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bolivar road school the address for success january/february 2012 from the principal s desk the beginning of a new year is an opportunity to have a fresh start many of us make resolutions that are sometimes hard to keep here are a few resolutions paraphrased from the parents make the difference newsletter that will help bring out the best in your child these will serve to help your child be more mr merola motivated at school and home as well as to improve your relationship with your child · be more positive break the habit of paying attention to things your child does wrong and look for and praise what he/she does right for example acknowledge your child when he/she does his/her homework without you asking · be more consistent explain your family rules and expectations to your child then follow through on what you say consistently · have more patience children can t change their behavior overnight nor can we so start each day fresh and stay focused on the change you want to have happen it can take weeks to see improvement on february 3 the second report card will be issued this is a good time to reflect on your children s progress after the first report card parent conferences work sent home and other school communications as you consider your children s achievements help them set goals for the next semester talk to your children about what they are proud of what they would like to improve and how they will meet their goals goals like resolutions help children focus on what s important and what s not they are the foundation of responsible behavior and success in school please feel free to contact your child s teacher with questions or for help selecting goal areas for the rest of the school year parent visitations in january our annual parent visitation days will occur in january during these visits you can observe a typical classroom lesson and also observe the way your child participates during activities you will receive a specific invitation for these days in the next two weeks visitation days for special area classes of music art physical education and library will be scheduled in march we look forward to this opportunity to continue to strengthen our home-school partnership schedule grade 3 tues jan 24 9:15 am grade 4 wed jan 25 9:15 am grade 5 thurs jan 26 9:15 am updated test dates for 3rd 4th and 5th grade nys ela april 1719 2012 nys math april 25-27 2012 project packets for the bolivar science fair were sent home in december to all 3rd 4th and 5th graders start thinking now about what kind of project you would like to do the fair will be held on wednesday february 15 from 6-7 pm the format for the evening is listed below 5th grade presentation 6:00 ­ guest speaker 6:15 ­ awards ceremony 6:30 ­ tour 3rd 4th and 5th grade projects 3rd 4th grade presentation 6:00 ­ tour 3rd 4th and 5th grade projects 6:30 ­ guest speaker 6:45 ­ awards ceremony

