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bolivar road school the address for success october 2011 from the principal s desk it s been an exciting first month of school there are currently 320 students enrolled at bolivar road school this compares to 338 students last year collectively these 320 students have created an mr merola extremely smooth start to the new school year they are not only applying themselves to learning but have demonstrated outstanding levels of cooperation and behavior these students are doing a fantastic job putting into practice the character traits they have learned from project c.a.r.e your student s success is promoted by supportive families and dedicated teachers packed rooms evidenced this during our open house please continue to support our students and staff at bolivar road and thank you for helping to make our first month of school so successful news from the building planning team the bolivar road building planning team is pleased to offer exciting fall enrichment sessions for before and after school clubs/activities students have already begun registering for these clubs if you are interested in sponsoring a club for the winter/spring session please call 687-2880 other bpt goals include volunteerism and a whole school-learning theme on multiculturalism if you have input or feedback on any of the proposed goal areas please contact a bpt representative parentscheri giancola traci mcintosh sharon schnauffer and melissa stanek teachers-4th grade team eric bonnier brad williams and michelle wilson community-mary lou champlin support staff-kris burleigh administrator-arnie merola bolivar school store is open for business our bolivar supply store is now open this is a not-for-profit business run by a parent volunteer below is the basic inventory special sales and seasonal items will be available prices are #2 pencils 20¢ pencil grips 10¢-20¢ sharpeners 35¢-70¢ erasers 5¢-30¢ smencils scented pencils $1.00 mech pencils 9 mm 70¢ refills 45¢ pens 40¢-70¢ highlighters 35¢ loose leaf paper 50¢ two-pocket folders 15¢ 70 sheet spiral notebook 50¢ hackey sacks 60¢ the store will be open on wednesdays from 8:20-8:40 a.m in the lobby please stop by a message from ms giancola here are just a few reminders for the school year we will soon be into the cold and flu season if any child has been home or sent home from school with a temperature or vomiting it is a good idea that the child be fever free for 24 hours or free from vomiting for 24 hours before returning to school if a child needs to take any medication doctor s orders and parental permission are required a parent/guardian must bring the medicine to school for the student no child should bring any medicine to school all students in k 2nd 4th 7th and 10th grades and all students new to the school district must have a physical either from a private physician or it will be done at school during the school year if you have any health related questions please feel free to call me at 687-2886.

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grade level news 3rd grade third graders have had a great start to the school year students are learning about food chains and webs in science we have been taking good care of our classroom anoles while also using them to observe animal behaviors the math investigations program is providing students with opportunities to combine and compare numbers using multiple strategies students are asked to add and subtract numbers using methods that make sense to them combining activities using time money and measurement will also be investigated in social studies classes will be learning about the basic components of maps and communities in ela students are continuing to work on their writing process pieces as well as writing in an on demand format vocabulary grammar and comprehension activities are provided for students to develop a better understanding of the many stories we are reading we look forward to another exciting month of learning 4th grade the good news is we made a very successful transition into our september/october classroom instruction already our curriculum is well underway and we ve happily adjusted to our new fourth grade routine wow what a smooth transition this month we will continue to explore electrical circuits in science although we ve already had an electrifying time creating circuits lighting bulbs and letting go of warm wires the best is yet to come in social studies we are learning about the geography of our state students will never forget the whereabouts of our major lakes and mountains after they participate in a surprise activity planned for later this month math continues to be a hands-on investigation as we work to masterfully manipulate mathematical operations snap cubes die money calculators symmetry and numerous other tools make this a fun-filled learning opportunity of course we continue to practice our math facts too in ela we are engaged in reading books within a variety of genres from biographies to fairy tales and we are also actively involved in writing activities we re off to an exciting start and we greatly look forward to working with you to make your child s fourth grade experience a very positive and productive one if you did not get a chance to attend open house please contact your child s teacher to sign up for conferences and other important opportunities 5th grade as we enter our second month of the school year we would like to take the time to thank everyone who came to open house we enjoyed meeting all of you if you were unable to attend please contact your child s teacher to sign up for a parent-teacher conference on thursday november 17 or thursday december 1 our math class finds us investigating factors multiples prime numbers and square numbers and sharpening our skills in multiplication division subtraction addition and problem solving weather is our focus in science as writers we are grade level news continued 5th grade continued learning how to write using the 6 1 writing traits realistic fiction is the current topic of reading class in social studies some classes are tackling u.s and new york state geography and history while other classes are journeying through u.s and new york state history and government please continue to encourage your child to read every night as we all enjoy the beautiful autumn weather we would like to remind students that they need appropriate clothes and shoes for recess outside on the playground specials area classes jambo my name is mrs pierce and i am very excited to be joining the music team at chittenango there are exciting things going on in our 4th grade and 5th grade music classes students are discovering the music languages and exciting culture of africa each week students are performing on african drums including the tubano and the djembe students are learning how to improvise and demonstrate call and response while playing the drums in addition to performing on african drums students are also singing african songs and learning how to speak swahili one of the many languages spoken in africa jambo which means hello is one of the swahili words students have learned so far this year this week students also learned how to sing kye kye kule an african counting song i am looking forward to the successful and exciting year ahead in music kwaheri that means goodbye in swahili ais/resource classes we are off to a very busy start and your children have been actively engaged in learning since opening day your children have been given a red assignment notebook to record and keep track of schedules assignments and special events it also allows for communication between home and school please encourage them to bring their assignment notebook home each night and return with it each morning this is a crucial link to parent/teacher contacts taking responsibility for their learning and overall success in school your support and attention to the notebook can make a difference in your children s attitudes toward and confidence in their learning thanks so much thank you for · · · calling the school when your child is absent getting your child to school on time sending a signed note with your child when a bus pass is needed you ve been a great help!

