The CONTACT - Paxtonia Elementary PTA

The CONTACT
A Paxtonia Elementary School PTA Newsletter
May 1, 2012
From the Principal’s Desk ...
Tom Toone
Principal
ear Parents,
D
T-ball practice/games, baseball practice/games,
travel team practice/games/
tournaments, dance class, tap class, cheerleading
practice/competitions, soccer practice/games,
ice hockey practice/games, gymnastics,
etc., etc., etc.
Does your child have to leave homework
May Fair
Hey...please.slow down!
unfinished or complete it late at night because
there is not enough time in the day?
Is your child rushing through evening meals
to go somewhere? Parents, are YOU
stressed about getting your child from activity
to activity?
Don’t be afraid to give your kids exactly what
they need – more free time. Dr. D’Arey
Lyness shares, “Unstructured free time helps
kids learn to entertain themselves, fosters
s a reminder, the May Fair will be on May 19th. We will be having preticket
sales May 16-18th before school. There will be a small change
A
this year. We will not be selling any food/drinks in the cafeteria, except for
the bake sale. So come and enjoy the good food, games and prizes.
Moms & Muffins
A
Friendly Reminder...Coming Soon.....
May is here...you can almost smell the muffins baking now.
That's right Moms...it's almost time for our annual Mom's and
Muffins event at Paxtonia Elementary School. This year's dates are Thurs. 5/10 and Fri. 5/11.
You will receive a form soon from your child, please don't forget to fill it out and send it back
soon. RSVP date is on your invitation. Hope to see you all there.
Reading Incentive Program
lease remember to encourage your child to log daily reading
P minutes on the yellow Reading Incentive Program calendars that
were sent home last month. Children who reach their specified goals for
both April and May will receive a free book to be given during the first
week of June. The goals by grade level are 200 minutes per month for grades K-2 and 400
minutes per month for grades 3-5. That’s an average of less than 15 minutes per day! Reading
calendars must be completed and turned into your child’s teacher on or before June 1 to
qualify for a prize. Thanks for encouraging our kids to READ,READ, READ! If you have any
questions, please contact Karen Yeselavage (545-0768) or Laura Thomas (652-2092).
Volume 14, Issue 9
creativity, and helps them discover the
things they enjoy doing. Whether it is time
spent socializing with peers, reading a book,
playing a game, or daydreaming, downtime
helps kids recharge their batteries and destress.”
Be that brave parent who says,
“Honey, I love you and I know you enjoy all
of these activities…but it is too much. You
have to make a choice—and I will help you.
Choose just one or two in which to participate.
That’s just the way it needs to be for
your sake, my sake, and our family’s sake.”
As always, thank you for the privilege of
educating your child!
Sincerely,
Mr. Toone
eBackpack Link
he school district has a new
T online feature called “ebackpack”.
This program allows visitors to a
school website to download Adobe PDF or
Word Files. In the future, we will likely only be
printing a limited number of flyers per event.
Ms. Coates will be working hard to upload
flyers to our school website’s“e-backpack” for
parents to download and copy as needed.
May/June Events
May 3 Beginners Concert, CDMS, 7 pm
May 7 PTA Meeting, 7 pm
May 7-11 Teacher/Staff Appreciation Week
May 10 Moms & Muffins (A-M) 8-8:45 am
May 11 Moms & Muffins (L-Z) 8-8:45 am
May 16 Spring Concert, CDMS, 7 pm
May 19 May Fair and Book Fair, 10-2 PM
May 25 Assembly - Peter Geist Comedian
May 30 NO SCHOOL—Memorial Day
June 1 Fifth Grade Fun Day
June 7 Last Day of School for Students
Check out your PTA at www.PaxtoniaPTA.com

The CONTACT
Check out this Contact issue in vibrant colors at
www.PaxtoniaPTA.com/Newsletter
Page 2
From the Desk of the PTA President...
