Defer Dragon’s Burning News

Defer Elementary School 15425 Kercheval Grosse Pointe Park, MI 48230 Phone: 313/432-4000 Fax: 313/432-4002 www.gpschools.org/defer

March 17, 2011

Defer Behavior Pledge

Today, I will DO my best to BE my best.

I will be respectful.

I will practice responsibility.

I will always be safe.

I will show my Dragon

pride.

Karen Sullivan Defer Principal March is National Reading Month, and the Defer students and teachers have joined in the celebration! Guest readers have visited many classrooms already to share their favorite book, and more are to come. A team of Pierce Middle School students will be visiting next week each sharing a Dr. Seuss book with students. Classrooms are silent each day as students curl up and read for sustained periods of time. Reading together at home is extremely important for all children. You have the greatest influence on your child and you send a powerful message about not only the importance of reading, but the pleasure of reading when you read together. Try the following suggestions to make reading with your child both a fun and a learning experience.

• Make reading a priority. Whether it’s 20 minutes every night before bed or

an hour every Sunday morning, it helps to set aside a specific time for reading. • Choose the right book using the “five-finger rule”. When selecting a new

book to read have your child open the book to any page in the middle and read that page. Keep track of how many words they don’t know. If your child gets to five words before they finish the page, the book is too hard. If the child knows all of the words, the book is probably easy and is a good one for building reading fluency. If they don’t know two or three words, the book is likely to be at a good level for their reading ability to grow.

• Create the right atmosphere. Find a quiet place for your child to read. Your

home is a busy place, but children need a ‘reading spot’ away from noise and distractions.

• Make reading fun. There are lots of great a book that are filled with humor

and that’s always a ‘hook’ for children. Try ‘hamming it up’ a bit when reading at home. Play around with funny voices or acting out the scene you are reading.

• Keep reading aloud to your child. Don’t stop reading aloud to your child

once he/she learns to read on their own. When you do the reading, you allow

your child to enjoy books that are beyond their independent reading level. Children learn new vocabulary, and it is a great chance for you to model reading smoothly and with expression.

• Introduce new books. Sometimes one book will steal your child’s heart and

that is all they want to read. Remember, there are millions of books to enjoy. Ask a librarian or your child’s teacher for a recommendation. Check out children’s literature web sites.

SAFETY/SERVICE

In February, Defer Safety/Service celebrated their work at Lakeshore Lanes for a bowling extravaganza. It was wonderful. Everyone bowled two games and enjoyed pizza, pop and fruit snacks. We have some very good bowlers at Defer; our top bowler was Brandon Carey. Thank you to Mrs. Kline, Mrs. Giest, Mrs. Garvey, Mrs. Bryan, Mrs. Lutfy, and Mrs. Falzarano for transporting us to Lakeshore Lanes. A special thanks to Mrs. Falzarano and Mrs. Kline for joining us and making sure everyone was on their best behavior to represent Defer Elemen-tary School. Mr. Alan continues to get our water ready every morning for hot cocoa to “Warm the Safeties.” Thank you, it is greatly appreciated. If you see a Safety/Service doing a good job, please tell them! Thank you, Helen Srebernak

Safety/Service Member of the Month-February

Safety: Giovanni L. Service: Mary H.

Full Circle Upscale Resale Shop

Full Circle provides jobs and training for people with developmental disabilities. They could use our help with donations of clothing for all seasons. They are located at 15300 Kercheval in Grosse Pointe. This is a great way for Defer to give back to the community.

Attendance Information

All absences must be reported on the absence line — 313-432-4001. If your student is arriving to school after the bell rings, please come into the office with your student and sign them in.

Thank you!!

Traffic Reminders

** The Defer Parking Lot is not to be used for morning drop-off or afternoon pick-up of students. This is a very busy crosswalk for Defer and Pierce students. Please help keep our students safe. Park and walk with your child to drop-off and pick-up. ** Children crossing Kercheval should only cross at the traffic light with the crossing guard in front of Defer. It is unsafe to cross this busy street any place but at the light. ** The left lane on Nottingham between Vernor and Kercheval is a drop-off/pick-up lane. It is not meant for parking. If your intention is to drop off your child in the morning or pick them up at the end of the day, please use this lane.

Dates to Remember

March 24 Disability Awareness Workshop—4th grade 25 Report Cards Issued 30 Parent/Teacher Conferences 5:00 - 8:00 pm 31 No SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS—Parent/Teacher Conferences AM, PM, & Evening

April 12 PTO Meeting (7:00 PM) @ Library 15 Spring Break begins at the end of the day (3:38) 18-25 NO SCHOOL—Spring Break 26 School Resumes at 8:20 AM 26-29 PTO Volunteer Appreciation Week 27 Secretaries Day

Welcome New Students!

The following is a list of new students that have started at Defer since January:

Dallas A.—Kindergarten Tristian P.—Kindergarten Zachary S.—Grade 2 Dallas A.—Kindergarten Mikayla B.—Grade 2 Anthony T.—Kindergarten Jayvion W.—Grade 3 John A.—Kindergarten Asia G.—Grade 4 Stephen M.—Grade 1 Faith W.—Grade5 Kindall H.—Grade 1 Davon G.—Grade 5 Emily A.—Grade 1 Alyssa S.—Grade 5

Upcoming Kindergarteners 2011-2012

All new students must be registered and enrolled in the district. Parents should call (313) 432-3093 and make an appointment at the Central Administration Building, 389 St. Clair, as soon as possible. This information is necessary so the district can budget and staff appropriately for students entering kindergarten. If you are not certain if your child will be attending the public schools next year, please contact us anyway. District staff can answer questions about placement and programming, and can provide additional information that may assist you.

