McDonaldSchool
Newsletter
December2013
A Note from the Principal
The end of the year is fast approaching and I am surprised to find how quickly it has snuck up on me. November was filled with many fun, family activities and it is the perfect segue into December.
The students and staff are definitely in the swing of things and as we anticipate the upcoming holidays, McDonald School is filled with good cheer. We have been busy planning activities that the children will enjoy and that will give them the kind of ‘childhood memories’ that we all share. I hope you and your family enjoy a happy and healthy holiday season.
2013-14Student Council Officers
Fourth and fifth graders recently campaigned for officer election, in the form of petitions, posters, and speeches. Several weeks ago, the fourth and fifth grade students voted for the candidates. As a result, we congratulate the following students for their successful elections: Rosemary Green – President, Jack Steilen – Vice President, Kaylie Schorn–Treasurer and Hailey Brazeal – Secretary. We look forward to working with these fine young student leaders for the remainder of the year.
Pajama Day& Sing-along
On Friday, December 20thwe are asking the students and staff to wear their favorite pajamas to school. If your child would like to wear slippers, we ask that he/she wear sneakers to school and then they could change into the slippers.
At the end of the day we will gather in the gym and cafeteria and sing some winter songs before we begin our winter break. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact the office or your child’s teacher.
Winter Concert
We hope you will join us for our annual Winter Concert on Thursday, December 12th at 7:00 PM in the gym. The McDonald 4th Grade Chorus, 4th Grade Chime Choir, 5th Grade Hand Bell Choir and 5th Grade Chorus will be performing seasonal music under the direction of Mrs. Robin Herman.
Volunteer
Please think about becoming a parent volunteer at McDonald by helping in the library (call Mrs. Ring, our librarian), tutoring (call Mrs. Stackhouse, our Reading Specialist), or becoming a Room Parent or chaperone for a class trip. Home and School is always looking for parents to help out with various committees.
Celebration Books
As we approach this festive holiday season the thoughts of giving something memorable to our loved ones seems to capture our imagination. What an honor to have a book donated to the McDonald Library in that special someone’s name! Truly a gift that will be treasured by many. Each time the book is opened the bookplate will announce to the reader the name of the generous donor, as well as to whom the book is dedicated.
Look for the flyer and accompanying paperwork on the efolder. Please consider adding a book to our library collection through this wonderful program. Call Mrs. Wolf at 215-441-6157 or email at .
Toys for Tots
Our school is a site for the Toys for Tots program sponsored by the United States Marine Corps. Please consider dropping off an unwrapped toy in the bin located in the lobby.
Inclement Weather
Please have a “BAD WEATHER” plan. Children become anxious if they think they are going home to an empty house. Prepare your children in the event you cannot be reached or are not at home when bad weather strikes and school is dismissed. They should know what to do and where to go in order to be safe until you arrive.
The phone numbers on file in the office (the gold Student Information Sheet) become very important on these days. Please be sure to update your phone numbers (home, work, cell phones and pagers) so that we can make this difficult time, a little less stressful for your children.
CentennialSchool District's emergency closing number is 753. Closings are broadcast on local TV and radio stations, e-Alerts and our website.
Reading Tips
The Truth About Nonfiction
Facing the ever popular feeling that life is busy? Feeling like it is a victory just to have your child simply open a book – any book? Recent research on education outcomes reveal that what kids read can have an impact on how they perform in reading. In order to create a foundation for later learning, research supports that students should begin reading informational texts in all subjects from the earliest grades. This critical act helps to prepare students from the early stages of reading to obtain the skills to read and comprehend complex texts.
Check out the Time for Kids website at for kid-friendly high interest articles to read with and to your child. Looking for holiday gift ideas? Magazine subscriptions make great gifts! A few titles to check out include: Time for Kids, Kids Discover, National Geographic Kids and Highlights.(Citations: )
If you have any questions or concerns, please contact one of our Reading Specialists at 215-441-6157 or email them directly.
Miriam Infanti – Reading/Data Specialist
Erin Landy – Reading Specialist
Rose Miele – Reading Specialist
Sue Stackhouse – Reading Specialist
Arrival & Dismissal
For those arriving or leaving with a vehicle, the drop-off location is at the front of the building at the main entrance (red doors.) Please see the arrival and dismissal maps on the school website for more information.
In the AM, please utilize the valet system – with 8 vehicles at a time pulling up to the curb before and after the crosswalk. We ask that the child(ren) exit the vehicle on the curb side for safety reasons.
