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bolivar road school the address for success november 2011 from the principal s desk during the month of november there are two opportunities for you to receive important information about your child s progress the first report card will be issued on november 10 you are also invited to participate in parent-teacher conferences on november 17 or december 1 all of your children s teachers mr merola are available for conferencing if you have not yet scheduled a time to meet please contact the teachers as soon as possible here are five steps for a successful conference from the parents make the difference newsletter 1 plan for it before you come to your conference write out the questions you d like to ask here are some suggestions · what is my child s attitude about learning · does my child show respect for others accept responsibility for his/her own behavior seem happy · what are my child s strengths what needs further development 2 keep an open mind your goal is to work for cooperation between you and your child s teacher even if the teacher says something you disagree with try to listen to what he/she has to say 3 ask to see your child s work if your child is doing well ask what you can do to keep things on a positive track if there are problems ask what you can do to help 4 clarify and summarize as you go if you don t understand something the teacher says just ask 5 what can i do to support my child s learning at home and school it was infection prevention week october 17-21 students volunteered to read prevention tips during the morning announcements that ms giancola the nurse had prepared for them the students learned about proper hand washing techniques to prevent spreading germs and more!

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grade level news 3rd grade throughout the month of november students will be very busy they will be reading various books in guided reading groups as well as in whole group situations the students will be learning skills and strategies to help build their reading comprehension please encourage your child to read at home each night students will be working on adding details topic sentences and closing sentences to their writing pieces during writing time we are also helping the students learn about adding voice to their writing in math class students will continue learning strategies to use when solving addition and subtraction problems they will also be learning more about money measurement and time please review basic facts with your child at home during science class students will be learning all about sound through various hands-on activities in social studies students will be learning about communities long ago in the united states also they continue to review map skills the weather is getting colder so please remember to dress your children accordingly have a wonderful thanksgiving thank you all for your support 4th grade november promises to be packed with much fun and excitement in fourth grade as we begin many new and interesting units this month we will be shifting gears as we enter a new unit of study in science­simple machines although some might argue machines are not so simple all students agree they sure make work a lot easier in social studies our new york state cookie project was a scrumptious success and a great way to end our unit on the geography of the state now we are beginning our unit on the early history of the state and will be exploring the lives and culture of the native americans of new york this unit includes some fun-filled projects that will be enjoyed by all in math we are working on our arrays and shares unit as well as division strategies we encourage you to practice math facts and word problems at home with your child and also to have them practice independently with flash cards timed tests writing them down or playing games these facts should be mastered so students can use them to solve other mathematical problems finally we continue to be actively involved in many reading and writing activities in ela whether identifying character traits or writing descriptive or persuasive essays we are always encountering new ideas styles and techniques to explore in our reading and writing activities 5th grade our fifth graders have been diving into science in preparation for our upcoming weatherfest on thursday november 10 students are preparing english language arts pieces and a variety of exciting projects weatherfest projects include hot air balloons kites bubble grade level news continued 5th grade continued apparatuses and much more students will enjoy an afternoon sharing their projects and participating in contests we will also be having a special presentation by meteorologist jim teske students are currently learning about the five big themes of social studies including government geography economics history and culture these themes will then be applied in studying about the united states canada and mexico classes have begun guided reading groups students are reading different selections and are focusing on reading comprehension fluency and vocabulary students are encouraged to use silent reading time to continue working on their list of 25 books for the school year in writing class students are creating a variety of writing pieces these may include pieces written during on demand writing writer s workshop and while learning about the six traits of writing our math classes have been concentrating on mathematical thinking we are moving onto picturing polygons geometry please continue to have your child review their multiplication facts at home specials area classes gym socks the bre physical education newsletter students at bolivar road just completed the fitnessgram physical fitness assessments eight weeks from now they will take the four assessments again and the results will go on the second semester report card this is a great opportunity for you to talk with your child about areas that they need to improve and how to get there if you need fitness resources please send a note in with your child and i would be happy to supply you with some please do continue to have your son or daughter prepared for class with comfortable clothing and sneakers finally always ask your child hey what did you do in gym today mr bonnier bre pe dept ais/resource classes we have really gotten into the swing of things at bolivar students know the routine and are being encouraged to increase their knowledge every day it is so important for them to start their day off prepared bringing homework assignment notebooks sneakers for p.e etc if students feel rested organized and ready for the day they can learn with ease speaking of homework this is a great tool to teach responsibility with support from home students automatically know that they need to complete their homework this can include review of notes and vocabulary from each subject which will assist students in being successful with their tests also don t forget the 25 books list your child should be reading for pleasure each day to work toward the new york state goal of 25 books!

