South Mountain Superstar December 2008

www.southmountain.somsd.k12.nj.us

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december calendar

happy holidays!

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4-hour Day

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Holiday Recess Begins

2009 5

Classes Resume

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District Closed for MLK Jr. Day

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PTA General Meeting, 9am (Annex)

TBA

let it snow.

January Schedule

Family Roller Skating Night

in this issue:

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Column Library News Principal’s Message SPED-PTO Administration Contact Info Programming The Parent Center SOMEF Advertisements Elementary Newsletter Fundraising

SAVE our PLANET

School hours: Full Sessions First Bell 8:40am

AM Kindergarten 8:40-11:30am

PM Kindergarten 12:30-3:15pm

Grades 1-5 8:40-3:15pm

4-hour Sessions First Bell 8:40am

AM Kindergarten 8:40-11:30am

PM Kindergarten 10:00-12:45pm

Grades 1-5 8:40-12:45pm

Please sign up for the PDF version of this newsletter! Reduce your carbon footprint and go green! Contact Sandi Sandoli at 275-3856 or by email: ssandoli@verizon.net

box tops: Please keep bringing in those Box Tops!

holiday recess

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Yvette Holowczak ymholowczak@yahoo.com

Holiday recess begins on December 24th. See you in the new year on January 5th!

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have a safe holiday! presidents column Sandi Brand & Sylvia Cutler PTA Co-Presidents

We hope that everyone had a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Now that winter is upon us the possibility of school closings or emergency closings are here. We will be using the district’s Call ’em All system to let our parents know when school will be closed or if we have a delayed opening, The PTA will activate the phone chain should the school close early due to weather or any other unexpected emergency. In the case of an early dismissal, we want to be sure that every child returns home safely. That being said, please make sure that we have your current home, work and cell phone numbers on file. Should any of these numbers change during the course of the year, please be sure to update us on those changes.

We will not have a January issue so be sure to check your email or child’s backpack often so you won’t miss any important event information or notices. After the break we will be “full steam ahead” on our major fundraiser – The Auction. Look for the flyers for information on advance ticket sales, raffles, and donation updates.

We have two cultural arts events scheduled for December. On December 10th, Ball in the House will be performing at South Mountain for our 3-5th graders. The “wow” factor runs high when this soul, funk and hip vocal group brings a cappella to life.

On December 16th Sarah Partridge, jazz singer extraordinaire and Superstar mom brings her band to the Annex for their Jazz Explores show. We are thrilled to be able to have both of these talented groups at our schools.

Mark your calendars for January 21st when will have our General PTA meeting at the Annex. Our PTA will also host a Family Roller Skating Night at the Florham Park Roller Rink. Details for both of these events will follow shortly.

Lastly, we would like to say thank you to the members of our PTA Executive Board and for all of our incredible volunteers for the many hours that they have spent working on all of our fundraisers and events this first half of the year. We look forward to a fabulous 2009.

We wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season.

Sandi and Sylvia

library news

read to succeed is returning!

Read to Succeed is returning in midlate December. More information will be sent home at that time.

Also Grade 5 will be starting their Battle of the Books program in December.

Book Lists will be sent home as well as posted on school website around December 1.

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what is real? principal’s message Tom Gibbons, Principal

The quote on the November calendar in my kitchen reads, “It’s not what’s on the table that matters, it’s who’s on the chairs that counts.” I realize that the friends we have and the bonds of love we share are all that really matter. This holiday season, I wish you all the gift of love and friendship. From the bottom of my heart, I thank you for the gift of your children in my life.

Please take a few minutes to read the entire story of the Velvateen Rabbit. The message is universal. As adults, we need to remember the Velvateen Rabbits in our lives. And at times, when we are feeling less than Velvateen, we need only to look around to our families, to those who love us…their love is real.

From the Velvateen Rabbit

by Margery Williams

“What is REAL?” asked the Rabbit one day, when they were lying side by side near the nursery fender, before Nana came to tidy the room.

“Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and a stick-out handle?”

“Real isn’t how you are made,” said the Skin Horse.

“It’s a thing that happens to you.

When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real.”

“Does it hurt?” asked the Rabbit.

“Sometimes,” said the Skin Horse, for he was always truthful. “When you are Real you don’t mind being hurt.”

“Does it happen all at once, like being wound up,” he asked, “or bit by bit?”

“It doesn’t happen all at once,” said the Skin Horse.

“You become. It takes a long time.

