Harding Elementary School Newsletter - Lebanon School District

Harding Elementary School NewsletterJanuary/February 2009Cheryl ChampionPrincipalDawn SchraderDean of StudentsIs it snowy, cold, windy and icy out there? What do you do about school? Tune in to one of the following radio ortelevision stations for school closings, late starts, or early dismissals required as a result of severe weather conditions,disruption of public utility service, or other emergencies.IMPORTANT NOTE: Cancellations/delays for our district will be noted as the “LEBANON SCHOOL DISTRICT”.References to Cornwall/Lebanon, Northern Lebanon, Eastern Lebanon DO NOT APPLY TO US.Radio StationsTelevision StationsWLBR / WQIC (Lebanon) AM 1270 FM 100.1 WLYH-15 (Lebanon) TV Channel 15WWSM (Lebanon) AM 1510 WHP –CBS (Harrisburg) TV Channel 21Radio Omega AM 1610 WPMT FOX 43 (York) TV Channel 43WHP (Harrisburg) AM 580 WGAL (Lancaster) TV Channel 8FM WRVV 97.3 WHTM (Harrisburg) TV Channel 27FM WYMJ 94.9FM WWKL 99.3WRKZ/Z-107 (Hershey) FM 106.7WQXA (Hershey) AM 1250 FM 105.7WHYL (Harrisburg) FM 102.3WARM / WSBA (York) FM 103.0WINK (Harrisburg) FM 104.1WTPA (Harrisburg) FM 93.5WNCE FM 92.1In the interest of providing early notification to the greatest number of people, WLBR/WQIC and WLYH TV will becontacted first. Decisions will be made as early as possible; however, changing weather patterns often require latenotification or revision of previous decisions.In the event of an unscheduled school closing, Cycle Days pick up where they were stopped.Weather Emergency/Make-Up Days (in this order): February 13, April 9, April 13, May 22, June 8NO HANDLING OF SNOW / ICE: For our children’s safety, handling of snow and/or ice on school property is strictlyprohibited. We appreciate your support and cooperation in stressing this school rule to your children.*** (Scheduled) DELAYED STARTS - Wednesday, January 14, 2009 ***Wednesday, February 11, 2009REMINDER: ALL students in the Lebanon School District will be on a (scheduled) 2-hour delayed start on Wednesday, January 14 thand Wednesday, February 11 th to allow for a teachers’ in-service in the morning.SCHOOL CLOSED; January 19 (Martin Luther King Day) and February 16 (Presidents’ Day)January 2009 New Year’s Resolution“This year things will be different” is a phrase that many of us will say as we set our new resolutions for 2009. With freshvision and energy, we look to the priorities we must accomplish. Our enthusiasm wanes as we get caught up in our everyday routine. How about changing your every day activities with resolutions that help your child in school?Family activities can incorporate ideas that can help your child in school. Having a family reading time, reading to yourchild, presenting a topic of discussion at a family meeting or making a quiet time for homework, all promote academicsuccess in school. Children need personal skills to be successful citizens. Your child learns this by dressing themselves,by parents offering choices for the child to make decisions, or meeting other children in an organized program such asscouts, sports, church or so many other programs that exist today. In our busy world, it is hard to find time for the family.Resolve that your family will have regular activity times with time to talk, share and have fun. Our resolution for you is tohear you say at the end of this year, “Things were different and we are glad we made the effort to make a difference.”Have a GREAT New Year!SAFETY GUIDELINES FOR THE CONCERN OF OUR CHILDREN

- please note the following information -Arrival Time: We are always extremely concerned about the safety of our children. It has come to our principal’sattention that some children are arriving for school too early - a few are being dropped off well before staff members evenarrive! While it is important to arrive on a timely basis, arriving too early can also create a multitude of safety concerns.Mrs. Champion’s expectation is that, when parents drop off their children, they stay and supervise them until they enter tobegin the school day upon which time they will be under the supervision of school personnel. Leaving your childunsupervised is an unsafe practice!Doors open for entry at 8:50 AM – the late bell rings at 9:00 AM *(with the exception of delayed starts). Children whowish to eat breakfast at school may enter through the ramp door on Sixth Street from 8:15 – 8:45 AM and must remain inthe cafeteria area until class