SCHOOL YEAR 2010 - 2011 ISSUE NO. 3, DECEMBER 2010
HAPPY HOLIDAYS!
NO MATTER WHAT YOU CALL IT, HOW YOU CELEBRATE IT, OR WHAT YOUR TRADITIONS, IT’S A MAGICAL TIME OF YEAR!
ARGENTINA
RANDOLPH FLYER ? NEWSLETTER OF THE RANDOLPH FIELD INDEPENDENT SCHOOL DISTRICT
Each of us has our own views of what the holiday season is about and how to celebrate it. The coming and going of each holiday season is met with excitement and expectation, and departs quickly, leaving behind a whirlwind of memories that each person can look back on and cherish for years to come. Time with family, presents, decorations, feasts... they’re all a part of what we celebrate during this magical time of year. Retailers look forward to increased sales, shoppers look forward to the challenge of finding the best buy of the year, grocers stock EXTRA special food items, attics and storage rooms are emptied of boxes full of shiny, colorful decorations, families plan travel and special events... it’s truly a memorable and hectic time of year. But don’t forget... everyone has a different view of what this holiday is all about and how it’s celebrated. Take a peek through this issue of the Randolph Flyer for a quick peek at how a few countries celebrate this time of year. We think you’ll be interested and excited to learn about all the different traditions around our wonderfully varied globe. There are many ways to say it, but as we say in our home, “We wish you a VERY Merry Christmas!”
Christmas Day in Argentina, like here in the United States, is celebrated on December 25th each year. Many of you would recognize most of the traditions celebrated in Argentina -- trees are set up and decorated with lights, ornaments, small gifts, and even cotton balls to simulate the snow that doesn’t fall in such a warm climate; Nativity scenes are displayed with great care; Homes are adorned with colorful wreaths and garlands. Families reunite to attend religious services and to share wonderful meals and celebrate with song and dance. Midnight on the 24th of December brings fireworks and the opening of gifts that have been anticipated for such a long time. While some families say goodbye and part ways for peaceful slumber, others choose to stay up all night visiting or playing games. One of the wonderful traditions here is the release of colorful paper balloons into the night sky. These balloons (called ‘globos’) are lit with a candle on the
inside, and the hot air makes these beautiful globos fly away into the Christmas night.
Now why on earth is there a ‘?’ in the title?
SOMETIMES IDEAS FALL FLAT SIMPLY BECAUSE THEY’RE BAD
OK, You’ve all read it in past newsletters - that grand idea of renaming the Randolph Flyer... well, we still don’t have an answer. We’ve been asking for suggested names for a possible change to the title of this newsletter, and a couple of you have responded... literally, a couple. Perhaps silence is the loudest answer of all. Come on all you students, parents, staff, teachers... everyone in the RFISD family has a voice in this process. Even if you’re ‘pleased as punch’ with the current name, let us know that too! If everyone thinks “The Randolph Flyer” is the perfect name for this newsletter, let it be known! There’s no rule that says we HAVE to change the name - we just thought it might be an idea embraced by the masses. Perhaps not.
Below is a listing of the suggestions that we’ve received. If you like some of these, have others, or simply want to tell us to “leave well enough alone”, send your comments and suggestions in today! Send them to: [email protected].
Some of the submissions for the newsletter renaming have been: The Randolph Hawk, The Randolph Buzz, The Randolph Times, The Randolph Forum, The Randolph Galaxy, The Randolph Observer, The Randolph Comet, and The Randolph Spirit.
The RFISD Sunshine Committee would like to recognize the following staff on their birthdays for the 4th quarter: October: Adriene Allen, Lynda Breidenbach, Becky Garret, Tim Gendron, Manuel Gomez, Aurelio Guerra, Nilufar Hodges, Maria Luepke, Lisa Mines, Blanca Morales, Suzette Nolan, Lorrie Remick, Elena Valdez, Karen Weehler, William Woodland. November: Pat Franklin, Ramona Hafer, Jill Kinsman, Stevie Perrin, Margaret Tisue. December: Ted Bencomo, Susan Bendele, Bruce Cannon, Angiel Flores, Krista Johnson, Candace Peche, Roger Ruder.
Editorial Note: The RFISD Newsletter staff apologizes for any omissions from this list. Though we may have inadvertently left your name off this printing, we wish you the happiest of birthdays and MANY more joyous returns.
Military families: Get help from a professional tutor anytime you
need it, for FREE. Tutors are online 24/7 and eligible military
families in the Army, Marines, Navy, and Air Force can take
advantage of this military family program to get help with more
than 16 subjects.
