Principal`s Newsletter - Parkway C-2

Parkway School District
November, 2008
ROSS ELEMENTARY
Principal’s Newsletter
Lisa Greenstein, Principal
Bryan Pearlman, Administrative Intern
Dear Parents, Guardians, and Volunteers,
It is hard to believe that we just celebrated the end of our first trimester. Recently,
Mr. Bryan Pearlman and I had the opportunity to visit classrooms to give students a Ross button
and a ribbon for the first trimester. Each student had a goal listed on the back of the ribbon which
had been accomplished during the trimester. It was exciting to hear the variety of goals that were
shared, including learning how to multiply, reading harder books, making new friends, writing more
stories, and learning to speak more English, just to name a few. We talked about our school motto
which is on the button- Belonging, Believing, Becoming. Students talked about all the places that
we see this motto (our planners, our silver folders, the rug in the front hallway, the multi-purpose
room, and the gym). They shared their thoughts about belonging to Ross School, their classrooms,
their families, their communities, and the world. They talked about believing in themselves and
others as well as the people who believe in them. They also discussed how they can set goals to
become the best they can be at school and in society. It was wonderful to hear the different
perspectives of our kindergarten students all the way up to our fifth graders. We talked about how
we use our Ross virtues- responsibility, respect, compassion, perseverance, honesty, and courage, to
help us reach these goals. We discussed that when we set goals, we need to have a plan of how to
accomplish these, and we need to know who can help us in this process. There are many dedicated
staff members at Ross who work very hard to support students in reaching these individual goals.
We also know that parents play a very important part in helping children to identify and work on
these goals, which can help them grow socially, emotionally, and academically.
Last week, we had our first trimester assembly. We began by saying the Pledge of Allegiance
and the Ross School Pledge together as a school community. It’s amazing what over 450 voices
sound like when they recite these all together. I mentioned that we would be talking about everyday
heroes at our trimester assemblies this year. We defined a hero using our Ross virtues. “Heroes
are honest and sincere about helping others because it is the right thing to do, not because of
recognition. A hero shows courage and strength, and puts their own needs aside to show
compassion and respect for others. A hero perseveres for a worthy purpose. While some heroes are
famous and we see them on t.v., read about them in books, or share their quotes each week, we also
have many every day heroes in our world as well as at Ross School. Our plan was to recognize
many of our Ross North Star heroes for their accomplishments this trimester. Because of the
weather, we had to be flexible and recognize these students and staff during announcements. Read
further to find out the reason for this.
This year our school theme has been “Onward and Upward” which evolved because Mrs. Sherry
Neifert, our fifth grade teacher, used it in all of her correspondence last year. We were all inspired
by what these words can mean to each of us. We have used hot air balloons to depict this theme as
we have talked about the many meanings that these words carry. This fall, Mrs. Neifert’s fifth
graders thought it would be a great idea to invite a hot air balloon pilot to bring a hot air balloon to
our first trimester assembly.
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They wrote letters to several people, but did not hear back from anyone. They persevered, and
finally Mr. Jason Gaines made contact with them.
Mrs Neifert’s class had prepared several
questions for Mr. Gaines including “Why did you want to be a hot air balloon pilot?”; “What
qualities does it take to be a hot air balloon pilot?” “Who were your heroes?” He shared amazing
answers with our students.
He told us that we would need to get outside as quickly as we could, since a gust of wind
would likely be coming soon, which would mean that the hot air balloon would need to come
down. When asked about how big the hot air balloon was, he responded that it could hold 90,000
basketballs. Everyone tried to visualize what that would look like, but no one imagined how big it
was when they saw it on our field. The looks on everyone’s faces were priceless! Everyone was
in awe as they saw Mr. Gaines , with the help of his father, Mr. McGehee, Miss Sydnor, and Mrs.
Ford, help to inflate the balloon and raise it to where the basket was several feet off the ground.
Unfortunately, due to the wind, the basket had to come down. It was also an amazing sight to see
it come down. It was definitely a memorable way to celebrate the end of our first trimester.
