E. V. WALTON TIMES Parent Involvement October 2014


E. V. WALTON TIMES
E. V. WALTON TIMES
Colorful Leaves Falling
The fall season is here and with the
arrival of the fall comes many exciting
events at Walton.
2nd grade will be going on their “Tour of
Springfield’ field trip which is part of
their Social Studies unit on communities.
The students also develop their map
skills by locating community landmarks
on our town map.
The first of our PTA assemblies begins
with “School Spirt” on October 10th.
Every Friday is School Spirit Day, so
please wear your Walton sweatwear or
our school colors which are blue and
orange. If you have spirit, let’s see it!
Please have your smiles ready. October
15th is Picture Day for PK & KDG, and
October 16th for grades 1 & 2. The
order forms will be coming home soon.
The month comes to an end with the PTA
Pumpkin Patch on October 29th, and the
Halloween Dance in the evening on
October 30th. The PTA will be providing
a small pumpkin for each student to take
home. Our annual Halloween Dance will
be held at Gaudineer Middle School. This
is an evening of fun for the whole family!
Please be on the look out for the flyer
which will be coming out in mid-October.
CONTENTS OF THIS NEWSLETTER:
Photo Gallery
Health News
A Caring Note from Your Counselors
Parent Involvement
We hope everyone enjoyed Walton’s
School’s annual Back to School Night
and gained important information
regarding your children’s educational
program.
Research shows that parent involvement
is an important factor in a child’s
interest and success in school. The
most significant type of parent
involvement is when parents work
directly with their child on learning
activities on a regular basis, starting at
an early age.
Throughout each week, parents need to
know what their children are learning,
either through classwork and homework
being sent for your review or through
weekly newsletter updates in Study
Wiz. K-2 teachers will be sending home
their unit assessments in the various
subject areas for your review and
signature. Additionally, homework needs
to be reviewed each day and initialed
before returning it to school.
If you have any questions or concerns
regarding your child’s performance at
anytime, we encourage parents to be
proactive in contacting the teacher in a
timely manner. Please do not wait until
November or February parent-teacher
conferences to address areas of
concern. Thank you for your part in
helping your children, our students, be
successful in their learning experiences!
October 2014
Upcoming Events
10/6 & 20 BOE Mtg 7:30 PM
10/8 Progress Reports Online
10/13 NO SCHOOL Columbus Day
10/15 Picture Day PK & K
10/16 Picture Day Grades 1 & 2
10/30 PTA Halloween Dance at
FMG
11/2 Daylight Savings Time Ends:
Set Clock Back One Hour
11/3 & 17 BOE Mtg 7:30 PM
11/4 NO SCHOOL for Students:
Staff Development Day
11/6 & 7 NO SCHOOL: NJEA
Teacher Convention
11/12 PTA Mtg 7:30 PM in the
Gym
11/19 Picture Retakes
11/20 Report Cards Online
11/21 Delayed Opening:
Parent-Teacher Conferences
11/24 & 25 Early Dismissal 1:00
Parent-Teacher Conferences
NO LUNCH
11/26 Early dismissal 1:00 PM
NO LUNCH & No AFTER CARE
11/27 & 28 Schools Closed for
Thanksgiving Break
REMINDER: Please only park in designated spots in front of the gym. Parking in front of the school outside the main offices is prohibited. Thank you!
The entire newsletter can be viewed & printed from our website at www.springfieldschools.com/evw/newsletter.html
Photo Gallery
During the spring, the students planted seeds in
the garden and look at what they grew! This is a
sampling of some vegetables that we donated to
the local food pantry.
Dr. Hung, Marissa and Noa show off the great
eggplants and tomatoes that were freshly picked
from our courtyard garden.
Milton and Adriana are having a great time
harvesting the vegetables on a beautiful
afternoon with the PTA Garden Club.
David and Eliana are happy to place the
pinwheels in the flowerpot for International Day
of Peace.
Ava smiles for the camera before placing the
pinwheel in the flowerpot.
Our bulldog, Wally Jr., visits the classes with the
most school spirit each Friday!
A NOTE FROM THE HEALTH OFFICE….
Mrs. Schwartz, School Nurse
IMPORTANT NEWS FOR PRE-SCHOOL PARENTS:
The countdown has begun! The month of September has already passed and there are
now 3 months left for your child to obtain a flu shot. Please be sure to submit
documentation that your child has received his/her flu shot before the holiday break
in December in order to avoid exclusion from school in January. This is a state
requirement and our school is monitored for compliance.
DID YOU KNOW?
FLU is a serious contagious disease that can be very dangerous for children, especially
children with chronic health conditions. The US Centers for Disease Control &
Prevention recommends Flu Vaccination for everyone 6 months and older. For more
information on protecting yourself and your child during the 2013-2014 flu season,
please visit: http://www.cdc.gov/flu
ENTEROVIRUS EV-D68:
While it hasn’t made headlines for a few days, I am hearing reports from local physicians
that Enterovirus EV-D68 has made an appearance in our area. It seems to have the worst
effect on young children; particularly those under the age of 5 who have asthma. We
have put information on the district website from the CDC concerning this virus which
appears at first like a simple cold. You can find the information at this link:
http://www.springfieldschools.com/parentresources/healthoffice.html
NOTIFYING WALTON SCHOOL WHEN YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT:
If your child will be absent and/or tardy to school, it is important that you call our “Call
for Safety” line as soon as possible. The number is 973-376-1025, press 9, then dial ext.
