the PINNEY post Pinney Website 2012 November Newsletter 9989 Concord Road * Dublin, OH * 43017 * 614.798.3570 * Fax 614.718.8961 Please check out the Eli Pinney website for school calendar events and other important information. Scan the QR code above to access. www.dublinschools.net/pinney Greetings Pinney families, Cold Weather is here! Please make sure your children are dressing for the weather. We have many children who came to school without coats over the past week. Pinney students LOVE going out for recess. All students are expected to go outside when we have outdoor recess. We want them to stay safe and healthy. Please make sure your child leaves for school with outerwear appropriate for the day's weather. Make a habit of checking the weather forecast and encouraging your child to wear a jacket, hat, scarf and gloves on these colder days. * 20 degrees or below with wind chill - all recesses will be indoors. * 21-25 degrees with wind chill - lunch recess will be indoors, short recess may be outdoors * 26 degrees with wind chill and warmer - all recesses will be outdoors. Thanks for helping our Pinney students stay healthy and warm. Go Panthers! Troy Ehrsam, Principal Notes from the Pinney Office Office Communication • Students may not enter the building until 9:00 a.m. daily. • Be patient in the pick-up line at the end of the day. Cars need to remain in a single file line to pick up students. Also, please drop off your child at the sidewalk or side door in the morning. A Pinney staff member will monitor the side door beginning at 9:00 a.m. daily. We do not want children walking through cars and/or traffic. Student safety is our priority. • Give the buses the right of way during arrival and dismissal. No cars in the bus loop during the following times: 8:45-9:15 a.m. & 3:15-3:45 p.m. • Call the office or the automated attendance line (718-8960) if your child is going to be absent or late. Please send in a note if your child is signing out early for an appointment. • If your child is going to be absent from school, we would appreciate a phone call before 9:30 a.m. of that day. Ohio state law does require us to now have a written note upon a child’s return to school after an absence of any kind. An absence form can be found in the downloads section of our Pinney website (Absence Notification Form). We would appreciate your help by sending in this form or a note explaining the absence upon your child’s return to school. It is also important that you know that absences due to a family-planned vacation are no longer excused absences. • All phone number changes should take place at the building level. Please do not call the district office to change your contact information. Please call the Pinney office for questions (798-3570). • Send in a note if your child’s end of the day arrangements change. Without a note, we will follow typical end of day routine. • Both students need a note giving parent permission when bringing home a friend. New “Note to School” pads can be picked up in the office. • Write your child’s first and last name on the inside of lunch boxes, backpacks, jackets and other items so that we can return them if lost. All lost and found items will be donated to Welcome Warehouse at the end of each trimester. • Check your child’s backpack frequently. School Day AM Preschool 8:45-11:15 am PM Preschool AM Kindergarten 9:10-11:40 am PM Kindergarten Grades 1-5 9:10-3:40 pm ELI Latchkey (7:05 a.m. start & 6:00 p.m. end) 12:45-3:15 pm 1:10-3:40 pm 12:05-1:05 pm Clinic Communication with Mrs. Slack & Mrs. Pagan Clinic Communication The Dublin City School District has developed policies to help insure the health and safety of all our students. These policies have been developed in direct correlation with the recommendations of both Nationwide Children’s Hospital and the Centers for Disease Control. It is even more important that parents familiarize themselves with these policies and adhere to them as we move into the time of year when flu and other contagious illnesses become more prevalent. Please take time now to review the following information. If all of our parents follow these policies, we can reduce illness and absences for your child. • It is important to keep any child home exhibiting signs of illness. Signs of illness include fever of 100 degrees or higher, vomiting, diarrhea, sore throat, chills, irritability, or unusual skin rash. Other signs of illness are red and crusty eyes, as well as, other symptoms that are unusual for your child. If your child has been home ill, they must be