news from

Walls Elementary

Sandra K. Goodrich, Principal Karen Feldman, Secretary December 4, 2009 Absence Line: 330-678-7500

We are WALLS! Dear Walls Parents,

Conferences went well. Thanks to all of our parents who were able to make time to meet with their student’s teachers. Our staff values the opportunity to work with parents to ensure each child’s success. If you were unable to attend, please remember that you may also call the teacher to discuss your child’s progress.

Our food drive, Feed The Box, brought in over 600 food items this year. Our Walls PTO donated turkey gift cards. Thank you to all our families, students, PTO and staff for the kindness and generosity extended.

With just a couple weeks left before our winter break, our students are hard at work on their studies and preparing for the holiday season. Our staff would like to say thank you for sharing your children with us. They are our greatest natural resource and we are proud and honored to spend time with them each day. May you and your families enjoy the season and we look forward to a wonderful new year of learning at Walls Elementary.

UPCOMING CALENDAR EVENTS: Dec. 7 – 11 – PTO Santa Shop Dec. 8 and 9 – H1N1 Vaccination Clinics at Walls Dec. 10 – New Student Lunch for Grades 3, 4 and 5 Dec. 17 – Music Program for Grades 1, 3 and 5 at 7 p.m. in the Walls gym Dec. 17 – Last day for bowling for the Fall bowling program New forms coming soon from Kent Lanes for the next session Dec. 18 – Walls Winter Parties 2:15 pm Winter Break Dec. 21 – Jan. 1 School Resumes Monday, January 4, 2010 Jan. 7 – PTO Meeting 6:30 p.m. Care With Coats

For the last 20 years the Portage County Realtors have been collecting gently used or new coats, gloves and hats for the winter season for those less fortunate. These can be adult’s, teen’s, children’s, and baby’s sizes. Marshalls Dry Cleaners of Ravenna has again volunteered to clean these items before redistributing. We will be collecting until mid-December. Our goal with your help is to once again exceed the 1,500 coats collected last year. Thank you for your continued support.

Games and Puzzles Needed

We are looking donations of games or puzzles to be used during indoor recess time. Please send any items in to the office. Thank you!

Self-Control – “Self Control” is the character trait being emphasized during the month of December. The goal is for students to be able to establish short-term goals and exhibit continuous self-motivation in striving for goals. Gaining the ability to control one’s actions, emotions, or behavior, often in order to improve oneself, are a key part of self-control. Students with self-control will not seek revenge but instead realize the motivations for their actions and give priority to duties and responsibilities rather than to conflicting impulses and desires. Self-control is also being willing to sacrifice present satisfaction in order to receive long term benefits.

Related ideas include: self-discipline, restraint, self-directing, moderation, and self- evaluation. Practical applications of self-control are evident in these examples:

 Sets aside time for homework, in spite of distractions.  Does not retaliate when provoked.  Controls temper.  Waits turn.  Avoids participation in hurtful things – gossiping, cheating, name-calling, using putdowns.  Sets goals and works towards them.  Does the right thing without being told.  Resists those things not good for you.  Uses conflict management techniques/peer mediation.

We hope many families, classes, and community groups will find opportunities to exercise self-control and experience positive outcomes. With instruction in a meaningful context, practice, and good examples, students will discover the intrinsic benefits of self-control. Good Character Award Winners for November

Mikayla Walker Sierra Trautman Dayna Fuller Arijana Koojiman Cody Myers Maggie Gruber Halle Jordan Alazae Nolath Eli McCarty Felicia Seigman Faith Glenn Abigail Scherer Diamond Davis Sebastian Jones Jalisha White Kreigh Barnette Emmanuel Skora Drake Dewey

Emergency School Closings

At times during the winter months, school may have to close because of severe weather conditions. When this occurs, our Parent Broadcast System will be used to call you. In addition, several area radio stations and television stations will broadcast school-closing information. Whenever you are in doubt about school closing, please listen to one of the listed stations before calling our district’s information hotline (330-678-7500). Thank you for your cooperation.

WAKR 1590 AM  WNIR 101 FM  WGAR 99.5 FM  WWWE 1100 AM  WKDD 98.1 FM

HONOR ROLL

The following students earned all A’s and B’s for the first grading period of the 2009-10 school year. Those students marked with an * earned all A’s!

Dr. Dortch’s Third Grade Class:

Kreigh Barnette, Zane Cramer*, Dissac Foreman, Maggie Gruber, Isabella McCarty, Lena Moore, Josh Palmer*, Lee Phillips*, Jacob Smith, Emily Smithberger*, Arshiya Waghela*, Brett Ward, Kayla Yartz, Dimitri Zohos-Banks

Miss Peel’s Third Grade Class:

Rayna Brantner*, Larry Cline, Drew Ferrell, Rena Kavon, Adam Leister, Nathan Loughry, Kris Marks, Cody Myers, Charles Nettle*, Celia Oswitch*, Josh Overdorf, Camryn Parsons*, Abigail Scherer, Emmanuel Skora*, Anna Swan

Ms. Foster’s Fourth Grade Class:

Ebony Daniels, Cariana Davis-Monday, Cherokee Heeter, Shelby Jameson, Sam Madden, Cooper Mothersbaugh, Alazae Nolath, Brett Parsons, Dylan Routt, Lalah Sullivan

Mrs. McVan’s Fourth Grade Class:

