting will no longer be sent out in the Friday packet. You may access the minutes on our website at http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/mm.html.
Also the treasurers’ report will be presented on the overhead equipment in the media center during the meeting.
In the near future we plan on creating email blasts of our events and activities. We will communicate to you when we are prepared to execute this part of our new ”paperless“ format.
Hot Lunch Program: We have been getting good feedback about the Simply Gourmet hot lunch.
Your Thoughts and Ideas Matter to Us: Please feel free to bring to our attention anything you feel would enhance or improve our school. We are open to any ideas you might have, after all it is about our children.
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MEGAN ALYWARD
Coolidge Directory:
Please hand in the information for the directory. Families that are not included will have their child omitted from the class list. This will cause problems for parents using the list to make invitations for birthday parties and such. Parents who are not members of the PTO cannot vote at PTO meetings.
SECOND VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT: VALERIE STEINER AND JILL SUSSMAN
Wrapping Paper Sale (Innisbrook): This is one of the most important fundraisers of the year. The sale ends October 5th. The pick-up date is scheduled for October 30th. Our school makes 50% profit on everything sold. This is one of the PTO's biggest fundraisers of the year. You may register your child on http://www.innisbrook.com/NewIcom/homepage.cfm our school number is 101301. Using www.innisbrook.com a great way for out of town relatives to order. School Spirit Wear will be on display at back to school night. A flyer will be sent home in a Friday packet of what and when to order by.
Chairs: We still need committee chairs for the following committees.
THIRD PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MICHAEL ANDRULLI
Mr. Adrulli's was absent from the meeting due to state testing that was taking place for his class. Mr Famularo introduced six students from the 4th grade to explain how they are participating in the new language arts program. They shared with us their personalized reading notebooks and explained how they have been using them. They also explained the rules of choosing a "just right book".
TREASURERÕS REPORT: NANCY ZANKI
Financial Report from August 1, - August 31, 2007 was approved by the PTO.
SECRETARY'S REPORT: MARNI HESS
September 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. Please check the PTO WEB site.
CO-TREASURER'S REPORT: MARY ALLAIN & BERNADETTE RAGUSEO
The Economy Shop volunteer sign up sheet was circulated. The shop opened 180 account in the first week opened for the school year. The 1st week of the month is "Markdown Mondays" . There will be two days to cosign Tuesdays and Saturdays please call Tuesday mornings for an appointment. Also if you volunteer you may cosign after your shift without an appointment. Please shop, cosign and donate. There will be a shopping Benefit at Lord & Taylor on Thursday November 1st 9am to 10pm. For a $5.00 donation to the Economy Shop, you will receive two coupons to use all day. 20% off regular or sale priced items and 15% for fragrances and cosmetics. There will be ongoing events throughout the day taking place for you and your family. If you are interested in purchasing a L&T Benefit Bash pass, or have any questions, please contact us at 201-670-1413. See our website to learn more about the Economy Shop. http://www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/pto/pto2002/HDIGIexp/eEconShop.html.
COMMITTEE REPORTS
Grocery Gift Card Fundraiser: Helene Garland
Thank you for making this fundraiser successful. The PTO made over $750 in the month of September. A new envelope for October will be sent out in the upcoming Friday packet. Please participate it costs you nothing.
Coolidge Cookbook: Stacey Frenkel & Diane Clark
We received over 300 recipes. Most of them are very unique. The books will be on sale for $10 each. The winners of "Name the Coolidge Cookbook Contest" are Megan Alyward, Bernadette Raguseo and Carol Fransico. These winners will each receive a free cookbook. The name of cookbook will be "Cougarlicious Cuisine". We are still selling advertising space within the cookbook. A 1/2 page is being sold at $40 and a full page is $75. Please contact Stacey Frenkel or Diane Clarke, if you or someone know would like to advertise. You can also email us at coolidgepto@wyckoffschools.org
Playground Committee:
Be a part of the playground's patio! Engraved bricks are for sale and in order for your brick to arrive in the spring we need to place an order by this January!! We need a minimum of 100 orders to get the best price. Please don't wait. Also, we are looking for anyone who may be able to assist with the installation of the patio this fall. Please see Christina or Stephanie if you can help.
This information was omitted from September 2007 minutes:
The playground is up and running. A huge thank you to all the parents who came out to build and pour cement after. Thank you to Mr. Famularo and Mrs. Borelli for also helping us build. Thanks to Keith for helping us unload the equipment from the truck. Thank you to the district's facilities team for helping prepare the site over the summer. Special thank you to, Mr. Simonson and the Gori's for prepping holes before the installation. Thank you to Mrs. DeGregorio for coordinating lunch that was donated by 3 Chica's and La Strada. A big thank you goes to Dependable Mulch for donating $4,000 worth of mulch before the start of school.
