Kindergarten Registration 2

Inclement Weather 2

Report Cards 2

Attendance -- TARDY 2

March Madness 3

Ready for Recess 3

Outstanding Cafeteria

Balance

3

February Calendar 4

Counselor's Corner 5

Willow Dale Geo Bee 6

From the Reading Specialists 6

Home and School News 7

CATS Ticket Winners 8

C.E.F. 8

Family Vacations 8

Lost and Found 9

From the Nurse 9

The Wellness Committee 9

Inside this issue: From the Principal...

February 2013

The end of January brings an end to the second marking period and marks the halfway point of the school year. As we embark upon the second half, it is important that we maintain the same excitement and enthusiasm that we brought with us at the start. This is also a good time to reflect upon our school journey thus far. The building hums with the daily activities of teachers teaching and students learning. It is this same enthusiasm and sense of purpose that leads us into the second half of the school year. February, like the months before, promises to be a busy month filled with exciting learning opportunities! Each day it is comforting to hear the sounds of math facts recited aloud, small groups sharing the inferences they made in the book, or the simple sound of children’s laughter as they tell each other kind jokes and stories. All in all, Willow Dale is a great place to be! In tandem with our instructional program, this month we will honor our Presidents, celebrate Valentine’s Day, participate in Read Across America Day, and begin the March Madness basketball tournament. We will also be sending home the second marking period report cards on Wednesday, February 6. If you have any questions regarding your child’s progress, please contact his or her teacher. It is this continuing partnership between home and school that supports the successful learning of all the Willow Dale students, academically, socially and emotionally.

“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.” ~Helen Keller

Our best to you and your families,

Mr. Michael W. Donnelly

Principal

PSSA Testing

-Mark Your Calendar-

PSSA Testing Dates

February 13: PSSA Writing

Field Test (Grades 3, 4, 5)

March 11—15: PSSA Writing

(Grade 5)

April 8—19: PSSA Math and

Reading (Grades 3, 4, 5)

April 22– 26: PSSA Science

(Grade 4)

The PSSA is a state-mandated

test, which means all students

must take the test. Please do not

schedule vacations or

appointments during these testing

days. Thank you!

Page 2 February 2013

While we all

recognize the

importance of daily

attendance at school,

we also need to keep

in mind that students

need to be on time for the start of the

school day. When students

consistently arrive late to school, they

miss the opportunity to participate in

the morning routines, including time

to meet and greet their classmates

and time to discuss the day’s schedule

with the teacher.

Sometimes a doctor’s appointment

makes it necessary for students to

arrive late to school, which is

understandable, as it is not something

that happens every day. However,

when students arrive late on a regular

basis, learning may be affected. Let

us work together to have our students

arrive on time, take part in the

morning routines, have a clear

understanding of the day’s schedule

for learning, and be full participants

in the learning process.

Remember, the student day begins

promptly at 8:45 AM. If a student

arrives to class after 8:45 AM, s/he

must then report to the main office to

receive a pass to class so that his/her

attendance record can be updated to

reflect “present”, but tardy. Should

you have any questions regarding

your child’s attendance record, please

contact your child’s homeroom

teacher.■

Although the weather, at times, feels

spring-like, we are still in the middle of

the winter season. Sometimes winter

weather can interrupt the school day

or cause the school district to close.

Take time to review with your child

your family’s plan if there is an early

dismissal or a school closing.

When inclement weather arrives,

announcements of school closings will

be made on KYW (1060 AM). The

radio stations identify school districts

by name and/or by specific numbers.

Centennial’s school closing number is

753. When schools open late, 753 will

be announced, along with details of the

delayed opening. Additional channels

(3, 6, and 10), as well as the local

Comcast cable channel, 28, and

Verizon cable channel, 36, will post

information. As always, the district

website, www.centennialsd.org, will be

updated with up-to-the-minute

information. Don’t forget that this

information can be sent directly to

your inbox if you are signed up for e-

alerts. Visit the district website for

further information.■

Inclement

Weather

Report Cards

The end of the second marking

period will be Thursday,

January 31st, 2013. Report cards

will be distributed to the students

on Wednesday, February 6th.

