Huth Road Happenings

PTA Newsletter - Oct./Nov. 2013

Huth Road Elementary School Principal: Mrs. Kerri Nowak PTA Vision: Grand Island, New York 14072 Phone: 773-8850 1773 Huth Road Fax: 773-8984 “Making every child's potential a reality by establishing the NYS PTA as the premier organization for parent involvement and advo- FAMILY GAME NIGHT cacy for children.” PTA Mission: Let’s have a totally awesome time at the Huth Road PTA “PTA is a powerful Family Game Night! There will be a ton of board games, voice for all children, a relevant resource for the gym will be open; the Book Fair will be going on in the families and communi- ties, and a strong advo- auditorium; the Fact Wheel will be available to buy for cate for the education $20; Fall Fundraiser items will be ready for pick up in and well-being of every child.” Café 2 and a lot more!! So grab your family and come and enjoy a

Huth Road PTA wonderful family event on: Officers 2013/2014

President Friday, November 1 Tracey Schaefer 6:00-8:00 pm 1st Vice Presidents Trish Eichel Diane Lipp If you sign up to support the PTA at this 2nd Vice Presidents event Jennifer Walowitz Amy McMann you will receive tickets for a FREE slice of

Treasurer pizza and a bottle of water or pop. Sarah Wheeler

Recording Secretary Tickets will be on sale for $0.50 per ticket!!! Jeri Wright A slice of Pizza = 4 tickets Corresponding Sec’y Karrie Valle A bottle of water or pop = 2 tickets Bag of chips = 1 ticket Council Delegates Sandy Cohen Mary Minton Everyone is welcome! Siblings are encouraged to attend! See you there!! Editor: Lee Cohen [email protected] From the Principal’s Desk. . .

Hello, Huth Parents!

ENews Are you receiving Huth’s messages in your inbox? Be sure you are signed up for enews. Visit the district’s main webpage and click on this link: http://www.k12.ginet.org/emailsignup.cfm Anyone can sign up to receive the latest news and information about what is happening at Huth Road Elementary right in your inbox.

Report Cards Report cards will be going home in backpacks on November 27. (This is the day before Thanksgiving.) You will notice that the report cards will have a new look and feel to them. They will indicate your child’s progress towards meeting the new, much more rigorous, Common Core Learning Standards. Students who are doing very well in school and on track to meet the high standards will be marked as a “3.” Students who are developing towards meeting the high standards will be marked as a “2,” and students who are working above the high expectations will be marked as a “4.” Don’t hesitate to contact me or your child’s teacher if you have any questions about the report cards. Watch for more information about the cards to be sent home from district office, including an opportunity for informational parent nights.

Lunch Accounts Everything you need to know about school lunches, including the monthly lunch calendar, can be found on our district website. To maintain your child’s lunch account online, visit https://www.myschoolbucks.com/.

The Leader in Me Imagine if your child and all students at Huth Road Elementary were responsible, showed initiative, were creative, knew how to set goals and meet them, who got along with people of various backgrounds and cultures, and who could resolve conflicts and solve problems. That’s the objective of the The Leader in Me model. The Leader in Me, which is based on The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People®, equips students with the self-confidence and skills they need to thrive in a 21st-century environment. Many teachers within the building attended a training over the summer on The Leader in Me, and they are using the 7 Habits in their classrooms. Even if they are not taught in the classrooms, teachers agreed that exposure to the principles of The Leader in Me is good for their students. To support the efforts, I meet with the children approximately once a month for an assembly in the auditorium to introduce one habit at a time. We have done the first two so far.

The 7 Habits: Habit 1 — Be Proactive, You're in Charge Habit 2 — Begin with the End in Mind, Have a Plan Habit 3 — Put First Things First, Work First, Then Play Habit 4 — Think Win-Win, Everyone Can Win Habit 5 — Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood, Listen Before You Talk Habit 6 — Synergize, Together Is Better Habit 7 — Sharpen The Saw, Balance Feels Best

The teachers and I believe that our school should not merely be focused on improving test scores. We believe in provid- ing opportunities for students to develop to their full potential, including nurturing their personal growth and sense of social responsibility. Thank you for supporting us in these efforts!

As always, if you need to reach me for a question or comment, you can reply to any enews message I send, or you can call me at 773-8850. I look forward to seeing you at Family Game Night on Friday, November 1!

Here for you and your child,

Kerri Nowak, principal

Huth Road Happenings 2 Save the date for our Family Game Night!

Friday, November 1—6:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

A lot of work goes into planning and executing the Family Game Night! We could use a few more volunteers. We like to assign workers in shifts, so no one misses the fun! Please consider giving just an hour of your time. Here are some times and ways you can help!

------CLIP & RETURN TO THE OFFICE ------

I would like to volunteer for Family Game Night!

______Baking- We need individually wrapped baked goods to sell. Please drop off to the office by Friday afternoon! ______Setup- Friday 5 p.m.-6 p.m. ______Ticket sales- Friday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. ______Ticket sales- Friday 7 p.m.-8 p.m. ______Serving food- Friday 6 p.m.-7 p.m. ______Serving food- Friday 7 p.m.-8 p.m. ______CLEANUP- Friday 8 p.m.-9 p.m.