Please remember in the morning to “Kiss and Go” so we can keep the arrival line moving quickly. We are having parents stop and get out of the vehicle to unbuckle students from seatbelts and to help them out of the vehicle. If you wish to do that, please park in the parking lot and walk your child to the building(this is only allowed in the morning). We appreciate your help and cooperation with this situation.
In the PM, please utilize the valet system – with 8 vehicles at a time pulling up to the curb before and after the crosswalk. We ask that the child(ren) enter the vehicle on the curb side for safety reasons. We also ask that parents are respectful to each other as well.
Thank you for your patience as we continue to improve this process.
Wednesday Express
Every child will receive a large whiteenvelope. The envelope will be distributed each Wednesday and will contain informational materials from the district, school office and classroom teacher that cannot be placed in the eFolder.
Parents are requested to sign the outside of the envelope as an indication that they have received and read the contents. It is due back to the classroom teacher the following day. Where possible, flyers will be distributed to the youngest child in each family to save paper. The replacement cost is $1.
eFolder
Most of our school information will be communicated to parents using the eFolder on our school website. Forms that must be signed and returned can be printed out at any time.
We started the year by sending home paper copies with the youngest child in each family and posting information on the eFolder. On Wednesday, Oct. 2nd we went paperless for the rest of the school year.
All information, with the exception of classroom assignments and tests is available on our school website at Click on the school link for McDonald.
Home & School
Joining our active Home and School Association is another way in which communication between teachers and parents is improved. The school folders or assignment books which are given to each student are examples of the ways in which our Home and School provides “extra” things for the children in our school along with travel stipends for increased class trips, playground equipment, assemblies and other special treats.
Home and School officers meet on the first Monday of each month at 7:00 PM in the library. All members of Home and School are invited to join us for those meetings to help plan future events and to hear about the school and District news.
School Counselor Information
Character Counts Program
The pillar of the month in our Character Counts Program is “Respect.” Some characteristics of this pillar are:
•Treat others with respect
•Be tolerant of differences
•Use good manners
•Be considerate of the feelings of others
•Don’t threaten, hit or hurt anyone
•Deal peacefully with anger, insults, and
Disagreements
Reinforcing the Respect Pillar at Home
It’s important for children to be respectful with their classmates, teachers and other adults. When children are treated with respect, they learn to be respectful. Here are some tips on how to reinforce this pillar at home:
- Be encouraging when it comes to your child’s schoolwork.
- Use “I statements”. Say, “I feel disrespected when you don’t answer me” instead of, “You always ignore me.”
- Communicate with respect. Make sure to take the time to listen to what your child has to say.
(The Parent Institute, 2012)
Bullying Prevention Program
How Can You Address Bullying at Home?
It’s very beneficial to talk to your child about bullying. Research indicates that children look to parents for guidance on difficult topics. Help us take a stand against bullying by:
- Keeping the lines of communication open. Ask your child questions about school that require an answer more than “yes” or “no.”
- Discuss bullying directly by asking questions.
- “What does bullying mean to you?”
- “Have you seen bullying in school?”
(The Parent Institute, 2012)
Please encourage your children to report any type of bullying to an adult that they trust.
eAlerts
The CentennialSchool Districtis pleased to provide an enhanced capability for communicating district and building information to parents via email and text messages. Previously, people were able to subscribe to eAlert announcement lists at the district and school building levels. You now have the capability to register for these eAlert messages and also receive notifications when individual website and calendar pages are updated.
To receive these email notifications you simply need to register on the district website. In order to register, please visit and click on the Register link on the top right corner of the site. Follow the steps on the page to complete the registration. Once you are logged in, you will be able to access your information to indicate any notifications that you would like to receive.
Please keep your password safe as registration will provide you access to additional pages on the website as well as the ability to receive eAlerts. EAlerts are automatically generated email or text messages sent when areas of community interest are updated on the site. For example, if school is closed because of adverse weather conditions, an eAlert will be automatically generated and sent to interested registered users.
Character Counts Winners
Congratulations to the following students for showing good character in school. We appreciate your efforts and would like to encourage you to keep making good choices. Thank you!
Awarded on October 25: Zachery Donahue, Jon Fairall, Ayla Kowalski, Megan Molz, Emily Mortiz-Kulik, Carlos Palestino Aparicio, Michael Sharpe, Kyleerose Smith, Sunnova Stringer, Davan Thomas
Awarded on November 1: Christopher Guerra, Sophia Layer, Carolina Lopez, Jason Lynch, Amber McQuaid, Quinten Morena, Salome Paz y Mino, Kirsten Scott, Fijona Shurdhiqi, Megan Trotter
Awarded on November 8: Olivia Drulis, Lee Fenessy, Angelo Garcia-Caciano, Henry Guzman, Rhiley Jenkins, Nathaniel London, Samantha McLaughlin, Andres Ortiz, Paige Steiner, Felisha Tecalco
Awarded on November 15: Jasmine Amadeo, Carolina Balcarcel, Vincenzo DePalma, Savannah Dusablon, Valentina Giles, Anthony Legore, David Machado, Alaina Medbery, Daniel Scheller, Anna Smirnova
Notes from the School Nurse
Happy winter to you all!We have been busily performing health room screenings and will soon be done screening Grades 1 to 5. If your child did not pass for vision or hearing you should have received a referral from us to take to your private physician. We appreciate getting the forms back and thank you for those parents who have sent them back to the nurse's office.