symptom free without medication for 24 hours before returning to school. If they have been placed on an antibiotic for a contagious illness, they must be on the antibiotic for 24 hours before returning to school. • Please remember that parents are responsible for supplying the school with any medication (prescription and over-the-counter) that needs to be given during school hours. The appropriate forms(s) must be completed for clinic staff to be able to administer the medication. Prescription and non-prescription forms are available on the district web site at www.dublinschools.net or from the clinic. The clinic staff is happy to help you determine which forms are needed for your child. • Please make sure to call the school if you change phone numbers. This information is vital as we often need to contact a parent(s) if there is an injury or illness. When listing someone as an emergency contact, please make sure it is a local person who would be able to pick up an ill child. • Remember that cough drops are considered a medication. They must be kept in the clinic and must be sent in with a non-prescription medication form that has been completed by a parent. Students are not permitted to carry cough drops with them during the school day. • When leaving a message on the attendance line, please provide any symptoms your child has such as student's temperature, cough, sore throat, headache, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, etc. Please also include if your child has been seen by a doctor or travelled abroad. Please feel free to call the clinic and speak with the clinic aide or school nurse regarding any questions or concerns you have. Thank you for your helping to keep all of our students healthy and safe this season. Clinic phone # - (614) 718-8955 Counselor Corner During the month of November, I will visit each classroom, grades K-5, for one guidance lesson. The lessons will focus on Friendship (KG-3rd), Bullying (4th), and Random Acts of Kindness (5th). In kindergarten, we will read and discuss the book Polka-Dot Fixes Kindergarten, by Catherine Urdahl. We will talk about how to make friends and all the benefits of having friends. We will also talk about some of the challenges that come along with friendship. In first grade, we will read and discuss Franklin is Bossy, by Paulette Bourgeois. We will talk about the benefits and challenges of friendship. We will focus on how our behaviors can affect our relationships and practice ways to maintain our friendships. In second grade, we will read and discuss Charlie the Caterpillar, by Dom DeLuise. We will discuss ways that we are good friends and things that we can each work on to become better friends. In third grade, we will read and discuss Enemy Pie, by Derek Munson. We will discuss different characteristics that friends have and I will challenge the students to think about what kind of friend they are. In fourth grade, we will read and discuss Crow Boy, by Taro Yashima. We will discuss why the behaviors of the children in this story are bullying behaviors. Students will then participate in an activity that requires them to think about what bullying is, what their role can be in stopping bullying, and what they can do to protect themselves from being the victim. In fifth grade, we will read and discuss The Giving Tree, by Shel Silverstein. We will continue our discussion of kindness by brainstorming ways we can give through the five acts of kindness; acts of service, encouraging words, gift giving, quality time and physical touch. We will conclude the lesson with a discussion on how this kindness relates to our role as leaders. Leslie Cellar School Counselor 614.718.8953 LEAP Logic, Enrichment and Pursuit Amy Neader - Gifted Intervention Specialist This is my first year at Pinney Elementary and I want to thank the staff, students, and parents for such a warm welcome! I’m thrilled to be a part of the Pinney team. For weekly updates about the LEAP classroom be sure to check my teacher webpage. 4th Grade Reading LEAP: Who started the fire? The students are participating in a mock trial involving “James Post” and “Larry Palmer”. Did these college students start a fire that destroyed a forest? Was it an accident? Or was it someone else? These are the questions we are exploring in room 232. The 4th grade reading LEAP students have been learning about making inferences and persuasive arguments. Now they are putting this knowledge to use in a real life simulation. Students are asking great questions, showing creativity, and demonstrating a real understanding of the concepts. Later this month, be ready for rousing dinner conversation when we have the trial and all of our questions are answered! In class students are also building their vocabulary and reading fluency. 