We still have work to do! If anyone is able or knows someone who can help us install the engraved paver patio please contact us. Engraved bricks are still for sale. A form is available on our school's website. We hope to place a second order of bricks in early December. We also intend to build a stage, natural seating and landscape as well as enhance items on the upper playground.
WEF: Barbara Sharer
The Family 5K Walk/Run is October 13th. Flyers will be sent home. The school with the most families signed up will receive $500. Please check the WEF website for information at http://www.wyckoff.org/
Harvest Festival: Leslie Donato & Arlene Schaeffer
The Harvest Festival is being held on October 25th, rain date the 26th. You will receive the flyer in an upcoming Friday Packet. Please bring all Kindergarteners to participate at 11:30am; it is a quieter more enjoyable experience at that time for younger children. Also, we are still in need of volunteers to paint pumpkins. Volunteers should be available October 12th to pick up the pumpkins. The drop off is on the day of the Harvest Festival on the basketball court. Please contact Leslie or Arlene if you are interested.
Book Fair: Marni Hess & Anne O'Reilly
The book fair will be October 16th for the teachers and 17th & 18th for parents and students. A flyer with more information about the Book Fair will be sent home soon. Please come and help your children pick out books and remember to donate books to your children's classrooms. The PTO gets a percentage of the profit generated from the books sold. Our book supplier is Books, Bytes and Beyond.
Mathletes: Dan Plotnick
This after school program is scheduled run Wednesdays 3:15-4:30pm, for grades 2-5. This is not an instructional program, nor is it an accelerated program. The math problems are designed to challenge the children at their own grade level. We are in need of parent volunteers. Please contact Dan Plotnick or Ming Chow.
Theme Day: Melissa Milbank
This years' theme is "World Festival 2008". Each classroom will be transformed into another country or culture. We are in need of more workshops. Some of the workshops that are already in the works are Sweden, Korea, Egypt, Mexico and Olympic Game's. If you are interested in starting workshop please contact me.
Fifth Grade Reps: Lynn Bruggemann, Jeanine Rossi & Maria Russo
Pizza Lunch: We are in need of parent volunteers for the 1st and 2nd grades, to hand out pizza lunch. If you are interested please contact us.
Autumn Tastings (Wine Tasting): This event being held at the St. Nicholas Church, on October 13th at 7:30pm. The Wine Seller of Ridgewood will be there to introduce the selection. Light food will also be served. This is an adult only event. A list of wines for purchase will be sent home. This is a great way to order gifts for the holidays. The school makes 20% of all the wine sold. We are looking to generate $5000 from this fundraiser.
Also there will be a meeting at Indian Hills High School regarding Underage Drinking on November 1st at 7:00pm. The Bergen County Prosecutor will be present. This meeting is being run by the Municipal Alliance.
Science Fair: Luz Ciprian
Please encourage your child to participate in the science fair. You can find ideas for projects on discovery.com. Also 5-Below and the Wyckoff Library have books on age appropriate projects. Please keep it simple. Kids receive a ribbon for participating.
Kids Night: Anna Manfredi & Jen Manteau
We are in need of parent volunteers for grades 1 and 3. Please contact me if you are interested in participating.
Website: Marni Hess
After your flyers have been approved please email them to me so I can advertise your event. I accept word documents, pdf's, quark, illustrator, and Photoshop files. If you are unsure of how to send it to me, please email me at coolidgepto@wyckoffschools.org.
Playground Partners: Christina Gori & Mary Coughlin
We are still in need of volunteers for the 3rd and 5th grade. Please let us know if you are interested.
Specialty Fundraising: Christina Gori
Please have your box tops in by October 20th, we might conduct a contest for the class with the most box tops handed in. We also ask for you to donate your used cell phones and ink cartridges.
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT: MR. FAMULARO
Please make sure you have given your email address to your child's class parent. I am working with the PTO in our efforts to go "paperless" and increase communication through email and through our web site. Be certain to check our school web site for news and important information.
Respectfully Submitted, Marni Hess
Meeting Adjourned 10:33
Attendance: 54
TEACHERS REPORTS FROM SEPTEMBER
The first graders had a great start to the new school year! They have been getting settled in the classroom and learning the daily routines. They made a class constitution of rules to follow after learning about the Constitution on Constitution Day.
The first graders have been working hard in Reader's Workshop learning about what readers do and things readers read. They have been practicing talking about books, thinking about books and shopping for "just right" books. They brought in their favorite books to share and wrote about their favorite reading memory. They have also learned how to use special "tools" when they get to a word they don't know. They have enjoyed listening to many read aloud and have jumped right in reading their own books!
