The Rising Star - SRS Home and School · PDF fileHope to see you all at the SRS Halloween...

October 2008

FROM THE PRINCIPAL’S DESK

Dear Parents,

We held our annual Back to School Picnic on Thursday, September 18, 2008. Parents, staff and students enjoyed the chance to eat pizza and socialize informally together. Thanks to everyone who made this event such a success, especially Beth Resweber and Kate Dickey for coordinating this event and Bridget Welsh and Eric McElroy for organizing the talent show.

SRS will continue to implement the Olweus bully prevention program this year. This program is one of the Blueprint Violence Prevention Programs and is acknowledged as an evidence and research approach to the prevention of bullying with young people. The program provides us with a unified and systematic approach to bullying behavior in all its forms that supports the victim, gives the bully/bullies a clear message that they must stop and empowers bystanders to follow the steps that they have been trained to follow when observing bullying. I will give a special overview of our anti-bullying program at one of our Home & School meetings this year.

The results of the Pennsylvania System of School Assessment (PSSA) administered in the spring of 2008 were released recently. Ninety percent or more of our 3rd, 4th and 5th graders achieved at the advanced and/or proficient level in Math and Reading.

Math Assessment Grade Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic 5th 85.0% 11.0% 2.0% 1.0% 4th 88.0% 8.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3rd 66.0% 29.0% 4.0% 1.0%

Reading Assessment Grade Advanced Proficient Basic Below Basic 5th 63.0% 24.0% 7.0% 6.0% 4th 65.0% 28.0% 4.0% 4.0% 3rd 49.0% 49.0% 0.0% 2.0%

Absence and Tardiness. The best way to assure your children’s academic success is to send them to school daily. Daily attendance is required except when a child is ill or has a family emergency. Parents are asked to call the attendance line at 610-544-5702 by 9:00 a.m. each day that the child is ill and will not be attending school. We also ask that students arrive on time to school each day. Students are tardy after 8:45 a.m. When a student is tardy they not only lose instructional time, but disrupt the instructional time of others. Please work with us to assure your child is at school every day.

Hope to see you all at the SRS Halloween parade at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, October 31st.

Gary Davis

The Rising Star Swarthmore-Rutledge School

Home of the Panther Cubs! Volume 15, Issue 2 October 2008

Table of Contents

From the Principal’s Desk.........................................1 Internet Safety Tips .................2 HOME AND SCHOOL INFORMATION

H&S Letter...........................3 Meeting Minutes. .................4 How to Get Involved............5 Volunteer Form....................6 Positions Available ..............7 Action Topics.......................8 Change of Dates...................8 Fall Festival Flyer ................9

TE@M Flyer .........................10 KidStuff Ad ...........................11 Halloween Recipe..................11 Dates to Remember ...............12

You really can

change the world if you care enough. - Marion Wright-

Edelman

October 2008 INTERNET SAFETY TIPS FOR PARENTS The Internet offers a world of resources with the click of a mouse. But there is a dark side to the Internet that poses a variety of dangers for our children, such as viruses that could harm your computer; pedophiles that are trying to meet your child; and disclosing personal information that could lead to identity theft. Every parent must recognize these dangers in order to help their child learn to protect his/her self online. The following are some safety tips for parents of elementary students who use the Internet. Place the computer in a common area. We strongly suggest your child not have a computer in his or her room, or at least no Internet access on the computer in his or her room. Learn to use the Internet. Experience cyberspace with your child and learn how to check the computer’s “History” to see what websites your child is visiting. TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE FOLLOWING RULES:

• Never accept files or downloads from unknown sources; this includes familiar sources if you were not expecting them.

• Choose an email address/ screen name that DOES NOT contain any part of your name, age, gender, interests or favorite activities.

• Do not fill out a profile without parent review and approval. • Never give out real name, telephone or cell phone number(s), mailing address, or passwords. • Do not enter chat rooms. • Do not post photographs in publicly accessible sites. • The settings for ANY social networking profiles* should be PRIVATE and new friends are accepted

only if they are known to the child AND parent. *Social networking sites include: MySpace, FaceBook, etc.

