Hilliard`s Hi-Lights newsletter Mar 2011

Mar ch
2 011
Hilliard
Hi-Lights
Edited by: Kristen Bakich
Distributed by: Bobbie Gibson
Fax: 440-835-5698
24 Hour Attendance: 835-6345
24365 Hilliard Blvd • Westlake, OH 44145
Main Office Phone: 440-835-6343
From the Principal: Ms. Mary Flanagan
Congratulations to Mrs.
Bobbie Gibson who was
chosen as Hilliard’s recipient
of PTA’s Ohio Achievement
Award. The award was
presented by Mrs. Johanni.
Mrs. Gibson has been an
excellent volunteer throughout
the years and everyone
agreed that she was an
outstanding choice!
contest and won a school visit
from a Cleveland Browns
player. The player was Pro
Bowler Joe Thomas. Joe
and David were driven to
Hilliard in style – a shiny
limousine. Time was spent
talking about nutrition and
exercise with the third grade
students in Mrs. Leonard/Ms.
Patton’s class. It was a great
time and I think David is still
smiling. A special thanks to
Joe Thomas and Grandma!
a quiet place for them to study
and check their work when
finished. Remember that home
and school working together is
very important to the success of
all children.
A few reminders…
1. Please take time to look at
the Westlake City Schools
website at www.wlake.org.
Browse through the links and
Reminder to parents of third
familiarize yourself with all
and fourth graders… the Ohio
the information.
Achievement Assessments
2. Remember to notify the
(OAA) are scheduled for the
Congratulations to Mr. and
office when you have a
following dates.
Mrs. Meecha on the birth of
change of telephone
their second son, Samuel
numbers – work, cell or
• Wednesday, April 27
Thomas on 2/27. Mother and
home as well as any change
Grade 3 Reading
baby are both doing great.
of address. It’s very
• Thursday, April 28
Welcome to Mrs. Meecha’s
important to keep us
Grade 4 Reading
long term substitute, Miss
updated.
• Tuesday, May 3
Lindsey Bigeck. Miss Bigeck 3. Always call our Hilliard office
Grade 3 Math
is a graduate of Wittenberg
at 835-6343 if you have
• Wednesday, May 4
who fortunately spent quality
questions that you’re not
Grade 4 Math
time with Mrs. Meecha
quite sure about…we are
assuring a smooth transition
happy to help or clarify.
Celebrate the Arts Day was
for all students.
4. Remind your child to resolve
once again a huge success
conflicts peacefully. Use
due to the outstanding efforts It is hard to believe that the
words to express feelings
of Mr. Wilson, our art teacher month of March is upon us.
and talk through problems.
Our teachers are hard at work
and assisted by Mrs. Kathy
Remind them to use
planning, teaching, assessing,
Barrick, PTA chairperson.
Hilliard’s DeBug strategy.
intervening and reteaching
Students in kindergarten
5. Remember you are always
when necessary. We do
through grade 4 rotate
welcome at Hilliard. We will
through activities for the entire need your continued support
achieve great progress in all
at home. Please practice
day. The day ends with a
areas of your child’s
math facts and read with your
special assembly and
development if we continue
children daily. Develop their
hopefully, you had an
to work together.
language skills by engaging
opportunity to look through
them in conversations – ask
the program that was sent
One more thing… I was very
for their opinions and have
home with every child. All of
honored to receive PTA’s
them explain their reasoning
the day’s events are funded
District Outstanding Educator
by using their words. Locate
by PTA dollars. A big thank
Award on February 17th. It was
places on a map of the world
you to the many volunteers
quite a surprise and will always
and discuss differences in
who assisted throughout this
remain as a truly memorable
people, weather, etc. Use
remarkable day.
event in my career! Thanks to
every day occurrences to
Mrs. Pauken and Mrs. Griebel
Congratulations to third
strengthen their underfor their excellent presentation
grader, David Miller! David’s
standing of concepts. Provide skills.
grandmother entered a
Page
2
From the PTA President:
Mrs. Tanya Langermeier
Even though the snow is still
falling Hilliard PTA has not
slowed down. We had a
busy month in February and
March is showing the same.
