CLIFTON PUBLIC SCHOOLS School Nine 25 Brighton Road Clifton, New Jersey07012 (973) 470-2396 Richard Tardalo Superintendent of Schools Michele DeVita Principal October 2014 Dear Parents and Guardians, Let me start off the month of October with a big “THANK YOU” to each of you and the members of the School Nine staff. The School Year began with wonderful family attendance and informative presentations by each teacher for the 2014/2015 Back to School Night. The lines of communication have begun, and Parent/Teacher Conferences have already taken place, helping to ensure the very important Home/School Connection. Please continue to check your child’s agenda and folders for assignments and notices that come home. The weather is changing quickly this season, so be sure your children are dressed for the cool weather. Fresh air is important, and both morning line-up and recess time will be spent outdoors whenever possible. If a child is not dressed appropriately for the weather they will not be permitted outside to play. October promises to be busy month! Aside from the academic expectations, we look forward to PTO events, Fire Prevention Month, Bullying/Harassment Awareness Month and Red Ribbon Week for Drug Awareness. Thank you for heeding the parking requests by leaving the front of the building open for bus transportation and not parking in the staff parking lot. This is just one way to help keep our children safe. I wish each of you a colorful and energetic autumn. Thank you for your support. Sincerely, Michele De Vita Michele De Vita School Nine Principal Multitasking results in mistakes and decreased concentration Look around your home at homework time. Is your child studying while singing to music? Are you answering his questions while checking email? Multitasking has become a way of life, but not necessarily a good one. In fact, while multitasking the brain doesn't really concentrate on several tasks at once. It moves quickly from one to another, not giving anything its full attention. To avoid multitasking mistakes:      Prevent distractions. Choose a quiet place for your child to study--free of TV, phones and loud music. Some kids, however, may do well with quiet background music (such as classical). Set a good example. It's natural to want to accomplish as much as possible--as quickly as possible. But do what really works. When you give your child your undivided attention (instead of answering emails while you talk), you show him how to focus--and how important he is to you. Do an experiment. If you and your child doubt that multitasking makes you less effective, test it out. Choose a task that requires concentration. Do it with, and then without, distractions. Schedule tasks. Instead of planning multiple things at once, schedule tasks consecutively. Your child can do homework at 4:00, call friends at 5:00 and clean his room at 5:30. Keep multitasking to a minimum. It is okay when the activities don't require much thinking. For example, your child can eat a snack while talking on the phone with friends. Reprinted with permission from the October 2014 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2014 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Source: C. Gedzelman, "Homework and Headphones: Multitasking Myths," Washington Parent, Knollwood Publications, Inc. Establish a system to keep track of school-related papers A new school year is a fresh start for your child--and her backpack! It may be free of crinkled homework and lost permission slips now, but it won't stay that way without some attention. To keep schoolwork and papers organized all year long:     Use a system. For example, have your child keep one folder in her backpack that's just for homework and take-home papers. Each day after school, look through the homework/take-home folder together. What assignments does she have today? What papers do you need to read, sign or return? File papers at home. Some papers must be saved, such as study guides and fliers about upcoming events. The trick is to do this right away. Keep a folder at home for school-related paperwork. Look through it-and clean it out--at least weekly. Post items you use daily, such as lunch menus, on the fridge. Keep a calendar. Record test days, field trips and performance times. Each day, add new dates and check for upcoming events. Encourage your child to review the calendar with you. Check online. Some important school messages come via email. Also check the school website regularly. You may catch details that didn't make it home--and even find missing forms, ready to print and return on time! Reprinted with permission from the October 2014 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2014 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. Questions & Answers Q: Getting three kids out the door in the morning is hard! One day, someone won't get up. Another day, somebody forgets a science book and has to go back for it. The result is that my kids usually miss the school bus and I end up driving them to school. What can I do? A: Mornings are tough in many households. But as long as your kids know there's an easy out--you will drive them to school--they don't have much incentive to change. Here's how you can begin to turn things around:     Call a family meeting. Announce that Mom's Taxi has a new policy. From now on, rides to school come with a cost. (You can choose the cost--perhaps it's part of their allowance, or perhaps it means some extra time spent on chores. It doesn't have to be a high cost, but it should be something your kids want to avoid.) Anyone who rides the "taxi" will have to pay the toll. Help your kids get organized at night. Have them lay out clothes. Fill book bags. Pack lunches. And set alarm clocks to go off a few minutes earlier. Give everyone a five-minute warning in the morning. Then calmly walk out the door and head for the bus stop. If a child comes racing along with one shoe on and the other in hand--well, figure you're giving the neighbors a chuckle. Enforce consequences once you set them. Odds are, you'll only have to collect your "taxi fare" once or twice before everyone gets better organized. Reprinted with permission from the October 2014 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2014 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. PTO Monthly Newsletter – October 2014 Getting back to our school routines…made September a busy month. We had quite a few PTO events that we would like to highlight:  Kid Stuff Fundraiser has officially started with books still available, order yours today.  