begins. Breakfast students cannot enter before 8:15 AM.Our school office can assist you with information regarding childcare centers if you need help before or after regularschool hours.Traffic Guiidelines: We need your help and appreciate your cooperation. Please note that parking is strictlyprohibited at ALL TIMES along the curb on Chestnut Street in front of the school. Additionally, as posted, parking is alsoprohibited in the “Drop Off Zone” on Sixth Street – it is strictly a “drop-off” zone where children may exit vehicles safelyand proceed to either the playground area or to the crossing guard at the corner for guidance in crossing the street safely.With the exception of handicapped slots, parking on the lot adjacent to the playground is RESERVED. The Lebanon CityPolice Department will be helping us to enforce these concerns by issuing citations to violators.Mrs. Champion and Mrs. Schrader also patrol around our school daily at dismissal – their main concern in doing so is thesafety of our children. Increased traffic around our building during dismissal is always a safety concern. Please direct yourchildren to cross only at the corners and do not encourage them to cross in the middle of the street or dartbetween parked cars to reach you or your vehicle.To further insure students’ safety, crossing guards are stationed at Sixth & Chestnut, Sixth & Walnut, Sixth &Cumberland and Eighth & Chestnut Streets. Set a good example for our youth and cross at the appropriate places.This may take a few extra minutes but, in the long run, it could save a life! Thank you for your anticipated cooperation andunderstanding regarding these matters.NO Bikes, Skateboards, Scooters, etc. at Dismissal Times!Additionally, please be advised that bikes, skateboards, scooters, etc. are STRICTLY PROHIBITED on the sidewalkssurrounding Harding during the following dismissal times: 3:30 PM (general dismissal) 4:20 PM (PM Tutoring dismissal)and 5:30 PM (21 st Century Program dismissal).Playground Area CLOSED on Bad Weather DaysFor the safety of our children, the playground area will be CLOSED on inclement weather days. These days will includerain, snow/ice, and excessive cold. The playground will also be closed in the event of an unscheduled delay due toweather conditions. Breakfast is not served during delayed starts, therefore, children should arrive as doors open –10 minutes before the start of school.EMERGENCY / GENERAL INFORMATIONFor the safety and well-being of our children, please make sure that information previously provided to theschool in case of an emergency or illness is up to date, including a “contact person” along with their telephonenumber, in the event that you cannot be contacted yourself. Additionally, please notify the school officeimmediately of any changes of information including:~ change of address ~ change of telephone number~ change or addition/deletion of individuals permitted to pick up your childThank you for your anticipated cooperation regarding these safety concerns.- Academic Achievers -

Students in grades 2, 3, 4 and 5 are considered ACADEMIC ACHIEVERS when they meet the following criteria (workingon grade level):‣ earn A’s or B’s in all subjects marked with A - F letter grades‣ receive no N’s in any area except Handwriting‣ achieve at or above grade level in reading and mathematicsCongratulations to the following students for achieving Honor Roll status during the 1 st Marking Period.Great job students - keep up the good work!Grade 2:Yusuf Alioglu, Jada Calloway, Jacquelyn Caraballo, Dante Dancy. Jeanine Ebling, Anthony Escobales, KevinEstevez Lopez , Lachanell Evans, Rain Fitchett, Max Guzman, Haley Heist, Destiny Infante, Destiny Jeter,Edgar Maldonado, Denisse Martinez, Madelyn Moore, Brianna Morales, Alejandro Morales, Shyann Neal,Tatiana Quinones, Keisha Rivera, Arelis Rodriguez, Antonio Rodriguez, Marissa Trantham, Tyler VanBrocklinGrade 3:Joseph Aponte, Azelyn Arenas, Da’Miracle Blue, Alyvia Bohr, Shannon Boris, Dior Boswell, Ricki Boyer,Mikayla Brandon, Bridgeen Burns, Antonio Collazo, Kayla Conlow, Jason Cora, Amaryllis Cruz, Justin Derr-Carney, Kiersten Dunn, Elijah Freeman, Michael Galiardi, Alicia Gingrich, Hailey Gonzalez, Paige Hall, AlexisHill, Shauna Hoyer, Tiana Joseph, Alaina Kline, Jose Mejias, Christian Negron, Michael Noel, FrancescaPadillas, Rachel Rebert, Anna Rodkey, Mallorie Rodriguez, Jarrid Seigrist, Jacynda Shuey, Samuel Sierra.Jayda