Gayle Staub
PTA President
The last Contact issue of the 2011-2012
academic year! Wow!
Since summer is coming soon, please do
some spring cleaning and send in the Campbell’s
soup labels, coke points, box tops,
soda can tabs, cell phones, used ink cartridges,
and Capri Sun pouches that are in your
drawers. Thanks!
Thank you to the chairpersons for their
hard work, dedication, and organization.
Thank you to the behind the scenes help
that Paxtonia’s families provide, such as
stamping, counting, folding, and labeling
flyers for Race for Education. Thank you to
the bakers for always being ready to provide
baked goods. Thank you to those who cut
the box tops and labels on the lines. Thank
you for collecting (labels, pouches, can tabs,
etc.) and for signing up (Target Visa, Giant
rewards cards) and for taking your paper to
Karns during our designated weeks. Thank
you for taking pictures and sending them to
the historian. Thank you to room parents
for sending in goodies and arranging the
parties. Thank you to the little lab helpers,
math facts helpers, and teacher helpers.
Thank you for answering the telephone
when I call and ask you to chair a committee.
Thank you for taking part in the
Race for Education, so that the PTA could
purchase 20 Smart Boards, so that every
classroom, plus the library, will have one.
On a personal note, thank you to Sharon
Steiner for saying “Hello, Madame President”
to me every time she sees me. It embarrasses
me, but makes me smile. Thank
you for the support and listening ears while I
went through a life change.
Thank you to the fabulous, intelligent,
supportive, dependable, and discreet executive
board, as they complete their two year
term.
To the fifth graders who are moving on to
Next PTA Meeting Monday, May 7th
Central Dauphin Middle School, we are
proud of you and are confident that you will
succeed in 6 th grade. Please remember,
during your senior year, to apply for a Paxtonia
Elementary School scholarship.
Fifth grade students are required to write
three writing prompts in their journal per
week. One prompt was to pretend that one
was the Paxtonia school building and how
the building feels when it is closed. My
daughter described the school as sad and
lonely. It is the students and staff that bring
it to life and make it a happy, joyful place.
We are all so lucky to have our children
attend this school. Our school smiles to all
who enter.
As we move on to the new academic year
(first day of school is August 27!), I am confident
that the 2012-2013 academic year will
be well-organized, fun, and enjoyable.
The new executive board and committee
chairpersons will work on the
goals and suggestions that you may
have. Thank you!
Teacher
Appreciation
ational Teacher Appreciation Week is
N May 7-11, 2012. This is the week, we
honor our Paxtonia teachers and staff members
by providing buffet-style lunches, snacks
and desserts in the Faculty Room.
This week-long event is possible because of
the generosity of our Paxtonia families and
PTA.
Thank you so much to all the families who
donated to Teacher/Staff Appreciation week.
We couldn’t make it happen without your
support!
Health Curriculum Information
he health curriculum includes teaching
T human growth and development in
grades 4 and 5. A short video will be shown
followed by a brief review and question and
answer session. The 4 th grade class will be
held Friday May 11th, and the 5th grade class
will be Friday June 1st. If you wish to preview
May Raffle
ttention Parents! Our May Fair Raffle
A is
coming up soon! If you are a homebusiness
or small-business owner and
would like to donate to the raffle it would
be greatly appreciated! There are 636 students
enrolled at Paxtonia so your business
will be seen by a bunch of families! And if
you are not a business owner but would
like to help, we will accept other products
as well. Feel free to create a basket! Donations
will be accepted until May 10th.
Please call Kim Tyson at 712.7660 or email
paxtoniamayfair@hotmail.com. Thank you!
the video and instruction,
please contact Mrs.
Brandt, school nurse at
657-3202, ext. 3. If you elect to have your
child abstain from the class, a written note
must be sent to Mr. Toone.