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grade level news 3rd grade welcome back from vacation we hope that everyone enjoyed the holidays we are back into the swing of things already the weather continues to be very chilly please make sure your child is dressed for snow each day some days we will go outside for recess in order to go outside students must have full snow gear hats gloves snow pants a coat and boots are required in order to play outside it wouldn t hurt to have an extra pair of socks as well in science third graders continue to study sound as a form of energy and will be moving on to learn about the water cycle in math we are continuing to review combining and comparing while also working with landmark numbers students have been finding the factors and multiples of numbers practicing basic addition and subtraction facts with your child is very important make it a fun experience by playing a game together in social studies third graders are learning about their own and other communities the united states and mexico are only a couple of communities students will be studying students are also learning to read and create maps assignment notebooks are very important please be sure to check your child s backpack and assignment notebook for reminders and homework assignments it is important for your child to practice the skills we cover at home each night please work with them as often as time allows they will appreciate all your support 4th grade fourth graders will eagerly welcome exploring the beginnings of our new unit in social studies­the explorers of new york and the colonial period we hope to learn many many amazing insights about henry hudson and other early explorers we re certain the students will come home with some fascinating fun facts in math we are working on geometry and will be beginning our measurement unit be sure to ask your child to explain landmark numbers to you as the month progresses being able to explain something often implies that you have a good working understanding of it please continue to help your child work on his her multiplication and division facts the extra support from home is really showing in science density is the topic we ll be covering upon our return from the holidays last but not least please remember to have students wear appropriate outdoor clothing as we sometimes take students outside during recess to play in the snow we hope you enjoyed the holidays we look forward to seeing everyone in the new year 5th grade the fifth grade team hopes that you have enjoyed the snow family and fun during the holiday season in science fifth graders have blasted off their chemistry unit powder puzzles this unit covers many of the basic concepts of chemistry by using a scientific approach to problem solving during this unit students become laboratory scientists and investigate six unknown substances through trials students will explore the properties of these mystery powders social studies time will continue to focus around the history geography and culture of mexico students will continue practicing and applying reading strategies to enhance their comprehension in reading this month grade level news continued 5th grade continued students will be exploring works of historical fiction non-fiction and biographies we encourage parents/guardians to read with their children at home to reinforce the reading skills used in school in math students will be finishing their exploration of polygons and basic geometry through their picturing polygons unit students will build on their knowledge of angles and polygons to learn about specific types of quadrilaterals following the completion of this unit we will begin to investigate decimals percents and fractions please remember if your child wants to go outside for recess during these cold snowy winter days they need to have a hat coat mittens boots and snow pants we wish you a good start to a new year and look forward to seeing you on parent visitation day special area classes gym socks the bolivar physical education newsletter the students in mr bonnier s and mr bloom s p.e classes have been working on the components parts of fitness these include cardiovascular endurance muscle strength and endurance and muscle flexibility each warm-up package is designed to improve the student s fitness and better prepare them for the fitnessgram physical fitness assessments the kids have taken them in october and will once again in january to try to improve their scores finally they will be taken again in may to chart their progress upcoming p.e modules include bowling healthy heart and cooperative games with team play the kids are doing very well and i always encourage you to ask your child hey what did you do in gym today ais/resource classes what exactly is a guided reading level and how can parents use that level to help their children find books to read at home the guided reading approach recognizes that there is a wide range of reading abilities within any grade level or age group of children the purpose of a guided reading level is to match children with books at their just right reading level­not too easy and not too hard the guided reading alphabetical level that parents see on their child s report card reflects the instructional reading level of the child this means this is the level at which a child can read with acceptable accuracy and comprehension with guidance from an experienced reader such as a parent or teacher when reading at the instructional level children may still need help decoding tricky words and understanding new and unusual vocabulary at this level children benefit from oral discussions pertaining to their comprehension of the book they are reading the guided reading level directly below the child s reported guided reading level is known as the independent reading level books at this level should be able to be read by a child with very little adult support children should be able to easily decode and understand the contents of a book at their independent reading level so what does this mean for a parent use the guided reading level reported on your child s report card as a guide when selecting or helping your child select books to read at home books at or above a child s reported guided reading level may be best to read together while books at a child s independent level may be an excellent choice for a child to read alone the scholastic site www.scholastic.com/parents/books-and-reading/book-search has a nice search feature that matches titles with guided reading levels happy reading!

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bolivar pta corner sullivan food cupboard drive we collected hundreds of food items for the sullivan food cupboard this is a very generous donation thank you for your family contributions thank you to mrs davis and the student council for their great efforts to help our school complete this food drive as we begin 2012 with all the hope and excitement a new year brings it is important for us to reflect on 2011 and extend our thanks and appreciation to the parents staff and community members who have volunteered their time and talent to make all the bolivar road elementary pta endeavors a reality thank you wow december was definitely filled with hustle and bustle for the project c.a.r.e the character trait for january and february is perseverance the character trait for all year is citizenship please go to the bolivar webpage to find out more information on january 13 there will be a project c.a.r.e assembly at 9 a.m at the assembly awards will be given out for kindness and perseverance will be introduced this assembly will also serve as the kick-off to our anti-bullying day pta the original works orders arrived and we are grateful to all those who participated in our fall fundraiser we hope you enjoy your child s artwork special notes of gratitude go to kathleen penny and our chairperson sonja kingsley for all their diligent efforts spirit clothes orders also arrived during december thanks to all those who purchased apparel we extend a special thanks to kristin tedford for organizing a great way to share our bolivar pride december wouldn t be complete without the annual winter craft this year all 3rd 4th and 5th grade students designed their own magnetic mitten picture frame to share with someone special or keep for themselves there were lots of ingenuity and creativity exemplified by everyone hope you see them on your refrigerators as a cute memento of an enjoyable activity special notes of thanks to gina foster denise frantz robin culkin pam olmstead and all the staff for their assistance with this project finally december afforded us an opportunity to watch our budding musicians as they performed in the holiday concert great job to our students and their teachers and as always thanks to our parents for all their support the bolivar road elementary pta invites you moms dads staff family and community members to make a new year s resolution to add your voice in 2012 what can you do join us in working together to advocate support and enrich the lives of every child looking ahead to our january meeting we will begin planning our spring activities and would love your fresh new ideas we encourage you to get involved with your child s school please consider joining us membership is only $5 per person it s not too late to join for membership and volunteer information please e-mail bolivarpta@gmail.com or leave a message with the bolivar front office 687-2880 thank you upcoming events at bolivar road elementary school general pta meeting wednesday jan 18 6 pm half day of school conference day friday january 27 half day of school conference day thursday february 9 science fair night bre wednesday february 15 6 pm mid-winter recess february 20-24 pamp parents as math partners monday february 27-friday march 2 packets will be sent home district chorus night chs monday february 27 7 pm district band night chs friday march 2 7 pm district orchestra concert chs sunday march 4 2 pm you can support bolivar road elementary and the bolivar pta all year long by participating in these simple and 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 2011-2012 bolivar road elementary pta officers margherita bertella co-president diane paul co-president kelly erickson vicepresident jackie penfield treasurer amanda blaszkow secretary the pta advocates for every child with one voice visit nys pta www.nyspta.org we look forward to a wonderful 2012 and hope to see you building planning team news we will be hosting before and after school clubs for the winter/spring session plans are underway for our around the world day event that will occur in june sixteen presenters are being asked to share their expertise on various cultures during workshops for students.