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bolivar pta corner mark your calendars for a one-of-a-kind family fun night you won t want to miss the brain show the hottest interactive educational trivia game show in the country is coming to bolivar road elementary on wednesday nov 9 it will be family vs family in what is anticipated to be an amazing fun-forall-ages event with prize giveaways too look for additional details coming home with your bolivar student the bolivar road elementary school pta original works fall fundraiser is currently under way your child s artwork and the product list will be coming home soon orders are due by november 10 thank you for your support of the bre pta as we collaborate in sponsorship of the before and after school clubs we wish to convey our congratulations to our running club members who participated in the syracuse festival of races on sunday october 2 this after school club was led by mrs biviano mrs d imperio mrs fanto and mrs randall our school had over 80 participants including parents students and teachers thank you to everyone remember walking jogging or running can be family activities and healthy ways to exercise lifetouch picture day was successful if you missed your opportunity for pictures retakes are scheduled for thursday december 1 any questions about your order should be directed to lifetouch at 1-866-955-8342 a special note of gratitude to our picture day chairperson darlene collado 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 our membership drive continues as we have reached 79 of our goal please consider joining us in working together to advocate support and enrich the lives of every child membership is only $5 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 the brain show wednesday nov 9 at 6:30 pm general pta meeting ­ wednesday nov 9 at 6 pm original works gifts featuring your own child s artwork orders are due nov 10 transportation breakfast ­ wednesday november 16 half day school/parent teacher conferences ­ thurs nov 17 5th grade community day bridgeport elementary school ­ november 21 don t forget support bolivar pta with our silent fundraiser 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 road elementary earn school supplies 2011-2012 bolivar road elementary pta officers margherita bertella co-president diane paul co-president kelly erickson vice-president jackie penfield treasurer amanda blaszkow secretary funding factory recycling program many thanks to those of you who have sent in used cell phones inkjet and laser toner cartridges for recycling we continue to collect points towards the purchase of major technology items did you know that your business or place of work can support our school through funding factory instead of throwing away empty cartridges from your printer fax machine and desktop copier send them in to funding factory you can register as a supporter of bolivar road elementary school and receive prepaid shipping labels simply put the toner/inkjet cartridges in a sturdy box apply the label and leave it for the next ups pickup if you would be interested in supporting us in this way please call funding factory toll-free at 1-888-883-8237 give the customer service representative our school identification #21125 and they ll set you up to support our account every little bit helps so please keep those used cell phones and empty inkjet/toner cartridges coming to bolivar road for more information about this program visit www.fundingfactory.com please note we cannot accept compatible or recycled toner cartridges project c.a.r.e the character trait for november and december is kindness the character trait for all year is citizenship please go to the bolivar webpage to find out more information

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attention parents emergency early dismissal on tuesday november 22 at 2:50 p.m instead of 3:05 p.m bolivar road student council student council at bolivar road elementary school is made up of fifth grade students the mission of student council is to promote self-esteem pride and leadership qualities among its members to promote school spirit within bolivar road elementary to support and promote community projects and to experience service work and learn that the actions of a few can make a difference to many student council will be divided into two committees the first will run from september to january and the second will be from february through june students who applied for student council were required to write a persuasive letter explaining why they should be chosen to represent their class and their school as well as have a former teacher complete an evaluation form this year s student council advisor is mrs davis this semester s student council members are zachary chapman autumn cummings tyler daviau chloe foran alyssa frantz jakob french emily gilchrist brian lamaitis shelby maring zoe sauvé katie simmons vince smith erin taylor annie vigliotti nys/no child left behind nclb testing parent reminder please notify the main office right away if you have any changes with the following · home address · home phone number · work phone number · cell phone number third fourth and fifth grade students will take english language arts math and science tests in the spring a good website for practicing for these tests is www.playmasterguru.com this site is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week we have found that practicing test-taking strategies using this format helps students feel more comfortable while taking the test and allows them to be more successful.

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november 2011 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday end of marking period saturday 1 2 3 4 5 3 4 6 p.m pta 9 meeting in library 5 1 6 7 8 2 3 3:45 p.m bpt 6:30-8 p.m family meeting in library report cards fun night-the sent home 5 brain show 4 10 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 december 2011 sunday monday wednesday thursday individual picture make up 1 11:15 a.m dismissal parent/teacher conferences 1 friday saturday 2 3 2 4 7 p.m holiday concert at high school 3 5 12-9 p.m bus vote at middle school 4 6 7 8 3:45 p.m bpt meeting in library 9 10 5 1 2 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 3 4 5 1 2 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 3 4 5 1 2 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 holiday recess

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