• Talk to your child about the dangers online. Your child should know that: Accepting files or downloads from unknown sources can bring a virus that could harm the computer. Giving away personal information can lead to identity theft or worse. People may not be who they say they are online -- predators roam cyberspace. Open communication with your child is vital. Your child needs to feel they can come to you if they encounter frightening communications or images without fear of losing Internet privileges. If you have a webcam, your child should use it ONLY if you are present. Posting pictures online or sending images can have dangerous consequences. Parents must control such activity. Note to Parents: There are many organizations and activities in which your child may be involved that post information online in public locations. It is extremely important for you to pre-approve any information about your child that will be posted for the world to see. Remember, cyber predators are looking too. HELPFUL LINKS: Learn more about the Internet: www.getnetwise.org NetSmartz.org www.isafe.org www.wiredsafety.org www.wiredsafety.org

October 2008

Home & School Letter - October 2008

Dear Parents,

SRS Home & School Association held its first meeting of the school year on Wednesday, Sept. 10th. Approximately 50 people attended. We are off to a great start! Detailed meeting minutes can be found on the srskids.org website. As a result of our meeting, we thought it would be beneficial to provide you with some follow up information. Please find this information throughout this issue of the Rising Star, including:

• Home & School Meeting Minutes • How to Get Involved in H&S • A Volunteer Form • A list of Home & School new position openings for THIS school year (2008-2009) • A list of Home & School position openings for NEXT school year (2009-2010) • A list of follow-ups to topics that were discussed at the September’s H&S meeting requiring further

action. • A list of date/time changes for previously scheduled events. • A flyer for the SRS Home & School sponsored Fall Festival on October 24, 2008.

Due to Yom Kippur, SRS H&S will reschedule the October meeting for Wednesday, October 15th at 7:30 p.m. at the SRS Library. Dr. Rudy Rubeis will be rescheduled for a future H&S meeting.

The Back to School Picnic was enjoyed by parents, teachers, students, and siblings. Proceeds from the Pizza & Bake Sale will benefit the 5th grade to support their moving-up ceremony, end-of-year party, yearbook and gift. Thank you to parents Kate Dickey and Beth Resweber for coordinating the picnic, teachers Eric McElroy & Bridget Welsh for organizing the talent show, and 5th grade parents Robyn Holford and Stephanie Stabinski for coordinating the pizza & bake sale.

Home & School’s two top annual fundraisers are happening NOW – the SRS Directory and the Sally Foster giftwrap sales. Together, H&S’s goal is to raise $11,000. The monies raised will support our Dimensions in Art, Math, Science, and Social Studies programs, which provide multiple enrichment activities for SRS students in these areas. Our heartfelt appreciation goes out to Lisa Starr ([email protected]) and Kristen Ross ([email protected]) for their multiple years of service and commitment to the SRS Directory and Sally Foster programs respectively. Thanks also to Lee Seaman for drumming up new directory advertisers and Doug Hasbrouck for his assistance with the directory. Please consider giving generously. Of course, a direct donation to SRS Home & School is always appreciated!

The KidStuff coupon book is back and 50% of the sales benefit H&S! These books were placed on top of your child’s desk at Back to School Night. If you decided to take one (or two) and you haven’t already paid for it, please remember to remit a check or cash to the school office. Please make a note on your payment that it is for the KidStuff coupon book. Please feel free to contact Julie Feldman if you have any questions at [email protected] or 610-627-4371.

On the day of Back to School Night, teachers typically remain at the school and do not go home until after the Back to School Night program. The Home & School Hospitality Committee provides a welcoming atmosphere and much appreciated dinner for our teachers. We would like to express our thanks to Sharon Crowley & Robyn Holford for coordinating this effort and to the many parents who graciously donated food for that evening.

In the month of October, Home & School will be sponsoring a Fall Festival on October 24th, an exciting family-fun evening of food, music, crafts, scarecrow making, 4th grade pumpkin sale, book swap, and teacher-created jack o’lantern auction. Interested volunteers and questions can be directed to the co-chairs, Sheri Whelpley, [email protected] or 610-499-3719 and Margaret Hoch, [email protected] or 610-541-0266.