Source:
www.tutor.com/
military
While Christmas is still celebrated on the 25th of December in Japan, some say it is less of a religious holiday, due to the fact that the major religions are Buddhism and Shintoism, and more of a commercial holiday. That doesn’t mean there’s any shortage of festivities, however. You’ll still find trees to be decorated, gifts to be bought, homes to be turned into glowing spectacles trimmed with lights. Some say that a popular Christmas feast in Japan could consist of fried chicken and sponge cake covered with strawberries and whipped cream - a bit like a strawberry shortcake. While this may seem like an odd tradition to some of us here in the United States, it’s an important tradition to some Japanese. Youngsters in Japan look forward to receiving presents from “Hotei-osho”, a Buddhist
monk that, like Santa Claus, leaves presents at each house for good girls and boys. Rather than relying on parental reports
and spying elves to determine a child’s status of “good” or “bad”, Hotei-osho is said to have eyes on the back of his
head, making it impossible to hide bad behavior from him. No matter where you go during this festive time of year, you’re likely to be greeted with a friendly “Meri Kurisumasu”
-- be sure to return the greeting, or Hotei-osho may pass you by this
December 25th!
JAPAN
Lots of tradi+ons exist in Sweden,
and many may be familiar to those
of us on Randolph. S+ll, keep in
mind that just like here in the
United States, there are many
different ways that the Swedes
celebrate. In some parts of
Sweden the
season begins at
the first of
December with
the opening of
the Advent
calendar. Many
people (not just
children!) celebrate the beginning
of advent by watching a televised
version of the advent calendar.
Many young people gather on the
evening of the 12th of December
(called Lussevaka) for a night of
partys and dancing. Old tradi+ons
tell of the dangers of falling asleep
on this night, so many try to stay
awake the whole night! The
following day, children dress in
special shirts and robes and wake
their parents with a breakfast of
coffee and Lucia bread. Most
communi+es select a special young
girl to be the queen of lights (Lucia)
to lead the other girls in singing
carols throughout the town at
schools, hospitals and shops.
Candles, stars, flowers and other
decora+ons cover the houses and
shops of the city. A few days
before Christmas, a tree is brought
into the home and decorated with
candles, fruit, flags and small straw
ornaments. Christmas Eve is
celebrated with a large family
dinner, followed by someone
dressing up as the “tomten”
or Christmas gnome
(complete with robes and a
white beard) and handing out
giTs from him sack of goodies.
One interes+ng tradi+on
includes watching a television
special starring the famous Kalle
Anka Jul (Donald Duck!). Many
Swedes aWend a special early-‐
morning church service on the 25th
of December and the fes+vi+es
con+nue to varying degrees un+l
the “knutdagen” (the 13th of
January) when Christmas is officially
over and the decora+ons are
removed.
Sweden UPCOMING C ALENDAR
EVENTS
MIDDLE SCHOOL CAMPUS
Mark your calendars, everyone. Below are a few of the upcoming events that may be of interest at RFISD. Don’t forget to check the school website to see calendars for all three campuses!
ELEMENTARY CAMPUS
HIGH SCHOOL CAMPUS
- 5th grade Holiday Performance at 6PM in the Cafeteria, December 9th
- Mrs. McCurdy’s Reading Open House on December 13th
- CiCi’s Pizza PTO night at the Forum Shopping Center on December 14th
- Choir Performance at the Enlisted Club on December 16th
- Come Ride the POLAR EXPRESS on December 17th
- Choir Winter Concert in the Band Hall at 6PM on December 16th
- Band Concert at 6:30PM on December 13th
- Choir Concert at 6PM on December 16th
RFISD SPORTS
Be sure to check the RFISD calendar for all the upcoming sporting events our students will be competing in!
WE NEED YOUR HELP!!!The RFISD Newsletter Staff is in dire need of contributions! Please consider sending in ideas for inclusion in upcoming issues. Not only will you see your name in print (VERY exciting!), you’ll have the opportunity to share your thoughts and ideas, recipes and tips, poetry and photography, writing skills and drawing skills -- the sky is the limit (so long as it’s appropriate!) Please send submissions to us at [email protected]
Christmas in Ukraine is oTen observed in accordance with the
Julian calendar, meaning that the holiday fes+vi+es begin on what we know as January 6th and ending on January 19th. It may
seem odd to us that Christmas is not in December, but it’s just as odd to people in Ukraine that we DO celebrate in December. Some, however, choose to celebrate according to the Gregorian calendar (like the ones here in the United States). As in many countries, this holiday holds special religious significance, and the choice of dates to celebrate is usually determined by the religious preference of the person celebra+ng (December for Catholics or January for Orthodox). A popular decora+on is the didukh (wheat stalks) to represent the
boun+ful wheat crops. Christmas Eve is highlighted by the sharing of the Sviata Vechera (Holy Supper), a 12-‐course meal that starts with a type of pudding
(Ki+a); Dessert first! ATer dinner, the family gathers to sing Ukrainian Christmas Carols (Kolyadky). Some then head to church for a special midnight service that con+nues into the early morning hours when the children are visited by the reindeer-‐pulled sleigh carrying Father Frost (somewhat like Santa Claus) and his silver-‐blue-‐and-‐white-‐fur clad assistant, Snowflake Girl who distribute giTs.
