verde voice

VERDE
VOICE
Verde Elementary School
6590 Verde Trail
Boca Raton, FL 33433
561-218-6800
P R I N C I P A L’ S M E S S A G E
Welcome back to the 2014-2015 school year! Once again,
Verde Elementary experienced a smooth opening thanks to
the hard work of our staff and volunteers! Our enrollment is
up this year and we had to make some adjustments to our
instructional staff due to those circumstances. Now that
everyone is in place, it should be smooth sailing from this
point forward. Please help us welcome our new staff members Jennifer Berlatsky (1st), Jeniffer Giraldo (1st),
Kaitlin Vickery (1st), Jennifer Vassi (2nd), Alexandra Harting (3rd), Andrea Sturm (3rd), Tisha Thomas (5th),
Hallie Rosenblatt (SLP), and Emily McElroy (Media Specialist).
Our goal this year is to provide every student with amazing opportunities to grow both academically and
socially. Our staff, along with out PTA and countless volunteers, will do everything we can to support each and
every family. In return, we ask that you ensure your child reads every night, gets a good night’s rest, and comes
prepared to be successful each day. Remember, a child’s first, and most influential teacher, is his/her parent(s).
After an amazing 2013-2014 school year, we strive to build on our past successes and maintain the
momentum already built. As the old saying goes, “It takes a Village to raise a child,” nothing could be more
true as our community has embraced our school. We already have over four-hundred members in our PTA,
more than double all of last year. We have over fifteen business partners who support our efforts, and families
continue to move into our attendance zone because of our outstanding reputation.
Last month, we held our first family night where we had over two-hundred people show up to spend an
evening together, as we introduced our inaugural “Game Night.” If you couldn’t make it, I encourage you to
attend our next community event being held at Barnes and Noble on Thursday, October 16th from 3:00-8:00
PM. Come and spend an evening embracing literacy as we support our Media Center. There will be staff
members reading books, games will be played, food will be available, and prizes will be raffled off. All proceeds
will go towards buying new books for our students!
We also look forward to our annual Spooky Halloween Day, our Family Dance on the evening of November
11th, and our biggest fundraiser of the year, Boosterthon. Please come and join us for one or all of these great
activities planned to encourage and engage our community and families.
I am looking forward to a productive and enriching school year. Teachers and staff are focused on the new
Florida State Standards, as we prepare for the shift from FCAT. We have an amazing number of supplemental
materials and programs to support the needs of our students such as Leveled Literacy Intervention, The Flying
Classroom, VMath Live, and Reflex Math.
Please stay up to date by visiting our school’s Edline site and PTA webpage frequently. Communication is key!
Please know I am always available to meet any of your needs and to “reach-out” for anything.
Mr. Seth J. Moldovan
PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
Dear families of our super S.P.A.R.K. students,
The start of school has been incredible! We have initiated a new schoolwide culture of being a S.P.A.R.K.! I am sure you have heard that students
and staff at Verde have committed to becoming the best people we can be
by following the acronym of S.P.A.R.K. , which asks all of us to be SAFE,
PROBLEM SOLVERS, ACCOUNTABLE, RESPECTFUL, AND KIND.
By following these simple reminders, the students at Verde have been able
to proudly display positive behaviors around school. By providing a single
school culture for behavior, the classrooms, the Fine Arts classes, the
Media Center and the cafeteria have made S.P.A.R.K come to life!
Teachers have been looking for students following these behaviors as well
as classes being recognized daily for showing their S.P.A.R.K. When they
spot these positive behaviors staff members will give our students
S.P.A.R.K. tickets.
We hope igniting the S.P.A.R.K. will be contagious and continue past Verde’s doors. If you have a fun way to
incorporate S.P.A.R.K. into your household routines and daily life and would like to share them with us,
please do. We love being able to share the positive things that are happening at our school each day.
Please remember we can all be S.P.A.R.Ks no matter how old we are! Ignite your S.P.A.R.K. and let us know
how you are doing.
Robyn Saltzman, Assistant Principal
SPARK HONOREES
Kindergarten
1st
2nd
Jessica Mat
Isabel Martone
Camilo Mora-Tuiran
3rd
4th
5th
Alexander Schomberg Cole Swisa
Gustavo Moreira
Emily Ferreira
Nikolas Massialus
Isaac Gonzalez
Nicholas Heringer
Alex Navarrete
Ely Factor
Morgan Nagy
Magnus Skaug
Ethan Sussman
Noah Weisholtz
Marissa Weingart
Kayla Givson
Romi Aviani
Ariana Sinani
Sophia Libian
Samantha Zurita
Jaeden Abud
Raymond Perez
Taran Metukuru
Eden Razon
Ileana Golub
Stephanie Vargas
Isabella Attia
Brandon Frankel
James Payne
Calvin Jensen
Roman Fabiszewski
Sergio Mattos
Luca Barrelli
Cameron Gomez
Mohammad Hajkassem
Kayra Ilgar
Giuliano Bianconi
Milania Durso
Kitty Nguyen
Giovanna Romano
Grace Schatz
Kayla Casey
Gina Coloma
Kyvia Lewis
Oriana Barradas
Jonathan Calvet
Vy Tran
Melissa Santana
Ian Mintz
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
Page 2
VERDE
P T A
NEWS & INFORMATION
Dear Verde Family,
What a wonderful start we've had to the school year! Thanks to all of our families and faculty who came out
to our Verde Family Game Night. It was so much fun watching our children play games with their friends,
family, and teachers. We also appreciate you supporting Verde through our Verde Night’s Out at Smoothie
King, Menchie's, and Chili's as these gatherings are a fantastic way for our families to spend time together.