Radio Disney Our February PBS reward party featured Radio Disney. Students gathered for an hour of stretching, dancing, and competing as our gym “rocked-out” with music and laughter.

Library News We had our annual Bookmark Contest for March Is Reading Month! Congratulations to our

winners! Bookmarks will be pictured on the Defer website very soon.

Kindergarten—Tula K. Grade 1—Aleena S. Andrew I. Grant M. Grade 2—Lindsey G. Grade 3—Bashar A. Eva M. Blaire D. Paloma B. Olivia S. Abraham A. Emilio G. Grade 4—Yanni P. Grade 5—Micki J. Audrey W. Blake M. Oliver W. Giovanni L. Brianna C. Conor G.

Camp Invention Early Registration Discount Creativity and brainstorming are the building blocks to your child’s future! Camp Invention® emphasizes those skills and more, and Parcells Middle School is proud to be among the select schools in Michigan that will serve as a host site during the week of June 27 – July 1, 2011. Register by March 30, 2011, and save $25 off of the base registration rate! You can secure your child’s reservation with only a $50 deposit. Our camp fills every year, so don’t miss out. Children will create exciting new games and transform ordinary household items into extraordinary inventions during this weeklong summer adventure for students entering grades 1-6. Children will participate daily in five activity-oriented modules focused on science literacy, math, history and the arts. Debra Duffey, a teacher at Parcells Middle School, will direct the camp and local teachers will teach the five modules. High school and college students will be hired to serve as camp counselors. The camp features a low staff-to-participant ratio of 1:8. The camp fee includes snacks and a T-shirt. Registration for each camp is limited to 110 children, so register early. In addition to registering online, you may also register at 1-800-968-4332, via fax at 330-849-8528 or by mail at Camp Invention, 3701 Highland Park NW, North Canton, OH 44720. For more information, visit the Web site at www.campinvention.org or contact Michigan’s Regional Coordinator, Kathy Gualtieri, at kgualtieri@wowway.com or 248-835-1318. Or contact Camp Director, Debra Duffey, at debra.duffey@gpschools.org or 313-432-5341

Student Groups Contribute to Playscape

The Defer PTO has a new “partner” in playscape fundraising. Our Student Council contributed $250.00 toward the playscape from funds raised during their annual February Valentine Sale. In addition, the Third Grade contributed $250.00 from their Market Day event as a part of the Mini-Society unit. Congratulations to our student body for supporting the new Defer playscape!

Choir News

The Defer Choir participated in an “Evening of Song” at Pierce Middle School on March 8th. The students were able to see other choirs their age from Maire and Trombly. Also, the middle school 6th, 7th, and 8th grade choirs joined us.

Congratulations to the Defer Choir on a wonderful performance at Pierce last week!

Student Council Update

The Student Council has two upcoming events for all students! Annual Bake Sale is around the corner on March 29th. All tickets will be $1.00 and students are limited to one item each. Parents can contact Mrs. Stackpoole if they would like to donated baked goods. Yummy! College Spirit Day is April 1st. Wear your favorite school’s colors that day!

March Reading ActivitiesMarch Reading ActivitiesMarch Reading ActivitiesMarch Reading Activities

Defer Students celebrated Reading Month in many different ways! Kindergarten: Kindergarten: Kindergarten: Kindergarten: There were many special activities in Kindergarten! Time was spent celebrating the work of Dr. Seuss and making bookmarks. There were also some guest readers that came in to share their favorite stories with the students! First Grade: First Grade: First Grade: First Grade: First graders have done a number of fun activities! They did a book report on their favorite book and they are going to have a Read-in with their first grade friends. There will also be a poetry sharing day with their favorite poems. Second Grade: Second Grade: Second Grade: Second Grade: Second graders had a fun reading day on March 7th. The brought stuffed animals, sleeping bags, and pillows. They will have a character parade and students will dress as their favorite storybook character. Two/Three Magnet: Two/Three Magnet: Two/Three Magnet: Two/Three Magnet: There have been a number of mystery readers stopping in and sharing their favorite stories. They have sent in clues about themselves ahead of time for the students to guess who they are. They are “bananas for reading” and filling a banana tree with bananas that show the different titles they have read. Third Grade: Third Grade: Third Grade: Third Grade: Third grade has had many Mystery Readers visiting classrooms with their favorite books. In addition to parents, grandparents and other special guests, some of Defers retired teachers have stopped in. There is also a Read-in scheduled soon. Fourth Grade: Fourth Grade: Fourth Grade: Fourth Grade: Each week, fourth grade has had at least one guest reader read a story. Mrs. Sullivan started it off by reading “The Watsons Go To Birmingham. Sergeant Almeranti and his police dog, Raleigh from the Grosse Pointe Police Department came in to share his favorite story. Our Superintendent, Dr. Klein also stopped in to read her favorite book. A great time was had by all on March 9th when the fourth graders had a Read-in! Four/Five Magnet: Four/Five Magnet: Four/Five Magnet: Four/Five Magnet: Reading month was kicked off with a two hour Read-in! Each day a different student is having the opportunity to sit in the “Share Chair” and read a book to the class. They receive a special Share Chair Reader Extraordinaire certificate. Need a book recommendation? Just click on Best Book Bets to read a brief student review of a book they have recently read. Fifth Grade: Fifth Grade: Fifth Grade: Fifth Grade: There are a variety of activities in the fifth grade! Pierce students will read and do an activity with each class on March 21st, and there will be a Read-in on the 25th with cozy slippers and sleeping bags. Mrs. Sullivan will also be reading her favorite book. Some 5th graders even registered on-line with Michiganreads.com to read and win free tickets to the Pistons or Red Wings.

Officer Ameranti and Raleigh from the Grosse Pointe Police Department stop in for a presen-tation for the fourth graders.