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Panther Pride Dennis Elementary School

1499 W. Main

Decatur, Illinois 62522

217.424.3236

October 2009

Principal’s Letter: Mr. Daniel Fuentes

Already the Decatur Public Schools have passed the mid-way through the first 9 week grad-

ing quarter. Mid-Term Progress Reports were distributed for all students reflecting their

classroom academic and student citizenship performance. As the first grading quarter will end on Friday, October 16th, it is likely that student report cards will be distributed at the

Parent – Teacher Conferences on the following week. The past two years have included an

evening time, in addition to the scheduled non-attendance day for Parent Conferences

(Friday, October 23rd ). As of this writing, DPS # 61 has not yet determined if the evening time will be provided. Reflecting the Mid-Term Reports that I have reviewed, many stu-

dents’ grades and levels of understanding the subject matter is being negatively impacted

by not completing in-class and homework. I encourage parents to check with your children

each day related to completion of class requirements.

This past week, Dennis School completed the P.T.O. Fall Fundraiser. Appreciation is ex-

tended to all students and families that have participated in supporting the school project.

Considering our low enrollment numbers, the fundraiser appears to have been successful. In a few weeks, the products will arrive to Dennis School. At that time we will ask you to

pick-up the items and distribute the products to those individuals that supported your ef-

forts. All parents are also invited to attend the next Dennis Parent-Teacher Organization

PTO Meeting at 6:30pm, on Tuesday, October 13th.

On Monday, October 19th, Dennis School is scheduled for the Annual Student Picture Day.

In a couple weeks, the ordering packets will be distributed to students. Every student will

have his/her photograph taken, to be included in the class composites. However, purchas-

ing of the picture packages is optional, and entirely a parent’s choice.

As you watch the television news, there are many stories reported related to the local and

national status of the H1N1 Flu. I have been informed that health care agencies may not

be testing for H1N1, as the treatment for the flu is similar regardless of the specific type. The next Parent Update will provide additional information related to the flu, and also about

students needing to complete medical, dental, and vision requirements necessary to attend

school after the deadline date of October 15, 2009.

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Happy to be Healthy Notes from the Nurse

Please remember that students in Kindergarten and 6th grade must have the required medical information turned into the nurse’s office by October 15, 2009. Students will be excluded from school if they do not comply with this re-quirement. Students in Kindergarten, 2nd and 6th grades are required to have dental exams by May 15, 2010. The Dental Sealants and

More Dental program will be here at Dennis School on October 6 & 7, 2009. Every child is eligible to see the dentist. The exam he does will fulfill the dental requirement. Eligible students will also receive a dental cleaning, fluoride treatment and dental sealants.

SEASONAL FLU SHOTS ARE AVALIABLE AT THE MACON

COUNTY HEALTH DEPARTMENT AT THIS TIME.

Please have your child vaccinated for H1N1 when the vaccine be-comes available. For more information call the MCHD at 423-6988

If I can be of assistance please call me at Dennis School. Leslie White, R.N. ILCSN Dennis, Durfee, French

855-3673

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PTO News

I would like to start by thanking everyone who partici-

pated in our first Fund Raiser of the year! We sold 785

items and 60 Dennis kids participated! We out sold

last year and we will release the details on earnings

next month. This is a great start to our new year. It

will put more money into the fund for the 100th Year

Celebration as well as other fun events we have

planned this year.

Our next PTO meeting will be held in the Dennis Li-

brary on October 13th at 6:30 pm. We look forward

to seeing new faces and hearing your ideas.

We would also like to announce that the Book Fair will

be returning to Dennis in November. The Book Fair

will run right along side of Family Reading Night and

more details will be available at the PTO meeting as

well as in the next newsletter.

If you are interested in popping popcorn on Wednesday

afternoons from 1 pm to 3 pm please contact me at

423-6144 or email me at PTODennis@yahoo.com. We

are in need of volunteers for January through May. If

you filled out a 2 hour volunteer form at the beginning

of the school year just one week of popping would

serve as your commitment.

Thank You,

Lori Barrett

PTO Coordinator

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Mrs. Simpson's Kindergarten

The month of October begins with the study of Fall. We will have an Apple Festival to culminate our study of ap-ples. Students will receive their first report cards mid-October and end the month with a Halloween Parade and Party. Please keep working at home on letter identification and sounds.