Smith, Michael Spangler, Timothy Spangler, Keiano Stephens, Alexandra Stultz, Jasmine Turner,Michael Valle, James YoungGrade 4:Jacqueline Armstrong, Tyler Bolden, Alexis Brown, Kalysta Bush, Kelly Cooper, James Edgar, JoyenidFeliciano, Xavier Hladkey, Hunter Hollis, Jabin Joseph, Kaitlyn Landis, Morgan Long, Serena Rodriguez,Shirley Schauer, Eric Testerman, Christopher Turner, Nathaniel WenrichGrade 5:Seda Alioglu, Joana Ariza, Jackalyn Betts, Alexander Bland, Jesse Brownstein, Breon Bush, Monica Class,Jordan Engle, Brandi Fair, Cherokee Fitchett, Jarrett Frantz, Jade Kindt, Amelia Kuhn, Stephanie Little, CiaraMartinez, Kristian Martinez, Krystina Rodkey, Devaughn Rodriguez, Chastity Roman, Kiara Santos, CourtneySchwenk, Kimberly Tobias, Vicmarie Valentin, Sabrina Young-Wise- Homework Policy -We believe that homework is an important part of the education process. Homework gives students a chance to reviewand practice what they have learned, prepare for the next day’s lesson, and explore topics of interest. Homework will havean impact on a student’s overall achievement. Homework assignments may influence a student’s overall grade by asmuch as 10%. The following are guidelines for how long students should spend on homework:Grades 1 – 3 20 to 30 minutes nightly Grade 4 – 5 30 to 60 minutes nightly‣ To help children be successful, we suggest the following:‣ Create a place at home that is conducive to studying‣ Set aside a specific time for homework each day‣ Be available if students have questionsParents should support their students by reviewing their homework books. Please feel free to communicate with yourchild’s teacher regularly. Together, we make the difference!PTO CornerMcTeacher Night at McDonald’sMany thanks to our Harding families and staff members for supporting (McDonald’s) McTeacher Night on December 17 th .Harding staff members worked the counters and served customers from 5:00 – 7:00 PM. Harding students enjoyed their

meals and were quite amused to witness their teachers experiencing a different profession. As a result of McTeacherNight, our PTO earned 20% of all inside sales on this date – resulting in a $315 profit!! Way to go, Harding!!!“We like McNuggets, ya’all . . . We like McNuggets, ya’all”!!!Pretzel Sandwich FundraiserHarding students did a WONDERFUL job with our fundraiser Pretzel Sandwich sale in December, which will financiallysupport student field trips, etc. Students sold in excess of 1700 sandwiches! GREAT JOB students!!Giant Food Stores A+ School Rewards - Harding’s ID number is 00771Every time you shop at a participating Giant Food Store with your Bonus Card, you can help our school earn ca$h. Whenyou register your BonusCard with “A+ School Rewards” – Harding will earn one point for each dollar spent. Designatedschools will automatically receive 1% of all participating customers’ total Bonus Card purchases. Cash results are postedmonthly on the internet at: GiantAplus.com Register now!PTO Annual SPELLING BEE - Thursday, February 5 6:00 PMHarding’s Annual Spelling Bee is fast approaching and we need to get ready!! On Thursday, February 5 th , tworepresentatives from each homeroom (Grade 2 through 5) will take our stage to compete for top honors. Mrs. Dasher hasgraciously agreed to organize this year’s event. Mark your calendars and join us for an event that ALWAYS proves to beexciting! The first place winner of each grade level will then proceed to compete in the Districtwide Elementary SpellingBee against first place contestants from each of the (4) other elementary schools within the Lebanon School District (i.e.Northwest, Henry Houck, Southeast and Southwest) on Tuesday, March 31 st . Additional information will be forthcomingregarding both Spelling Bees.IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER:Wednesday January 14 (Scheduled) 2-Hour Delay for all StudentsMonday January 19 SCHOOL CLOSED – Martin Luther King’s BirthdayTuesday January 20 End of 2 nd Marking PeriodFriday January 30 Distribution of Report Cards (Grades 1 – 12)Thursday February 5 Harding’s Annual Spelling Bee 6:00 PMDr. Bartley’s Parent Advisory Committee Meeting 6:00 PMWednesday February 11 (Scheduled) 2-Hour Delay for all StudentsFriday February 13 SCHOOL CLOSED (IF not needed as snow make-up day)Monday February 16 SCHOOL CLOSED – Presidents’ DayMonday February 23 End of 3 rd Interim PeriodMonday MARCH 2 SCHOOL CLOSED – Staff In-ServiceTuesday MARCH 3 NO K4 / K5 Classes ONLY