As always, we thank you for sharing your children with us. As a staff, we are very proud of the
accomplishments that the students have achieved this first trimester, and we look forward to
watching our North Stars continue to grow the rest of the school year.
Onward and Upward,
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A message from Mr. Bryan Pearlman,
Administrative Intern
“One kind word can warm three winter months.”
- Japanese Proverb
I like this quote for many reasons. I truly believe that one kind word is very powerful. Think of
the impact that we can each make on another person. Remember a time when you were “down in
the dumps” and someone said something that brought a smile to your face. I challenge everyone to
try to share at least one kind word a day with another person. This will make them feel better and
also make you feel better.
Earlier this week, a new student to Ross stopped by my office to tell me that Ross is their favorite
school ever! I asked them what makes Ross so special. They responded by saying how kind and
warm all of the students and staff members are. I asked if there was one specific thing that stood
out to them about Ross. They responded that a classmate had said that they were nice and that they
wanted to be their friend. These kind words really did warm this person’s day and perhaps even the
entire school year! This makes me feel very special to be working with such “warm” people.
Another way to look at this quote is to focus on the three winter months. Winter (and the cold
weather) is right around the corner. Please make sure to send students in warm clothes. Layering
is a great strategy to ensure that they can be comfortable both inside and outside. We will make
every effort to be outside—unless the ground is slippery or the wind chill factor is at/below about
15-20 degrees.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Guess the staff member
Last month we STUMPED EVERYONE! Nobody guessed our mystery staff member. Below are
the clues and we’ve added three additional clues to see if this helps.
Clue 1: FAVORITE ARTIST
MONET
Clue 2: FAVORITE SINGER
MARIAH CAREY
Clue 3: DREAM VACATION
BEACH
Clue 4: FIRST JOB
GREETER AT FURNITURE STORE
Clue 5: FAVORITE SPORTS TEAM ST. LOUIS BLUES
ADDITIONAL CLUE 1: She works with everyone in the school.
ADDITIONAL CLUE 2: She has an office on the north side of the building
ADDITIONAL CLUE 3: She loves ambassadors.
Who is this staff member?
_______________________________________________________________________________
Think you know the answer? You can either bring your answer to Mr. Pearlman or email him at
bpearlman@pkwy.k12.mo.us. The first 25 winning responses will be recognized in the next
newsletter. Good luck! Several student ambassadors assisted in interviewing staff members and
preparing this trivia contest (Skye S., Olivia W., Nicole G., and Jumahl A.)
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Attendance at School is Essential!
Parents, regular attendance at school is indeed essential!
Absences for leisure, travel, or vacationing are strongly discouraged for several reasons. Parents
assist their children in assuming responsibility, developing a positive work ethnic, and valuing
education. Schools receive their state funding for students who are in attendance. Furthermore, elementary schools are held to highs takes MAP testing criteria. One of the requirements to meet AYP
and not be named a failing school is 93% attendance or better. A school can meet all Annual Yearly
Progress targets in academic testing and still “fail” if the students’ attendance rate is less than 93%.
We need our families to support the work we do and avoid unnecessary absences from school.
Please make every effort to schedule vacations during school holidays and breaks.
Thank you for your support!
