"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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