That’s why it doesn’t happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept.

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby.

But these things don’t matter at all, because once you are Real you can’t be ugly, except to people who don’t understand.”

Tom Gibbons

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sped-pto Special Education Parent Teacher Organization (SPED-PTO)

SPED-PTO works to make a difference to the lives of all children with special needs. Our goal is to promote the welfare of the special education student by providing parents with the tools and information they need to work collaboratively with the school district and to be more effective advocates for their children. We hold several meetings to help parents network and share information. Our upcoming meetings are 2/4/09 and 4/2/09 at 7:30pm and are held at the Board of Education meeting room, 525 Academy Street Maplewood. If you have a concern or questions, please contact your individual school’s special education liaison or one of the SPED-PTO executive committee members at: http://chslib.somsd.k12.nj.us/ ~specserv/PTO.html

WINTER RECESS december 24th 2008 through january 5th 2009

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administration corrections and additions Directory Corrections

South Mountain PTA Executive Board Co-Presidents Sandi Brand (973) 762-5333 sandibrand@verizon.net Sylvia Cutler (973) 378-8286 sylcutler@aol.com

Sandy Sandoli & Amy Forman PTA VPs of Administration

class changes Milan Khera has moved from Ms. McGovern’s class to Mrs. Mehl’s class

We apologize for the following errors in this year’s directory.

Please make the following changes in your directory:

Vice Presidents, Administration Sandy Sandoli (973) 275-3856 ssandoli@verizon.net Amy Forman (973) 763-5669 amygarysamlily@aol.com

762-5134, Ashish & Pragya Trivedi, 12 Lewis Drive, Maplewood, p_trivedi@yahoo.com

Lauren Yelner, Ms. Visco’s class – email should read DJ1762@gmail.com

Vice Presidents, Fundraising Maria Shapiro (973) 761-4779 mikespopworld@hotmail.com Laura Reichgut (973) 763-6905 Feissgut@yahoo.com

Grace Lee has moved from Mrs. Heuman’s class to Mrs. Buonocore’s class

Leah Otner, Mrs. Pomeranc’s class and Ethan Otner, Mrs. Schaefer-Gelo’s class – email should read dotner@verizon.net

Vice Presidents, Programming Letitia Campbell (973) 763-8014 letitia.campbell@yahoo.com Kara Erhamza (973) 313-2296 k_erhamza@mac.com

762-7590, William Lee & Sue Kwon, 23 Speir Drive, South Orange, shkwon.nj@gmail.com

Jake Stern, Ms. Visco’s class – address should read South Orange, not Maplewood

Dylan Davila-Cheang has moved from Mrs. Buonocore’s class to Mrs. Murray’s class

Valentina Squizziato, Ms. McGovern’s class, phone should read 973-327-4164

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contact info:

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Treasurers Louise Finkelman (973) 378-2313 LSF92@hotmail.com Debbie Granados (973) 761-5357 4granados@optonline.net

Corresponding Secretary Leslie Rubenfeld (973) 313-0523 rubenfelds@aol.com

Recording Secretary Renee Leviton (973) 378-3810 reneekleviton@hotmail.com

Sandy and Amy

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programming dec/jan’09 happy new year!

’twas holiday vacation

PROGRAMMING

(Or: How to Keep Your Kids‚ Minds Occupied and Your Home Intact Over the Holidays) ~Stacey Greene Wicksall (Librarian from Waterloo, NY), slightly adapted by Mrs. Suzanne Ng.

This month and next are very quiet for programming. There will be no General PTA meeting in December. Once the new year rolls around, mark your calendars for two events. One will be the January General PTA meeting scheduled for Wed., Jan. 21 at 9am at the Annex. The second will be our Family Roller Skating Event at Florham Park Roller Rink. More information on this fun event will be coming via your child’s backpack. We hope you have a wonderful, safe, happy holiday season. See you in the New Year!

It was holiday vacation for twelve whole days long, And mommy and daddy wanted nothing to go wrong- The presents had been chosen by relatives with care, In hopes it would save them from losing their hair!

Kara and Letitia thank you!!!

But children were zipping and zooming about- “We’re bored, we’re bored!” they exclaimed in a shout, So mommy looked at Daddy with a twinkle in her eye, “I have a solution that money can’t buy!”

dec 2008

The South Mountain School PTA constantly strives to work with the teachers and staff of South Mountain School to provide quality education for all of our children. We are thrilled to announce the following recent PTA purchases for our school. We would not be able to make such important and worthwhile purchases without you and for that we are extremely grateful for your generosity and continued support of the PTA.