Perfect Attendance
Congratulations!! The following students had perfect attendance (no absences or tardies) for the
first trimester (Aug 14-Nov. 6):
Kindergarten: Colin Barge, Allison Bowdern, Stephen Brooks, Sean Butero, Semin Cho, Ava
Elliott, Samantha Katz, Crystal Koh, Noam Laks, Christopher Lau, Autumn Mennemeyer,
Thomas Warhover, and Alan Xu
First Grade: Inbal Barzilay, Indiah Booker, Kaitlyn Crawford, Zachary Graham, Kenneth Isom,
Lea Isom, Shale Kennedy, Kyumin Lee, Darren Neely, Carter Schwartz, and Taya Singletary
Second Grade: Riley Bridge, Julie Brooks, Alyssa Chapman, Max Gillis, Madison Jespersen, Joseph Kang, Linus Kessler, Rebekah Neifert, Maxine Murrell, Nicholas Shaughnessy, Aliah Sullivan, and Rebecca Waxberg
Third Grade: Jacob Abell, Ericka Alexander, Mason Boime, Rebecca Cappaert, Steven Fatzinger,
Spencer Goldberg, Madalyn Graham, Nicholas Graham, Dravin Kennedy, Kyuwon Lee, Cameron
Moseley, Kaylee Palmer, Breeze Patel, Luke Voeller, Madelyn Were, and Riley Wolf
Fourth Grade: Alexandria Barge, Benjamin Fite, Jillian Day, Christina Fainer, Jessica Hughes,
Herbert Judy, Jacob Kunes, Laiyi Li, Aqsa Mirza, Matthew Mitulski, Tyler Rewerts, Matthew
Snell, Skye Stanwich, Maracus Volpe, and Matthew Watson
Fifth Grade: Ashley Bennett, Jack Blansitt, Caitlyn Bowdern, Kirby Cooper, Amadi Crawford,
Justine Nicole Dayoan, Zakery Halstead, Georgi Leshkov, Ramsha Mirza, Brooke Pottinger, Noah
Safron, Jarred Shaiftan, Mecca Singletary, Claire Warhover, and Olivia Watson
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Emergency Procedures and Winter Weather Plans
In the upcoming months, snow and ice storms can cause road and traffic conditions. The
normal school schedules and family routines can be disrupted on short notice during such
days. Therefore, it is important to review the following procedures that will be put in place
during emergency weather conditions.
1. Schools will be dismissed in the usual order: middle school, high school, then elementary
school.
2. Radio stations will carry announcements of the early dismissal. If the weather looks as if it
could deteriorate during the school day, stay tuned to a radio, and/or check the Parkway
recording on 415-SNOW.
3. Listen for automated phone messages through the AlertNow emergency parent notification
system.
4. Please do not call the school to ask if school is being closed.
5. Students who ordinarily ride the bus will not be allowed to walk home.
6. All bus riders will be expected to remain at school until their buses arrive, unless they are picked
up by a parent or designated guardian. Students will not be allowed to go home with anyone
other than their parent unless written permission is provided by the parent.
7. The YMCA After School Program will not be in session on early dismissal days. These
students must have alternate plans going home on these days.
The following TV and radio stations are the ones that Parkway contacts if there is a snow day or an
emergency:
TV: Channels 5, 4, and 2
RADIO:
KMOX 1120 AM
KATZ 1600 AM Gospel
Z107.7 FM
KMJM 104.9 FM MAJIC
KATZ 100.3 FM The Beat
Winter Clothing
Please remind your children to dress for the weather. Students will have recess unless the weather
and/or wind chill are extreme. It is also not uncommon for the weather to change drastically in a
short period of time, so please help your children to plan accordingly. Be sure your child’s name is
written in his outer clothing so we can return jackets, coats, hats, gloves, etc. to their rightful
owners. Thanks for your help!
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Onward
And
Upward
Oh, the Places Ross Can Go!
Miss Stephanie Matthias and Miss Anna Stitz
Courage
Responsibility
Respect
Honesty
Perseverance
Compassion
In our last meeting of multi-age, families met to determine their service learning project for the
school year. Some of the organizations chosen include: Children’s Hospital, Humane Society,
Urban League Head Start, and the Make a Wish Foundation. Our next step will be to choose a goal
on how to serve the organization and make a plan to reach that goal. Children will be contacting
their organizations and will inform others of their efforts.
On Thursday, November 13, we had an all school assembly to celebrate the end of the first trimester.
A hot air balloon pilot came to display the theme this year of “Onward and Upward.” Fifth graders
interviewed the pilot and asked him questions about how he uses the Ross Virtues as a hot air
balloon pilot. The students enjoyed watching the balloon inflate and were very excited to share their
thoughts. This was a great closing for the first trimester and an exciting beginning to the second
trimester!
Mosaics
Mrs. Denise Ford
It’s hard to believe that November is here. In the MOSAICS room, we continue to challenge ourselves with sequencing problems and higher level Math activities. We are following our whooping
cranes as they try to make it all the way to Florida. Happily, our butterflies have been sighted in
Mexico. The 42 tulips planted around the school are, hopefully, resting comfortably waiting to
make their appearance in the spring. We have begun using our skills to carry out research projects.