4th Grade Math LEAP: What is an average? In class students have learned about mean, median, and mode. We are discussing how these averages could be used in advertisement to mislead consumers. Students are applying this knowledge in a real life application. Groups were given information regarding a product, analyzed the data, and found the averages. Now they are using this information to create misleading commercials. Both the math and creativity in this project has been outstanding! Students are also building their number sense, logical reasoning, and problem solving strategies through a variety of activities. 5th Grade Humanities LEAP: “Books are better than movies!” At least that is the argument that some students are making in the LEAP classroom. Students were assigned either proposition or opposition of this assertion and used everything they have learned about debate over the past few weeks to argue their points. Students have learned how to form logical reasons, supported with evidence, to support their assertion. Avoiding logical fallacies and refuting arguments is also something students are practicing. This first mini debate was great! Students worked through the nerves of public speaking and were able to implement all of the key elements of a debate. Reading Rap Mrs. Guzik & Mrs. Torpey As most of you know, the State of Ohio Legislature recently passed Senate Bill 316, which Govenor Kasich signed into law over the summer. This bill is referred to as the “Third Grade Guarantee.” All of the school districts in Ohio will be required to do the following items during the 2012-13 school year in order to be meet the provisions of the bill: -Districts are required to administer diagnostic reading assessments to all Kindergarten-Grade 3 students by September 30, 2012 -Teachers must identify students as “On Track” or “Not on Track” as a result of student performance on these diagnostic assessments -School districts must notify parents in writing of any student that is “Not on Track.” -Student intervention and monitoring progress plans are to be developed in partnership with the parents for “Not on Track” students This is at the state level. What does “The Third Grade Guarantee” mean for my child in Dublin City School district at Pinney Elementary? On Friday, October 5th, letters were sent home to every parent of children grades K-3 that stated if a child was “On Track” or “Not on Track” according to the State of Ohio. If your child received a letter informing you that your child is “On Track,” in reading. This means that your child is at or above the standards necessary to be on grade level according to the state guidelines. Your child’s classroom teacher will continue to work diligently with your child through daily classroom instruction. If your child received a letter that stated he/she is “On Track” but is currently receiving additional support through ELI (Kindergarten Program), Reading Recovery (First Grade Program), Reading Support (Grades 2-5), English Language Learners (ELL , Grades K-5) or Special Education (Grades 2-5), this means that according to the state guidelines, your child is well on their way to reading on grade level. However, Dublin City Schools uses multiple measures to assure the success for all of our learners. Based on the multiple diagnostic assessments administered in the Spring and Fall, it was determined by the Pinney Core Literacy Team that your child would benefit from additional support through one of our literacy programs. Pinney students who were identified as “Not on Track” based on the state standards, have been recommended for an literacy intervention program that best meets their individual literacy needs. In addition, parents of children who are “Off Track” will work with the child’s classroom teacher to create a individualized literacy intervention plan that will best support the child in making reading improvements. If you should have any questions about the “Third Grade Guarantee” please contact one of our Pinney Reading Specialists, Michele Torpey (Grades K&1) or Lisa Guzik (Grades 2-5). In January, Michele and Lisa will share more information about the Dublin Literacy Programs and the reading process, specifically “Thinking Within Text.” Instructional Suport Mrs. Stacy Armengau Happy Fall Pinney family and friends! My name is Stacy