Fall Fundraiser. Sales closed as of September 29th. Orders will be in by Thanksgiving, Keep an eye out for the pickup date flyer. Thank you to Darlene Gordon & Semra Ayala (Co-Vice Presidents) for running this fundraiser.  Book Fair was a great success the kids all enjoyed picking out their books and supplies. A special thank you to all the parents who helped out and Nicole Barrett for overseeing.  Spiritwear sale closes Friday, October 6th get your orders in. Thanks to Nicole Barrett for running this fundraiser.  Information for PTO membership has gone out, please consider joining to keep informed of school events. Just $5.00 per family.  Dine for Nine was at Cold Rush on September 9th. Thank you Alisa Corbet for arranging. Remember Dine for Nine is monthly now on the 9th of the month when possible!  REMIND notifications…our newest way to keep parents informed! Sign-up ASAP to find out about all upcoming events and emergency closings. Just text @ptoev to (862) 373-1599 and you are signed up! Upcoming events in October include:  PTO Meeting on Wednesday, October 8 @ 6:30 PM. Earlier time to pick Class Parents.  $500.00 Gift Card Raffle Tickets to go on sale! Drawing will be on Wednesday, Nov. 19th at the November PTO meeting. Make sure you get your tickets, $5.00 each.  Dine for Nine, October 9th, details to follow! A flyer will come home soon.  Smencil Fundraiser. Halloween scented pencils go on sale! Order yours today!  Pumpkin Sale will be Wednesday, October 15th and Thursday, October 16th.  Trunk or Treat is scheduled for Friday, October 24th with a rain date of Monday, November 3rd. Get your bands today!!!  Halloween Class Parties and Parade are scheduled for Friday, October 31st. Details regarding these events will be shared at our next meeting on Wednesday, October 8th (6:30 in the cafeteria), REMIND notifications, as well as, flyers in your child’s backpack. VOLUNTEERS NEEDED! PUMPKIN SALE – We are currently looking for volunteers to help out! If interested please contact Erica Schimpf (973) 574-0082. TRUNK OR TREAT – We are currently looking for volunteers to help at the Trunk or Treat! If interested please contact Jodi Chrisafinis (973) 903-3350 See you at the PTO meeting! Lisa Lessner & Martha Conlon – PTO Co-Presidents October 2014 Sun Mon Tue Dates to Remember Nov. 4, Schools Closed & PTO Bake Sale Nov. 26, Early Dismissal Nov. 6&7, Schools Closed Feasts Nov. 17-21, PTO Clothing Drive Nov. 27&28, Thksgiving Nov. 20, Report Cards Distributed Holiday Nov. 25. Rept Card Conferences 5 Fire Prevention Week 6 School Picture Day 7 Grade 3 (CP) to Hamilton House Wed 1 8 6:30 PM– PTO Meeting Thu Fri Sat 2 Regular Dismissal 3 @ 3:20 for ElemenSpiritwear orders tary schools (Middle Due Monday! School Back to School Nt.) 4 9 Grade 3 (JC) to Hamilton House 10 Grade 3 (MF & CJ) to Hamilton House Progress reports distributed 11 Dine for Nine 12 13 Schools ClosedStaff Development Day 14 Progress Report Conferences 15 PTO Pumpkin Sale Progress Report Conferences Fire Prevention Posters are due 16 Pumpkin sale (If extras/makeups) Progress Report Conferences 17 18 19 20 21 Enrichment ProgramSurflight to Go 22 23 24 PTO Trunk or Treat 7 -9PM 25 26 27 28 CCMS Parent Workshop 6:00 and 6:45 29 30 31 2:15 Halloween Parade (weather permitting) Classroom Parties Michele Cecere School #9 Parent & Child ® Activity Calendar Sunday Monday Tuesday October 2014 make the difference! Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Have a contest: How many words can you and your child make from the letters in OCTOBER? 2 Have your child Watch the news teach you something with your child. she needs to learn for Locate one place homework. It’s a great mentioned on a world way to reinforce what map. she’s learning. 3 4 Put on music and spend 15 minutes drawing or writing with your child. Let the music be your inspiration. 5 Set aside time every day for reading aloud. Give your child a chance to read aloud to you, too. 6 Write your child’s name vertically. Have him use each letter in his name to begin a line of a poem. 7 With your child, learn to say hello in two other languages. 8 Today is the anniversary of the Great Chicago Fire. Develop a family plan in case of a fire in your home. 9 Talk about Let your child honesty and why it plan dinner is so important. Find tonight. How many examples of people who food groups can she demonstrate honesty. include? 10 11 12 Have a jump rope contest. See how many jumps your child can do in a row. 13 Take the Geography Challenge. Name a state, province or country. Who can call out the capital first? 14 Have your child Ask your child close his eyes. to tell you the Make a sound, such as three best things about jingling keys. Ask him herself. to guess what you are doing. 15 16 Start a made-up story. “A man went down the road and he met a ... .” Let your child finish the story. 17 18 19 Have a musicsharing night. Share your favorite music with each other. Talk about how it makes you feel. 20 Talk with your child about something she has done well today. 21 Talk with your child about ways to handle stress. Exercising and talking to someone are good options. 22 Choose a number, then have your child list all the things he can think of that come in that number. 23 Let your child see you keep your temper when you are angry. Instead of yelling, calmly talk about how you feel. 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 Read a book that you and your child can both enjoy. It’s Theodore Roosevelt’s birthday. Look up facts about this president and protector of the environment. Pick a category. If your child Ask your child could be a to pick a letter. How famous person in many items from the history, who would he category begin with be? Why? that letter? Have a contest: Who can name the most parts of the body? (Organs count, too.) Enjoy some outdoor physical activity as a family today. Encourage your Bake cookies child to sort his with your child. books by subject. He If you’re doubling a can use the library’s recipe, have your child system or invent his do the math. own. Ask your child to imagine life 150 years ago. How about 150 years in the future? Give your child a measuring tape. Ask her to measure and record the dimensions of objects in your house. Post a new vocabulary word and its definition on a mirror your child uses. Change it every three or four days. © 2014 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc. May be reproduced only as licensed by Parents make the difference!® Elementary Edition newsletter. 1-800-756-5525P