Contact 13-8 Apr - Paxtonia Elementary PTA

Paxtonia Elementary School
The
CONTACT
April 1, 2011
PTA
Newsletter
Volume 13, Issue 8
Dear Parents,
From the Principal’s Desk ...
Tom Toone
Principal
Iwant to begin by sharing a note of
“THANKS” to all of our PTA members. The
parent support at Paxtonia is tremendous.
Keep up the great work
Educational Trips
Grade 4 will be taking the PSSA Science Test
on April 4 th & 5 th . Educational Trip forms
will not be approved for 4 th graders on the
testing days.
Traffic Tips
Please know that you will help traffic flow—
especially in the morning--if you only make
a RIGHT turn out of the front parking lot. If
you proceed through the traffic light and
then make your first left on South Blue Ribbon
Avenue, you will come out on
Italy - International Days April 6th - 8th
Paxtonia is traveling to Italy this month
during International Days! Italian
themed events are planned for each day,
beginning with a kick-off concert on
Wednesday, April 6th by a local band
performing traditional Italian music.
Thursday, April 7 th features presentations
on Italy and on Friday, April 8th,
students will have the opportunity to
taste Italian cuisine. Everyone is encouraged
to wear the colors of the Italian
flag: green, white and red!
Hershey Park Ticket
Orders Due - April 6th
… the parent support at
Paxtonia is tremendous
Allentown Blvd. /Rt. 22 at the Ollie’s/Harley
Davidson intersection.
Parking Problems
Please know that we may NOT park in the
lot across the street from the front of the
door. Available parking at or near the
school would include the front lot, the side
cafeteria lot, the back lot, and the baseball
fields behind the school.
Emergency Data
Is the emergency data the school has on
your child up-to-date Do we have current
work phone numbers, cell-phone numbers,
emergency phone numbers, etc. Please
contact the school office if your information
needs updating.
Math in a “Flash”
Years ago, parents often bought “flash
cards” to help their children learn basic
math facts. Why Because for many kids,
they worked! Here’s how to make—and
use—homemade flash cards. First, have
your child write problems on one side of
index cards and answers on the other.
Then, select three cards and review them
together. Have your youngster say both the
problem and the answer. Example: “9 x 7 =
63,” instead of just saying “63”. Keep adding
new cards—one at a time—as long as
your child can answer them easily. At first
you may need to supply some answers but
within minutes, the facts usually start to
“stick” in your child’s mind.
Lunchtime Tips
Parents, please send a note in with your
child if you will be joining them for lunch.
Please also indicate if you will be bringing
their lunch food or not. Thank you for your
help.
Visitor Passes
For everyone’s safety, parents should not be
in the building before 8:15 am and anytime
after 8:15 am any adult needs to first report
to the office to obtain a visitor’s pass.
Thank you.
April Calendar
of Events
Before we know it, International Days
2012 will be here and the choice of countries
is up to you! Please fill out the online
survey to vote for your country of Apr 4 PTA Meeting, 7 pm
choice to study during International Apr 6-8 International Days—Italy
Days 2012. The survey is located at Apr 6 Hershey Park ticket order deadline
h t t p : / / w w w . s u r v e y m o n k e y . c o m / Apr 13 Kindergarten Registration
s/9BNJF7Y. It will be open to vote until
Apr 20 Dr. Einstein Assembly
the end of the school year, Friday, June
Apr 22 NO SCHOOL—Spring break
10, 2011. Countries to choose from are:
Apr 25 NO SCHOOL—Spring break
Bahamas, France, India, Japan, South
Africa.
Hershey Park ticket orders are due Wednesday, April 6! Look for the blue Hershey Park
ticket order form that was sent home with your student. If you did not receive an order
form, contact Ann-Marie Ring at: therings4@comcast.net or call 540-9899 immediately. Orders
will NOT be accepted after April 6—NO EXCEPTIONS!

The Contact
Page 2
From the Desk of the PTA President...
Gayle Staub
PTA President
I
’m thrilled to see that Spring is ‘in the
air.’ I think we are all ready for the
sun to shine and the flowers to bloom!
