October 13th Principal Notes

CORRECTION!!! - TAG NOMINATION IS ACTUALLY DUE BY NOV. 30TH (not the 7th) – only one testing round this year – I gave you the wrong information in the last newsletter about the due date, but the process is the same. For those of you new to this process, the Talented and Gifted Program is a process of having a written Individual TAG Plan written yearly for those children who were tested at the 97th percentile on reading, and/or mathematics, and/or intellectual skills. This plan is a very brief annual document that identifies ways the teacher will address the rate, and level, of your child’s learning. The “program” is most often simply a method of giving the student different choices or in their work or different approaches to meet their rate and level. Nomination forms, including permission for testing, are available in the office.

Parent Resource Library WE NEED YOUR IDEAS! We are beginning to build a parent resource library at Maplewood. This section of the library will be devoted to books on the following topics: child development, discipline, special needs, self-esteem, puberty, character education, sibling relationships, and more. We are currently looking for your recommendations! If you have read or heard of a great book for parents on these or other topics, please contact Jenny Pitts in person or via email at jpitts@pps.k12.or.us. We are also planning on subscribing to one or two parenting magazines and are looking for suggestions.
And finally, throughout the year there will be opportuntities to attend a single or series of workshops on various topics important to parents of elementary age children. We are asking for your input about what type of topics would be of interest to you. Some examples include: child development, discipline, nutrition, self-esteem…or you tell us! Better yet, let us know if you are aware of a speaker who would be willing to facilitate a workshop on one of these topics.
Thank you in advance for taking the time to provide us with your ideas. We are excited about creating a useful resource library that many can enjoy. - Amanda Smith and Jenny Pitts

Grandparent Day – GRANDPARENTS/SPECIAL FRIENDS are invited to come to Maplewood on Friday, Oct. 21st! – A ceremony will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the gym, where Grandparents or Special Friends will all hear a student musical performance. (Note for a.m. Kindergartners: There will also be a morning dress rehearsal the day before at 9:00 a.m. on Thursday, Oct. 20th, where the students will all be able to hear the other classes.) After the p.m. program in the gym is finished, the adults can go back to the classroom with the students; hint: we’ll let our guests all leave school by 2:00 p.m. to avoid the usual traffic jams at the dismissal time at the end of the day. (If you want your child to leave school with someone different than we have on file, or to leave early, we must have a note from you!) Come enjoy the children, and hear praises for you as their Special Friends or Grandparents! The kids love to see you here!

Panoramic Picture – Last Monday morning we took our 6th annual whole-school picture; order forms went home with students. If you want to order one, please turn in that form by midday on Monday, Oct. 17th.

Costume Events - Monday, Oct. 31st will again be a day when children can bring costumes to school to wear in an afternoon parade. Students will put on costumes after lunch, and begin the parade at 12:45 p.m. on the playground (in the gym if poor weather). To make this a safe, enjoyable event for everyone, make sure that the costumes are: SAFE (they shouldn’t restrict vision or trip them up; also, absolutely no fake or real weapons should be brought for this school affair) and APPROPRIATE FOR THEIR AGE (no revealing, bloody, or violent costumes) and CONVENIENT (so the student doesn’t have to be stressed about the time limits to get dressed; they will not be allowed to put on costumes until right after lunch).

LIFESKILLS - As part of our Character Education Grant, we are giving a school-wide focus to a new LIFESKILL each month. Last month we focused on Friendship. For the month of October, we are focusing on the Lifeskill of
Cooperation
Cooperation is working together toward a common goal or purpose. At school we will practice working together in many ways. Students will brainstorm the attributes of cooperation and may write procedures for working cooperatively.
Our free public school system was founded to educate students for the cooperative role they will play as citizens in a democratic society. Here are some ways that your family can focus on developing cooperation and citizenship at home:
· Choose an issue that is important to your community, such as pollution, the condition of roads, or playgrounds. Collect and read some newspaper articles on the topic. Learn both points of view. Ask your children where they stand on the issue.
· Visit your state’s legislature while it is in session. Find examples of cooperation between the branches of government.
· Read a book together; look for examples of cooperation in the story you are reading.
· Have the whole family complete a jigsaw puzzle together. Discuss what cooperative strategies helped your family complete the task.
· Have your child learn the correct way to set the table for dinner. Perform this task every night for one month. Have your child repeat the steps to you, or teach the task to a younger sibling.
· If your child plays on an organized team sport, have them listen for two or more strategies that the coach teaches the team about how to work together. Discuss with him/her how these strategies could be applied to family life.
· Organize a “Family Entertainment Night.” Ask each family member to help by volunteering a talent such as singing, playing an instrument, performing a magic trick, reading a favorite poem, and so forth. Hold the performance during or immediately after dinner. As master of ceremonies for the evening, make sure that each performance is in good taste and will be appreciated by each person in the audience.
We welcome opportunities for us to work cooperatively to educate our future citizens.