We will also be sending home Grade 3 dental exam forms and any missing Kindergarten dental and physical forms we have not yet received. At this point in the school year we should have documentation for all vaccinations.
As we head into the cold weather please remind the children to dress appropriately for school.Please wear coats, hats and gloves for outdoor recess. Sneakers or shoes are best for the school day and help to prevent injury.Please write your child’s name on tags so these items can easily be returned if they get misplaced.
Please call or email us for any concerns regarding your child during the school day. Karen Pressler () or Elizabeth Fleming (), School Nurses at 215-441-6157 ext. 16025.
C.E.F. Info.
The Centennial Education Foundation is a non-profit organization dedicated to providing the best opportunities for our children, which helps to fund grants throughout the district. Our commitment is that all funds go directly to the students. By investing in our children, we enhance the enrichment of our community’s future.
CEF Annual Giving Campaign
Are you looking for the perfect gift for that special staff or faculty member? Then look no further than the CEFAnnual Giving Campaign. You may make a donation, starting as low as $10, in honor of any staff member.
The staff or faculty member willreceive notification that a donation was made in their honor. Your donation will be used to help fund grants that staff members can apply for during the school year.
If you are interested in making a donation, please contactBob Schrader at 215-441-6000 ext. 11008.
NOVEMBER 2013 STUDENT OF THE MONTH
ESTUDIANTES DEL MES DENOVIEMBRE2013
Kindergarten
Kylie Chungag - room A2 EDK
Jonny Figueroa-Yanes -room A2 EDK
Alyssa Pisano - room A3 AM
Damien Griffin - room A3 AM
Grace Sabara - room A3 PM
Andrew Reyes - room A3 PM
Ella Lamb - room A4 AM
James Parra Razo - room A4 AM
Colin Chapman - room A4 PM
Marlene Rodriguez - room A4 PM
Ardyn Kowalski - room A5 AM
Bryan Sadowski- room A5 AM
1st Grade
Demetrius Johnson - room B1
Julia Clark- room B1
Andrew Demore -room B2
Isabella Juhas -room B2
Julianna Braun – room B3
Joseph Hebling – room B3
Jasmine Morales - room B4
Dylan Buraczewski - room B4
Nicole Irwin - room B6
Jacob Dorff - room B6
Alonzo Williams – room B9
2nd Grade
Joaniel Ascencio-Miranda - room C1
Ceren Dursuk - room C1
Logan Glassey - room C2
Cianni Wicker – room C2
Daniel Pacas-Sanchez – room C3
Alexa Hirsch – room C3
Ricky Chen - room C4
Tyhnya Harris - room C4
Ava Chebruch - room C5
Zacharia Dinnis- room C5
Abigail Simonson - room C6
Jack Mulholland - room C6
3rd Grade
Alisa Kotlyarenko -room A21
Ryan Dysinger -room A21
Dakota Fanelli - room A22
Richard Guzman-Martinez - room A22
Zachary Stanfield - room A23
Kaeley Holt - room A23
Liahna Rodriguez - room A24
Matthew Richman - room A24
Yamileth Arriaza Hernandez – room A25
Robert Trotter - room A25
Jesse Hartman - room A26
Sarah Hindman - room A26
4th Grade
Katie Knipe – room B21
Jason Smolin - room B21
Sarah Hart – room B22
Jeremy Ciborowski - room B22
Sunnova Stringer - room B23
Owen Clark - room B23
Joanna Rojas - room B24
Nolan Cataldi - room B24
Rahul Anantuni - room B25
Julia Heinrichs - room B25
Kira McSherry - room B26
Giovanni Ramirez - room B26
Jasmin Yanes - room B27
5th Grade
Noel Iglesias - room C21
Sindy Yanes - room C21
Davan Thomas -room C22
Samantha Mazzarella -room C22
Aden Anderson - room C23
Shannon Mertz - room C23
Jennifer Flores – room C24
Logan Moffatt – room C24
Leighland Rodrigo – room C25
Riley Ovington – room C25