Hat Dat THIS FRIDAY 9-26-08

Please encourage your child to bring in $0.50 and wear a hat on Friday for Caring Caps. All the donations will go to a Haverhill family with a child battling childhood cancer. All students who donate $0.50 or more are welcome to wear their hat all day on Friday, Sept. 26th to show their support of this strong young Haverhill hornet!

PJ DAY

Our class has earned the reward to wear their pajamas to school on Tuesday, Sept. 30th. More details will be in the Friday newsletter!

Open House A SUCCESS

Thank you for coming to Open House tonight! What a great night for your kids to show off their new classroom and school surroundings. I am so thankful to have such a great group of students and it all goes back to wonderful parents. Thanks for all you do in supporting your child's school experiences...it makes all the difference in the world.

I'd also like to say that the fall fundraiser has a huge impact on our school. Our HPTO provides funding for classroom supplies, field trips, technology, the summer reading program, reading materials, and many many other things we NEED for school. Please consider supporting this fundraising project. It truly benefits your child's life at Haverhill!

Thanks again for coming in tonight!

GOT HEADPHONES????

Just a quick reminder that all students need to bring in their own headphones for computer lab. These will be stored individually in Ziplock bags for health reasons. If you have extra headphones laying around that you'd like to donate we are always in need of more! Check out the dollar stores for great bargains on headphones!
Thanks for your help!

Thursday, September 11th

Please remind your child to dress in RED, WHITE, and BLUE on Thursday to commemorate this day!

Our Open House is from 5:30-7:00 and the HPTO will be hosting a picnic. What a great way to see old friends and meet some new Haverhill Hornets!

Show and Share Schedule

Monday
· Allie
· Landon
· Ashlyn
· Ali
Tuesday
· Brianna
· Madi
· Jonathan
· Maeve
Wednesday
· Joel
· Grayden
· Abby
· Cobie
Thursday
· Jason
· Brooke
· Nickolas
· Aimee
Friday
· Blake
· Andre
· Jeffrey
· Jazmin

Special Events in Room 12

• Apple Week-Sept. 22-26
• Halloween Parade & Party***-Friday, October 31st 9:30-11:00am
• Thanksgiving Feast-Thursday, Nov. 20th 2:30pm
• Gingerbread House Party-Thursday, Dec. 18th 10:00am
• Valentine's Day Party***-Friday, Feb. 13th 10:00-11:30 am

***If any of you would like to share your party planning talents, these two parties are open for you....there will be a sign up for planners and helpers at Open House!***

Here's a little bit of information on each of the events. A lot more information will come home and will be posted closer to the dates.

Apple Week: All students should bring in at least one apple of any size or color by Tuesday, Sept. 23. We will be measuring, comparing, tasting, and cooking with apples all week. A parent sign up sheet will be posted at Open House to help with Apple Stations and cooking.

Halloween: Our classroom party will follow the parade. Students must come dressed in their costumes to school. Following the party all students will change into regular school clothes for the remainder of the day. We are in need of a parent or two to plan our party games and snacks. Please let me know if you would like this special job!

Thanksgiving Feast: All the first grades will come together dressed as either Native Americans or Pilgrims for a feast. We will make many of the foods at school like corn bread, butter, and cranberry sauce. We will ask for parent help for the turkey of course!

Gingerbread House Party: This is my favorite class party every year. Students will each have their own little gingerbread house (made out of graham crackers) to decorate as they wish with lots of frosting and candy!

Valentine's Day Party: This will be a "sweet brunch" party this year as we will celebrate in the morning. We are in need of a parent or two to plan the games and snacks for this party too.

A Few Classroom Policies

Just a few things to keep in mind to make sure we are buzzing off to a good start...

• Take Home Folders and Backpacks are needed every school day!
• Birthday Invitations are welcome to be distributed at school as long as the ENTIRE class is included. Feelings are hurt when invitations are passed out and a child does not receive one. Please be mindful of this in planning. I will be more than happy to give you addresses or parent numbers. Getting a Haverhill Phone Book will be the best way to have every ones' information for parties and play dates.
• Send a note to school whenever there is a change in transportation. Please send a dated and signed note with details for how your child will be getting home after school. If a change occurs during the school day, please call our school office at 323-6200 and notify them of the change.
• All money brought to school must be contained in a sealed well-labeled envelope. For example lunch money should be in an envelope with your child's first and last name as well as the amount inside.
• Water bottles are always welcome in our classroom. We must limit it to water only as many accidents can happen with so many active little bodies!
• Extra winter wear (hats, mittens, socks) should be kept in your child's backpack just in case it's needed.
• An extra change of clothing should be in your child's bag if they are prone to accidents. This will save you a trip to the school and your child feeling funny in clothes from the office.

Daily Snacks and Lunch Time

MORNING SNACK: Each morning around 10:15 students are in need of re-energizing! Plese send in an individual snack for your child that is PEANUT FREE due to severe allergies in our classroom.Thank you for your respect for all students in Room 12!
LUNCH: Our lunch period follows recess at 12:00. Students have 30 minutes to eat their lunch. Your child may bring one from home or purchase one in the cafeteria. Each month a new menu will come home. Full lunch is $1.80, Reduced Price lunch is $0.40. Milk alone is always $0.45. If your child needs to have breakfast at school please have them check in with me first so I know where they are if the bell rings. Breakfast prices are Full Breakfast: $1.20 or Reduced Breakfast: $0.30. Students must eat breakfast in the cafeteria before coming to class. To qualify for free or reduced lunch or breakfast forms can be found in the office.

