November Newsletter - Roosevelt Elementary PTA

Roosevelt Elementary School
Roosevelt Rough Riders RISE
www.normanrooseveltpta.com
November 2012
Letter From Our PTA President
One Voice: All Students, All Parents, All Teachers
What a wonderful time of year to be a member of Roosevelt PTA! Our November PTA
meeting was held the evening of November 6th at Carrington Lakes Clubhouse. We had a
lovely fall theme for decorations and refreshments and were so happy to get to know some of
our fabulous PTA members who are not able to attend meetings during the day.
At the meeting we announced a Roosevelt PTA Membership Contest. Each PTA
member is eligible to participate. For each person a PTA member signs up, he or she will
have his or her name put into a drawing for free mani/pedi. The winner will be announced at
our December PTA meeting (Thursday, December 13th at 11:45 AM), and the winner does not
need to be present to win. Membership forms are located in the PTA basket in the teacher
workroom behind the office or from me. Make sure the person who joins writes your name on the membership
form! Membership is still only $5 per person. People who might be interested in becoming PTA members could
include: your spouse, grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings, adopted grandparents, etc., parents of Roosevelt
children who haven’t joined yet, neighbors, and business owners in the community.
Our Rough Rider Run was a huge success on October 19th. Many thanks to everyone who participated and
volunteered and especially to committee chairs Bridget Furnish, Karla Hanson, and Jaime Mincher. We have
almost reached our goal and are still waiting for the last several pledges to be returned. Please turn in your
donations as soon as possible if you haven’t already!
We have some very exciting events coming up! Our first Scholar Recognition takes place November 8th,
and Coach Sherri Coale will be the speaker. Our Rough Rider
Rally will be held Thursday, November 15th. This is going to be an
exciting and very fun evening for families to celebrate the kids’ and
Important Dates
parents’ efforts for the Rough Rider Run.
Nov. 8, 5-8pm: Storybook Cafe
Our Restaurant Night for December will be held in
Nov. 8 & 9: Parent/Teacher
conjunction with the judging of the art and photography entries for
Conferences
the Reflections art contest at Local, a wonderful restaurant owned
Nov. 9: No School
by Roosevelt parent and PTA member Melissa Scaramucci.
Nov. 15th 5:30-7:30: Rough Rider Rally
Nov. 21st-23rd: Thanksgiving Break, No
Our next PTA meeting will be held Thursday, December
School
13th at 11:45 AM in the Roosevelt library. Mrs. Megan Benn,
Nov. 29th 2pm: Nutcracker Assembly
Outreach Coordinator for the Oklahoma Policy Institute, will speak
Nov. 30th: Reflectionʼs Deadline
to us about education funding in Oklahoma and what we as parents
can do to increase it. Mrs. Benn also has children in Norman Public
Schools.
Every PTA member can help make a difference in the lives of the children of Roosevelt, and this will
happen as we all work together to speak with one voice for all students, parents, and teachers of Roosevelt.
With much gratitude,
Teresa Bell
tbell@ou.edu cell: 406.248.1567
www.normanrooseveltpta.com
Like us on Facebook (Norman Roosevelt PTA)
3rd Graders take field trip to Norman Regional Hospital
"Kids are Special People" according to Norman Regional Hospital. The five Third Grade
Classes of Roosevelt took a field trip to Norman Regional
Hospital in October, where they
visited several different "stations" and
learned about fire safety, gun safety,
what a paramedic does, how exercise
can help your body stay healthy and
how to recognize if someone is
having a stroke. Every student
received a "goody bag" with a
surgeon's mask and several other
hospital items. We had a great time
and 3rd Grade teachers definitely
agree that Kids ARE SPECIAL!
Help Support Our School!
Roosevelt Fundraiser Night
Order pizza for your family
November 15-16
and part of the proceeds will be
donated to our school.
