the official pta newsletter spring/summer...
TRANSCRIPT
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 1
The Wildcat News THE OFFICIAL PTA NEWSLETTER
SPRING/SUMMER 2014 Washington Elementary School, 301 Washington Avenue, Union, NJ 07083
A MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT As we near the end of another school year, I would like to acknowledge my deepest gratitude to all of the hard-working teachers, staff, and principal at Washington Elementary School. You all do so much for our children and all of you are very much appreciated. You all continue to make such a positive impact in our children’s lives and we are forever grateful. Thank you to everyone who has supported the PTA in
one way or another, for all of your hard work, devotion and efforts in making this a very successful school year for our children. I have thoroughly enjoyed serving as your PTA president for the past two years and am sad to no longer continue on this journey. However, I know you will be in very capable hands with the new PTA president, Anna DaPonte.
We have accomplished so much and the lives of our children have been enriched by these efforts. Each and every person who contributes is a very important member of the team and you are all appreciated! We can’t say this enough but, THANK YOU! Thank you to everyone who donated their time, contributed to one of our fundraisers, or volunteered in any way.
The PTA team has provided educational as well as fun-filled activities throughout the year. Thanks to the support of our dedicated teachers, principal, volunteers and staff, our kids have had incredible learning experiences here at Washington, and have had a good time as well. Last, but not least, I want to extend my most sincere appreciation to my PTA Board members that have supported me throughout the year. You were all amazing and I could not have asked for a better team! Thank you for your endless hours and wonderful reinforcement that guaranteed the happiness and achievements of our children. You are appreciated more than you know.
Have a fantastic summer!!
Kristin Pello, PTA President
IN THIS ISSUE . . . FRIENDLY REMINDERS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 NEWS OF NOTE. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 SPOTLIGHT ON…GAIL SIGNORELLI. . . . . . 4 APRIL EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 MAY EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7 JUNE EVENTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION, OR TO
CONTRIBUTE PHOTOS, ART, STORIES, OR
MORE, PLEASE CONTACT DYANNA RAU AT
[email protected]. THANKS! SEE YOU IN SEPTEMBER!
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 2
Friendly Reminders
Upcoming Events: June 23
AM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE
June 24 9:30am – Kindergarten Song Fest!
PM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE
June 25 AM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE
June 26 9:15am – 4th Grade Farewell Assembly!
PM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-3, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE
June 27 LAST DAY OF SCHOOL!
Report Cards sent home AM PreK Only, Dismissal at 11:30am K-4, 1:00pm Dismissal - NO AFTER CARE
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL 2014/2015 Thursday, September 4, 2014
Washington School PTA Notes:
As this year ends, we are already preparing for next year! If you have ever thought you would like to be a little more involved, please consider Chairing or Co-Chairing a Committee! We could always use your help. Getting involved is a very fulfilling experience as well as extremely inspiring to your children. Please contact Anna DaPonte at [email protected] to join or get more information on the various Committees that are available. If you also have any suggestions of events that you would like to see happen or improvements we can make on any current events, please email us at [email protected].
Summer Safety Parent Tips: The final school bell has rung, the pencils and notebooks are packed away and the kids are ready for some summer fun! Children love the hot summer months, because they provide the perfect opportunity to spend lots of time outside. Whether it’s swimming in the pool, hiking through the woods, taking long walks, or going for a bike ride, there is something for everyone, no matter how young or old. We hope that everyone enjoys this special time of year, but we want to also remind parents that there are potential dangers during the summer months, and it’s important to be aware of what they are. The more information one learns about how to prevent illnesses and injuries, the less likely they will occur.
Tick Bites Ticks are responsible for a variety of illnesses including Lyme disease and Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever. These diseases can be very serious. Stay in the center of paths, keeping away from overgrown areas and not sitting directly on the ground, wear protective clothing like long pants, and perform tick checks every day.
Water Safety Adult supervision is of paramount importance. Parents need to focus on their children 100% of the time. No distractions! Remember, no child or adult is “drown proof.”
Sun Protection Sunscreen is a must (on sunny and cloudy days)! Look for products with UVA and UVB protection and an SPF of at least 15. Look for shade whenever possible and wear protective clothing.
Dehydration and Heat-Related Illness Keeping well hydrated is very important. Do not wait until a child says he is thirsty before offering fluids. At this point, he is already dehydrated, so be sure to provide plenty of fluids before going outside, while out in the heat and afterwards.
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 3
News of Note… The New Jersey Association of School Librarians sponsored the New Jersey Enthusiastic Reader Award this spring. An elementary student, a middle school student, and a high school student from each region, were presented with this award.
Once again, a Washington School 4th Grader took top billing out of the hundreds of New Jersey public and private school students who love to read!
Congratulations to Nick DiGirolamo from Mr. Matthews’s Class!
Great job!
REMINDER: Don’t forget to cut up and collect your Box Tops even over the
summer months. Use this link to print out a sheet to organize them and
assist our volunteers to count them. You can add your child’s teacher’s
name to the sheet when you find out in September. Every Box Top counts,
and at the end of the year, the child with the most collected gets an ice
pop party for their class! Thank you, and have a wonderful summer!
