Calvin Coolidge School
P.T.O. Minutes
February 6, 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 February |
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Looking Ahead to March |
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1st
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Kids Night Grades 4 & 5 |
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5th
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PTO meeting at 9:15 am |
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6th
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PTO meeting at 9:15 am |
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7th
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Family Bingo Night 7pm |
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8th
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Kids Night Grades 4 & 5 |
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12th
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Mathletes |
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13th
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Mathletes |
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26th
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Mathletes |
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14th
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Flower Day |
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27th
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2nd Grade Multicultural Assembly |
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28th
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Family Volunteer Night
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PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MARNI SCANLON
Upcoming Meetings & Events:
Next Board of Education Meeting is on February 11th, 8:00 pm at Eisenhower. The Budget will be the first topic of discussion.
The Gertrude Hawk candy sale ends February 15th.
Crazy EightÕs Family Night is February 29th. The proceeds of this event benefit The Wyckoff Fire Department.
WEF Annual Dinner Dance is March 8th at the Tides. Cost is $85.00 per person. The proceeds of this event directly benefit the public schools of Wyckoff. You can register on line at www.wyckoff.org/.
Next Coordinating Council Meeting is May29th, at the Larkin House.
Thank you : To everyone who volunteered to make Military Bridge and Kids Night great successes.
The PTO is in the process of updating the by-laws and job descriptions. If anyone is interested in contributing their ideas please contact us.
The names of the Nominating Committee for this year were presented to the PTO. They are Stephanie Racioppi, Anna Manfredi and Sue Blesow.
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.
Budget Awareness Committee:
Lisa Martone and Tricia Nussenbaum made a presentation to the PTO. In the last 5 years 3 votes failed to pass the budget. This committee was formed to bring to attention the realities of the school budget. It is a town wide committee. Anyone wishing to participate please contact Lisa Martone or Tricia Nussenbaum. Please check out the new coordinating council website at www.wyckoffschools.org/coordinatingcouncil/Coordinating_Council/Home.html.
PLEASE REGISTER TO VOTE:
Also remember to vote April 15th, 2008 between 2:00 Ð 9:00 pm. It is important that each election is well attended to represent the needs of the citizens of our town. If you are new to the community or still need to register, please go to http://www.nj.gov/oag/elections/voter-registration-application.html to download an application.
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 $3.00 each.
The volunteer sheets have been received and names have been distributed to the different committees. If you do not receive a phone call from the committee and you know the event is approaching, please call them. Your help is always welcomed.
SECOND
VICE PRESIDENT'S REPORT:
VALERIE STEINER AND JILL SUSSMAN
Gertrude Hawk:
Candy sale ends February 15th. Our school receives 45% profit on the amount sold. This candy is great for the upcoming holidays as well as, graduations.
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 February 15th. If you do not receive an envelope this month please stop by the office or contact us. Chairs: We still need committee
chairs for the following committees.
THIRD PRESIDENT'S REPORT: MICHAEL ANDRULLI
Ms. Berg introduced several 3rd grade students to read poems they wrote in class.
TREASURERÕS REPORT: NANCY ZANKI
Financial Report from December 1, - December 31, 2007 was approved by the PTO. If you would like to view the reports they will be 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
December 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
2nd Quarter checks were dispersed. The Coolidge PTO received a check for $1400.00 To celebrate the 60 Anniversary of the Economy Shop a Tasting Event will take place on April 12th, 2008 at 7:00pm. "Taste of Wyckoff Chefs Tasting Party". Cost is $15.00 per person. If you purchase wine from Cervino's Wine Cottage in Ridgewood for this, the PTO will receive 15% back, plus it will be delivered to this event.
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
Playground Committee: Christina Gori & Stephanie Raccioppi
Engraved bricks are still for sale. 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. So far we have 19 workshops, but could always use more. Some of the workshops include India, South America, Costa Rica, Ireland, Korea, Egypt and Germany. If you are interested in volunteering, please contact me.
May Dinner: Anna Manfredi and Jen Manteau
If you have any baskets we are in need of them.
Family Volunteer Night: Dawn Coleman
March 28th, in the Coolidge Gym. We will be collecting Formula, Diapers, Sippy Cups. This will be coordinated and packed for a organization that helps working families. There will be ice cream as a treat following.
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.
Blood Drive: Marni Hess
Thank you to everyone who contributed. We helped raise over 20 books for our school library. They will be presented shortly by the Blood Center.