Roosevelt Mileage
Club
Monday and Wednesday afternoon
Mileage Club will be stopping temporarily at the end of
November, due to the coming winter weather. We will pick
back up after Spring Break. Let's fill a few more punch cards
before Jack Frost arrives! Please contact Ashley DemingWaslo at waslo@sbcglobal.net with any questions.
From the
Nurse s Station
PTA Committee Chairs
Beautification:
Lynda Blutreich
Book Fair: Gena Jackson
Box Tops: Melissa Scaramucci
Bylaws: Erin Hassen
Directory: Cary Joy Hans
5th Grade Party Coordinators: Patricia Saltus/
Manju Khanna
Grants: Aisha Ali
Health Screening Safety: Angela Wright/
Jennifer Eliott
Holiday Helpers: Libby Eschelman/Diane
Nutt
Homeroom & Volunteer Coordinators: Kim
Hill/Melissa Scaramucci
Hospitality: Shannan Hensel
Mileage Club: Ashley Waslo
My School’s Cool: Melissa Dawson New Parent
Liaison: Mitzi LaBrie
Newsletter: Dana Rex
Picture Days: Christy McDonald
Popcorn: Patricia Saltus/Ashley Waslo
Prairie ROSE/Vegetable Garden: Kim Gaddie
Read Y’all: Amy Laubach
Red Ribbon Week: Angela Wright/Vicki
Hopkins
Reflections: Manju Khanna
Restaurant Nights: Laura Stuart/Alisha Young
Roughrider Run: Bridget Furnish/Karla
Hanson/Jaime Mincher
Roughrider Rally: Becky Humphers/Stephanie
Schultz
Scholar Recognition: Sandy Minty/Darlene
King
School Supplies: Lisa Blashock
Super Kids Day: Shannon Hensel
T-shirts: Leah Houts
Talent Show: Rockie Massay/Mitzi LaBrie/Mrs.
Thomas/Ms.Faulkner
Teacher Appreciation: Lisa Dionisio
Watch D.O.G.S.: Scott and Paula Copeland
Website: Jeff and Yumi Davis
Wednesday Workroom: Twyla French/Menay
Red Ribbon Week:
Thank you to all the parents who volunteered with this
special week! A very special thank you to Mrs.
McWhorter for all her hard work and organization.
Also a special thank you to the Norman Police Officers
who made time to visit our school and provided red
ribbon week education to our students!
Health Screenings:
We appreciate the NPS Nurses that come to our school
every year to organize the health screenings for our
students. This all day event would not be possible
without the wonderful parent volunteers! Thank you
to all the parents that were able to help, and a special
thank you to Mrs. Dean, Mr. Menzie and Mrs.
Hatfield!
WatchDOGS would like thank all the Dads
who have participated so far this year! We'd
love to have every Dad come and see what a
day at Roosevelt is like!
We Want to Hear
from You!
Please submit your
newsletter articles to Dana
Rex dana@rkteam.com by
the 1st of each month.
Just visit http://normanrooseveltpta.com/committees/watchdogs/ to see what it's all about or to submit a date!
Popcorn Friday
Thank you to our October and RR Run poppers:
Jennifer Sanders, Alisha Young, Mitzi LaBrie, Ashley Waslo, Debbie Lupia, Suzie Gavia, Anne Lindquist, Dana Rex, Lisa Dionisio, Darci Gregory
Invites you to the Storybook Cafe
Thursday, Nov. 8
5-8 pm Roosevelt Cafeteria
Shop the Book Fair, then
Drop your students off in this KIDS ONLY ZONE
for a snack and exciting Mystery Readers!
Come hear Clifford, Tacky the Penguin, Pinkalicious, Fancy Nancy, a Pirate, a Caveman, Darth Vadar, and more!
Supervision provided by the Read Y’all Committee. Please allow time to sign your students in before your conference with your teachers.