Name:______Phone:______e-mail:______Child’s teacher: ______

Thank you in advance for your help and support. We hope to continue to make this event a success! For more info contact Sarah Wheeler at [email protected]

3 Huth Road Happenings HUTH ROAD PTA MEMBERSHIP JOIN TODAY – GET FREE PIZZA!

Our 2013-2014 membership drive is off to a great start! We presently have 137 members. Did you know Huth Road has more than 450 students?

We’d love to see each of their families represented in our PTA through membership. All current members will receive a free slice of pizza and a drink at our Family Game Night on Friday, November 1.

To join, simply send $5 with the form below in an envelope to your child’s classroom marked PTA membership with your name, student name and classroom teacher. Thank you for supporting PTA through your membership and making it possible to bring our wonderful Enrichment programs to your children!

Huth Road 2013-2014 PTA Membership Form

Name(s): ______$5.00 per membership

Phone: ______$ ______Total enclosed

E-mail: ______

Child(ren)’s Name(s): ______Teacher(s)______

Please return to school with your check payable to Huth Road PTA in an envelope marked “PTA Membership.” Questions? Call Trish Eichel at 775-0427.

Huth Road Happenings HUTH ROAD HAPPENI NGS 4 E-news is here! Sign Up Today! Calendar of Events. . .

October 30, 31 Huth PTA Book Fair 31 Halloween E-news allows Grand Island parents, students, facul- ty/staff & community members to sign up to receive November: e-mails &/or text messages on school related infor- 1, 4, 5, 6 PTA Book Fair mation. With e-news, you automatically receive 2 Reflection entrees due news of interest to you at your selected e-mail ad- 6 Parent/Teacher conferences (8:45 a.m. – 3:45 p.m.) dress or cell phone. E-news is an opt-in service. You NO SCHOOL tailor the service to meet your needs by selecting 8 Picture Re-Take Day; Fiesta Lunch only the categories of information that are of interest 11 Veteran’s Day – NO SCHOOL to you. 14 Fall Concert (Band/Strings) @ 7:00 p.m. 15 Viking Values Lunch To Sign Up: 27 Report Cards go Home Visit www.k12.ginet.org 28-29 Thanksgiving Recess – NO SCHOOL Click the GICSD e-news button at the bottom right Complete the form and choose your subscription December options 5 Choral Concert 7:30 p.m. Enter the security number shown and press 12 3rd Grade Concert 10 a.m. “Sign Me Up” 23 -31 No School

Enrichment Committee News. . .

he Enrichment Committee is busy looking at programs to bring to Huth Road. This Tgroup of teachers and PTA parents works together to choose shows that complement classroom learning. Every grade chooses specific programs. Last year students learned about mete- orology with Andy Parker's Weather Machine and ecology with Hawk Creek Wildlife Center and the Buffalo Zoo Trunk.

The PTA also sponsored science programs with Dr. Birdd, Explore and More, and Canisius College. Gretchen Murray Sepik brought history to life as she portrayed Mary Jemison.

Bucket Fillers taught students to use kind words to fill each other's buckets. This school-wide program supported the Viking Values as it promoted respect. All students also enjoyed music enrichment programs.

This year the committee is working to bring back favorite shows and add some new events. Stay tuned for the next newsletter to receive information on upcoming programs and fun activities.

Jen Walowitz Amy McMann Enrichment committee co-chairs

5 Huth Road Happenings The STEM Room. . .

The third graders in Mrs. Lipp's class at Huth Road School are enjoying the activities in the STEM (Science, Tech- nology, Engineering, Math) room. Students love spending time there. The idea is to provide students with hands on learning activities that they can manipulate and explore at their own pace. Activities include building blocks, capaci- ty station with rice, water station, weights, magnets, and electricity and more. Huth Road is very lucky to have this special room for students to use!

A Visit to Fort Niagara. . .

Fourth grade students visited Fort Niagara in October. Pictured are students from Mrs. Steck’s class. The docent is Toby Jewett, retired biology teacher from Grand Island High School.

Huth Road Happenings 6 PTA Awards Honorary Life Memberships

PTA Honorary Life memberships are awarded to recognize people who have gone the extra mile to work on behalf of the welfare of children or youth. The recipient need not be a PTA member. The awards at a recent PTA meeting for their outstanding con- tributions to Huth Road school and its pupils.

Carolyn Thompson was recognized for her work as an " honorary" member of the Huth Road staff for years. She is the most requested substitute the school has had because of her attention to detail, flexibility in meeting the needs of the students and teachers, and her kind and compassionate yet commanding rapport with students.

She has volunteered as a member of the Shared Decision Making Team for more than four years, co-chairing for the last two. As a team member she was instrumental in creating and implementing the "Huth Bowl," a pint-sized version of the high school From left: Carolyn Thompson, Tracey Shickluna corporate bowl for the Huth Bazaar. Last year she spear-headed the creation of "Parent Support Videos" in response to the staff's request to improve teacher-parent

Tracey Shickluna has worked tirelessly on the Enrichment committee for years, meeting in the early morning for the teamwork and making numerous phone calls to set up the programs and assemblies. Her work has brought many events to Huth that have supplemented the curricu- lum and brought joy to the hearts of students. After being parent chair she remained as a parent representative. She brought to every meeting a warm, caring heart that put our teachers and students in the forefront. She was always willing to make calls and arrangements for programs so teachers could focus on their classrooms. She worked to assist in any way possible.