Armengau and I am the new Instructional Support Teacher at Eli PInney. It is my pleasure to be a part of the Pinney team. My role here at Pinney is to support the teachers in making the curriculum understandable for all types of learners within the classroom, and to make each child achieve their academic best. As we swiftly move through the first grading period of the 2012 – 2013 school year, we can begin to recognize the strengths and weaknesses in how our children/students learn. In a recent conference I attended, a wonderful website was recommended to us as an educational tool. This fabulous site provides educators and parents with strategies to help support the learning process. The website is <thertisite.learningtodayonline.com>. The same information can also be accessed at <pat@betterteachingonline.com>. It is my hope that you enjoy this site as much as I do. Enjoy the upcoming holidays, Stacy Armengau Technology Tidbits As we are well into the new school year, many teachers have been integrating technology into the curriculum and daily lessons. Since the beginning of the year all of the classroom teachers have been discussing internet safety and the appropriate use of technology with their students. In addition, classroom teachers have talked about student responsibility regarding technology and how we handle and take care of the various technology throughout the building. As we take a closer look at Mrs. O’Connor’s 3rd grade classroom, her students are part of “The Global Read Aloud Project”. This is an amazing opportunity that allows students all over the globe to be reading and thinking about a specific text while using technology to discuss it. There are over 200 classrooms around the world who are reading The One And Only Ivan by Katherine Applegate. Mrs. O’Connor’s class have been posting various reading responses, questions and predictions on a Global Wiki, in addition to doing a vocabulary project using Voice Thread. On November 2nd, they will also be Skyping with a class from Burlington, Ontario for a very exciting and final book chat. Panther Pics IMPORTANT DATES * November - December * ELI PINNEY ELEMENTARY * You can also check out the Pinney calendar on the website for updated events and times. Mon., Nov. 5 Celebration of the Arts Commons/Music Rm./Art Rm. Mon., Nov. 5-Fri., Nov. 9 Dublin Girl Scouts Food Drive Commons Tues., Nov. 6 Election Day - NO SCHOOL (Staff PD day) Wed., Nov. 7 Healthy Community/Healthy Youth Family Night Wed., Nov. 7 Market Day pick-up Commons Wed., Nov. 7 PTO Reading Night (Welcome Craig Krenzel) Commons Thurs., Nov. 8 APE Field Trip Autumn Rose Mon., Nov. 12-Fri., Nov. 16 Spirit Week (Student Council will select themes) Tues., Nov. 13 Dinner Out McDonald’s Thurs., Nov. 15 General PTO Meeting Commons Fri., Nov. 16 End of 1st trimester Tues., Nov. 20-Wed., Nov. 21 Dinner In Papa John’s Wed., Nov. 21-Fri., Nov. 23 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving Break Wed., Nov. 28 Grade cards go home Thurs., Dec. 6 Wed., Dec. 12 Thurs., Dec. 13 Fri., Dec. 14 Wed., Dec. 19 Thurs., Dec. 20 Thurs., Dec. 20 Fri., Dec. 21 Fri., Dec. 21 Mon., Dec. 24-Fri., Jan. PTO Kinder Key Caroling Market Day pick-up 1st Gr. Field Trip Adopt-A-Family (Wrapping) Mrs. Bollie’s “Charlotte’s Web” play AM-PS Holiday Party PM-PS Holiday Party Holiday Parties (AM-K/3-5) Holiday Parties (PM-K/1&2) 4 NO SCHOOL - Winter Break Commons BalletMet “Nutcracker” Commons Classroom Classroom Classrooms Classrooms 6:00-8:00pm 5:30-6:45pm 7:00-8:00pm 10:00-1:30pm 9:30-10:45am 6:00-8:00pm 5:30-6:45pm 9:20-12:00pm 3:00-3:30pm 2:15-3:15pm 10:00-11:15am 1:45-3:00pm 10:00-11:15am 1:45-3:00pm Other News & Notes • “Child Find” is the process of locating, evaluating, and identifying children with disabilities who may be in need of special education and related services. Parents, relatives, public and private agency employees, childcare providers, physicians, and concerned citizens are encouraged to help school districts find any child, ages birth – 21, who may have a disability and are in need of special education and related services. If you suspect a child may have a disability, help is available. Please contact: Department of Student Services, Dublin City Schools 7030 Coffman Road Dublin, OH 43017-1068 Phone: 614-764-5913 Fax: 614-761-5899 <www.dublinschools.net> Dublin City Schools Community Education Program •The <http://www.dublinschools.net/communityeducation.aspx> is offering programs for the 2012-2013 school year. Contact Mary Ann Grimes <grimes_maryann@dublinschools.net> with details.