This is an excellent time to

discuss with your child any

future goals he or she might have

for the second half of the school

year. If you have any specific

questions or concerns, please

contact your child’s teacher.■

Kindergarten Registration

If you have a little one who will be

turning 5 by August 31st of 2013,

then it’s time to register him/her for

kindergarten! Kindergarten

registration is scheduled for

Wednesday, March 6th beginning

at 7:00 PM. Registration will take

place in the gym (Alta S. Leary All-

Purpose Room at Willow Dale).

During the evening’s presentation,

you will meet school staff, learn

about the kindergarten curriculum,

and have an opportunity to complete

the forms required to register for

kindergarten.

You must bring the following items

in order to register your child:

The child’s birth certificate that

we will copy

The child’s social security

number

The child’s immunizations

And (4) proofs of residency for

yourself. Examples are:

telephone bill, electric bill,

driver’s license, etc.

Registration forms will be available

on the district website if you would

like to print them out and complete

them in advance. This will be the

only opportunity to register a

kindergarten child at this building.

After March 6th, the registration

process is handled by the

Centennial School District

administrative offices in Johnsville.

In order to register there, you will

need to call for an appointment

(215) 441-6000, ext. 11046.■

Attendance -- TARDY

Attention 4th and 5th Grade Boys

and Girls: Mark your calendars

for our annual 3v3 basketball

March Madness Tournament.

Informational meetings will be

held during your recess towards

the end of January. You will

receive a registration/permission

form.

Please make sure to hand these

forms into Ms. Jenkins by

February 5, 2013.

Boys will play on Tuesdays

beginning on February 12 and

Girls will play on Thursdays

beginning on February 14, 2013.

All after school games will run

from 3:45-4:30 in the Alta S.

Leary All-Purpose Room/Gym

here at Willow Dale. While we

encourage spectators to cheer on

our students, we cannot allow any

siblings (whether students from

Willow Dale, Log or WTHS) to be

here without a parent/guardian

also present. Any student who

does not have a grown-up with

him/her will have to wait in the

office until a grown-up has arrived.

Thank you for helping us to keep

keep the event fun and safe for our

student participants here at Willow

Dale! ■

Page 3 February 2013

Below, please find the suggested

temperatures and times for re-

cess during colder weather.

Below 60 degrees—Jacket or long

sleeves

Below 50 degrees—Coat and long pants

Below 32 degrees—Gloves and hats to

go outside

Below 15 degrees—Shortened recess (5-

10 minutes)

Below 10 degrees—Indoor recess

To access the current local temperature

including wind chill—

1) Type www.weather.com

2) Type in your zip code

3) Look at the current temperature for

Southampton

4) Look right below that current tempera-

ture to get the “Feels Like” temperature

Recess is an opportunity for stu-

dents to get some fresh air and

play with their friends. Because we

will continue to go outside during

the winter months (weather per-

mitting), we ask that students be

dressed appropriately for the sea-

son. Long pants, hats, coats,

gloves, and scarves keep students

warm while they enjoy the sun-

shine and fresh air on a wintry

day. Thank you for your help with

this!

Outstanding Cafeteria Balance

The Food Service Department has a

procedure that students owing more

than an established obligation

($25.00 ELEM, $8.00 MS/HS) be

provided with a basic, healthy

“snack” in lieu of the full lunch when

these amounts are exceeded. The

cafeteria continues to enforce this

procedure and asks that payments

are made in a timely manner.

If you are eligible, free or reduced

price lunches are available by filing

an application through the Business

Office of the Centennial School

District.

You can also pre-pay for lunch through

the “Pay-for-It” system and credit can

be immediately applied to the

account. If you have any questions,

please contact Bill Gretton at

215-441-6000 ext.

11006.■

Page 4 February 2013

February 2013 Calendar

Page 5 February 2013

Counselor’s Corner

Every parent knows the joy of seeing their child smile or hearing their laughter echoing

through the halls. Humor can help turn some of the most stressful days into favorite

memories. It can also provide some significant benefits to ourselves and our children. Here

are some interesting benefits of humor, courtesy of PBS.org.

