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The
Knightly News
December 17, 2014
Volume 1, Issue 4
PTO Newsletter
A P u b l i c a t i o n o f t h e N e w t o w n E l e m en t a r y P T O
[email protected]
King of the Castle
Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, author of Building Resilience in Children and
Teens, defines confidence as “a solid belief in one’s own abilities.”
Please consider what I shared about competence (“Crucial C” #1) last
month because a person cannot be truly confident without
experiencing competence first. Confidence stems from competence.
Reading about confidence was enlightening to me because
Dr. Ginsburg reinforces the difference between confidence and selfesteem. There is a difference!
Contents
Mr. King’s Message
1
Upcoming Events
1
Franklin Institute
2
Meeting in a Minute
3
Secret Shop
4
Mrs. Cook’s Corner
5
Our Greatest Gift
6-9
Upcoming Events:
Dec. 23- Winter Class
Parties
Dec. 29- Online
Market Day Orders
Jan. 5- Market Day
Pick Up
Jan. 9- Sixth Grade
Pretzel Sale
Jan. 20 to 23- CR
Education Week
Jan. 23- Zumba Girls
Night!
Jan. 29- Science Fair
Self-esteem grows from adults or others telling children how
wonderful they are. Adults “construct” self-esteem for students. Of
course, we want all children to have high self-esteem. However,
students should feel good as a result of what they have done or
accomplished, not simply because many showered them with warm,
fuzzy, disingenuous compliments. Dr. Ginsburg clearly questions the
movement of the last 20-30 years in which all kids make the team,
win, receive medals, or are told they are special. Children know the
difference!
Ginsburg further states that confidence needs support and
reinforcement. Adults can do that by catching a student being good,
offering genuine praise and setting reasonable expectations.
Confidence will help students rebound from failure and apply problem
solving skills, and it will also act as a root for risk taking. Imagine if
your students can’t take risks. Do they miss opportunities to meet
new friends, join a new sport, try a new instrument, learn from failure
or assume a leadership role?
Ginsburg suggests you consider the following questions in thinking
about your child’s confidence:
-Do I see the best in my child, so that he can see the best in himself?
-Do I help him recognize what he has done well?
-Do I praise him enough? Is my praise authentic?
-Do I set realistic expectations?
-Do I avoid instilling shame in my child?
As Eleanor Roosevelt has said, “We gain strength, and courage, and
confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in
the face…we must do that which we think we cannot.”
Best wishes,
Mr. King
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Franklin Institute Comes to NES!
November 7th was a stormy day at Newtown
Elementary as we welcomed the Franklin
Institute’s Traveling Science Show, “How to Build a
Storm.” Sponsored by the PTO, this interactive
assembly taught our students about the atmosphere
and the "ingredients" of weather, namely air, water,
and heat energy from the sun (which is what causes
wind). Our presenter John demonstrated air pressure
with giant pressure cups that were strong enough to
suspend a student in mid-air! We learned about the
water
cycle—evaporation,
condensation
and
precipitation. Bringing the “wow” factor, Mr. John
even made a real cloud from water vapor and liquid
nitrogen, and he closed the show with a fiery funnel
cloud—a real mini-tornado! After the show our
presenter commended the Newtown Elementary
audience for their excellent listening skills,
enthusiasm and top-notch behavior. Mr. John said
the success of the show was a real synergy of their
interest in science and their energy and enthusiasm.
Way to go Newtown! Looks like we have some future
scientists in our midst.
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Meeting in a Minute Two-Fer
Since our December Newsletter is
posting later than usual, we have
two PTO meetings to recap. Here’s
a double-feature.
For official
meeting minutes,
visit:
www.nespto.com/
meeting_minutes
The next General
PTO Meeting is
Wednesday,
January 14th.