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bolivar pta corner thank you we ve had a wonderful start to our 2011-2012 school year the bolivar road elementary pta would like to extend their appreciation to parents staff family and community friends and neighbors who have joined the pta and/or supported our scholastic book fair during the month of september our membership drive will be continuing as we strive to reach our 100 member goal please join us in working together to advocate support and enrich the lives of every child membership is only $5 we sponsor family events and support student enrichment through project c.a.r.e reading challenge p.a.m.p parents as math partners a guest author visit and field trips we also plan after school clubs a holiday craft an art showcase staff appreciation week 5th grade send off yearbook and more congratulations to alainna pack who received a $5 scholastic book fair voucher as a result of the prize drawing for new memberships held at 3rd grade orientation congratulations also go to alyssa frantz elliott o connell and keith spurgeon who received complimentary copies of diary of a wimpy kid the ugly truth as a result of the prize drawings for new memberships held at open house we would also like to congratulate noah schnauffer victoria broniszewski skyler byrne jaime fitzgerald abby macalpine and alek reymond who each received a complimentary scholastic book as a result of the summer reading challenge raffle the scholastic book fair was a great success and we appreciate everyone for supporting a love of reading thank you to our volunteers and a special note of gratitude to our book fair chairperson cheryl seale for membership and/or volunteer information please e-mail bolivarpta@gmail.com or leave a message with the bolivar front office 687-2880 thank you please join us upcoming events at bolivar road elementary school original works coming soon gifts featuring your own child s artwork bolivar school pictures ­ wednesday oct 19 general pta meeting ­ wednesday october 19 6 pm plan to attend add your voice don t forget support bolivar pta with our silent fundraisers clip save send to school campbell s soup labels for education and box tops for education empty capri sun juice pouches and old cell phones and printer cartridges recycling helps bolivar earn school supplies what is project c.a.r.e project c.a.r.e is our character education program at bolivar road we are asking students staff families and community members to voluntarily nominate a bolivar road student that has gone above and beyond to demonstrate the character trait being showcased for september and october respectfulness is the character trait if you know a student that truly demonstrates respectfulness please nominate them in order to nominate a student a letter with specific details explaining how the student exemplifies the character trait needs to be written the letter has to be brought into school and put in the project c.a.r.e box located in the main office reminders about the letters will be sent home throughout the year students that are nominated will receive a livestrong wristband and the three most outstanding nominees will receive a yellow project c.a.r.e tee-shirt the reason we chose the livestrong wristbands and the yellow tee-shirts is because lance armstrong is the individual that we are using as a role model for our program he is a strong individual who emulates the character traits we hope to instill in our students also all teachers and staff members will have c.a.r.e coins that they will be giving to students as they catch them demonstrating good character once a student has five coins they may turn them in for various prizes there will be an assembly every two months to introduce the new character trait and to announce the award winners another way for students to earn c.a.r.e coins is in the cafeteria with our table of the month program the class works together using respectful voices kindness towards friends and staff and by being responsible in keeping the cafeteria clean at the end of lunch each class may earn a stamp for the day at the end of the month the classes with the most stamps get to sit where they want at their table for a week and everyone in the class earns a c.a.r.e coin there are no limits on how many classes win each month our goal for each month is to have all 16 classes earn this privilege please visit our web page to find out more information september/october­respectfulness november/december­kindness march/april­responsibility may/june­honesty all year­citizenship january/february­perseverance bolivar rd elementary thank you to the pta for all your support the project c.a.r.e team

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october 2011 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday 3:45 p.m building planning team meeting friday five week 7 reports sent home 3 saturday 2 3 4 5 6 8 4 5 1 2 9 10 no school columbus day observance 11 no school superintendent s conference day 12 13 14 15 4 5 1 16 17 18 individual19 pictures 6 p.m pta meeting in library 4 20 21 22 2 3 5 1 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 2 3 4 5 1 30 31 2 november 2011 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday end of marking period saturday 1 2 3 4 5 3 6 7 8 2 3 6 p.m pta 10 meeting in 9 3:45 p.m bpt library meeting in library 6:30-8 p.m report cards family fun sent home 5 4 night 4 5 1 no school veterans day 11 12 13 14 15 16 11:15 a.m 17 dismissal parent/teacher conferences 4 18 19 1 2 2:50 p.m go home early drill 2 3 5 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 thanksgiving vacation 30 1 27 28 29 3 4 5

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