As always, we welcome your participation in H&S. We look forward to seeing you around the school!

Linda Armour and Mary Murray ([email protected]) Co-Presidents, SRS Home & School

October 2008

Home and School Association Meeting September 10, 2008

Dr. Davis provided an extensive report on the new year. 90%-95% of all children at SRS are proficient at reading and math. This year there is a new art teacher, reading specialist and inclusion teacher. The bully prevention program will continue this year as will the four cornerstones – kindness, courage, self-control and manners. The After School programming remains strong: foreign language is coming back, as is Artworks, but Hands on Science is no longer in existence. The district has given us $7,000 in extra funds to reimburse teachers for any programming they would like to put in place. Home and School budget remains solid. Coupon Books are back as a fundraiser, as is Sally Foster. The various Dimensions committees are fully funded by Home and School fundraising efforts.

• Dimensions in Technology got lots of good feedback on technology issues from the recent HSA survey. Know that there is a fine line of what we can do as HSA and what the district does and maintains. We want our website – www.srskids.org – to be a main vehicle for communicating with parents. Sign up for email notifications.

• Dimensions in Math: is exploring a joint night with Dimensions in Technology in the spring, a TEAM day, career day on December 4, after-school tournaments

• Dimensions in Social Studies will hold a mock-election on November 3. Children will be invited to create posters to promote voting. The 5th grade will have the Leni Lenape speaker again and since the primary grades are focusing on China this year, Dimensions is looking into getting a tai chi demonstration or learning calligraphy

• There is a new Assemblies Coordinator – Linda Martin. Let her know if you have ideas for speakers.

• Safety and Grounds recently purchased new benches for the front and back gardens and is addressing the growing poison ivy along the Princeton Avenue side of the school. Dr. Davis is exploring signage to remind people that dogs don’t belong on school property.

Parent survey results will drive what we do this year, so visit www.srskids.org to learn more. Mark your calendars! The Silent Auction is on March 21, 2009. Our goal is to raise $10,000 that will go directly to the playground improvements. It will be held at the Borough Hall. Tom Shaffer discussed expanding our current walking school boundaries to go out to Yale Avenue, Chester Road, and Swarthmore Avenue. The benefits include reducing air pollution, increasing wellness, addressing childhood obesity and reducing bussing costs. There needs to be a groundswell of SRS community support to get this moving; the School district has little interest right now due to other priorities. If you are interested, contact Tom directly. Several key committees and/or point people will be moving next year. If you are interested, please make a connection with the current person so that you can learn from that person this year so that the transition next year won’t be so hard. The committees include: Sally Foster gift wrap, School Directory, Dimensions in Technology, Electronic Communications, & Hospitality.

October 2008

How to Get Involved

with SRS Home & School Assn.

Welcome parents – new and old – to SRS for a great school year!! This school year can become even greater with increased involvement of one of our most talented and creative resources – SRS parents! Please consider donating your time and talents to the parent organization of SRS - the Home & School Association. Our organization’s missions is to provide enrichment programs and to serve as advocates for our children at SRS while fostering communication and building SRS community.

Following is a list of how to get involved with Home & School:

• Complete a volunteer form found in this issue of the Rising Star or on the srskids.org website. Send the form to either [email protected] or [email protected] or send into school in your child’s backpack. Your name will be forwarded to the individual responsible for the area(s) that you chose on your form. This individual will then contact you once preparations for the particular program or event begins. Some programs/events occur in the spring. In these cases, you may not hear from the program/event coordinator until spring. Please rest assured that you will not be forgotten!

• Consult the H&S positions list page found in the Back to School packet that your child took

home on the first day of school, on the srskids.org website, or in the SRS directory (available for sale in late Sept.). Contact the individuals listed for an area that you are interested in.

Email [email protected] or contact Linda Armour (610-543-1144) or Mary Murray (610-892-7044).

Unity By Cleo V. Swarat

I dreamed I stood in a studio And watched two sculptors there, The clay they used was a young child’s mind And they fashioned it with care.

One was a teacher: the tools she used were books and music and art; One was a parent With a guiding hand and gentle loving heart.

