mes press - Valley Central School District

MES PRESS
M o n t g o m e r y E l e m e n t a r y S c h o o l
V a l l e y C e n t r a l S c h o o l D i s t r i c t
P R I N C I PA L’ S C O R N E R
Dear Families,
December came and went very quickly. The building was buzzing with energy and our students
participated in an array of fun and educational activities.
I want to thank everyone for their continued generosity in supporting members of our
community in need of assistance. Mrs. Stout does an outstanding job coordinating the annual food and
toy drive. Montgomery Elementary was able to provide gifts and food for approximately 25 families. We
could not do this without the assistance of our community.
The ME PTA once again hosted our annual “Tree Lighting Ceremony”. It was a beautiful night and
everyone had a magnificent time. I want to thank Mrs. Jachimiak for leading us in the caroling and the ME
PTA for providing hot chocolate and holiday craft making, as well as the parents who brought in snacks
for us to share. I would also like to thank my husband, Mike Quill, for getting all those lights on our
gigantic tree. It was an amazing night and I appreciate the efforts of all the volunteers who made this
possible.
We are so happy to have music back in the curriculum. Our Winter Concert was phenomenal. I
was so impressed with the students’ spectacular performance. They certainly got us all in the holiday spirit.
Mrs. Jachimiak and Mr. Antonelli are to be commended on their hard work and dedication in preparing
the students for this night.
This year a group of MES first grade students went to the Montgomery Nursing Home to
provide some uplifting entertainment for the seniors residing at the home. The students did an amazing
job of singing several traditional Christmas carols. At Montgomery Elementary School we believe in
giving back to the community.
I would like to thank the ME PTA for providing us with the History’s Alive Assembly. The
students learned a great deal about Thomas Edison, from the famous inventor himself. One important
lesson they learned is that we can learn a great deal from our mistakes and to never give up. Our second
assembly takes place in January and we are very excited to learn how superhero comics are created during
the “Science of a Superhero” presentation.
On January 14th we will hold another Family Math Night. This is a wonderful opportunity to
experience first-hand what is being taught in the classroom each day. Parents and children work together,
under the direction of a classroom teacher, to perform math activities. Look for the reminders that will be
coming home and be sure to send in the RSVP.
As the cold weather starts to settle in, I would like to review our procedures and expectations
regarding outdoor recess. Factoring in the wind chill, our students will participate in outdoor recess when
the air temperature is 20 degrees or higher, and if there is no significant precipitation falling from the sky.
Please send your child(ren) to school dressed for the cold weather with a warm jacket, hat and gloves.
Please make sure all outdoor gear is labeled with your child(ren)’s name. It is up to the parents to provide
the appropriate outdoor gear as we do not have a large supply of jackets in the nurse’s office. If you are
experiencing a financial hardship, please contact the nurse so that she may be able to provide you with the
outdoor clothing your child(ren) need to stay warm this winter.
Cold weather also brings around the potential for two hour delays, early dismissals and school
closings. Please make sure you have the appropriate contact information on file at school so that we may
contact you in the event of a weather emergency. You should also review your alternate plan with your
child(ren) in case bad weather causes an adjustment to the school schedule.
I wish all of you a very happy, healthy and peaceful new year.
Respectfully,
Marianne Serratore
Calendar Highlights
January 2015
Jan. 1-2-Winter Recess
continues NO SCHOOL
Jan. 12 &26-BOE Mtg.
7:00pm CO
Jan.13 & 27-Banking Day
Jan.14-K-5 Math Night
Jan. 17-K of C Free Throw
Championship 10:00am12:00 pm
Jan.19-Martin Luther King
Jr. Day NO SCHOOL
Jan. 20-PTA Reflections
Ceremony 7:00pm
Jan. 23-Hobby Fair 7:00pm
Jan. 30-Family Fun Night
7:00pm
February 2015
Feb. 2-6 PTA Winter Book
Fair
Feb. 9&23-BOE Mtg.7:00pm
CO
Feb. 10 & 24 Banking Day
Feb.13-16-President’s
Weekend NO SCHOOL
Feb. 17-PTA Mtg. 7:00pm
Feb.19-20– 5th Grade Drama
Production of SHREK
7:00pm
141 Union Street
Montgomery, NY 12549
Phone: 845-457-2400
Main Office: ext-14511
Attendance: ext-14507
Online:
www.valleycentralschools.org
January 2015
Assistant Principal’s Page
Mr. Matthew Canino
matthew.canino@valleycentralschools.org/457-2400 X14520
Montgomery Elementary School
Be a Bucket Filler, NOT
a Bucket Dipper!!!