During Writer's workshop the first graders have been learning about what writers do. They have practiced using their writing tools and have been writing everyday. They have been learning about ways to get ideas for their writing. They created memory boxes and brought in an item to be used as a topic for writing.
In Math, the first graders have been reviewing patterns and have begun making sets of numbers. They use many manipulatives to actively engage themselves in their learning.
Lastly, the first graders have been showing that manners matter! They have been showing what good manners in the classroom looks like and sounds like. Hopefully they are showing their manners at home too!
What an exciting month! The first graders can't wait to see what is ahead in October!
Second Grade News
Second Graders have been working hard settling into their new classrooms and routines. They are very excited about the new activities and subjects that they have this year. Our students have been busy learning how to be organized with their new homework assignments and their class work.
The World Language Program is now underway. Our children are being introduced to the Spanish language and culture. They are very enthusiastic about this and they are making great progress! Senora Guzman works with every class for a forty-five minute period each week.
The Second Grade Matherpillar Program has begun. The boys and girls have made their first set of flash cards. They will be working hard to master the addition and subtraction facts to 18. Your support at home with this and other homework is so appreciated! Although our Matherpillar
Program highlights computation skills, our math curriculum also emphasizes the development of problem solving and critical thinking skills.
We are getting ready to send off our "Flat Stanley" letters! This project has become a favorite with students, teachers and parents alike. The boys and girls prepared their own version of the popular book character. These personalized characters will be sent to family and friends who live in different parts of our country and other countries around the world. We are looking forward to receiving replies from many locations!
This experience provides a great way to learn about written communication and the care, which must be used when addressing an envelope. It also enhances our social studies curriculum and provides a real life purpose to use our maps and globes!
Reading Workshop time has become a favorite part of our day. Second Graders have been making many connections to the literature we have been reading. Students especially enjoy their independent reading time. A variety of reading strategies will be explored this year as each student continues to strengthen their reading foundation. We are looking forward to a year filled with wonderful literature!
Our Mystery Reader Program will begin soon. A sign up sheet will be available on Back-To School -Night. Please feel free to contact one of the Class Mothers if you, another family member or friend would like to be a Mystery Reader. It is always an exciting event!
We wish to thank the P.T.O. for the many ways you support our efforts in the classroom. We are all looking forward to a very rewarding year!
Third Grade News
Welcome back everyone! Third grade students all have comfortably settled into new routines, new classrooms and new friendships. Our focus this year is the school wide theme of good manners. For the month of September the emphasis was on manners in the classroom and for the month of October, we are discussing manners in the hallways. We have begun the year with writing about "The Most Important Thing About Summer", and writing about our goals for the year. Please stop by to see them outside our classrooms.
In math, we are reviewing place value and extending the places to ten thousand and hundred thousand, and reviewing facts for addition and subtraction. Nightly reinforcement of the facts is imperative and serves as an introduction to multiplication and division.
The theme for third grade social studies is community and we have begun the year with a study of patriotic symbols and government. After activities for Constitution Day, each class created their own Constitution with the rights and responsibilities of each student.
In Science our study of Earth Materials has begun. After making our meter tapes we will begin our exploration of our "mock rocks".
Getting to know one another and building a classroom community has been a goal in health in September. Introducing a Balanced Literacy program has commenced in third grade. We have started the year introducing the students to the vocabulary of Readers Workshop and setting up Readers' Circle and Readers' notebooks. Just watch our children grow as readers this year! We're off to a great start!
Welcome back to school, and welcome to fourth grade! September was a busy time getting to know one another, and getting our routines into place. Students have set their goals for the new school year and are "soaring to new heights" to achieve them.
Our students did a wonderful job telling us about these goals in their first writing piece. We're currently working on descriptive writing using the five senses to make our writing come alive. We are so excited to be implementing Reading Workshop into our curriculum this year. Some of our mini-lessons have focused on finding "just-right" books for all of our readers, as well as thinking while reading. We enjoyed sharing our personalized reader's notebooks with the class.
Switching for math classes has begun as we finish reviewing place-value, exploring larger numbers, and our math facts.
Our immigration unit is about to come to a close with our "Class Quilt" projects. Fourth graders are enjoying learning more about their families' cultures and traditions.
In health, we are also learning about our unique traits and qualities through our Personal Health unit. Students were surprised to find that inside a "mystery bag" was a magnet, which began our first unit of study in science. We are exploring magnets' properties, and how they interact with other materials, in and out of the classroom.
As school gets into full swing, we look forward to a great year together!
Fifth Grade News
The fifth graders are off to a great start. We are focusing on manners in the classroom, as it is our school theme. We celebrated Constitution Day by making a "Class Constitution" and reading the Preamble. Students were challenged to make decisions based on the Bill of Rights.