The PTA is currently finalizing next
year’s budget and finishing our goals
and objectives for a new fundraiser for
next year. Thank you to everyone who
participated in the sub and pretzel
sandwich sale and those who made
donations to the PTA. A huge thank you
to the fundraising committee for the
time, effort, research and organization
involved in making the fundraiser
possible. Thank all of you for supporting
the PTA so that we can offer our
children top-notch programs, assemblies
and activities throughout the year.
Parent, teacher and staff support is so
important to our organization and does
not go unnoticed.
The school will “go to Italy” for International
Days from April 6-8. All are
welcome to help decorate the school
for International Days on April 1, 4 and
5 from 4 pm-9 pm. On April 20, the kids
will enjoy the Dr. Einstein Science and
Math Show assembly.
We have a number of great activities
in May. Mark your calendars for the
last PTA meeting of the school year on
May 2 at 7 pm. Teacher/Staff Appreciation
week is May 2nd-6 th and the Beginners
Concert at CDMS is on May 5 at
7pm. Moms and Muffins will be held on
PTA Meeting Monday, April 4th
May 12 th and 13 th , May Fair and Book
Fair is on May 21 st and the Spring Concert
at CDMS is on May 18 at 7pm. And
don’t forget to check the district’s website,
www.cdschools.org for the many
athletic events and concerts our district
offers.
If you would like to join a PTA
committee for the 2010-11 school year,
please give me a call at 651-9069 or
email me at LGStaub@aol.com. We’ll
also have committee information available
at our final two meetings for this
year. Our next meeting is April 4 th at 7
pm. Chris Judd, Region 3 school board
member, will speak and answer questions
immediately following our meeting.
All parents are invited to stay.
Community Chat
Chris Judd, School Board Member
for Region 3, will be available for
a Community Chat immediately
following the PTA Meeting on April
4th. He will be answering questions
and all parents are invited and
encouraged to attend.
2011-2012 PTA Budget Presentation
The 2011/2012 PTA Budget will be
presented at the April PTA meeting
held on April 4 th at 7 pm. All numbers
have been communicated to Committee
Chairs. These monies show how our
fundraising dollars will be spent and the
income we anticipate from our rewards
programs.
Beginning April 7 th , a copy of the
budget will be available on the bulletin
board in the school lobby as well as
posted on the PTA website,
www.paxtoniapta.com All members,
please attend the April meeting to vote
on Paxtonia PTA’s 2011/2012 Budget.
Talent Show Thank you!
We would like to send out a big
thank you to all of our talented
students for entertaining our Paxtonia
families in this year's two night talent
show spectacular! Everyone did such a
great job and we are so proud of all of
the children.
We would also like to thank all of the
parents for their support and especially
the parent helpers who gave an extra
hand with flower sales, back stage
supervision, and helping to organize the
performers. Also a big thank you to our
high school helpers, videographers and
Glenn Cermack, who controlled the
sound for the show, for so generously
giving extra time this year. Last but not
least, thank you to Mr. Miller, Mr.
Toone and Ms. Coates for all of their
support! Jackie Bentlage-Brown
Make it a Habit!
Check out the Paxtonia
Website regularly at
www.PaxtoniaPTA.com

The Contact
Page 3
Reflections 2010-11
State Winner
Congratulations to our State Winner!
FILM PRODUCTION - PRIMARY DIVISION
3rd Place
Spirit Gear
Rachel D'Souza
You can check out all our Reflections
participant's winning entries at the
Local/Regional/State levels on the
PaxtoniaPTA.com website.
Paxtonia magnets ($3), lanyards ($3)
and bracelets ($1) are still available
for purchase. To order, have your child
send the appropriate amount of money
into school in an envelope directed to
the mailbox of PTA President, Gayle
Staub. Be sure to clearly mark your
child's name, order, room number and
teacher's name on the envelope. For
more information, contact Gayle Staub.
Pictures Wanted
If you have taken pictures of school
events, parties, ice cream social,
roller skating parties, etc, and would
like them to be included in the end of
the year slide show, please put them
on a disc and send it in to Mrs. Ross.
For more info, contact her at:
rross@cdschools.org.
Hershey Park Volunteers Needed
The Paxtonia PTA is looking for volunteers
to work a couple shifts at Hershey
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 2011 season,
Springtime in the Park, Hershey Park in the
Dark, Candy Lane or the Sweet Lights! The
Roller Skating Party Follow-up
Thank you to everyone who braved
the wind and rain to attend our
spring roller skating party. Students,
family, and friends enjoyed skating to
the music, playing the dice game,
participating in races, and relaxing at
the snack bar. This was the first time
in six years that we needed to collect
admission to the skating party. The
fiVe BEL o W fUNdRAISER!
