Guilderland Elementary School - Guilderland Central School District

August/September
Newsletter
Guilderland Elementary School
Dear Families,
Smarter – Kinder - Stronger
It is with a growing level of excitement and anticipation that I am
writing to you. This has surely been a wonderful summer. I hope that
you and your families have been able to enjoy all of the things that
make summer such a magical season.
Among many things, one of the reasons that I enjoy summer is that
most people have the opportunity to slow down a little and spend time
with family and friends. The bedtimes get a little later, play time gets
longer, kids get tanner from spending more time outdoors and
hopefully, families get to spend more time together. It is a time to
recharge one’s batteries for the coming school year.
Around GES we have spent the summer preparing for the upcoming
year. Mr. Siver and the custodial crew have the building looking in tip
top shape. Rooms have been rearranged and security improved. Many
of our teachers have also been in on a regular basis to plan together,
write curriculum and prepare themselves for September. GES has been
a busy place!
I can hardly wait for September 6 th when we open our doors for the
first day of school. It is going to be another exciting year of learning
and fun for our students and staff. Until then, enjoy August and be
sure to stop by on September 4 th for our PTA sponsored walk-through
night from 5:00 – 6:30.
Best wishes,
Allan Lockwood
Upcoming Events
September 4
• Building Walk-Through 5:00 –
6:30
September 6
• First Day of School
Grades 1-5
• Kindergarten Transition Day
September 9
• First Full Day of School for
Kindergarten
September 17
• Grade 5 Open House 6:30 pm
• Grade 4 Open House 7:00pm
September 23
• Grade 2 Open House 6:30pm
• Grade 3 Open House 7:00pm
September 24
• Grade 1 Open House 6:30 pm
• Kindergarten Open House 7:00
pm
Important Announcement
If you know of anyone with
school-age children who has
recently moved into your
neighborhood, please ask if they
have registered their children for
school.
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Important Information
Building Walk-through
A building walk-through is scheduled for Wednesday evening,
September 4 from 5:00 – 6:30. This is a wonderful time to come in and
see where your child’s room is located and to put supplies in lockers. 5 th
Grade students will be on hand to provide tours and help you find your
way. Teachers will generally not be available this evening and classrooms
will not be open.
ICE CREAM SOCIAL!
The PTA will be sponsoring a "Welcome Back- Ice Cream Social" on
Friday, September 14th. Please join us in the back field for ice cream and
fun starting at 6:00pm. In the case of inclement weather we will
move the social indoors to the large gym.
School Hours
The school day begins at 7:50am and ends at 2:05 pm.
Please be sure to set those alarm clocks to make sure
everyone is on time. Any student arriving to school at
8:00 or later will be considered tardy.
Welcome to the
Team!
We have several new
staff members joining the
GES team this year.
Please join us in
welcoming:
Danielle Blanchard – PE
Maxine Dunne –
Reading/ESL
Elizabeth Kelley - ESL
Meghan Murphy – 5 th
Grade
Mary Sandoval – ESL
GES Classroom Teachers for 2013-2014
Kindergarten – Michele Evers 1 st Grade - Kim Dunham
Dawn Nagel
Wendy Durocher
Karra Makowski
Patricia Favitta
Christina Ryan
Lauren Gay
Mark Gonnelly
2 nd Grade - Dan Diamond 3 rd Grade – Cathleen Hart
Amanda Hoobler
Barb Horan
Tammie Mirabile
Krista Ruhl
Tara Molloy-Grocki
Kate Tymeson
Lisa Reisner
4 th Grade - Danielle Camarata 5 th Grade – Patricia Gagnon
Rory Davis
Jo-Ann Gejay
Emily Spooner-Smith
Stacey Kirk
Chloe Streck
Meghan Murphy
Paula Walters
Tom Seibel
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Student Drop Off Zone
Parents are requested to drop their children off in the front circle by the front doors rather than at the side
circle. This should help us ease traffic congestion significantly in the morning. Please remember
this is a drop off area only. There is NO PARKING in this front circle. If you need to enter the
building, please park in the parking lot.
Birthday Celebrations
Last year, after much discussion and deliberation, the GES Building Cabinet decided to eliminate the
parent-provided “treat” portion of birthday celebrations. There were many concerns around birthday treats
that led to this decision including that treats were often not healthy and frequently led to issues for students
with allergies. Further, allowing birthday treats often led to a discrepancy in the types of celebrations held in
classrooms, some students had treats, and some did not.
Teachers will still honor birthdays and have either grade level or classroom specific celebrations. Having
food-free birthday celebrations will allow all students to safely enjoy a consistent birthday celebration. Please
ask your child’s teacher how they will celebrate birthdays this year, but please do not send in those cupcakes,
ice cream or other food items.
School News Notifier
The Guilderland Central School District is pleased to offer you the
"School News Notifier" (SNN), an electronic notification system
designed to help parents and the community stay current with what is
happening in Guilderland Schools. Receive information about
upcoming events, emergency closings and delays and more right in
your email inbox. It is also the primary way that notice of our monthly
newsletters are distributed. I encourage you to take a few minutes to
sign up for this valuable (and free) service at our district website.
www.guilderlandschools.org.
Build the habit of reading aloud together
Preparing the school for September
What's one simple thing you can do to help your child do better in school this year? Read
aloud with her often.
Reading aloud is a way to introduce young children to the world of books. It is also a way to
encourage children to make reading a daily habit.
And studies show that even long after children learn to read for themselves, they still enjoy
read-aloud time.
Here are some tips to make your read-aloud time at home more successful:
• Make reading aloud a priority. Plan for it. Set aside time for it every day, and then just do it.
• Read books you both enjoy. There's nothing worse than having 100 pages to go in a book neither of you
can stand. If you have any doubt your child will like a book, skim it before you start.
• Read some books that are a little too hard for your child to read alone. This is a great way to increase
your child's vocabulary.
Reprinted with permission from the September 2013 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School Edition) newsletter. Copyright ©
2013 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc.
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Parents play an important role in their children's math success
Research shows that parents' attitudes about math have a lot to do with how well their children do in math.
Kids who enjoy math do better in it. Kids whose parents tell them they didn't like math when they were in
school, not surprisingly, often have trouble in math.
To help your child develop a positive attitude that will lead to success in math:
• Be positive. Let your child know you believe everyone can be successful in math. If you say this often to
your child, he'll start to believe it!
• Avoid stereotypes. Women can be engineers. Children of all races can be successful in school. In fact,
students who are successful in math can go a long way toward breaking the stereotypes that others may
hold.
• Talk about careers. Young children may decide that being a Ninja Turtle or a
Power Ranger is a great career choice. Expand their horizons. Talk about careers
that use math--being a weather forecaster, an airline pilot or an astronaut.
• Connect math to the real world. As you and your child go to the store, bank,
restaurant, etc., point out ways people use math.
Reprinted with permission from the September 2013 issue of Parents make the difference!® (Elementary School
Edition) newsletter. Copyright © 2013 The Parent Institute®, a division of NIS, Inc
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