Also, please work on number recognition and numeral writing.

Mrs. Davis/Mrs. Mower’s Kindergarten

Starting next week we are integrating the study of ap-ples and orchards with fall and the changing of seasons. Look out for various apple activities to be sent home. We will be graphing, counting, sorting, and of course eating apples. At the end of next week our culminating activity will be an Apple Festival.

It is the beginning of fall and we are on the look-out for the signs of fall. We are asking the kindergartners to bring in signs of fall to add to our fall table. Some examples of fall are a jacket, a gourd, a red apple, colored leaves, acorns, etc. Make sure you discuss with your kindergartner why what they are bringing in is a sign of fall because they will be asked to explain it to the class.

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1st Grade Mrs. Miller & Mrs. VerHeecke

October will be an exciting month for first graders. We will be talking about Fire Safety the first week of the month. Please review your family’s fire safety plan. We will also be doing some fun pumpkin activities the week of October 26th - 30th to get ready for Halloween. We will be working on addition and subtraction in math. We’re continuing to study short vowel sounds and beginning blends in reading. We will also be learning the different types of sentences. We appreciate the time you are putting in to help your child with home-work. It’s making a difference in your child’s learning.

Mrs. Sweitzer—2nd Grade

September was a busy month! Our second grade rules and procedures are well established. The students are doing a fantastic job remembering to write down homework assignments and return their agenda and folder each day. Please check agendas and initial each day. Continue to encourage your child to read the book in the envelope and li-brary books! We love to read poems and our Poetry Notebook collection is growing! Our motto is “The more we read the smarter we get!”

Happy Fall! Mrs. Sweitzer

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3rd Grade Mrs. Burnham

October is full of exciting things! We will be focused on writing responses to question from our readings. Math covers subtraction, and we will begin multiplication. In science we will be concluding our Earth Sci-ence Unit with information about recycling. Our discovery top-ics for the month will be about pumpkins, spiders and bats. If you would like to donate a pumpkin to our class just send it to school with your child. Please feel free to stop by our classroom anytime to look at our new art work hanging in the hall.

Special Notice: Parent/Teacher Conferences are this month. Be looking for a schedule to sign up for an opportunity to discuss your child’s progress.

Ms. Altenbernd’s 4th Grade Class

Before you know it, the end of the quarter will be here! There is still plenty of time to pull the mid-quarter grades up. As a reminder, parent/teacher conferences are coming up, and I am looking forward to talking to

you. I am still looking for help with the scheduled parties for our room. If anyone could provide cupcakes for the Halloween party, I would really appreciate it.

Right now in Math we are going to be working on multiplication and division. It would be very helpful if you worked with your child on flash cards. The best way to learn them is by memorizing them, which requires practice. We are also going to be working in small groups in Reading within the next few weeks.

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Mrs. Phillips Class – 4th Grade We’re still working hard! Our new book, to read as a class, is SuperFudge by Judy Blume . We enjoy doing activities and reading with part-ners with our books. Please read every night. It is very important to practice multiplication facts at home with flashcards

and 5 minute fact tests. A lot of our math in fourth grade works with multiplication and division. We’ll be having conferences and reports coming up in October!

Fifth Grade News -Mrs. Polk

We are currently attempting to complete an art project in conjunction with Hispanic Heritage Month. I introduced an artist, Frida Kahlo, who painted portraits using a method called "Retablo". She painted on tin, but we substituted with aluminum foil. We are look-ing forward to the finished product.

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Band News

The beginning band has been working hard on building our musical foundation. The first step, after learning how to put the instruments together, is creating a musical sound. (emphasis on musical) From there we've been learning how to play our first five notes. Once we know the fingerings and can recognize the notes on the staff and are counting and playing together, we're a real band! The returning students in the advanced band are just about done with the entire first book. What a difference a year makes. Thanks to all the band students for your practicing (a little every day makes a big difference) and parents for your encour-agement and support.

Mr. Nate Saltus Elementary Band

Dennis, Durfee, Enterprise, Franklin, Oak Grove, Stevenson

P.S. Come hear the Fall Concert of the Decatur Municipal Band on October 13, at 7:30pm at Tabernacle Baptist Church.