Hilliard’s Founder’s Day
Recipient is…Bobbie
Gibson. Congratulations
Bobbie! Bobbie couldn’t be
more deserving. She was
recognized at Westlake
Council of PTA’s dinner on
February 17th for her
dedication to the students
and staff at Hilliard. Bobbie
has her hands in every
committee in Hilliard PTA.
She holds a position as 2nd
V.P., chairs all our
fundraisers and chairs our
Hi-Lights Circulation. She is
always at school
volunteering and making a
difference at Hilliard. She
goes out of her way to help
others. Bobbie, we are
proud to have you as our
2011 Founder’s Day
recipient.
Volunteer of the month:
Congratulations to Will
Wilson for being selected
and recognized at Westlake
council of PTA’s meeting as
Hilliard
Hi-Lights
Hilliard’s Star Volunteer of
the month. Mr. Wilson is a
member of Hilliard’s PTA &
of course our fabulous Art
teacher. Mr. Wilson has
committed many hours to
the PTA. He started the
year out making those
adorable scarecrows for our
Fall Festival with the help of
some students. He did a
fantastic job organizing this
year’s Celebrate the Arts
Day. Thank you Mr. Wilson
for your dedication to
Hilliard!
Hilliard Fun Fair: Please
join us for Hilliard Fun Fair
this Friday, March 4th from
5:30-7:30. There are plenty
of games, food & fun for the
whole family. If you would
like to volunteer & haven't
signed up already please
contact Gail Golembiewski
@ golembiewskigail@
yahoo.com.
Malley’s Candy for sale:
Hilliard will begin selling
Malley’s candy this month. If
you buy Easter candy
already from Malley’s,
consider buying it from
Hilliard. Hilliard can earn
40% of the sale. Look for
information to be sent home.
Thank you to Michelle Tobin
for organizing our sale this
year.
Don’t forget about ordering
Market Day and Giant Eagle
Cards!
Dollars for Scholars: Enjoy
a fun night out with the kids &
support Westlake students at
Dollars for Scholars. Doors
open at 6pm at Westlake
High School & the Seniors vs.
Staff Basketball game will
start at 7pm. There are lots of
kid’s activities, silent auction
& concession stands. They
are also giving away a $1000
raffle cash prize. Tickets are
$5 advance or $6 at the door.
If you are interested in tickets
for the raffle or event please
contact me,
tlangermeier6269@wowway /
440-892-4585
Our next PTA meeting is
Thursday, March 24th at
9:00am—please note the
change from evening to
day meeting
HAPPY ST. PATRICK’S
DAY!
Page
Market Day Highlights
Thank you Hilliard families for
supporting our Market Day
fundraiser each month. Hilliard
Elementary PTA can earn up to
20% profit each month from your
grocery purchase. Our February
sale profited $268.48 for Hilliard
bringing us closer to our $4,000
year end goal. We’ve raised
$3,534.61 so far this school year!
These profits fund many fun filled,
PTA sponsored activities
throughout the school year such as
the Fall Festival, Fun Fair and Art
Show/Ice Cream Social.
MARCH BONUS: Receive FREE
A Salt for All Seasonings with $40
purchase this month OR receive
FREE Pork Tenderloin with a $90
purchase in March. Enter promo
code: MARBONUS upon checkout.
Our next sale date is Saturday,
March 19, 2011, 10:15 a.m. – 11:00
a.m. All internet orders must be
in by 10:00 p.m. on Tuesday,
March 15th so please do not
delay. Order forms for the March
sale have been sent home with your
children. By registering on-line, you
will receive valuable coupons for
redemption when you place your
monthly orders. You may also
return Order Sheets to the school
by Friday, March 11th.
psychogrimes@yahoo.com.
Thanks everyone!