Lifetime
Membership Awards
ongratulations to the following individuals
who were awarded the Pennsylvania
C
PTA Honorary State Life Membership Award:
Susan Johnson
Paula Judd
Tina MacKenzie
Julie Marolf
Dee Murdoch
Deb Rose
Kathy Spinosa
Gayle Staub
These individuals were nominated by their
fellow PTA members because of the hard
work that they have done on behalf of the
students, staff, and families here at Paxtonia
Elementary. We recognize and appreciate all
of the time and dedication that they have
given to our students and our school!

The CONTACT
Questions about or for the PTA ?
Use the feedback page at
www.PaxtoniaPTA.com/contact-us
Page 3
PAXTONIA ELEMENTARY SCHOOL 2011-12 HONOR ROLL - 3rd Marking Period
Distinguished Honors
Aulakh, Gobind
Azzato, Rosa
Bailey, Lauren
Bandi, Praneeta
Bandyopadhyay, Ishana
Bastiampillai, Naomi
Belmont, Kyle
Bien, Isbella
Brennan, Ryan
Brown, Taylor
Burkhart, Adam
Burns, Hunter
Butchko, Michael
Callenberger, Carley
Cargas, Elijah
Casey, Ariana
Cassel, Alexa
Cassel, Blake
Chapman, Alicia
Desh, Samantha
Dorris, Milena
Eck, Jaxon
Ficca, Daniel
Foltz, Emily
Fritz, Will
Fry, Ashley
Fuller, Tierra
Gacki, Grace
Galloway, Logan
Glessner, Daniel
Greene, Zachary
Guzy, Mikala
Harris, Rhianna
Jawed, Ahsan
Jawed, Mubeen
Jones, Jared
Kane, Hannah
Kendra, Jillian
King, Caroline
Kitchen, Mikayla
Kuehne, Tristan
Laughman, Jacob
Leisher, Tyler
Lelinski, Danielle
Lengel, Carson
Lovelidge, Katherine
Maheshwari, Saarthak
Marolf, Nolan
Matte, Grace
May, Tabitha
Mazza, Jordan
Mazza, Sophia
McGraw, Kaylee
Menoya, Ingrid
Miller, Nick
Mistry, Milap
Murdoch, McKenna
Nnadi, Brianna
Orosz, Jacob
Otto, Jasmine
Pekala, Sydney
Peters, Andrew
Poling, Danielle
Popp, Kayla
Ray, Arjun
Reumann, Helen
Rogers, Amanda
Rohrbaugh, Beaux
Roof, Jayme
Rose, Rachel
Rudisill, Kyle
Russo, Rance
Sauers, Luke
Scheaffer, Lindsay
Sebastian, Jocelyn
Shen, David
Showalter, Lauren
Signore, Clayton
Smith, Timothy
Snyder, Ben
Strange, Kyle
Sudarsan, Bharadwaj
Troutman, Emma
Underkoffler, Owen
Varner, Amanda
Waldner, Rachel
Welty, Mason
Whiting, Chris
Wick, Sarah
Wijawa, Vincent
Wilson, Hannah
Zieber, Erin
Zuvich, Maggie
First Honors
Abdul-Rahman, Zeena
Archer, Dashaun
Balshy, Isabella
Barbera, Joe
Bardo, Kamryn
Barowski, Brooke
Bavlish, Anthony
Black, Hailey
Blackstone, Faith
Blain, Peyton
Boob, Zachary
Borrell, Paige
Borrell, Paisley
Bryan, Itaya
Buchanan, Jaylin
Burns, Adrienne
Cargas, Caleb
Cesavice, Alec
Chapman, Samantha
Cherry, Madeline
Chimienti, Adrianna
Chimienti, Nicholas
Collins, Ashton
Colquhoun, Ayden