Thank You!!

• New Books for K-5 to be used for instructional reading groups • Some new classroom supplies for a 5th grade classroom • Ball the House cultural arts performance for grades 3-5

• Jazz Explorers cultural arts performance for grades K-2

story inventing Award-winning author Mary Amato will read her latest book, The Chicken of the Family, share how she turns ideas into books, and teach a fun improvisational game to stimulate story inventing.

Saturday, December 6 2:00 p.m.

K and up *

Maplewood Memorial Library 51 Baker Street Maplewood, NJ 07040 Phone: 973 - 762-1622

*All ages welcome; best for ages 5-10.

Book signing after the program.

Some of Mary's books will be available for sale (courtesy of Goldfinch Books).

And bundling their children they decided to go To the public library (in spite of the snow).

They pulled in the lot and opened the door- Story Time had begun with room for two more!

They heard a grand story about a mean, ugly Grinch- And created a craft; it was all such a cinch!

They beamed with pride over the things they had made, Then dashed to the wall with the book shelves to raid.

PTA Purchases: • An iMac computer to serve as a central downloading center for the iPod listening centers.

• A listening center for the South Mountain Kindergarten.

Story Inventing with author Mary Amato

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“Look, here’s Junie B. and Artemis Fowl- These titles will keep us busy for a while!”

The parents let out great sighs of relief- Children reading books meant an end to their grief!

And back to their home they soon did travel With a stack full of mysteries to soon unravel- So when this vacation at once came to an end, They brought back the books they’d had out on lend.

When back at the school the kids they did chatter, Of books they had read all about matter!

And the teacher exclaimed with the utmost delight, “Joy over reading is a wonderful sight- It will bring your learning to a commendable height, So tell me the tales that you read before bed, Or share that adventure still swirling in your head, Reading is the best gift you gave to yourself, Lasts longer and better than one from an elf.

I wish happy holidays to each one of you And may you read many-a-book all the year through!”

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holiday toy drive

The Parenting Center Holiday Toy Drive

Please donate toys for needy children in the South Orange & Maplewood School District.

PIANO for YOU

Rewarding and fun for children and adults interested in classical and popular music.

Please drop off an unwrapped toy for children ages: infants – 16 yrs at: The Parenting Center 525 Academy St., Maplewood Or send one to: your child’s elementary school from December 1st – 15th.

Share your holiday cheer and help put a smile on the face of a child this holiday season.

somef: night of 100 dinners

Guess who’s coming to dinner? You decide.

The South Orange-Maplewood Education Foundation will host its 5th annual NIGHT OF 100 DINNERS on Saturday, January 24th. Support your local education foundation by inviting your friends for dinner.

Guests’ donations to SOMEF will help to promote educational excellence in the South Orange & Maplewood Schools. Help SOMEF exceed last year’s record of 500 guests enjoying dinners at 34 homes in our towns, raising a total of $35,000 for Teacher Grants, the ACHIEVE Volunteer Tutor Program, professional development, facilities improvements and more. To host a dinner or for more information, contact SOMEF at info@somef.org or 973-378-2055.

762-6601

Beginning, intermediate and advanced.

25 years experience.

Complimentary trial lesson.

Call Wendy Goldstein.

973-762-6601

Tsi p i Ka p l a n will be offering private chef services (weekly food preparation for families) and for holiday parties. Please call or email for reservations.

ch e f@t sip ikap lan . c o m

chef instructor

973.761.5866 917.502.0932 ce ll

w w w .t sip ikap lan .c o m

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ZOKUSALON.COM

Zina’s Handmade Treasures

Great gifts, or treat yourself!

Baby blankets,

baby sweaters Children’s sweaters and ponchos Adult ponchos,

scarves, and shawls

17 UNION PLACE SUMMIT, NJ 07901 ( 908 ) 273 . ZOKU ( 9658 )

see what you’re missing.

201.259.8426

remember the days when you could buy a new TV, plug it into the wall, and...