A New Year’s Resolution!
In declaring a New Year’s resolution, children can set personal and/or
academic goals to identify a target for their own success. Setting goals is a child’s
first step to success.
Our students, at Montgomery Elementary, are encouraged to have high
expectations for their academic achievement and set goals to improve upon their
own academic abilities. It is understood that all children are different and have
varied capabilities, but if children believe in themselves, their accomplishments will
be never-ending.
Parents can help their children have more success in life and in school by
investing the time to teach them how to set and reach goals. A future goal may be to
earn a college scholarship, but today it may be as simple as getting ready for school
independently.
Think of it as a time investment. Break the task process into baby steps. You
are teaching your child the fundamentals as they accomplish a step by step process
of skill building. Your tasks are to teach, be a role model, and reinforce each
productive behavior step. If you positively reinforce each skill along the way you will
enjoy the bonus of building your child’s self-confidence. It can be simpler than you
think. To assist you on this journey, the following website can be a useful resource.
Nine Steps to Teach Your Child Goal Setting; please go to http://kamaron.org/
Parenting-Education for more information.)
During this New Year, the Montgomery Elementary faculty/staff will
continue to love, cherish and embrace the individuality of each student while
challenging them to do their very best and believe in themselves. Good luck and
have fun on your goal setting adventure in 2015!!!
January AntiBullying Initiatives
 Mix-It-Up at Lunch:
Grades 2/3
 Grades K-5: Interactive
Read Alouds
 Grades K-5: Character
Education Videos
During Lunch
 Character Badges
displayed on Super
Students bulletin board
 Character Education daily
announcements
 Bucket Filler reminders!
Musical Notes
Congratulations to our first graders on a beautiful job preparing their Senior Center
holiday program! Thank you to everyone who came out to carol for our tree lighting on
December 12th. Also, congratulations to all our performers in the fabulous Winter
Concert! We are proud of all of you and would like to recognize all of our speakers and
soloists as well! We finished out the month with our Montgomery Elementary School
Sing- Along! What a great way to spread Holiday cheer, singing loud for all to hear!
We have so much to look forward to in January. There will continue to be opportunity
for any vocalist or instrumentalist to perform solos in music class. We have enjoyed learning to
sing into the microphone and appropriate audience behavior as well.
The primary ages will continue to sing on solfeggio (do, re, mi) using kodaly hand signs
to nursery and folk songs. We will be learning about the elements of a musical production as
our fifth grade's performance of this year's musical, SHREK, approaches. The fourth and fifth
graders will be learning about Mariachi and Caribbean styles of music. They will be preparing
performances in small teams to represent what they learn.
Your children are a pleasure to teach! Thank you for supporting all of their musical
endeavors!
Marianne Jachimiak
TEAMWORK – MAKE IT YOUR NEW YEAR’S RESOLUTION!
It may not yet be 2015 when you read this, but I wish all our families a Happy New Year!
Our character trait of the month is TEAMWORK and our 3rd graders are writing and reading
their announcements for January. We are all familiar with teamwork being defined as:
cooperative or coordinated effort on the part of a group of persons acting together as a team
or in the interests of a common cause. Here at MES, we are a team working together to help
each student be successful! And students are working together to help each other whether it be
to complete a class project, learn a new game at recess, or show good sportsmanship while
participating in Physical Education class. Let’s help our children learn the true meaning of
what it takes to be a good team member. This includes practicing positive teamwork habits,
such as: open communication (which allows everyone to be able to share their ideas and
opinions); respect (all members must be respectful toward each other); problem solving (to be
able to learn how to resolve conflicts and work smoothly together even during rough times)
and a common goal (the team can resolve problems and work through disagreements toward
the end goal).
All of this takes practice and knowledge, but remember that
T*E*A*M = Together Everyone Achieves More!
Melinda Sulzbach
LET’S HEAR IT FOR SOAP
A study in Michigan has found that school-age children who wash their hands
four or more times during the day are less likely to get sick than their classmates.
Those who washed up suffered 24 percent fewer sick days from colds and flu and 50
percent fewer sick days due to stomach illnesses. Hand washing is the best way for
adults to avoid spreading infectious diseases too. (Source: University of California at
Berkeley Wellness Letter.)
HAND SANITIZERS
Please do not send your children to school with hand sanitizers. They are
alcohol based and some students are highly allergic. The District has installed
non-alcohol sanitizers in strategic areas throughout the school for student use.
Classroom teachers also encourage hand washing throughout the day. The Orange
County Health Department has reported that washing hands with soap and water is the
best method to combat germs.