Thank you to the following
volunteers: Sara Chappel, Holly
Bodi and Linda Puchmeyer for
making reminder calls; and Bobbie
Gibson, Theresa Mazzio, Rob
Dzuric, and Kristen Pigg for helping
us unload and fill orders at the
February sale. Help is needed
each month from parents to place
reminder phone calls and/or to
unload the truck and fill orders on
our sale dates. If you would like to
assist, please contact: Jennifer
Miller at jenmiller@wowway.com or
Melissa Grimes at
***Market Day Needs You!!!!***
Jennifer Miller
(440) 356-2780
Melissa Grimes
(440) 835-5889
Market Day Co-Chairs
We are in need of one or more
individuals to step up and run
market day next year. It is a big
fundraiser for our PTA. If no one
steps up to run this, we will not be
able to have this fundraiser any
more. Talk to other parents and
perhaps a group of you can do this
together. Please let Jennifer
Rujawitz know at
JRujawitz@yahoo.com or 440-3607464 if you are able to help with this
fundraiser. Thanks!!!
Giant Eagle Highlights
For each gift card sold, 5% goes directly to PTA. It is easy to participate in this program. Just let me know what
you need by 10:45 a.m., and I can have cards ready for you by the end of the school day for pick up. Send a note
with your child or call Miss Reisdorff, Kindergarten teacher, at 899-3075 ext 2008.
May Dugan / Westlake Assistance
May Dugan/Westlake Assistance
Community Food Drive
March 14-18, 2011
Once again this year, with the
support of the PTA and Westlake
City Schools, our school community
is collecting food for those in need
in our area.
Please help us fill a school bus with
donations!
Elementary schools and Early
Childhood PTA are collecting
cereal/oatmeal.
Parkside Intermediate School and
Lee Burneson Middle School are
collecting peanut butter and jelly.
Westlake High School is collecting nonperishable food items.
Please look for collection boxes at
Hilliard to place your cereal/oatmeal
donation
!!Bring a
nonperishable food item to “Dollars
for Scholars” on Friday, March 18th
and receive $1 off your ticket
price!!
Thank you for your support!
For more information please
contact: Patty McHugh
ppmq@sbcglobal.net
3
Page
4
Hi-Lights in Reading:
Mrs. Trudy Pauken
Hilliard students in
Kindergarten through fourth
grade brought home a pink
“Cat in the Hat” log on
February 11, 2011, to
record three Dr. Seuss
books (or other books of
choice) that were enjoyed
with the family during the
two weeks prior to Dr.
Seuss’s March 2 birthday
celebration/remembrance.
The completed and signed
pink logs were to be
returned to the classroom
teacher by Friday, February
25. To acknowledge
student participation, each
child who returned a log
received a certificate of
participation, and every
Hilliard child received a
special Dr. Seuss
bookmark.
Each year, the National
Education Association
(NEA) commemorates the
birth of one of the most
prolific children’s authors,
Dr. Theodor Seuss Geisel,
known to all as Dr. Seuss.
He was born on March 2,
1904, and died on
September 24, 1991.
Throughout his writing
career,
Hilliard
Hi-Lights
he published 44 children’s
books, which continue to be
enjoyed by children and
adults. He also wrote more
than 60 books over the
course of his lifetime. To
celebrate his life and his
contributions which foster
children’s love of reading,
and which also help many
children learn to read, the
NEA began the Read
Across America program
thirteen years ago to
motivate children to read by
involving parents and the
community in providing
exciting reading
opportunities for children.
Each year, March 2 is a
day to celebrate reading.
The NEA provides parents
and community members,
resources and activities to
keep children reading 365
days a year.
Here are some ways to
promote reading fun at
home: check out
www.Seussville.com for a
great reading adventure.
This month’s March issue
of Parenting Magazine has
a feature on Read Across
America and a selection of
reading resources for
parents, such as The Best
Books to Pass On to Your Kids,
among others. Go to
www.readingrockets.com for a
“family literacy ‘bag’” of Green
Eggs and Ham activities. The
NEA encourages families to
focus on reading during the
week in which the March 2
birthday falls, and EVERYDAY
during the year. Why not take
the “Readers’ Oath” with your
child on March 2:
I promise to read
Each day and each night.
I know it’s the key
To growing up right.
I’ll read to myself,
I’ll read to a crowd.
It makes no difference
If silent or loud.