November Recap:
Mr. King and Mrs. Cook gave an informal
and interesting talk on raising resilient
children who can problem-solve and cope
with disappointment. During the meeting,
we recapped Trunk or Treat and had a
useful discussion on allergies, and how to
promote the message next year that the
event is nut free. Further progress was
made in our march to 501(c)(3) status:
bylaws are approved, we have a new EIN
number and we are state tax exempt. Kari
gave an update on Mom’s Knight Out and
we discussed strategies for spreading the
word on PTO events and deadlines. The
School Directory launched and is
continuing to be a success. On the outdoor
project, we had a round of applause for the
awesome pavers (they look great) and
we’re excited to put the shade structures
and tables in place. Plans for a ribboncutting ceremony will be forthcoming.
If you have any feedback on how it would
be most useful for you to receive info from
the PTO, let us know! Currently, we
employ the following: PTO listserve,
Mr. King’s listserve, HRCs, PTO message
board in the parking lot, newsletter, PTO
Website and PTO Facebook page). If you
have
ideas,
let
us
know:
[email protected].
December Redux:
Our quickie December meeting took place
on the evening of the 9th. We all had a
great time shopping at Mom’s Knight Out
(thank you to Kari Lazaro for organizing!).
We are excited to announce NES Zumba
Night on January 23rd, an event chaired by
Janelle Butler and hosted by Judy V. from
the NAC. Stay tuned for information. The
Sweetheart Dance is in development and
scheduled for March 20th. Finally, we had
a chat on the new standard based report
card and Mr. King noted that the standard
is a year-long view, so grades of
“Exceeds” will be rare at this early point in
the term. Finally, Logowear orders are
expected to arrive by December 17th.
Maybe that was more than a minute?
Happy Holidays!
Coming Soon:
Release
Your
Genius!
NES Science Fair!
Thursday,
Jan. 29, 2015
6pm-7:30pm
Visit the PTO info page here.
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The Secret Shop!
The Secret Shop, Newtown Elementary School’s
annual holiday shopping event for students, took
place on December 8-12th and was organized by
PTO parent volunteer Jill Kiefer. “The Secret
Shop is one of the most anticipated events of the
holiday season for NES students,” Jill said. During
the week, students shop at their designated class
times to carefully select gifts for their loved ones.
“It is great to see the children put so much
thought into the gifts they are buying for each
person on their list,” Jill said. “I love hearing why
they are buying a particular item, how excited
they are for the recipient to open their gift and
why the person will love it.” In addition, the
Secret Shop teaches valuable life lessons on
money handling, budgeting, and decision making.
The Shop would not be possible each year
without our terrific parent volunteers, many of
whom volunteer year after year. As Jill noted,
“The gifts that the children come home with may
not be valuable but the love and thought behind
them makes them priceless.” Thank you to Jill and
our wonderful Secret Shop volunteers!
“The Secret Shop
enables students
to experience the
joy of giving by
allowing them to
select gifts for
their loved ones.”
—Jill Kiefer
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Mrs. Cook’s Corner: Kid Tips on
Friendship
Dear Parents,
Since making and changing friends can be tricky
for many students, “Mrs. Cook’s Corner” is
dedicating another month to friendship. Please
review these Kid Tips with your child and give
examples of how they can be helpful through
tough times.
Kid Tips for Making New Friends:
●
Try to make just one friend at a time. Look for
students who share your interests.
●
Smile and say hello to others. Practice looking
happy in a mirror.
●
Practice conversation starters with family so
you are more comfortable at school.
●
Ask what kinds of things he/she likes to do and
listen to others when they are talking. Asking
questions and listening are great ways to make
connections.
●
●
Ask to hang out at recess or sit with a new
friend at lunch or on the bus. Sometimes, it is
easier to ask ahead of time.
Show you are friendly by helping others.
Kid Tips for Joining a Group:
●
Take a few minutes to observe what the other
kids are doing.
●
Slowly move closer to a group you would like to
join. Barging in only makes kids angry.
●
Don’t assume the other kids are going to invite
you to join. They may not be paying attention or
notice that you want to join in. If they don’t ask
you to join in, standing around waiting will not
help.
●
Try a positive, including statement. Looks like
you guys are having fun. I would like to join in.
Yes or no questions can lead to being excluded
because the game or activity is already started.