Chris Buker, Diamond Davis, Hannah Ellsworth, Allison Francis, Halle Jordan, Lyrik Lawson, Marvin Pervall III, Jackson Tankersley, Dakota Trautman

Mrs. Elia’s Fifth Grade Class:

Hunter Blankenship, Mary Creech*, Valerie Deacon, TJ Harrod*, Kiyal Izaldine, Dominic Jones, Carlie Leister, Taylor Mullenix, Sadie Oswitch*, Haley Overdorf, Celeste Starcher, Jessica Stefanko, Nate Swan*

Mr. Jones’ Fifth Grade Class:

Kadie Davis, Harrison Fisher*, Lila Goehring*, Kendra Larwin, Eli McCarty*, MacKenzie Mullins, Carlie Pritt, Yolanda Smith*, Andrew Starkey, Max Vierstra, Bailey Walker, Tajah Wright, Zackery Zukas

Mrs. Lowden’s Fifth Grade Class:

Madelyn Cobb*, Shianne Conrad, Essence Davis, Drake Dewey, Emily Ferrell, Erin Gallagher*, Carter Hale*, Kiersten Knight, Bailey McWilliams-Woods*, Owen Prisk, Felicia Siegman PERFECT ATTENDANCE

The following students were in school and on time every day for the first grading period.

Kindergarten AM Class Aron Kooijman, Zachary Siegman

Kindergarten PM Class Angel Fowler, Jazelle Haney, Gregory Shiner

Miss Robert’s First Grade Class: Tre’Von Davis

Mrs. Walton’s First Grade Class: Amaya Day, Alyssa Jackson, Katelyn Moisio, Kyle Piorkowski

Mrs. Jones’ Second Grade Class: Tyler Drown, Nicholas Folkesson, Dakota Harrell, Jenna King, Arijana Kooijman, Leah Shepard

Mrs. Wheeler’s Second Grade Class: Lauren Gauer, Mila Gmerek, Natalie Locke, Alexander Prpich, Kanney Wong

Dr. Dortch’s Third Grade Class Zane Cramer, Josh Palmer, Emily Smithberger, Joe Vierstra, Jalisha White

Miss Peel’s Third Grade Class: Christian Allen, Drew Ferrell, Abigail Scherer, Emmanuel Skora

Ms. Foster’s Fourth Grade Class Ebony Daniels, Daniel Gosmer, Cherokee Heeter

Mrs. Elia’s Fifth Grade Class Valerie Deacon, TJ Harrod, Haley Overdorf, Estrella Romo

Mr. Jones’ Fifth Grade Class: Kendra Larwin, Carlie Pritt, Max Vierstra

Mrs. Lowden’s Fifth Grade Class: Drake Dewey, Emily Ferrell Blood Drive

We will be having a blood drive at Walls Elementary on Tue., January 12th from 2 to 8 p.m. and on Thur., May 6th from 2 to 8 p.m.

For each 25 units of blood donated, $500 in educational supplies will be donated to Walls Elementary.

More details will be coming home soon.

PTO NEWS

A big THANK YOU goes out to all who helped with this year’s Harvest Festival, fun was had by all!

Also, THANKS to everyone for participating in the fundraiser to help raise funds for playground renovation.

The Holiday Shop will be running next week, December 8 to 11. This is a good chance for the students to buy inexpensive gifts for those on their list. A letter will be coming home with details.

With all the shopping we are doing for the holidays please remember Walls Elementary and bring in your Acme receipts, Campbell’s Soup labels, and Box Tops for Education.

Also, if you are a Giant Eagle shopper, please register online. The Walls code is #1281.

CLOTHING DONATIONS NEEDED

We are asking for any clean, gently worn or new clothing items to be donated to the Walls Clothing Closet. Please send items in to the office.

Thank you! Family Tree = Lesson in Holiday Warmth

The following article is from the Record Courier and was written by Diane Stresing.

Visitors to the Holiday Tree Fest at the John S. Knight Center in Akron this year were able to see firsthand the results of a collaboration between Walls Elementary School third-graders and more than 100 Akron- area high school students. The students worked together to create a decorated tree that was auctioned for the charity event that benefits Akron Children’s Hospital. The tree, dubbed “Home Fore the Holidays,” featured golf-themed ornaments and gifts, including DVDs, golf balls, and dozens of other golf-related items, all wrapped up with shiny green bows.

Walls third grade teacher Kristin Peel joined forces with the Ellet High School Family Consumer Science teacher, Patty Evans, who also happens to be Peel’s mom.

Peel said her mother has encouraged her students to create a tree for the annual event “for many years.” This year, “one of her classes and my class are pen pals,” Peel said, so the collaboration offered students a chance to make a tangible connection, as both Walls students and Ellet High School students helped to create the hand-made ornaments. The project also allowed Peel to integrate social studies lessons and a service learning project, and all of the students learned how the fundraising effort benefits Akron Children’s Hospital and its young patients, Peel said. The tree was purchased by an individual in Akron.

Proceeds from the tree festival support patient care programs and medical research at Akron Children’s Hospital, said Lori Baker, Tree Festival chairperson. The festival has become a larger fundraiser for the hospital. From its first year in 1982, when 50 trees were featured, it has grown into an event with more than 130 trees and more than 40 wreaths, Baker said. Auctioned trees have been shipped as far away as Florida, Texas, and Spain, she added. For more information about Kent City Schools and other classroom projects, visit www.kentschools.net. For information about the Holiday Tree Festival, visit www.akronchildrens.org.