Putnam Elementary News February / March 2014

A Note from Mrs. Hall

The month of January has come and gone leaving many of us to wonder if it was simply an extension of

our holiday break from December. As educators, we would be fibbing if we didn’t admit to enjoying the first

random day or two when the snow starts to fly and the temperatures dip into the negatives. However, the

disruption of the educational process is problematic. Once we reach that third day, teachers begin to get

concerned at the impact missing school will have on student performance.

Calamity days are used only when extreme conditions call for a necessary disruption to the educational

process. Mr. Hampton and Mr. Davis take many factors into consideration prior to making the call to cancel

school. Factors they consider are snow fall amounts, road conditions, and temperatures. The call is never

easy, but is always made with the greatest amount of thought and consideration for what is best for the

students of Marietta City Schools.

We are all hoping that the bad weather is behind us. Instead of doing the “snow dance”, let’s all have

the students do the “flip flop and sunshine dance” instead. If you ever have questions concerning the call to

have a 2 hour delay or a school cancelation, please do not hesitate to call.

February and March Events

February

6th

– PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM

13th

– P/T Conferences

14th

– Valentine’s Day Parties

17th

– No School (Presidents’ Day)

18th

– P/T Conferences

21st – Midterms

March

6th

- PTO Meeting at 6:30 PM

7th

– PTO Movie Night 6:30 PM

14th

– End of the 3rd

Quarter

27th

– 1st Grade Ocean Animal Presentations

28th

– Spring Pictures

Signing In and Signing Out

If you arrive to school after 9:10 AM,

it is required that you sign your child in

at the office. All children must be signed

in if they do not arrive to school on time.

In addition, all students who will be

leaving early from school must be signed

out at the office. These rules are for the

safety and security of your children and

knowing who is in the building at all

times.

We greatly appreciate your help with

this request. .

What Happens on Waiver Days?

The district places waiver days throughout the district calendar each year. Those days are used to help

staff be informed about mandates given by the state that impact educational decisions we must make each

day within the classroom setting. The days can also be used as a way to communicate critical information that

everyone must hear, or a chance to share some

professional development opportunities.

The January 15th

waiver day allowed the

teachers of Putnam Elementary to feature some tips

and tidbits that they have been learning in their

weekly morning book study. The staff has been

learning how to better enrich the reading curriculum

with strategies that reach all learners. Feeling

strongly about the lessons learned, the staff offered

to present their stategies and data to other teachers

acrossed the district. The presentation even caught

the attention of someone at the state level.

Columbus, here we come!

Playground / Gazebo Update

Many of you have noticed the

construction site marked on the Putnam

playground. We have eagerly been

waiting for the weather to break and allow

concrete to be poured for the base of the

playground gazebo. Nonetheless, the

weather has not stopped the construction

at the Washington County Career Center.

Students in Ken Gebhart’s construction

class have been working hard to build a

beautiful gazebo for the students of Putnam Elementary. By spring, we will have a wonderful

“outdoor classroom” for our students, and a great place to read and relax during recess.

International Students Visit Putnam Elementary

Putnam Elementary played host to four international students who have been attending high school in

Ohio this school year. They are members of the international foreign exchange program in which Marietta

High School particiaptes. Each year Marietta hosts all of the international students from the southeastern

portion of the state for a weekend event. This exchange weekend always occurs in late January. The

exchange weekend allows for families to host an international student and learn more about becoming a host

family. It also allows for the students to have new experiences in different portions of the state.

We were fortunate to have four different countries represented. We welcomed Greta from Germany,

Andrea from Norway, Reina from Japan, and Luca from Italy. All four students visited classrooms and taught

students about their language, their culture, and the American experience that they have been given.

We hope to have more opportunities to welcome more students in the future. The students at Putnam

were thrilled to meet these dynamic individuals. If you would like more information about how you could get

involved with the international exchange program, please do not hesitate to contact Jade Thompson at

Marietta High School. As the AFS advisor, she could offer some insight as to how your family could help

welcome an international student to Marietta.