Sunview Stars, for Feb. 9th

Better a little late, than never, right?  Here are the February 9, 2012 Sunview Stars:

Student	Nominated by	Nominated for
Nasie T.	Mrs. Argo	Getting right to work
Nick D.	Mrs. Argo	Getting right to work
Dominic A.	Mrs. Argo	Getting right to work
Nathan M.	Mrs. Zawacki	Nice job with behaviour yesterday
Blake B.	Mrs. Zelinka	Trying your best and working hard in reading club
Jaya C.	Mrs. Zelinka	Trying your best and working hard in reading club
Johnnie E.	Mrs. Zelinka	Trying your best and working hard in reading club
Parker L.	Mrs. Zelinka	Trying your best and working hard in reading club
Alexander D.	Mrs. Zelinka	Trying your best and working hard in reading club
Annabel M.	Mrs. Burkholder	Excellent use of dialogue and narration in your writing
Olivia H.	Mrs. Burkholder	Extra effort in math and reading- lead to great test scores
Sean P.	Mrs. Burkholder	Helping organize homework every morning and still getting his work done
Kara S.	Mrs. Burkholder	Being such a kind friend to everyone, especially those with special needs
Rebeca S.	Mrs. Burkholder	Coming in all week and getting started rigth away on morning work
Chase A.	Mrs. Bell	Working very hard every morning in his writing journal
Justin B	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Jack P.	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Tammy C.	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Brandon H.	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Michael F.	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Rowarn B.	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Amaya L.	Ms. Jordan	Great team work
Heather L.	Mrs. Nord	Being a friend to other students on the playground
Charlie L.	Mrs. Groudle	Trying to use better handwriting this week
Justin C.	Mrs. Groudle	Helping a friend find a page in the practice book
Alijah M.	Mrs. Groudle	Keeping his glasses on all week
Hailey I.	Mrs. Groudle	Reading directions loud and clear in reading
Makayla P.	Mrs. Groudle	Reading directions loud and clear in reading
Savannah S.	Mrs. Groudle	Picking up winter coats in the halway
Lexy R.	Mrs. Groudle	Picking up winter coats in the halway
Betsy W.	Mrs. Groudle	Picking up winter coats in the halway
Ashley C.	Mrs. Groudle	Completed missed schoolwork from an absence very quickly
Lexi K.	Mrs. Erwin	Always being a great example
Monica D.	Mrs. Erwin	Always being a great example
Matt K.	Ms. Brzuski	Completing his Zero Hour Pedometer Power Log.  Great job getting 10,000 steps daily.
Brittni B.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Brooklyn B.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Brune B.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Carolyn H.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Cassie M.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Frannie R.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Hana N.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Iris M.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Jake A.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Leroy M.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Olivia M.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Paul M.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Valerie B.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Zachary K.	Mrs. Spackey	Fabulous Music Club performance
Grace Y.	Mrs. Ambrose	Being focused and on task during reading
Brandon M.	Mrs. Ambrose	Giving a correct answer in phonics
Mia O.	Mrs. Ambrose	Writing 3 complete correct sentences to retell a story
Marneice J.	Mrs. Morhe	Practiced their reading "take home" books to build fluency
McKenzye W.	Mrs. Morhe	Practiced their reading "take home" books to build fluency
Julian M.	Mrs. Morhe	Practiced their reading "take home" books to build fluency
Kayli R.	Mrs. Young	Helping a student joyfully
Emma B.	Mrs. Young	Always having a smile
Jimmera M.	Mrs. Young	Trying extra hard in math
Hunter C.	Mr. Stahl	Showing what he knows during a Jeopardy game
Logan T.	Mr. Stahl	Showing what he knows during a Jeopardy game
Sam O.	Mr. Stahl	Practicing cursive on his own
Kamryn T.	Ms. Meyer	Setting a good exmaple on the carpet
Comenic C.	Ms. Meyer	Setting a good exmaple on the carpet
Alex D.	Ms. Meyer	Setting a good exmaple on the carpet
Alijah L.	Ms. Meyer	Setting a good exmaple on the carpet
Jocelyn M.	Mrs. Tierney	Good class participation
Ethan G.	Mrs. Tierney	Good job aling on Sunview stripes
Cory L.	Mrs. Grist	Nice focus during large group activities
Max B.	Mrs. Grist	Wonderful passion for books

Baby, its cold outside!

Don't forget to dress your kiddos in a hat, gloves, snow pants and boots now through April (well, at least until the snow stops flying!).  Kids without boots are not allowed off of the blacktop during recess and that's no fun, so don't forget.  My solution is to send the snow pants and shoes in a separate bag each day and my kiddo changes into shoes at the start of the day and then he's set for recess if the weather is good enough to go out.

Plus, because he had all of his winter gear, he was able to go sledding during recess earlier this week.    Kids in all grade levels were able to go sledding twice this week.  Kudos to Ms. Brzuski for making sledding an option for a recess zone!