And our French skills are tres bien!
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Counselor’s Corner
K-3: Mrs. Carol Austerman 4-5: Mrs. Henriette Baker
Now that December is almost here, classroom guidance lessons and small group learning are in full
swing! At each grade level, lessons and activities involving understanding ourselves and others in
order to be successful students, help children learn to feel more confident and capable in all settings.
If your child isn’t already in a small support group for social skills, work/study skills, anger
management skills, or family change issues, but you have concerns in any of these areas, do let me
know as new groups will be forming after winter break! Also, don’t forget to check out the great
ideas in the HOME & SCHOOL CONNECTION!
Notes from the Nurse
Mrs. Mary Landes
As we approach the flu season, it is important to help keep our school and children healthy. The flu
is caused by the influenza virus which infects the lungs, nose, and throat. It is highly contagious and
is spread from person to person through coughing and sneezing; and by touching surfaces
contaminated with the germ. Symptoms of the flu include: rapid onset, high fever, headache, body
aches, exhaustion, and dry cough. The best way to prevent the flu is to get the flu shot each fall.
Other practices that can reduce chances of getting sick include:
*
wash hands often with soap and water
*
avoid people with acute illness
*
use a tissue when coughing and sneezing
*
clean and disinfect frequently touched surfaces at least once a day
*
avoid touching your eyes, nose, and throat
Treatment for the flu includes: drinking lots of fluids, getting plenty of rest, and taking medication
to reduce the fever. Contact the doctor if symptoms get worse or last more than a few days. Help
prevent the spread of the flu by keeping sick children home from school. Children may return to
school when fever free for at least 24 hours without the use of acetaminophen or ibuprofen. For
questions or concerns, please call me at 415-6710.
To Reach and Teach,
Each Student,
All Students, Every Day...Together
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ROSS HAPPENINGS
This is a new addition to our newsletter. Each month we will be highlighting a grade level and a
specialist area (Art, P.E., Music , both Instrumental and Vocal, ESOL, and Library).
First Grade
Miss Campion, Miss Dempewolf, Mrs. Fite, Mrs. Roy
First grade has been very busy since the start of our school year! We have been learning
and having fun together. We spend our mornings immersed in literacy. First graders are reading a
variety of stories and are authors of their own stories. We also enjoy working in our literacy centers.
In math, we are learning about numbers and how to add and subtract. We use a variety of
manipulatives to solve addition and subtraction story problems, and we enjoy playing math games to
help us better understand these concepts. Our first unit in social studies focused on our families.
Students learned about themselves, their families, and other families. In science, we enjoyed
observing our aquariums and terrariums and learning about plants and animals and what they need
to survive.
While we have been busy at work learning in our classrooms, we have had a couple of
opportunities to learn with others. In September, we invited grandfriends to our classrooms. Many
of our grandfriends joined us for lunch, recess, and then came back to our classroom to play math
games and read. In October, we took a field trip to the Missouri Botanical Garden with our fourth
grade buddies. We explored the garden and the children’s garden and then we ate lunch with our
buddies at Tower Grove Park. This was a wonderful field trip and everyone enjoyed learning
together!
Physical Education
Miss Sydnor and Mr. McGehee
Physical education classes are off to a great start this year. We have learned about wands
and hula hoops. We were outside working on our Frisbees, soccer, and football units. Currently,
the students are working on volleyball skills, with the younger grades practicing their net skills
and the older students working to improve their skills for a volleyball game. In the second
trimester, the classes will be doing scooter activities, beanbag games, rope jumping, Ross records,
and floor tennis.
In health classes, we discussed topics of nutrition, personal health and wellness, and
disease prevention. Upcoming units include staying drug and tobacco free and safety and first aid.
Running Club was a huge success during the first trimester. We averaged 90 students per
week. The kids worked hard to achieve their goals. We will have another Running Club in the
spring and we look forward to many more students signing up.