And when at last their work was done, They were proud of what they had wrought. For the things they had worked into the child Could never be sold or bought!

And each agreed she would have failed if she had worked alone. For behind the parent stood the school, and behind the teacher stood the home!

.

October 2008

Swarthmore-Rutledge Home and School Volunteer Form (2008-2009)

Please check all areas where you can offer help. Training will be provided where appropriate. The program coordinator will contact volunteers throughout the year as activities occur. Thank you all for your help! Thank you. (Please PRINT clearly) Volunteer: Phone#: e-mail: Child’s name: Teacher: Grade: Yes, I am interested in being a Homeroom Parent (usually a shared duty) in the following classroom(s): Ms./Mr.

Volunteer Opportunities Library Volunteer Health Screening Volunteer Art Room Volunteer Art Goes to School Teacher Appreciation/Hospitality Publicity Grounds Clean-Up Visiting Scientist Writer to highlight SRS families from

different cultures for the Rising Star www.srskids.org website maintenance

Grade Level Events

Pumpkin Sale (4th grade, 10/24/08) 5th Grade Art Project Children’s Garden (2nd grade) African Dance (3rd grade, 6/5/09)

Dimensions Programs

Math Science Social Studies Art Technology

Fundraisers and Family Events Back to School Picnic (9/18/08) Sally Foster Giftwrap (9/19/08-10/7/08) Fall Festival (10/24/08):

Book Swap Ice Cream Social Bake Sale Scarecrow Making

Math, Technology and Engineering Career Day (12/04/08)

Family Bingo Night (2/06/09) Silent Auction (3/20/09) Book Fair (3/30/09-4/3/09) Math & Technology Night (4/2/09) Themed Family Dinner Dance (5/1/09) SRS Spirit Wear Sales (TBA)

New Programs (seeking leadership) Green Projects Community Service Day After-School Science Educational Workshops for parents Grant Researcher/Writer School-wide Yearbook

Questions? Please call or e-mail: Lee Seaman (610-328-5372) [email protected] or visit www.srskids.org

October 2008

SRS Home & School Needs You!

NOW for 2008-2009 school year! For all volunteer opportunities listed on srskids.org, and particularly for the following NEW positions:

1. After-School Science Program Coordinator – Research, recommend, select, and coordinate an

after school science program for SRS students. We encourage sharing this responsibility with at least another parent, so talk to your friends!

2. Green Project Coordinator – Select and coordinate a green project(s) at SRS to improve environmental awareness and responsibility within the SRS community.

3. Community Service Day Coordinator – Organize and coordinate a community day of service at SRS during the Martin Luther King school holiday on January 19, 2009.

4. Grant Writer/Researcher – Research and submit grant applications for the benefit of a variety of SRS programs.

5. Educational Workshop Coordinator – Organize one evening (or Saturday) of several workshop sessions featuring parent and community volunteers who have a background in areas that parents are interested in learning more about. (Please refer to the Take 5 Survey results on www.srskids.org. for a list of topics of interest to parents.)

6. Publicity Writer– Provide periodic articles to local media informing community of SRS happenings.

7. Newsletter Contributing Writer – To highlight SRS families from diverse cultures. Select, interview, and write about an SRS family from another culture or background. Submit written article to the Rising Star and to the SRS website monthly.

8. Srskids.org website maintenance - Keep website current and updated with SRS community happenings.

9. Yearbook Coordinator –Head up a yearbook committee of students & parents to construct a school-wide yearbook.

SOON for 2009-2010 school year! The following H&S positions will be vacant next school year. If you think that you may be interested in any one of these during next year, please consider helping out this year to learn more about it:

Position 2008-2009 Volunteers

1. Dimensions in Technology Tony Liu, [email protected] 2. Hospitality Sharon Crowley, [email protected]

Robyn Holford, [email protected] 3. School Directory Lisa Starr, [email protected]

Lee Seaman, [email protected] 4. Electronic Communications Doug Hasbrouck, [email protected] 5. Gift Wrap Fundraising Kristen Ross, [email protected]

Please contact Linda Armour and Mary Murray if you are interested at [email protected]

October 2008

H&S September Meeting Summary Topics discussed requiring actions to be taken

Topics Discussed Actions Taken

Concern for dogs on school property during school hours and dogs defecating on school grounds.