Congratulations everyone! We submitted 5,834 BoxTops by the November 1
deadline - this translates to $583.40 for the school! As you start thinking about
holiday shopping, remember you can shop online for merchandise with BoxTops for
Education support and earn additional money for the school.
Go to http://www.boxtops4education.com/earn/marketplace/Default.aspx?
WT.ac=CoordEarn_Marketplace to start shopping!
Roosevelt Elementary School - our BoxTops ID is 182817.
2nd Grade Program
In October the second graders put on a
wonderful musical performance entitled
Once upon a Hen, a Little Chicken Story. It
was a lively adaptation of the Little Red
Hen meets Chicken Little. It was very fun,
especially the ending when the entire cast
did the chicken dance! We are so proud of
our second graders!
PE News for November
* 4th and 5th graders will be having the “Bone Test” during the first week of
November.
* We have enjoyed learning about the human body and the important
functions of bones!
* K, 1st, and 2nd grades will be finishing our unit on long rope jumping.
* Pacer test for this month is scheduled for November 12 and 13.
* Vision Martial Arts will present “Verbal Judo” lessons on November 14 and 15. These are lessons on how to
recognize and combat bullying.
* November 15th - Good luck Mrs. Hatfield with your knee surgery! We will miss you! Welcome Mrs. Hays to
our classroom! We are glad you are here!
* November 15th – Roughrider Rally!! Come and give Mr. Menzie a PIE IN THE FACE!
* Begin Basketball unit! I say now basketball is my favorite sport, I like it when I dribble up and down the court,
Bow Wow!!
Mrs. Hartman’s Enrichment
Monday, October 22, 4th and 5th grade students and their parents participated in
Engineering Night. The event was organized and presented by OU's College of
Engineering Outreach Department. Students were given a bottle, pond water and
various filtering agents such as gravel, cotton balls, activated charcoal and polyester
fibers to create a water filter. After making a plan of materials to use, students tested
the materials to find which ones best filtered their water.
Safe, Healthy, Fit Committee Meets
*This committee meets quarterly to identify and discuss strengths and weaknesses of our health and safety
programs and policies at Roosevelt.
*Present at the October meeting was: Mr. Menzie, Mrs. Hatfield, Mrs. Liner, Mrs. McWhorter, Mrs. Watson,
parent Mrs. Waslo, parent Mrs. Furnish, and students Ben and Londyn.
*The team is currently examining the 8 modules for school health and deciding which module we will focus on
this year.
*Previous years’ committees have focused on #4 Nutrition Services and #7 Health Promotion for Staff.
*There are many opportunities for Roosevelt students and parents to practice healthy and safe behaviors. These
might include: Mileage Club, Boot Camp at 5:20 A.M., Rough Rider Run, Jump Rope for Heart, I-Walk to
School Day, Healthy Youth screening, or the OKC Marathon.
*Promoting healthy and safe behaviors can:
• increase students’ capacity to learn
• reduce absenteeism
• improve physical fitness and mental alertness
* If you would like to join this important discussion, please contact Mr. Menzie at Roosevelt. Our next meeting
is scheduled for December 17th at 7:25 A.M. in the conference room.
Counselor’s Corner
Deborah McWhorter
What a busy month October has been! Red Ribbon Week and Share Your Shelf
were great successes!!!
Our Roosevelt school family donated OVER 1,500 items to the Cleveland
County Christmas Store for the Share Your Shelf food drive. Special thanks to
the students who made announcements, posters, and did skits to help
promote this project. What a difference our donation will make in our
community!
Red Ribbon Week was made special with bracelets donated with funds from
Norman Regional Hospital. The Norman Police Department’s T.E.A.M.
officers, Glenda Vassar and Thomas Zermeno presented lessons to K – 5 on
Drug Awareness and Safety. On Friday students brought their favorite teddy
bears to school and learned about the first teddy bear named after Theodore
Roosevelt!