Cooper, Brayden
Davis, Bradley
DeAngelo, Grace
Decker, Emily
Demirovic, Ariyanah
Diehl, Greta
Do, Noel
Dowling, Jack
Eberly, Patrick
Ebersole, Kylie
Fitzpatrick, Jenna
Fleming, Addison
Foxwell, Rylee
Frankford, Katherine
Fuller, Tyrese
Gabriele, Mary
Ghosh, Niladri
Gibaldi, Stephanie
Gilligan, Riley
Glass, Chance
Gonzalez, Hector
Goodman, Tamiea
Goodman, Tianna
Haggans, De'Von
Hardy, Kelsey
Harrell, ShanTijah
Hess, Dylan
Hicklin, Kathryn
Hicklin, Mikayla
Hiza, Alberto
Ho, Devin
Hohenshelt, Ryan
Hoover, Grant
Hubler, Aaron
Hubler, Jacob
Johnson, Jillian
Jones, Abigail
Jones, Aiden
Judd, Danielle
Juett, Olivia
Justin Miller
Kauffman, Tyler
Kim, SunJin
Lawson, Alexis
Leggett, Payton
Lelii, Hanna
Lemmons, Eliza
Lewis, Emma
Lightner, Emma
Lingle, Taylor
Luckenbill, Taylar
Lux, Emily
MacKenzie, Megan
Maguffee, Aztlani
Marriott, Brianna
Maruschak, Kylie
McNeil, Joffre
Mehari, Odell
Mellott, Jessica
Merlo, Christopher
Miller, Christianna
Morrett, Madison
Mosca, Ethan
Moyer, Jesse
Mubbala, Benjamin
Myers, Jacob
Neuhard, Emily
Ngan, Brandon
Nguyen, Chelsea
Omslaer, Sara
Orris, Zachary
Owens, Claire
Patterson, Aidan
Philippe, Jacob
Pipa, Mark
Powell, Brandon
Poyer, Jacob
Proctor, Ariana
Puryear, Nevaeh
Rabino, Aliyah
Reeser, Drew
Regina, Samantha
Ricard, Matthew
Richwine, Madison
Rizwan, Asna
Robsock, Arianna
Rostalski, McCartney
Roussey, Lauren
Santiago, Sarah
Sauers, Savannah
Shaffner, Samuel
Sharif, Cameron
Shaw, Ryan
Shroyer, David
Sivaraju, Mithil
Snyder, Hazen
Spinosa, Nicole
Stateler, Emma
Staub, Lauren
Stoudt, Salina
Sweigart, Olivia
Taylor, Katie
Thureson, Devon
Umashankar, Dinesh
Umashankar, Shruthi
Valdez, Billy
Vargas, Elijah
Vene, Leah
Vogel, Isabelle
Watlington, Danielle
Weathersby, Tye
Wheeler, Gavin
Wick, Joshua
Williams, Lauren
Wilson, Meaghan
Winter, Alex
Woodson, Nicholas
Second Honors
Agostino, Logan
Armbruster, Lily
Bertoni, Riley
Cleaver, Nathan
Crowl, Justin
Dockens-Blanding, Kerry
Epps, Asya
Feaser, Brooke
Fenstemaker, Harrison
Giblin, Alexander
Gillen, Hailey
Gutshall, Mitchell
Hoang, Olivia
Homsher, Ellyssa
Hower, Ian
Infantino, Alexander
Keyrouze, William
Mahmoud, Vickery
Maisonet, Mia
McDonald, Javon
Meck, Morgan
Ojehonmon, Destiny
Paul, Aliyah
Peper, Brynn
Sansoni, Cameron
Santiago, Nikolas
Schooley, Katelin
Smith, Dawson
Snyder, Matthew
Sultzaberger, Mickey
Thomas, Angele
Wenrich, Erin
Wilburn, Destini
Yost, Andrew

The CONTACT
Newsletter submissions/corrections,
send email to the editor at
kendsouza@hotmail.com
Page 4
From the Desk of the School Counselor...