- Gaby Grof-Tisza, Chairperson - BOX TOP$ Committee
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 4
Spotlight On… Gail Signorelli
As the 2013/14 School Year comes to an end, we say goodbye to a staple
at Washington School, Kindergarten Teacher, Mrs. Gail Signorelli.
Mrs. Signorelli started teaching at Washington as a Third
Grade teacher in 1980. By the mid 80’s she moved to
Kindergarten and has been there ever since. She has taught
hundreds of our neighborhood children, and has even taught
some of her old students’ children! In late 2013, Mrs. Signorelli
found out that her daughter was going to have a baby! She
took this as sign to retire so that she can care for her new
grandchild. This June, Mrs. Signorelli’s granddaughter was
born! Needless to say, she’s very excited! Don’t be surprised,
however, if you see Mrs. Signorelli around the school very soon –
not teaching, but showing her baby granddaughter off!
1980’s 1990’s 2000’s 2010’s
In her “favorite spot” June, 2014
Thank you, Mrs.
Signorelli, for
teaching and
looking after our
children for so
many years.
You will be
missed!
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 5
Gail Signorelli’s First Class - 1980
Gail Signorelli’s Last Class - 2014
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 6
Earth Day! Ms. Mason encouraged all the 3rd graders to
collect 6-pack soda rings and twist ties so they
can create a recycled volleyball net. Ms. Mason
assembled it and on Earth Day all the 3rd
graders came out to play a friendly game of
volleyball in honor of Earth Day.
Dedication to Danielle Guzman… September 2013 brought sorrow to the Guzman Family and the Washington School
Community with the untimely passing of Danielle Guzman, mother to Alejandro and
Adrian. In May, 2014, a park bench was placed by the playground in her honor.
Surrounding the bench are dedication bricks purchased by Washington School families.
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 7
Fourth Grade Gifted and Talented Business Competition!
Have you ever thought about starting your own business? Well, students in Washington
School’s Fourth Grade Gifted and Talented Program have. Over the past few months,
Fourth Grade G&T students learned the basics of the business world. They learned
about advertising, target markets, financial data, and investing.
Students worked in teams to create their own mock businesses and design business
plans that would allow their businesses to succeed. Students created their own
magazine advertisements; wrote, filmed, and edited their own commercials; created
business cards; and wrote a financial plan for investors. The final project was to put
all of their research and business ideas together into a PowerPoint slideshow that they
would present to “Investors.” These presentations took place on May 1, 2014, at the
“Washington School Business Competition”.
The business that won first place was EZ Snooz Pillow. EZ Snooz Pillow is an all
in one alarm clock/pillow. This business idea was created by Gianna Vaynberg,
Claudy Auguste, and Lawrence Langan. The group then took their business idea
to the Union Township district wide business challenge where they competed against
teams from every Union Township elementary school. The group presented their idea
to a panel of judges who voted on the winners. EZ Snooz Pillow took First Place
in the District!
Congratulations to EZ Snooz Pillow and to ALL our G&T students who participated. I
think we might have some future entrepreneurs at Washington School. Way to go G&T!
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 8
Battle of the Books!
The Third and Fourth Graders put
their brains, and reading and
recall skills to the test!
In separate
events, each
teacher divided
their class into
4-5 teams
containing
4-5 members each.
They then "battle"
between each team
using the six
required novels
for their grade.
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 9
Third Grade Music Concert
The Third and Fourth Graders picked up their instruments and showed off what they learned in Music Class! Way to go, guys! Your families couldn’t be more proud!
Fourth Grade Music Concert
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 10
School Fair!!! New bouncy rides that all ages could enjoy, Italian Ices, Popcorn and Cotton Candy – what’s not to love?! As usual, many thanks go out to all our hard-working staff and VOLUNTEERS! We love you!!
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 11
Fun Times Had By All!
Big winners on the Tricky Tray Raffle and 50/50 were Alexis Romano and Amy Phillips!
Gifts were awarded to our hardworking PTA Executive Committee and to the PTA Class
Coordinators. A special thank you gift was also given to Kristin Pello who is stepping down
after two years as President. Lastly, a special cake was presented to Mrs. Gail Signorelli who
is retiring after 34 years at Washington School.
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 12
Track and Field Day Track and Field Day in June was a great success for all our children to
get outside and MOVE! 1
The Wildcat News, Spring/Summer 2014 Editor/Newsletter Chair: Dyanna Rau 13
The 2 Million Page Challenge Party!
Washington School Kids Exceed Goal by Reading 2,449,718 Pages! (and still counting!?)
In recognition of the hard work of our students, Washington Elementary School had its Annual
1 2,000,000 Page Challenge Celebration Tuesday, June 17, 2014. The gym teachers enjoyed the
Dunk Tank, while our kids had Italian Ices and water and DJ Julian once again provided
entertainment… but the icing on the “pie” was Mr. Hoyt getting a pie in the face by Matthew
Heaton, winner of the Market Day Pie Sale Fundraiser! Click on this link to watch the video!