In classroom guidance this month:
We listened to the story Spookley, the Square Pumpkin and talked about
differences in primary grades. Ask your students what it means when we say,
“don’t judge a book by it’s cover”! In third grade, we have discussed refusal
skills by reading and discussing Slim Goodbody’s Life Skills 101 book, I Said
No! Fourth and fifth grades discussed bullying issues and how to support
each other in various situations.
In November we are excited about Vision Martial Arts teaching Verbal SelfDefense skills through our PE classes. We are so fortunate in Norman to have
community resources that partner with schools to provide positive support for
our students in many ways!
A special thanks to the Red Ribbon Week Parent Committee ( who also helped
with Share Your Shelf food drive) Vicki Hopkins, Angela Wright, April
Maddry and Lauren Ottis.
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KINDERGARTEN CORNER
Kindergarten students reviewed shapes and introduced Organic Shapes. They created organic shapes and turned them into colorful, crea<ve monsters!
26th annual All-City Choir heralded as best in series
The Robert Lee Kidd All-City 5th Grade Choir Concert this past Tuesday, Oct. 30, was,
by many observers, the very best produced and performed by NPS faculty and students
in the annual event’s 26 years.
Held at the University of Oklahoma’s Lloyd Noble Center with the theme “A Day in
Nature,” the concert was facilitated by NPS Fine Arts faculty and included Dr. Rollo
Dilworth serving as guest conductor, Beth Grimmett-Tankersley accompanying, and the
Norman North chamber orchestra.
Dilworth is Chair of the Department of Music Education at Temple University and serves as a guest
conductor and clinician throughout the United States and abroad. He applauded the crowd of thousands of
NPS parents and patrons who turned out for All-City for their support of fine arts, offering he wasn’t
aware of any district in the nation who produced an event as unique and special as the Robert Lee Kidd
All-City.
“This is an extraordinary district and you should be proud of what you have done here,” he said.
From “Shake the Papaya” to “Great Big Sea” to a new arrangement commissioned by Dilworth of “The
Water is Wide,” the students performed 10 songs during the evening.
Relive the night or get a glimpse of what you missed by visiting the district’s YouTube
account, where the students’ performances of “The Water is Wide” and the “Norman
Anthem” have been uploaded!
Rough Rider Run CommiIee Report
The run committee is pleased to report a very successful day!
We had numerous parents who volunteered their time
throughout the day, some the entire day. All events went
smoothly including the DJ, sno cone sales, snack table, lap
counters, set-up, and clean-up. The week following the Run, the Run/Rally committee
coordinated efforts to encourage pledges to be turned in, we
extended the due date by one day, and had parent/student
volunteers hold signs during daily drop off and pick up at both
entrances to school. On November 1st, the Run committee presented awards to
students, faculty and parents for various categories included
in this year’s Run. The Run committee would like to thank the following PTA members and parents: Becky Humphers
and Michelle Camp for collecting lap cards and sending home pledge envelopes the day of the run,
Erin Williford for coordinating the wonderful volunteers who helped with the snack tables,
Heather Hack and Laura Kadechuk for putting together all of the lap counter volunteers for the
day. A special thank you to parent volunteer, Mr. Kevin Sonde, who was the first volunteer to show
up that morning and last to leave. We are so grateful for his time and willingness to do whatever
we needed. A huge thank you to Nichole Patton for her successful efforts in obtaining all the
prizes for the awards assembly. Many thanks to Jennifer McCarty for putting together what has
been a highly complimented Run T-shirt this year. We will be pursuing a second order for those
parents who weren’t able to get their order in on the first round. Yumi and Jeff Davis for
keeping the PTA website updated with important Run information. Ashley Waslo and the popcorn
committee for popping all the popcorn needed for give-away. Thank you to Republic Bank for their
generous water donation again this year. Lastly, to Mrs. Dixon and Mrs. Watson along with Teresa
Bell for assisting with communication between the Run committee and the staff, students and
families of Roosevelt. The Roosevelt Roughrider Run is an enormous undertaking and would not be possible to manage
without the help of administration, staff and the outstanding parent volunteers whom we were so
fortunate to have working along with us all the way to the finish line. Every phone call, email, and
effort, big and small, did not go unnoticed, and we thank you for giving your time and talents to
make this year’s Run, a fantastic time! Thank you from Bridget Furnish, Karla Hanson and Jaime Mincher
~From Norman Public Schools~
State Releases A-F School Grades
The State Department of Education has released A-F grades for each public school in
Oklahoma. The SDE calculated the grades based on a formula it developed.