Wendy Merryman
School Counselor
ould you be surprised to learn that,
W when asked by researchers if people
wanted more time or money, “more time”
was the answer? With parents already feeling
so harried that they hardly have time to
brush their teeth, how can we find the time
to help our children succeed in school? And
yes, success in the last month of the school
year is equally as important as in the first
eight months.
Some people seem to fit more
things into a day than the rest of us. No,
they haven’t found a way to stop the clock—
they’ve just learned to use their time more
efficiently. Here are some ways you can get
control of your time:
*Use time in the car with children.
Even bath time with young children can be
Giant A+ Rewards
HANK YOU to the 229 families that participated
in the Giant A+ Rewards Pro-
T
gram and helped Paxtonia to earn a grand
total of $3,748 for the 2011-2012 school
year. Your generous support helps us fund
valuable programs for all of our students!
Karns High 5 for Schools
ark your calendars for our next designated
Karn’s fundraiser week, which
M
will be May 21-May 27. Use that week to stock
up on what you need for your Memorial Day
weekend picnics. Vouchers will be distributed
during the week of May 14. You are encouraged
to make copies and give them out to
family, friends and neighbors to help us earn a
used to squeeze in a little more learning. Of
course, your child can’t read library books in
the tub, but addition or multiplication facts
can be repeated. Writing an essay in the car
would be a challenge, but talking about ideas
and how to organize the paper can be
accomplished, or review spelling words.
*Set priorities. Decide what’s
really important to you. (Odds are it’s your
children.) Then consciously decide how to
spend your time. Make sure your decisions
reflect what matters. Have a choice between
cooking a fancy dinner and reading
with your child? Pop a frozen pizza in the
oven and read!
*Spend one-on-one time. Kids
need both “quality” and “quantity” time.
But, there’s nothing like spending time alone
with a parent to make a child feel special.
Every week, make an appointment to spend
some time alone with each child. Get out
your calendar and write it in. Then treat
that appointment as seriously as you would
an important business meeting.
Capri Sun
W
e just wanted to send out a friendly
reminder to send in your Capri Sun
and/or Honest Kids juice pouches to school.
Every pouch counts to getting money for the
school to get new and exciting things.
Thanks
Capri Sun Committee
5% cash rebate on all qualifying
purchases made. You may use the vouchers
as many times as you like during that week,
but you must take a voucher with you to the
store each time you shop. If you would like an
electronic copy of the voucher, please contact
Karen Yeselavage at
bobkrenyes@comcast.net.
*Remember the 80/20 rule. Businesses
often use something they call the
“80/20 rule.” Simply stated, it means that
80 percent of the results of any job come
from just 20 percent of the effort. Use this
rule as you decide how to spend your time.
Instead of just “doing things right,” you’ll
start “doing the right things.”
We are often fooled into believing
that “things” will slow down with each new
season. Since they never do, try using these
timesaving tips all year-round.
Once again a very busy school year
is winding down. Be actively involved with
your children over the summer break. Listen
to them, spend time doing fun things together,
and get to know their friends. Let
them know you are there because you care.
Good luck to our 5 th graders moving on Middle
School….You Are Ready! I will be anxious
to see everyone else and our new Kindergarten
students in the fall.
Wendy Merryman, M.Ed., NCC
School Counselor
Hershey Park
Volunteers
he Paxtonia PTA is looking for volunteers
to work a couple shifts at Hershey
T
Park. When a person volunteers, the PTA
makes $5.85 per hour and the volunteer will
then be provided with a free voucher for a
day pass to Hershey Park for 2012 season,
Springtime in the Park, Hershey Park in the
Dark, Candy Lane or the Sweet Lights! The
shifts are about 4 hours each and in the
Games department. If you would like to do
this, please contact me as soon as possible
so that I may give the information to Hershey.
I would need your name, phone number,
email, your shirt size and the shift that
you can work. I have some available shifts
starting in May.
Thank you!
SunnyD
s Summer fast approaches don't forget
A to continue to save your SunnyD labels
for the Fall book giveaway.
Have a great Summer!