In the study of the Native Americans of North America, we are constructing Kachina dolls and writing an origin story. In Science/Health we are focusing on self-esteem and stress and integrating it with our core novel, Maniac Magee, by Jerry Spinelli.
Moving into balanced literacy, the fifth graders have personalized their writers notebooks, organized binders for readers workshop, and focused on the strategy of questioning.
We look forward to an outstanding year as we prepare our fifth graders for Eisenhower.
Welcome Back! I am excited about the new school year ahead. I would like to share an over view of music education at Coolidge School.
Kindergarten-Kindergarten students are introduced to music through weekly half-hour lessons. The students will learn elementary musical concepts through singing, dancing and performing on classroom instruments. We also incorporate various games in class on the SMART Board. The students participate in a performance in December and again in June.
First Grade-First Grade music continues building on the elementary musical concepts introduced in Kindergarten. Our classes are 45 minutes long, which gives students the opportunity to complete more activities in class. The students will begin reading musical notation and continue singing, dancing and performing on instruments in class. Students present a Thanksgiving program in November and a performance in December.
Second Grade-Students begin using music textbooks in Second Grade. The Making Music series is an excellent resource for teaching basic music concepts as well as music from around the world. The students also study the Instruments of the orchestra. The students keep a music folder in the music room. Students in second grade have the opportunity to perform in the December concert as well as a Multi-Cultural Assembly Program in March, celebrating Music in our Schools Month.
Third Grade-Students in third grade will now use the foundation taught from K-2 to learn the recorder. The recorder is taught in third grade music as an introduction to instrumental music lessons, which begin in 4th grade. The students are responsible for weekly practice sessions and coming to lessons prepared with their recorder, pencil and folder. These supplies should stay in their backpacks each day. Third grade students perform in December and June.
Fourth Grade-Fourth grade music introduces analyzing music for the Elements of Music: Melody, Rhythm, Harmony, Form and Expression.
Students also participate in several projects throughout the year. One of the favorite activities is when the students write their own commercials and compose a "jingle" for that commercial. They present these commercials to the class, which are video taped for evaluation and critique. Students are required to bring a folder and pencil to each music class. Fourth grade students have the opportunity to join the school chorus, which performs in the winter and spring.
Physical Education-Dan Pochini
In the month of September the students of Coolidge School have been adapting to a new Mid-Day Fitness program. This program has brought more structure to what used to be recess, but it still allows the students socialization time, along with free play outside when there is favorable weather. In the physical education classroom the students have been working very hard, and focusing on their fitness. In the month of October we will continue to focus on fitness, and begin working on new activities that focus on movement concepts and traveling through space. The fourth and fifth graders will begin intramurals in mid-October after school. The first sport we will be playing is indoor soccer. I am looking forward to a fun and exciting year at Coolidge School.
Grade 2-The students are so excited to start learning Spanish. So far, the second graders have learned to greet others, introduce themselves using their Spanish names and ask each other how they are feeling. Also, they are enjoying learning a few songs in the target language.
Grade 3-The students started their year with a review about many things covered last year. It was amazing to hear them. The third graders are introduced to the Spanish families and to make connections with their own families. In addition, they will be able to describe their families in the target language.
Grade 4-The fourth graders started their year with review activities and a song. This year the students will continue to learn new vocabulary in order to read and finally interpret the stories. They love to role play the stories. It is a great way to learn a language.
Grade 5-The fifth graders were enthusiastic to learn about the new program, E.C.L. They started learning about the oldest language, Latin and their culture. Please ask your child to tell you their new Latin name? Hint: They should say, nomen mihi est.......?
The year is off to a great start!
Please do not hesitate to contact me, should you have any questions!
ÁGracias y hasta luego!
Welcome Back! As the Guidance Counselor and School Social Worker, I especially want to take this opportunity to welcome families who are new to Coolidge this year. It was unfortunate that Kindergarten Orientation and Buddy Day had to be cancelled due to construction, but I hope that you have had a chance to connect with some of the parents in your children's classrooms. Separation problems seem to have been short- lived, but please contact me if you feel that your child is having difficulty with the transition to a new school. Kindergarten parents, I hope that you will be able to join me on October 22nd for a discussion about the development of five and six year olds. Look for the flyer in your child's backpack next week!
Peer Helpers will be taking a different format this year. Fifth graders will have opportunities to volunteer for various before and after school activities such as serving as a member of the "Cougar Cart Crew" (assisting Ms. Levine in the computer lab) or helping teachers with special projects.
Guidance lessons will begin shortly in the first grades while older students are busy with standardized testing. I will be building on information presented last year by the Child Assault Prevention program through stories about how to show respect for self and others.
Once again, please do not hesitate to call, email or stop by my office if you have any questions or concerns.