The WSSD operations office is providing signage.

Concern for Poison Ivy along the Princeton Ave. fence line.

Jane Billings, borough manager, was contacted. She forwarded our concern to Jim Hardy, Supervisor of Operations for WSSD. According to Ms. Billings, this area is within the district right-of-way and is therefore maintained by the district.

Voted affirmatively on Kevin Stahler’s request for H&S to purchase a Wii console for his learning support class, stating its educational benefits for his students.

Kevin ordered the Wii console & H&S funded it from H&S’s teacher initiative fund, which is monies set aside for special purchases requested by SRS teachers.

Tom Shaffer’s proposal for walking boundaries around SRS (Swarthmore Ave/Chester Rd/Yale Ave)

Tom to write up a narrative describing his proposal on srskids.org for parent information and input.

Please Note a Change in Date of the

October SRS Home & School meeting Wednesday, October 15th

In the SRS Library 7:30 p.m.

This meeting was rescheduled in observance of Yom Kippur Dr. Rudy Rubeis will be scheduled for a future H&S meeting.

Please Note a Change in Date of the

SRS Home & School sponsored

Silent Auction* Saturday, March 21, 2009

@Swarthmore Borough Hall

*All proceeds will purchase new playground equipment!

October 2008

October 2008

KidStuff Coupon Books on sale until

October 24th! They make great gifts for any occasion! All proceeds benefit the Home & School Association Contact Julie Feldman at 610-627-4371

Barbecued Bat Wings CDKitchen http://www.cdkitchen.com Category: Halloween Meals & Snacks Serves/Makes: 8 | Difficulty Level: 3 | Ready In: 1-2 hrs Ingredients:

4 pounds chicken wings 2 cups ketchup 1 1/2 cup molasses 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar 3 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce 2 tablespoons sugar Hot sauce to taste Salt Black pepper Black paste food coloring Blue paste food coloring Green paste food coloring Directions: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil the chicken wings for twenty minutes in a large pot. While the wings are cooking, prepare the sauce. Whisk together the ketchup, molasses, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, sugar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper until smooth in a large roasting pan. Add enough black, blue, and green food colorings to the sauce to make a dark black sauce. Place the pan in the oven and bake for 10 minutes, stirring once. Drain the wings well and add them to the sauce and toss to coat evenly, poking the wings liberally with a fork. Bake for 20 minutes, then increase the temperature to 450 degrees. Toss the wings in the sauce again to coat evenly. Bake until the sauce is thickened and slightly blackened, flipping the wings over occasionally, about another 15 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

October 2008

Rising Star Spotlights for 2008-2009 This year in addition to interviewing the teachers and employees of SRS, we are looking to highlight families with diverse cultures. If you would like to interview a teacher or other staff member or a family, please do so and send the information by the 20th of the month to be included in the Rising Star. Also, if you are the member of a diverse culture family, you can also send in a piece on your family directly. Entries can be sent to me, Robin Boyer, via email ([email protected]). If you have any questions, I can be reached at (215) 327-7866.

The Rising Star Published monthly

Deadlines: 20th of each month Submit materials to:

Robin Boyer [email protected]

Swarthmore-Rutledge School

100 College Avenue Swarthmore, PA 19081

610-544-5700

Attendance Line: 610-544-5702

Check out our Website! http://wssd.org/ (click on SRS)

A A proud member of Wallingford-

Swarthmore School District

Dates to Remember ** PLEASE REMEMBER THAT ALL ENTRIES FOR THE RISING STAR ARE DUE IN BY THE 20TH OF EACH MONTH. *10/7: School Advisory Committee Mtg – 7:30am *10/9: Yom Kippur – NO SCHOOL *10/13: Sally Foster Gift Wrap Sale Ends *10/15: H&S Meeting – 7:30pm *10/24: Coupon Book Sale Ends Fall Festival – 6:00pm *10/31: Halloween Parade – 2:00pm

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