Cognitive benefits of humor:

Increased creativity

Improved problem-solving ability

Enhanced memory (for humorous material)

Increased ability to cope with stress, by providing an alternative, less serious perspective on one’s problems

Emotional benefits of humor:

Elevated mood and feelings of well-being

Reduced depression, anxiety, and tension

Increased self-esteem and resilience

Increased hope, optimism, energy, and vigor

Social benefits of humor:

Bonding with friends and family

Reinforcement of group identity and cohesiveness

Increased friendliness and altruism

Increased attractiveness to others

Happier marriages and close relationships

Physical benefits of laughter:

Increased endorphins and dopamine

Increased relaxation response

Reduced pain

Reduced stress

Page 6 February 2013

From the Reading Specialists

Willow Dale’s “Buzzing” following the Bee

The National Geography Bee has been

supported by Willow Dale Elementary

School for a number of years. Our

fifth grade students prepared for this

year’s competition through map and

Atlas study questions, exploring

geography concepts in the History

Alive textbook, and also through

computer research skills.

This year was very successful and

produced three wonderful champions.

Grabbing third place honors was

Valerie Pendrak. Earning second

place honors was Austin Peronace.

And finally, the winner of the 2013

National Geography Bee School Level

Competition was Abigale Lomas!

Abigale obtained the championship

medal and a $25

gift certificate,

while earning the

opportunity to

complete in the

State

Championships.

Congratulations to

Abigale and all the

participants! The

teachers and staff

would like to send

a special thank you

to all the parents,

guardians,

students, and loved

ones who attended the Bee.■

To Build Literacy Skills With Your Child…..

Try This at Home:

Talk often with your child to build listening and talking skills.

Include your child in daily conversations as much as possible…as you eat together, shop for groceries, walk to

school, wait for a bus, drive in a car.

Have your child use his imagination to make up and tell you stories. Ask questions that will encourage him to ex-

pand the stories.

Look at family photographs and have conversations about what is going on in the pictures.

Listen to your child’s questions patiently and answer them just as patiently. If you don’t know the answer, re-

search it together showing her how to go about solving problems. The use of technology to research answers is a

good idea as long as there is close grown-up supervision.

Talk about books that you’ve read together. While you are reading make sure you pause often and talk about the

characters in the story or where the story is taking place. Making connections with the story is a powerful strategy

to model for your child. They will soon learn that this is what good readers do all the time.

Monitor the time that children spend watching television or playing video/computer games. Make sure your child

is getting enough time reading, speaking, listening, and interacting with peers and grown-ups so they can thrive in

an environment that will prepare them for an exciting and productive life.

Page 7 February 2013

Home and School News

There are lots of fun events coming up for our students in the next few months! Keep an eye on the Wednesday folder and be sure to check the “For Parents” tab on Willow Dale’s website

for Home & School info.

Our next meeting will be Monday, February 11 at 7:00 PM in the library.

There will be a Fun Fair committee meeting held immediately following.

Kids’ Night Out

Friday, March 8th.

6:30 to 9:00 PM

Volunteers are needed to help out

with this event.

Please contact Jen Howe:

jhowe13@gmail.com

The Valentine’s Classroom Parties

will take place on

Thursday, February 14th

at 2:15 PM.

Look for a letter from the front office with important information.

Save the Date!

Second and Third

Grade classes will be having an

Ice Cream Social

hosted by our

Special Events Committee on

February 22nd.

The Annual Willow Dale

Walk-A-Thon

will be held on Friday, April 5th.

Paperwork will be coming home at

the end of the month.

If you would like to volunteer, please

contact WDHS.

willowdalehsa@gmail.com

February

2013

Page 8 February 2013

CATS Ticket Winners

As part of our Character

Education Program here at

Willow Dale, we celebrate the

pillars of character each and

every day. Students, teachers

and staff are invited and

encouraged to complete CATS

coupons to honor others for their

being of good character. CATS

stands for: Character,

Achievement, Teamwork and

Service. Each Friday morning,

on the announcements, a

handful of names are read aloud,

and these students receive a

small prize from our Guidance

Department. While all of our

students and staff at Willow

Dale know that character counts,

everywhere, all the time, the

following students and staff were

selected in January for being of

especially outstanding

character!:

Congratulations to Mr.

D’Andrea, Mrs. Monaghan and

Ms. Wirsch for having been our

January staff members

nominated for a CATS coupon!