2650. Please speak clearly and slowly when leaving the message. Provide the following
4 pieces of information: (1) Child’s first and last name (say it twice slowly and/or spell
it), (2) Child’s Teacher, (3) Dates of Absence and (4) Reason for Absence (for example;
diagnosed with Strep, or high fever, vomiting, or sore throat and runny nose). Upon your
child’s return to school, parents are to send in a signed note to the office relaying the
reason for the absence. If absence is due to medical or health reasons, a signed doctor’s
note is acceptable. Please be aware, should the office not receive a call from you, we do
make attempts to contact you and those on the emergency contact list. If we cannot locate
anyone who knows of your child’s whereabouts, we call the police department for
assistance.
WHEN SHOULD I KEEP MY CHILD HOME FROM SCHOOL?
As part of our health regulations in the Springfield School District, the guidelines request
that parents/guardians notify the school nurse if their child is home with a communicable
disease.
Some examples of reportable diseases to the health office are (but not limited to):
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
Strep infections
Staph infections
Scarlet fever
Fifth Disease
Coxsackie
Pneumonia
Mononucleosis
Chickenpox (Note: Even if your child has received the vaccine for
chickenpox (Varivax), there is still a chance he/she might contract the disease
if exposed to the virus)
Please contact the health office as soon as your health care provider has diagnosed any
contagious disease requiring antibiotic and/or exclusion from school.
As a general rule of thumb, children should not come to school if they have a fever of
100 degrees or more. They should be fever free without fever reducing medication for a
24-hour period before returning to school. If your child has vomited or is experiencing
diarrhea, they need to remain home for a 24-hour period following their last episode. If
your child has visited the doctor, the emergency room or has had any type of medical
procedure, please follow the doctor’s instructions and send your child back to school with
the doctor’s note. If your child has a rash that you cannot identify, please do not send
your child to school unless a doctor has confirmed that the rash is not contagious. While
we practice healthy hygiene and hand washing techniques here at Walton, we need your
help to keep our entire student population healthy and ready to learn!
Thank you for your help!
A Caring Note…
From Your School Counselors
Marnie Cunningham, Bonnie Loew and Christine Saliceti
973-376-1025, Ext. 2001
Introduction to Character Education, Operation Goody Bag & Pinwheels for Peace
Pre-Kindergarten
The Pre-Kindergarten students were introduced to the school counselor with a fun interactive game
that inspired their creativity and imagination. By using objects, the school counselor was able to
explain their role at Walton to the children. This exercise proved helpful for both the school
counselor and the students to get to know one another. The students loved the exercise.
Kindergarten
The year started with a lesson that introduced the Kindergarten students to the Counselor. Through
the use of a fun interactive activity, the students laughed and explored the Counselor’s role during
this lesson.
First Grade
During the month of October, both the Kindergarten and First Grade classes will have lessons about
manners and school rules. While classrooms are establishing the expectations for social and academic
behaviors, the lessons will concentrate on the 3 C’s of caring, courtesy and being careful. We will read
books about manners, complete activities and sing a fun manner song that you could find on You Tube
called “Mr. Manners Matters.” The kids love it!
Second Grade
The second grade character education classes will begin with the theme of respect, which is one of
the 6 Pillars of Character. Students will participate in cooperate activities that allow them to explore
getting in touch with their own feelings and learning to use empathy.
We look forward to an exciting, a successful, and a fulfilling year working with your children!!!
School-Wide September Projects
Operation Goody Bag
This year, our school participated in an event called "Operation Goody Bag" on September 11th.
Operation Goody Bag's mission is to remember those we lost on September 11th and express support
and appreciation for our Military Men and Women, Veterans and First Responders, through the gift of
a Goody Bag. During the week of September 8th, we colored goody bags and wrote
thank you letters to say thanks to American Hero's in memory of September 11th.
Walton completed over 600 goody bags for the troops and over 400 letters. The
children enjoyed writing and decorating their bags and letters. The PTA helped deliver
our paper bags and letters back to headquarters for them to fill each bag with treats
for our servicemen.
If you would like to read more about this project, please go to the following link:
http://operationgoodybag.org/the-project/
Pinwheels for Peace
The school participated in the Pinwheels for Peace project this year. Everyday, we are bombarded
with television images, video games, music, and magazine articles/newspapers that give importance to
conflict and war. Violence has become commonplace and accepted, as part of our society and, for some;
it is a way of life. It is our hope that through the Pinwheels for Peace
project, we made a public visual statement about our feelings about
tolerance/cooperation/harmony/unity.
Since a pinwheel is a childhood symbol – it reminds us of a time when things
were simple, joyful, and peaceful. Each class was given two pinwheels to place
in a flowerpot so that they can be displayed for International Day of
Peace, Sept. 21, 2014. The spinning of the pinwheels in the wind spread
thoughts and feelings about peace throughout the country, the world and our
school!
With your help, we can create “whirled peace.”
Important Dates This Month:
October 6-10: Week of Respect
October 20-24: Week of Violence Awareness
We will be doing additional activities for these important weeks.
October 2014
Edward V. Walton School
Sunday
Monday
www.springfieldschools.com/evw
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
1
Saturday
2
3
4
Yom Kippur 6
5
7
9
10
11
15
16
17 18
23
24
25
30
31
K-­‐2 Progress Reports Online 7:30 pm BOE Mtg. 13
12
8
14
No School Columbus Day Picture Day PK & K Picture Day 1st & 2nd 19
26
20
21
22
7:30 pm BOE Mtg. 27
28
29
Halloween Dance at Gaudineer Halloween