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
PRINCIPAL'S REPORT: MR. FAMULARO
Coolidge Celebrates 75 Years
As you know, Coolidge School is celebrating its 75th Anniversary this year. Please contact Mr. Famularo if you would like to help plan activities for this event. (rfamularo@wyckoffschool.org)
Coolidge art students will be participating in the schools first annual art show on June 9th, 2008 at 6:30 in the evening. All of the students' artwork will be displayed throughout the school. Each piece will contain a label with the childÕs name and class The week prior to the show and the day of the event, Ms. DiTursi will need parent volunteers to donate their time, during and after school hours, to assist with labeling and hanging up artwork. Please contact Ms. DiTursi if you can help out. Her email address is dditursi@wyckoffschools.org
Parents are urged to become educated voters in preparation for our School Budget Election on April 15, 2008. Information can be accessed on the district website at www.wyckoffschools.org and by clicking on the Coordinating Council link.
Coolidge School Website and Friday Folder Handouts
Parents and community members are encouraged to visit Coolidge School's web site at www.wyckoffschools.org/coolidge/index.html for photos, special events, 75th Anniversary information and important dates and information. Also, Friday Folder handouts can now be accessed via the Coolidge School web page. Thank you to our computer specialist Ms. Levine for her efforts!
During the month of January the Coolidge School Student Council raised money to help Habitat for Humanity of Bergen County. Students brought in their spare change for this cause. Congratulations to Coolidge School for raising over $800 for a worthy cause!
Coolidge School students were decked out in their favorite football attire as they celebrated "Super Bowl Sports Day" on Friday, February 1st in preparation for the big game. Classrooms were a sea of red and blue in support of the New York Giants as they prepared for their Super Bowl match up with the Patriots.
As you know, the Coolidge School theme this year is Manners Matter. During the month of February students will focus on the notion that Manners Matter while playing a sport or a game. Teachers will reinforce the concepts of sportsmanship, fair play and healthy competition throughout the month. A school wide theme assembly is planned for February 12th. At this time fourth graders will present Power Point presentations created to illustrate the importance of manners.
Child Assault Prevention (CAP)
Studetnts in Kindergarten and third grade recently took part in the Child Assault Prevention (CAP) program. CAP is a community project of the New Jersey Task Force on child abuse and neglect. Counselors visited classrooms to provide interactive lessons with the message of keeping children "Safe, Strong and Free".
Coolidge School PTO Blood Drive
In conjunction with Community Blood Services of Paramus, the Coolidge School PTO recently hosted a blood drive at the school. Student volunteers assisted in this event as part of the Kidz Kare Program. For each pint of blood collected, the Kidz Kare Program donated one book to the Coolidge School Media Center. We are happy to report that over twenty books were donated! Thank you to the many parents and students that helped make this event such a huge success!
Respectfully
Submitted,
Marni Hess
Meeting Adjourned 10:47am
Attendance: 29
TEACHERS REPORTS FROM JANUARY
Happy New Year! Kindergarten students were welcomed back with a lesson on New Year's Resolutions. They completed the phrase "In 2008, I will". The answers ranged from "I will get more rest" to "I will clean my room", so be on the lookout for some changes going on in your home this year!
Our language arts lessons were led by visits from more Letter people; Mr. Z and his zipping zippers, Mr. B and his beautiful buttons, Ms. S and her super socks and a new vowel, Mr. I and his incredible inches! All those new letters and a new vowel helped the children to create so many new words like; big, sit and zip. We learned about new reading strategies that help us to connect to the text. The strategy of Visualizing helps us create a picture of the text in our minds. The visualizing strategy is being practiced with the introduction of our new Poetry Journals!
Our focus in social studies was the celebration of Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday. The children learned of the inequality that existed in the world during that time and Dr. King's dream for peace. The children's insights were incredible if only we could see the world through the eyes of Kindergarten students!
We introduced addition lessons in Math and the students are encouraged to solve addition problems by showing their work during our "clipboard challenges".
What a busy month it has been!
Happy New Year! We hope you all had a wonderful holiday season with your families. The first grade started the New Year with many eager learners.
In reading, we continue to read wonderful stories during Readers Workshop and are learning about story elements. They have learned several reading strategies and skills to help them become active readers. For example, they learned how to use different reading strategies such as "text to self" and "text to text" during our reading time while reading stories like The Mitten, The Hat, and Any Kind of Dog. They also learned that good readers make connections to the book from their own experiences to help them better understand the story.
In grammar, we learned about proper nouns, plural nouns, possessive nouns, contractions, verbs and adjectives. These grammar lessons will be on going throughout the year. They are doing a great job applying these newly acquired grammar skills in their writing. During our Writer Workshop we read Hello Ocean, Up North in the Cabin, Owl Moon and others stories. These stories helped us as writers to add details and use our five senses to write our stories.