Star Helper Update: Food Drive and Senior Basket Update

SENIOR BASKET UPDATE

            Thanks to all the students and parents, our Sunview Star Helpers, for bringing in donations for our Senior Basket drive.  Last year, Sunview students donated 10 baskets worth of goodies.  This year we blew that number out of the water and had 16 FULL baskets to give!   

 

 The baskets will be distributed around Valentine’s Day.  If you are interested in delivering a basket please contact Beth Lydic.

Our senior neighbors greatly appreciate your gifts! 

FOOD DRIVE WEEK ONE

Congratulations to Mrs. Bell’s Kindergarten class who brought in the most food donations this week.  They donated a whopping 13 items!! 

Don’t forget to bring in your non-perishable food items every Friday this month to help your “adopted family”.

Thank you for your help in teaching our students to respect and care for others!

If you have questions please contact Beth Lydic.

Motivating Kids to Read

Motivating children to read is one of those agony-ecstasy tasks every parent and teacher faces sooner or later. When the desire to read is planted, nurtured, and grows—ecstasy; but when an appreciation of reading fails to take root—agony...for the parent, teacher, and child. There are myriad reasons children don’t like to read, and the following selection of articles will explain why and what parents and teachers can do about it; provide valuable tips on what won’t work (nagging, bribing, criticizing); and offer practical advice on reading activities that will keep the entire family engaged during summer months and holiday breaks. As one article says: “The most effective way to encourage your children to love books and reading is to read aloud to them, and the earlier you start, the better. Even a baby of a few months can see pictures, listen to your voice, and turn cardboard pages.”

Go to www.rif.org for more information and other great articles like this one.

February 2 Sunview Stars!

Hurray to the following students for being recognized as Sunview Stars February 2, 2012:

Student	Teacher	Reason
Tyler G.	Mrs. Bell	Being helpful and carrying a heavy bag for a classmate
Connor A.	Mrs. Ambrose	Getting 100% on a math test
Maddie P.	Mrs. Ambrose	Getting 100% on a math test
Ben D.	Mrs. Ambrose	Getting 100% on a math test
Sophie F.	Mrs. Erwin	Working hard on math
Matt. S.	Ms. Jordan	Good role models and leaders
Hailey B.	Ms. Jordan	Good role models and leaders
Kaye F.	Ms. Jordan	Good role models and leaders
Michael D.	Ms. Jordan	Good role models and leaders
Dylan S.	Ms. Jordan	Good citizen in Mrs. Zawacki's class
Brandon M.	Ms. Jordan	Excellent effort in small group
Brady D.	Ms. Jordan	Bus leader
Bryce T.	Mr. Stahl	Saying please and thank you
Julian M.	Mr. Stahl	Having a big smile and working hard
Michael D.	Mr. Stahl	Concentrating durng cursive lessons
Maddie C.	Mr. Stahl	Being a good friend
Mark T.	Mr. Stahl	Turning a bad day into a good one
Jonathan B.	Mrs. Pompeani	Having great self control
Stell	Mrs. Pompeani	Being kind to her peers
Natalie B.	Ms. Meyer	Keeping coat rack clean
Nixk O.	Ms. Meyer	Finishing his work
Hailey S.	Ms. Meyer	Practicing her sight words
Kamryn T.	Ms. Meyer	Sitting quietly during carpet time
Chinedu O.	Mrs. Helmet	Working hard to complete his classwork
Jack D.	Mrs. Burkholder	Excellen job on putting effort into tests.  Got all As on last 3 tests!
Aidan F.	Mrs. Burkholder	Great job on participating for Grammar on carpet
Jathan D.	Mrs. Burkholder	Turning all homework in all week
Megan M.	Mrs. Burkholder	Continues to be a great role model in line, groups, and for making good choices
Michael F.	Mrs. Burkholder	Trying hard to participate at the carpet and in groups.  Excellent focus on getting work done!
Tyler G.	Mrs. Zelinka	Great work on rhyming words
Summerlin P.	Mrs. Zelinka	Doing your best in Reading Club
Marissa B.	Mrs. Zelinka	Practicing you sight wwords
Mia T.	Mrs. Zelinka	Impriving in Reading Club
Isaiah W.	Mrs. Zelinka	Improving in Reading Club
Nicholas G.	Ms. Wilson	Not talking during the fire drill
Hayden H.	Ms. Wilson	Working hard on reading skills
Sammie L.	Mrs. Zawacki	Getting her work done in a timely manner
Brenna S.	Mrs. Zawacki	Doing better at being focused at carpet time
Ferhat G.	Ms. Johnson	Accepting responsibility for his actions, even though it was hard
Danielle B.	Ms. Johnson	Working so very hard to make-up and complete her work after being absent for almost a week!
Holden S.	Mrs. Grist	Superstar effort in reading
Sophia D.	Mrs. Grist	Great job completing all her work to the best of her ability
Stephanie R.	Mrs. Tierney	Finding the spelling of words in the reading passage
Angela H.	Mrs. Tierney	Writing details from reading passage
India J.	Mrs. Tierney	Completing morning on Wednesday
Danny S.	Mrs. Tierney	Completing morning on Wednesday
Antonya S.	Mrs. Argo	Making good choices
Nick D.	Mrs. Argo	Amazing Treasures test scores
Michael C.	Mrs. Argo	Amazing Treasures test scores
Nathan E.	Mrs. Argo	Amazing Treasures test scores
Jared W.	Mrs. Argo	Huge improvement in reading
Alexis E.	Mrs. Bell	Always helping to keep the classroom clean
Christopher R.	Mrs. Bell	Always putting forth his best effort in everything he does
Charlie L.	Mrs. Groudle	Being so kind to Betsy
Vincent Crenshaw	Mrs. Groudle	Always raising his hand before he speaks
Benjamin H.	Mrs. Groudle	Listening to Mrs. Groudel when she asks him to make a better choice- he does!
Lexy R.	Mrs. Groudle	Always thinking "outside the box"
Gio T.	Mrs. Groudle	Helping Mrs. Groudle realize she made a mistake, but being very kind about it
Betsy W.	Mrs. Groudle	Helping Mrs. Groudle realize she made a mistake, but being very kind about it