The grades were held up for release in early October by the state Board of Education after more than 300
school districts, including NPS, challenged the authenticity of the grades, primarily because of the method the
SDE used for determining student growth in its A-F formula. Yet, on Oct. 25, State Board of Education
members voted to release the grades, with some members acknowledging the formula was not perfect and
perhaps needed further examination before 2013 grades were released.
In numerous instances across the state and within NPS, U.S. Blue Ribbon schools and schools being designated
this year – and also by the SDE – as Highest Performing are not earning As for 2012.
“While we may believe this is an imperfect system and that it needs to be refined by lawmakers and the
governor, we will use these 2012 grades just as we use other valuable information – such as classroom
performance, district benchmark testing, and ACT scores – and how we previously used Academic
Performance Index scores to continue to improve instruction for NPS students,” said Superintendent Dr. Joe
Siano.
Siano added that NPS’ school grades were above state averages and that both high schools had earned As. In
all, 27 percent of NPS schools received an A, compared to 9 percent in the state. As well, 41 percent of NPS
schools got a B and 32 percent got a C from the state. No NPS school received a D or F.
While the state has published a 28 page guide on its formula, a graphic on the Tulsa World’s Web site attempts
to graphically summarize the process of how a school is assigned an A, B, C, D or F. In a nutshell:
•Point values on students’ state test scores are assigned and divided by the number of students tested. This
component is weighted 33 percent in the formula.
•‘Overall’ student growth from 2011 test scores to 2012 test scores is determined. This component is weighted
17 percent in the formula.
•‘Bottom quartile’ student growth is determined using 2011 test scores to 2012 test scores in students who
scored Unsatisfactory or Limited Knowledge in 2011, and it is determined whether this growth meets an
‘average’ determined by the state. This component is weighted 17 percent in the formula.
•‘Whole school performance’ is determined by student attendance rates, graduation rates, advanced course
participation and other criteria. For elementary schools, whole school is solely determined by attendance. This
component is weighted 33 percent in the formula.
•Bonus points can be assigned if a certain percentage of faculty, students and parents complete an online survey
devised by the state. This component of the formula is given such nominal weight that it does not have the
ability to raise a school’s letter grade.
•When all factors are inputted into the SDE‟s formula, a GPA for the school is computed with As given to those
a 3.75 and higher; Bs to those between a 3.74 and 2.75; Cs to those with a 2.74 to a 1.75, Ds to those with a
1.74 to a .75, and Fs to those below .75.
From the Principal’s Desk
Roosevelt Families:
November is upon us, and the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday will soon be celebrated. This traditional holiday
celebration stirs happy thoughts, feelings, and fond memories for many. Traditions help give us a sense of family,
community, and promote a feeling of belonging. The Thanksgiving Day holiday is a celebration that all families can
enjoy. It is a time to gather and appreciate the company of one another. It is a time to share stories, bring out
favorite recipes, and have fun together creating new memories. It gives us a chance to be thankful for: family,
friends, health and happiness.
This time of year gives us an opportunity to mention some of the other activities that have taken place at
Roosevelt. Red Ribbon Week took place this past month. Several police officers from the Norman Police
Department presented to our students the importance of saying no to drugs and reminding us of the importance in
taking care of our bodies and making good choices. Share Your Shelf took place in October as well. We surpassed
our goal of 1500 food items to share with people less fortunate than us. We will also have an opportunity to honor
people that have served and are currently serving our country on Veterans’ Day.