WINTER IS HERE
The cold weather has arrived. However, whenever possible we will be sending
students outside for recess. Please be sure that your child comes to school with a warm
coat, mittens or gloves, and a hat and boots when necessary. The District procedure is
to go outside for recess when the temperature is 20 degrees or above which includes
the wind chill factor.
We understand your concerns regarding the health of your child when they
have colds and coughs etc. If your child has a temporary health issue and you would
like him/her to remain inside for recess, we will honor that request with a written note
from you for one day. For requests lasting longer than one day, a note will be needed
from your doctor stating how long your child will need to remain indoors. If your child
has a health issue that is contingent upon a specific temperature threshold, that
temperature must be stated in the doctor’s note.
FROM THE OFFICE
For Snow Days, Cancellations, Delays and/or Early Dismissals, you can check the district website,
listen to your radio or call the Valley Central School District’s main telephone number.
The following radio stations regularly report school delays and cancellations:
WGNY (1220 AM, 103FM & 1340 AM)
WBNR (1260AM, 104.7 FM)
WRWD (107.3 FM)
WHUD (100.7)
WPDH (101.5)
WRRV (92.7FM, 96.9FM)
When calling the District telephone number, 457-2400, you will hear a recorded message from Dr. Hooley.
He will give the date and information regarding the school closing or delay. If you hear the normal daily message,
school is in session at the regularly scheduled time.
All school delays, cancellations and/or Early Dismissals will also be posted on the District website:
www.valleycentralschools.org.
For 2-Hour Delays - On a regular school day our doors open at 9:00am for students. However, when we
have a 2-hour delay, children should not arrive on school grounds prior to 11:00am. when adult supervision is
available. Also on days when there is a 2-hour delay, breakfast will not be served and morning Club Kid will be
cancelled.
Dear Parents,
As we prepare for Kindergarten Registration this spring, we’d like your help in gathering student
information for our mailing list. If you have a child who will be five years old on or before
December 1, 2015, please complete the form below and return it as soon as possible to the main
office. If you have a friend or neighbor with a child eligible to enter kindergarten this fall, please
share this form with them, or ask them to call the main office of the school their child will attend
so that we may add his or her name to our mailing list. If you have any questions about
Kindergarten Registration, please call me at (845) 457-2400, ext. 18130.
Thank you for your cooperation in helping us identify our incoming kindergarten students…
The Class of 2028!
Sincerely,
Janine Maridou
Central Registrar
HOLIDAY BASKETS
The Health Office would like to extend our sincere appreciation to
all who made the “Adopt a Family Program” a wonderful success. This
year 25 families will have a brighter holiday because of your generous
spirit. A very special “Thank You” to: The Village of Montgomery PBA,
The Pony Express Club, St. Mary’s Church, Montgomery Nursery
School, Montgomery Elementary PTA, Girl Scout Troop 158, ERA
Realty and the Knights of Columbus. We also want to thank our own
school families who adopted a family this season.
It may be cold outside but Montgomery has a very warm “HEART”.
Donna Stout, RN
NEWS FROM THE CAFETERIA
Please send in separate checks for Breakfast and Lunch. They are two
different programs. Breakfast tickets are $1.55 each and lunch tickets are $2.55 each.
They can be purchased in increments of 5, 10, 15 or 20 days. Please write your
child’s name and their teacher’s name on each check you send in for lunch and/or
breakfast. If your child wishes to purchase milk the price is 60 cents per carton.
If your child has to charge lunch or has any outstanding lunch/breakfast
charges they will not be allowed to buy extras. Students are also not allowed to
charge for extras.
Please do not send in metal containers of fruit. If the tabs break off we can
not open them. Also, please do not send in glass bottles.
Thank you for your cooperation. Any questions call 457-2400 ext. 14890.
Mrs. Patricia Marron
Cafeteria Manager
MARK YOUR CALENDAR
EARLY DISMISSAL DAYS
(Dismissal at 12:10 P.M.)
MARCH 18, 2015
January 2015
Sun
Mon
Tue
Wed
Thu
1
Fri
2
New
Year’s
Day
Sat
3
WINTER BREAK CONTINUES
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
BOE
Meeting
7:00pm
CO
18
25
Banking
Day
19
20
Martin Luther
King Jr. Day
No School for
Students
PTA
Reflections
Ceremony
7:00 pm
26
27
BOE Mtg.
7:00pm
CO
Banking
Day
Family
Math Night
6:308:00pm
21
K of C
Basketball
Free Throw
Championship
10:00am12:00pm
22
23
Hobby
Fair
28
29
30
Family Fun
Night
24
K of C Free
Throw Snow
Date
31