●
Think of a positive statement for moving on if
the group is not inclusive. For example, “It
looks like they are doing something cool over
there. I am going to check that out. See you
later.”
●
When entering a group, do not jump in and try
to take over or change the rules. Instead find
out what everyone is doing and do the same or
offer to do something that is less preferred, at
first. For example, offer to turn the rope, be “it”
during tag, or push someone on the swings.
If your child tries to become included with
one group of friends and it does not work,
encourage him or her to move onto another
friend or group. Reassure your child that
everyone has a friend waiting for him or her,
and sometimes it just takes a little extra time
to make that connection.
For more information, visit www.HowToMakeAndKeepFriends.com.
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Our Children, Our Greatest Gift
In the spirit of the season, NES teachers and staff members helped to
create a gift for our students and families. We asked them each to
recall a class accomplishment, or to share something special that
students have done or learned at this half-year mark. So, in celebration
of our children and our school community, here’s what our terrific NES
teachers and staff had to say!
The relationships that are made after spending so much time together are the greatest gift of all.
Watching our class learn and discover new things, a smile, a hug, and being presented with a
drawing that says "school is cool" are all the things that make me believe I have the best job in
the world.
Mrs. Campbell, Kindergarten (K1)
K2 has been working so hard at learning their letters, sounds and sight words. They are
growing and blooming into budding readers and writers already! I am so proud of their hard
work and thankful for their parents’ commitment and support to their learning. Keep up the
hard work in the New Year.
Mrs. Hughes, Kindergarten (K2)
We are all so very proud of our first grade readers! On Friday, November 19th the first graders
"rocked" Newtown Elementary, performing many songs and poems about the joys of reading.
You worked so hard to prepare and it really showed. You were fantastic! We look forward to our
Spring Family Show with you!
Mrs. Kurek, Mrs. Donovan, Mrs. Johnson, Mrs. Suter, Mrs. Adams and Mrs. Lynch, Grade 1
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Growing
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I am so proud of my D-1 students as they are really growing their
reading muscles! Every Friday, they get to read and share their love
of books with our Reading Dog, Colt!
Mrs. Adams, Grade 1
We are so proud of having such a lovely and caring classroom
community. Students look out for each other and express empathy
and support for one another.
Ms. Mulholland and Ms. Hoffmann, Grade 2
Caring
Respectful
We are thankful we have a class full of respectful and responsible
learners that are so kind, caring and helpful!
Mrs. Sicilia and Mrs. Tomaro, Grade 2
Joyful
Hardworking
Eager to Help
Family
Excellent Effort
Kindness
Determination
Positive
Sweet
Excitement
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
I love that my class shows kindness to others. I am so proud that
they include everyone and stand up for each other.
Mrs. Cannon, Grade 2
Winning second graders from B-7 learned how to tell time in math.
Just ask them and you may even hear a little Long Island accent. They
are joyfully searching, collecting and giving joy to their family and
friends.
Ms. Winn, Grade 2
Third grade is working as a grade level to assemble bagged lunches
for the Trenton Soup Kitchen. Each class is donating food to fill the
lunch bags (which will be decorated by the children). This is a
culminating activity to our community/being a good citizen unit of
study. The children are eager to help our community!
Mrs. Sharp, Ms. Popescu, Mrs. Pape, Ms. Ferino, Mrs. Frawley,
Grade 3
I am so proud of how nicely my class gets along with each other. We
are like a family! Everyone helps and supports each other.
Mrs. Frawley, Grade 3
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I am especially proud of our class for always utilizing the resources around them. It may be as
simple as using their multiplication table when they're stumped on a math problem, to
interviewing their family members about a current topic we're discussing, to lastly using the
strengths and talents of their peers to help them be successful.
Ms. Gorbachinsky, Grade 4
Mrs. Weinstein’s Fourth Grade Class is awesome! I am so proud of how hard everyone worked
in the first marking period. We had so much fun laughing and learning together. They are such
good math students and great readers. Keep up the excellent effort!
Mrs. Weinstein, Grade 4
Our class is so wonderful! They work hard every day, but we were especially proud of their
writing pieces about our class trip to the Lenape Village.
