Immaculata News October 10, 2014 IMPORTANT DATES MON 10/13 1st Grade Field Trip, 8:30am-2:30pm TUE 10/14 Mass led by 5A, 8:10am WED 10/15 2nd Grade Field Trip, 8:20am-2:30pm  Spirit Wear Day  Faculty Meeting, 3:30pm FRI 10/17 Prayer Service led by 8A in EK with Birthday Celebrations, 8:10am TUE 10/21 Mass led by 8A, 8:10am THU 10/23 1st Quarter Ends Get to Know Mrs. Hawkins In this issue… Get to Know Mrs. Hawkins PlusPortals Academic Decathlon Food Drive Meet Mr. Metzgar Free Drama Workshop High School Open House Debra Hawkins’ hearty laugh can be heard even before you see the warm smile on her face. What you might not expect from this beloved pre-k teacher, is to learn about her military background. Growing up in Yonkers, New York, Mrs. Hawkins found herself babysitting a lot for her friends and relatives. She discovered that she was effective in keeping control of the children while their parents were away. This was a fun activity for her, but she al- ways dreamed of a career in the military. FRI 10/24 Prayer Service led by 8B in EK, 8:10am  Auction Preview  So she joined the Army and became a materials specialist, in charge of obtaining supplies troops need to complete their tasks. The Army moved her to Fort Bragg in Fayetteville, North Carolina. After four years in the Army, she enrolled in Durham Tech to obtain day care certification. After a short time volunteering in the Immaculate Conception church day care, she was offered the job in the prekindergarten classroom at Immaculata. Visit Immaculata on FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/ImmaculataCatholicSchool NOON DISMISSAL  Teacher In-Service  Halloween Carnival In an important way, military life helped prepare her for her work as a pre-kindergarten teacher. Routine and schedule are key aspects of both worlds. PlusPortals PlusPortals is your gateway to learning about your child's academic progress. Grade 1-8 Teachers Post Grades weekly about student academic progress.  New grades are posted every week by Monday at 5 p.m.  Tuesdays are a good day to check your child's grades.  PlusPortals does not send an email reminder to check your child's grades.  MARK YOUR CALENDAR November 20 is our 1st Open House for the 2015-16 school year. Invite your friends and neighbors! During her time as a teacher, she has nurtured and impacted the lives of many people. One of the joys of her profession is having former students return and seek her out to say “hi.” This gives her a sense of accomplishment and joy knowing her former students remember her years after leaving her classroom. After teaching for more than twenty years, Mrs. Hawkins is a fixture at Immaculata. Other faculty members will tell you about her willingness to always help them with any advice or projects in their classrooms. And the children bring her such joy. She shares humorous stories with other teachers about happenings in their classrooms. She explains, “The unique students are dear to my heart, because I was one myself.” Mrs. Hawkins is a proud parent of two children. How to check your child's academic progress on PlusPortals Video Link: http://screencast.com/t/sxgpCD7uH Access your account using your Smartphone or mobile device by downloading a PlusPortals App.   Android App click HERE iPad App click HERE Use "ICS" as the name of our school for both apps. For more information about PlusPortals at ICS click HERE Be a part of our sure-to-be-fun Fall Fundraiser! If you need assistance or have questions about PlusPortals, please email the Technology Coordinator at [email protected] Academic Decathlon Club Academic Decathlon Club starts their weekly meetings Tuesday, Oct. 14 at 3:30! All ICS middle-school students are encouraged to try out for the 2015 Academic Decathlon team! Ten students will be representing ICS at the first area-wide competition next March in the subjects of Religion, Math, Science, Social Studies, English, Fine Arts, Literature, and Current Events. For more information, email Mr. Devlin at [email protected]. Food Drive Donations from Immaculata families were delivered to the Food Bank by student organizer Matthew Greely During our St. Francis Week Celebration our school had the opportunity to live out the Franciscan Way of life by serving others through a food drive coordinated by Matthew Greely of 7B. The food drive was a huge success! Thanks to all the parents’ and students’ generosity, 500 pounds of food, enough for 421 meals, went to the Food Bank of Central and Eastern North Carolina for distribution to shelters, soup kitchens, retirement homes, and afterschool programs. It just goes to show, by taking small steps and performing little acts of love, we can make big changes in the world! From Mr. Metzgar Dear Parents, Many of you may recognize my name as one of the after school counselors. I am pleased to announce that I have now been hired as the fulltime gifted education teacher. My experience in education has been as a teacher and administrator at four Catholic schools in the Los Angeles area. I also have experience with the Los Angeles Unified School District and Durham Public Schools. Through the years, grades 3 through 8 have been my primary focus and passion. My primary position is to meet the needs of academically gifted students at ICS with an emphasis on grades 3 through 5. I will serve as a support for teachers to provide enrichment of the curriculum for advanced students. I will be working closely with teachers within their classrooms as a “push-in” model to meet the needs of gifted students, rather than periodically pulling out small groups of students. I will also be working with our gifted education consultant, Crissy Brown, on revising our program guidelines, procedures, and expectations. The addition of a full time teacher allotted primarily to gifted education, along with the advisement of a gifted education consultant, reinforces ICS’s commitment to provide all students a superior learning experience. Strengthening , growing, and providing comprehensive support is the primary focus of myself, Mrs. Brown, and ICS administration for our advanced learners and the gifted education program. I am excited about this opportunity to help your student grow. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to email me at [email protected] Thank you, Mike Metzger 10-11:30am and will focus on using improvisation and group work to adapt stories and create performances. The December workshop will take place on Sunday, December 14th from 12:30-2:00pm and will focus on creating masks to use in performance. To register for a workshop, please visit cghsnc.org/theatre. If you have any questions, contact Michelle Giannini at [email protected]. Free Drama Workshop Beginning in November, Gibbons Drama Weekend Workshop Series will offer a Drama Workshop once a month for Middle School students. The workshops are free, held at Cardinal Gibbons High School, and taught by Lucius Robinson, the current Middle School Drama teacher at The Franciscan School and St. Michael School. Workshops last 90 minutes and are open to any 5th-8th grade student interested. The November workshop will take place on Saturday, November 1st from CGHS Open House Cardinal Gibbons High School will hold its annual Open House for Prospective Students on Sunday, November 2, 1-4 p.m. at its 1401 Edwards Mill Road campus in Raleigh. Come enjoy tours and presentations. Meet faculty, staff, administrators, and student hosts. Visit the school with new classrooms, arts and athletics facilities, and updated educational technology. For more information, please visit www.cghsnc.org/admissions QUICK LINKS click on the underlined titles to learn more Fall Clubs Check out all the exciting opportunities! Several new clubs were recently added! Halloween Carnival Volunteer sign-up Ticket order form Pizza & drink tables sign-up Grit and Glamour Sponsorship opportunities Event reservations Auction donation receipt Photo shoot at the recent Mother and Son Bingo Night. Proceeds were raised to benefit the ICS Scholarship Fund. Photos by ICS parent Amy Rossi — mother of Ella (5A) and Addison (2A) Bartlett.