I’ll read at my desk,
At home and at school,
On my bean bag or bed,
By the fire or pool.
Each book that I read
Puts smarts in my head,
‘Cause brains grow more
thoughts
The more they are fed.
So I take this oath
To make reading my way
Of feeding my brain
What it needs every day.
(Courtesy of Missouri – NEA)
Page
Hi-Lights from the Library:
Mrs. Kim Geletka
In our weekly library classes, we
have been working hard. The
fourth graders were recently tested
to see if they could physically find
any book on the library shelf,
including easy fiction, chapter book
fiction, nonfiction, reference books
and biographies. I am happy to
announce that EVERY fourth grader
passed! Now the fourth grade is
busy learning about online
reference sources - including online
dictionaries, encyclopedias, atlases
and almanacs. Third grade just
finished learning about the online
public access catalog (OPAC) and
will soon begin a unit on reference
sources and biographies. Second
graders have just finished studying
Caldecott Medal winning books,
and first graders have learned to
differentiate fiction and nonfiction.
Kindergarten students are now
experts at checking out items.
Before checking out, the
kindergarteners hear stories such
as The Day It Rained Hearts by
Felicia Bond and Charlie Needs a
Cloak by Tomie DePaola.
Preschool stories follow the
classroom curriculum, so our stories
have been about “winter”, “love and
friendship” and “shapes”.
If you have any questions about
overdue books or any other library
matters, feel free to contact the
librarian, Kim Geletka, at 440-2501156 or geletka@wlake.org.
Birthday Books
Many generous people made donations of birthday books to the library this month! The library would like to thank the following students (and their thoughtful parents) for their contributions of birthday books. Name Birthday Title and Author Classroom Maggie Gibel Jan. 6 Minerva Louise on Halloween by Janet Morgan Stoeke Miss Melissa’s Preschool Allison Granzier Feb. 9 The Easter Egg by Jan Brett Miss Kim’s Preschool Allan Wylie Feb. 13 Sleepover at Gramma’s House by Barbara Joosse Miss Kathy’s Preschool Max Benjamin Atlas Feb. 19 LMNO Peas by Keith Baker Grandson of Mrs. Pauken, Reading Specialist at Hilliard School – in honor of his 1st birthday! 5
Page
6
Hi-Lights in Physical Education:
Mr. Tom Urich
REMINDER ON GYM
SHOES!
With snow and slush
comes boots to keep feet
warm and dry. It is time to
pack the gym shoes into
the backpacks on gym
days.
Please help students
remember their gym shoes
for their scheduled gym
days. If students do not
have their gym shoes when
coming to class they are
not prepared to work safely.
Students without proper
shoes are required to sit on
the stage steps for their
class time.
TOURNAMENTS
CONTINUE!
Congratulations to Anthony
Rego and Jacob May (Big
Daddies) for winning the 4th
grade cornhole tournament.
They are awaiting a matchup to play Hilliard Staff.
A 4-on-4 soccer
tournament is already
underway with our 4th
Hilliard
Hi-Lights
graders during recess. All
games have been intense
and high energy!
IN CLASS
We have been active as
usual. We have wrapped
up a unit on soccer skills in
all grades. The kids got a
“kick” out of those lessons.
As an extension of annual
Celebrate the Arts Day, we
explored dance and
creative movement with our
Geo Fitness unit. http://
www.geomotiongroup.com/
physicaleducation.htm The
Geo Fitness unit was made
possible by a grant
awarded to Hilliard Physical
Education a few years ago
by the Westlake Education
Foundation. http://
westlakeeducationfoundatio
n.org/
Students are currently
learning about and
preparing for physical
fitness assessment. The
Westlake City Schools use
Fitnessgram as the main
assessment tool for
standards in fitness. http://
www.fitnessgram.net
PHYSICAL EDUCATION
WEBSITE!
The Hilliard Elementary
Physical Education website
continues to grow. Be sure to
visit the site often to stay up-todate with what is going on in
the gym.
http://beta.westlake.k12.oh.us/
schools/hilliard/
physicaleducation/default.aspx
What’s New?