If interested in purchasing a treasure

or two, please contact Mrs. Schaefer-Gelo

(Second Grade Teacher)

or email her at: gschaefe@somsd.k12.nj.us

Miriam Belov, mat, rmt miriam@wellnessagenda.com 973.762.6962

chatham brick asbury park ...immediately start watching? Those days are long gone. Introducing pure AVS intelligence for universal remotes, audio/video system upgrades & iPod integration.

iIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi iIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi iIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi iIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiI IiIiIiIiIiIiIiIiIi pa i n t i n g s prints posters l i t h o g ra ph s collage antique prints p h oto g ra ph y s c u lt u r e m i r ro r s c u sto m f ra m i n g c o r p o rat e residential c o n s u lt i n g a rt p lac e m e n t i n s t a l l at i o n s m u ra l s a rt a c c e s s o r i e s ap p ra i s a l s

Everything is handmade by Mrs. Schaefer-Gelo’s mother.

The Wellness Agenda

www.wellnessagenda.com

201.486.5899 c a ry n @ c s m - a r t. c o m

endless possibilities with art

mind – body – health – fitness

Reiki Master/Healing Stress Relaxation

art & frame 25b commerce street c h at h a m , n j 0 7 9 2 8 by appointment

Consultant Lecturer Author Media Work

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elementary school newsletters

Worried that your child isn’t reading with fluency, enthusiasm, or comprehension?

Need some ideas to stimulate a love of books and learning?

Betsy Wald, librarian and social worker, will help you create real changes in your child’s reading attitude and ability. We will also be celebrating our new collection of “Family Read Together Backpacks”, filled with books, puzzles, journals, music, games and everything you need for family reading fun.

dec 2008

Friday Morning Specials: Drop-n programs for all ages Main Library: Fridays 10:3011am, no registration is needed Dec 5th: Storytime Sing-A-Long with Michael Dec 12th and 19th programs will be announced soon!

Durand-Hedden House Where History Comes Alive December 14 1-4 pm

523 Ridgewood Road

Maplewood, NJ

(973) 763-7712

Drive the cold away –18th Century Musick & Storytelling Holiday Program The Durand-Hedden House invites the public to hear superb musician and historian interpreter Robert Mouland. Mr. Mouland will present an evocative holiday program in the role of Michael Keane, an Irish Harper who came to America in 1754.

The performance features the wire-strung Irish harp, pastoral piped, Baroque flute (c1790), Baroque violin, English guitar, both (c1760) and the flageolette (c1860). Visitors will be charmed by this holiday treat of beautiful songs and tales of the season.

Beaded SnowflakeCraft Main Library: for grades K and up with a participating adult Monday, Dec 15th at 7 pm or Tuesday, Dec 16th at 4 pm

dec 2008

It is hard to believe that the holidays are already upon us. We would like to thank everyone for your support throughout the first part of the school year. You have made it a successful one.

The Election Day Bake Sale was a great hit. We would like to thank everyone who provided baked goods and volunteered their time. This would not have been possible without your baking/cooking abilities.

A special thanks to our chairs Julie Fuhrman and Renee Helfenstein for putting this together.

Don’t forget that Picture Retakes will be held on Wednesday, December 3rd. This is for those who missed the original date or are not happy with their current picture and would like a retake. Note: if you are retaking a photo, the first package must be returned in full.

Contact Jen Ratner at 973-275-1005 for the Annex, and Kathi Hirsch 973-275-9808 for South Mountain.

Lastly, if you have not already done so, mark your calendar, March 28, 2009, for our “Evening In Paris” auction. This will be an unforgettable evening for South Mountain. We are looking for your help in obtaining awesome items to auction off. Do you have a business or talent or know someone who does, do you have a new item that you can donate, please come on board and make a donation to this huge event. You do not want to miss it.

We wish you a wonderful holiday season and winter break!

Maria and Laura

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Make Victorian Crafts all month All ages are welcome to come to the Main Library Dec 1 through 31 to make “Chains of Light”.

This is a drop-in program that is part of the First Night celebration. The Victorian paper crafts will festoon the Children’s Room.

Literacy is a Family Affair: Every child can love to read!

December 9th 7:30 pm at Hilton Branch

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The Country Store will be opened where you can find holiday season bargains.

For more information about the event, call 973-763-7712.

ADVERTISE!

for $2.00 you can place an AD. (business card, birthday wishes, etc.)

Size: 2.75" x 1.75" For larger sizes and display ADs, please inquire. Submissions by email only.

Electronic PDF version will be in color.

Printed version will be B&W.

classifieds: Advertising Policy Deadline: the 15th of the prior month when you wish your AD to appear.

South Mountain Families ONLY!

credits: Design + Production William Kochi KODE Associates, Inc.

Printing Mary Jo DeFranco Signal Graphics