Room 12's STAR of the WEEK Schedule

Please take note of your child's Star of the Week date. They will have an area devoted to them all week. When it is your child's week, please send in a poster of pictures of your child with friends and family, special awards, drawings, and mementos. This poster should be brought to school the FRIDAY before their Star Week. The poster board will be sent home with them on the last day of their week. The Star will be granted special jobs and opportunities throughout the week to make it memorable for them. The Star is welcome to bring in special items to share with our class each day if they wish. During your child's week they are also welcome to bring in a special
snack to share with our class, keeping in mind all the special allergies we have in our classroom.
October:
6- Allie Coonfare
13- Landon Cornish
20- Ashlyn Erny
27- Ali Farran
November:
3- Brianna Fox
10- Madison Hawkey
17- Jonathan Hernandez
December:
1- Maeve Hodge-McNutt
8- Joel Jensen
15- Grayden Ladik
January:
12- Abby Long
19- Cobie Mattimore
26- Jason McMann
February:
2- Brooke Seely
9- Nickolas Smith
16- Blake Sorge
23- Jeffrey Wilson
March:
2- Aimee Smith-Goldish
9- Jazmin Carpenter
16- Andre Walker
23-
30-

Room 12's Weekly Schedule

Monday: 12:35 Music, 1:05 Computer Lab
Tuesday: 1:35 Music, 2:45 Community Day
Wednesday: 10:00 Library, 2:30 P.E.
Thursday:1:30 Art, 2:30 P.E.
Friday: 2:00 PE
**Must have gym shoes on gym days.**
***Please return library books!***
11:30 Recess
12:00 Lunch

2008-09 HAVERHILL Student Council and HPTO Dates

September

9th--School Pictures

10th--PTO Meeting

11th--Open House\Back to School Picnic

29th Fundraiser $$$ due

October

8th---PTO Meeting

15th--Fundraiser Pick Up

November

12th--Donuts for Dad in AM and PTO Meeting

19th-25th Bookfair

December

16th& 17th Holiday Boutique

January

February

March

April

May

June

PPS Academic Calendar 2008-09

Announcing Our New 2008-09 Calendar
School Hours:Regular times - Elementary hours: Doors open 8:36, classes from 8:43-3:42
Tuesday, September 2: 1st Semester begins, ½ day
Thursday, September 11: Elementary Open Houses
Tuesday, November 4: No classes (Election Day)
Monday, November 24: Evening conferences
Tuesday, November 25: ½ day, afternoon/evening conferences
Wednesday, November 26: No classes
Thursday-Friday, November 27-28: Thanksgiving Recess
December 22-January 2: Winter Recess
Monday, January 5: classes resume
Friday, January 23: No classes, end 1st Semester
Wednesday, February 25: Evening conferences
Thursday, February 26: ½ day, afternoon/evening conferences
Friday, February 27: Mid -Winter Break
Friday, March 27: No classes (Records/Prof Development)
Friday, April 3: No classes (Spring Friday)
April 6-10: Spring Recess
Monday, April 13: classes resume
Monday, May 25: No classes (Memorial Day)
Thursday, June 11: ½ day, end 2nd Semester
(This calendar is from the PPS website)

Homework Help...

When Your Child Comes To An Unknown Word....
Often adults tell a child to "sound out" an unknown word. Frequently that prompt is successful and the word is decoded. When sounding it out doesn't work, adults usually tell the word and reading continues.However, our goal is to help children become independent readers. Here are some alternative suggestions for parents or "homework helpers" to use when your child confronts an unknown word:
Guess the Covered Word Strategy(From Four-Blocks Literacy Model developed by Pat Cunningham and Dorothy Hall) It teaches students to ask three questions when they find an unknown word. Cover the word to keep your place (use your finger or a small sticky paper).
Ask: What makes sense? Look at the word and ask: How long is the word? Ask: What is the beginning letter(s) and the other letters in the word? Some Other Things To Try
Wait 5-10 seconds to see what attempts are made. Ask: "What would make sense there?"
OR Use the picture to help figure out the word. OR Skip the word and continue reading to end of line or sentence. OR Go back and read sentence again. OR If the word was on a previous page, go back and try to find it. OR Look for a smaller word in a big one. OR Cover the ending (-ed, -ing) with your finger and try word. OR Look how the word begins. Let the sound "pop" right out. OR Help with blending (sounding it out). OR Tell the word and keep on reading.
It is important that children learn to use these strategies independently. When your child "figures out" a word, you might ask how he/she did it. Telling about their reading helps to reinforce learning.

Reading Practice

As with any new skill, the more you practice the better you become. Just like learning to ride a bike, reading also needs to be practiced. Parents can help! Read to and with your child every day. Ask questions about what is being read to make sure your child understands. Rereading stories and books is fine. Take your child to the library and stay awhile to read together (then borrow more books to take home). Make reading a priority in your home. Remember, you are your child's most important teacher. Children learn to do what you do!