In math, we learned about geometric shapes, symmetry and fractions. We enjoyed looking for shapes in the classroom and writing in our math journals. The students continue to practice their fact families and are doing an amazing job during the math drills.
In social studies, we learned about Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, and Ruby Bridges. We used reading strategies to make "text to text" connections and character comparisons with these wonderful nonfiction stories. In science, they finished the balance and motion unit.
In health, the students completed their lesson on needs and wants. We will begin our lesson on germs and how to stay healthy.
The first graders wish everyone a happy and healthy New Year!
The month of January has been a very busy one! Cursive writing skills are progressing and our students have learned over half of the lowercase letters. As new letters are added to our list, it is great fun to think of the new words that they are able to write.
During Readers' Workshop, we are encouraging our students to ask questions before, during and after they read. This helps them to better understand what they are reading. We are currently exploring a variety of nonfiction books. The boys and girls are learning that interesting information can be found in the text, diagrams, photographs, headings, the table of contents and the index of their books. Students from all three classes enjoyed their evening book club experience with Mr. Famularo!
The focus of our current Health unit is the structures and function of the heart. Everyone is amazed by this important organ! The boys and girls are also learning about the ways that they can help to keep their heart healthy.
Our Math work has involved two-digit addition with and without regrouping. Second graders are learning about place value and they are realizing the importance of knowing their math facts!
During our Social Studies lessons our students have been learning how to locate the continents and oceans of the world. They have also learned about other land forms. We have spent time thinking about the wise use of our natural resources. Each class had the opportunity to review this important unit by playing a customized version of the Jeopardy Game on our SmartBoard!
Soon the boys and girls will become worldwide detectives as they search for information about countries around the world. Each class will begin by researching two countries collectively. This study will culminate in our annual Multicultural Program, which will be presented in March.
Kids' Night was enjoyed by all and we wish to thank the parent volunteers who made this event possible!
Third Grade News
Winter arrived in third grade, even though the snow did not. Youngsters were busy getting into the spirit of the season with Japanese style poetry called Haiku. For our first community service project, booklets of the poetry will be created and donated to local nursing homes. January also brought students writing compliments to their classmates. Our third grade bulletin board, "Keys to Successful New Year" stressed goals, character traits, and responsibilities for the coming year.
Writing to Explain was this month's focus in the writing process. Students selected a winter topic such as How to Make a Snowman and used transition words to write an explanatory selection.
During the Balanced Literacy portion of the reading curriculum, our focus was on the Questioning Strategy. Wonderful literature was read to the students, and they generated some very thought-provoking questions. Additionally in reading, third graders created Biography Quilts, as they read through this genre.
The process of learning multiplication facts is in full swing. Students are strongly encouraged to keep up with the pace of learning these facts by studying them at home each evening. Equally important was our focus on adding and subtracting 2 and 3 digit numbers, subtracting across zeros, and problem solving.
In Health, Mrs. Kochanek taught several lessons to all of our students about "Keeping Infections Away". During the month of February, Mrs. Kochanek will teach "All About Medicines". Representatives from the CAPS Program of Bergen County visited Coolidge and reinforced the concept to all third graders of being mindful of positive feelings about themselves and how other students should be treated. Additionally, students are looking forward to learning about the heart and the circulatory system.
Landforms and their impact on port cities and trading centers are the current focus in Social Studies.
We are beginning to review for the ASK 3 Test, which is administered during the week of March 10. We respectfully request that you do not plan to be away during that time.
The Ground Hog tells us that spring won't arrive for six more weeks. Until then, bundle up, keep warm, enjoy a cup of hot cocoa, and read a good book with your child.
We have been busy in the month of January with many exciting activities. In math, we have been honing our multiplication skills by multiplying larger numbers. Our classes have also been working on our problem solving skills and learning how to choose a computation method when solving problems.
We launched our writing workshop and have learned how to read with a writerly eye. The students generated entries based on their own lives and emotions in their writer's notebook. They have also been exposed to several Personal Narrative texts and will now write one of their own.
Students are building their reading endurance by reading their independent "just right" book for 30 minutes every day. During reading time, the students practice reading strategies and skills covered in class.
In Social Studies, the fourth graders learned how New Jersey's economy changed after World War II. This also led to a great discussion on the Civil Rights Movement. Students learned about Martin Luther King Jr.'s role during this time period and his hope for peace for our country. They then created peace circles that showed how we can have peace at home, school and around the world.
Fifth Grade News
Mission accomplished! The fifth grade'Õs trip to the moon was a great success. After a month of preparation for the trip to Buehler Challenger Center in Paramus, NJ, the students utilized TEAMWORK and landed their probe safely on the moon. They all performed their jobs, which they had previously applied for, like true astronauts. Back in the classroom students are debriefing, as they write an essay on teamwork.