5 Reasons to Get Involved

Higher grades and better behavior are just a few of the  benefits of parent involvement.

by Emily Graham- Article from www.schoolfamily.com

What if you could help your child enjoy school more, get better grades, and reduce behavior problems at the same time? Reams of research has shown that regardless of parents’ income and educational background, their involvement in education helps their kids do better in and out of school.

Parent involvement can be as simple as helping with math homework or reading a book together at bedtime. Going to parent-teacher conferences is important, but taking the family to the school spaghetti supper makes a difference, too. More involvement is better, but you don’t have to be president of the PTO or run the school carnival. As long as your actions show that you value education, your child is likely to respond. Here are just a few of the reasons you should get involved in your child’s education:

Higher grades. Kids whose parents are involved in their education get better grades and have higher test scores. And the more parents are involved, the more their children seem to benefit. A study of parents highly involved in the educational process showed that their children were more likely to improve in reading and math.

Better behavior. Kids develop better social skills and show improved behavior when their parents are involved at school. Studies have also shown that kids are less likely to skip school, less disruptive in class, and more likely to do their homework when their parents are involved. One study showed that when dads are highly involved in schools, their children enjoy school more and are less likely to be suspended, expelled, or required to repeat a grade.

Improved education. Research shows that parent involvement can help improve the quality of schools, raise teacher morale, and improve a school’s reputation in the community. Involved parents gain the respect of teachers; as a result, teachers have higher expectations of their children. Involvement pays off in the long term, too: Children stay in school longer and are more likely to continue their education after high school.

Increased confidence. When students feel supported at home and school, they develop more positive attitudes about school, have more self-confidence, and place a higher priority on academic achievement. Children of involved parents are more likely to feel that they’re accepted, included, and respected and at school.

Parents benefit, too. When parents become involved in their children’s education, they become more comfortable in the school building, gain confidence in their parenting skills, and feel more capable of helping their children learn. They’re also more likely to continue their own education.

Involvement is easy. You don’t have to log hundreds of volunteer hours for your child to benefit. Even if you can only volunteer a few hours a year, every little bit counts. If you’re ready to do more, your school’s parent-teacher group can help you find ways to get involved that fit both your schedule and your interests.

What are those Box Tops used for anyway?

Why the heck do we ask for those little pink "box tops'?  We send them in for CASH redemption a few times a year.  Each little box top is worth $.10.  Not much individually, but think a bout the amount of money its possible to "raise" without very much effort at all!  You're buying products featuring the pink labels anyway, so make sure to send them in, and while you're at it, why not encourage friends and family to save them for you?

In fact, ALL of the money we "raise" with box top collection goes to fund teacher and staff grants.  In December, the following grants were given:

• 2 iPads- one for use by Ms. Brzuski  and one for use by Ms. Bougambouz who will use it with some of our kids who are on the autism spectrum.  As a total aside, if you haven't seen the 60 Minute segment on this subject, check it out.  It is truly amazing to provide kids with this technology that can give them a voice when they otherwise may not have one.
• A one year school subscription to Brainpop.  The subscription is for school use only, but check out the site and see if it might be a tool to use at home.  They have family subscriptions available too.  There is also a Brainpop App for iPods and iPads, so check it out.
• Books for use by Dr. Boyle as she teaches change through reading books to kids individually and as groups rather than "lecturing."

In all, we gave more than $2100 away for these "mini" grants that will really make for great additions to Sunview.  So keep those little pink labels coming!

As if those weren't reasons enough to send in the Box Tops, we sweetened the pot with a Pizza Party Contest.  Here are the current class totals since the contest started in November:

Groudle         528

Tierney          388

Pompeani      368

Johnson        307

Grist             207

Argo             177

Wilson          169

Meyer           127

Stahl             125

Erwin            118

Pollack          114

Burkholder     108

Young           107

Ambrose       107

Steiner          104

Bell               100

Zawacki         93

Helmet/Treer 10

                       2943 Total (That's $294.30 already!)

One month to go!  Check your pantry for those pink labels and send them in by 2/29 to count towards contest totals.