Kindergarten Information - Yes, it is that time of year to think about Kindergarten Options for children for next fall. One way to get great information is through the new district website on Early Education at www.earlyed.pps.k12.or.us Spread the word to friends and local day care and pre-schools that there are some events coming:
- School Celebration – Thursday, January 12th from 5:30 to 8:00 p.m. at the Convention Center. We will have a booth at that center, and you can meet us and ask questions about our school and program.
- Maplewood Kindergarten Information Session – This session is for adults, scheduled for Thursday, January 19th from 3:00 to 4:00 at Maplewood. You will hear the teachers and I give information on our curriculum, on how to register, and about our half-day and full-day options for next fall.
All Day Kindergarten Sign-Up Begins January 13th - In looking ahead at decisions and deadlines, begin spreading the word to parents that the sign-up for Maplewood's All Day Kindergarten for the fall of 2005 will start the day after the School Celebration (see above). Sign-up will be on a first-come, first-served basis. You will be able to get information on our program at the School Celebration at the Memorial Coliseum on the evening of January 12th, and also at Maplewood's Kindergarten Information Meeting here at Maplewood on January 19th at 3:00. The tuition for this fee-for-service program will be $2,187 per year, unless you qualify for tuition waivers (if you qualify for Free and Reduced Lunch – we have applications). We will not accept any sign-ups before January 13th! This day (January 13th) will be the first day that applications for school transfer will be allowed by the district.
Maplewood Choir on the Radio – We were recorded, and will be broadcast on December 24 at 4 p.m. by KBPS (on the dial at 1450 am).
Maplewood Flag – Please remember that if you are traveling abroad this Winter Break, you might want to take the Maplewood Flag with you to take a picture of it! So far I have pictures from Antarctica, New Zealand, Australia, and Honduras. Anyone interested just needs to leave me a note in my mailbox or email me at my PPS address: asmith3@pps.k12.or.us
Lifeskill of “Integrity” is theme for January – This next LIFESKILL is perhaps the most important of all. Most of us, at sometime in our lives, have had to deal with the pain and destruction that takes place when people around us lack integrity. We have also enjoyed the company of people with high integrity. Over the years we have collected pictures of the qualities we would like our children to have. We define the LIFESKILL of Integrity as: “To act according to a sense of what’s right and wrong”. To support students’ development of the LIFESKILL, we will: Role play situations that require integrity and discuss possible choices; Continue to focus on problem-solving strategies; Brainstorm the attributes of people with integrity; Find and examine examples of integrity in our community As parents raising young children in an ever more complex world, there are things you can do to support character development at home. Here are a few ideas: Read and share favorite family stories that explore what’s right and wrong; Insist that your child return borrowed items to their original owner; Teach your child to make promises only when he/she can carry them out. Teach your child to walk away from peer group pressures to do negative things. Given what our children will experience in the course of their lives, much rides on their knowing right from wrong and having the courage to do what’s right. We, as educators, are here to support you in your quest to raise a respectful, caring, and trustworthy child, a person of integrity.
Traffic Safety – Traffic Drop-Off Changes – Starting in January, I will begin directing traffic at the morning drop-off time in a slightly different manner. We will begin directing cars to make no “U-Turns at the drop-off area. Specifically, we’ll designate the turn-out to be the drop-off area for northbound (school side of the street) traffic, and ask southbound traffic to drop-off students just before the crosswalk. This will avoid cars crossing over the double yellow line and endangering the students/people walking along the backstop area with wide-swinging cars. The specific directions will be:
- Northbound Traffic – Drop off students only in the swing-out area by the backstop. Do not drop them off in the bus zone, or in the street by the bus zone. After dropping them off, use right turn only to continue northbound.
- Southbound Traffic – Drop off students in the area just before the crosswalk and have the children immediately walk to the Safety Patrol that will be right in front of them. After dropping them off, continue southbound.
- Other – Many of you park the car and then walk the students to school; you can continue to do that as before, continuing to be careful of traffic!
S.O.S - Thank you for your donations to Maplewood’s Season of Sharing. With your contributions, five families received Scrip gift cards to Fred Meyer. Three of these families also received Thanksgiving dinners from Marco’s Restaurant. Thank you also to Marco’s for donating many of the dinners and allowing us to purchase the remaining dinners at a great discount. Thank you, The Parent Resource Committee
Yearbooks - Yes, Yearbooks – A bit of news for you …
For standard non-personalized yearbook…. send $10.00
For personalized yearbooks……………… send $14.00*
* if the student did Not have their school photo taken by Lifetouch the personalized version is not available; personalized versions will have the students photo and name on the cover.
Checks should be made payable to Maplewood PTA
If your student joined Maplewood AFTER the school pictures were taken, we still include their photo in the Yearbook! We do our best to assure all new students through the end of February are included.
For all of the YearBook Helpers, ClassRoom Parents and those who said they would like to be involved with Class photo taking…we need to meet Tuesday, January 10th at 12:30pm at Maplewood in Ms. Cynkar’s room.
If you have been collecting pictures already and wish to submit them, please put them in an envelope and address to YearBook c/o PTA. Please let us know who submitted them and from which classroom the photos came. Any photos we cannot use we do our best to return to you in March. We use as many as we can in 8 candid pages trying to capture the smiling faces of as many students as possible. Ideas: carnival, picnic, singing events, staff and classroom projects.
Thanks, Cathie Dainton Piacente, Wendy Rodakowski, & Melissa Gagliano
Best Regards,
