South Mountain Superstar June 2008

www.southmountain.somsd.k12.nj.us

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june

june calendar

summer’s here!

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School Supply Fundraiser Begins

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School Fair, 3:15 - 5:30pm

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All Library Books Due!

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SM Variety Show, 7pm

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5th Grade Moving On Ceremony

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4-hour Day

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Last Day of School!

in this issue:

well, almost.

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@ Presidents

last day of school, june 24

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Column Library News Principal’s Message SOMEF Contact Info Programming Advertisement Elementary School Newsletter SM Merchandise More Library News

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 electronic PDF version of this newsletter!

Reduce your carbon count and go green, baby!

Please email: Rhonda Johnson rjohn74077@aol.com

Get on the green team!

box tops: Please keep bringing in those Box Tops!

Just a reminder to send in your pennies for Kids for Change.

HALF of all the money raised will go to the Make-A-Wish Foundation, NJ chapter and the other HALF will go to your child’s classroom.

This is a great way to show children how their pocket change can change lives!

www.southmountain.somsd.k12.nj.us

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so long... presidents column Carlene Brumant & Sandi Brand PTA Co-Presidents

This is a very sad occasion for me. Not only is this my last column, but also my farewell to South Mountain and New Jersey. I have been fortunate enough to have two of my children attend South Mountain. It was not only a wonderful experience for them, but for me as well. I am biased, but I will venture to say that their elementary schooling would be hard to surpass. I will miss the anticipation of getting that August letter telling us which teacher my child would have in September. By the way Mr. G, who would Randy have gotten for 5th grade? Just curious.

library news

many thanks to the pta I would like to thank Sandi Brand who has been an awesome Co-President. She is tireless, easy to work with, and a terrific person. My thanks also to the Executive Board for their hard work, input, and great ideas. We’ve accomplished so much.

We seen a new playground installed at the Annex, new library furniture (with more improvements to come), and the beginning stages of technology. Going forward, I know that your enthusiasm and dedication to our school and our children will remain evident. With our new Co-President, Sylvia Cutler, and new PTA board members, I’m sure that the PTA will continue to be productive. Thanks to the teachers, Mr. Gibbons, Mrs. Samuels, Ms. Dudley, Mrs. Anello, and staff for all you do. A special shout out to SW. To the parents of South Mountain, thank you for your continued generosity and volunteering of your time. All events are successful because of you!

Mrs Ng would like to thank the PTA for the additional library shelving at both South Mountain and the Annex, and for the library-style tables and chairs at South Mountain. Additional work will be done over the summer, so we should be returning to a re-arranged library in September.✪

Six Flags tickets were mailed out May 7-8-9, 2008. Students who turned in a completed reading log before the February due date should have received their ticket in the mail. If your child did not receive the ticket they Ng earned, please contact Mrs. immediately. Pay attention to the expiration dates on the tickets, because Six Flags will not honor tickets outside of the program dates.

We’ve had a few rough years, but all in all I think we’ve fared really well and are better than ever. We should never take the community we live in for granted. South Orange and Maplewood are unique places to live, work, and raise our children. The diversity, talent, education, and level of parental involvement are unmatched. Continue to support your schools, community, school administrators and teachers. Congratulations to the 5th graders, and I wish you much success in middle school and beyond. I hope everyone has a great summer, I will. I plan on eating lots of ice cream.

The library needs volunteers to start off in September with “opening the library” tasks.

Anyone interested, please contact Mrs Ng.

Carlene

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principal’s potpourri principal’s message

Tom Gibbons

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Save the date. The School Fair is coming June 6th. We have new games and prizes with lots of blow up rides.

The kids have been looking forward to this all year. Fun had by June all. Don’t forget to come dunk your favorite teacher.

Tom Gibbons, Principal

! Thank you all for a great year. The summer is near. Rest, restore, re-juvenate, relax, recover, revive, and most of all ready yourselves for a great 2008-2009 school year. @ Bullying and conflict are always present when there are over 600 students present. Bullying can be subtle; most bullies do not know they are “bullying”. Bullying is one-sided; conflicts are two-sided. Among the many responses that my staff and I are employing this time of year, is a call to parents to talk to your children about bullying and conflict.