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Recycling and Merchandise Pick Up
Thanks to your support, Ross has received $287.00 from the Clothing Bin and $75.00 from AbitibiBowater, Inc. These amounts are deposited each month in a budget that is used for technology
maintenance and supplies as well as professional development for teachers.
PTO Tribute Fund
The Ross PTO wishes to acknowledge the following contributions to the Tribute Fund:
In Appreciation of:
Mrs. Mohan’s Dedication to Alan’s Development
From Yi Xu
The Ross Teachers and Staff Members
From the Manion Family
Ms. Geraghty and Miss Dempewolf
From Jackson Sniff
The Ross Support Staff
From Zack and Kenzie Becker
In Memory of:
Our Grandad, John H. Quinn, Jr.
From Mariah and Aubrey Sindel
In Support of:
The Fall Fundraiser
From Rokhaya Niang Ndao
From the Mitulski Family
From the Vance Family
From the Fredman Family
From the Bishop Family
Anonymous
Anonymous
Anonymous
Ross PTO welcomes tributes in Appreciation, Honor or Memory of teachers, staff, families, friends
or special occasions. Your donation helps the PTO make significant contributions to Ross School.
Cards are sent to person(s) for whom the donation is made. Contributions are tax deductible. Please
make checks (minimum of $5.00) payable to: Ross PTO. Donations may be dropped off in the
school office or mailed to:
Ross School PTO Tribute Fund
1150 Ross Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63146
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Parkway Early Childhood PTO
Holiday Boutique
Wednesday, December 3
8:00 a.m.—1:30 p.m.
Join us at the Parkway Early childhood Center
14605 Clayton Road
A variety of vendors will help you find the perfect gift for everyone on your birthday
gift list. Hope to see you there!
Three Ways to Get Parkway
News Online!
1. Read the latest monthly e-newsletter online:
www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/eNews
2. Receive monthly e-newsletters via e-mail:
Sign up for eNews at www.pkwy.k12.mo.us
3. Read the latest Parkway news stories:
Www.pkwy.k12.mo.us/news/getNews.cfm
PARKWAY
SCHOOL DISTRICT
No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, Public Law 107-110
In accordance with No Child Left Behind Act, we must inform parents in this school the following:
Upon request, our district would be happy to supply you with the following information about the
qualifications of your child’s teacher(s).
- whether the teacher has met state qualifications and licensing criteria for the grade levels and subject
areas in which the teacher provides instruction, whether the teacher is teaching under emergency or
other provisional status through which state qualification or licensing criteria have been waived,
whether your child is provided services by paraprofessionals and, if so, their qualifications, and what
baccalaureate degree major the teacher has and any other graduate certification or degree held by the
teacher, and the field of discipline of the certification.
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Asbestos Notification
The U.S. EPA Asbestos Hazard Response Act (AHERA) under the Federal Code of Regulations 40
CFR 963.93g(4) requires that building occupants be notified annually of the presence of asbestos
in the building and the availability of the Asbestos Management Plan. A copy of the Management
Plan is available for review and is available in the school office or at the Environmental Services
Department located at 363 North Woods Mill Road. The Management Plan identifies the types
and locations of asbestos in the building, and identifies inspections, sampling data, and response
actions taken by the District.
Questions regarding asbestos or the Management Plan can be directed to Bryan Pearlman at
415-6703, or to Juliette Travous, Industrial Hygienist for Parkway School District at 415-8294.
Parkway School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin,
sex, age, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment on employment in its programs or
activities. If an individual with a disability needs accommodations to attend or participate in a
school or District activity, please contact the staff member responsible for that event at least four
(4) business days in advance. Questions, concerns, or requests for information/assistance can
also be directed to the designated District coordinator for each applicable federal law.
Dates to Remember
December 11
December 17
December 23
December 24-Jan. 2
January 5
January 6
PTO Excecutive Board Meeting
Choir Concert, 7:00 p.m.
Half Day of School
Winter Break—NO SCHOOL
NO SCHOOL—Professional Development Day
SCHOOL RESUMES
Attachments
1. PTO News
2. Ideas for Parents
3. Home and School Connection
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