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the bolivar road staff and students would like to thank all of the volunteers that have assisted in various ways throughout the entire school year due to the generous gift of time that these volunteers have donated our school is an enhanced learning and social environment their efforts are greatly appreciated on a daily basis the following caring volunteers have provided assistance with field trips class projects class parties enrichment clubs building planning team p.t.a and other activities at bolivar austin carol barbagallo jody barnard courtney battilana elaine beckwith sally bertella margherita biviano melissa blaszkow amanda bleyle andrea bogardus irene bonfardeci donna bonnier eric boyd audrey brooker jeanne burleigh kristine button tessie burns jennifer byrne julie byrne james camp meagen champlin mary lou chapman brenda checkovsky christine collado darlene collado julio colligan cyndi crayton katie culkin robin darling mary beth darling dan darrow tina daviau charissa daviau ryan devaul jamie ellis lorene ellstrom greg endres connie erickson kelly fanto sandra ferguson christine foster gina fougnier-hillage jamie frantz denise galuski katherine giancola cheri gould mike gould wendy heidt jeff henry donna johnson melinda karbowniczak richard kellogg karin kellogg rob kingsley sonja knox john knox stephanie lamaitis brian lamphere kelly lanning janet leclaire jeremy leonard ben leonard erin lynch mike matzell amber mccabe marilyn mcintosh traci mills connor mills kyle moon diane moon sue moscarito debbie mulholland catherine napoli della narolis tricia olmstead pam owens jessica paul diane penfield jackie penny kathleen peryer mary anne pitt sheila prenoveau colleen randall laurie raulli jim revette amy rooney derek rooney ellen roberts theresa rode erin rudd angela seibert allyson schnauffer brett schnauffer sharon seale cheryl sessler kelley stanek melissa stanistreet donna stansbury lisa tedford kristin tedford nicole tiric mirsada toscano danielle toscano ken turner leah wallis jessie wickes katherine wilkowski patty williams brad wilsey andrea wilson dan wilson michelle wood annie woodcock heather young cindy young eric

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january 2012 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday 1 holiday recess 2 welcome back 3 4 5 3:45 p.m bpt meeting in library 6 7 3 4 5 1 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 2 3 4 6 p.m pta meeting in library 3 5 1 15 no school dr martin luther king jr day 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 5 11:15 a.m 27 23 24 25 26 9:15-10 a.m 9:15-10 a.m 9:15-10 a.m dismissal 3rd grade parent 4th grade parent 5th grade parent end of visitation visitation visitation marking period 1 2 3 4 5 4 2 28 29 30 31 1 2 february 2012 sunday monday tuesday wednesday thursday friday saturday 1 2 3:45 p.m bpt meeting in library 3 report cards issued 5 4 3 4 5 6 7 8 11:15 a.m dismissal 9 10 11 1 2 3 6-7 p.m science fair at bolivar road 4 5 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 1 2 3 4 5 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 mid-winter recess no school 26 parents as math partners pamp begins 27 28 29 1 2 3

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