Please give them the positive spin. Talk to them about getting along with each other. I will be visiting each homeroom to deliver a firm message which will include high expectations for positive behavior. Thank you in advance for taking the time to do your part. # The district has a common sense dress code. Students should dress appropriately. Please help your children make good decisions when selecting their outfits for school, especially now that the warm weather is here. $ The libraries at both buildings received new furniture, purchased via the PTA. It looks great. Thank the PTA for their on-going support of the library and media centers. % Over 100 parents responded to my request for written parent input as part of the class formation process. Again, there no guarantees; your letters were fantastic. They are extremely valuable in forming classes. Thank you for the thoughtful comments that you shared. ^ For the first time the second grade will be taking the second grade version of the New Jersey PASS, a standardized test that is similar to the NJASK. The NJPASS is not state mandated and therefore does not become part of the district’s report card. It is standardized but is not high stakes in the same sense as NJASK. The data that we collect from the administration of this test will help the 3rd grade teachers enormously and help the district make any necessary adjustments to the 2nd grade curriculum.

Please, Please, Please do not stress about this test. It will help us focus our curriculum and teaching better.

& Finally, our students will eat lunch outside for the rest of the school year, as often as possible, during pleasant weather. We tried it out on Wednesday, May 28th – Success!

The children seemed to enjoy the serenity and the atmosphere, which is a contrast from the lunchroom.

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Well the year is coming to an end and we would like to thank everyone for volunteering thier time this year in helping raise funds for our school. We could not have done it without you. Thank You! Thank You!

Last but not least, we are looking for volunteers to help in the fall with the Book Fair. If you are interested, please contact:

Maria Shapiro

973-761-4779

mariashapiro1@gmail.com

Have a great summer !!!!

Maria Shapiro and Kara Erhamza

Volunteers wanted!

We need your help for the annual fall Book Fair.

please call

www.southmountain.somsd.k12.nj.us

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SOMEF The South Orange-Mapleweed Education Foundation

Honoring Our Teachers and Staff – SOMEF Supports our Schools Year-Round

Don’t forget to fill out your Opt Out or Change Form!

There’s still time to order individualized end-of-the-yeargifts for the teachers and other school staff members who have helped make this school year a successful one for your child. For your contribution of $5.00 or more per tribute, the South Orange-Maplewood Education Foundation (SOMEF) will deliver a card imprinted with your family’s personal message to any staff member in any school on the last school day.

By sending SOMEF Honor Your Teacher tribute cards, you will be showing appreciation for deserving staff members with a memorable gift that also gives back to our schools. Donations for Honor Your Teacher tributes go directly to the SOMEF Teacher Grants Program that invites all teachers to apply for funds for special projects for their students every year.

Obtain Honor Your Teacher order forms in the main office, at www.somef.org or www.somsd.k12.nj.us, at “Community Digital Backpack” (Flyers), or leave a message at 973-3782055, and SOMEF will send one to you. Send order forms to SOMEF, POB 84, Maplewood, NJ 07040 by June 9th. Orders of $50 or more can be purchased via PayPal on the SOMEF website.

In addition to Teacher Grants, SOMEF also supports professional development, facilities improvements and the ACHIEVE Volunteer Tutor Program. Many thanks to the 22 tutors who helped 44 students at South Mountain School in 2007-08! Your generous support of SOMEF will help to expand these valuable programs in the future. ✪

If you would prefer not to be listed in next year’s school directory, or need to update your phone number, address, email address, or your name; please get your forms back via back pack by June 20, 2008!

Thanks!!!

contact info: South Mountain PTA Executive Board Co-Presidents Carlene Brumant (973) 761-7764 Sandi Brand (973) 762-5333

Vice Presidents, Administration Rhonda Johnson (973) 762-2940 Sandy Sandoli

(973) 275-3856

Vice Presidents, Fundraising Maria Shapiro (973) 761-4779 Kara Erhamza (973) 313-2296

Vice Presidents, Programming Lisa Nolet (973) 761-7531 Letitia Campbell (973) 763-8014

notable thanks to troop

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First Grade Brownie Troop #699 planting flowers at the South Mountain Annex.

Treasurers Jill Johnson Louise Finkelman

(973) 378-3441 (973) 378-2313

Corresponding Secretary Laura Reichgut (973) 763-6905

Recording Secretary Mercinth Pearce

(973) 762-6889

www.southmountain.somsd.k12.nj.us

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thanks to all volunteers programming june’08

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Welcome back and Congratulations to Mrs. Juhlin on the birth of her son,

Nathan.