Thanks for all the good wishes on my Marathon Run! I really appreaciated all the encouragement I received from you and from the children. My purpose in talking so much about it with the kids is to remind them of the lessons learned: that setting a goal, announcing the goal to others, making a plan on getting to the goal (a very important step), following the plan, and celebrating the steps along the way - these are all important keys for success. Once again I was reminded why I love working in/for this community of children, families, and staff.

Best Regards, and Happy Fall!
John

Principal Notes Sept. 30, 2005

"BE HERE FOR THE BELL"! Getting kids up and ready for school can be hard work in the morning, but we are starting some new ways to help the students be "Ready at 8". First, we will be ringing our school bell (Did you know we have a short "bell tower" on the roof over the nurse's office?) when it is time to open the doors at 7:50 to let everyone know it is time to come into school. Secondly, for the first 15 minutes of the day, we'll have students go directly to the classrooms even if they are tardy, so that they can be in the class as soon as they can and avoid a long line at the Secretary's desk to sign in. (If they arrive after 8:15, they should stop in at the office first, though). Thirdly, our teachers are now recording the attendance and tardies themselves on the computerized system, and we will have computerized reports on attendance patterns that will be recorded on report cards or on attendance pattern reports generated for the Principal; PPS will also be publicizing these numbers in the press this year.
WHAT CAN YOU DO?
Remind your children that they should be on the school grounds in time to "Hear the Bell"! If so, that means they are able to be in class and ready to go at 8:00.
If you are walking your child into class, make sure you and the child "Hear the bell" and come in right away; please limit your time talking with the teacher as much as possible, as well, as it will help the rest of the class be able to get organized as soon as possible.
Make sure kids get to bed early on school nights; research and local polling shows that most of us (adults and kids both) typically don't get enough sleep, and that they will do so much better during the day.
Being on time makes a huge, positive difference for the students, as they appreciate the predictable routine and the chance to have their teacher's undivided attention. Thanks for all your hard work, love, and effort to have your kids here!

YOU CAN BE ON SITE COUNCIL! – Are you someone who likes to look at the “big picture”? Do you enjoy working with people with different backgrounds and perspectives? Are you a good communicator? And most importantly, are you interested in keeping Maplewood an excellent school? (or do you know someone else who can answer “yes” to these questions? – Then nominate them/yourself for Site Council. This group of people (5 teachers, Principal, classified staff member, and 3 parents) meets the second Tuesday of each month right after school. We are part of State Law that says schools should have a council of people who consider important issues for the school; issues such as professional development of staff, priorities for expenditures of funds, and designing and approving the yearly School Improvement Plan. Fill out the attached nomination form and get it into the office by October 7th, so that we can hold an election. This year we have 2 out of 3 parent positions open; contact parent Matthew Pigg (who has one more year to serve), or Jody McNannay or Karen Bissonette (whose terms expired) for their thoughts on this helpful work!
PARKING/TRAFFIC IMPROVEMENT – Just a reminder that there are obvious parking limitations here at school, which can make for crowded traffic patterns. So, please: Do not park in the 2 Handicapped Spaces unless you display Handicapped signs (we have several people who are eligible to use them and frequently can’t get in those spaces). Drop children off in the turn-out by the backstop (dropping them off across the street or in the street by the buses is unsafe for the children). Do not park in the bus zone or in the No Parking zone across the street (for obvious reasons). Do not make U-turns out of the turn-out area (the street in front is busy, especially in a.m., so please exit to right and go around block).

PICTURE DAY IS COMING! - Maplewood's student picture day is Thursday October 6th. Please remember to send your student with his/her picture order envelope and money on picture day if you’d like to purchase a package. Thank you.

PANORAMIC PICTURES OCT. 10 – The wide pictures that we take yearly with everyone in school will be done in the morning of Mon., Oct. 10th. Ordering of these pictures is on a separate order form.

TAG NOMINATION DUE BY NOV. 7 – only one testing round this year – Nominating your child for the Talented and Gifted eligibility will result in testing later this year in the areas nominated (Intellectual, Reading, and/or Math – you can nominate your child in 1, 2, or all 3 areas). There will only be one round of nominations this year. The forms for nomination are available in the office; if you nominate your child, the testing will be done later in the year, and you will be notified of the results. If you have questions, see your child’s teacher or John.
If your child is already eligible, you do not need to nominate again. The yearly TAG Plan for eligible children will be drafted and given to you for your input at the end of October each year, and the Plan finalized by conference time.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! - The Maplewood Carnival 05’ is Friday October 28th! Let the fun begin! The Carnival Committee is busy at work and needs a few items donated. We have put bins in the hallway ready for your donations of: gently loved (used) stuffed animals (all kinds) and yummy bags of candy! Consider buying an extra bag of candy this month for the carnival! We are also hoping to receive donations of several nice “new” items to be raffled off during the carnival. The committee is also looking for free standing canopies to borrow for the evening. Thanks for all of your help in making this an exciting Carnival for our students! We look forward to seeing you at the Carnival! P.S. – If you have children in 7th grade or older who would like to volunteer to help that night, send their names and phone numbers to Suzanne Smith at TheSue27@yahoo.com or Loren Slocum at lobella@lobella.com.