Looking for ideas to fill those Easter
baskets Are you the Room Mom
looking for party supplies Helping with
the 5th Grade Farewell party Paxtonia
PTA invites you to shop at fiVe BEL O W!
The PTA will be hosting a fundraising
event at fiVe BEL O W on Friday, April 8th
and Saturday, April 9 th between 10 am
and 9 pm; and Sunday, April 10 th between
11 am and 6 pm at the Five Below located
at 5096 Jonestown Road, Harrisburg.
shifts are about 4 hours each and in the
Games department.
If you would like to do this, please
contact Deb Rose at: dr@cpitech.com, as
soon as possible. Information needed
includes your name, phone number, email,
shirt size and the shifts you are available to
work. Shifts start in May.
admission purely covered the cost of
the rink rental and we appreciate
everyone’s willingness to contribute.
We would also like to thank our
skating party volunteers, Lisa Rummel,
Natalie Foxwell, and Cindy Gundy for
collecting admission and helping to
keep everything running smoothly and
safely.
Ten percent of the dollars
spent by our organization will be donated
back to the Paxtonia PTA.
fiVe BEL O W carries a little bit of everything.
And everything is priced at $5 or
less!
Make sure you bring the fundraising
form to the event so that we get credit for
your purchase! And remember, at fiVe
BEL O W, whatever you got will buy a lot!
Attention 5th Grade Parents
D
o you have pictures of the current 5th
grade class We are in need of pictures
that include events that occurred this year as
well as from Kindergarten to fourth grade. If
you would like to help, please put them on a
disc and send it in to Mrs. Ross.
For more info, contact her at:
rross@cdschools.org.

The Contact
From the Desk of the School Counselor...
Wendy Merryman
School Counselor
Citizenship is the character
education trait for the 4 th marking
period. Citizenship means cooperating
with others, obeying rules and laws,
sharing, and helping protect the earth.
Following rules is part of citizenship
in school, the community, and at home.
What happens, when your child doesn’t
follow your rules What are some
effective ways to apply consequences
Plan your strategies BEFORE you
need them! Decide in advance how to
handle discipline issues so that times of
difficult behavior are handled as
smoothly as possible. Explain the rules
and consequences to your child before
you have to enforce them. Give new
techniques a chance to work. Here are
some basic approaches to try:
Distraction. When your child gets
too annoyed with his little brother, for
instance, you might suggest, “Why
don’t you and Dad play soccer It’s
beautiful out.”
Natural Consequences. Let your child
see the natural results of his actions. If
he doesn’t get ready to go, he’ll be late.
Sometimes reminders prevent
problems: “Put on your coat now or
we’ll miss the show.”
Logical Consequences. Misbehavior
Page 4
Contact Editor—Kim Yoder
doesn’t always have a natural
consequence. But you can remove a
privilege your child likes. A child who
refuses to get ready for bed might not
get to watch a favorite TV program.
Rewards. When your child has a
behavior that needs to change, such as
leaving belongings on the floor, make
sure you reward him when he does it
right. “You cleaned up all your clothes
and toys. Great job!” Rewards do not
have to be tangible items. Words of
praise and acknowledgment are also
rewarding. Occasional treats can provide
motivation: “After you pick up, let’s
go out for pizza.”
- Source: Diane Benson Harrington. “When timeouts
don’t work.” Parents Magazine (2003)
Box Tops
Please remember to keep clipping
those Box Tops! There are also
larger quantity products offering double
Box Tops! Don’t forget to trim them to
the dashed lines before putting them
into our collection box in the front
lobby. This saves time and allows us to
get more Box Tops back to General
Mills. Box Tops received will be sent in
with our next shipment.
Paxtonia Collection Programs
There is still time to support the Paxtonia
Collection programs! Check out these
products and send in the appropriate label or
collectable for deposit in the boxes in the
school lobby. Thank you!
Sunny Delight Labels
Capri Sun Pouches
Ink Jet Cartridges
Campbell’s Labels
Cell Phones
Tyson’s Labels
Aluminum Can Tabs
Coke Rewards