Students have been immersed in the genre of Realistic Fiction. Using craft lessons, they are identifying issues and outcomes as they determine what details and events are important in telling the story.
Our focus in Math is collecting data, and utilizing different types of graphs to analyze this data.
Fifth graders are examining America's "Colonial Heritage", as they explore the hardships that had to be endured during the time period. They will be cooperatively working an a problem-based learning task entitled, "Colonial Coins", in which they will use this knew knowledge to design coins that represent each stateÕs colonial history.
Physical Education
In Physical Education the students are currently focusing on eye-hand coordination working on a variety of throwing skills along with catching.
We are using a number of different activities that stress cooperation with teammates, math skills, and sportsmanship combined with our focus of throwing and catching. Fitness remains the main objective of each classstarting with out fitness circuit for grades 3-5. Presidential Fitness Testing will begin April 1st, and students are encouraged to practice as much as they can outside of school, at least 60 minutes a day, to not only prepare them for the test, but to keep them healthy and active all year round.
Intramurals
Intramurals will be starting up again shortly. The next sport will be Scooter Football. We look forward to continuing a great tradition, and looking for sportsmanship, teamwork, and dedication throughout the entire season.
Computers
We have been very busy during the months of December and January and continue to provide cutting edge learning opportunities for all of our students. In anticipation of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, a variety of projects had taken place at each grade level.
In 1st grade, students created a MLK slideshow using KidPix.
2nd graders were involved in a Martin Luther King, Jr. webquest and then allowed to interactively play MLK games on the www.apples4theteacher.com website.
3rd graders used the Timeliner program for the first time to create timelines of the important events of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s life.
Meanwhile, our 4th and 5th graders were introduced to the bells and whistles of PowerPoint. 4th graders are working on a group project producing a slideshow on Manners Matter. A selected number of these shows will be presented at an upcoming theme assembly.
Finally, our 5th grade has selected a science related topic of interest for their slideshow presentations.
All of these projects have been informative and engaging and we look forward to continue to enhance our curriculums in 2008.
The Health Office Ð Mrs. Janice Kochanek, CSN, RN,
School Nurse/Health Educator
The Stomach Virus continues to make its rounds throughout the school as well as Strep Throat. The good news is that there has been a marked decrease in injuries this year during midday fitness, formally known as outdoor recess. I am also happy to inform you that I have not received any reports lately from parents that their child/children have contracted head lice. However, I understand that neighboring towns are having problems with this ever- present nuisance. Please continue to check your childÕs head on a regular basis and especially if he/she complains of an itchy scalp.
Heights and weights, vision and hearing screenings have been completed on students. Parents have been informed by phone and through referral notices if their child has not passed the vision and hearing tests. However, starting this year the school is not required to do vision tests on 4th and 5th graders. Therefore, if your child wears glasses, we advise that you check with your eye doctor as to when he/she recommends a follow-up visit. As part of the new state mandated requirements this year, all students will have their blood pressure taken and recorded in their health records. Parents will be notified if their child's blood pressure is outside of the guidelines for the child's age.
Mrs. Kochanek has begun teaching specific health lessons. Students in third grade have received instruction on "Keeping Infections Away". In March, she will teach lessons on "Puberty" to fifth grade students as part of the Human Relationships and Sexuality core curriculum guidelines. Fifth Grade parents will be invited in February to preview the video and teaching materials that will be shown to the fifth grade boys and girls. The boys and girls will be separated during the puberty health lessons.
If you have any questions pertaining to the health office, health instruction or your childÕs health, please call me at 201-848-5710, extension 205.
Guidence News Ð Mrs. Lauren Borelli
Guidance lessons conducted during the month of January focused on second and third grades. Second graders shared examples of conflicts and practiced techniques to resolve differences with their classmates, friends, and siblings. Discussion, modeling, a partner activity and role plays were used to teach students "I Messages" as a means of communicating their feelings and solving disagreements. A worksheet was provided so that students would share this new skill with family members. Parents, please look for opportunities for your child to practice this strategy at home! Third graders explored the values of respect, compassion, freedom, and fairness after listening to Nellie's Trip South, an historical fiction about slavery during the Civil War. Students shared their reactions to the story through group discussion as well as by writing letters back to the book's central character. Student responses were displayed in the third grade hall and demonstrated amazing awareness and sensitivity to the plight of the slaves.
On a personal note, I want to thank you for the many kind expressions of sympathy that I received following my husband Peter's death in December. Your concern and support during this difficult time meant more than you can know.