LUNCH PROGRAM - Children who were approved for free and reduced by returning the form this summer or this fall should have received a letter saying you are approved until Oct. 2006. If you were approved for free and reduced lunches last school year and have not submitted a new form as yet for this year your child will change to full price lunches, $1.75, on Oct. 4th, next week. Free and reduced lunch applications are available in the office.
Thanks to all the great lunch helpers!! I have had a great time getting to know all of you! I am going to be staying home catching up on projects and doing more activities with my kids. Laurie

COMPUTER NEWS - Following is a reminder of some of the resources we use at school that you can access via the Internet at home:
1) The Maplewood collection of educational web sites and activities that students use are listed at www.portaportal.com (guest access name elin.)
2) Portland Public Schools provides us with access to on-line streaming videos (United Streaming - an educational video library). To access this resource from home, visit www.unitedstreaming.com . The username and passwords are MaplewoodES and maplewood. I will give a parent overview in the coming months if you want to learn how to use this resource to its fullest potential.
You are welcome to join us in the computer room. If you would like to volunteer with your childs class, please contact the classroom teacher. Welcome back to school! Elin Kordahl


CHARACTER EDUCATION - Hello, my name is Jenny Pitts and I am a new part-time staff member at Maplewood. My title is Character Education Specialist; there are three of us in the district as a part of a 4-year federal grant. We are now starting the third year of the grant and expanding the services to other schools, including Maplewood. The focus of the grant is building character education skills through curriculum like Second Step and Tools for Citizenship and Life. Throughout the year, I will be in each classroom introducing the Lifelong Guidelines and Lifeskills that make up the Tools for Citizenship and Life program. I will also be working with students in small groups and organizing a new Student Council program. You will be hearing more about these later in the fall.
During the next few weeks I will be getting to know the students, staff, and families of Maplewood. I am interested in your input as the character education program develops. I am here on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and some Mondays, if you see me in the hall, stop and introduce yourself! I am very excited to be here and I look forward to working with you this school year.
Sincerely, Jenny Pitts

Best Regards,
Upcoming Events:
Oct 6 - School Picture Day
Oct 10 - Panoramic Picture Day
Oct 11 - Site Council Meeting @ 2:30 pm
Oct 13 - Sally Foster Fundraiser Ends
Oct 14 - State Inservice – NO SCHOOL
Oct 20- AM Kindergarten Grandparents/Special Friends Day
Oct 21 - Grandparents/Special Friends Day
Oct 28 - Maplewood Carnival
Oct 30 - Daylight Saving Time Ends
Oct 31 - Costume Parade





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October at Maplewood

Hello to Maplewood Community! This is a short update to let you know that there are several events going to happen here soon!

• School Picture Day is Oct. 6th - we will also take a Panoramic Picture of the whole school on Monday, Oct. 10th.
• Annual Maplewood Foundation Campaign - We are holding our annual direct donation campaign again this fall. Money raised will go directly to paying for staff to enrich the education of students at Maplewood. Informational meetings about this campaign are again being held here; come and meet with the Campaign Committee and I on either Monday, October 10th, or Wednesday, Oct. 12th at 7 p.m. You'll hear about our plans to use the money, and about ways to make donations that will be easiest on you.
• NO SCHOOL October 14 - This is a Statewide In-Service Day.
• Thursday, Oct. 20 - This morning we will have a Dress Rehearsal for our Grandparents/Special Friends Day that will be performed for the a.m. Kindergarten Grandparents/Special Friends.
• Friday, Oct. 21 - Grandparents/Special Friends Day at Maplewood. Guests are invited to come to Maplewood at 12:30 to hear our children perform for you. After the performance, you are invited to come and visit the students' classroom.
• Friday, Oct. 28 - School Carnival! - This wonderful event is held in the evening with a theme of Old-Fashioned Carnival. Starting at 6:00, there are multiple games and events, often run by the school staff to let you have a chance to enjoy time with your children, neighbors, and friends.
• Monday, Oct. 31 - Costume parade at school. This usually begins with students dressing as their favorite character right after lunch, and then we hold a parade to have children see each others' costumes beginning about 12:45, followed by class meetings.