Another program that began recently was Captain Barrington Irving's
takeoff of The Flying Classroom. Our students will be learning such
valuable and intriguing STEM related lessons over the next few months.
For more information about this program, please visit
flyingclassroom.com. We are looking forward to hearing about Captain
Irving's adventures and anxiously await his visit in early 2015.
As we proceed through the Fall, we invite you to join us for
lots of great events:
 Let's spend time together after school at Boomer's on
October 9th . From climbing rock walls and riding go
karts, to playing games and enjoying a round of laser tag,
you'll definitely have lots to choose from. Be sure to
bring your flier (which will come home in your child's
Verde folder), and wear socks and sneaker, too!
 Barnes and Noble will be hosting an amazing book fair
on October 16th from 3:00pm – 8:00pm. This isn't just
any book fair... we'll have cookie decorating tables,
teachers/staff and volunteers reading aloud, specialty
frappuccinos, a scavenger hunt, giveaways, and more!
It's going to be a great event for our kids, Verde staff
members, and all our families!
 Spooky Fun Day is spooktacular at Verde and we'd love
for registered volunteers to come and take part in the
festivities. We'll play games in the front pavilion with
the Kindergarten, 1st, and 2nd graders. For the 3rd, 4th,
and 5th graders, we'll navigate through the (not too
scary) haunted house in the media center.
Important Fall Dates
10/16
10/16
SAC at 7:30 am
Verde’s Family Night at
Barnes & Noble 3:00-8:00
10/20
NO SCHOOL
10/22
Volunteer Registration at 7:30
10/23-30 Red Ribbon Week
10/31
Spooky Fun Day
11/4
11/5
NO SCHOOL
Volunteer Registration
at 7:30 am and 5:30
11/6
Fall picture retakes
11/7
Jeanorosity – Smile Train
11/7
PTA Meeting at 8:00 am
11/7-20 Boca Helping Hands Food Drive
11/10
Boosterthon Pep Rally
11/11
11/14
NO SCHOOL
Fall Family Fun Rock Star Party
6:00-8:00
11/20
Boosterthon Fun Run
11/21
SAC Meeting at 7:30
11/25
Western Day
11/26-11/28 THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY
Please sign up for the PTA weekly email at verdepta@gmail.com.
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
Page 3
VERDE
P T A
NEWS & INFORMATION
Boosterthon is back this year and we'll kickoff
the festivities with a pep rally for our students
on Monday, November 10th! This year the
Boosterthon theme is Rock’n Town Live!
To celebrate “Rock'n Town Live!” we'll party
like rock stars on Friday, November 14th
beginning at 6:00 pm in the front pavilion.
We'll have a variety of food trucks for dinner
options, and also collecting canned food for
our Boca Helping Hands Food Drive. Be sure
to have everyone in your family dress as a rock
star! This party is going to be a blast!!!
Clipping Box Tops is such an easy way for parents to get involved and help
our school raise money to buy what it needs. Box Tops are each worth 10¢
and they quickly add up to real cash for our school. Box Tops can be found
on hundreds of your favorite products. Just clip, save and turn in to your
class.
We will be conducting two contests in the Fall and Spring awarding two
winning classes who collect the most box tops. 1st place class winner
receives a sundae party and 2nd place class winner received a donut party!
Keep your eyes open for deadlines: the 1st deadline is October 17th
Want to find out more about Verde's PTA? Be sure to visit our new website www.verdepta.org for all of the
happenings at Verde. To receive up-to-the-minute information in our weekly email, please send an email
with the subject line “Add Me” to verdepta@gmail.com.
If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me at any time .