Lisa Nolet and Letitia Campbell

Letitia and I want to thank everyone who has volunteered their time this year to make our programming activities successful. We started with meet and greet on the first day of school, followed by the Ice Cream Social a few days later.

Sylvia Cutler organized the many parents who volunteered to scoop and maintain order while our superstars made supersize sundaes. Each month brought new activities, and volunteers continued to step up to make sure the activities were successful.

We appreciated the attendance at PTA meetings which allowed parents and Mr. Gibbons to share information and concerns and also sometimes to learn something new as we all did during Parents as Partners Night. It has been a lot of fun and we are grateful to have so many dedicated parents who give their time and talents to our children’s school. We thank you and hope you all have great summer!

Lisa Nolet and Letitia Campbell

Please be aware that the PTA will no longer have the hotline.

Please check for event information and PTA news on the school website, emails and the newsletter.

Stock up on Summer Reading Titles with Usborne Books!

reminder

Brain research has shown that reading skills can be an incredibly powerful predictor of future academic success. Thanks to books with lavish illustrations, written with humor, surprise and drama that incorporate activities and puzzles to challenge a child’s observation and intelligence, Usborne Books have been successful in converting even the most resistant child into a skillful reader.

All library books must be turned in by Friday, June 6.

The library staff needs to complete an inventory before the end of school, and your help in getting the books back on time is appreciated. Also, all unreturned books will be considered LOST and a bill will be sent June home. Unpaid library fines will result in report cards being withheld.

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Contact your local Usborne Representative today!

Annélisa Blake-Wasden booksforkidz@myubah.com (973) 820-1267 www.ubah.com/K1923

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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

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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

home theater

formerly hi-def.

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

The Wellness Agenda

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SHOWROOM BY APPOINTMENT • ENDLESS POSSIBILITIES WITH ART

Reiki Master/Healing Stress Relaxation Consultant Lecturer Author Media Work

www.southmountain.somsd.k12.nj.us

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elementary school newsletters Main Library, 51 Baker Street 973-762-1622 Hilton Branch, 1688 Springfield Ave. 973-762-1688 Registration and valid library card required for most kids’ programs.

Parenting Inc. Talk and book signing with author Pamela Paul Have you found yourself buying parenting products you never even knew you needed? Are you afraid you’re not being a good parent if you don’t keep up with all the safety and learning items being offered?

School-Age Story/ Craft Programs For kids who have completed any grade from K – 6th Bug-related crafts all summer long! Pick up a schedule at either branch.

Cool Summer Programs at Hilton Branch Computer Games, Creative Dramatics, Bug Bingo, Movie Matinees, Owl Pellet Desection.

Turtleback Zoo brings bugeating reptiles to the library!

Main Library: Thursday July 31st

Information about summer reading lists will be posted on the district website in late June.

Grade 5 - Battle of the Books competitions will be held on June 4 (class wide battles) and June 11 (grade wide battle).

Grade 4 - Battle of the Books competitions will be held in early June. ✪

Turnoff All TV Turnoff Completion forms should have been turned in by May 30.

Awards will be distributed to students during the final week of school.

✪

South Mountain Merchandise Car Magnets $5.00 Water Bottles $3.00 South Mountain Tye-Dye T-shirts Youth XS,S,M,L

Adult S,M,L,XL Adult South Mountain White Short Sleeve T-shirts Adult South Mountain White Long Sleeve T-shirts South Mountain Flannel Boxer Shorts Youth S,M,L

Name

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Summer Reading Club Kick-Off Bug Songs with Kurt Gallagher Monday, June 16th 7:00–7:45pm Main Library: Outside on the lawn (In case of rain, program will be held inside).

For all ages. Children must be accompanied by an adult.

A fun family sing-along! (no registration needed)

With an anecdotal and entertaining style, Pamela leads the way for parents who want to escape the competition and consumption of parenthood, and addresses the question: How do marketers come up with all this stuff, and how do they convince us we need it?

Tuesday, June 10th 7:30pm at Hilton Branch

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$15.00 $15.00 $ 5.00 $10.00 $12.00

Teacher Phone/email

Please make check payable to: South Mountain PTA

Send your payment to the PTA via your child’s backpack in an envelope marked T-shirts.

Questions?

Contact Kara Erhamza 313-2296 or Maria Shapiro 761-4779

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 Mtn Families ONLY.

credits: Design William Kochi KODE Associates, Inc.

Printing Mary Jo DeFranco Signal Graphics