• Read about the annual Punt,
Pass, and Kick contest.
• Find hundreds of coloring
pages related to sports,
games, and exercise.
Students can earn Hi-Fives
for coloring a picture to
decorate the gym.
• A home activity calendar has
been added to encourage
physical activity at home.
Stay Active,
Mr. Urich
Hilliard Elementary
Physical Education
Hi-Lights in Guidance:
Mrs. Roberta English
Some Thoughts on Bullying
From the beginning of time we can
find examples of bullying. We have
heard stories of the early cavemen
clubbing others to get what they
wanted. It is sad to think that
thousands of years later, we have
put a name to this behavior. We
call it BULLYING, and it still exists.
We may have been a target of a
bully when we went to school. We
could even now, as an adult, feel
the wrath of a bully.
The way we define bullying to
children at elementary school is as
follows: Bullying is when a
person hurts, frightens or leaves
out another person on purpose
and does so repeatedly. The
target feels uncomfortable. We
also want children and adults to
recognize the differences between
being silly, bad behavior and
bullying.
The following is taken from George
Batsche and Benjamin Moore’s
book Helping Children Grow Up in
Page
the ‘90s: a Resource Book for
Parents and Teachers. This
list focuses on some
environmental factors which
can contribute to bullying behavior.
•
•
•
•
•
Too little supervision of children
and adolescents
Aggressive behavior at home
Harsh physical punishment
Abusive peers
A “payoff”….adults give in to the
child’s obnoxious and
aggressive behavior
The best thing we can teach our
children is how to stand up to
bullying without being a bully in
return. Elementary age children
can often be redirected by peers
who firmly state, “You have no right
to treat him that way. If you don’t
stop, I will need to let an adult
know.” Another strategy that works
well is for the bystander to ask the
target child to play with them away
from the child doing the bullying,
Some parents even practice these
ideas with their children at home.
One thing we know for
sure is revenge never
works!
At Hilliard we are committed to
having a safe and comfortable
environment for children. Not only
do children need to feel safe from
physical harm, but emotionally safe,
too. We currently have a committee
called the Noble Committee
comprised of Mrs. Fouts, Mrs.
Mavis, Mrs. Shields, Mrs. Toncar,
Mrs. Geletka, Mr. Urich, Mr. Wilson
and led by me. Our goals are to
design and implement strategies
which will teach children good
character. One such strategy is to
develop standards of behavior for
each area in school- halls, cafeteria,
restroom, and playground. We will
all be making a concerted effort to
recognize great behavior and deal
appropriately with the bad choices
some children make. Teaching and
expecting good manners throughout
the building is high on our priority
list. Many of our students are
already quite skilled!
Hi-Lights from Founders Day
On Thursday, February 17th, the Westlake Council of PTA's honored some of the amazing men and women who
do so much for our kids. Once again, Hilliard Elementary School was well-represented and very proud of our award
recipients! Our heart-felt congratulations goes to: Mary Flanagan, Westlake's Outstanding District Educator Award
Recipient for 2011, and Bobbie Gibson, 2011 Ohio Achievement Award Recipient.
A very special THANK YOU goes to Trudy Pauken, Pam Griebel, and Jackie Johanni who stood before a packed
house and did an outstanding job honoring these two special women. Please take a minute to congratulate Ms.
Flanagan and Mrs. Gibson the next time you see them.
2011 Founder's Day Award Recipients
Westlake Early Childhood PTA Karen Krantz
Bassett PTA
Michelle Stalter
Dover PTA
Jan Vulku
Hilliard PTA
Bobbie Gibson
Holly Lane PTA
Cindy Archer
Parkside PTA
Elizabeth Huffman
Lee Burneson PTA
Westlake High PTSA
Westlake Council of PTAs
Helping Hands Award
Oustanding District Educator
Karen Jones
Timothy S. Freeman
Dr. Dan Keenan
Cathy Axcell
Mary Flanagan
7
Page
8
Celebrate the Arts
Hilliard held Celebrate the Arts Friday, February 11th. It was a great event, with 14 visiting
artists working with the students. Mr. Wilson did an outstanding job organizing the event,
including visual art, music, drama, dance, and story-telling. An outpouring of support from
over 30 PTA volunteers made the day go smooth as silk. Bobbie Gibson, our Founder’s Day
award winner, organized the luncheon, and did a fantastic job!(of course!) Thanks to all the
staff members and parents who brought food for the luncheon. Many volunteers brought
food and helped the artists that day, doing double-duty. It’s a pleasure to be involved in the
Hilliard PTA, with so many hard-working people. Thanks to all!