We are looking forward to meeting with you at conferences in regards to the growth and progress taking place in
your student(s). It is continuously encouraging to see all the wonderful things taking place in the classrooms at
Roosevelt. We are thankful for our teachers which work so hard to meet the individual needs of each student.
Thank you for your support and help at home. It is vital we all work together for the benefit and success of our
Roosevelt students.
Have a wonderful November! May it be filled with warmth and family.
Sincerely,
Tiffany Dixon and Cindy Watson
My School’s Cool
November News Your guide to helping your school earn cash rewards!
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Once you have eaten the last of that Thanksgiving turkey, head to Sooner Mall early on November 23rd to scoop up the steals and deals that Black Friday has become notorious for. Shoppers who spend $100 before 9am will receive a $10 Shop Etc. Gift Card (while That means every dollar is supplies last) AND a worth three! Gobble up all voucher for an additional the pre-­‐holiday deals at your 100 points for their favorite retailers before you favorite school. sit down to gobble up your Vouchers and gift cards favorite Thanksgiving treat! will be given away at the More the Merrier Visit soonermall.com and redemption zone located facebook.com/soonermall for great gift ideas and promotions in the Sears wing from 6 from your favorite Sooner Mall to 9 am. Vouchers can be turned into the school retailers. locker, by Old Navy or the school office. Make sure you check soonermall.com for holiday hours and more info. It’s time to grab your holiday shopping list, check it twice and head to Sooner Mall for all the latest and greatest holiday gifts. Not only will you get the best deals, your school will be rewarded with TRIPLE POINTS for all receipts turned in from November 1st-­‐21st! November 6 Election Day November 11 Veteran’s Day Make sure you thank a Veteran for their service to our country! November 17 Milk & Cookies with Mrs. Claus jcpenney wing @ 10am Help us welcome Santa to Sooner Mall! Merry tales will be read by Mrs. Claus while children enjoy milk and cookies. Santa will join them for warm hugs and festive pictures. Sponsored by Chick-­‐fil-­‐A and The Pioneer Library system. November 17-­‐Dec 24 Santa Photos jcpenney Wing Check soonermall.com for photo hours November 19 & 26 St. Nick’s Pet Pics 6-­‐8pm jcpenney Wing 3301 West Main Street Norman, OK 73072 405.360.0630
For more info visit: www.soonermall.com
2-4-6-8..First Graders are really great!
Wow, it has been a busy month! First graders have been busy learning about
many things. A few weeks ago, after studying different versions of the Little Red Hen,
students worked together to make bread. Classes are now busy writing their own version
of the story changing some of the elements while focusing on characters, setting, and
plot.
In social studies, students are learning about the community in which they live.
They are doing activities to study where they fit on the map in relation from small
(Norman) to big (Our Earth).
Along with all of these activities, first graders have been busy learning about visual
patterns in math, focusing on even/odd numbers, using the number grid to add and
subtract, and discovering number patterns around us.
Besides learning, we had a blast at the run and have been enjoying our art teacher
that those funds helped to provide. Thanks for all your support!
PBIS
This month our focus has been on using our RISE words more in our classroom, Rendezvous, and in common areas of the building. Teachers have been recognizing students for showing these qualities as students feel good about their behavior. The RISE stick is still making its way through our building trying to @ind the class doing their best. Teachers are also recognizing each other for these same qualities in Rendezvous each month. A month ago, Roosevelt was evaluated for our implementation and practices regarding PBIS. Our evaluation went very well and our students and staff did an excellent job showing RISE. Good work Rough Riders!
A reminder for all students and their parents: Please help and remind your child to pack a book in their backpack for the time in the morning when they are waiting for Rendezvous to begin. There are also book carts available if they forget, but this is an expectation we are trying to teach right now. Thanks for your support as we encourage our students to show RISE.