Take a look around... Surely you’ve noticed... it’s everywhere! There’s equipment all over the
place! Tables, chairs, marker boards, even paper and paint and markers. But where does it all come from? While some of the
items in Randolph Schools comes from money provided by the government, not all of it
does -- and I haven’t found a student yet who has volunteered to buy a new projector, library of
books, craft paper dispenser or pic-nick table. So where do these things come from? I’m sure we’d all admit that it’s nice
to have items around that aid
and assist in our learning experience here at RFISD, but sometimes there simply isn’t
enough money to go around. That’s just one of the things the PTO is here to do -- to manage
these needs and work toward solutions... but the PTO could NEVER do it without the help of everyone at RFISD. One way
you can help is to eat breakfast! What? Yep, that’s right... finish that box of cereal, empty out
that bag of chips, bake those cinnamon rolls... do whatever it takes, but DON’T FORGET TO
CLIP THE BOX TOPS LOGO!!! Each one of those little scraps is worth a shiny dime to RFISD. I know, a dime doesn’t sound like
a lot, but your ten or twenty dimes, multiplied by the number of families in the
school district can add up to some serious cash for your school. Hey, you never know
what form that money will take. It could be a new robot for the elementary school’s robotics program, or
it could help pay for a portion of the senior class’ graduation shin-dig... you just NEVER know...
Where does it all come from?
CHARGE THE PANTRY WITH SCISSORS IN HAND !!! BUT DON’T FORGET TO ASK FOR MOM’S PERMISSION FIRST...
SOAR is an innovative program that makes it easy for parents to play an active role in their children’s education. SOAR is designed for military families, and is easily accessible worldwide. Students take an assessment aligned to state standards, and SOAR directs them to individualized tutorials to improve skills where needed. Parents can monitor their children’s progress from anywhere,and are provided with resource materials.
To learn more, please view SOAR’s Welcome Video at www.soarathome.org.
UKRAINE
Money for Your School
What do Tyson, Campbellʼs, ink jets, cell phones and Box Tops have in common? They all provide much needed money for
your Childʼs school. Next question, why are you throwing away money that can be used for your children? Do the dumpster dive, use those scissors, bag up the above items and get them to the school ( have your child give them to their teacher or drop
them off in the office). Donʼt send them for prizes. Send them because you care about your childʼs education. The money raised from labels helps finance events like Mercado and buys supplies for your childʼs classrooms.
Welcome the opportunity to help the school without having to open your wallet.
To better help you keep things organized you can go to the Randolph PTO Website and print your own collection sheets. It is open 24 hours a day so do it now!
THIS YEAR’S TURKEY BINGO WAS GREAT FUN FOR EVERYONE! CONGRATULATIONS TO THE FOLLOWING WHO WALKED AWAY WITH SOME GREAT GIFTS (GIFT BASKETS, DIGITAL CAMERA, ETC.)
OR TURKEYS. KEEP YOUR EYES OUT FOR NEXT YEAR’S EVENT! WINNERS WERE: JULIA FOSTER, MIA HEYBURN, KATRENA JOHNSON, VIVICA JOHNSON, GABBY MEDINA, JAVIER MEDINA, WALTER MEDINA, NATHAN PEEL AND RYLIE ROMERO.
THANKS TO ALL THE VOLUNTEERS WHO HELPED WITH THE BOOK FAIR! YOUR EFFORTS HELPED GARNER NEARLY $2000 FOR THE RFISD.
NOVEMBER’S VOLUNTEERS OF THE MONTH WERE BRANDY COHRS, VICKIE GESCHEIDLE AND SHERRIE STANLEY! THANKS FOR ALL YOU DO! BE SURE TO LOG YOUR VOLUNTEER HOURS EACH TIME YOU HELP OUT (AT HOME OR AT SCHOOL!) FOR YOUR CHANCE TO WIN. EACH VOLUNTEER GETS 1 ENTRY FOR EACH HOUR LOGGED IN THE VOLUNTEER BOOK.
SEND A NOTE TO [email protected] TO HELP OUT WITH UPCOMING VOLUNTEER NEEDS: THE POLAR EXPRESS AND THE WORKROOM. WE NEED EVERYONE’S HELP TO MAKE TEAM RANDOLPH EVEN BETTER!
JOIN BARNES AND NOBLE BOOKSELLERS AS THEY TEAM UP WITH THE SAN ANTONIO SPURS FOR THE SPURS TEAM UP CHALLENGE. GATHER AT
THE BARNES AND NOBLE AT 281 AND 1604 FOR THE FOLLOWING DATES AND TIMES TO ENJOY GREAT READING FUN AND SUPPORT A GREAT CAUSE AT THE SAME TIME.
CHILDREN’S STORY TIME AT 11:00AM ON DECEMBER 11TH
BOOK FAIR (TO SUPPORT THE USO) ON DECEMBER 12TH AND 13TH
BOOK DRIVE (PURCHASED BOOKS MAY BE DONATED TO THE USO UNITED THROUGH READING PROGRAM) THE WHOLE MONTH OF DECEMBER
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