Tracey also served in a leadership role with the book fair, which helped make it a great success. She volunteered for the report card committee, where she provided a much needed "parent per- spective" to the teachers on the committee. She is both sharp in thought and kind in demeanor, which make her an asset to any team. If it's for kids, Tracey is the first to get involved.

PTA Challenges High-Stakes Testing

PTA continues to object to the use of high-stakes testing as a means of evaluating teachers. PTA also believes that such testing is inappropriate for children below the third grade. NYS PTA had sponsored a series of town forums with Commissioner John King, which he canceled after parents objected to the fact that they were not allowed the allotted time for comments. There will now be a series of town hall meetings sponsored by King, who will be accompanied by a regent as well as a legislator. One is scheduled for Amherst, although the date has not been announced.

In addition PTA supports the Partnership for Smarter Schools (www.partnershipforsmarterschools.org), which participated in a forum at Kleinhans Music Hall earlier this month called Summit for Smarter Schools with the theme of “Get Testing Right.” It was attended by more than 2000 people and organized in part by Western New York members of the state legislature.

If you object to the current high stakes testing program, let our legislators know. They are Mark Grisanti ([email protected]) and John Ceretto ([email protected]), both of whom were at the Klein- hans summit. PTA believes that it is parents who can make a difference, but only if they let their voices be heard. Go to nyspta.org for more information.

7 Huth Road Happenings Believe, Dream, Inspire!

Dear Parents/Guardians/Students:

The PTA is proud to offer an opportunity for creativity and fun. The National PTA Reflections Pro- gram is a national arts recognition and achievement open to all students in pre-school through grade12 in the areas of literature, musical composition, photography, visual arts, dance choreography, and film production.

The works of art will be blindly judged by professionals in the respective arts areas, and selected works will be advanced to the Niagara Region PTA. From thaere selected works will advance to the state or national levels for judging. This year the theme is “Believe, Dream, Inspire.” Works must be original and created by the student.

There are no limits on how many entries a student may submit. However, only two works in each category can be selected to go on to the Niagara Region PTA judging. An additional two works in all categories are allowed from eligible special education students. All submissions must have a completed student entry form with the work. Please make sure to also fill out the artist statement: at least 10 words with a maximum of 100 words.

Entries are available in the school office. Works will be accepted in the office through December 2, 2013. If you have any questions or need additional information please contact me at 773-3642 or via email at [email protected]

Sincerely, Kimberly Yung

For more information on the program and the requirements for each category, please check the NYS website at

http://www.nyspta.org/YourPTA/YourPTA_Reflections.cfm

Literature Musical composition Photography Dance choreography Visual arts Film production

Huth Road Happenings 8 Fall Fundraiser

id you know that the Fall Fundraiser earns $6,000- $8,000 for our school? And it is the main source of rev- D enue for the PTA and the enrichment we provide for your students.

Thank you to the more than 100 students who participated this year! We partnered with Great American to provide the product. Students sold can- dy, gift wrap, kitchen gadgets, and magazines. Each student who participated in the sale will receive prizes provided by Great American as well as a mustache in honor of our theme and grand prize – the Fiesta Lunch Cel- ebration.

Students who sold more than 15 items will receive an invitation with their orders. Students who sold more than 20 items can invite a friend. Orders must be picked up during our family game night on Friday, November 1 from 6-8 p.m. in Cafeteria 2. If you are unable to pick up your order during that time, please contact Trish Eichel (775-0427).

The Fiesta Lunch (catered by Mighty Taco) is scheduled for Friday, No- vember 8 during regular lunch times.

Boxtops Needed!

The Boxtop contest is underway for the first quarter. The classroom with the most boxtops will win an Ice Cream Party! We will collect them by October 28 to see which is the lucky classroom! Each marking period we will have a contest…so begin collecting those boxtops. Good luck!

Thank you to everyone who takes the time to cut and send in the boxtops for free money for our school. Don't forget, you can earn eboxtops online at the www.boxtops4education.com website. There are lots of contests and free coupons as well for many products we all use every day!

Karrie Valle, Boxtop chairperson

9 Huth Road Happenings Summer Reading Celebration. . .

More than 325 students turned in their summer reading forms and join us for our celebration of reading. Each summer we challenge our students to continue reading to help them fight the “Summer Slide” and keep from losing some of the reading skills they have developed during the previous school year. Students really enjoyed themselves and had fun as they played Bingo and were treated to ice cream sandwiches. This celebration is organized by the reading de- partment in collaboration with the librarian. Thank you, PTA, for the ice cream treat and bingo prizes! Pictured are some of the third graders who took part in summer reading fun and were invited to the summer reading celebration.

Although you surely have the Music Boosters fine calendar, check back to the school district’s web-pages calendar occasionally. Dates may change or events may be added.