Miss Mack and Mrs. Lingman, Grade 4
I LOVE that my class has read a combined total of 194 chapter books! I am beyond proud of
them!
Miss Quinn, Grade 5
I have so many things to be proud of so far this year with my class! It is truly hard to just pick
one thing! At the top of my list...I'm most proud of the way they came together as a classroom
family! They treat each other with kindness and respect!
Ms. Antonelli, Grade 5
In F7, Mrs. Kaehler and Mrs. Bonilla are very proud of our fifth graders! They are doing a great
job participating in many fun fifth grade activities such as College Settlement, Afterschool
Sports, the School Play, Chorus, and even the Instrumental Music Concert! We have a fun and
talented bunch of students!
Mrs. Kaehler and Mrs. Bonilla, Grade 5
I am SO proud of the way my students went above and beyond with our recent read
aloud, Among the Hidden! Their homework was to go online and contribute to our class blog
regarding the book. Students were so into the blogging that they surpassed my requirements by
far. Many of them accessed the blog several times each night! All made meaningful contributions
9
and interacted
with one another in an impressive way. I am also VERY proud of the way my
students interact with their kindergarten buddies in Mrs. Campbell’s class. They love spending
time with them, and they are so sweet with them. I can definitely see some future teachers in my
class!
Mrs. Galanti, Grade 6
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I love that my class has become a family. They treat each other with
respect and kindness. I’m so proud of the way they accepted our
new student. It’s like he’s been a part of our family since
September!
Miss Urban, Grade 6
Mrs. Kaleck and Mr. Eckelmeyer would like to recognize the efforts
of some of their sixth grade students in creating the Donation
Salvation concept that promotes donating various school supplies to
be forwarded to individuals who might lack such items! A concept
that they created to give to those less fortunate; both locally and
internationally.
Mrs. Kaleck and Mr. Eckelmeyer, Grade 6
I am very proud of Samantha Assal for her determination to learn
how to jump rope. Samantha worked every day on the blacktop to
get her rhythm and her hard work and practice have paid off! Way
to go! Samantha is in Ms Cannon's 2nd grade class.
Mrs. Gartside, Recess/Cafeteria
I love that my classes have such a positive attitude about learning
and share their passion and enthusiasm with each other.
Mrs. Yankovich, Humanities
Bravo! Congratulations to all of our talented musicians in the Band!
Our students worked hard learning their music for the concert and
they especially enjoyed learning Sleigh Ride. The Band would like to
thank Mr. King for becoming a member of the Newtown Advanced
Band for this concert. He played an important instrument in the
percussion section in Sleigh Ride. Our drummers were thrilled to
practice playing music with Mr. King in class and at rehearsal.
Mrs. Grant, Newtown Elementary Band Director
I enjoy seeing the excitement on students’ faces when they are
called down to receive a Knights Honor bracelet.
Noreen Remar, Administrative Staff
Ralph Waldo Emerson said, "Nothing great was ever achieved
without enthusiasm." I am lucky our students share their gifts of
energy and enthusiasm every day! We will continue to accomplish
great things at NES! Thank you!
Mr. King, Principal
PTO
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Many thanks to
our teachers and
staff for your
wonderful
contributions to
this line-up of
good cheer…and
thanks even
more for the
love, care and
talent you share
with our
students
every day.
Happy Holidays!
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To our Family, Friends, Teachers
and Staff at NES,
We wish you all a wonderful
holiday season filled with
peace, love and joy.
Best wishes for a safe, healthy,
happy New Year!
With Love,
The PTO &
Amber, Carolyn,
Robin, Kelly,
Kari and Seema
Special thanks to our PTO Volunteers, Jill Kiefer, Mr. King, Mrs. Cook and NES teachers and staff
for their wonderful contributions!
Background art: Thank you cards for the new patio sent in by Isabella, Rebecca, Alex,
Connor and Jamie. NES kids are the greatest!
Next issue: Parents, ask your kids what their New Year’s Resolutions are.
Let’s hear what NES kids want to do in 2015!
Email us their responses at: [email protected]