Emily’s Rainbow Run
Pre-School Hi-Lights
Hilliard
Hi-Lights
A parent night for learning and laughing at Hilliard
Elementary is coming April 13th, 2011 at 6:30PM.
Registration information will be available in March.
•
ABC’s of behavior
•
Defining behavior
•
Discussion topics will include:
•
Importance of play
•
This night is courtesy of PEP Day Care Plus
and the Westlake Early Childhood Staff. Free
babysitting will be available. For questions,
please contact duns@wlake.org
Strategies of praise/ignore
•
Avoiding power struggles
Page
9
Page
10
Music Boosters Hi-Lights
Upcoming Events
Please come to Hilliard's son and favorite adult female event!!!
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls!!!
April 8 at 7:30
Please complete the form located on the next page and return to Jennifer
Rujawitz by March 9 along with a check made out to the Cleveland Cavaliers and we can
get seats together. If you miss this date you can order your own tickets by contacting Carl
Manteau with the Cavaliers, but there is a $5 service fee per order and your seats may be
away from the rest of the group. Send your order to school in an envelope marked
"Cavaliers game". If you have questions please contact Jennifer Rujawitz at
JRujawitz@yahoo.com or 440-360-7464
Tickets are $28 for Loudville (upper level) sides and $20 for Loudville Corners (I plan on
getting the $28 tickets). Lower level seats are also available- they start at $53 and go up
from there. Service fees are $5 per order- not per ticket! (I will cover this for the tickets
received by March 9).
Hilliard
Hi-Lights
Contact Carl Manteau with any further questions
Carl Manteau
Group Sales Manager
Lake Erie Monsters Hockey
1 Center Ice
Cleveland, Ohio 44115
Tel: (216) 420-2141
Fax: (216) 420-2550
Cavaliers Game Ticket Order Form
Please return this portion along with check made out to the Cleveland Cavaliers to by March 9th
Boy's Name: ______________________
Guest name: ____________________________
Boy's Teacher: ______________________
Contact Number: ______________________
Contact E-mail: ______________________
Number of Tickets: ______________________
Price/Ticket: ______________________
Amount of enclosed check made out to Cleveland Cavaliers______________________
Porter Public Library Events
Page
11
MARCH 2011
1
6
7
2
3
Dr. Seuss Day
– Wear gray,
red and white
8
9
Mrs. Zellers’
class to Planetarium:
4
High 5 Raffle
5
PTA Fun Fair
5:30-7:30pm
10
11
12
17
Happy St.
Patrick’s Day!
Special Day ~
“WEARIN’ OF
THE GREEN”
18
High 5 Raffle
19
Market Day
pick-up:
10:15-11:15
am
24
Hilliard PTA
meeting:
9:00 am
25
26
SHINING
STAR
BREAKFAST!
7:45 am
12:35 – 1:55
pm
13
Daylight savings time begins – move
clocks forward
1 hour
14
May Dugan
cereal food
drive begins
(through 3/18)
16
15
First day students permitted to ride
bikes to school
(Must have
helmet, lock
and parent
permission)
PTA Council
Dollars For
Scholars Basketball game:
6:30 pm
Grade 3 to
Planetarium:
Shields 8:259:30; Leonard/
Patton 9:4010:45;Meyrose
12:05-1:10
20
SPRING
BEGINS
21
Board of Education Meeting: 5:30 pm
22
SPIRIT DAY!
23
State of Ohio
Tornado Drill:
9:50 am
HIGH FIVE
STORE
End of 3rd
grading period
27
28
Spring Break
begins
(through 4/3)
29
30
31