Verde PTA President,
Brooke Schonfeld
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
Page 4
VERDE
P T A
NEWS & INFORMATION
Your Verde PTA Board
President
President Elect
VP Programming/PR
VP Membership
VP Ongoing Ways & Means
Past President
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
Brooke Schonfeld
Open
Colleen Tuttle
Valerie Morris
Sonya Moss
Sandra Santese
Treasurer
Corresponding Secretary
Recording Secretary
Volunteer Coordinator
Room Parent Coordinator:
Verde Voice Editor
Jill DePalo
Melissa Weissman
Kathy Bowman
Diane Trieper
Courtney Weisholtz
Donna Maggio
Page 5
VERDE
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
P T A
NEWS & INFORMATION
Page 6
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
Mrs. Fas
P.E. Classes & Events
Safety
Due to the Governor’s mandate of 150 minutes of
exercise per week, students should consider wearing
sneakers every day to school for safety. Students
will attend PE class once a week. Classroom teachers
will take classes outside for recess on the other 4
days.
Rules
Our newest PE mascot is “Sparky”. He appreciates
students who follow PE rules:
• Wear sneakers – laces tied tightly
• Follow directions and be a good listener.
• Freeze when the whistle blows.
• Stay safe.
Have fun and get physically fit!
Students are advised to use the bathroom before PE
class. If students cannot participate due to illness
or injury please provide a note to the school nurse.
Fitness Assessments – Grades 4 + 5
Students in Grades 4 + 5 are taking a series of Fitness
Assessments during PE Classes which includes pushups, sit ups and an aerobic running test.
Students already completed round 1 of the Pacer
Aerobic Test. Congratulations to all of the students
who passed. They received a special fitness award and
were recognized on VTV News.
Viking Running Club – “V.R.C.”
Applications will be given out to interested students in
Grades 2 - 4 during PE classes and must be returned to
the PE teacher.*
Students are required to answer a series of questions
on the application and return their completed
applications to the PE Teacher by the due date.
Students who follow directions and are accepted into
the club will then receive an Afterschool Club Form with
the dates the club will be meeting after school.
The Club will meet on designated dates after school
starting in October. Students will exercise, run and read
health articles.
P.E. Events
November
Basketball Hoop Shooting
Contest Grades 3-5
December
Field Days
January
Read and Run Marathon of PBC
Saturday, Jan. 17th
February
Fundraiser for The American
Heart Association
Students who had difficulty completing the running
aerobic test were advised to start getting more aerobic
exercise: jogging, biking, swimming etc.
Health News: Breakfast
How can your kids start the school day right? By eating a healthy breakfast! Breakfast is the first chance the body
has to refuel its glucose (or blood sugar levels) after 8 to 12 hours of sleep without a meal or snack. Glucose is
essential for the brain and is our main energy source. Blood glucose also helps fuel
the muscles we need for physical activity throughout the day.
Studies show kids who eat a good breakfast do better in school. 
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall2014
Page 7
MEDIA MATTERS
Mrs. McElroy
We are off to a great start this year in the Media Center! Inspired by our new Where
the Wild Things Are mural, Kindergarten and First Grade have been reading books by
Maurice Sendak, as well as learning about the author. They used a great site called
PebbleGO (on Learning Tools), which is user friendly for young researchers. It has
information for many science and social studies topics, and biographies.
2nd through 5th grade students have been learning how to use our library system called
“Destiny”. It is useful to search for books in our Media Center, creating personal book
lists, finding ebooks, and so much more.
We also just finished our “Happily Ever After Begins With Reading” Book Give Away sponsored by the Children’s
Services Council. Every student in our school was able to select a brand new book to keep, thanks to the generosity
of this program! The kids were SO excited and it was very rewarding to see their smiling faces. Verde students
LOVE to read!
Barnes & Noble Book Fair for Verde
Please Save the Date for our Barnes & Noble Book
Fair! This event will take place at the store on
Thursday, October 16 from 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m.
We have many exciting activities planned:
Read Aloud Schedule
3:30
4:00
4:30
5:00
6:00
6:30
7-8:00
Gina King – 5th teacher
Marti O’Hare –Parent
Jennie Berlatsky – 1st teacher
Lisa Reid – 3rd teacher
Seth Moldovan – Principal
Norma Lora – ELL teacher
FAU Student Athletes
•
•
•
•
•
Raffles
Scavenger Hunt
Cookie Decorating
Special Verde-Themed Frappuccino
Games on Nooks
We will also have some very special guests joining
us at Barnes & Noble to help us celebrate reading.
Athletes from FAU will come to the store between
6:00 and 8:00 to meet the students and read with
them!
Reading Counts
This year we have started a School-Wide Reading Counts incentive program to motivate and
encourage our readers. Students and classes will have opportunities to earn rewards such as
medals, trophies, spirit sticks, parties, and more! We are so excited to see the children grow as
readers this year, and strive for success! Keep reading Verde!
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
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Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
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Thank You Verde Voice Advertisers
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
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Thank You Verde Voice Advertisers
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
Page 11
Thank You Verde Voice Advertisers
Advertise your business in the
VERDE
VOICE
Contact: Donna Maggio at donnafalcone@comcast.net
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
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Thank You Verde Voice Supporters
Verde PTA Newsletter Fall 2014
Page 12