Keep up the great work■

*Andres Aguado

*Zaya Benton

*Lily Bollendorf

*Paul Broccardi

*Kaitlin Buono

*Madison Brown

*Damian Calhoun

*Sean Campbell

*Graciela Cohen

*Brennen Corcoran

*Giavonna Demos

*Lucas DuBeck

*Omar Elbanna

*Jacqueline Faulk

*Zachary Goldman

*Elena Goines

*Alyssa Gorman

*Trevarian Hellwig

*Tyler Hargraves

*Kyla Hollinsworth

*Jillian Jeffreys

*Ronald Kaczmarek

*Kevin Keating

*Brent Kehoe

*Dawson Kirsch

*Riley Loughlin

*James Leamon

*Phoenix Lehman

*Ruby Loughlin

* Rachel Lowenthal

*Sean Maddox

*Christine McLaughlin

*Holden Meakim

*Jamar Mitchell

*Ryan Murray

*Karla Olguin

*Joseph Podgorski

*Alexis Roytman

*Kay Shannon

*Brandon Sher

*Ketorah Smoot

*Angelina Stancker

*John Stanfield

*Alexandra Willauer

*Alyssa Williams

*Kaylee Wood

*Rachel Yost

Family Vacations

Are you planning a family trip or

vacation during the school year?

If so, keep in mind that district

policy specifies that trip/vacation

requests must be made to the

Principal at least two weeks

before the trip occurs. Request

forms are available in the main

office or on the Willow Dale

website.■

Centennial Education Foundation (C.E.F)

The Centennial Education Foundation

is a nonprofit organization dedicated

to providing the best opportunities for

our children, which helps to fund

grants throughout the district. Our

commitment is that all funds go

directly to the students. By investing

in our children, we enhance the

enrichment of our community’s future.

Are you looking for the perfect gift for

that special staff or faculty

member? Then look no further than

the CEF Annual Giving

Campaign. You may make a

donation, starting as low as $10, in

honor of any staff member. The staff

or faculty member will receive

notification that a donation was made

in their honor. Your donation will be

used to help fund grants that staff

members can apply for during the

school year. If you are interested in

making a donation, please contact Bob

Schrader at 215-441-6000 ext.

11008.■

Page 9 February 2013

The Wellness Committee

Centennial School District

Willow Dale

Elementary School

720 Norristown Road

Warminster, PA 18974

Phone: 215-441-6093

Mr. Michael W. Donnelly

Principal

Mr. Miles Roe

Assistant Principal

From the Nurse

Hello Parents and Guardians and Happy

February! We just wanted to remind you

all of some important information we

should have on file about your child.

•Immunizations: A review of current im-

munization records for students K-5 shows

missing immunizations for some stu-

dents. This is most likely a DOCUMEN-

TATION issue. We will be calling or notify-

ing you by letter. Note to all parents; if

your child receives immunizations at their

yearly visit please send the most recent

immunization record to us so we may up-

date our records.

•Dental Exams: All students in Kinder-

garten & Grade 3 should have an updated

Report of Dental Exam. Please send in if

you have not already.

•Physical Exams: All students entering

school should have a Report of Physical

Exam on file.

•Out door Recess: Please remember to

send your child to school with a coat, hat &

gloves.

If you have any questions please feel free to

call us (215-441-6093, ext.17025). Please

remember to update your numbers with the

front office and/or the Nurse’s Office. We ap-

preciate all of your help and support!■

Lost and Found

Is your child missing a hat,

gloves, lunchbox, or even a

coat? If so, you may want

to stop in the cafeteria and

check out the Willow Dale

Lost and Found. To help in

identifying misplaced

items, please take time to

label your child’s clothing.

This assists us in returning

those lost

items more

quickly to

their owners.

Thank you!■

Thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers who helped to make our

annual Cradles to Crayons collection another huge success!

This year the wellness committee

will be working hard on several

events that will help lead our

PUMA families down the path to

healthy lifestyle. Be on the

lookout for several events

focusing on the 6 major nutrients

(Protein, Carbohydrates, Fat,

Minerals, Vitamins and Water)

that our body needs to function

properly.

In the spring we will be hosting a

Willow Dale Healthy Families

Day Health

Fair.■